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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 7, 8 January 1877, Page 2

Dickens (writes « JSgles" in tKe Australasian) often asserted the smallness of the world, as shown by the discover y everywhere of acquaintances. Here is another kind of evidence. An old resident of Melbourne set out upon, his travels some months ago. lie spent three weeks in Ceylon, and six weeks iv India from end to end. Egypt he explored to the first cataract, arid then Palestine and Syria from Jappa and Jerusalem to Dartiaa-. cus, Baalbec, Lebanon, and Beyrbut. His next descent was upon Greece, to the Piraeus and Athens; and next, Naples, Rome, Florence, Turin,. Milan, and Venice. Theu he explored France, giving afterwards three weeks to London and four weeks to the balance of Great Britain and Ireland. He writes me. from Philadelphia before starting through the States ta'Sau Francisco, and intends to take China, Japan, and Batavia on his homeward route, completing his tour within twelve months. Nor must it be supposed that he travels for travelling's sake, orwith his eyes shut., A great sale of sheep took place at Barwon lark, Victoria, recently, when 32,000 sheep were offered at auction on the occasion. The pure Lincoln ram weaners went at from 3 to 9 guineas. Nearly pure Lincoln ewes and rams, by Robin Hood.and Little John, went very low, ranging from 24s to 30s. Specially selected ewes ranged up to 6 guineas; I^4 nearly pure Lincoln ewes went at from 10s to 41s; 500 nea,rly pure ewes, two years old went at 1 2s ; 430, three years old, at 6s ; 1060 at 7s 5 490 at 9s 3d. The sale realised £14,000. A writer of " American Notes " in -the Sydney Morning Herald writes;— ."The principal interest which Australia has in the United States' fiscal policy, centres in the duty upon wool, which runs according as thej wool is imported iv the grease, washed or scoured, from 5d lOd to 15d per lb, this specific taxation being clinched with an ad valorem duty of II per cent. If a pound of scoured wool be worth 2s 6d in Sydney, the Custom House officer would add the speqific duty of is, 3d, and upon this value of 3s 9d the ad valorem duty of 11 per cent would be exacted. One would have thought that this taxation was high enough; bufc some owners of merino sheep do not think so, and want more. The manufacturers would prefer to see it abolished, for it prevents them from competeing with England in the manufacture of the finer description of cloths. The carpet manufacturers, who use short and ooanserdes- ' crjptiohs, of wool, and whose looms numbed more than 2000, are, I belieye averse to the reduction of the duty,; being under the impression that the manufacture of 'fine cloths would advance the price of the wools which they use, since, they would be in greater demand for the purpose of admixture with the finer sorts: The woolrgrowers in the' United/States are nearly all small farmers. 1 There may be a few flocks of 36^000 in California- and Texas, but' the flocks throughout the country would probably not avera^eflfty t6 e*ch owner. An effort is to be made to get the. duty on wool reduced, and if any change is to be brought abou6 it must come at the instance of the, manufacturers," {For continuation, of News see fourth page)