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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 142, 18 June 1877, Page 4

This is the light in which a Russian journal looks at England's desire for peace:— "lf we withdraw our troops, will that bring us the peace we desire so so much, and prevent out having to make new sacrifices ? To this question our foreign advisers give no answer. Would they not. in such a case, be the firßt to speak of ihe impotence and helplessness of the Northern Colossus,- with' his feet of clay ? Would they not triumph at seeing Russia deal a death blow to her moral and political prestige among the Sclavonic peoples, thereby destroying in a day all that had been built up in the course of. centuries ? England above all would then come forward to play the noble part of protector of the Sclavs, against further acts of violence, at the eame time proclaiming, . with -greater zeal than ever, the sacrednees of treaties. She would send to Turkey peaceful regiments of fioancers^ tax collectors, policemen, and other officials, thereby possessing herself of the country without conquest, as she has done in Indja. and is now' doW in E^ypti The Sclavs would enjoy" the same benefits, as the. Hindoos,, .and work hard to euEieh;. business, meri in the City. Without firing a shot, England would before our /©yes convert Constantinople, the finest harbour in the world, into an English port, and the Eastern Question would then be settled for ever. Two years ago the Grand Duke Nicholas ot Russia, being of opinion that the treatises on the cavalry then in use were very defective, determined, with the sanction of the Czar, to offer thre prizes of £1000, £600, and £400 for the three beßt works on thia subject. It was aleo decided that the competition should be open to officers of foreign armies upon tbe condition that the treatises were written in Russia, The time for sending in : the treatises expired oh Jan. 13 last, and of the twenty-three officers who announced their attention of competing, only two sent their manuscripts. One of these treatises is by Col. Denisson—(?-)-an officer in the English armyi The prizes have not yet been awatdejL _• . - We take the following from' 'Chambers' Journal ': — " The Geological Survey Department in New Zealandshas published a report on the climate ; of that country, extending over a series of years, and brought dowif to 1873. .From this we gather, that the rainfall • of iNew Zealand preseuts.some analogy with the rainfall of Erg.an'd'i-i the difference of amoutit between the eastern and western ~ coisX" Taranaki, for example, on the west_ r coast of the North Island,' has an an.-ui.i-n.in-- 1 fall of more than 90 inches; while Napier, on the east coast, hasabout .30 in_h_s.''ln Ithe* ■ vSojuth Island,, the yearly fall, at) Hokitika^ oil •'< . th^we.t, is 120, inches;, while at: Dunedin a*id Chri^tqhurch it is not moire than a . ,- quarter or one-third of that quantity. The climate of NelsbT is described as the 'most , pleasantand finest'in winter,' ' owing' .6 "the protection of its chaina'of mountaitis,-atld its . clear sky, which is but rarely covered with Clouds.': Yei .Nelson; is a rainy, placp, more, than nine inches of .rain-having>f alien, there in a single day. Owing to the peculiarities; of climate, the- glaciers on the west side of the New Zealand Alps descend very 10w,,-. down to about 700 feet only above the level of ; the sea, and this is in the same geographical latitude 'as Leghorn. But different from the glaciers of Europe, the! lower parts of-. New .Zealand -glaciers are decorated by pines, birch, tree , ferns, and fuchsias in luxuriant, growth. .From an accompanying report on the minerals of the Colony, we learn that more specimens of coal had been analysed than any previous'year. aud that they ' represent ari immense quantity of -workable coal of excellent quantity.' A splendid industrial prospect this for New Zealand.