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Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 23 February 1901, Page 4

Among Mr Seddon's pleasantest experiences in Australia was a visit to the Williamstown workshops, where he worked as a smith in the early days, and where he had a talk over old times with several of his old comrades.

While in Queensland Mr Donald Macdonald, the war lecturer and correspondent, was taken to the famous Darling Downs by tho members of tho Government. In tho courso of a few remarks ho made, Mr Macdonald said that people going to New Zealand were apt to look at that country merely of picturesque scenery; but he found when bo went there the land was magnificent.

When the King's health was being toasted at the luncheon to the Imperial troops at Palmerston North, one Tommy remarked to two other soldiers standing near: " Won't the boys blubber at Home when they hear we've drunk the King's health in champagne." Amongst tho presents which the Putiki natives gave tho Imperial soldiers was a pipe said to be over 100 years old, made of ake ake and beautifully carved. The presentation was made by Henare To Ao to the officer in charg for transmission to Colonel Wyndham.

The Nelson "Colonist" states that some, at a'.l events of the oyster beds in the Golden Bay have been destroyed by the slime which made its appearance in such quantities a short time ago. After dredging a bed on which there were a large quantity of fine oysters at the end of last season, Mr Westrupp returned with IeES than three dozen live oysters. It is feared that the oysters in Tasman Bay have aho suffered largely. A disturbance by Maoris at Mr Henry Carlson's mill at Tahoraite is reported by the Dannevirke paper. A party of between forty and fifty natives, mainly composed of women and children, assembled, and about five chains of the tramway line was pulled up and burned, and a number of trees felled across the line, as well as an attempt made to destroy a bridge. The ringleader was arrested. Tho crux of the trouble lies in the fact that the natives claim that the lease of the land on which the mill stands has expired, and that they therefore have now the right to take possession of it. Among the genial Scots at the Federal Theatre in "\N ellington on Wednesday evening, might have been seen a 21st Lancer, his blue uniform relieved with the attractive French Grey, in close and seperate conversation with a bluejacket of H.M.S. Archer, dressed in the plain but serviceable attire of the " handy men. " They were brothers, and had not seen each other for nine years. Their meeting, tho " Post " records, was brought about simply through the concidence of the Britannic and the Archer being in the Wellington harbour together. The cloan-shaven, spick-and-span Lancer wore the Omdurman colours—yellow, as representing the desert, rod, for the blood of Gordon, black, in mourning for his memory ; and yellow, blue and yellow, representing tho Nile flowing between the desert sands. This is not tho only instance of men from the Britannic finding relatives after long separation. It is stated that an up-country policeman found among the visitors a brother whom he had lost run of for years. Some boys, and even men, struck a gold and silver mine at the old railway station at Oamaru a few days ago. The wooden flooring of tho platform has beeu removed, and a considerable sum of money must have been dropped between the planks by peoplo frequeufing the station. Two half-sovereigns have already been found as well as numbers of half-crowns, florins, shillings, and other lesser coins.