A FEW THOUGHTS ON CURRENT TOPICS.

Evening Star, Issue 3758, 10 March 1875, Page 2

A FEW THOUGHTS ON CURRENT TOPICS.

■ Ha! Hal What will be the next grievance against Mr Vogel? Very likely that lib bught •to have got eight or ten millions as easily as four. Should not wonder. After the assertions, of the last few weeks, we need not be astonished at anything. ■ He has’ not sold the debentures and lost the money a* Homberg, and he has. been lost—as the ‘ Press’ charitably supposed—• to some purpose. The fact is, and his opponents may as well admit it,. Mr Vogel has euchred the knowing ones. It’s Vogel, and the rest nowhere. They can’t follow him. Whilst they arc thinking and writing, he has manoeuvred and acted. They are like poor old Nap. and Macmahdn—-out-gen»falled. They are in Sedan, and, unlike Bismarck, Vogel can afford to be magnanimous; and they, I have no. doubt, will not b 2 above accepting a share of the good things coming.' With an effort they will, no doubt, be able to reconcile themselves to the now prospect, however painful it may be. Of course it was very wrong of Mr Vogel not to have made them acquainted with bis every footstep—some- of -them have shown such a willingness to help him. Talk about the irrepressible nigger. Why he is not to be talked of in the same street with our benefactor Hezekiah. He is bent on doihg us a kindness in spite of abuse. Bankruptcy Courts and writs. Writs -why he likes them.They amuse him, and abuse he thrives on; and,! in return, acting on the good-for-evil principle, he will give us the Californian service. Like Lesseps and the Suez Canal, he’ll force us to acknowledge him. Thistles a nuisance ! What an absurdity 1 Those, who by the kindness of then- neighbors and a fatherly Government, with the help of the winds of Heaven, are supplied with seed so cheaply ought to be thankful—the ingrates. I am without them on my reduced estate, and, of course, seeing the immense benefits they are in the way of opening up the soil and irrigation, I think I will not be without grounds for saying that I have a grievance Besides the utility, look at the beauty of the dear emblematic Touoh-me-nots. Don’t we remember the affection and care with which two - only two—simple plants of the defiant emblem were brought up to Wimbledon ? How would the heroes have rejoiced in a paddockful. Oh 1 those delightful truth-telling telegrams. l They are worth having a row oyer. What trouble they took to be exact in their information as to the future stations of the judges. How fretful became Auckland at the prospect of Judge Gillies. The Government * Gazette ’ shuffles the cards, and hey ! presto 1 the bristling Gillies is served out to quiet Nelson. Why, his Aucklandfenemies won’t know the angry politician in three months’ time. What a pity he was not sent down here. There are" elements, which, I think, if coming into collision would have been amusing, if not instructive. What is the meaning of it ? Not an advertisement, not a vessel on the berth ! Ohinemuri 1 thou art neglected. Prophets are not honored in their. o\yn country. They cahnot say that of thee, for indeed at home thou art worshipped, and well I know how lavishly thou wilt empty thy golden hoards to thy believers. But abroad, I fear thy glory is departed. The fevered Palmer has charms, the distant Cape has its visions ; but thou —thou art neglected. Not so was served thy wealthy sister Thames, and how ungrudgingly • she responded, Wouldst thou, Ohinemuri, bo askind, did we become gushing ? Another libel case 1 • There is another chance for us. Oura are-heing-hushed up one after the other. There is no fun to be got. out of them. This one is not our own, but comes from that abode of bliss and innocence (according to the i Auckland papers) Canterbury, One Conn-' 1

dllor* frorp; wkoiri people murttojunarised at bearingaughtbutwhijils the embodiment of good manners and the -essence of pdliteness, chargedunother with bring drunk, ami a sot. Rich, wajs it not, foSC a Council meeting? Can’t a Councillor, like’ the Duke of Newcastle, do as he dikes with his own ; aye, even with :his own etom ;ch ’ Just as much .os to charge 2GO or 300 per cent, and get it, it the flis will ,come tio the spider. < £ ■ ; ‘ *' Flood the hole and bore thebharge of powder .out.” -. Whilst doinp sowith a Jumper-— well, .something bappen6d. A dumper, a J steel jumper probably. By whose authority were these men, perhaps (can’t I write certainly?) inexperienced miners, allowed to do the very thing that furnished the best chance of blowing them into 'smithereens? Or is nobody responsible ? Do the men do ns they like and how they choose, and just wait on the authorities for their pa y? Somebody writes that the Dunedin merchants care not u their clerks go headlong to perdition, but I think they would htirdly 'allow one of their slaves to blow himself into mincemeat. Their bardheartedneßß'does not go so far. Who gets the difference of the. 8s 6d per ton, my friend ? Oh I what a question. How selfish you. are 1 . Perhaps you’ll say next thatr the undertakers get it. But it is satisfactory .to know you are the only one to find fault; others object to having to pay a few notes to get the dear departed decently under ground, but they won t stoop -s« low < as to complain of an overcharge of 8s 6d per ton on c .ak What is 8s (id per ton :it is not-as if ceals were in every* day use. The next absurdity will be that a company has started and is sending round the hat for subscriptions to buy a coal-cart. And look here, my gentle imps ; ■ see what you can do with this. You did pretty well last time; Scrubbing ! .Scrub the telegraph man 1 1 hats a neW idea. It of course could nbyer occur to your innocent brains that I Wrote scribbling. But go on, have your fun. You deserve something for that scrubbing. I’ll think of that. Perhaps yon meant wiping him out. Well, you are right enough; blotting out some of the telegrams would be no loss; but I don’t take offence. |l’m beyond that or finding fault,-as the above notes show. HoMiurr.