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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 151, 24 June 1878, Page 2

. An Auckland saw-hull . merchant (Mr George Holdship) has lately purchased from the natives a block of land consisting of 2706 acres, called the Kauri Putete block, located in the Hokianga district. Upon this land are growing the finest and largest kauri trees in the North Island; and the land, although somewhat > b'rokeo, is- of good 'quality. The price paid for'this magnificent property is understood to be £1250. A Httle more than 10s per acre paid for good land, which may be rich in kauri gum, and ; upon which are hundreds of thousands of kauri trees worth pounds each. The following advertisement has just appeared in a . London contemporary : — " A clergyman of the Church of England, thirtynine, sft 9in, considered good-looking, a widower, with, an' only daughter, wishes to hear from any lady, with a view to marriage, who has from £6000 to £12,000 at command, and would be willing to invest the sum of £5000 iv the purchase of an advowson, that is, the freehold of a church, rectory-house, and grounds, in some beautiful locality, to j provide £500 a year. Please write, direct to the reverend gentleman. . . . as this ad- ' vertisement is genuine and bona fide. Address, &c." i The Sydney correspondent of the Melbourne Leader, telegraphing on May 29th, says :— The party who sailed on board the New Guinea expedition schooner Swan give an entirely different description to that of the missionaries. They describe the climate as being enjoyable, and state that game is plentiful throughout the country. The natives are said to evince a great desire to cultivate the acquaintance of European natives, and are auxious to enter amicable relations with them. The products of the country are rich and varied. The Melbourne correspondent of the Bendigo Independent writes : — " As a warning to young ladies who have a penchant for highheeled boots, I may mention that a wellknown Collins-street belle is now laid up with disease of the r spine, caused by the practice of doing the block in high heels. The lady in question possesses a pair of the smallest and prettiest feet in Melbourne, and, like all young ladies who have small feet, finds it impossible to obtain a boot to fit, even when made to order Being the . daughter of a wealthy pater, some six months ago she sent Home for a few pair of winter boots, and, it is said, the order was accompanied by a marble model of the lady's foot. Be that as it may, the boots (Hessians, I may remark) arrived in due time. The unusual height of heel caused some talk among the lady's friends, but, ajag, for human vanity ! iv spite of warning pains, the foolish girl insisted upon doing Collins-street to show her Hessians, and now she will indeed be lucky if she does not lose the entire use of her limbs." It is said that:one of the Middlesex magistrates the other day was offered but refused to accept, £900 for bis collection of foreign postage stamps; and also that an extensive collection, of 17,090 varieties, including many unique specimens, changed hands through Messrs Palmer, of Adelphi House, for £800. The London Exposition of 1851 was held towards the close of the longest peace that modern nations have enjoyed. The Paris Exhibition of 1898 follows seven wars of the first magnitude— the Crimean War, 1854-6; the Italian war of 1859; the American war, 1861-5; the Danish War, 1864; the German war, 1866; the Franco-German war, !1870-l; aud the Russo-Turkisk war, 1877-8. As to small wars, revolutions, and insurrections, they are past computing. The Cologne Gazette gives. an interesting account of the Berlin Housewives' Union, now in its fifth year. It has a newspaper for the treatment of all questions of interest to housewives, household economy, health, education, and food ; a co operative, store: which supplies 4000 families, turning over £28,630 per annum, and making a profit, all expenses paid, of £450 ; and, to, improve relations with domestic servants, a FreePlace Agency, which has in four years supplied 16,000 persons with employment. Every year there is in connection with this agency a distribution of prizes for the length of service, the prize' for -having been five years in the service of a member of the Union being a diploma and a broch. The Union has also its benevolent fund for the assistance of poor members in the education of their, children and otherwise.