The Evening Star FRIDAY, JULY 15. 1870.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2243, 15 July 1870, Page 2

The Evening Star FRIDAY, JULY 15. 1870.

Evkbt well-wisher to the Colony must feel somewhat disgraced by the result of the public meeting last evening. It was not a meeting called to adopt resolutions respecting free trade or protection, although for faction’s sake that question was lugged in by Mr Grant. It was not intended to express an opinion as to Mr Reynolds’s resolutions, yet they were used as a stalking horse by Mr Graham. The meeting was called to give a general support to propositions calculated to confer immense benefit on the whole Colony, and the majority of those present allowed themselves to be cajoled into au expression of opinion that practic-

allj ignored the whole question. It is a great pity that Dunedin is plagued by a couple of buffoons, who under the pretence of being the working men’s friends, contrive to turn every public meeting into ridicule. Gifted with a certain amount of tact, and great volubility, they thrust themselves forward on every occasion with no other intention than pure mischief. It is a misfortune that their marplot policy so often succeeds. YV e have often thought that this is the consequence of the incomplete arrangements that commonly mark our public demonstrations, and the little interest taken in political affairs by the better educated classes. There is also a strong tendency with the majority of the population to regard a public meeting as an occasion for giving vent to wit and fun making; and instead of calmly weighing tlm purposes for which the meeting is held, they turn even the most important subjects into jest, We do not complain of differences of opinion. These must and will Were it not so truth would not bt? arrived at. What we do complain of is, that those who arc chiefly interested in a certain course of policy, allow themselves to be led by the nose by men who throughout the whole course of their lives have never done one useful thing for the classes they propose to benefit ; whose popularity depends upon pretensions to political knowledge and philanthropy to which they have no well-founded claim ; and the point of whoso eloquence lies in abuse of those in a more respectable position in society than themselves. We would ask those who voted with Mr Graham yesterday, what object could bo gained by so senseless a resolution as they supported ? Mr Reynolds’s resolutions will not again come under discussion until the financial policy of the Government is decided. The effect of it therefore was to say, we will not consider proposals of the highest importance to the Colony until all opportunity of influencing the decision is past. There was something more tangible in Mr Grant’s amendment, who however must feel that having been outdone by his rival in obstructiveness, he must henceforth concede the cap and bells to Mr Graham. But supposing the meeting to have been actuated by an inkling of knowledge of what they were doing, nothing can be plainer than that by adopting either resolution, they were, politically speaking, “ cutting their “ own throats.” They were playing into the hands of the Stafford party, which has shewn itself incompetent to deal beneficially with any one great question before the country. Perhaps Mr Cargill may blame himself in part for this. His speech in proposing the resolution was made the occasion of mooting the very proposition of Separation on which the amendment adopted was based. He may have theories of his own about Separation, but that was not the question under discussion, and it would have been better to have confined himself strictly to the question before him, than to have diverged into one not in any way connected with it. Wo believe that his injudiciously expressed opinion that the proposals, “ if “ carried into effect, would check the “ cry for Separation," was the chief reason why his resolution was not carried j and he must now be convinced, if he never was before, that his opinion is not shared in by the majority. Viewed in this light, the resolution carried at the meeting must be considered as an averment that Separation is of paramount importance. While therefore wo regret the result of the meeting, because we believe, in spite of its defects, the Government scheme to be what is needed for the benefit and development of the Colony, viewed as an expression of opinion in favor of Separation, financial or otherwise, the result is a sign of a determination to shake off the drag of the North Island.

Auckland. —A late Auckland telegram says : -At 3 p. m. gu July 7, the City of Melbourne, the mail steamer, sailed for Honolulu. She took 110 passengers. The Ahuriri sailed on Sunday for Napier. Alia quiet at Raglan. Mr Barton, of the Otago, .Daily Timex, is her' starting a telegraphic ; . agency. Creville and Co. arc over to start a more economical one. The agent is here.

Temperance.-- In Wellington tlmy have formed an Anti-Shouting Society, and about thirty members of the Assembly have joined it. The rule ia, that a memlwr of the Society can only t ike what he himself wishes and pays for; so that the amount of drink consumed in Bellamy's is likely to be considerably lessened. Mr Cavleton, who moved in the House that strong drink should not he sold in Bellamy’s, was found indulging the same day, and got a nice jacketing for it.

Supple’s Plea.— -The Telegraph suys of this: —The prisoner Supple continues to bo frequently visited by his friends. His health remains good, and he is perfectly calm and collected. “They are going to plead insanity,” ho savs, “but they arc v.rung. My plea is justification.” Another gentleman, well-known in the literary world, is almost as much an object of aversion to the as is Mr C. P. Smith. As to his Pitended victim, Supple says, “his arm will reach him from the grave." A Perilous Adventure. —The inhabitants of the West Taieri, more especially those residing near the township, had an opportunity on Friday afternoon of witnessing one of the most daring feats ever attempted in this district. The Collins’ variety troupe had announced a performance for Friday and Saturday evenings, at Christie’s Assembly Rooms, and that at four o’clock on each afternoon the young American, a boy of about 14 years of age, was to walk across the West Taieri river on the wire near the bridge. True to announcement at four o’clock the boy, with other members of the troupe, appeared on the ground, dressed in scarlet trunks, mounted the wire, and started on his journey, wh’ch he safely accomplished despite the slack state of the wire owing to the great span, about 300 feet, and the difficulty of getting tackle on to tighten it. A large number of persons attended to witness, and were almost breathless during the daring act.— Brim. Herald, The Order of Merit. —This decorative distinction has been conferred on Sergt. Arthur W. Carkcek, of the A.0., on account of the following act of bravery performed by him:—“On the 9th February. ( 1870, while the force under the command of Lieut.-Colonel M‘Donnell was serving in the Patercre country, To Kooti with his force came out of the bush on the further side of the ranges and attacked Ohinemutu, where Capt. Mair with some Arawas were posted It was of the utmost importance that immediate notice should be sent to Lieut.-Colonel M ‘Donnell of the whereabouts of the enemy, and Sergt. Carkcek, who was then at Ohinemutu, used every exertion to get Natives to convey a note to him at Tapapa, through the bush, but no one could be induced to incur the risk. Sergt, Carkcek then deterA mined to take the information himself, and having found one Native who agreed to accompany him, started at daylight on the Bth, and arrived at Tapapa about 3 p.m., having come upwards of 30 miles through dense bush known to bo haunted by the enemy, and in danger of being surprised by them at any msinont, when certain death would have been his fate.”

Te Kootism. Without being accused of spiritist hanky-panky or Madame Siecle-ism, we may perhaps cxerche our fancy upon the future, and draw upon au imaginary “History of the Ancient Australasian Republic” (taking a good stretch while we arc about it). Open it at random : “ Therefore, I am reluctantly compelled to agree with Or Wombat, when he says (Antiq. Nov. Zeal. vol. xxxviii, p. 1001), that there cannot be doubt, on the evidences, that the said T. Kooty was a myth. Fungay, in his History of the Ancient Moas, vulgarly but erroneously term' d Moarria, lias collocated no loss than ten distinct accounts of the death of this T. Kooty. Rejecting one _of these as undoubtedly false, there remains nine. Fungay d-c’area that, after the mast examination and comparison of the records preserved both in Geelong and in the ancient capital, he cannot feel himself justified in throwing a shadow of doubt over more than two of these accounts. Here, then, we have at least seven di -tinct accounts, at different periods, of the, violent death (violent in every case) of this T. Kooty. How, I say, can we still persist in the belief that such a person ever existed? In the face, too. of the suspicions rhyming with ‘sooty’ and ‘ booty ’ which I have pointed out ? (/Infep. 4142). The galvanic process of resuscitation was no*- disci vnred until at least 200 years afterwards (say between 2070 and 2075), and we have no warrant whatever for allowing the possibility of any new lease of existence at Mich a remote date as that in which this wonderful character is supposed to have flourished. Hard it is, I know, for popular delusions to be dispelled by the sledge-h-mmer of relent’css criticism but—.” At this point we may awake.—Melbourne A gc.

The Budget. —The; /Ve.« gives (lie following report of the debate on the 11th instant, not received by ns :—“ Mr Webster would vote for the consideration of the proposals, but would not pledge himself to details. He thought it would be well for the Colony to refuse the Imperial guarantee on the million loan. They were going into a larger scheme for borrowing money, and it would damage their financial reputation if it wont forth that the Impend Government an 1 their own Commissioners had estimated their capacity at one million Mr Graham complained of the reticence of those to whom the House Aonld look for guidance. He approved of protection, not on prineinle, but because the Colony could not do without it. It was a small boon for the South to aA from the North in return for all tho assistance rendered by the South. Hctho-oughly supported the Government propos-ls,—Mr Macandrew thought the Colony could borrow twenty millions in ten years. He said the New Zealand exports were L2I per head, while those of Victoria were only LI3. Ho object’d to delay. Direct steam communication with Europe was necessary to cope with America. —Mr M‘Gil!ivray thought immigration was a primary consideration, and was of cunion that an alteration in tho land laws was nee ssary for immigration. He din not agree with free grants, hut land on deferred payments was a g’-od adjunct to immigration.—Air Gillies felt bound to differ from his natural allies, the Government. What waa good in the scheme waa over*

balanced by the bad. He protested against the sacred names of colonisation and public works being used to lead the Colony to union. He coincided with the Government •system of finance, but was .convinced that 'Ministers would have too much to do carrying out the scheme. If it failed utter ruin would ensue.”

Tub quarterly district meeting of the A.O.F. will be hold this evening at the Royal George Hotel, at 7 p m.

It will he seen hj advertisement that Mr Reid's class meets to morrow.