Miscellany.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 477, 22 February 1881, Page 3

Miscellany.

" MKS BROWN" ON NEW ZEALAND,

Mr Arthur Sketchley seems to have been somewhat bilious after his trip .through New Zealand, in which " Mrs Brown >' was not appreciated at what he probably thought her value, and this is how he relieves himself in a contribution to the Bombay Gazette :— " Our journey through New Zealand was like what one may imagine that of a judge on assize. We stopped at every town, only to find one more depressing than another. We passed through many phices which wore little better thiin brid-rfii'lils, though i">;is!.M the poKs<£.-;u>n.of hotels, uui.l These last. n:!.mo>.l were curious lliij-iii.s of fancy, mVroiy;'pleading fictions, hni. tho hotels proved stern rnalif.iVs, T never hhw so m i'jy uti'lmpnv drunken v.-ri't-.'iiiv., lying like swiir in mxi olir.n! ;':>; liocr-'.. :■,- j iji.i in >.hi'se --.;.■ ■"■' x '■'■ '.-•■■■; '■■■' !••• ■" Jiiv i; ,; ii) ;.■■•;•: i■. ill,--. .... . ' r -■■ ;.-.■,,,.,. .:. "'' '• : ■■ )::'■■ .; ■ !<,■!. ..■■•■ ■ ■ -I ' • ■■■■■■ ■ ■ : ■■'] : ' r:-'< ■:'.".

! shearers have arrived possessed of money, flushed with anticipation of their only notion of enjoyment of a holiday—unlimited indulgence in drink. It is useless to dilate or moralise on a state of things which would appoar to be irremedi ible, though the consideration of the subject should check, one would think, the arrogant tone in which the English are wont to express contempt for savage tribes and debased aborigines, since it ■mu&t be allowed that tine worst fe.turc in savage life is the conduct, in many cases to be traced solely to the black man having taken to imitating the conduct an I habits of his civilised white brother. As we wound our weary way through New Zealand from town to town we were stuck not so much by the dreary aspect of the country as by the air of desolation of the towns.

! One of those we visited had been, it is true, a few months previously nearly washed off the face of creation by a violent mountain torrent bursting over it. It however, half was true of that which we heard as to the rascality of its inhabitants, no visitation, however disastrous short of destruction, could have been ade quate to the deserts of such a nest of seoundrels,wherein as we were told hotels were openly dens of vice, of fraudulent bankruptcy, and every villainy rampant carried on with surprising ingenuity and audacity, and thoroughly successful through complicity of confederates, male and female, in respectable positions. One debtor we heard, had burnt down his house to defraud all his creditors, as well as the company in which he was heavily insui"ed. It is true he only burnt one of his servants to death, having considerately removed his wife and family the day before the fire, which he < would not have done had the woman not been his confederate, the wretched ' servant being leit to sleep in the house to save appearances. In many other towns in New Zealand we observed the same depre sed air about the people, ' which mystified us till we had its exis- ! tence explained to us on the ground that j the inhabitants of New Zealand in general were in a state of chronic insolvency. That there were at that time numbers of prosperous men throughout the islands is a statement, no doubt, perfectly true, through such cases were exceptional, the general condition being one of insolvency. The truth is, the New Zealnnders are in precisely the same position as gentlemen at Home who live on kiteflying, pawning their property, or any other device by which it is possible to live for a long time on nothing a year.

Reckless purchase of land, facilitated by easily-obtained advances of money, have led to this evil state of things, and partially deadened the mor.il sense of many well-meaning speculators, who have been living on for years in a fool's paradise, as though they could go on borrowing, and a day of reckoning would never come, quite forgetting that for however long a time you may go on renewing a bill it must be met somehow at last. It is urged by some that as long as in New Zealand the land exists on which is advanced, the lender is secured ; but its possible to overpawn your security, however valuable it may be; and the price of land, however good in quality, must, when over mortgaged, in time decline. It has been stated that every individual in New Zealand, from the infant in the cradle to the oldest inhabitant, would, if the debt of the Island were consolidated and distributed equally bo m debt £60. Being no financier, I can suggest no remedy for this state of things, from which I heartily wish my follow countrymen in New Zealand a speedy and happy deliverance ; whilst I should strongly advise capitalists to think well before they make cither advances or investments in a country which has evidently indulged in over-specula-tion, and is looking up to unpleasant results, the product of gross imprudence, if it be not stigmatised by stronger terms.' . In connection with the following a paragraph from the Sydney Bulletin is too good to be lost: — The Rev. Charles Clarke said he never read to a more intelligent audience than a Sydney one, and astronomer Proctor says the interest manifested in his abtruse scince, and the surprising knowledge of it possessed by Australians, can can only be appreciated by one who has been among these people. But Arthur Scratchley says we are a lot of bushrangers. Now, this is mean of Arthur, because he might hava barred on". For three nights a calm-faced, grey-haired old man sat out Arthur's show to the bitter end, " when all but him had fled" (as Mrs Hemans puts it),and yet Arthur lumps him in the bushranging gang the same as the rest of us. Arthur felt flattered by this old grey-headed vilUin's appreciation of Mother Brown's chat, as he imagined ; but I'll spoil Arthur's say in one act. The calm faced man was as deaf as a post ; he had a free pass for throe nights, and being a miserly old rascal, sat out the show just to savo his candles. Ta-ta. Arthur. Call and -w us agf.in. V-nir bright smile haunts me still. AlwMVrt lay up ; .--.;iiii'!lii!!ic for h rainy d .'!}", if it h only a bnrnnved fint'TeJla that you ft.-riMif. to return. ''''•■■•■•■■ :■'■>> j.'mni:-fr> s-;; p--.?.!--rt ?n voria- # * t ' ' '■'''■■•■ :: ! " :, ' •'