Mr. Henry Ridings held * Urge ule of town and •abiurban properties to-d»y, by order 6f thd trartetfl of the A«oklnn4 S»TiQgi Bank,

Oub readers will no doubt forgive us for occupying so much of our space as we do to-day with reprints from the leading English commercial newspapers, on the monetary affairs of Great Britain. These articles are not without their application to this colony, where there is no want of capital certainly, but which capital is locked up in the bank coffers, paying little or no interest to the depositors, but unquestionably assisting bank shareholders to realise large dividends. It will be seen, from the extracts referred to, that the commercial world at Stome is suffer ing from the natural effects of a somewhat similar system. The Bank of England maintained the panic rates of discount for a much longer period than was requisite or prudent, but the proprietary enjoyed the advantage. The profits realised by the Banjj: of England " during the four " teen weeks' infliction of the 10 per cent.," were greater than the amount realised on the six months' transactions ending with last September. Now, the tables are reversed. The capital at the Bank has accumulated. Legitimate Enterprise has been dis couraged; stagnation* of trade is the consequence; and the holders of bank stock ' need not look for anything like tH$ >ol&ra.le of 4*vi<ten4t Tfcese. remark?

Dr. Haatt ii at present delivering a series' of lectures on geology to the pupil* of the Christchurch High School. In his last lecture lie gave an ao count of the particular regions to -which. rolcanoM ■ and earthquakes -vrere at present confined. In New Zealand the oldest volcanic zone was that which ex tended west from Timaru, forming the boundary of the Canterbury plains. It consisted of trachytes or ■ilicious volcanic rocks, and surrounded Banks'* Peninsula in a circular form. Another important line was that which ran nearly south-west and north-east from Otago Peninsula across Banka's Pen* insula towards Cook's Strait, where there existed apparently a submarine volcano* associated doubtless in some degree with the earthquakes so frequent in that locality. 