LITERATURE.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume I, Issue I, 10 December 1842, Page 159

LITERATURE.

Female Immigration considered, in a Brief Account of the Sydney Immigrants' Home. By the Secretary. [Sydney: James Tegg. The Sydney Tracts on Emigration. By the same Authoress. [Sydney : James Tego. Some little books were put into our hands about two months ago, written by " the Secretary of the Sydney Immigrants' Home," and we promised to make mention of them, a promise which, from press of matter, we could not fulfil at the time, and we must confess to having forgotten them since. We happened to meet with them the other day, however, which reminded us of our promise, and we were fully rewarded by the perusal of the one entitled " Female Immigration considered, in a Brief Account, &c, &c." We cannot do better than give the short Preface :—: — ■ " The following pages are submitted to the public, with the hope of attracting attention to some of the evils attending the present system of allowing female immigrants to make engagements on board ship ; and of inducing the proper authorities to apply a remedy. " The writer also hopes that they may have the effect of inducing His Excellency the Governor to promise, that young women sent to the colony shall be received and protected by Government until suitable situations are offered them. Unless this announcement is made by authority, the class of young women most wanted will not be sent to this colony in sufficient numbers ; girls of good character and industrious habits are required as wives and servants. England, Ireland, and Scotland can furnish these, ay, and will do it, if the promise of protection is sent forth. - The ten days' rations will not satisfy the clergy' or parents at horne — God forbid it should. The expense of this protection which I solicit will be a saving to this colony ; for if girls, for the want of this protection, lose character and become burthensome to the public, the public must bear the expense ; and the expense attending ten bad women (who every year get worse) would more than pay for the protection of four hundred. Economy would sanction this measure; but the people of this country will, I fear, consider my taking a pecuniary view of the matter, as an insult to their character, and I beg to apologise for the same. "A want of .method will be observable in this work — a want of order and regularity ; but having first placed my narrative under different heads (which plan pleased my friends best), I then threw it together in the confused state in which I present it to the public, and I liked the latter method best. I believe it is a lady's privilege to have her own way (when she can), and I do not feel disposed in this matter to waive my right. I beg further to state, that as I commenced my work, the ' establishment of the Home,' without private ends, I now end the same without any feeling of hostility against any individual. " Being, I believe, the first lady in Australia who has ventured in the character of an author to appear before the public, this circumstance will entitle me to some indulgence, but I ask for no favour. All I have a right to expect is, a fair and just interpretation of my feelings and intentions." The work is addressed to " the Reverend the Clergy of Australia," from whom, as from others — ladies, the Governor — our authoress did not receive much encouragement in her project of establishing the " Home," for the protection of single women on their arrival from England, until they could find situations. Through great difficulty, the fair enthusiast in a good cause managed, however, to establish her " Home," and for seven months kept it altogether under her own eye, living in a part of the establishment. Success, to a very considerable extent, has crowned her efforts to secure the introduction into the colony of honest, respectable wives for honest, respectable men. This " Home " strikes at the root of the evil ; for most newly-married men may be supposed to take out of the market (not to speak it irreverently) an item of the demand for women to hold a less reputable position, and thus is put a direct check upon the increase of vice. The first step towards getting husbands for these young women is, however, to find them places as servants ; and in the " Home " they find a home which removes the principal temptation to yield to offers of a description which, being as frequent as they appear to be, must fill the streets of Sydney with " the unfortunate," and materially decrease the number of young persons from which the families of Australia can select servants. Our readers will find considerable amusement in reading this little publication, for our fair secretary has a dash of satire in her, and withal a vein of fun altogether irrepressible, as will appear from an extract or two. There has been previously some mention of a girl " Flora," who had, as usual, suffered from the want of a " Home :"— "On taking young girls into the Home the second time, I gave them nothing but shelter. Many considered this too much ; but I went on, notwithstanding the unpopularity of the rule. Mr. — — called for a servant ; while his lady was questioning the girl as to her qualifications in the office, the gentleman made for the Home. I quickly followed, when the following conversation took place : — ' You are doing a great deal of good here, but as I told his Excellency yesterday, your taking the girls back was highly objectionable.' ' I should expect you to object to it. But it is a part of my plan, and I shall keep to it' We were at the Home-door, and as I did not ask the gentleman in, he stood on the threshold, and, point-

ing to one of the giria, said, ' I think she would suit Mrs .' • You had better not say so, for I should not allow her to go.' 'Why?' 'She is too young— too pretty— too inexperienced for your house.' ' Oh, I can assure you, the nursemaid is never allowed to go into the kitchen; they do not even dine with the men-servants.' I 1 am not afraid of the men, but .' In a moment his face showed symptoms of apoplexy. 'And pray, madam, what do you know of me?' ' All that Flora told me.' I then returned to the office; in a few moments he did the same; he complained of the heat of the office being insupportable; that he was astonished the Government did not make me more comfortable. I told him I should be obliged if, the next time he saw his Excellency, he would give him a hint of the same." Again — " I may here remark, that pretty girls, no matter what their qualifications or characters were, it was difficult to dispose of them ; they are not. it appears, liked as servants, though they are preferred as wives. "Mrs. wanted a servant; I sent one — a good servant, and a very beautiful girl I acknowledge. I thought the place would suit her— no son in the house — no nephews — cook married — groom married— quite a safety. In less than an hour the girl was returned, with the following note : — ' My dear madam, what can you be thinking of, to send such a handsome girl to my house ? Heavens, the place would be beset ! besides, I do not like such showy women in my house ; send me a plain, homely looking girl, and oblige yours, &c, &c.' I always found it wearisome work to get them off; but, after much patience, and many disappointments, I generally succeeded. Some ladies were easily pleased ; but I had one I could not suit. She would go to a girl — ' Can you make up a room very neat ?' 'Yes, ma'am.' 'Can you cook?' 'Very well ma'am.' ' Can you work well at your needle ?' 4 Plain work.' 'You won't do; it's a thorough servant I want.' And she would leave the office : day after day she had done this, and, as it occurred for about the twentieth time, I went into my own room, tried to recollect her different objections to different girls, and at last I came to the conclusion that she must be 'tis an ugly word to write. " The same evening, I received sixty girls— one of them so remarkably plain, that she was, by her shipmates, known as little Scrub — her hair not combed, her face not washed, and her clothes looked as if she had jumped into them. A gentleman, who was present at the time, said, ' Do you intend her for the country, Mrs. C ?' I said, there is a place for everybody, and I think I have had one waiting her for seven weeks. The following morning came the fastidious Mrs. ; I saw she looked with peculiar complacency on little Scrub. I determined on offering her, for her approval ; but, in a full office, I was afraid: for, when anything forces itself on my mind as ridiculous, I cannot keep a grave countenance. I thought it best to ask Mrs. into my own room: when I told her I had a girl that would suit her : I said, she is not a good servant, but a very good girl. I then called in little Scrub. ' Can you wash ?' ' Wash, marni.' ' Can you cook ?' ' Cook, mann.' ' Can you moke a bed ?' ' Make a bed, marm.' I then said, ' Will you do all this lady bids you?' 'Yes, marm.' The lady looked at the poor girl with a keen and scrutinizing eye ;' her countenance betokened satisfaction. Addressing me, she said, ' I will take the girl ; I dare say she will turn out a good servant. You've not been long in this colony, Mrs. C : ah! it takes years to know it. You will make the agreement for six months.' I was astonished — my looks said so, for Mrs. , with mournful gravity, said, 'Ah, 'tis safe to have something a little repulsive.' I opened the door, desired the clerk to enter the agreement, and returned to my own room, when I indulged in an irresistible fit of laughter. I here tell the lady, that if she keeps her own counsel, she is safe. I have mentioned many facts — they are necessary. Put names are sacred." We must not, however, give our readers all the good things, since we can most conscientiously promise them half an hour's most amusing, to say nothing of instructive reading, if they will take the book up themselves. We have only to wish well to the " Home "and its secretary ; a wish sure to be fulfilled, if the evidence of temper, perseverance, and energy to be obtained from these publications may be taken. A few numbers may, we believe, be procured at the Printing Office. The other tracts consist of short tales, of which the object may be gathered from the Preface : — " The first object I have in view in this publication, is to furnish those at home, who wish to emigrate, with information that may be depended upon — pledged to truth — I may be trusted. It is also my intention in the forthcoming work, to give the people of England a correct idea of the state of society in Australia, — in doing this, the names I use will be fictitious, and I shall avoid all personalities. " My leading wish is to make the young people .who emigrate here, happy and good, I shall therefore advise and caution them without fear of giving offence. When the ladies have read my tracts, and satisfied themselves of their tendency, I hope they will give them to their servants, for whose benefit they are more particularly intended. "It is perhaps only right to state, that the ladies and gentlemen of Australia will occupy a due share of my attention. Valuing their good opinion — independent of their favor — I shall alike j treat them with sincerity."

A. Long Chimney. — The largest chimney in the world is 'at the Soda Ash Manufactory of James Muspratt, Esq., near Liverpool.— lt is the enormous height of 406 feet above the ground — 45 feet diameter inside the base, 9 feet ditto at the top, and contains nearly 4,000,000 of bricks.