ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealander, Volume 9, Issue 736, 4 May 1853, Page 2

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor of the New-Zealander. Sir, —I observe that two or three (perhaps sincere)) individuals blame the ministers of Religion for appearing among the requisitiouists to Lieut. Colonel Wynyard. For my own part I was glad to see the names of Clergymen, representing the Catholic Church, the English Church, and every other denomination with a place among us, mingled with the names of so many of their respective flocks to that requisition. I cannot wonder that those men who have long laboured and are labouring still to establish the Christian religion in New Zealand, should come forward with their aid to save the Province from the rule of one whose views on the doctrines of Christianity, to say the least, are so very doubtful, —one who has never placed himself in the r nks of either of their flocks —nor offered to come under the instruction of their ministry. They, no doubt, think that a Colony,—which owes its very existence to the benevolent efforts of the ( hristian Missionary Bodies of Europe, whose agents entered the once dark land, and prepared the way for our quiet occupation of it, —should he ruled by Christian rulers ; that when its colonists have the privilege given them to elect their own lawgivers, they ought only to choose such men as acknowlcdge the doctrines of our common faith ; men who would he likely—not merely sentimentally, hut for conscience sake—to foster and encourage the religious ettprts of every agent of the Christian Church. Happily for the youth of this community, there are but few of our population of that class called “ Freethinkers,” —men who, at the taking of the census, were not ashamed, hut otherwise, to classify themselves under the “ No religion” head ; but it is a significant fact, that these, to a man, are the warmest supporters of Mr. Brown. Yours &c,, Spectator. “ Every one for himself, as tiik Donkey said WHEN HE DANCED AMONG TUB CHICKENS.” To the Editor of the Nkw-Zea lander. Sir, —I heard it suggested the other day that an Antipodean Punch might he very well sustained in Auckland ; really your contemporary is getting so very funny that I think he must be contemplating the adoption of the above title in lieu of the present misnomer. Mr. Wm. Brown, in liis issue of Friday last, again ,adopts the Tool’s plan of writing letters to himself and requests himself to insert some correspondence which passed between himself and several gentlemen in Auckland concerning cheap land. I wonder lie didn’t add “we have much pleasure in givinopublicity to our own correspondence,” &c. But to apply my motto —I wish to make one or two observations upon the leading article of Friday’s Cross, and I would ol serve, Sir, imprimis, that if there is anything which X hold in greater detestation than another, it is—humbug, humbug. Sir. .Prior to the 1 Oth instant, it was remarked by a great many that the permission to select land without its being first submitted to public auction, was not likely to give general satisfaction when the quantity thrown into the market was so very small ; that it would he a complete scramble, and that the biggest bully and the man with the broadest pair of shoulders would posse:- unfair advantage.over his neighbours ot less physical strength. And.so it proved and the Governor seeing this, very judiciously fell back upon one of the provisions of his own regulations and ordered that all land for which there j had been more than one applicant should hesubmitI ted to public competition. The justiceof this course j must be admitted by all except those who were thus foiled in their attempt to absorb gll that

was worth having, or about one-third of the whole quantity open for selection. Knowing, as almost everybody does, who were the applicants for the largest tracts, and knowing therefore where the shoe would pinch, the article in Friday’s Cross , was of course quite expected. , T . Now, Sir, I’m a poor man and I did intend to apply for a few acres, but when I came to look' over the available districts, I found that a certain Mercantile Firm in Shorthand Crescent had been, like Mrs. Todgers, dodging about for all the tid bits, while men of small capital like me wore left nothing but the skin and gristle. This I think is not fair—if a man takes off his coat, and says “ here goes for a scramble,” and gons ftt it, wliy ? & scrambler, that man is respected ; but, when he stands aloof, and says —See what I’ve done for the Colony, your man for Superintendent —when all the time he’s employing bis broad shouldered scramblers on Commission, why I say that that man is a humbug in every sense ot tlm word. And yet this is he who professes such disinterestedness in his devotion to the welfare of Auckland, but whose disinterestedness the late scramble has proved to be all a sham; this is he who lias the assurance to offer himself in opposition to a straightforward consistent English gentleman. But Mr. Brown presumes too much upon the gullability of John Bull. He’ll find that, as the Showman remarked, John Bull “ ain’t such a fool as he used to was,” especially in tire Colonies,—and that his brother colonists are not going to put in a man whose practice so ill accords with his profession. No, no,—Mr. Wnr. Brown may come from far north, hut Yorkshire is not far south of him. What would Mr. Brown have said if Sir George, or the Colonel, or any Government officer had made and secured such a nice selection of land ? Why, Sir, we should never have heard the last of it; it would have been a “ hole and comer affair; ” and in reading Mr. Brown’s effusions upon it, we should have been deluged with expressions such as “sacking,” “pilfering,” “chicanery,” “robbery,” and, if it could be brought in any how at all, “ arson.”Considering the Jim Crow “ wheel about and turn about” style of the Southern Cross, which may be detected by any one who chooses to take the trouble of comparing its opinions upon almost any subject, expressed at different times, I could not help thinking how little alteration the leader in question would have required had the events of the 16th been reversed. Now, Sir, I never believed all the Southern Cross said, but I used to give Mr. Brown credit for integrity of purpose, and was willing to believe that he had the interest of the colony solely at heart, but this land scramble has been a most fortunate thing for the electors as it has opened our eyes, and we now see more clearly than ever that our would-be Superintendent, is taking very good care of number one. The other day I was asked to vote for Mr. Brown, but I declined giving any promise, but Sir, even if I had done so, is any man bound to > support a Candidate for an office of which he has since proved himself so unworthy. I tell my fellow labourers who have been entrapped into a promise to support Mr. Brown that as those promises were extorted from them under false pretences, they are not binding, and that Mr. B. has himself to thank for the consequences. It is true Mr. Brown has been agitating in his paper, long since, for cheap land, but what o-f that, almost every man in the Province felt as Mr. B. did that our obtaining the soil at a lower rate, was necessary to the advancement of the colony. But other men never thought of calling their exertions by the name of “ patriotism” as Mr. B. does. Every one felt it was his own interest to obtain the boon, hut as is usual, he of the greatest profession, is the least sincere ; my own opinion is that we should have got the reduction in price much sooner and many other things too, but for the systematic abuse of Her Majesty’s Representative which has been persevered in by Mr. Brown in his paper for so long a time. No doubt the Governor thought we weie all as bad as Mr. Crown—hut we’ll let both him and the Governor at last see we think of him.—Yours, &c. Yorkshire.

To the Editor of the New-Zealander.

Dear Mr. Editor, —What are we to do?— who is to be the Superintendent, and when is he going to give us our birthday ball, —and such times tootnothing, absolutely nothing, to be purchased in any of the shops, everything that every body wants is on board the Cashmere —and Papa says ho hopes they will always remain there, and that he has a great mind to vote for Mr. Brown because he is sure that he wont give any balls. Just think, dear Mr. Editor, what a horrid man he must be, not even on the Queen’s birthday to give us a little hop ; but Papa says he’s a Republican, and. wears a beard, and keeps his hat on when the National Anthem is played by the band, and that he thinks he docs not dance. Just conceive a province with so many young ladies in it, ruled by a gentleman who does not dance! I really thought, Mr. Editor, (I must not call you “ dear” too often,) I really did think that papa,—you know who is always very cross when I want gloves or ribbons or some little thing that’s, new—that papa was only quizzing me and wanted to p at me otf my little “ preparations” for the 24th,. and so said I, “Emily, love, (Emily’s ray sister,. Sir,) we’ll just put on our bonnets and go and see about it.” As we crossed Princes Street—it’s always blow-. ing in. Princes Street, and whenever it is particularly wind y there, one always sees some oft he dear 68th about the corners—we met Ensign Smiles, and* he told us that he had just been to see the- lamps for the birthday at the tinman’s in the Crescent. So to the tinman’s we went. “ Pray, sir,” says. Emily, with her sweetest looks, “Pray, sir, what are all these lamps for ?” “ For an illumination, Miss,” says he. “ Oh dear, sir,” said I, “ not for the ball.” “ I believe not, Ma'am” says the tinman—taking me, I suppose, for Emily’s mother, —“ but if you inquire down street whera I got the tin they’ll tell you all about it, there’s lots of tin and canvass in that shop I assure you, and cheap.” And so we went Into the shop which the tinman showed us, next to Frown and Strangles, in the Crescent; however, there we saw no tin, but there were constitutional grindstones marked 20 r, cent under cost price,to independent electors,— -and all kinds of ironmongery and hooks and traps and a great many dog chains ; but what surprised me most was the number of Nails that were lying about. “Pray,” said I, “ what you do with all these large Nails.” “ Dae wi’ ’em,” says the man, taking up a huge one, and getting white in the face with rage, “ dae wi’ ’em,” says he, —“-that’s what we dae wi’ ’em,” and with a furious stroke of his hammer he drove the nail right through one of C«d. Wynyard’s election Cards and intothe counter before him. “ That’s what we dae wi’ ’em,” said the wicked man. I was so frightened, dear Mr. Editor, that A quite forgot what I came about, when just then comes in an ugly fat man, but very civil, and he said “can—l—serve—you—young—ladies 1” did not know what to say—“a—little—groceries* —perhaps,” said the ugly fat man, “a—little- - tea ?” “ Oh, yes,” said I, quite relieved, “alittle 13a, and let it be good and cheap.” “ Every'* thing —in—this—shop,” said the man, markably—cheap— at present and he winked at Emily in a manner not at all becoming a person of his years, , I put down the money for the tea and be louke at the coin as if it were a bad one. “ W e —book—it, —never—mind—the —money,” the ugly man. “ Oh, no, thank you,” 1 ’ “\ou—can—have—six—months —credit.” i no,” said I, “ I would rather notso I g°* nl * : change, and glad I was. to get out of the houst, but so flurried, that Ernilv led me home at y!IC *

d we had no more intelligence of the hall than ?n we started. Lauk, Mamina,” said I, “if Mr. Brown ,is ale Governor what ever shall we do. His use is so small he never can give us a hop there, : perhaps the Judge would lend him the Court use for the dance ? and all the bad people below, hey should yell and shriek and “rattle their 'ins in each others ears with slavish and delims joy,” what ever should we do. I wonder if fr. Brown likes that kind of music. Oh, really, Mr. Editor, dear Mr. Editor, you cannot think how much I long to know about the ball. Do pray tell me what is to be done. Oh I do hope that the dear Colonel will be returned —we love his Motto “ Unity and peace.” All the young ladies will vote for unity and the married ones for peace—although they all say that after you’re married there is no peace. , I am your’s ever truly, A Candidate for a “ Superintendent.”

To (he Editor of the New-Zealander

Sir, —A common man like me perhaps may have something to say in your paper as well as another, if you think right to let him, so I shall tell you my mind. I read both papers and keeps my vole for myself to give it when I chuse. But what strikes me is, I don’t like this here song as “ I did all this,” “ I have been a barking this hero long eleven years and did all this.” No doubt we have been a-harking pretty loud, and to my mind very much like a dog, on a chain, as barks all day without knowing what he be barking at. If it be Ibis here cheap land question, it looks very much as if he didn’t know what he was a-harking at ; because if your paper says true--the people at Wellington don’t believe the Governor have got any such right lo cheapen the land yet, and if so, how could he have it afore. But this here Mr. Brown, does he mean lo tell us, we never should a got it, if he had not a been harkingall this here while. I am read as well as another man and I think I can judge for myself; and I will judge for myself. Now 1 been as long in (he land as Mr. Brown, for I was here, or in (he Bay of Islands at least, afore the Government, and I remembers all the rowmadeahout this here land question then, when there was no word at ail about Mr. Brown. There was a Dr. Marlin and Mr. Monlefiore, they had some sort of a paper, but (hey went away with the Government lo Auckland. Then there was the Observer , got up by a Mr. Quaifc, and he harked a good deal, and he was very much thought on, for he had no interest in the land and he was a learned man and no mistake. I have heard say, if anything went wrong—Latin or Greek —Quaifc was (he man could put them right. He was a Editor in England, and is Editor of the Empire in Sydney now ; then there was Mr. Makepeace, he harked ; and this same Mr. Powdilch as writes in your paper (other day he harked ; and Mr. Busby he barked ; and a many more—but Mr. Busby got up a petition to (he Home Government and there was a proposal (o tax the waste lands, and everybody agreed to it and signed it. Now the plan was —(he first 400 or 500 was to pay no (ax, after that they were to pay more and more as the claim got larger; and I heard Mr. Bushy say he would have lo pay about 70 1, a-year for his share. I don’t remember all about the plan, and perhaps I need not ; hill Mr. Bushy told us it was well received by the Queen, hut (he Secretary said it was too late, they had gone too far with I he old claims then lo change. At all events we were heard, Mr. Editor, hut I don’t hear any thing about Mr. Brown being heard at home. Well, Dr, Marlin when he found out nothing could he done hero, he goes home, and offers his -40,000 acres in the Houraki to the New Zealand Company at one shilling an acre, now this was pretty good for a highlander, about 200 01. for what might have cost 2(]o/. hut (he Company would not bite. So the Doctor he begins harking away at homeland at last he worries the Government till (hoy gave him an island or some post in the West Indies, and sure enough they got rid of him, as they say he died there ; at all events he didn’t hark any more, and I dare say if they would give Mr. Brown the Government of New Zealand he would leave off harking 100. Now as I don’t live in Auckland I wanted to know who was Hie owner of Dr. Martin’s press, and 1 was told Dr. Martin when lie got the Government berth made his press over to Mr. Brown, and told Mr. Brown lo keep it up against (he Government, and he would worry them out of something at last. Don’t think, Mr. Editor, that I would not have an opposition paper, every one likes lo see an opposition paper, hut I think it should belong lo some one that has no private interest in the Country, then we might think he was speaking for (lie people. Now, Sir, if Mr. Brown has been harkingall this while as he says, why donl lie sty what's been the good of it. If the Governor could not do what he wanted, why didn’t he go hark at thoseas could ? If hedid’nt, —perhaps he did harm, as I was told, when we was to have some new "overmen! three or four years ago. We did'nt get it all along thro’ that ere Southern Cross , as all they knew about Auckland was the cussed din kept up about things as could'nl ho done, and by consequence we was'nt thought til for free government, as we was all one man, and that sort of thing would'nl do till there was more people as could speak for themselves. I sec as how the Operatives of Auckland are agoing lo speak for themselves, and I am glad on it, hut what is to become of (he Operatives at other places 7 }Ce can’t come up every lime these here gentlemen choose lo put out and in a governor; tho’ Idont care for that, as I suppose it is with them as with every thing else; the best of them is in Auckland, hut i ainl going to tell you Mr. Editor whether I ho an operative or not. But I am afraid Mr, Editor 1 am writing a terrible long loiter, and you will never find room to put it in, so 1 shall say no more, hut I should like lo hove my hark out. 1 have been an old man-o-war’s-inan, and pul many a plug iu a shot hole afore now.’ So I shall cud by telling what happened lo our Captain once. We was on the Spanish Main, just after Lord Cochrane had been hanging them indedepcndenl fellows about. Dash my buttons if 1 know who he was a fighting with, but that don’t matter. So I goes ashore one day with the captain, and who should we meet on the jetty—hut a tall looking yankec fellow', with such a rum looking coal on; 1 could not say if it was uniform or not—“ Good morning,” says he, ■to our Captain ; —“ good morning,’’says our Captain to him ; our Captain was an easy going chap and we used to call him “ Soft Billy.” “Captain Yankee”, says, Bitty, “you were at the taking of tort Valdivy.” “ Yes,” says he, “ I guess I put in some good shots (here,” says he, “Our Captain Foster was (here too” says Bitty. “ Yes,” says Yankec, “ but he did’nt do much, he had the command of the squadron, to be sure, t’was Santa Cruse, and I as did the job.”—“ I should tike lo hear about it,” says' Billy. “ To be sure,” says he, “we’ll take a glass of wine and talk it oyer; there is a good coffee shop just Jhere,” says ho ; so in they went. Now I had’nt received my orders, so had to hang on and off within hail d’ye see. “ We ll have a steak,” says Billy. “ Glad of it,” says Yankee. “ We’ll,” says Yankee, “ Foster commanded in (he old Cumberland ; Wilkinson,- was (here in the Alert ; Cruse had the Indefatigable ; and I had. I lie Tor on o. Foslci was to lend, hut lie was a heavy ship and kept 100 far off Now Cruse says I, lets do it mv

boy, yes says be; So we luffs up, (Cruse and I.) and bring up right under the fort,— and at it we Went (Cruse and I.) The Spaniards of course blazed away but they are bad hands at it. Well Cruse and 1 kept pegging away about forty minutes, and Foster and Wilkinson, gels a shot or two in passing in under cover of our smoke. (Cruse and I,) Foster brings up abreast the (own. Now its no go says the Spaniards, so down come the colurs ; Hurra says I, Cruse my boy come along—so down boats and away we go, Cruse and I, and take the fort by storm.” “ Well done,” says Soft Billy,—“good wine Ibis.” “To be sure” says Yankee, “ best house in (own, and cheapest, but I must go to my otlice, so good day, 1 have no shot at present.”—“ Don’t mention it,” says soft Billy “I'll pay.” “Do,” says he, “ and 1 shall be happy to meet you again—and tell you about Cruse and I—fine fellow that Cruse.” “ To be sure,” says soft Billy,—and away they went. Well Mr. Yankee 1 says, you pitched into soft Billy pretty well I think —so good by Mr Editor. Yours, etc. An old Settler.

To the Editor of the New-Zealander. Southern Cross Office, May 2, 1855. Sup.,— The letter wich I now send you, was popped into our Guvcrnor’s box just after dinner time on Monday, and I soon found that it was summat he did’nt like, and that he was going to burke it. I don’t mind letting out a hit now, cos as how I’m going lo leave. But there’s a long chap that’s very thick with our Governor, he tells him what to say, and how to get up the steam agin the election, and the Governor and his man—him that does the common business—thought it would’nl do to pul this ere letter in, cos it might annoy the long chap, and make him shy about giving any further help. All this made me want to see what the letter was about, so when Governor's man's hack was turned, I gets a peep at it, and seeing it was a joke as might suit you, 1 watched rny chance, and copied it off, and here it is if you like to print it. Don’t tell anybody who gave it you though, because I may as well leave without a row. And I am, Sur, Your friend lo command, The Youngest “Devil” at the Cross Office. P.S.—Should you have a vacancy in your office, don't forget me. P. D. To Hie Editor of the Southern Cross. Sir, —I had occasion lo visit one of the rural districts the other day, and having completed my business, was regaling myself with some bread, cheese, and ale, in the snug little parlor of (he —— Inn, preparatory lo my homeward journey, when my attention was attracted by a group of village politicians who were discussing the topics of (lie day. I was so amused with a portion of their colloquy that 1 jolted it down in my common place hook, and I now send you the extract, thinking it may afford some amusement lo your readers. You must know the group consisted of four persons. One of them by his (one of authority —by the deference with which his opinion was received—as well as by Hie tiLie by which he was addressed, I discovered to he Hie schoolmaster; another appeared lo he a kind of travelling pedlar, and talked as if he had seen something of the world. The other two were father and son, the former a decent looking herdsman, (lie laller, a “cute” roguish looking youth, evidently one of Domine's pupils. “ Well Dornine” said the Herdsman, “ what do yon think of that ’ere manifesto about the Ivurnel, and the chap that was slewed? Don’t you think Molokus gied it to Salmon and Co. in good si} le V “ Mctoikos, yon mean” said the Pedlar, “ that’s him they compared to Goldy with his flute.” “ What (to I think!” replied the Schoolmaster, “ why I think that the answer of Meloikos was not g rmane, and” — “ That I'll warrant it was not,” interrupted (he Pedlar, “for I have been in Germany, and 1 know that wasn’t like Hie German lingo.” “Peace idiot,” rejoined the Dornine with a wave of his hand, “ I was animadverting neither upon Germany nor upon the German language, hut upon the irrelevancy of the replicalory epistle, which” — “ I’m blessed,” said (he boy, who seemed lo know it was holiday lime and that he might make free; “I’m blessed if it didn't put me in mind of Ovid’s metamorphoses that I read to you sometimes. If they three wise men could'nl milk a hull they could transform one, for I’ll he whipped if Meloikos was’nt cowed' ’ This salty occasioned a laugh in which the Schoolmaster, though annoyed at (he second interruption, could not help joining. “ I prolcsl,” resumed he with a peculiar tw inkle in his eye that showed he had caught the infection, “I protest that the reply of Meloikos was a failure. His allusion lo milkers of bulls and hedgers of cuckoos was about as apropos as the correction of an old crone who, in my young days, was ignorantly allowed to exercise the functions of village preceptress,” “ I’ve heer'd that yarn” whispered (lie boy to his father—“ a’int it just a rummy one, make Master tell it.” “ What was the old woman’s correction” asked the pedlar. “ Ay, do tell us all about it,” said the herdsman, in a coaxing (one. “ Hem, ahem, —It was a miserable hallucination on flie part of an ancient dame, who with spectacles on nose, and knitting pins in hand, professed So leach young bairns the rudiments.” Then suddenly changing his voice and imitating the drawl of a school boy reading at his Mistress’ knee, the Dornine proceeded harc —.” “Milk a bear, child! How could they milk a bear? Spell it”—“ B-o-r-c—----bore. Mil cah bore”—“ Ay, hinny, that’s more like it, perhaps they might milk a bore,” When the laughter which followed the (ale had somewhat subsided —the Dornine drawing a long breath, and speaking as though he were giving utterance to the thoughts passing in his mind, exclaimed —“E heu ! Meloikos.” “ What did he say,” asked the herdsman. “ Why,” replied the boy, with a grin, “ he’s talking Latin and Greek, and he means— O Hugh stranger.” “Well if that don’t heal all,” said the pedlar, “ the schoolmaster is poking fun at us.” “ You may talk as you please,” rejoined the herdsman rather sulkily, who seemed to be getting out of his depth—“ for all y’rc Latin and y’re Greek, I say that Metokus is a good un —and I should like to serve him; if I could write as good a fist as the Dornine here, 1 would send him word as how I am in the milking line, and allers keep a good supply on hand, and ready for delivery at shortest notice/’ Here a shuffling of feel and moving of chairs apprized me that the parly was breaking up, and as my risible muscles were not sufficiently composed lo look (hem in (he face as they passed I hastily made my escape. Your’s, etc.. Will Honrvcosip.