GAME AND SINGING BIRDS.

New Zealander, Volume XVIII, Issue 1721, 6 September 1862, Page 4

GAME AND SINGING BIRDS.

lii the House of Representatives, on Mr. llohert Graham’s motion for all correspondence between the Colonial Government and the aren't general, Mr. Morrison, relative to the importation 'Of gifiAc, and singing birds:— Mr. Fox said it was d’esirabje that he should explain to the House the action Which had been taken by the late Government‘on this subject. Sometime after they had taken office they were advised by Mr. Morrison that lie was making arrangements to transmit to the colony certain deer, game, and singing birds, which had been ordered by the previous Colonial Secretary, Mr. Stafford. Jt appeared that the importation would cost several hundreds of pounds, ami as no nppropriution had been made for the purpose by the Assembly, Government bad to look about them for i!*.h means ot payment. They were informed 'dial Mr. Sts (lord intended to provide for ibb twice from the Domain fund, a very proper coaroe. But though on enquiry at the Treasury what amount there might he to the credit ci the fund, he ( Mr. F.) had been told that there V.aS nearly £3OOO in hand; he a Iter wards discovered that, under the wonderful system of finance established by that extraordinary financier, Mr. W. Richmond, this balance was only a paper balance, or rather that it had been lent, as his custom was, to another object, and was, in fact, locked up in bricks and mortar, not realizable, and not the property of the General Government. As his (Mr. F.’s) colleague and Colonial Treasurer, Mr. Wood, had adopted a much less philosophical system of finance, and declined to apply the public money to objects for which it had never been voted, be (Mr. F.) was obliged to write to Mr. Morrison, telling him that the Government had no funds at their disposal for this purpose, and that he must discontinue any further shipments. Mr. M had written to them respecting a .shipment of “humble bees” which -Mr. Stafford had ordered (shouts of laughter.) 1 hat. members might laugh, hut he (Mr. F.) believed that it was one of the Wisest things Mr. Stafford had ever done; for it was a fact that that valuable grass, the red clover, could only he impregnated by this insect; and if we wished to grow it “humble bees” we must hare. The hon. member then related in detail, amid peels of laughter, the method of packing in ice and importing these bees, the responsibility of which Mr. Morrison had found too great, to take upon himself, And which was so much too great for the late Ministry, that they have directed Mr. M. not to send them. But though the lute Ministry had reluctantly, and for want of funds, been obliged to stop these importations, do not let it he supposed, Mr. Fox continued, that I am opposed to the introduction of game ittul song birds. On the contrary, I cannot describe my gratification at witnessing the arrival of the late importation at Auckland, which had left England before the countermand reached Mr. Morrison. It awakened many an old association. There was the thrush, whose bine eggs I so often stole when a boy at school; there was the blackbird, with his glossy coat and beak of gold; there was the bullfinch, the chaffinch, the goldfinch,, and ah the finches of the grove ; there was robin redbreast with his old familiar scarlet vest; and there was little cocksparrow, as pert and consequential as if lie had a seat in this House and had just moved the previous question (great laughter, in which Mr. Curtis did not join); ami there were some great geese, which most people thought were swans, for no other reason apparently than that they had been “ sent fur,” (shouts of laughter, in which the Ministers did not join); hut any one acquainted with such matters, the moment they heard their voices knew that they were only geese. The hon. member was here stopped for a considerable time by the laughter on all sides of the House, when i: subsided we heard him continuing I was very glad to sec these interesting birds arrive sale and well; and am glad to tell the House that his Excellency -Sir George Grey, whose personal interest in such matters is well known, lost no time in inking them to Government house, where ho piwided places Ibrihcm all, including the geese, which 1 saw cropping the Government lawn, and,apparently, enjoying greatly their position. So far from wishing to impede such imporlalions, if the House was now to vote a lew hundred pounds to import more birds, I shall most cordially concur in its doing so.—The lion, member sat down ami Ist peels of laughter from everybody, except ilie Ministers and Mr. Curtis, who, for some reason, did not appear to appreciate his eloquence.