Even on week days a minister of the Free Kirk might find something to do better than smoke ; but, so long as he confines himself to poisoning the atmosphere of bis back-garden only with his tobacco, a free and liberal congregation would leave him alone. This rash clergy man, however, is said to go further than that. His infatuation for the baneful weed has tempted him to a furtive pipe on Sundays j and "with success he haa be come overbold. The wild rumour has gone like wildfire through hia congregation, that on Sunday nights," when they are supposed to be aafe in bed, the misguided map may be seen sitting at an open window in the manse i puffing exultingly at a small clay pipe. Ho ' can only be seen from the top of the back garden wall ; and it is said that on nights a row of black heads may now be ob served peering over it. It ia the Urk-s ssion collecting evidence. The New Zealand Prpteotion Society of Christchurch haye adopted the following resolution, which is to be sent tp the Go vernment and also to the Manufacturers' Association, Dunedin, asking them to move iv the same direction: — "That, in the opinion of this Association, a Protective policy similar to that of Victoria would be adaptable to New Zealand, and this associa tion recommends the Government to brm^ in a policy similar to that of Victoria.'' In connection with thia resolution it may be interesting to note that the president of the Victorian Chamber of Manufactures has arrived at the conclusion that it is of, vital importance to Victoria that, giyen Protection (and he is an ardent Protectionist), the unit of Pro ection should be not each colony bat the country, not the province but Australia. He has prepared a return' which shows that the total trade of Victoria with other colonies is little short of £2,000,000. If that trade is lost, as it would be if other colonies adopted Protection, the industries of Victoria could not be carried on at their present scale, as the workshops are too large for Victoria, aud a proportion of them would have to be closed. 