Correspondence.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XIV, Issue 61, 27 October 1855, Page 3

Correspondence.

To the Editor of the 'Neisox Examiner.'

CRUELTY TO ANIMALS,

Siii — Believing you to be a friend to diunb animals, and not an admirer of wanton cruelty, you could perhaps find room for this letter iv your paf)er, in the hope that it may catch the eye of &ome one who would be kind enough to inform us whether it is lawful for persons to place poison on- their groxind within a few feet of the public road, so that a great many dogs are destroyed that would never have trespassed had they not been enticed by the tainted poisoned meat cunningly placed as a lure within a few feet of the roadway. In England it is, if I mi-stake not, a misdemeanor, punishable with a penalty, or imprisonment in default. It is also a fact that some lime Bince an individual placed poisoned meat on and near the road leading to tho jetty, and also on the sea-beach, whereby no lea 3 than seven dogs were destroyed ; and, as several valuable sheep and cattle dogs have very recently been poisoned, and the nuisance still continues, perhaps, Mr. Editor, either yourself or some one of your readers could be kind enough to inform us whether anything can be done to give a cheek to these deliberate dog murderers.

I sm, &c.,

Lex mo Caxibus. Molueka, October 12, 1355.

To the Editor of the 'Nelson Exajiisee.'

Silt — The letter in your last publication signed " Looker-on," btatcs "that with one exception, no person came prepared, out of the thirty or forty persons in the room, to question Mr. Mackay at all."

The evident animus of the writer renders his misrepresentations and omissions comparatively harmless, but the direct mis-statement of facts above quoted requires contradiction. It is sufficient to say that the following electors put a variety of questions to Mr. Mackay, the two iLvstnamed having come provided with -written lists of the questions they intended to abk, Mr. Robert Biu'n, Mr. I. M. Hill, the Key. T. D. Nicholson, Mr. Alexander Rankin, and the Provincial Solicitor (Mr. Adams).

Had you, Mr. Editor, in place of inserting a letter of an obviously coloured and partial character, taken advantage of the presence at the meeting of the gentleman who I believe usually reports bueh proceedings for tho Examiner, to put before the public a report of a matter of so much interest to the settlement as a public inquiry into the political conduct of the late, and I think I may say of the future, representative for tho Town in the General Assembly, it woWd have been unnecessary for me to trouble you with this letter.

I am, &c., lleubebt Evelys Cuhtis.

Nelson, October 22.

To tue Editob op the 'Nelsox Examinee. 1

Sia — Will you allow me a small space in your paper to complain of the state of the road at the Wai Iti River, near Wakefield. You are aware that the river has changed its course across the main road, through a very &oft swamp, so that it is dangerous for man and beaat. Several narrow escapes of accident have hapj'eucd laiely, one nearly proving fatal. On Thursday, as Mr. Bell was on his road to Molueka, he came to the place I now complain of, in company with Mr. Harkness. Mr. Bell went in first : on his marc rising the bank on the opposite side, she got footing for her fore-feet, but her hind-feet were fast in the bog below ; and not being able to extricate them, she fell backwards upon her rider, smothering him over head and heels in the water, which vviu running at the time like a sluice. Mr. Harkness jumped from his horse, rushed into the water up to his middle, collared his neighbour, and dragged hi.n from his perilous position. They talk about being kicked down stairs : really, I think they have kicked this neighbourhood out of tho house altogether. 1 was in hopes that some person, better able than myself, would have taken this grievance up ; but I hope it will jog their memories at some of the Government offices in Nelson, So no more at present on the subject, from Your obedient servant, C'HABLlis GaVKEODCEB. Fox Hill, Oct. 20. To the Editor of the ' Nelson Examiner.' Sir — In your paper of Saturday last there is a letter from Mr. Travers on the subject of the "Nelson Post Office," in a postscript to which he states, " 1 believe Mr. Mucki^y (member for the town) hiid charge of a Memorial on the subject of the Post Office, wluch was shown to the Executive, but did not come before the house."

1 had charge of no Memorial on the subject. 1 however had a letter from ilessrs. Morrison and Sclanders, addressed to myself, requesting that when at Auckland I would ascertain whetL-T any improvement in the Post-ofliee arrangements could be effected, and to name the matter in the proper quarter, which I did by bringing the subject before the notice of his Excellency the Officer administering the Government, and also the acting Postmaster (Mr. Corbett), as will be seen by the enclosed correspondence, which maybe published for general information, if you can make room for the sarae iv your paper. I am, &c, Jaues Mackay. Drumduan, October 16th, 1855. TO TUT. HOXOHABLE THr COLONIAL SECEETAEY. Sir — I have the honour to bring before the notice of hib Excellency the Officer administering the Government, the enclosed letter received by me from Messrs. Morrison and Sclanders, of Nelson, on the subject of borne irregularity w hich has taken place in the assorting and forwarding of the Mails.

From my own knowledge, I can confirm what is stated by those gentlemen, and that noL only that firm but others have buffered much inconvenience, if not

positive loss, by the mails not having Icon openoil sn-i assorted in the jSelson Post OUlo '.n tn-i;,ii to \\ clliugton, &.c. Trusting that his Excellency will cause tnc; neutbaafy enquiry to be inadu %\ ith a -v iew to remedy this coinplaint, 1 have, &c, jAMhS MaCKAY. Hou36 of Representatives, Auckland, August "lii'd, 1555. To Jamks Hack ay Esq., M. H. R. DiiAU Sik — We shall feel greatly obliged if, »vhen at Auckland, jou can possibly ascertain \* hethcr uny improvement in the postal arrangements can 'be efibcted. Steam communication with England and tho colonies has been established for a considerable time, but from some cause Nelson does not derive from it that amount of benefit which it is calculated to confer. We have been informed upon authority which we regard as unquestionable, that in several instances English mails for Nelson by the steamer from Auckland have been put into bags addressed to Wellington, to which place they have been allowed to proceed, and have only been dehvired in Nelson after the steamer bus relumed from her round of the- other settlements, when she has brought back our mails from Wellington.

The Steamer arrived here from Auckland last trip about the first week in July ; she had a large English mail, said to be that of the " Marco Polo," but there was no bag for Nelson : it was suggested to the Postmaster that the Nelson letters w ero most probably, as on some former occasions, in the bag addressed to Wellington, but he declined to open it.

At that time the "Spray" was about to sail for Sydney, presenting a most excellent opportunity of forwarding replica to our letters had they been delivered.

The steamer has since been the round of the settlements, even to Otago, and two days ago she arrived from "Wellington, bringing three different English mails, all of which, we believe, passed through Auckland, but at any rate two of them bear the Auckland post-mark of the 4th July, and one of these came in the mail of the "Marco Polo," the others we think in that of the "Rock City." We have no means of ascertaining positively at present that the&e letters actually did pass through Nelson three or four weeks ago, and have now been brought back from Wellington, but we think this may be fairly inferred, and surely if such a thing has happened repeatedly, it must be the result, not of accident, but of the most deplorable neglect.

Some of our documents so detained arc of great importance to us, and it is of course extremely vexatious to have to reflect that replies to them ought by this time to be at Sydney, or probably beyond that, on their way to England, had they been sent by the "Spray," which they might have been if the Nelson mail had been delivered on its first arrival.

A3 we understand from some of the merchants that some genoi-al expression of complaint on the subject is contemplated, wo shall add no more about it at proi sent, but hoping that, should opportunity offer, your I naming the matter in the proper quainter may have the efl'ecl of putting a slop to irregularity for the future, "We have, &c, MOKUISOX S: SCLAXDEES. Nelson, August 3, 1855. To James Mackay, Esq., M. H. R. Sir — With reference to your letter of the 23rd ultimo, enclosing a communication from Messrs. Morrison and Sclanders, of kelson, stating — " That mails for Nelson by the steamer from Auckland, have been put into bags addressed Wellington, and were only delivered when brought back from that place.

"That the steamer arrived at Nelson from Auckland early iv July, 'bringing an English mail per ' Marco Polo,' but no bag for Nelson.

"Tliat, more recently, the steamer, after having been to all the settlements, arrived Ist August at Nelson, from Wellington, bringing English mails which passed through the Auckland office — tno bearing the Auckland poat-inark, -itli July, the other per ' Kock City.'

" And that these practices demand a remedy "■

I am directed by his Excellency the Governor to inform you, that it has been ascertained from the Post Office department here-*-

1. That no mails for Nelson, by the steamer from Auckland, have ever been put into bag 9 addressed Wellington.

2. That the steamer which arrived at Nelson from Auckland early in July conveyed no English mail, but that she did carry a bag (being a large general mail) addressed to Nebon; and that said bag "was sent separately.

3. That the mails received at Nelson, Ist August, from Wellington, were not sent to tho latter place by the steamer.

The practice of tho Auckland office in tho despatch of mails to the Southern Provinces, by the steamer, or other vessel proceeding first to Nelson, is — To placo every letter and newspaper for that province in bags addressed "Nelson." And to bend the bags separately. And to send no letters for Nelson in the overland mail to Wellington, unless at the special request of the person posting the letter. I have, &c, ANDREW SIXCLAIH, Colonial Secretary. Colonial Secretary's Office, Auckland, September 10, 1855.

To James Mackay, Esq., 11. H. It.

Sie — AVill 3 r ou do me the favour, on your return to Nelson, of replying to enquiries of your mercantile and other constituents there, that the representations which on their behalf you felt it your duty to make in Auckland, on the subject of the inconvenience which they have occasionally sustained, as a consequence of certain modes of transmitting the correspondence of that province, have received here the most attentiveconsideration. Will you also say to those gentlemen, they may feel assured there is every disposition in this office to remove, as far as may be possible under present circumstances, every cause of just complaint on the part of the people of Nelson. I am, &c, Post Oflice, AucLland, W. Cosbett. September 13, 1855. Memorandum as to present practice of ike London Office in making tip Mails for New Zealand. The general method is to divide the New Zealand correspondence into two mails — one set of bags containing letters for Auckland and New Plymouth ; another containing letters for NeLon, Wellington, Canterbury, and Otago — the former addressed "Auckland," the latter "Wellington."

During the earlier period of the contracts with tho steamers " William Denny " and " Nelson " the two sets of mailo were sent to the Auckland Post Office. The mails were usually received in Auckland a few days after departure of the "Nelson," and I believe, on two or three occasions, the Wellington bags remained four, five, or six weeks in the Post Office here. This lias been discontinued ; and the mails for Wellington, by the Liverpool packets, are now forwarded from Melbourne aud Sydney, not by way of Auckland, but by vessels proceeding direct to Cook's Strait. g W. C.

Papim, Mache Huts. — Bielfield, the papier muche* manufacturer, has submitted to the authorities a model hut of that matcrLU, intended for camp übj. The various parts were brought to Whitehall-yard, and, on an order given, Mr. Bielfield's workmen erected, roofed it, and iloored it in twenty-four minutes. The papier mache pulp is iinixed with rags, the result of which is a paper plank, muoh stronger than wood, all but inflammable, a non-conductor of heat or cold, and impenetrable by wet. — Guardian. American Pabties.— The number of political associations in Ajnerica is as extraordinary Mtthe strange names they bear. Here arc a few oi them : —^ ild Cats, Woolly Heads, Hunkers, Strnightoufc Whigs, Morrill Whigs, Fusion Whigs, Anti-Fusion "\\ h.gs, i Fusion Democrats, Anti-Morrill Temperance Demo, crate, Nebraska Wild-cat Democrat, Auti-Nebrnska Old-line Democrat*, Free SoUew, Hook and Ladder Democrats, Dumb Democrats, &c.