STIFF YARNS.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2134, 27 December 1880, Page 2

STIFF YARNS.

The cheerful little story circulated by our contemporary the “ Lyttelton Times ” respecting the alleged unpleasantness between the [Governor and Ministers is causing a good deal of amusement all over the colony. It is needless to state that we allude to the absurd canard started by the historical “ special correspondent ” that, the Governor being styled High Commissioner of Polynesia and Governor of New Zealand, and the former title preceding the latter, Ministers propose to “ see to it ” when Parliament meets and to suggest the docking of his salary unless a complete explanation is given or the titles written the other way on. This is what is rumored, says the special correspondent, “in the best informed circles.” He is, indeed, informed “on the best authority.” And so our contemporary, with the childlike faith it has always shown in the utterances of its correspondent up North, has adopted the stery. Indeed, apparently nothing can shake its trust in what comes from the above quarter. It is touching often to notice the medioeval credulity with which it swallows the most improbable stories, “ head, tail, horns and all.” Even old Herodotus, who was given to telling some rather “ stiff yarns,” was more cautions in his generation. When he came across an unusually tough one, ho used to preface it with the remark that such and such a thing “ was said to have taken place.” It was put down to the “ man in the street,” and readers were left to their own discretion whether to swallow the statement or not. But the stiffest yarns of our contemporary are put forward as coming from the “ best authority,” and as being rumored “in the best informed circles ”at least if they are but vouched for personally by the veracious correspondent. A boaconstrictor is hardly more omnivorous than our contemporary, who has this advantage over the reptile, that it digests its meal with far greater facility, and is ready in a trice for another allowance. The Governor’s duties, in truth, as High Commissioner are little likely to take up much of the time that he should devote to the colony, nor does it matter one button in which order his titles may happen to run. If “ a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” a Governor under every possible conglomeration of titles would bo equally useful and ornamental.