The Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 1876.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 16, 10 May 1876, Page 2

The Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 1876.

It' there is one man in Jfew Zealand who sftottlci have his |Mis3agn paid to leave the C«>l»tiy and nettle in some distant land where pen and ink are not to he obtained, we think that undesirable personage is Mr. Jamkh f;oi:tx>x Sti'art Grant. No man has striven harder t«» do the Colony harm Ritd potaon the minds of immigrants to tin* country than has the pel-son of whom we are now about to write. What astonishes n» is that there arc to be found journals which will give prominence to his base atandera and lying statements. It is not so long ago that this self-dubbed " First Rector of the High School " wrote to the ** People's Jonmal/' Dundee, and promulgated a lot of statements about this Colony ns false as hell itself. Fortunately for New Jiealandets there were those in Scotlaud and England in a position to give the assertions made the lie direct. But even this was not sufficient to stop " tills creature in his dirty work," and after a brief interval he published in the V Belfast News Letter " one of the mo3fc infamous effusions it has ever been the lot of any man to read. In that communication he stated that of the J 0,000 female immigrants who had come out to N«w Zealand during the past year, 1,000 were earning their living on the streets. It is no use indulging in polite terms when contradicting remarks like these, so we merely cut matters short by declaring that a greater lie was never uttered, or, more properly apeaking, never penned. But to the credit of journalists in this Colony be it said, these diabolical untruths were not allowed to be disseminated unheeded, and the leading pajiers in New Zealand without exception condemned, in no measured terms, this snake in the gnus*, this vile slanderer of New Zealand and its adopted children. Foremost amongst these defenders of the Colony was the (i Wellington Evening Argus," which not I only refuted Grant's statements, but ' proved beyond doubt that he never was, nor ever had any right to, the title of First Rector of the High School. Grant, ! in a pitiful wail, wrote to our evening contemporary, and endeavoured to prove that he had been hardly done by, and that when all was known he would be looked upon more in the light of a martyr thin a slanderer. But our contemporary informed Mr. .F.vmk-h Gordon Stuart Grant that lip had known him for many years, but had never yet heard any good »>f httn. But this is not tbe last shabby trkfe this ntr-n has been guilty of. A few days ago (the secretary of the Working Metn's. Club, in Ditncdin, wrote to Sir Jrurs Vonr.t., and asked him if he would become an honorary member of the Institution. The Premier replied in the most courteous terms to this letter, and stated that lie should not only be glad to be entered on the Club's list of honorary members, but enclosed a cheque for ten guinea* to qualifyJiim as a life member. Now, notice tjtealinty way in which this calumniator qfifjratV Zealand endeavours to make capital «ttt of this action on the part of Sir JrMi'a* Yonßt,. In Saturday's issue of the " Evening News," he writes to that p«!><?r as follows:—"Sir, — Permit me, through your columns, to urge upon the members of the Working Men's Club to meet together at once t-re the mail leaves on Monday, and fling out of their club Achati and his dirty ten guineas. At present it is m>t expedient that 1 should |tai'tie(tlartse reasons for this course. These will occur to every honest and shrewd member. In behalf of themselves, their families, and dependants I earnestly request them to act promptly in this very important matter, in such a momentous crisis in the history of the Colony, in reference to immigration and the laUxir market this winter. A pVt H laid. The snake is in the grass. . . . Working-men arise and lling out the Achan and the spoil.—l am, gentlemen, your real friend, —J. G. S. Grant." In the first place we must express our a-'tottishuieiit at a journal like the "News," placing its columns at the disposal of such a man. However much our evening contetnp.rary may differ with Sir Ji'Mrs on political matters, v.e cannot think the sentiment j expressed by Grant meet with its approval. Then, note thu hypocrisy of the fellow. He signs himself, "Yourreal friend." All we have to say, is, " God help the man who has to call Grant his friend." He must have sunk very low, indeed. He takes care to point out that he wishes his letter inserted in time for the outgoing mail ; but this, we think, was an unnecessary precaution, for of lite not a mail has left without this j man's name appearing in the public prints j n some disreputable form or another, j

We are pleased, however, to learn that this gentleman's little game will soon be put a stop to, for the Superintendent lias received an intimation that the General Government intend obtaining a liistoiy of Grant's Colonial career as far as it can be ascertained, which will be forwarded to the Agent-General for publication. It will be an interesting biography. Perhaps tliis accounts for the love tliis man bears the Premier. But enough of this. We regret having given Mr. Grant so much prominence, but we could not allow his calumnies on the Colony to pass unnoticed.