[from the hqme news.]

The Australias have not hitherto shown to any very great advantage in the Inter national Exhibition opened on Easter Monday at South Kensington. The Bel gian annexe, the use of which had been given up to the exhibition of Australian products, is filled with carriages that appear to have been stored therein since last year. At several stalls in other parts of the building packages of preserved, meals are to be seen, but a better show of such commodities can be met with in any business thoroughfare in London. Mr Tallerman has struck and is working a new idea in connection with the meats. Having learnt from experience that the sight of the outside of a tin of meat is not greatly calculated to instruct people as to the quality and character of the meat itself, he has erected, at considerable cost, a perfect meat-preserving apparatus. This will be kept at work every day during the exhibition, and people wm be enabled to see the whole process of preserving. The machinery has been constructed on the ■very best principles, and as every opera tion will be to a considerable extent expe rimental, the chances are that various im provements in the art of meat-preserving may be hit upon. All that care and attention can do to conduce towards this object will be done. The Colonies are harily more forward with regard to the Vienna Exhibition than at home. New Zealand is most active in the matter. Dr Featherstone, with his usual energy, having already despatched a considerable number of exhibits. Among these are some excellent fabrics woven from New Zealand flax. An old Nelson colonist, Mr N. T. Lockhart, now the proprietor of large flax mills at Kirkcaldy, put upon Ms mettle by. the success of Mr Forbes, of Dundeey has i&anufactured some ex cellent tablecloths and towels ; twines and cords, of a very superior quality, have also been provided by the same gentleman. Some twine, made especially for fishing-nets, is most highly spoken of, Mr 0. Thorpe, to whom the New Zealand flax trade in .England owes so much, suppliedmost of the material used in the manufacture of these things. 