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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 113, 15 May 1871, Page 2

The Provincial Government of Wellington, not, having funds to replace the bridge over the Hutt River, which has become insecure, has placed a punt over the riverinstead. The Province is thus, the Post remarks, "after thirty years of colonisation, going back to the: appliances which the pioneer settlers were compelled to use for a time. The Provincial offices," the same journal adds, "are fast falling into a most dilapidated condition, and in a short time will cease to be habitable, and judging from the conduct of the authorities in the matter we have just mentioned, we may expect to see them replaced by 1 toi-toi whares. " : •••.••!•■• The New Zealand Herald has the following* remarks on New .Zealand v. Tasmania!^ timber.:—"At one time a great deal of the latter was used in the construction, of public . and other works; and for some time it vvas thought that nothing could beat the biuegum, p of jVan Dieman's Land.- When the Queen-steet wharf was built!,: ■it was found in the course of a;few>years that the Tasinanian timber was completely worm-eaten and rotten, while the New Zealand timber remained almost "as hard as when first put down. Most of the bad piles were, therefore, taken lipandNewiZealand woocj substituted. The very same thing happened; with the uppers Tpldnkingi:of t*oo wharf, which was -partly composed :pf ■■jN'ewi Zealand wood, :ua,n(i. -partly/ of Tasmanian. As in the other case^.tlle Tasmanian was very soon (thoroughly worn* o.ut,jaud jM-the 'present time tlie planking of the wharf consists wholiy of''native-wobd" 1 '! . iiai .ftViu-i-JiisT .'i(i yiwx-'A'.A ■■

Tbe Wellington correspondent of the Otago Daily Times intimates the probability of the General Assembly not meeting until July or August. He says : — The ■general impression which prevailed until lately was that Parliament would be called together early in June, in-order to grant supplies before the expiration of the appropriations. It is now, however, rumored that the Government has discovered some loophole to enable it to carry on for a short time longer, and that it is possible the House may not be called together before the end of July or beginning of August. If the Bank will let them, the Government : will put off assembling the House as long as possible, certainly until Mr. Vogel's return, if . return he does, a thing which some people think improbable. The decision of the Bank will probably be v good deal influenced by the tenor of the information received by the next mail, and until that comeß, it is not likely that any positive decision will be come to as to the \ date for the meeting of the Assembly. An Auckland correspondent of one" of the Otago journals writes: — "The Caledonian is as rich — if not richer — than ever. Of course, those holding shares iv the neighboring claims are sanguine of similar pleasant results, and calls to work the mines are paid willingly instead of the shares being forfeited as hitherto. This confidence is doing much good, and putting a considerable sum into useful circulation. Under its influence, Auckland will soon be rid of the name some traveller gave it, of ,' the unpainted city,' if the number of houses in painters' hands at the present moment is to be taken as any criterion. The Caledonian dividends since February last amount to over £130,000, with the prospect of £34,000 more in a few days, and must have much to do with this change in the outward appearance of the city." Poisoning. — An occurrence took place recently which mothers will do well to guard against. It appears (says the Canterbury Press) that a child of Mr. Munnings, of Oxford Terrace, in playing with a green-colored collar box, chewed and swallowed a portion of the paper covering. Shortly afterwards the child exhibited all the symptoms of poisoning, retching frequently, and also being very drowsy. An emetic was promptly administered, and after continued retching for some time, the child recovered. Tbe paper has been analysed by Dr. Coward, and is found to contain arsenic and copperas in quantity sufficient to cause death in a child of tender years, and there is very little doubt but that if an emetic had not been promptly given, fatal results would have occurred in tbe case referred to. As collar-boxes of the kind spoken of are common in almost every family, it is necessary that extreme caution should be used in leaving them within the reach of children. The "Wanganui Herald says :— A gentleman gives an excellent suggestion anenfe ihe question of removing the bar of the Wanganui river. The bar of the Danube was at one time similar to that of the Wanganui. The Turks invented a harrow which each vessel leaving the river had to drag after her, buoying it outside, and each vessel that entered the river had to drag the harrow in. The harrow was much like an ordinary agricultural one. It operated by the teeth loosening the particles of sand, which the force ofAhe water carried out, and the result was nhat the bar had the same depth of water a3 existed in the river and outside the mouth. During the Crimean war, when the Russians put a stop to all Turkish commerce, the regulation was set aside, and consequence was that the bar filled up, and the vessels of large draught were unable.to enter.; This appears a very simple plan for, deepening the bar, and as soon as the harbor comes under local control, it ought to be tried. The expense of the experiment would be small, and we believe it would be successful. The latest notion propounded (writes a correspondent of the Australasian) is that it is dangerous for. the colony to have the Cerberus in Hobson's Bay because she will be a temptation to an enemy to come and steal her; The Prussians ran the same sort'bf risk when they brought their Krupp's siege guns within reach of the Parisians, but the latter were far too courteous to meddle with them. The idea iisjinotfaltijgetheS Original. • In the good old times, when the Ovens diggings "broke but, "a volatile friend of mine resolved upon an expedition in search of tin ore. (He f gav!je me, by the, way, the first ingot of Australian tin ever smelted.) ; Discussing the preparations for, his* departure, T said to him, "You will take a revolver, of course. " "Not I," replied hej-'-^whyv if d ine't! a- bushranger he'd take it from me. " . - 'Under. %ehead< { B.fillianlj, „Pr qspefcts / ::the •■ I WeiterW '-Tost '(New jl Sout_ L Wi»les) says: — "-Wp tear n*, from the, testimony of several, whose evidence we cannot doubt, that, a diamond had been discovered :at the

Two-Mile Flat by some diggers who were prospecting in that locality, weighing sdwts., and valued at about £10,000." A poor old shepherd, says the Wagga Wagga Advertiser, was found dead on Sunday morning in the inclosure of the Roman Catholic Church. He was resting peacefully with his 'possum rug around him as he had camped for the night, and slept the sleep that knows' no 'waking. The poor old fellow's personal effects consisted of an opposum rug, sevenpence in money, sundry odds and ends usually carried by old hands, and a sheep dog, all of which were taken charge of by the police. Telegrph Extension.-— The Times' city article of Feb. 22, in referring to the report of the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company, to be submitted at their meeting ou the 28tb, states that the cable to connect Java with Port Darwin will be despatched in time to complete the laying by Christmas next. As the great work of connecting England with Australia by telegraph advances, residents in the easteru islands are beginning to think a little more of the advantages which might accrue to them through opening up a trade with the Australian colonies. We for instance that the Java papers are directing attention to the importance of opening up steam communication between Java and Australia. In an article recently published, the subject is thus referred to:— Australia consumes large quantities of sugar and other produce such as our planters could supply. Mauritius finds there a ready market for its sugars, whilst up to the present time we have sent only a few very small consignments. The gold mines of Australia produce yearly the precious metal to the extent of many millions (of guilders or florius). South Australia yields large quantities of copper. Wool still remains a very large and important article of export. Wheat and other cereals, wines, coals, oils, &c, are also items of export. We ought certainly to have some advantage from the trade of the colonies that lie so close to us; and a direct communication with them by steam vessels would be of the greatest commercial importance. Some years ago the French proposed to establish steam communication with Australia via Java; and doubtless the plan will be prosecuted vigorously when the present war terminates. We ought to lose no time lest we be forestalled, but put our shoulders to the wheel, and have a direct line of our own with as little delay as possible. In the meanwhile every support should be given to the project of laying a submarine cable to connect Java with Australia. It cannot be doubted but that it would be the means of giving a very great impetus to commerce, agriculture, and industrial pursuits generally. The skins of 1,500 alligators and 50 anacondas were tanned for manufacture into boots and shoes, in Boston, last year. An English paper says : — "An eminent authority in regard to diamonds — Mr. Emanuel — states that the value of diamonds has depreciated thirty per cent, in consequence of the quantity offered for sale in London by French families. Thousands of tons of .fuller's earth, both red and white, are to be obtained near the Clifton springs, at Drysdale. It is said (observes the Geelong Advertiser) to be of superior quality ; and, if so, it is somewhat surprising that no steps have been taken to utilise it. Alabama has outstripped any Southern State in the number of miles of railroad built since the war. Alabama *has built 296 Smiles; Georgia 231, Tennessfc 155, Texas 132, North' Carolina 146, South Carolina 128, Virginia 104, Mississippi 128. Arkansas 90, Florida 44. In Southern California near the line of Nevada, there is a deposit of rock salt in large rectangular and transparent crystals, and it is supposed that by careful search oiher similar deposits might., be found. Some of this salt i 8 quarried now, and hauled away by people in the vicinity.