The Examiner. Thursday, December 17, 1857. "PUBLIC GOOD." OXEN, SHEEP, HORSES, PIGS, AND POLITICS.

Auckland Examiner, Volume 2, Issue 53, 17 December 1857, Page 2

The Examiner. Thursday, December 17, 1857. "PUBLIC GOOD." OXEN, SHEEP, HORSES, PIGS, AND POLITICS.

It was perhaps unfortunate for us that the Cattle Exhibition took place on our publishing clay. We were fired with the same sort of noble ..ambition to judge the judges as blazed through Secretary Stafford when in his af'-er dinner speech he taught farming to the farmers. But the other organs of public intelligence have taken almost every breath of wind out of our sails. They have thoroughly enlightened the public in general and stock exhibitors in particular. We therefore feel our occupation to be gone, so far as animals <>r their judges are concerned. The untoward circumstance pains us inasmuch as we were anxious to prove what good judges of all manner of flesh Auckland Examiner people are, and furnish letter press demonstration of our fitness not only to emulate the boy who taught his grandmother to suck eggs but the full grown statesman who did on Thursday last deliver to Auckland Farmers a “ stunning” after dinner lecture on the chemistry of agriculture, as well as astounding benefits to be derived from persevering expence be-hanged working up of clay soils. But though to sport our vast knowledge of pigs, cows, bulls, horses, and sheep, is now forbidden, we have other topics which, happily, escaped the exhaustive criticism of our contemporaries. One topic, (or topic peg), is the Sheep Shearing at our great Agricultural Show. No part of the day’s proceedings caused livelier excitement, inducements to improve the clipping had been held out as ’ the colonial style of performing that ope- i ration is rather rough. Insonm instances i sheep are so “ loosely” shorn that wool j left on their backs would fetch sufficient i to pay for shearing them over again. Prizes were five—-three being awarded to Men, two to Boys, as follows;— First Prize to adult Borne, in the service of Mr. Mason. Second Prize to adult Wyatt, in the service of Mr, John May of VVaiuku. Third Prize to adult Roberts, in the service of Mr. Mason. First Prize to boy Brown, in the service of Messrs. Maclean. Second Prize to boy Stafford, in tfie service of Mr. Hayr, We regretted that Secretary Stafford, who is so admirable a judge of horseflesh, did not turn bis penetrating glance upon the Sheep Shearing, as in that case he might after dinner have taught sheep shearers, and, as the phrase runs, “all whom it may concern” the precise way in which sheep should be shorn. Certes the shearing was not thought first-rate by several self-constituted judges of that process who stood beside us. One sheep was shorn to some extent lengthwise, Our attention was directed to tile fact by a practical, and not quite contpntedlooking, person who grumbled out his

opinion that whether such mode of shearing were allowable or not should have been intimated at commencement. To end here might be prudent; but another topic peg we are in honor bound to hang a few dangerous observations upon. The Cattle Show itself delighted us. It made us feel that Polonius might have done an unwiser thing than quit affairs of state to keep a farm and carters. Noble horses of various breeds, sheep, cows, bulls, pigs it was difficult to look at without feeling hungry, and some hundreds ■ of free, happy, independent people flushed with, healthy excitement, formed a splendidensemble. Nor were we insensible to those pleasures of the table on which we feasted, first in imagination and afterwards in reality. Old Doctor Syntax we remember with respect, but never can allow that— Though ’twill to hunger give relief, — There’s nothing plctuiihsquh in beef. One of our most firmly fixed opinions, is that a fine sirloin of beef, or even a saddle of mutton, has about it tomething remarkably picluresqt e. Nay, we assert without fear of being contradicted, except by people who have either turned Vegetarians, or so suffered from derangement of their digestive apparatus as to be like the unfortunate millionaire who said he would give a thousand pounds to be hungry, that picturesqueness in manner quite peculiar belongs to the baked, the boiled, and the roast, But though delighted with the Show of Cattle, and the Spread of all sorts of delicious confectionary as well as picturesque viands, we were disgusted with the Politics. Pigs were decent, sheep good, bulls fine, cows superb, horses beautiful, politics abominable. No sooner was cloth removed than they were introduced, as if on purpose to cause discord and ill-blood. Their introduction was due to Captain Haultain. That sapient person led ofl a political dance by palavering the Superintendent who after being palavered by the Chairman went on to palaver himself. Worse taste never was conceived, and Emerson well says that educated Englishman cannot tolerate offences against good taste. As- the politically inclined Chairman might have foreseen, hi» complimentary allusion to Superintendent Williamson provoked many such exclamations as No politics. Pah! Humbug. Sir down. Shut- up. In the self-palavering part of his speech our always popularity hunting Superintendent expressed gratification at the honor which through him had been paid to his office ! Oh, how contemptible “ the pride which apes humility 1” Oh, how greedy the ambition which seeks to make political capital out of what shou.d have been a pimely Agricultural demonstration. The Go •ernor’s speech was admirable. Nothing could have been kinder in spirit or more judicious in matter. It is not often that we have felt called upon to praise Governor Browne ; but at this Agricultural Show Dinner his conduct delightfully contrasted with the conduct of Williamson, Stafford, and others. He spoke to the purpose like a gentleman. They spoke from tne purpose like snobs. Cheap John, bent' upon demonstrating in flabbiest style, talked about lean kine and fat kine as if fresh from the study of Pharaoh’s dream. His glibness was amusing, while the delicacy of his diction recalled the lady-like kitchen maid who astonished her genteel young man by telling him she was “ all over in a muck sweat.” Nothing clearer than that Superintendent Williamson much desires to play “farmer's friend,” and get political capital out of Agricultural Shows. But when he so glibly talked his new-born zeal for Cattle improvement there were some who remembered that while member of a long since defunct City Council he showed his anxiety to improve the breed of horses by not allowing any entire horse to be seen in Auckland streets. All is changed now. The delicate City Council conservator of morels has developed into the entire animal* Superintendent.