CORRESPONDENCE.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 54, 10 July 1862, Page 5 (Supplement)

CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor of the Hawke's Bay Times. Sir, —If we, the European part of the population, had, hy a chapter of accidents, somehow or other got ourselves stranded hard and fast upon this Island, and upon recovering our scattered senses found ourselves surrounded by a naked and tattooed variety of our own species, performing alarming exercises, plainly indicative, without further explanation, of some violent intentions upon our persons or the remnants of our property, then any reasonable man would submit to his fate, however disagreeable, consoling his last moments with the comforting reflection that under the circumstances nothing else was to be expected. But it so happens that matters in this wise are ordered after a different fashion, by reason of which we have come to this Island in the ordinary course of nature and of immigration, and we have found brethren of our own nation here before us, enjoying, to all appearance, a happy state of Provincial Government and other luxuries, much to our newly-arrived satisfaction. And moreover we found that, upon the whole, the general system of Government which obtains here is infinitely more elaborate than in the old country from whence we come, for whereas in the last there is to be found about one magistrate to every 20,000 people, and about one representative in Parliament to every 200,000 souls ; here, in these delectable mountains, matters under these headings are managed altogether diffei’ently, so much so, indeed, that Justices of the Peace are to be found in such numbers that they are like unto the sands on the sea shore—not easily to be counted : and as to representatives in Parliament, they are far more numerous than police constables ; all which, to an enquiring and contemplative mind, is mightily gratifying. And thus under this auspicious regime we confidently begin our career, fully satisfied that, let what may happen of an unlawful nature, we have only to complain of the circumstance to any one of the • not-to-be-counted-in-a-day J.P.’s, and that as a matter of course all will be instantly set to rights, and we shall resume our daily avocations as if nothing unusual had happened. But such is the frailty of man and the weakness of his aspirations and hopes, that, notwithstanding the inscrutable decrees of the present respected Prime Minister, backed as the execution of those decrees is by such a noble army of J.P.’s, there is actually and to all practical intents and purposes not the slightest ghostly security of life or of property, here in Heretauuga, beyond just so much as the naked and tattooed variety of our species aforesaid choose in the plentitude of their goodness to allow us. There can be no doubt whatever in the mind of the impartial observer that the late prosecution of one of our esteemed and honorable members of the General Assembly, under the Native Land Purchase Ordinance was a special dispensation of Providence, just to show us, the unbelieving Geese, that however high wevipay- carry our heads, we are still kept within ■Sight of the cimning Fox,

and cannot so easily as we would wisli, escape his wary wiles laid for our destruction. And further, albeit it appears to our imperfect understanding that the laws are never put into force when there be any occasion for them, yet nevertheless there the laws are, and if Mr. Nga Wakawaka only wishes it, they (the laws) can be set in motion in the most agreeable manner to all parties, and with singular rapidity of execution. But then, you know, much allowance must be made in favor of the last-named party, as he is supposed to be ignorant of law, and has, therefore, the special privilege of learning its manifold advantages by seeing them practically tested upon his devoted and pro. tern, afflicted white brother. Whereas, on the other hand, and by the same token, we are supposed to have sucked in a perfect knowledge of the admirable laws of our country with our mother’s milk, and it is, by consequence, fair to conclude that every toddling infant is a running commentary upon Blackstone. Therefore the less we now have of lav/ in dealing with our anthropophagistic relative the better saith the Fox. In proof of which, Dick may get Tom lagged for stealing an old horse shoe, but I will defy Tom to get ray brown brother punished for stealing the horse that had the eviable happiness to wear that shoe in its palmy days. Not he indeed ! Things of that nature are managed altogether differently in these parts, my good sir, I can assure you. And pray what right have you to grumble ? Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, every bit as good as Jordan ? Eh ? Answer me that, sir ; and don’t be eager arter wittles. Yours, &c., Yulpecide. July 6th, 1862. Country Districts.