THE GLOBE. THURSDAY, JULY 1, 1880.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1982, 1 July 1880, Page 2

THE GLOBE. THURSDAY, JULY 1, 1880.

“ There is no sign yet of Mr. Hamlin* telegraphs our own correspondent to-da» “ who is said to be enjoying himself JB the West Coast.” We feel that our readers will be extremely read this item of intelligence. J|HH Hamlin has well earned his we can imagine nothing more than hunting after an imaginary in a half-settled country. Hejdfl| easily be pictured at the present ijßKWff'' revelling in the Heal, his faith iiIHHH must have been severely the last few weeks. For instant the mental condition who has passed through such a as has the member for Franklin. without guile, charmingly cated, a thorough believer in promises of Sir George Grey, the reports of the “ Lyttelton special correspondent with the enquiring thankfulness as a kittoijß|Bi|K® its saucer of milk, Mr. HamwMIyPBBMBj thor» in the flesh was that sceptics who did not believe in leader and who presumed to ni]i*Sl'' % ti'P, intolligonee that was disseiniuatoa|B^ l S® special commissioner of a leading raHgjjiacS paper. All this was shocking tomßßffl guileless soul of Mr. Hamlin might have been expected, his gorge and ho determined to sally forth himaHnS towards the setting sun and settle SfflH matter, to the confusion of his enemSJHB and to the special glorification of itmaf'. literary Ulysses—the war correspondei|sP |

Nothing could he easier, lie thought, than to find this swamp. Letters on letters had been written to the “ Lyttelton Times ” on the subject. The immense extent of this slough of despond, its fathomless depth had been so graphically pourtrayed that he could almost imagine he was standing on its banks, and that ho saw floating over it the miasma arising from its putrid depths. The smallest Native child would be able to point him ont the locality, and he would return in a fortnight with the fullest particulars. And so he set out.

At this stage there was something heroic in Mr. Hamlin’s attitude. He had absorbed into his nature the letters of the war correspondent and was evidently fully impressed with their truth. Along with the existence of this tremendous swamp ho was fixedly convinced of the dangerous attitude of affairs on the West Coast? The Natives were on the verge of an outbreak. Two old men and a boy had fenced across the new road: no more dangerous indication could possibly ho given. The Natives had all along sent presents of food to the Constabulary ; this was always a prelimiminary of the most sanguinary outbreak. And even in the camp itself what might not happen to him. For political reasons ho might be excluded from the officers’ mess, and forced to rough it in the most terrible manner. Nevertheless he set out. What his preparations wore is not known. Ho probably did not obtain a map of the country with the position of the swamp .duly duly marked off. That he would think quite unnnecessary and lucky that he did think so. But he may have borrowed the long hoots and pistols of the war correspondent, for they might come in handy at any moment. Having arrived at the scene of operations his trials would really commence. No indications of a swamp could ho find there. He would go to the road surveyors and ask them. Mr. Hursthouse would reply, “ Swamp ! swamp! Why, there is no swamp in the whole route more than six chains across, and only two of these.” Colonel Roberts would answer, “ The line of road commenced by Major Tuke has not been abandoned at any stage and is the same as the one we are now working on.” But a gentleman with Mr. Hamlin’s verdant faith would not give in so easily. He would determine to search for himself. He would “ quarter ” the country like a pointer, convinced that tho officials were bent on hood-winking him. But the more he searched the less he would seo of what ho was in search. Natives would bo asked, hut they would merely shrug their shoulders with a smile ; settlers would he questioned, hut they would laugh in his face, and little by little, it would dawn upon Mr. Hamlin that he had been egregiously duped; that the wonderful reports he had taken in like mother’s milk were utterly untrue, as unreliable as the “ baseless fabric of a dream.” On two points only he would be relieved. He would seo no sign of a Native outbreak, and ho would find that he was not at all likely to be excluded from tho camp for political reasons, or from any other reasons. But setting aside the hardships he may have encountered in looking for the political swamp, plunging his way through fern or flax in momentary expectation of coming across it, what terrible revulsion his inner man must have suffered. His party had hung on to that swamp with a fixity of purpose which rendered the belief in it almost a creed. It was so pleasant and handy for the purposes of party warfare to credit the reports forwarded that the swamp theory was adopted by the Opposition with but few dissentients. Mr. Hamlin had set out with such a flourish of trumpets, with such a verdant belief and under such hearty plaudits from his own party, that the breaking up of the theory must have been heart-rending.

No wonder then that the bent how has sprung hack when the string has broken. Mr. Hamlin is “ enjoying himself ” on the West Coast. His faith in things in general and in correspondents in particular, has been scattered to the winds ; his physical powers have spent themselves in a fruitless search; politically, mentally, and morally he is, for the time being, a broken man; and he has fallen hack on “ enjoying himself.”