ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume III, Issue 180, 21 April 1847, Page 2

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor of the New Zealand Spectator. Sir, — The following remarks for the information of your correspondent are the last with which I shall trouble you on this subject. J. Although a majority- of the House of Commons in 1845 voted against the resolutions of the Select Committee of the preceding session, collectively, yet a part of that majority agreed in the third resolution, which declared that " the acknowledgement of a right on the part of the natives in New Zealand in all wild lands was an error." Let an "Enemy, &c." refer to the minutes of the proceedings of the Select Committee. 2. What was Mr. Spain's real position and authority here wijl perhaps be determined judicially to-morrow. 3. Let your correspondent deny the assertion relative to an inquiry into Mr. Spain's proceedings touching the claims of Europeans to the Wairau. I may then possibly oblige him with the reference he requests. 4. I reassert that he is contending for a title grounded on the principles of murder and extermination. " The Ngatitoa originally occupied the district about Kawhia on the west coast, but were compelled to evacuate it about twenty years ago in consequence of the repeated hostilities of Waikato tribes ; placing themselves under the guidance of Pehi and Rauparaha, they overran the whole country on each side of Cook's Strait, driving out or exterminating the original inhabitants, and finally settled at Porirua, Kapiti, Pukerua, and Cloudy Bay. * * • * " The Ngatiraukawa migrated about eleven years ago in a large body from Maunga Tautari in the Waika'o district, through the invitation of Te Rauparaha, and completed the conquest of the country from Wangaihu to Otaki, completely annihilating the original tribes that Te Rauparaha had not reduced to subjection." — Report of Clarke junior, 14th June, 1843. " I may now say a few words on the subject of the claims and property of Rauparaha and the Ngatitoa tribe upon the Middle Island, which arise as do their claims on the northern island, entirely from conquest consummated by extirpation, a reduction to a state of slavery of the original proprietors," &c. &c. — Report of Mr. Spain on the Nelson purchase. ■ " ' The "utter contempt" which your correspondent fulminates must recoil. It is he who can "grossly deviate from truth." And lastly, I am satisfied that no person possessing an ordinary knowledge of grammar, and the true construction of the English language, after carefully perusing the letters of your correspondent '"An Enemy, &c", and particularly the opening sentence and twenty-five concluding lines of his first letter, will consider that he can be a judge of what is, or what is not good intelligible English. As I now take my leave of your correspondent, oblige me by making him my best acknowledgments for, and assure him that I duly appreciate the courtesy, amiability, good breeding, and total absence of all vulgar egotism which he has displayed in his correspondence towards Your obedient servant, Subscriber. Wellington, 19th April, 1847.

The following coi respondence referring to the oil butts of New Zealand wood in which the oil per David Malcolm was sent home, is extracted from the New Zealand Journal. Great leakage appears to have taken place, but this is to be attributed to the state of the casks, being made of unseasoned wood and badly jointed, and to other causes, rather than to the unfitness of the New Zealand wood for oil casks, as it is well known that the oil shipped the previous season per Bella Marina in New Zealand casks, arrived in England with very little leakage. New Zealand staves are extensively used in the manufacture of casks for salt pork, and the demand for them appears to be daily increasing :—: —

NEW ZEALAND MADE OIL-BUTTS To the Editor of the New Zealand Jourjfal. 3, Crosby Square, 23rd October, 1846. Sic, —Considering it to be of considerable importance to the interests of the Colonists of New Zealand that they should be made acquainted with the character and quality of oil butts manufactured from New Zealand staves, as compared with those made of the best Dantzic staves, we shall feel by your giving insertion in your columni to the accompanying reports, which we have obtained from experienced oil-brokers and coopers of this city. We think them well worthy the attention of parties in the colony engaged in the ship-

ment of oil, and can add thereto, from our own experience, that, on a small parcel lately received per the David Malcolm, contained in casks of the best Danztic staves, the whole leakage scarcely leached the trifling amount of two per cent. We are, sir, your obedient servan ts, Henry H. Willis & Co.

London, 26th August, 1846. Dear Sirs, — In consequence of the great leakage on parcels of oil imported in New Zealand made casks, we have had an inspection by experienced coopers, and beg to subjoin their report, for the information of your correspondents in that colony : — " The timber not seasoned ; the casks roughly made, badly jointed, not high enough in the lilge ; in consequence of which the hoops on the bilge have not a sufficient bearing; also slight and stiff joints alongside of each other." " Casks to contain oil should be made of well seasoned timber, the slaves all of one thickness ; and we have no doubt the inequality of thickness of staves and greenness of timber has been the cause of the great leakage of oil shipped in New Zealand made casks. It must follow, that when staves of unequal thickness are put into the same casks, the joints will always be defective, and become buckled ; and, when stowed in the hold of a vessel, the pressure is unequal, and immediate leakage is the consequence," From our own experience we are quite of opinion, if the preceding suggestions are acted upon, a vast amount of leakage will be saved, which, in many instances, amounts from 20 to 25 per cent. ; and upon one parcel by the David Malcolm, recently arrived, the leakage was 35 per cent. We remain, dear sirs, yours faithfully, (Signed) Wm. Jno. & Hy. Beale. Messrs. Henry H. Willis & Co.

Dockhead, Bermondsey, September sth 1846. Sirs, — In answer to your inquiry of the 26th ult., with respect to the sufficiency o\ casks made from New Zealand timber for the purpose of importing sperm or southern whale oil from that colony, I beg to say, as my decided opinion, they will not answer. This opinion is formed from the experience of those parcels of oil where the casks have been of a mixed character, — some of Dantzic, and others of New Zealand timber. The leakage has invariably been greatest on the latter r in several instances the loss has been very heavy. As the best proof of this, I have given you (on the other side) particulars of two or three parcels which have come under my own observation, and which I have attended to at landing, or have purchased the empty casks when landed in the docks ; the price I have given for them has been very little more than half that of the others, considering them only fit for very common purposes, and not suitable for exportation. — I am, sirs, yours very respectfully, (Signed) Robt. Jas. Bristow. Messrs. Henry H. Willis & Co., Crosby-square. Ex Hindoo, at Sydney, entered May 20, 1846, 42 casks, about 24 tuns; there were emptied 15 casks, about 12 tuns. Ex David Malcolm, at New Zealand, entered July 14, 1846, one parcel about 90 tuns, emptied about 17^ tuns. 16 ' » 4 „ 100 „ „ 7i „ 70 „ „ 4 „ The whole of this 70 tuns were English made casks. N.B. — 1 would just add, that Messrs. tried a few of the New Zealand casks a long time ago, but the loss upon them was so heavy they never repeated the experiment. (Signed) R. J. Bw.