A CONTRAST.

Evening Star, Issue 4027, 22 January 1876, Page 1 (Supplement)

A CONTRAST.

Mr A. P. Seymour, the Superintendent of Marlborough, on his return to that Province hist week, after a visit to England, received a hearty welcome from the town people of Blenheim, and was entertained at a dinner. In the course of his speech, in returning thanks for the manner in which his health had been toasted, he said— Some people thought that this line was a very indifferent one, but it was very much better than many he had travelled on between this and Europe. The line between San Francisco and New York was not ballasted ; where the line ran through a cutting the stuff was thrown on between the sleepers ; if they passed over the soft virgin soil, just such earth as was handy was used. Sleepers in many places were thoroughly rotten, the spikes drawing out and sticking up two or three inches as the train passed along. He then described a portion of the line at a place called Black River, where the bank had been washed away by the rains and the ends of the sleepers were hanging over the ends of the precipice. He sat upon the outer side of the car with his feet hanging over the river, while the train crept slowly along, for fear of shaking the rails, and all down the bank, in fact prolonging the agony. The railways in England were of course the very acme of engineering, but nowhere else where they brought to the same perfection. The carriage accommodations were excellent in America, and the French railways were passable, and in .Switzerland the accommodation was very fair. From what he had seen, however, he had every reason to be satisfied with our own. In fact, he came to this conclusion, that the more he saw the better" be liked New Zealand. We talked about Hoods, and when one came upon us we spoke as though this was the only place that suffered ; he had not only heard but he had seen the effect of some of the floods in the south of England ; not only vast fpiantities of property destroyed, but lives were lost. The very train which conveyed the passengers to the ship in which he left England travelled for several miles through water four feet deep. In England, although in some parts farming was carried ou upon the most scientific principles, yet they could not grow a good potato; he had not tasted a good one till he got to Melbourne. He thought they could grow some good Brown Rivers in Marlborough. With all the improvements in agriculture there wore parts of England yet that were behind New Zealand, in fact a century behind the age; he had seen them making hay and tossing it about with a fork of the most primitive description cut from the hedge, and mowing the grass with scythes that were only (it to lash to the chariot of Queen Boadicca. Beef steaks were 14d per lb; and though English"!teof was the perfection of meat, ho had never tasted a mutton chop equal to those of New Zealand. When be was crossing the Rocky Mountains, they brought him as a treat the flesh of the antelope and buffalo steaks, but be earnestly hoped be would never have to eat the like again. His experience reminded him so strongly of a line or two by the Latin poet Horace that he could not resist giving it to them ; freely translated into a .sorb ol dcggrcl, it amounted to tide—Throughout the world there is no doubt, This little corner is out avd out.