Extracts.

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 168, 8 January 1848, Page 2

Extracts.

From the Wellington Independent. The following " extraordinary" rumoun are ia circulation, and we may add generally credited :—: — It is stated that the rebels, at Wanganui, have received a free pardon, from the Government, for past offences. Two tribei of the " late" enemy, had been down, in canoes, to the stockade. One tribe, mustering more than one hundred and fifty men, armed to the teeth, had been paraded before the authorities and undergone an examination. A second tribe, about eighty strong, likewise armed with muskets, bayonets, and cartouche boxes, had undergone a similar review. The following conversation, it is said, took place :— Interpreter, (to the rebels).—" Would you like to give up your arms >'' Rebels. ~" By no means. We will not give thsm up, except by force, and we will take care to resist t" Interpreter. — Well, never mind, it don't matter, we do not want them, so be easy on that score." After this, it is further said, each man received an order for one pound of tobacco, and then the " unconditional pardoned gentlemen" returned to their hunie 1 , up the river, A third tribe was expected down when the Edward Stanley left. It was intimated to Te Karamu, or Mamaku, that if he liked to take the trouble to walk down to the Stockade, the Governor would pardon him. The Chief's reply, x& chaiacteristic of the man. He said — " When I pardon the Governor, it is time fe>r him to pardon me 1" Allowing the above statements to be correct, and we are sorry to say they appear but too true, it will be well to give au outline of the hmefits conferr eJ by the lately styled rebels, on the Waugauui settlement. The murder of four defenceless women and children ; the wounding of a father and female child ; aud the main cavie of the death of a two other children. The murder of soldier of the 58th regiment. The destruction of the houses belonging to out-set-tlers and residents in the town. The spoliation of property, and The defiance of all law. The attempts made to capture the position occupied by the military. The holding at bay, for some months, & large force of soldiers, and the infliction on them of heavy loss, both in killed and wounded. The threatened return ot the war party, to renew the disturbances, whenever the authorities were in readiness to meet them. The hostility, tt «li times expressed, towards the Government. The above is but a meagre outline. On receipt of further intelligence from Wanganui, we shall be enabled to give additional particulars. In the meantime we would ask— -Is all this a farce ? Were men, women, and children, murdered ; a town destroyed ; all for amusement ? if so, when are these amusements to terminate ? Does not a payment, to robbers and murderers, look something like a premium to crime ; and will luch conduct put a stop to native disturbance* ; or will it not rather excite the New Zealanders from one end of the island to the other ? We shall see.

In our last we published a paragraph from the Moreton Bay Courier, whh the reply of the Sydney A.UB-

Italian, reflecting in no measured terms on the 6'sth regiment, stationed in this Province. The Australian's remarks are 10 complete, that we feel we cannot do better than by merely adding our testimony ; and of the officers and private* of these corpß, we can tpeak in the highest terms of praise. The officers by their urbanity and general kindliness of disposition hare gained the psteem of the iuhabitantsr andThe men, by their orderly and steady habits, reflecting credit, ai it does, on those over them, have received the good wishes of all in the place. Whoever was the author of the calumny against the 65th regiment, could not have been aware of the kind of men he was so vilely traducing. — Ib. The first Horticultural show, this seaion, was held in the Brittannia Saloon, on Monday last. The show was passible, but nothing out of the common. The large room was crowded with ladies and gentiemen, the presence of the 65th's Band adding Attractions to the occasion. The Committee of the Society appear to us to pick their days of exhibition with very bad taste. However, for the future, we trust days better suited for the majority of the settlers will be selected.— 76. SUBVEY OF THE COASTS QV NEW ZEALAND. — We are very glad to find from the following official communication, that this important work is to be undertaken immediately by officers appointed by Government. It will be a most important benefit conferred on the commerce of New Zealand, and will materially promote systematic colonization, particularly in the South Island, of which our knowledge is very imperfect:

Copy or A Letter from the Secretary or thb Admiralty to the Secrbtaut o» the N«vr Zealand Company. " Admiralty, sth July, 1847. Sir, — I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to acquaint you. for the information of the Deputy-Governor and the Directors of the New Zealand Company, that two Officer! have been appointed to survey the Coasts and Harbours of that Colony, and will shortly proceed there. I am, sir, your obedient servant, (Signed) H. G, WARD. T. C. Harrington, Esq .

HINTS ON THE MANAGEMENT OF BEES. By the Rev. W.C. Cotton, m.a. (Continued.)

! Y. TAKING HONEY. 11 The proof of the pudding is in the eating," says the old proverb, and moat people prize beei chiefly for '•the sweet food they make." I fear there are not many in this land who would take much pains with them but for the return which they expect — but there are these odds— a plum- pudding U made to be eaten, and has nothing particularly beautiful about it except its taste and its smell, whilst I for one should still lore my bees, even if I never got an ounce of hooey from them — I should still study their wonderful instinct and habits — I should still think their buzzing the sweetest music, and love to bask at the door of their hives whenever pain of body or grief of mind makes their soft hum a toothing charm. Besides, there is another good which bees do,— 'hey glory indeed, in making honey, as Virgil, but vrhila they rob the flowers they give a full payment for what they take, they fertilize the yet half-formed seeds, and help on the multiplication of those floweri from which they get their gres. est supply. To give an instance — every one who keeps bees nesr clover-paddock i, knows how rapidly his hives increaie in weight when the white clover is in flower, indeed the bees gather more honey and of a better quality from this plant than any other I know. But what do they in return ? Before bees were brought into this land, white clover did not seed at all, or very scantily, every bushel sown was brought from England at a heavy coit and at great risk of being uselets when it arrived. But now as much can be gathered in the country as is wanted, and this being fresh, is certain to grow, to that every one who has somepaddoi'ks well and carefully laid down, free from weeds and other plants, may get sufficient for hi* own use and have a surplus to dispose of to his neighbor*. Every one too who has an orchard, will find his advantage in having a hive of bees near. The difference in the yield of a tree before and after it gets this help is remarkable— so that it seems to me that flowers are furnished with nectarines from which honey is secreted, not so much that it mny be gathered for the use of man* as that the bees, when busy rifling the hidden tweets, may aid in fertilizing the seeds of that flower from which they increase their store. Ihive said so much before, and given you my leison iv honey-taking that you may look upon yonrbees, not as a bear might, with an eye to the honey only, but with a mind abls to admire their wondeiful economy, as well as thankfnl for the benefit: you derive from them. Now Mr. Bruin has a terrible ta»te for honey, and is the most merciless bee-destroyer I know— defended by his thick and shaggy coat, he cares nothing for their stiuijs— he has only one or two vulnerable parti, hit nose and his eyes — when they attack him theie, he coolly brushes them off, and continues his work of destruction—what caret he for a sting or two whilst busy satisfying his glutton appetita. As soon as he has laid bare the combs (and it it on bees that have lodged in a hollow tree that he usually makes his attack,) he gobbles them up, honey-combs, brood-combs, grubi,bees, and all, never pausing in his feait till he has utterly destroyed the work of thousands of creatures ai clever as himself, and the lives of the workers too. Now I don't blame the bear, not I, he knowa no berter, he only follows (us nature— 4ut I do blame those men who might know better tean treat their becs> in a bearish fashion. There is no form of hive from which it it impossible to take honey without killing the bees. I said in a former letter, beei will make honey any where, even in an old watering-pot. The form and constructing of the hives ii of importance because purer honey and in greater quantities may be taken from those of a good , construction thin from those that are fauliy. But I will begin with those of the most common kind, and after speaking of the method to be followed with them, I trill go to give directions for those which I would recommend you to use — la England the straw*hive ii the common sort, and in almost universal Use, but here there is a more common sort still, but few people in this country know !&>w to make straw hives — I hope they will soon learn — at all events the Natives will supply ai many as they chaose to buy, or to teach the unhandy Pakeha how to do the stitch. The still commoner sort is an old candle-box. Beekeepers here do not expect their beei to swarm so fast as they are found to do. They do not prepare a sufficient stock of hives during the winter, so that when ttrarming-time comes they are taken quite by surprise, and rather than lose their beeg, put them into the first box that comet to hand. Beet are wax-chandlers in a very large way of business, and it is but; scurvy treatment to give them no better lodging in which to carry on their trade, than a box which has lately been filled with common tallow, but yet the honey will have no taint, A box like this

will often contain between fifty and sixty pounds, which the owner may take for his own vie if he did but know how. T have often heard this complaint that people got plenty of swarms from their bees but no honey, but when I went to look at their hives, I found plentj waiting to be taken. To do the thing well, some little preparation must be made— a Surgeon when about to perfo m an operation gets all his instruments ready, lays them out carefully that he may know where to put his hand on each, and not have them to seek at the moment when be wants them to use : he also has his assistant in whoie iteadiness he can trust, and in their knowledge too as far as it goes : a Surgeon's tools cost a good round sum, but tbe only instruments wanted by the honey-taker are— a knife made to the following pattern it ii a rod of iron about two feet lonp, with a iquare blade at one end, sharp at the bottom and side and a lancet-shaped blade at tbe other an inch and a half long, end a quarter of an inch or less over. A bunch of featben— a basin of water to keep your hands free from honey, and a roll of linen rag*, in order that you may be able to blow some smoke as may be wanted into the hive. In Germany, where I first saw the method of taking honey in practice, almo>t every one from the highest to the lowest, has a tob icco pipe hanging at his button hole, and this then pet instrument is invariably u*ed as the bee-smoker, It does very well, but as I hope many n New Zealand lady will keep bees, and learn to take honey too, she may be glad to hear that a smoker can be made quite as efficient, and more to her taste, than the shocking pipe. The most complete form Is this, have a little tin box made, two inches each wrty, put together with hard ■older, so that it may not give way with the heat which it will have to bear, a pipe Bhould be soldered into the bottom of the box, and fit tightly into a pair of bellows, outof the lid another pipe should como, to carry the smoke into the hive. The kind ot bellows are the patent cuxular bellowi, for they keep up a constant stream of air, and the bottom of the box itself may be fitted into their mouth. This is nearly the sime thing as gardeners use for fumigating their choice plants, and at gard ning and bee-keeping are twin sisteis, many a pair of fn negating bellows may be made to do double duty, but any kind of bellow 3 will do if the box be carefully fitted into the nozzle. The linen rags must be quite dry. I find it best to roll them up loosely in the shape of a sausage, and then cut them into lengths of an inch and a half so that they may go easily into the b i— gtt thy. tlice of rag well alight with a smoulJeriog fire f'not flaming), and then put it into the box with' ihe lighted end towards the bellows, it is rolled loosely together that the air may pass freely through it : when the rags are alight, give the bellows to one of your assistants, whose business it should be to keep them so by giving now and then a little puff so as to be able to put the smoker into your hand whenever you want it ready for instant use* another of your assistants should in like manner be appointed Knight of the Feathers, and a third hate charge of the comb-knife, so that either may be put into your hand directly you call for it. If you cannot command so many pairs of willing hands, have a spare table by you on which to lay down your different tools, that you,may know where to put your hand on them as wanted. ' No one but your assistants should come near you while you are operating, as many of the uniuitiated as pleased should be welcome to witness any operation of the experienced bee master, but they should keep at a respectful distance. •^ (To be continued.)