CORRESPONDENCE. PHEASANT SHOOTING.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 133, 7 June 1871, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE. PHEASANT SHOOTING.

To the Editor of the Nelson Evening Mail. Sir — I understand that it is the intention of the Government to restrict the shooting of pheasants this year to the original district of Motueka. I trust, if it really be the case that they propose to adhere to the old boundaries, that they will reconsider the matter, as. the birds have now become so plentiful all over the country that there is no fear whatever of exterminating them by allowing them to be shot, indeed, I believe it would rather tend to increase their numbers,as the cocks so far outnumber the hens that I fear they will, unless shot off, interfere with the hens when sitting. I went out, not three miles from t Nelson, a few days since, and in a very short time put up twelve birds out of which nine were cocks, and a gentlemen informed me that he had recently put up twenty-three close to Nelson, of which, seventeen were cocks. This, I think, shows that it is absolutely necessary to lessen the number of male birds. I am, &c, Sportsman.

For remainder of news seejourth pagtr

The Christchurch Press says: — "It is generally recognised that our winter begins on the 15th of May, and an old resident informs us that with one exception, rain has fallen here on that date in each year for the last 21 years. . v The ship. North Star, from Hong Kong to Otßgo, brought four mooso deer — two bucks and two does — a cock and hen golden pheasant, and a 'silver pheasant. They have been secured for the Acclimatisation Society of Otago, and are very handsome creatures, the deer particularly so. The fact of the.) late Mr. Brassey having bequeathed a foirtune of £7,000,000 sterling to his legatees, has set some of the London journalists speculating upon the dangers which may arise to society now that the capitalists have the whole civilised world as the sphere of their operations, find will be thus enabled to accumulate fortunes so vast "that their owners will have all the power of'greatstates and none of their responsibilities." Some of these dangers are much nearer than many people imagine. They are beginning to alarm the inhabitants of *the United States, where half-a-dozen men virtually govern a territory — that owned by the Pacific Railway Company — fos large as a good many European kingdoms, and are rich enough to control a piajority in Congress and to keep judges of the District Court in their pay. A "plutocracy, however, seems to be the outgrowth of a particular stage of Bociety, and is very often the precursor*trf its deGadence. lo Rome, a plutocracy farmed the revenues and defrauded the finances of the country. In Venice, it composed that solid and jealous oligarchy which replaced the pure democracy of its earlier constitution. v In France, it was made up of farmersgeneral, whose infamous exactions did so much to precipitate the great revolution. In England! ujp to the pre--1 sent time, the ele^ownts of plutocracy have been absorbed * into, feind, as it were, assimilated by the aristocracy, and when the latter is destroyed, a plutocracj will most likely be erected on its ruins. For a dominant class is inevitable. The truth seems to be this — that the love of eminence, power, and distinction is instinctive in and ineradicable from the human mind. It finds its most harmless gratification, probably in titles and decorations, especially if these are dissociated from political privileges. But where, as . under democratic institutions, titles and decorations are discarded, the passion for pre-eminence and power expends itself in the acquisition of wealth, and of the magnificient and sumptuous objects which wealth commands. We cannot help fearing, however, that a wider distance will , separate the rich from the poor in a state ' of society in which, a plutocracy forms the upper crust, than in one in which a class distinguished by its refinement, culture, """and courtesy, constitutes the Corinthian .... capitalof the social column. — Australasian. A Proud Pre-eminen ce. — We (Australasian) are not, as a general rule, disposed to cavil at the pretensions of superiority to Melbourne put forth by other Australian cities, but we really cannot allow the claims of Auckland to pre-eminence in the matter of stinks to pass unchallenged. A new Zealand poet apostrophises it as the " city of smells," and the Weekly Herald, referring to the pungent odour of one district, says : — '• It actually 'strikes a stranger;' nearly knocks him down. It seizes him by the throat, penetrates his lungs, and almost turns his stomach. The seven stinks of Cologne seem to have emigrated, and taken up their residence in one powerful concentrated essence in and about the region of Queen-str^ejfc and the wharf of Auckland, where a combination of the odours of a guano or bone ship, a badly-kept shambles, and a city manure depot revels in a trifold unity, as if to give practical force to the motto that 'Union is strength.'" Now we feel that the reputation of our Swan-ston-street and our oven Queen's Wharf is at a stake ; and we will not suffer it to be lightly impugned. Nor Auckland, nor f Cologne, nor Constantinople, nor Jacob's Island, Bermondsey, nor the river side streets of Batavia at low water, nor a Hottentot Kraal, can compete with the empyreurnatic stench of Swanston-Street at midnight. Nothing more offensive was ever tolerated by the nastiest tribe of savages yet discovered. No more ingenious laboratory of subtile poisoDS was ever invented by Italian chemists in the Middle Ages ; and this disease-disseminating stream almost washes the foundations of a municipal palace, erected as a monument of our civic wealth aud importance. Architectural magnificence here, and the grossest neglect of the simplest admonitions of sanity science there; and we pride ourselves upon our civilisation ! People who will not believe their Bibles will believe almost anything else. Two young Atlantans ran a foot race on Sunday for the honor of escorting a belle to church. The winner found she had just gone with another fellow.

An exchange says : " We are in receipt of two poems, bue on a ' 'Throbbiug Brain," and the other on a " Beating Heart." We will wait until w,e receive one on the " Stomach Ache," and publish the three together." The Power of Photography. — In the recent eclipse expedition, an excellent photograph was taken of the corona which is seen streaming forth all round the sun during totality — on a careful examination of this photograph the irnnge of the planet Venus lias been discovered amoug its rays; in this we have another example of the power of photography in representing objects which the eye has not seen, and could not sse. There has been a Church of England festival at Inverleigh, says the Australasian. It consisted of the fragrant bohea, the savoury bun, the sentimental ditty, the comic song, the pianoforte fantasia, in fact, we believe everything necessary to constitute a first class ecclesiastical jollificatioD. The comestibles duly disposed of, the musical treat began, " and all went merry as a marriage bell, " until a pause was made in the entertainment to enable the reverend gentlemen present to unbosom themselves. Whereupon, up rose the Rev. Mr. Goodman, who travelled all the way from Geelong to scatter his pearls of wisdom amongst the benighted luverleighians, but who, disgusted by the profanity which had included two comic songs in the programme, pocketed his precious stones, and poured out instead upon the unawakened sinners present the bombshells of his wrath. What was it that so deeply moved this saintly man ? The offending songs were harmless enough in their way. The Pope might join in the chorus of " Simon the Cellarer, " without scandalising the faithful for anything that it contains, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, if musically inclined, might "favor the company," with the "Willow Tree." The only reason we can give for the outburst of fiery indignation is, that the audience seemed amused by these vocal efforts, and so were less likely to appreciate the torpid clerical jokes to follow. But " Simon the Cellarer," with his rubicund nose, and the " Willow Tree," with any peculiarity which may attach to that specimen of aboriculture, might perhaps have passed uunoticed, had it not been for another outrage offered to the finer feelings of this peppery churchman. He had been poking about behind the scenes, and had " happened on " a dressed-up monkey, which he was credibly informed was to be introduced to the public by the unregenerate gentleman who intended to siDg the " Organ Grinder" in character at a later period of the evening. " A fellow feeling makes us woudrpus kiud," and this barefaced attempt to corrupt the morals of the simian stranger could not be permitted at any price. The rev. gentleman — or gent, shall we say — then, with exquisite taste, went out of his way to insult his Eoman Catholic brethren, some of whom were present, having most generously and kindly assisted in getting up the entertainment. He found a ready and active coadjutor in a Rev. Mr. Simpson, and the only music to be heard for the remainder of the evening was a solo on the drum ecclesiastic, performed alternately by these gentle Puritans. When they had worked their audience up to a state of semi-fury and intente disgust, these pious men gave out< thef doxology and dismissed the company, we presume, with their blessing.