OUR MAIL BUDGET.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7338, 19 July 1892, Page 4

OUR MAIL BUDGET.

ANGLO-COLONIAL ITEMS. London, June 10. FSBSONAL AND GKKEBAL. Anglo-Australian Bays : —Mr H. Von Haaßt, the eldest son of the late Sir Julias 1 Von Haast, leaves for New Zealand in the I Bteamer Indramayo. I understand that j Mr Von Haaat intends, on hia return to j Christchurch, to resume his practice as .' barrister and solicitor. No doubt the exj perience and knowledge which he has i gained during hia visit to Europe will ! stand him and hia clients in good stead. The Jamaica papers report the arrival in that colony of " the New Zealand champion pugilist, Mr David Manning," v.ho proposes to remain some little time in Kingston, and "have a go with anyone willing to try conclusions with him in a friendly way." Gerald Massey, the poet, who a. few years back made a lecturing tour through the Antipodean Coloniea, has just accomplished hia sixty-fourth year. He has had a curious and interesting career. He went to work in a silk factory when eight years old, and later on became an errand boy in a London newspaper office. At twentyone he became editor of tbe Spirit of Freedom, and in '54 began to pour forth his poetry. He was for ten years on the staff of the Athenceum, and was also a prolific contributor to the Quarterly 'Review. His trip to the Antipodes did his health good, although he failed to make the '* pot of money " which fell to the lot of Mr George Augustus Sala, NEW ZEALAND HAEBOUBB. j Very keen attention is being directed here in city circles, to New Zealand harbour Becurities. There is a great deal ; beingsaid aa to the report of the Wellington Harbour Board for 1891, and I am ' pleased that the accounts are such as to* '■ generally inspire confidence. It is highly i noteworthy that the tonnage of vessels entering the port wbb last year the greatest ever known, and showed an increase of 70,000 tons over 1890. Well done Wellington. THU STEAMSHIP TASMANIA. The Agent -General for Tasmania I travelled down to Newcastle the other day j in order to accept the invitation of Messrs I Huddart and Parker to witness the trial | trip of the Tasmania, which was made in the North Sea during very fine weather, and proved most successful. The Tasmania is a fine screw steamer, built for passenger service between Sydney and Hobart, and has been very perfectly equipped on the latest scientific lines, and with all the best improvements. She is fitted with tbe electric light, and has a very fine saloon running quite from one side of the ship to the other. This iB a good feature, and is connected with a music saloon above, which renders the whole very airy. The decorations are good, and throughout comfort has been thoroughly studied. DAIRY PBODUCE. Australian and New Zealand dairy farmers must look carefully to their export business to the Old Country, now in its infancy, for already they are being threatened, I regret to cay, with a serious competition. It seems that some provision importers here are already Bounding the producers in Argentina on the subject of Bending frozen butter, &c, over to Great Britain. OE course, nathing practical may come of this, or very much, for undoubtedly the facilities of transit are in favour of the South American dairy farmer. TBOUT AND THE MAY-FLY. Itißwellknown that although the English trout gets on well in some parta of Australasia, the flavour is not exactly of the finest. I understand that the Agents-General are now conferring with the inspectors of our fisheries at home to ascertain if something cannot be done to remedy this defect in acclimatised salmon. That " something " iB nothing leas than the exportation of the Engliah May fly to Australia. No doubt the May fly is a food for English salmon, but 1 should hesitate ere recommending the importation into tbe Austral world of even one more insect. It by no means follows that the flavour of English salmon is due to the May flies they devour, and I seriously think that, even if the flies are successfully introduced, the result will be disappointing as to the salmon, while certainly no one ever wants one insect more than Nature, in her always wise economy, haa already provided. GOLD-MINING IN NEW ZEALAND. Mr G. J. Binns, who has had very considerable personal experience in mining in New Zealand, read last week a very interesting and well-compiled paper on that subject, at a meeting in London of the Federated Institution of Mining Engineers. Although the meeting took place at noon, there was a good attendance of those interested in that industry of our far-away Colony. Among thoae present were Mr M'Cosh Clark, Mr E. Hunt, Mr Eawlings, Mr Cox and Mr M'Dougal, all of whom are intimately acquainted with the Bubject, and joined in the discussion. Mr Kennaway, of the New Zealand Government Office, was also present, and related how, many yeara ago, two gold diggers prospected hia sheep run in South Canterbury, and found the colour wherever they dug, and at more than one place could have made Seven shillings a day, but this the diggers did not consider by any means sufficient. Mr Kennaway kindly offered to place his knowledge of the locality at the disposal of , my oi the gentlemen present who might degiro to form & New Zealand Gold Explora-t-ort -COBJ^any. I hear * ha t copies of Mr Binns' valuable jfrw? will ehortly be available for distribution ii t^ N?^ Z .aland ] Agent-General's office.