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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 198, 22 August 1871, Page 2

JEgles, in the Australasian, says: — "I remember an old story anent a horsedealing transaction. An honorable member (who had not then distinguished himself in politics) had a fancy for riding entire horses. He fancied one showylooking horse he had seen taking a trial galop at Flemington, gave a long price for the animal, and brought him to his stables. His groom, after looking him over, told him that the horse hadn't a leg to stand upon — queer all round. That horse was prudently got rid of at £15 or so. Some time afterwards the horsefancier dropped across a fine upstanding horse, bought him for £75, rode him home in triumph, expatiated on his splendid points, and appealed confidently to the groom for a confirmation of his appreciation of his purchase. 'Well, sir, said Tim, he looks pretty well, but I don't think his legs are much better than when we had him here last.' The honorable gentleman had bought the horse a second time — clipped." The American Navy. — The New York Tribune, in speaking of the United States navy, says that it does not contain a single sea-going ironclad. A few " iron death - traps," as the Tribune calls the monitors, yet remain in a serviceable condition, and could be made useful for harbor defence ; hut in the writer's opinion they are not worth counting. "We have some forty odd vessels of all kinds in commission, and about as many more laid up at the various navy yards that could be fitted out and made serviceable in a few weeks — wooden vessels all of them, and most of them small, useful for cruising and capturing merchantmen, or for blockading purpoßep, but of small account as fighting ships when pitted against such powerful ironclads as the Monarch, which visited our shores last spring. Nor have we, like Great Britain, a steam mercantile marine that coull be made available in case of war. As far as naval strength is concerned, the United States is not even a second-rate Power. If we want to fight England, therefore, we must first spend at least 100,000,000 dollars, to create a navy to meet her. Some time ago we pointed out the probabilities of the American woollen manufacturers entering into more active competition with European buyers for the staple of Australian flockmasters. Hitherto, little more than 10,000 bales per annum have found their way, by a somewhat circuitous course, to the factories of the United States. We are glad to learn, however, that direct shipments are now taking place. The Sydney Morning Herald mentions that the City of Adelaide took 250 bales on her last trip, and that shipments will take place by each of the succeeding vessels, orders having been received to that effect from tbe manufacturers in California. There is also an increasing demand in that country for the coal of New South Wales, owing to the arbitrary conduct of the protected mine-owaers of Pennsylvania j and it is satisfactory to" add that the preserved meats of these colonies are so well appreciated in San Francisco, that, as Mr. Hall told the people of Brisbane the other day, orders had been sent down for 150 cases, and there is a reasonable probability of the demand increasing. If, as we have every reason to believe, the pernicious doctrines of protection receive their coup-de-grace in Congress, after the next general election, a great trade will spring up between this country and the United States, and the pastoral interests of these colonies more especially will derive immense benefits from the opening up of free commercial relations with forty millions of industrious people. — Australasian. A correspondent of the Australasian writes : — When the Jewish community undertook the erection of Jewish almshouses, the game was one I could not understand. The idea of an impoverished and really necessitous Jew in Melbourne was a thing I couldn't realise.. The Jews are far too clever to be poor. They can't afford the luxury of woe. They leave simple pleasures of that kind to their Christian brethren. However, they built three almshouses — that is, three highly ornamental cottages-^in colored brick. And, although completed a year, after superhuman exertions, they have only been able to discover one Jew poor enough to occupy a cottage. There may be others, but they won't show up. For remainder of newt tee fourth page.

Wild Dogs roam in thousands over the Blue Mountain rauge, from Braumont to Waiupaui in Ota-so Provioce. Settlers shoot them and leave their oarcases to rot. Under the heading of "a True Patriot," the Taranaki Herald records the astonishing fact ibat the Sergeant of Police stationed at New Plymouth, ou hearing that a motion for raising his salary was to be tabled hy a member of the Provincial Council asked the honorable member not to move his resolution, as he was quite satisfied with the salary he was already receivin<r. Tiie Victoria Messiah — A scene. pays a Melbourne paper, which up to this time has beeu unknown I ere, was enacted at the Haymarket Theatre on Sunday evening, when some 1,300 persons assembled to hear Fisher of Nunawndir-g notoriety explain his doctrines and hU prophecies. The proceedings were simply disgraceful. Very little of the explanation was given, for the audience took offence at a mannerism of the (•peaker's, nnd as he could not free himself from it, the affair came to an abrupt termination, after much disorder. Only an insiguifi-jant portion of the audience are understood to havo paid the admission charges. The rest got in by the exercise of force. " JE^les," in the Aus tralasian, thus writes on this subject — Mr. Fisher made, "as it were," a fiasco. If the enterprising speculator in Sunday lecturers (was he a member of P.-irliament ?) had bargained for the presence of several of the alleged Mrs. Fishers, the attraction would hare been greater. When Mr. Fisher announced that he was the husband of but one wife, the public interest in him and his opinions was extinguished at once. Nothing could have been more ill-advised, from the showman's point of view, than this vindication of his marital innocency. He at once brought himself down to the commonplace moral level, and he would not Sll the Haymarket again if he voluntarily lectured gratis. Fisher and his saints are played out. In commenting ou the desirability of Australian federation, the Melbourne Age makes the subjoined remarks on the refusal of Victoria to contribute to the subsidies for any other than the Suez line : — " Every proposal to subsidise a line of mail steamers which would not make Melbourne the first port of arrival and the last of departure, was systematically snubbed. The Panama route, which materially shortened the course of post between Victoria and America, North and South, and was the natural route for New Zealand, was never subsidised by the Government of this colony. The plucky attempt of Queensland to open up communication by way of her northern ports with Batavia, China, aud Europe, was altogether ignored, and up to the present time no assistance whatever has been rendered to the line of steamers which now regularly sail between Sydney and San Francisco, although the route is largely patronised by Victorian travellers and Victorian letter-writers. The result is that a feeling of resentment has been aroused in all the other colonies. New Zealand has altogether abandoned the Suez line ; New South Wales an I South Australia have announced their intention of retiring from the contract at the earliest moment at which they can legally do so, although the permission kindly accorded for the P. and 0. steamers to land the Adelaide mail in Holdfast "B'ny may delay the secession of South Australia. There is a probability that Victoria will ere long have to bear /.Deafly thie whole expense of bringing the mails from Europe by way of

Four- Year Old, who had been enjoying the measles, as he was getting well* said to his younger brother, *• George, you may have the measles when I'm done with 'em." "Madam," said a trans-medium, "your late husband's spirit desires to communicate with you." "No matter," said she ; "if he's got no more spirit in the other world th-m he had in this, it's not I worth bothering about."