ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 11, 1 July 1843, Page 3

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

ON THE COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES OF NEW ZEALAND, AND THE OTHER AUS. TRALIAN COLONIES. No. 1. To the Editor of the Southern Cross. SiR,--In an early number of your paper, you promised your readers an account of the comparative advantages of New Zealand and the other Australian Colonies, as a field for emigration ; but you have

either forgotten your promise, or do not now deem the" subject to be of such interest as to induce yon to follow up the first article. I can, however, assure you that this subject is not by any means destitute of interest either at home, or Iti th|« country. To the intending emigrant, information of this kind, when fairly, honestly, and truly given, is worth gold itself. The emigrant is just as liable to commit a mistake in the selection of the colony which he is to make the scene of his future operations, as he is, after having arrived in a colony, as to the best method of investing his capital, and employing his time and talents* " Colonial experience 1 ' is in bdth instances highly valuable. Coming to a dolony Is, jn many instances, like choosing a partner for life; and if evf?i after 1 persotlal acquaintance, we are apt to be disappointed in the disposition and character of ottr fair female 1 friends, how mdch tflore liable shall we be to dis-» appointment when arrangements of this kind are managed by proxy. In the latter case we entirely depend upon the judgement, integrity, and wisdom of another party, and our good or bad fortune is discovered at a time when we cannot help ourselves* The intending emigrant is, in this respect, very similarly situated with the IliyaPfool, who places hia happiness or migery for life, in the hands of another. He selects bh ol ject whom he has never seen, and of whom he knows nothing bat by report > like the fair one who is by her friends industriously proclaimed to be possessed of all that is lovely and excellent in her faultless race, every colony hag it* own friend^ who spare neither time nor labor, and allow no opportunity to escape in their honest endeavours to make alt the" good qualities of their favorite as extensively known as possible. So that of whatever country or colony the emigrant seeks to obtain information, be is always certain to fall in with some of the friends o that particular colony, who are sure to be'represeuted to him as the best and fittest persons to instruct him. Books are given to him, pamphlets are placed in his hands, and maps are shown to him, by which it is made evident to any man but a fool, that that must be the best colony in the world. I wish not, Mr. Editor, to be supposed for a moment, to cla«s Mr. Terry's work on New Zealand amc«ig the list of such books ; for Ido think it is an exception ; and but that he had bsen himself in New Zealand before writing his book, I am persuaded he never would have visited this country a second time, after reading, as he must hava done, the proof sheet of his own work. He is a singular exception to the general rule, and will, on that account, escape the malediction of the disappointed emigrant, inasmuch as his book could never be the means of inducing any mm to come to this country. But, be that as it may, the geiferal rule stands good, despite the solitary exception. No man ever yet came to a colony, perhaps, not even the convict to Botany Bay, who did not believe that he had selected, if not the best, at all events " the next to it." The emigrant would manifest ft great want of prudence if it were otherwise, for" what wise mrtn having the frea selection of the whole of our splendid colonial empire» extending almost from pole to pole, and from the commencement of the east, to the ending of the far west, would make choice of any thing inferior, the idea is absurd ; no wise man would do it. But the majority must, as a matter of course be led astray, and " gulled," for certain!) some one colony must have the superiority over .all the rest ; and that being an undoubted and Uadenied fact, it will only remain, to be discovered which this highly favored colony is. I maintain, Mr.- Editor, that this co'ony is New Zealand, s ;ve and except its present bad government, and taking for granted that, (as you wish and insist upon) the natives, or aborigines are made free. Remove the former and grant me the 1 latter, and 1 will prove to you that New Zealand is far (as far as one pole is distant from another) superior to any other British, colony, or country on the face of the earth, no matter where it is, or what it may be. But this would be perhaps, imposing too great a task upon myself, and making an unwarrantable demand upon your limited space. I will therefore, until I am challenged to the general combat, confine myself to the proof of New Zealand's superiority over the other Australian colonies, always beating in mind the removal of the government, and the emancipate n of the natives ; for, deprived of the speedy prospect of the one, and th« assured hope of the other, 1 would not Waste an idea on the subject, or think t.f remaining a single day ia the country longer than I could help it. For it matters little how fertile or rich, a country may naturally be, if the government is bad. Ift drawing the comparison between this colony and the neighbouring ones, I will confine myself chiefly to my own experience, and found my remarks upon facts which hare come under my own, observation. J*at us then take New South Wales, the oldest, the wealthiest, and perhaps, as yet, the best of the Australian colonies, and let us suppose the case of an emigrant of each of the classes who generally come to these colonies, jusfc landed in Sydney, and fit for any thing in his own estimation at least. We will, in the first place, take the man of moderate capital, with, and without a family ; and trace his history and his progress in the colony. He is of course, a gentleman, and looki upon the m»j Jrity of those in the land he has come to, as being very much inferior to himself in more respects than one. He is naturally afraid of them. He has however, letters of introduction to some merchants and respectable settlers, the most of the merchants receive him rather coldly, they are too busy tcr notice him much, but they introduce him to some friend, who lives for a time in the town, and who will give him every information about the /country ; the profits of sheep and cattle farming, and the best part* of the country to settle in, together with a thousand other matters of most valuable information, which can only be obtained by acquaintance with an old settler." In the company of this colonial friend, ho fiadß his way either to the Club, or to Petty's Hotel } it matters little which ; there are lots of fine fellows at either place, living like princes, and enormously wealthy : a pound ia with them of no more value thaa a shifting or a penny at home, the emigrant although he is sorry to part with his money, and grudges the tenor fourteen pounds a week at the Hotels still pltased with the country where money is so plentiful and so easily made. The most of the young. fellows at the C!ub hara made their fortunes from very n >thing, they frankly tell him so they are not ashamed of it, some, of them have only been government clerkt, andovereera, or at best junior partners in> mercantile house, and they ara now worth it may be ten thousand Eheep, which ara too cheap at £2 each,— one thousand head of cattle, the best in the colony, at least worth £10 a piece,— ond about fifty horses, too cheap at £&0 each. Theirs wool and the increaie of their herds and flocks have during the last year realized one or two thousand pounds. And such being tho case, they would not on any account reside iv Sydney ; the country waa tbe place to make a fortune iv. The emigrant cannot lot

a moment doubt the truth of this, his^enses confirm it. and LiB friends are too frank and honest to deceive He has not yet learnt the character of the Botany Bay settler— he has not found out that the Club and and Petty's Hotel are filled with persons anxiously looking out for "Naw Chums." He could never tuspecr. bis friends of any thin? of this kind;— but he is naturally growing tired of the dusty streets of Sydney, and does not altogether like the expense of the Hqtel <>r Club. Among tbe many friends he meets at either of those places ho selects one choice spirit who is about starting for his homestead, and thereafter to his bUtions in the country, Manero or Liverpool Plain*, it is; quite the samp, tbe steam-boat brings bim to a comfortable hoiise and fine farm on the Hunter, or tbe gig to his friend'^s house at the C'owpastures. He has a little sea Bickness in the one rase, and a dusty road in the other, but the golden fleece greets bis eyes in every direction — bales of wool and loaded drays with the esquired names of Jbe happy owners excite his cupidity and raise hishopes. He is exceedingly anxious to visit the Bush, but bis fiiend insists upon his Bpending a few diys at his hompstpad, after which he will accompany him to his btations in the interior, from which the rivers of his wealth are flowing. After considerable jolting and tlusting he arrives at the farm — no matter if he have spent five or ten pounds at the inns upon the road, he is gaining "colonial experience ;" and he has ascertained from his friend tbat nearly all the sheep in tbe colony (excepting his friend's) are either affected with catarrh or bcab ; this is valuable information — how generous on the part of his friend to give — it prevented his ruin, he was on the eve of buying ewes from Mr. Ltmbton or Mr. Fleeceman at the Club, but he has been saved. I am, Sir, &c, A SETTLER. Auckland, June 27, 1843.

To the Edit/ir of the Southern Cross. Pir, — Having an interest in common with my fellow-colonists by tbe careful and speedy delivery ot our letters and newspapers in this colony, I beg to direct your attention to the following startling extract from a letter from New Zealand to an \gency firm in Sydney, inserted in the " Sydney Moraing Herald" of February 10, 1843. '• In a new colony mail bags are obliged to be sent by any opportunity — thus, letters for Auckland, via Sydn p y ; the bag arrives in Sydney ; there is no vessel up for Auckland, but one for the Bay of Islands ; being tbe first opportunity, the bag is shipped, and when arrived at the Bay, is there put in charge of a party who is postmaster, and whose daughters open nil the newspapers, and sometimes amuse themselves with the letters. Then comes the first opportunity for Auckland — a small coaster, the letter bag is put on board, and frequently when both master and mate at point of sailing, are quite oblivio.uß ; *nd ihe bag is stowed in a locker ; the craft arrives at Auckland, and it is not until both master and mate are frequently questioned, that they begin to have some idea that there is such a thing as a bag from the post office on board. What is the natural result ? The postmaster threatens the penalty if a bag is found (as the law slates, that any captain of a vessel charged with a mail bag, unless he delivers the same within twenty minutes after dropping the anchor, is liable to a penalty of jt J 5O each letter), the mate puts a six pound Bhot into the letter bag, and over board go letters from dearest ties, friends and connexions far distant, all in one swoop." Really, Sir, if the above statement is a specimen of the manner in which tbe post office business is transacted in New Zealand, to the injury of the public, I am sorry to say that it is of very little use that our fr'ends at home should endeavour to keep up a regular correspondence with us. The least deviation from the just principles on which tbe post office is eßtublished, may be to some of us moDths — nay, years of painful anxiety — and to others the ruin of all their hopes and visions of future happiness, through the inquisitiveness an 4 forgetfulness of those whose duty it is to "Do as they would be done by." Convinced that your columns are open for the exposure and correction of existing abuses, for the welfare and advancement of this our adopted country, I deem it a public duty'to place the above information ia your hands. I am, Sir, &c. PAUL PRY. Auckland, June 20, 1843.