A CONTENTED IMMIGRANT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4801, 11 August 1876, Page 3

A CONTENTED IMMIGRANT.

Wo are in receipt of a pamphlet published in England on “Emigration to New Zealand,” by “ An Englishman and a Colonist.” It is a work of which we can speak in terms of high praise, but probably the portion most interesting here is that which: contains letters from immigrants to their friends in England. Amongst these we find one immigrant writing from the Wnirarapa, andsaying.There was, or rather is, where I am now writing a house called Featherston Camp, from the fact that in 1864 the! troops were kept in the bam and outbuildings to be in readiness for the Maoris, that waa very troublesome-at the' time. Well,

-it belongs to five brothers-,-with 460 acres of ! rioh feeding land ; and : they, having 50,000 acres more; forty miles further up country, keep a man at it, and send ■ down their ■sheep and cattle to stay a time, and be in close proximity to the markets. It had been empty a month waiting for me, so I waited a day until one of the masters came down, and we agreed that we should come, to commence at £6O a year, and all found, and I am well satisfied with my bargain. We kill a sheep when we want meat, and if we want; a change, we order a stone of the rump or chine of beef. We' have four good cows, which is worth something, would be at least to a Lincolnshire farmer, but they are not thought much of here though. You can get a good cow and calf for '£7 or £B, and butter hasibeen from Is. 9d. to 2s. 6d. per pound this winter ; the cows running but all winter are nearly;all dried, and let run until spring, when it is sometimes as low as 6d. a pound, but we ■ have eurs, and they are all new bare to supply the house with milk and butter, for myself and wife and two boys, and the masters when they come down, and >we have not seen them now for more than a fortnight. But don’t you think we throw the surplus away—that’s all on that subject. As you 'will have no doubt heard that there is 25,000 more free’ emigrants to come this next .two years, I should like for you at' least. to send half the number from Lincolnshire—the best farm and general laborers. A manwill have to make himself useful here, and not be particular what he does at' first coming out; it does not want so many men calling themselves this foreman and the other. When they get here they will find plenty of work, and they will be well paid for it, but they might as well leave the ■ first four letters at home, and come out men instead of foremen. There is scarcely any such thing here, none in the sense you have them at home. You have all sorts of work to do ; sometimes I am milking, then ploughing, then sowing seed, then mending fences, then putting a lock on a door, and a hundred- and one other jobs in the course of the week.”