The Lyttelton Times.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VI, Issue 367, 10 May 1856, Page 6

The Lyttelton Times.

Saturday, Mat/ 10. Our contemporary, the " Standard," volunteers to the public, a piece of information relatve to the " Lyttelton Times, " not a little flattering; though at the same time suggestive to us of surprise, that our neighbour can so confidently proclaim as fact, the veritable existence of a state of thinys, which we had scarcely dared to hope for. We learn from the respectable authority above mentioned, that the " Times" has been secured as the champion of " a part?, powerful in influence, wealth, and numbers. " We hasten in all courtesy to thank ourneighbour for his handsome acknowledgement of the numerical ascendancy conceded to our readers ; and also more particularly to express our full appreciation of his kind motive in thrusting upon us honors towards the attainment of which our diffident ambition was never directed, of the possession of which we have hitherto been utterly unconscious, and of which we confess ourselves to be entirely unworthy. Our modesty compels us frankly to surrender at once the honorable position so magnanimously assigned us, as being altogether incompatible with the reality of our deservings. While taking some little credit to ourselves for the sacrifice involved in the adoption of such a course, we ought, perhaps, in candour to admit that there does exist on our part some small suspicion of our contemporary being at present in a sanitary condition more than ordinarily susceptible of illusory impressions ; and, that consistently with the actual existence of the disorder referred to, he has in a phantasy of benevolent extravagance, conceded to us all that would appear to himself most desirable of attainment. At the same time, we cannot resist remarking upon one very unaccountable delusion, under which our contemporary appears to be labouring. He believes himself to have discovered the existence of a party and has found himself impelled to declare war against it. This party he describes as proposing to exercise a power sufficiently tremendous to ruin the interests of the Province. Alas ! for " m our unhappy contemporary ! What hope can lie have of rallying to his Standard of war, a sufficient foree1 to resist so formidable a " party. " We certainly are at a loss in what direction to look for this awful party in particular, or

for any " party" having the slightest claim to public attention. But our contemporary perhaps purposes, like the author of "Jack and the Bean Stalk," to first fancy " a great, big, ugly, horrid giant," in order that he may afterwards enjoy the imaginative luxury of cruelly killing him. If such be the case, we really have no protest to enter against the proposed war; and shall be glad to hear from time to time of the various gallant achievements of our chivalrous friend, entertaining no doubt, that ultimately he will either utterljr rout and slay his aerial enemy (the party), or conclude peace on terms very advantageous to himself. In adopting the latter course, he might possibly have reference to successful precedents, not however recorded in the history of " Jack and the Bean Stalk." For our own part, we have too firm a belief in the perfect sanity of public opinion in Canterbury to imagine that the real existence of a party will for a moment be tolerated. Differences of opinion will with great advantage always exist: their several assertion and the consequent comparison with each other, will be very useful : but that any body of rational men can be found in Canterbury, so piliably los-t to all decency and self-respect as to conceitedly propose and insist on the adoption of any measure utterly ruinous to the interest of the Province, is too ridiculous a proposition to be even dreamt of. The idea is too improbable to be entertained.