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Colonist, Volume III, Issue 265, 4 May 1860, Page 4

Feiendly and Fiji Islands.—A in instance of independent commercial flaterpriae out of the beaten track has the merit of rarity among vi and deserves notice and approval. It is not every day that mercantile enterprise sends a vessel from our port as a venture to any part of the globe, and it is very seldom indeed such a venture is made out of the regular track. It may be interesting therefore to note what has happened'to the Mary Louisa and her passengers in a four months' expedition to the Friendly and Fiji Islands. The schooner met with ft few days, detention on the cost, after clearing from this port; the subsequenty fell in with a good deal of bad weather, so that a twenty-one days passage, to Tonga-taboo wa9 the result. On the way Sunday Island was made, but no delay occurred there. At Tongataboo Mr. Beece remained some three weeks, engaged in trading with the natives, and he then pushed on to the Fijis. The first of these islands touohed at was Vulauga, then Namuka, Komo, Lakemba, Ongea, and again Vulunga in the Eastern Group. Thence Toy-toya and Matuku were reached successively and inspected; and from the latter, the Mary Louisa pushed on at once to Bewa in Viti . Levu, the largest island of the Fiji's. Here a considerable stay was made, but on account of the badness of the weather during the time, Mr. Beeee could not do all he desired in the way of investigating the country. A; visit was paid amongst others to- Mr. •Pritohard, the English Consul, at Ovalaii; by whom' the voyagers were kindly received.: Going up. the river from Bewa, Mr. Beece found a track of fine country which he 'purchased from the native owners, and ' which to all appearance is fit not only for the production of the tropical fruits which now grow there in abundance, but also of cotton,. sugar, coffee and tobacoq. The natives were found to be well disposed and intelligent, though cowardly &u&' perhaps treacherous. From them Mil Recce picked up a good many articles of interest as'curiosities and specimens of the couutry. He has brought with him fruits, birds and shells of the place; and numbers of articles various kinds manufactured by the inhabitants—-some of them of exquisite workmanship. Among the products of the country we must not forget to mention a quantity of oranges far superior to any we have been in the habit of supplying ounelves with from other quarters. The ootton grown in the islands is of a superior kind* to judge from the samples brought by Mr; Beece; whose purchase of land ought to be remunerativa to him if he can but provide for its cultivation. On leaving Viti Levu, the homeward passage occupied the remarkably short space of sixteen d*y&.—-Lyttelton Times. ■■" ; • : ' ■ ■ : :' / : '•■ ■ '■■■ ■■•■■ .-

Discoveries in Tasmania.-—Letters have been received from Mr. Ronald Gunn, the leader of the North Western Tasmanian Exploring Party, which bring the welcome intelligence of a discovery of the greatest importance to the colony. Not the discovery of a valuable gold-field, but that of a large tract of wellwatered and lightly timbered country, abounding in luxuriant herbage, and consisting of either level laud, or gentle hills. Wh«n Mr. Gunn set out upon hia prospecting expedition, we stated that if his pilgrimage was not rewarded by the disoovery of a rich gold-field, that being tfai oafettiibli object of hit iwcb, we hid not

a doubt buTto the colony would reap the advantage of his observation, either by the discovery of a pastoral and agricultural country bf value that would be added to that we already possess,' or' theauriferous region we: had reason to believe existed in the terra cdgmta of the westward, ylt is gratifying to know that pastoral and agricultural land of value has been ascertained to exist at a place where it was not known before. It will now be for those of our settleirs who have been looking towards New Zealand for depasturing lands, to turn their attention to the new country, There, we have no doubt, from the description thai has been given, will be found sufficient land for the sheep of Tasmania. There the agriculturist will will be enabled to secure to himself the production of those staple articles of export which above all others are eminently qualified to reurn riches to this beautiful island. We wait with some anxiety further particulars of Mr. Gunn's discovery.— Cornwall Chronicle.

I The Northern Promontory or America —Among the interesting facts of Captain iM'Clintock's expedition, the narrative of which Is now in the hands of thousands of readers, there is one that appears worthy of especial notice, namely, the determination of the position 'of the northernmost point of the. continent of America. Henceforth, antartic Cape: Horn will have its pendent, so to speak, in arctic Cape 'Murchison—a name honored alike in geogra-i phicall and geological science. On this subject Captain MfClintoek writes .:—" Ourlabors \ have determined the exact .position of. the extreme: northern promontory of the cohtiaent of America; I have affixed to it the name of Murchiioo, after the distinguished president of the Koyal Geographical Society—the strenuoui advocate r for this ' Further Search'—and the able champion of Lady Franklin when she needed all the support which private friendship and public •pirit could bestow."-- 'Athenaeum. A New Bb^noh of INDUSTBY.-~lt may not be generally known.that not a few persons io the neighborhood of Castlemaine contrive to pick up a living by collecting old bottles, bones, rags, iron, and boots, for sale. Not long ago these exuviae of a population that wasted its substance by extravagant living were strewn broad-oast over the length and breadth of this gold-field, but the industrious researches of our chlffonniers are ; fast clearing the ground of the articles in question. Men, women, and children are engaged in the pursuit, and most of these relic hunters appear to be of Teutonic origin. The destinations of the various descriptions of rubbish rescued from waste by the hand? of these humble but useful foragers in the dust-heap; of society are various, and somewhat curious. :The bottles are sold to our brewers; the bones are sent to be crushed for the farmer; the rags are carted to the sea-board for shipment to Europe; the scraps.of iron find their way into the furnaces of our foundaries; and the cast-off " brogues'* are,said to be in large demand by Cobb and Co., the drags of their coaches requiring to be shod quite as reguiaily, and much bftner than the animals that draw them: A man living .on Winter's Fiat has," in;-a short time, saved £60 by the produce of his labors in this way, and if any one a few years ago had commenced business in the " bottle department" he might by this have accumulated a sufficient stock to have realised a small t fortune.— Mount Alexander Mwl, March 30.