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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 18, Issue 1203, 21 December 1871, Page 2

A Melbourne paper says :—A noteworthy event in our commercial annals occurred yesterday, when the large American fore-and-aft schooner Isabel, which loaded up here for San Francisco, sailed from the Bay with the first cargo of wool shipped direct to the States. Her master took the first cargo of coals from Newcastle, N S. W\, to San Fran

cisco direct by sailing vessel, and as a .singular coincidence lie now in like manner lakes the tirst camo of wool straight from this port to the same destination

Five stained glass windows are to lie placed in St. Michael’s church, Christchurch, as a memorial of Messrs Whitcomb e, Ho welt, Tounsend, Dobson, and Olliver, who lost their lives in exploring Westland. It has been proposed to establish an Astronomical Society in Christchurch. We observe from our files that the wreck of the ill-fated steamer Ahuriri has been sold by auction for (he sum of ,£ls, a Mr Hoss bottom being the purchaser. The magnificent diorama, so beautifully descriptive of the leading scenes that occurred in the last American war, was exhibited in Nelson last week, and left for Dunedin on the 15th inst. A local paper hears that several busi ness firms in Arrow town (Otago) are curtailing their business considerably on account of the increase of the stamp duties. The annual report of the Chamber of Commerce of Otago shows the Province’s export of wool for the present year 13,244,5941h5, and gold 169,2330z5. The repoit contains sti-ong remarks relative to the imposition of the new Stamp Duties,

Jt is said that his Excellency the Governor will visit Marlboiough shortly, when it is expected that he will turn the sod of the railway between Pipton and Blenheim.

The Wanganui Chronicle savs there are no fewer than one hundred and forty-two rivers, streams, anil streamlets between Wanganui and New" Plymouth, many of them insignificant threads in summer, but even the smal lest of them sure to swell into a brawling brook after a heavy rain. They are a capital feature of the country, but rather expensive in a load-making point of view.

The Nelson Evening Mail of the 15th instant says that the dredging works in the A ore re river have not yet proved a success, the operations of the Nelson and Oollingwood Company having resulted in a very trifling yield of gold, so small indeed as to induce the management to desist from working in the spot first selected. Another portion of the claim, which is half a mile in length, will be tried, and it is hoped with better success There has been a tremendous flood in the river and the punt and other dredging appliances belonging to Williams and Company weve washed away. From the Perseverance there is again bad news 281 tons of stone having yielded only 29ozs of gold. The captain of the Cunard Royal Mail steamer Java, which arrived at New York, reported that on a late date whilst in mid ocean, the Java came into collision with the Norwegian barque Annita with force. The Java was under full steam when >he struck the unfortunate barque; the latter going down so suddenly that only one man out of a crew of twelve escaped. The tonnage ef all vessels (including native craft) entered and cleared at ports in British India hasmereasul from 5,101,974 tons in 1861 to 6,274,550 tons in 187 p.

The Nelson annual regatta is fixed to come oif on Boeing Day. The Marlborough Press learns that A. P. Seymour, Esq., has been solicited to represent the Wairau district in the House of in the place of W. 11. Eyes, Esq., resigned.

In Invercargili the Southland News brought a series of charges against the few Chinese located there, which led to the police unexpectedly "spotting" their places, on the evening of Sunday, the 12th inst., and pouncing upon them. With the exception of opium smoking, nothing reprehensible was disco*, ered, and the police are quite convinced that the allegation about females having been allured into their haunts, was without foundation.

During the recent fire at Auckland there was one very narrow escape, and had it not been for the promptitude and fearlessness displayed by a few bystanders, a life would undoubtedly have been lost A man went into a small building which stood between the foundry and the block of buildings in Victoria-street to rescue some valuables. It was then blazing fiercely, and the unfortunate man had .sparely got inside \yhen the chimney fell in. Some of the material struck him on the head, and he fell insensible. Blazing rafters were on the point of filling over him, when Sergeant Major Broughton and a few other courageous spectators observed the occurrence, and rushed in just in time to drag him out before the timbers of the roof came down with a crash. A late Wellington paper records that on the 16th imst., a dairy farmer from the Hutc brought a quantity of fresh butter into town, and could only succeed in disposing of it by the slow and troublesome process of hawking it from house to house at 6d per lb. This is a price insufficient to give any return for investment in stock, and when to this is added the expense connected with the second business of disposal by hawking it is time dairy farmers, either by themselves or by a farmers’ organisation in each district, resorted to potting for export. Butter in this shape might be sent to England, as has been done by some of the other provinces, or better still, to some of the markets of the West Coast of the Middle Island, where farm produce of all kinds, if of good quality, will realise remunerative rates at all seasons of the year. It must be apparent to everybody that the present prices are very discouraging. The price of butter is so low at the Hutt in consequence of the want of a market that people prefer to give the milk to their pigs, the price at which it is sold there, 4d per lb, being nothing like an equivalent to the payment of the labor required in its production. A motion was recently introduced in the New South Wales Parliament affirming the necessity for having one uniform stamp for postage and duty, and reducing the size by one third. The rno \er pointed out the inconveniences which were experienced, especially in the country, by having two sets of stamps when one set would be sufficient, and alluded to the difficulty of getting stamps when once Sydney was left. The size of the receipt stamp was also very awkward, and rendered it impossible to get on to an ordinary pay-sheet. The Government opposed the motion on the ground that it would be impossible to separate the income received from postage from that procured from stamp duty. The motion was lost.

One of the most couragous acts ever performed by a lady look place on the 20th of September on the road from Ramsgate to Broadstairs. & Miss A. Howard, of London, wa,-> walking in the direction of the North Foreland, when she saw approaching her a pair of horses in a waggonette, full of ladies and children galloping along without a driver. Perceiving that, if not stopped before they reached the hill, they woiild ? in all probability, be dashed over the cliff, she rushed forward, and, quite forgetting the strength necessary for such a feat, seized their bridles. The impetus carried her for ?ome little distance, nearly pulling her anus out of their, sockets, but by gieat dexceri y she contrived to turn them to a standstill, not, however, until she had received injuries that, we regret, to say, will confine her to her bed for some time.