MOUNT BENGER.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2529, 25 March 1871, Page 2

MOUNT BENGER.

[from our own correspondent.] You may justly accuse me of being rather a neglectful correspondent, but the truth is a severe attack of neuralgia has made me regard with utter abhorrence anything requiring the use of eyesight, bike the Maire of the French town who ap d'gised to Louis Xlll for omitting the usual salute alleging that he had twenty good excuses, the first being the absence of powder an. I guns, I also have a number of excellent reasons over and above sickness for neglecting you so long, but I expect like the Grand M(marque you will consider the first so satisfactory as to render the detail of the ivst bo hj unnecessary and te.liou >. 1 must say that ray task is not unlike attempting to make bricks without straw, for there is little of note st’rriug in this part of the w rid. Wore it nit for the scarlet fever and the election for the Provincial Council, there would be an absolute lade of t >pics for small talk. The latter nuisance ovcitos comparatively small attention, Mr Bradshaw being pretty certain of a large majority in this district. Still I believe it will be a very close shave as Switzer’s is nearly as unanimous in favor of Mr. I), an. The pvevdence of the scar'et fever is unfortunately too serious a subject to be treated jestingly. One death, a child of three or four years has already resulted in the district, and there are sonje ten or a dozen cases more or less serious under medi« oil treatment. The rapid spread of the disease is chiefly owing, I believe, to the manner in which many of our inhabitants set all sanitary rules at defiance. The narrow limits of a sod hut often give shelter to whole families, and were this style of arch’tecture any thing like air tight, more seri. us epidepiic would be ce’tain to result. I believe that th i appointment of local health officers would greatly lend to decrease this evil; at any rate the Government are bound to do something to atone for the gross carelessness which permitted the introduction <s[ the disease into tfye prqvincq. To take up a more ehe rful theme. Harvesting operations are pretty well completed hereabouts ; the yield is considerably over the average, some of the paddocks under oats surpa sing anything I ever saw before. The l iver continues at a low level, and a'l (heelaimholders arc busily engaged in preparing for a start. About the Macintyre’s rush th re a"e n»q§t conflicting reports, A man recently came into the Teviot with six-tei-n ounces w' ich ho represented as the result of a single week’s work. Some of those who have visited the ground represent it as a good wages goldfield, the only point against it being the scarcity of water, while others denounce it as a rank duffer. I believe the former account to be nearest the truth. Ihe miners have at any rate taken a decided step in reference to the Chinese, having determined that John shall not be permitted to show hj a ugly nose on the ground. It may bo very 'wrong, but ‘I confess lam very glml of it, and’nope they will stick to tboir good resolution. Ily-the bye, what is the meaning of the word “ desideratum ” I thought I uudersti o 1 it, but the election address of the hon. M.H.R. and M P.C. for Tuapoka has caused u;e to have grave doubts. Of course a common “ feller’ 1 cannot hope to compete in intelligence, education, or classical knowledge with a real live member of Parliament.