CLIPPINGS FROM EUROPEAN PAPERS

Waikato Times, Volume V, Issue 280, 26 February 1874, Page 2

CLIPPINGS FROM EUROPE AN PAPERS

It may be a* well to noto, at the close of another busy anxious year, that our trade with our colonies, our dependencies, the Continent, and America, have been on the whole satisfactory. A table just published of the value of British and Irish produce and manufacture exported irom the United Kingdom to oach British colony and depencency, and to each foreign country in the nine months ended September 30, 1873, show» that trade in the British Po-wssions has increased from £45,159,151 to £48,422, llil, or about 7 4 per cent., while to foreign countries the moiease has been only from £145,155,511 to £1 45,233,107, a mere nominal percentage. The aggregate report gives a totnl of £193,675,620, against £190,314 662, an increase of If per cent. Australasia, India, Houg Kong, and our West Indian Possessions all exhibit an improvement in their trade, the increase being 6fc, 28i, 265-, and 8± per cent, respectively. A decrease of 14$ per cent is observable iv our shipments to the North America, colonies. As regards foreign countries, the value of our exports to Q-ormany has decreased 10} per "ent., and to the United States 15 per cent, while to Russia there has been an increase of 42J per cent., to Portugal of 37 pur cent , and to Holland of 5 per cent. The South American States — Brazil, the Argentine Republic, and Chili — continue to show a iteady rise, and Norway, Sweden, and Denmark all exhibit a large improvement ou the correspondine period of last jear. Here ir a tmrle which it it> north while competing for. "Whether the falling off of the trade of the North American colonies is due to the industry of the United States merchant or to the means which these colonies have of supplying th»ir own wants is & question which cannot be decided without reference to the export returns of the United States and the Board of Trade reI urns of the colonies concerned It may be, however, that much of this depreciation is due to a lessoned import of railway material, and if so there would be very little if any tailing oft' in the staple articles of manufacture in which we are interested. If we take the grand total, however, there is certain room for congratulation in the fact that the demand for almost every article of British manufacture is rapidly rising throughout the w hole of our colonies and dependencies, thus demonstrating that they have not yet reached * state of progrwas rendennc them independent of the skill ana genius of the home manufacturer, though ib milst be confessed that they have made rapid strides in every other respect. Indeed, while we make it worth their while to dispose of the raw material in the homo murket, the homo manufacturer may defy competition iv the form suggested. The stimulation and conservation of a trade of the extent indicated should bo a matter of uome concern with our manufacturers and Chambers of Commerce — tho mare especially as if we consult our emigration returns we shall realise that it cannot but increase as time rolls on, by reason of the addition of an ever-increasing number of consumers to the boundaries of our Colonial Empire. We are not ignorant that tho magnitude of tho figures quoted may owe something of their importance to the increased cost of production ; but, even this admitted, there is yet a large margin on which to base a belief that our trade has not lost ground during 1873, aud, with "enterprise the soul of business" for our motto, w e are not likely to retio l »i\ult > . There are indications tint tho turn in the long June of coiil monopoly bus been reached, and, if this should prove to be more tlmn a bpaotnodic reaction, very large orders for railway plant frnm the whole of our colonies will be sure to flow in during 1874 Then the n«w postal facilities with Australasia ou"ht to have a beneficial effect upon trade. The Annual Dinner of the Roy.il Colonial Institute took plice on December 15, at the " Criterion," in Piccadilly. The chair waa occupied by the Puke of Manchester. Tue gathering w m essentially colonial, and there was hardly a, colony in the Empire but could claim some one among the guests who could speak with authority upon its resources and influence. The chairman had just returned from Canada, and he was loud in its praises In British North America, as in many other of our colonies, there wa« ample room for the willing and industrious surplus population of this country. Land was cheap, and die roads, formed as they were in many part* of miow and ice, were hard and good. But what they were when the sun was strong enough to thaw them, may bo more easy imagined than described. Howrvcr, to the hardy and st.rong man the climatn of Canada w but one remove from that of England ; still, there are others to whom the more genial climate of Australia, NewiZealand, or South Africa, would bo more acceptable and life-giving The integrity of the Empire occupied the attention of more than one speaker, and a grand federation of the whole of our colonies was glanced at. But before this desirable fedeiation could be achieved, it was thought that the initial step in this great work should be begun by the colonies tbemselveß. It was suggested that Australia, for instance, should eiuleavoui to cement an union similar to that which obtained iv Canada, where all the provinces v ere banded ju a fe-le-al bond of union, and theu would follow a leal Council of the Empire, -which ciuild. not but Btiungfcben the hwids and consolidate the power of the mother country. This institute is doing much to make our oolomes bn'jwn, and nothing but good can result from a. whole some and temperate discussion of their extent and resources. Mr Hoibinan, m addiessing his constituents at Liskeard the other evening, held that England owed her greatness to her foreign ]>oliey, and tho expansion of her colonies He characterised her foreign policy as one of perpetual watchfulness, of perpetual international intervention, ptroettial intervention, that was, in the international affairs' of Europe. with religious abstinence from interference with thwr internal affairs. England has been enabled to play her part in the worMs history because her wealth flowed from commerce, and her commerce mainly 'epended on her colonies, and yet the V ancbeater school of economists were tor qwvck. tlie col. nies up Napoleon knew their value better. If if. cost a million to protect Australia and South Africa, they paid thirty ni'Htong back in the promotion of eommrrco and of trade. And then it ia easy to see how

Canada is always standing by JMigl.iml when difficulty with I America threatens. So with India. Colonies are the best ! Divestment England hai, and the policy which has served ! Rutland so well in the past; should be fontiauod in the fature. On December 15 ( a 401b tin of meat, preserved in Buenoi Avre-t in A^nl last, was opened at fcb • wV 'house of Messrs Culver-veil, Brooks and Cotton, in St Mary Axe, before a large number of City m<'re!ui<itb uu.l several gentlemeu interested in our food supply. The meat, when taken out of the tin, pre«ented all the appearance of fresh meat, and had not the slightest amell of chemicals, although it is said that a chemical of tome »ort is used for the purpose of preservation. The process, which is the invention of M. Pierre Kouk, a ntttve of Belgium, ii at present a secret, but it is described as simple aud m.ixpjusivc, allowing the meat to be profitably retailed m the London market at the rate of 6d per lb. Tae inventor claims that for two years aud a ualf imit, after being subjected to his treatment and hermetically sealed in tins, will remain good, and when cooked will be found to be as palatable as fresh moat. If this is a fact — •ml we believe M. Kick me in* u> demonstrate that it is — our soldiers and our sailors, to say nothing of the community at large, will receive enormous benefits from this, the latest scientific discovery, and Mouth America will advantageously be relieved of some of its surplus stock of cattle. The nutritive value of the meat wa» practically tested on December 17, when stows and steaks were served up at the City Club to a number ot gentloinon invited by Mr Flux. The stjw-, were pronounced to be ve<-y good, an I one and all agreed that the st c ikt, ymm-c quite as appetising and just a i palatable as fresh cookod beef. M. Kock has deinor strayed tliit meat preserved in a fresh state ca'i be exported to England, or, in fact, any other country ; and the oni v question to be solvod is whether it loses any of its nutritive qualities by being subject to this, the latest mode of preservation. It would perhaps be as well if one of the jars exhibited at the meeting was sent 10 a. public analyst in order to Ust ihu question. It is a curious feature in this system that the meat must bo divested ot the bone before it is preserved. J>i tv, «nd rae.it in tbe carcase, therefore i could not exported. I ' The iron clipper Walter Baine has been destroyed by fire whilst on her voyage to Calcutta from Dundee. She is the fourth liner burnt at sea while outward bound from Dundee 'to India within the last six months Fire was observed in } the Walter Bame on .September 27 ; and although holes were pierced in the ueck and water poured down, it was seen thnt the flames had obtained so strong a hold that the total destruction of the ship was inevitable. The nearest point of land was the barren island of St Paul, 180 miles distant. The boaln were got ready, and provisions and nautical instruments slowed on baard, and by the evening of the 30th the beat wns so groat and the fumes of gas and sulphur so unbearable that the men took to the boats, the la«t man to leave the ship being the captain, who remained on deck till the batches were blown off, and total destruction aopearpd a question of a few moments. At the time of the abandonment t he Walter Bame was supposed to be out of the regular track of \essels, but tbe boats had not been away two hours when a vessel was observed bearing down in full sail. S'.ic proved to bo tho Grenada, bound from Grencock to Java, with coal*, four months out. Both boats got alongside, and thr ere* of tho Walter Baine were rescued after «ome difficulty. As the Grenada was short of water, she was steered in the direction of the burning w reck to see if any additional supply could be got from her. The sides of the Walter Baine were found red hot. Both captaim went on board, and while standing on the poop the main and mizenmasts fell over the side. Both captains immediately jumped into the sea and swam to the nearest boat, no water being secured, as the flnmes hnd cut off all communication with the tanks. The vessel, when la-t seen, was a sheet of flame from stem to stern, and fast sinking. The trial eight-oar race was rowed on December 3 at Ely between the 16 best men in residence at Cambridge at the present time, and from them will be selected, in all probability, Ihe eight who will have the honor of doing battle for their university at Putney in the spring. The weather being mild and pleasant, a great number of persons wont down from Cambridge by special train ; there was an absence, however, of such a crowd asTs seen on the towing path at Cambridge. Rhodes won the toss, and cnose the Ely side of the nrer, and at 215 the start was effected. Ehodes' crew started at 35 strokes a minute, and led for 300 yards, when Woodd'a crew, rowing 34 strokes a minute, overhauled them and led for a mile by a quarter of a length ; Woodd, ttill rowing 31, gradually increased his lead, and eventually won by two lengths and three-quarters. Tho tune was 19 mm. 17 sees. Both crews rowed fairly well, but were not vogood however, us the crews for the last four years The best turn; was displayed by Aylmer, Sparling, Shafton, Coode, Turnbull, and Rhodes. Campbell shut up after the first mile. Tlie following were the crews . — Mr Wood 's crew : Bow, Bnscoe, Sr Catherine's; 2, Armytage, JVsus ; 3, Sparling, First Trinity; 4, Kstcourt, Trinity Hall; 5, Tumbull, Trinity Hall; 6, Aylmer, First Trinity ; 7, Hibburt, Lady Margaret's ; stroke, Woodd, Firsl Trinity ; coxswain, Hunter, Jesus. Mr Rhodes' ore w : Bow, Saunders, Second Tnnitj ; 2, Etlienngton, Sidney ; 3, Shafto. Jesu* ; 4, Peabody, First Trinity ; 5> Bmly, Cams; 6, Campbell, Trinity Hull ; 7, Co >de, Third Trinitj ; stroke, Rhodes, Jesus ; coxswain, Williams, Corpus. At a recent meeting of the Scientific Committee of the Horticultural Society — A. Siuee, k" R.S , in the chair — Mr AlcLaclilan wished to consult the committee as to the possibility of introducing humble bees into .New Zealand. The red clover which had been introduced there was not fertilised for want ot them. Mr Sinn- thought there could be no difficulty about it. The Rev Mr Cottou had taken bees out to NowZealaud by keeping them at a low temperature, and consequently iv a dormant condition, by means of ice. Mr McLaohlau further wished the opinion of the committee with repect to an inquiry of Captain Hutton's, also from New Zealand. Aphides were now becoming very common there, but were probably not originally indigenous. Could the golden-winged n"y (Chrysopa) be advantageously introduced Y Mr Smee thought that this would be quite insufficient, and that it would be far butter to send out lady-birds (Cocoinella)Jm a dormant state. (There are two Coocinellida in New Zealand.) The Rev M. J. Berkely remarked parenthetically that eggs of Chrysopa wero often sent to him as a fungus, and had, indeed, been figured as a species of crateromyces. Mr Wilson said that caution, was necessary in these matters. The sparrows and hares had made gardening all but impracticable near Melbourne. Hunting with two packs of hounds by special invitation is not less uncommon than tho junction of tvvo strange packs in full cry whilst crossing each other's line ; but we never knew an instanoe of staghound* deserting their own game to have a turn at a fox. Yet such an occurrence happened in the Vale of Aylesbury, when several couples of Baron Rothschild's pack joiued the Bicester, and mcevorsd, m the midst of a run. Cox, tho baron's huntsman, implored Lord Valentiato stop iui hounds tor live minutes to enable both sides to " draft ; " but with a tired fox before him, which his pack had been running for an hour and a quarter, Lord Valentia could not comply with such a request, and at the end of three hours R^vnard was rolled over at Wbitchurch. The stag wag taken at Little Kunble, near Aylesbury, which is not fax distant. The Blotter contingent, which followed the stag — 'ignorant of the otiquette observable by their new ' acquaintance at the termin it ion of « run — attempted to I handle their quarry like a fox, to thr disarrangement of a considerable portion of the stag's fur Behind; but " all's well that ends well," and the alikir, with its many exciting I incidents, created plenty of amusement amongst the followers of both packs when tuey talked it over at Iho end of tho day. Herr Bandmann, tragedian, was summoned before the Plymouth magistrates for assaulting Miss Montaigne, of the Plymouth Theatre. Herr Bandmann, who has been starring at that theatre, played Nnrcisie, and Miss Montaigne complained that when in the third act, as the Marquise de Pompadour, she did not sit down quickly euough, the tragedian pushed her violently on to the seat, and that afterwards, w hen she died in his amis, he pinched her hadlj in the side. Tho defence was, tuut H< te Banduiuun had not used more force than vrai necessary to the proper playing of his part. The ease, which lasted nearly three hour*, was ultimately dismissed In our last we stated that moat preserved by a new process in Buenos Avres had been brought to the notice of the Food Coinmittrc of the Society of Arts, and that shortly a 401b tm would be opened Wo have now to state that on December 16 the tin was opened in the presence of a large numbor of persons, when the meat was found to be perfectly good and free from taint of any description. It had all tha appeniance of fresh moat, and, when cooked and served up to a select company on December 17, each and all proneuucod it to be very good. There was no unpleasant flavour or odour about it ; on the contrary, the stacks had an appetising smell, and were extremely palatable, as the company quickly demonstrated. At last the Tichborne case shows aigns of the beginning of the end. On December 19 it was announced that Dr Kenealy was too ill to attend the court, and an adjournment was asked for till Deeemh«r 29. The Judge* inquired why Mr McMuhon, M-P., one of the junior counsel, was not present to continue the line of argument followed by his leader, but Mr Wyld, another of the junior counsel engaged in this case, could give no information upon this point. In the end it wan discovered time no other court* was open but to adjourn till the date named, aud the judges intimated that they should exprct Dr K'-nealv to brjng his speech to a close a week after tbe re it«nemh'inc of the Court. It is therefore expected that this great case will go to the jury about the end of January next. The new session ot the Royal Colonial Institute. w aa j inaugurated by a dinner at the Criteron on December 15 i His Grace the Dule of Manoheiter occupied the ohair ' Upwards of 00 colonists, representing every part of the colonial empire, sat dowu. AUdfche guests were warm in their suppoit ol a united empire on it iterative ba o is Mr C W. Eddy, the hon. wo., received the commendations of all - present for his excelle it conduct of l/ 10 affairs of the luati- ' tute. Several Au&trahdtih were present- I

Tho accident to Mr Itoberts, the owner of The Colonel, twiuo victorious in the Liverpool Grand National, hat prot« I fatal, as the unfortunate man never rallied from the severe injuries he sustained, and mortification setting in he lingered only a few hours. It is worthy of notice that all who were connected with Tbe Colonel are vow .lead Mr John Weyimn, the owner, Mr Matt Evans, George Stevens, ono of our finest cross-country jockeys, who pilottd Tho Colon©! to tictorv on ench ocoaiion. who was killed through a fall from his hack- ; and. lftttlv, Mr Robert*. We have seen a letter from a gentleman in Reading, in which he says: — "I wa» down in South Wales the other daj , and heard a lecture by Mr Brogden on New Zealand, the subject being illustrated by means of photographs. It was one of the greatest treat* I ever listened to." Tbe letfurer is Mr James Brogden, F.G.S., of the well-known firm of that name, a t^ntlcwan who lias already don© good service to the colony by the prominent port he took at the Vienna Exhibition. At a recent meeting of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, a <1 scmsion took place as to the custom of subsidising steamship companies and the conveyance of mails The homt trade commit te recommended that in view of the approaching termination of present mail contracts early attention should be given to the matter. They did not say that all payments should be abolished, but they held that the present subsidies, which were bonuias of pa\ ment in the gross, should givn wav to payments for actual woik done. The committee's recomeudatiou was confirmed. A deputation, consisting of seven gentlemen,,4irectors of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, recently w ai ted upon Mr Dodson, the Financial Secretary of the Treasury, to urae an application from the company for a modification of the existing mail contract so far as to allow of the company's vessels passing through the Suez Canal Mr D.)dson promised to full consideration to the several points brought before him before coming to any decision on the question. Dr Buller, who has for two years put been acting as Dr Fe itherstone's chief lieutenant and secretary, has resigned tlint office, for the purpose of devoting himself more exclusively to the study of the law. We understand that it is his intention, on being called to the Bar, to return to the colony an'l practise there. The President of tbe Cambridge University Boat Club. Mr JituiM B. Close, reported to a captains' meeting on December 8 that he had received the challenge from Oxford to row the annual eight-oared race next spring, and the same was unanimously accepted. ~ - At a recent meeting of the Zoological Society, a letter from Dr O. Finsch was read on a new Passpnne bird whic h he had received from Mr T Kline«mit.h, of Levnba, Ovalau, Fiji Islands : thifc little bird, which was not only new. M a species, but also the type of a new genus, he proposed to call LannproTia Victorim. * v On December 10, Messrs Debenham, Storr and Son* disposed by auction of a large consignment of pearls from the Western Australian Fisheries, some of which were of great beiuty. Considerable competition was manifested bj the buyers present, and tbe amounts for which the several lots were sold were thought to be encouraging. By order of the commissioners from the South. Australian Government, all the wines exhibited at South 1 Kensington this year from the colony were allowed to be sampled at 50 Old Broad stceet, until Monday, December > 15, on presentation of a card. The remainder was then given to the hospitals. The Union Bank of Australia notify that they will be i piepared to pay, on and after January 1, 1874, the interest : due at that date on those bonds issued under loans of ' the Colony of Queensland that have been endorsed ; "payable in lendon." . The Challenger, after refitting at the Cape, will leave for Melbourne, where it is expected she will arrive about the end of February, 1874. The soundings, dredging, and i trawling experiments have been most successful between 1 Bahia and the Cape. The London Chartered Bank of Australia have declared a dividend of 4 per cent, for tbe half year, free of income tax, absorbiug £40,000, leaving^* balance of £9,104 to be carried forward. The Christmas number of the "Graphic" contains a wellwritten story by Mr Anthony Trollope, entitled " Harry Heath- > cote of Gangoil," descriptive of bush life in Australia.