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Southland Times, Issue 654, 8 April 1867, Page 3

A Lake of borax has just been discovered in California.. It is believed that the find is destined to revolutionise the important trade in that article. A letter lately received from Kansas, U.S., by the "North British Agriculturist," contains information of a widely extended and destruciive plague of grasshoppers, actually darkening immense tracts of country as would a total eclipse of the eon, destroying every vestige of vegetation along their route, cortf-fields, grass, weeds, and leaves of trees. The writer says: — 11 Some idea of their number may be had from their taking three weeks to pass Lauenworth, in a stream about twelve miles wide and 300 miles long, devotxring every vegetable thing in their passage } and from another fact that, having got on the railroad track of the Union Paoifio road in such number* as to cause the wheels to Blip on the rails, and the frieght train at Wyanelotte was detained several hours beyond its time by the impossibility of penetrating the massive crowd of the insect*, the slipping of the engine wheels, and the almost total darkness caused by their numbers. From specimens sent in they tre aot apparently the same insect as our grass* hoppera, Hot are they like the common looust of America, but something bearing to lonae extent &c ohataater of both, TJaey travel from west to