COLONIAL ITEMS.

Wellington Independent, Issue 3137, 2 March 1871, Page 3

COLONIAL ITEMS.

[Eubopean Mail.] With regard to wool, I may mention that since the arrival in England of Sir Daniel Cooper new ground has been broken &b to the brokerage on the sale of the staple. Certain leading merchants have in course of signature a requisition to the brokers op the subject : but the concession of & per cent brokerage does not meet with general approval. I may mention, from private information, that the form of a requisition is objected to by the merchants, who fear that if " requisition" is made upon the brokers, their turn will come next. Sir Daniel Cooper haß no friends among the brokers, who are very wrath with \ him: and the merchants on their part sympathise with a conservative policy in the matter. A goodjnany people have an idea that the war will have the effect of raising the price of wool generally ; but tharo is much difference of opinion on the point. I have Been some specimens of wool cleaned by a new patented process of Messrs Paul Toepler & Co, of Hutton Garden. As far as one can judge, j the method seems likely to prove successful, j According to the prospectus of the patentees, the wool is washed aud cleansed' from grease by means of cold baths, it being quite indifferent whether it bo taken freßh from the shearers' hands or whether it be dirty warehoused wool. The method does not destroy any of the wool-hair, bo that compared with other methods it effects a saving of 6 per cent of purified wool. By this means alone therefore, the value of wool would bo enhanced from 15s to 18s per hundred pounds. Besides this, tbo wool bo treated is pure white, in a very soft state, and open to the very points and dyes readily and beautifully ; it is mild to the touch, and lose» none of its curling properties. Ever particle of grease is able to be removed from the wool without in any way injuring the same, but it is considered more advantageous to leave an amount of grease of about 2or 3 per cent, 86 by that lagans the hydropic peculiarity of attracting a<fp:ain per centage of water from the atmoeplpre is avoided, of which — and with justice — . anufacturers complain, that the imported wog cleansed with alkalies, where the greaso is almost entirely removed, is liable to." At the annual meeting of the Peninsular and Oriental Company, on Dec. 6, the Chairman stated, in respect to Indian and Australian coal, that the former had been tried by the company and found a failure, but that the

latter was being gradually more and more used, as it had improved in quality &b the mines had been sunk deeper. Colonial securities have been generally looking up since my laßt letters, and even South Australian hare recovered. With reference to the remarks in my last letter in connection with the South Australian Loan for £108,000, several communications from correspondents have appeared in the press, taking a sanguine view of the financial condition and prospects of South Australia. It is argued that the von success of the call for tenders was not to be wondered at, as the 'panic which reigneu in the city at the time owing to the Russian ernbroglio was nearly equal to the panic of July ; nor would the bonds have boen offered at all to public tender but for the rule of the Stock Exchange which inquires all foreign securities to be so offered in public before they are admitted to be dealt with in the market. Since that date, however, the Agent- Q-eneral has been able to dispose of tbe whole of thorn, £15,000, at and above his minimum price of £108 ex January coupon, and the balance a little below that price. Mr Ottywell despatched a quantity of railway plant to Canterbury on December 17, per Crusader. This vessel carried out last year 400 emigrants to Victoria. Mr Hay has taken out in her to the colonies on the present occa- ] sion a quantity of horned and othar stock. An illustration of the sharpness of London firms to take advantage of any circumstance that turns up to drive an honest penny was related to me by a friend the other day in i connection with the recent great fire in Ljttelton, New Zealand. No sooner had tho news of that calamity reached England than a member of a firm of steam fire-engine manufacturers immediately called upon the New Zealand agent here, and persuasively recommended his " wares" as the best means of coping with any recurrence of such a calamity there. t It is to be trusted that the project of the proposed Nelson and Cobden Railway will be carried out ere long ; but from all I can gather it seems that it must either bo done by the Colonial Government itself or by a local Government guarantee. At all events it is not likely to find any English company ready to undertake it, at least for a very long time to come. The Australian merchants have joined in a memorial to the Postmaster-General for a reduction of postage on newspapers, prices current and circulars to England, China, and Australia. It is most devoutly to be wished that they may be successful. With regard to Australian meat, the siege of Paris is likely to test its nutritive qualities pretty practically. Large quantities of it in store there are rationed out daily to the inhabitantf. One philftnthrophic[«orrespondent recently appealed to the benevolent through the columns of a London contemporary to purchase a sufficient supply of it to meet the anticipated exigencies of the starving population on the capitulation of the city. I tasted the other day a specimen of corned beef, packed in refined mutton fat, preserved by the Victoria Meat Preserving Company of Melbourne. All I can say is, that if the people of Paris were only supplied with an indefinite quantity of it, it would fare ill with the Germans. The numerous friends of Captain Anderson in Australia and New Zealand will be sorry to hear of that gentleman's death which took place recently in London. He was formerly Warden of Sandhurst, and married a daughter of the Melbourne managing director of the Bank of Victoria, known under the soubriquet of " Money Miller." Mrs Anderson is now residing in the country near her sister, wife of Captain Bancroft, |who waß for some time aide-de-camp to Sir Henry Barkly. Sir Henry visited tho deceased several times previous to his death. Captain Anderson, although he died so young (he was only 32, 1 believe) had gone through an infinity of adventures, and had been nearly all over the world in the course of his career. Aa a passenger home in the Somersetshire he was the life and soul of all on hoard, getting up amateur theatricals, and starting a newspaper for the sake of amusement. He died of consumption, partly brought on, it is said, by the hardghips he had undergone daring his adventurous career. Dr W. M. Wheeler, late of Dunedin iB a candidate for the appointment of surgeon to Gray's Inn Hospital. Colonel Carey, C.8., who was DeputyAdjutant- General for several years to the forces in the Australian colonies has been appointed Deputy- Judge-Advocate at the Horße Guards. The 18fcb Royal Irish arrived home after a quiok and prosperous voyage, and is quartered in Plymouth. The 65th Regiment is under orders to embark at Queenstown for India about January 12. It will be remembered that the corps served in New Zealand for the lengthened period of nineteen i years, and arrived in England from the colony the latter end of 1865. The death is announced of Captain Thomas Casement, late 68th Light Infantry, which occurred whilst engaged with an exploring expedition in Africa in search of Dr Livingstone. He served on the east and west coasts of New Zealand during the Maori war, and was severely wounded at Te Ranga. In reference to the forthcoming International Exhibition, if the colonies wish to make an impreßßion by their t»rt contributions, they should take care, through their agents, to secure space in the galleries. In the exhibition of 1862 this was neglected, tho result being that many very beautiful works got more or leBS badly hung, and were found mixed up with all sorts of products, excellent in their way, but altogether foreign to art. The colonies therefore should not lose the present opportunity of making tbeir debut in the distinguished company of the best men in the art world. Should any meritorious works be rejected they would still find a place in the Tarious courts. lam told that the AgentGeneral for Queensland has applied for a space in the International Exhibition for the display of minerals ; but as such products do not come within its scope, it is to be feared that he will not be successful in his application. It seems that the exhibition of colonial wool is likely to bo on the most extensive scale.