H.—sa

8

The Board of Education at Napier set forth their system of public instruction by an exhibit of school apparatus and appliances ; and several literary curiosities are on view—notably the first copy of the New Testament ever printed in the Southern Hemisphere (a Maori translation of the received version, printed in 1837), and a number of early public papers, which may be contrasted with those for the current year, also laid on the table. Dr. Hector exhibits a relief map of New Zealand geologically coloured—one is inclined to ask what colour that may be—and geological maps showing the progress of the Government geological survey of the islands. Class 14, " Medicine, Hygiene, and Public Belief," finds a representative in Mr. J. A. Packer, of Nelson's artificial leg with movable joints at the knee, ankle, and toes. This is really a wonderful structure. The leg itself is made of willow, and the upper bucket of solid log to fit the limb, thus obviating any stuffing or lining on account of glued joints. The springs necessary for movement are all outside, and can thus easily be adjusted or renewed. Another invention to which attention is called is Alve's patent silt elevator and carrier, a combination of two machines for raising stuff from a punt and afterwards carrying it to any reasonable distance required. This machine has been used with success by the Dunedin Harbour Board. In the list of chemicals are some specimens of raw and manufactured hematite, capable of being manufactured into anti-corrosive paint for ships' keels, ironwork, &c; also a vegetable compound for purifying the blood, and a miraculous cure for rheumatics and rheumatic gout," for which the world is indebted to Mr. H. A. H. Hitchens, of Auckland. To the scientific Mr. James Neill's, of Dunedin, selection of botanic medicines extracted from New Zealand herbs will have a greater interest. It would be unfair to close even this short notice of the New Zealand Court without alluding to the water-colour drawings of Mr. John Gully, and the large collection of paintings on the walls. Amidst much that is mediocre there is ample to prove that the beautiful scenery of the country is not being neglected, and that its influence is making itself strongly felt upon the art of the colony. In oils there are over forty, and in water-colours over sixty, New Zealand landscapes. Besides these, several noteworthy representations of colonial ferns and wild flowers, amongst which the water-colour drawings of Mrs. F. C. Eowan, of Taranaki, call for notice. Photographs complete the representation of New Zealand scenery and buildings. The Union Steamship Company of New Zealand show a series of well-finished models, on a scale of £ inch to a foot, of their principal vessels. The Eotomahana, which is probably the fastest vessel in Australian waters, is 285 feet long, 35 feet wide, and 25 feet deep. Her gross tonnage is 1,727, and the nominal power of her engines is 400---horse power, the actual power available being probably four or five times greater. She is built entirely of steel, the great strength of which permits a considerable saving in weight as compared with iron. The hull thus being made lighter without loss of strength, more cargo or larger engines can be carried than in an iron vessel of identical dimensions. Shortly after the arrival of the Eotomahana in Australian waters the strength of her steel plates and ribs was rudely tested by running upon a sunken rock off the coast of New Zealand, and though plates and ribs were most sorely battered and twisted, no rent or fissure was produced. Many who saw the extent of the injury when the vessel was docked strongly expressed the opinion that no iron plates could have endured such a test without being fractured, in which case water would have entered the vessel, and foundering probably have ensued. A peculiarity of the Eotomahana which at once strikes the eye of the observer is the total absence of the usual keel, instead of which two bilge-keels are introduced for a portion of the length of the vessel. Such lateral keels have been used in the navy for the purpose of reducing rolling. From the dimensions above given it will be seen that the Eotomahana is by no means a specially long and narrow vessel, but like the Iris, though moderately wide, her lines are fine and clean. Her projecting bowsprit and figurehead give her a handsome appearance when compared with some of her sister ships. Of the beauty and completeness of her internal fitting and appointments, the crowds that visited her on her first arrival can well testify. In comfort and elegance, as well as speed, she may well claim the premier place amongst intercolonial steamships. The Te Anau is also a steel vessel, and in many respects almost a duplicate of the Eotomahana, She is, however, slightly smaller and less pretentious in appearance. Her dimensions are 270 feet long, 34 feet wide, and 25 feet deep, and her tonnage 1,652. She has a straight stem, without figure-head or bowsprit. Both the Te Anau and the Eotomahana were constructed at the well-known ship-building yards of Denny Brothers, of Dumbarton. The Wakatipuis a straight-stemmed vessel of 1,800 tons. She is 290 feet long, 33 feet wide, and 25 feet deep, being thus both longer and narrower than the Eotomahana. Her engine-power is, however, only about two-thirds of that of her more celebrated sister vessel. The Eingarooma and Arawata, built by Wingate and Co., of Glasgow, are also shown, as well as several smaller vessels. The Union Company deserve special credit for so perfect and interesting a collection. The true mining era in New Zealand may be said to begin from the year 1861, when gold was discovered at Tuapeka, at a place known all over the Australian colonies as Gabriel's Gully. The news of the discovery was brought in July to Sydney by the barque Dunedin, from Lyttelton, and at once caused a profound sensation. It was reported that one party had obtained 112 ounces of gold in fourteen days, and that others had had equal success. The intelligence created great excitement, and the miners, undaunted by their experience at Port Curtis, sold off their claims and their goods, and at once made their way to the promised southern land. By the end of September over 10,000 miners had left Victoria, and Dunedin, once the centre of " old identities," was flooded by a new population, and sprang at once into an important city. In the 15 weeks prior to the 23rd October, 1861, no less than 13,255 persons arrived in Otago, the greater number being bent on a journey to the goldfields. The new comers suffered greatly from the want of proper protection from the weather, but they bore all the hardships as only miners do bear them, and finally helped to found new towns, and open new sources of wealth. In 1858 the population of Otago was 6,944, in eight years it had increased to 46,599, of whom over 29,000 were males, and at the end of 1878 it was 119,965. From 1861 to the middle of 1868 over 2,200,000 ounces of gold had been exported, mainly the product of the Middle Island, though it had before the latter date extended to other parts of the country. In