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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 17, Issue 940, 10 February 1871, Page 3

The Timaru Herald hears that if, as is expected, the price of wheat keeps up in England, two, or possibly three, ships will load at Timaru this season for London direct with wheat.

The hon. H. Sewell has been appointed Commissioner of Customs, the resignation of the hon. J. Vogel having been accepted. Mr Sewell has also been appointed a Commissioner of Stamp Duties, A correspondent of the Southern Cross W rites : —" Sir, —You may not be aware that the Maoris have got hold of a story to the effect, that the reason of there being a> money in Auckland is that the Prince took it all away when he left. The Maoris firmly believe the story, and are curious to hear what it was that caused the Prince to take the money."

A cyclone on a small scale travelling from S.W. to N.E., swept over Auckland .on the 6th inst. The Herald says: —Its violence was most felt at the corner of the Young Men's Christian Association, where it swept hats, caps, and sheers of paper high into the air. It was accompanied on its progress by a thick cloud of dust that was perfectly irresistible. From thence it travelled down to the market place, where it took up quite a number of fowls and whirled them several yards iuto the air, to the great astonishment, of the birds, while it at the same time carried all before it, nearly sweeping several ladies off their feet, and carrying boards, boxes, and buckets into the road by the half-dozen. The gust was confined to a very narrow compass, and travelled with the greatest rapidity. At a meeting of the Wellington Philosophical Society on the 28th January, the following new members were announced— G. A. Allen, Esq., W. Colenso, Esq.. James Prendergast, Esq., and Dr. F. Knox. We quote the following interesting items from the Independent's report :—Mr Travel's then called the attention of the meeting to a live katipo (a poisonous native spider) which had been sent from Wanganui by Mr Walter Buller.—Mr Travers also called attention to a curious kind of beetle sent from Wanganui by Duigan, and a communication recording an extraordinary flight of an army of these beetles, from which the sample had been captured, in the Patea district. The paper stated the beetles travelled with marvellous speed, as they went over forty miles of country in one night, and that a similar irruption had iakeu place on the coast in 1853. Mr Travers said the beetle was very like a beetle that made its appearance in Canterbury, the larva of which was most destructive to the grass; and he believed zt originally came from Tasmania, where

it proved very destructive to grass and crops. The most effectual remedy for the plague in that colony was found to be flooding the earth, as after the water passed off the larva was to be seen in the ditches in incredible quantities. Among some interesting particulars respecting this unwelcome stranger, Mr Travers said it was nocturnal in its habits,'being very seldom seen in the day ; and he thought it was much to be regretted that it had found its way across the strait. —Mr Travers read an interesting paper by Mr Shand, formerly Resident Magistrate at the Chatham Islands, on the different kinds of canoes formerly used by the Morions, of which a small model of one of them is to be seen iu the Museum. The canoes described were four, but built on two plans only, on one and two keels, the structure being of wickerwork, the floating power being derived from a layer of kelp bladders. The Lyttelton Times says: —On the last trip of the Beautiful Star from Aka« roa to Timaru, Mr J. G. Hughes, of the former place, took down a quantity of groper or hapuka fish, for the purpose of testing their fitness for preserving by the tinning process. The fish were duly cooked and tinned at the New Zealand Meat Preserving Company's works, Washdyke, Timaru, and the following are the reports upon them : —" New Zealand Meat Preserving Company, Timaru, January 24, 1871, —I do hereby certify that I have preserved New Zealand groper fish for Mr J. G. Hughes, of Akaroa. 1 can speak from many years' experience in the preserving trade, and have no hesitation in -stating that it is equal to any English fish when properly treated. —Richard Buist, Preserver for N.Z.M.P. Co." "New Zealand Meat Preserving Company, Timaru, January 24, 1871, —I have this day tasted groper fish preserved for Mr J. G. Hughes, of Akaroa. From what I see of it I consider it very suitably for preserving, and a great boon to the country. Akaroa owes Mr Hughes a great deal for the interest he (Mr H.) has taken in this matter. John Macintosh, Washdyke, Timaru, New Zealand." We hope that Mr Hughes' endeavors may lead to the introduction amongst us of a new industry.