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Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 1, Issue 17, 13 May 1867, Page 112

Coaxing Station fob the P. N.Z., and

. A.R.M. Co.’s Steamers. —It appears thai ' tlie Panama, New Zealand, and Australian Royal Mail Company have decided to have a reserve coaling station at one of the islands in the Pacific in case any of the stea . mers performing the mail service between Panama and Wellington and Sydney run short of fuel from stress of weather or any other cause. The island selected is called Oparu, or Rapa, and is in the direct course of the mail vessels. It lias been ascertained from reliable sources that it possesses one of the finest harbors in the world, and the population consists of about 500 . friendly natives. The company’s vessels

having made ten successful voyages across the Pacific without touching at any pi rt , .whatever to coal after leaving Panama and Wellington, there will, under ordinary circumstances, be no necessity for the steamers to call at Oparu. Should it be decided eventually to connect Tahiti with this service, it could be arranged for them to touch at Oparu every voyage for this purpose, and the mails for Tahiti could be forwarded to the latter island by. a branch vessel from the former. In this way it is believed a large trade would be opened up with the various islands in the centre of the Pacific. —•Home News, February 26.

New Disease in Sheep. —The New Zea ; land Herald of a recent date regrets “ to learn that a very serious disease is making headway amongst some of the flocks about Auckland, which, as yet, lias defied the intelligence of surgical investigation. The . sheep suffer evidently from pain in the head, which causes them to batter their heads against any hard substance until, indeed they render themselves perfectly blind ~ with repeated bruises. They refuse food, '>' arid ultimately pine away till they die. Ip the flock of one gentleman .some three or .. four diseased subjects have been killed and dissected by a medical gentleman, but no

Cause of the "disease has been discovered, p . The stomach,, in every instance, we have been told, was perfectly healthy, but the .lifers.arid lungs are affected, and, in the * m those Which died of the disease,

wore quite rotten. It wa3 oxpectud that ns in the case of grubs in the brain, which disease has before now caused sheep to knock their head about in the same way, through excess of pain, it would be found that entozoa of some kind had been the cause No trace of worm or grub has, however, been found either in the brain or other organs of the head. As certain flocks only are at present affected with this disease, it might afford, perhaps, some clue to its origin, if their owners were to meet and compare the treatment which such such flocks have received during the past six or eight months. It may be just possible that the treatment pursued in the case of one di scase mav have been the cause of another, or, indeed, that any particular treatment or feed may have induced this disease. By collecting evidence of this kind, the researches of medical and scientific men would be much facilitated.”

Govebnment Land Sale.— The sale of sections having frontage to Byron-st. took place at the Crown .Lands Office, Napier, at noon on the 29ih ult., —Mr John Stuart officiating as auctioneer. The attendance was exceedingly small, and the bidding fiat. But three sections found purchasers, viz., Nos. 544, 545, and 546, at £llO, £76, and £B4 17s fid respectively,—the total sum realised being £270 17s 6d. Postal. —Captain M : Mahon has given notice of rrotion in the Victorian Legislative Assembly that he will move that the propositions agreed to by the Postal Conference are neither satisfactory nor advantageous to that Colony. Tin’s motion was to have been discussed on the 10th April, and the Chief Secretary had agreed to give it precedence to the Government motion for confirming the proceedings, but Captain M‘Mahon declined, as lie had told certain members who were anxious to sneak—or more probably, ready to support him—that it would take place ou a subsequent day, and they were out of town. It wa3 also stated that additional time was required, in order that hon. members might thoroughly consider the minute from the Lor s of the Treasury relative to new services by way of Suez, and also to ascertain the views taken by the delegates of the other colonies relative to the statement which appeared in the Argus, that notwithstanding what appeared, on the minutes, ■there was an understanding that Melbourne, as soon as the graving dock was completed, should be the final port of arrival and departure for the Suez line. Ultimately, when the motion was called on it was postponed until the following Tuesday, but as the House was to adjourn over the Easter recess, it appears obvious that the question cannot be debated until next month. It is much to be regretted that such a delay should have taken place. Several petitions have been presented to the House from persons connected with the shipping trade, praying that the action of the delegates may not be confirmed.. In the Legislative Council on the 11th ult. a motion by Mr Jenuer, that the agreement of the Postal Conference was unsatisfactory, and would not conduce to the interests of the colony, was passed unanimously, after additions had been made to it to the effect that no mail service Co Victoria, except that viu Suez, and that did not make Melbourne the terminal port, was desirable ; and that the Panama and Torres Straits lines would not confer much advantage on Victoria, and therefore should not be subsidised.