OUR SYDNEY LETTER

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 510, 3 June 1881, Page 3

OUR SYDNEY LETTER

[FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

Sydney, May 12. Since my last letter nothing new, of any particutar interest, has occurred here. The anti-Chinese agitation is being continued ; but the Chinese have a champion in Mr Fane de Salis, who, in a lengthy letter to the Morning Herald, declaims against the injustice of seeking special legislation against a particular race, bearing in mind, also, the amicable treaties and relations existing between. China and Great Britain. There is no; doubt that Mr de Salis's letter is creditable to him, for daring to brave the excited tide of popular feeling, now running very high against the Mongolians ; and the justice and force of some of his arguments must be admitted by all who can calmly and dispassionately regard them. When, however, Mr Fane de Salis tries to show that we ought to be much obliged to them for their presence and custom, he goes a little too far. Good as some of his reasoning is, the fact does remain that the portions of the Chinese nation located in Sydney are of dirty and disgusting habits; nothing can better be said of their morals than that "they have none" to criticise. Their immorality, is very frequently directed against young European girls of from ten to fifteen years of age. These children are decoyed, at first, by presents of lollies or toys' iuto the inner haunts of these vagabonds, and, after smoking |opium cigarettes, are without either the will or the power to escape from the cunning of their captors. The Chinese question is, taking all things into consideration, a very difficult question to settle, having due regard to strict justice, and also to.the welfare of our own race. A rigid inspection at frequent intervals, and as rigorous an enforcement of the moral laws against Chinese as against Europeans, might meet the difficulty partly, but the inspectors would naturally enough find, their duties unsavory, and the temptation to relax vigilance, and keep one eye shut, would in time become pressing, particularly if the bribes, which would doubtless be offered by the Celestials, were to be in any way, directly or indirectly, accepted by any of the officers. Men of position and character, at good salaries, would be the only partial safeguard against the perfunctory and useless routine which is so characteristic of public officers, especially those with unthankful billets, such as nuisance and health inspectors, etc.. etc. As the matter stands at present, the Chinese are a standing danger in our midst. Leprosy is reported amongst them, and small-pox may 'at any moment be in the city. The s.s. Brisbane is now quarantined here for small-pox amongst the Chinese passengers. Their (comparative) immunity te practiso immorality and seduce British <rj"rls of tender age has been before alluded ,tdi ■' Let? iibt, >"the public think the matter exaggerated. Recent inspection has shown the habits of these disciples of Confucius to be so abominable that not a single newspaper has ventured to give full particulars. Europeans (females),,,young—very young mostly—-have been found huddled up with these satyrs, stupified with tobacco and opium, and Under such revolting circumstauces as to be unmeutionable in detail. Whatever may be the view of outsiders—and some may lay the antiChinese agitation at the doors of sundry class interests, and not entirely without truth, too—something mast bo done, and, as Shakespeare says, " If 'twere clone, wheu 'tis done then ' 'twere well it were done quickly."

Suburban land sales are all the go ; and special trains, free to passengers, and free lunches at destination help to lead-the deluded "new chums" and others " with more money than brains " to give £50 and £60 per acre for a bit of rocky soil 100 miles from the metropolis. The prices of land (which I more than suspect to be fraudulently put up by sham sales, etc.,) in the suburbs of Sydney—even remote suburbs —are simply ridiculous, and to my own knowledge, are higher than plenty of good land in the outer suburbs of the commercial city and metropolis of the world ; i.e. — London. There are, or were a few years since, plenty of market •.'aniens, growing cabbages, tomatoes,

potatoes, etc., at Kulham, which is but six miles from London Bridge. Land in a similar (relative) position in Sydney, would be sliced up in narrow-£th acre sections, and sold at rate of £1000 to £3000 .per, acre. lam afraid that, if " lawyers go to heaven by degrees," that land auctioneers scarcely reach the haven of rest at all. A second action against the Bulletin is now going on, but. this time bo} r ond all doubt, the defendants must got a verdict. The proprietors of.the Clontarf Hotel and picnic grounds, down the bay, are sucing t.h° Bulletin for £1000 damages for.libel (as alleged) in a description of the, proceedings at a public picnic on a iccent holiday. The Bulletin (without mentioning any names) made general nnd severe reflections upon the " disgusting orgies," " indecent conduct,'' etc,, etc., which occurred .at the picnic, and the proprietors of the grounds, who were also the conductors of the picnic, want £1000 for injurious comment ; if they get one farthing, it will be no longer safe for a paper to mention anything against anything o 1 anybody. The evidence shows that the proceedings were far mere " disgusting and iudaccnt" than even the Bulletin made out, and the latter must inevitably gain the action, unless tne presses to hi thoroughly gagged in future.

Tne Census returns, as doubtless the telegraph will have informed you, so far as completed, show as favorable results for New South Wales as the Victorian returns reveal tho disasters caused by Berryism, payment of members, and protection, We have nearly overhauled Victoria in population, and have long overhauled her in trade and prosperity. New Zealand ought by this time to be in a position to judge as to the future course'for her to adopt to ensure ultimate success. There are plenty of some classes unemployed in this colony, but the distress has never approached that of New. Zealand and Victoria—while it should be remembered, that work is more likely to be obtained here—rent and land -excepted—living is . cheaper. "' 'Clothes, travelling expenses, and numerous : other items of every .day necessity (servants wages too) being far more reasonable than probably anywhere else in the Australian Colonies. 'People coming here should have money as a stand-by 1 to keep them a month or. two at very least, to enable them to find out by experience and enquiry the best methods of obtaining employment. Clerks, shop-assis-tants, coachmen, general gardeners, and stablemen are not wanted. Young women find employment more readily here than elsewhere I believe ; and any such, if unable to gain a living in New Zealai-d might come here with comparative safety, provided they have provision for a month. The theatres are doing well—" Pinafore " is having a week of it at the Royal, "The Pirates of Penzance," having had a good run previously. " Struck Oil " is announced for Saturday the 14th inst. At tlie Opera House the " Mastodon minstrels "draw very well. At the Gaiety the " Turner-Montague " combination are playing English operas with unqualified success. They will go in for the Italian in a few days by producing Verdi's evet popular, melodious and dramatic, "II Trovatore." This work, being one of my special favorites (I have heard it about 25 times), I shall take the opportunity of criticising (as an amateur of course) in my next letter. The Garden Palace is closed, and the Austrian Band are in detachments in different parts of the country.

The Rev. Dr Ellis (who is the new gun from Home) fills the large Anglican Cathedral, and is beginning to presume upon his popularity. He is a practised conductor of Cathedral Church music, and has a very good voice. His declamation and 1 -rather-sensational preaching, combined, with the improved music under \i\s regime, have iargcly reinforced the .attendance of .the public. He believes in three Churches " the Roman, Greek, and English " (order as named), but as.for the poor Dissenters, he does not know what they believe in, ahcl he does not suppose that' they know themselves. He thinks the C. E. parsons who are his coadjutors here very nearly Dissenters, and not half awake to their duties, and he is evidently under the impression that he is the nowly arrived St. Paul of his day in this city. This city may be very immoral, but that scarcely justified Dr Ellis in stating in the plainest manner, to a large congregation of" both sexes and all ages, that " he had been informed upon very good authority that there were scarcety any virtuous girls over sixteen years of age in the colony." Very rough allusions to brothels; (which, by the way, caused a young lady of fifteen years to ask her parents some awkward questions after church) and night-bouses, etc., were made by the rev. doctor, who seems devoid of tact altogether. The plainest truths migli'c have been couched in language easily: understood by adults, and yet the words might have been polite and discriminating. There is a " row on " about the sweeping assertion against female virtue, and Dr Ellis has been compelled (almost) to in a subsequent sermon. The following sentence, which is correct enough as

regard purport, if not as to actual words, conveys a fair idea of the style of the new Cathedral gun : —" I do not stand here to gain the applause of my congregation, nor to catch the approval of my Dean, who sits in that chair there (pointing), but to preach tlie message delivered to me by my Lord aud Master Jesus Christ," etc,, etc. Winter has now commenced, consequently wo seldom see the glass more than 78deg. and SOdeg. in full shade ! ■

The wreck of the Tararua caused excitement here, but very few of the los were from this por<". -The captain, howpver, was brother to Mr Garrard, member for Balmai .