ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 65, 30 January 1862, Page 2

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

TO A SCORE OF GENTLEMEN. (Par favor of the Daily Times.)

Gtextlehex. —Some few weeks since a meeting of all persons holding a stoke ia Uunudiu was called by advertisement. A disastrous fire had occurred, and thousands of pounds worth of merchandise and other valuable property was consumed. The public journal, through the columns of which I am addressing you. endeavoured to arouse the public mind to the absolute necessity of at once establishing a Fire Brigade for the protection of the inhabitants. Some little enthusiasm was excited upon the subject, and on the night of the meeting the room was ' filled by an assemblage, the majority of whom were not, I must confess, exactly uu fnil to the usual mode of proceedings adopted at public meetings. A gentleman was voted to the chair, resolutions and counter-reso-lutions were proposed, and speakers interrupted each other ad libitum in the usual orthodox manner. The Eroceedings were getting into a ■ tangle when-some ijxurgus, anxious to emulate the Alexandrian feat of cutting the Gordian knot, .proposed that-the names of those gentlemen ready and willing to form themselves into a. Volunteer Fire Brigade should be taken down. The resolution was seconded, and, amidst a Babylon of tongues, carried. You, Grentleinen, attaohed your names noisily and enthusiastically to the necessary document, and the public meeting, satisfied that the nucleus of an efficient corps had been formed, parted in the fond belief that a band of heroes had started up ready to immolate themselves in their country's causu.

it in unnecessary, Gentlemen, for me publicly to record my thanks "for. the tremendous exertions, you. must hare undergone in the good work since the night of your most enthusiastic demonstration. 'You certainly cannot bs accused, or even suspected, of having a Hip yon. Winkle in your ranks; for you exhihiteel such evident signs of being-wile awake; that I fin<l.it recorded in the minutes of the public meeting. that. you wore to assemble " for the dispatch of business" .. 'on the following Saturday evening. Truly, you deserve some suitable recognition from the citizens of Dunedin for the admirableilaws you have made for their protection, for the excellent appearance you pre- ■ sent as a body of men ready and wiling, and properly organised to extinguish any and every fire that may unfortunately occur in the city. Individually, I have nothing to do ■with you; but, as a body, I respect and admire your energy and intelligence. That you in so short a time should have done so much is a marvel. The bell you have provided has ~au excellent tone; the" uniform you have adopted. (invisible sj-reen) is well calculated to. set'off. your manly forms; the meetings you have held have been quiet'f rery) and orderly; and your practice with the hose proves that at any future fire much property, and perhaps life, will be saved by your en-? deavors. Do you remember in your childish days, when, instead of playing with fires, you used to play with buttons and marbles, reading the fable of the Mountain and the Mouse? Doubtless. How. the Mountain labored, and how the people, gaped! And then, after tremendous convulsions, came trembling forth a little brown soft-eyed Mouse, shrinking at the frightened crowd, who stood heart in ■ mouth to witness the mighty birth. How applicable is this old fable, my gallant friends, to many things and doings in our transitory existence !. How many mountains puff and blow and snort,- to achieve only at last such a lame conclusion as a " wee bit'? mouse. Not that this ailectsyou or I. ''Let the galled jade wince; our withers are unwrung." As a body you are. not a mountain, and you have not a mouse among you; but are, one and all, lions, ready to foam at the mouth and roar lustily on every needful occasion*- Not being a mountain you have not labored, and certainly b.ave not produced a mouse, for you have brought fort,':— nothing. Therefore the fable affects not you; -and if Time "should, like a crab, walk .backward instead of forward, you could again reach your childish (lays, and play "at marbles instead of fires, arid again read the pleasant tale of the Mountain and "the Mouse, conscious that you have done nqthing'.to liken you t<) the heroes of tlie fable. . . .'. *

How fortunate are we, Gentlemen, that, at that meeting- in wliioh bo important a question was discussed, you should have stepped forward and taken the initiative in the manner you have done, thus preventing the task falling into the hands of a host oi

imbeciles who would have neglected it ".wl le.'c us now in t!ie same position- as we were then. If you remember tivro- tare some there who wished to take the Iw.d ; !mf. they wore, doubtless, only human pnt.s of yeastly liquid, overflowing with froth/which, blown away, would have shown forth irs true nature in sour ale of the. vilest quality. I do belie vu tint if tho matter had been left t.i thi!i:i instead of yon, they would only have quenched a healthy agitation, ami deprived the town of a necessary safeguard.. Now we can go to bed with easy minds, "knowing that you, the Dunedin voluntary lire Brigade, who pluw d your names on the list of tho fire meeting, are watching over our property and our lives, your engine ready and youraelvus willing to rush forth at the first sound of the excellent fire bell you have so providently placed in our chief thoroughfare. You deserve our thanks; any other body of men, who might have stepped forward and bungled their work, as you have not bungled yours, would have deserved our severest censure. Yours,

PITILICOI-A.

To the Editor of the Otaoo Dxtinc Times

January 20th, 1862.

Sir, —I feel some diffidence in trespassing on your valuable time, but after reading the letter of Mr. Jas. Turner, in your issue of to-day's. " Times," I thought a few remarks would not be .unacceptable to your readers, which lines you may publish if you deem them worthy of notice! Mr. turner states that tho extract from a "Story of New Zealand," by Hie late Dr. A. Thompson, quoted and endorsed by Dr. Lnuder Lindsay, M. D., in his excellent lecture, Is " false from beginning- to end," He says he is rm Australian, and knows something about Australia, her climate, her institutions, and her "cornstalks," and that the students of her universities are ail cornstalks. Now, as lam pretty well acquainted with some of the students, of the Melbourne University, I must contradict Mr. Turner, and must say unhesitatingly that there are but very few "Cornstalks" there, nothing but the genuine a' cielc—young men born in England or in some part of Britain. And in contradicting, I also wish to say that so far as I could see, after a twelve years' experience in Victoria is concerned, I certainly agree with the learned lecturer. For if the specimens of men who so frequently visited us from New South Wales (where there _ has been time for two generations to arrive at maturity) are to be taken as samples, they certainly look more like " cornstalks," or wl> .t Mr. J. Turner may be more accustomed to he:)' them named, " gum-suckers," than any other vegetable production to which the human family could be compared. But what I feel mo3tly, Mr. Editor, is that with such a miserable deficienqy here of everything that can make the place habitabie, there should be found a Mr. James Turner to hinder and retard the labors of the very few who are good enough to throw a little light on the obscurity which surrounds us. For my part I hope to se« established here a University, and every other institution that can add to the intelligence, .dignity, and reputation of this rich province. need hardly say, Mr, Editor, that I neither know Lnuder Lindsay, M.D., nor Mr. James Turner. * I am, Sir, Your obedient servant, Progress.

To the Editor of the Otaoo Daily Times.

Sib, —I cordially agree with thaproposition of your correspondent "V. .V. E." to organize an Artillery Division in Dunedin—l am sure there would be no lack of members. lam a member (on leave) of the 11 tli division of artillery in Victoria, and that besides myself there are a dozen of my comrades who have come here, who would gladly resume their drill were an opportunity afforded. If no suitable instructor could be found here, one could be procured from Melbourne in less than a month,- through the agency of the officer commanding artillery there, Lieutenant Colonel Anderson. A model gun" at a trifling expense could also be obtained until the real pieces arrived, and thus the gunners \rould be enabled to qualify themselves for handling them without loss of time. This plan has been adopted with unqualified succoss in the other colony, which now boasts of an artillery regiment of 600 men, and it is well known that the practice at the batteries at Williamstown and Sandridge is such, that were it employed against an invader, it would rather astonish him. I may add, that the garrison tnin 'trill is simple in the extreme,—and a corps of 70 or 80 men ought to be able to work a battery of say six pieces.— Trusting that something practical will be done to further this means of defence, I remain, Sir, your obdt. Servt., GrUNMSR.

To the Editor of the Daily Times

Sir —In last Saturday's impression of the V/ifyicg.i, I observe a paragraph relating to the v/reck of my vessel tie '"' Genevievc," at tlie Heads, in which, it is stated "there are'rumours of different kinds as to the causes wliieh led to the wreck." Now for my own part not having heard of any such rumours except through' the Witness,. I hope you -will do me the justice to insert this epistle in your columns, with the following explanation : —" I arrived off tho Otago Heads "at. i p.m., on Friday, 17tli iiist., and the wind being fair, with clear weather, I signalized for a pilot, and ran for the Bar, taking the North Channel, an admiralty chart of which I had on hoard ; my signals were not attended to by' any pilot, and I kept on running, constantly sounding, with pilot signals up, until my vessel struck the ground, and it was one hour after her doin^so, before a pilot came to my assistance." Trusting I havegiven you the "definite and reliable" information required, I am, Sir, your Obedt. Servant V. TuRPrE, Master of Barque " (Jenevievc." Dunedin, 29th Jan., 1862. .

POST-OFFICE STATISTICS. (From the London Daily News.)

From tlio seventh annual report of rhn Post-master-General, jint issued, wo learn Hiat. the number of letters delivered throucrh the Post-offine in Encrlnnd, in 1860, was 462 millions, which i< at the rate of 221ettws for every man, woman, find child. In Ireland the number was 48 millionsl, lieinjr at the rate of eight to'each person: and iii Switlaad 54 millions, beinpr at the relatively hia.li rate of 17 to each pen-on. Taking the United Kingdom, the total numlier of letters delivered was 564 millions, which is 19 millions more than were delivered in the previous year. This increase is'at the rate of 31 per cent, for the United Kingdom, and it is plensinsr to observe that Ireland participates in it to the extent of 3 per cent. The rate of increase for the United Kiugdon is, however, below the avernjro of the last five years, which wns 4J per cent. In Liverpool, the.proportion is as high as 27 letters to each person ; Birniingiiam and Manchester, 28 ;• Dublin, 34; Edinburgh, ."36; and London, 43. The enormous development of postal communication iii 'our great towns contributes powerfully to enhance these figures. Thus,' of the 19 millions of additional letters delivered in 1860, 3J millions were London local letters. The establishment and increase of district posts in thfi metropolis has supplied a means of rapid communication that mnkea the Post-office the medium of a class of correspondence which formerly found other channels. Thus, of the 3A millions of additional London local letters delivered last year, 2 millions were delivered in the same district in which they were posted. The whole number of letters'now delivered in the same district in which they were posted as as high aa 11 A millions. Nearly 71,000,000 newspapers were delivered last year, and about 11,700,000 book packets. The increase in book packets was 700,000, being in a much greater proportion than that of newspapers,. which" was 450,000. But of the former increase, by far the greater, 500,000 took place in London alone. These results might have. been larger had the labours of the department not been invalidated by the laches'of the public. Nearly two millions of letters, or one in 280 of the whole number, were returned to the writers last year owing to failure in the attempts to deliver them. Three out of four of those failures were owing to the letters being addressed insufficiently or incorrectly, and more than 10,000 were posted without any address at all. In connexion with this branch of the subject may be mentioned the loose practice which some persons adopt of addressing letters to persons without adding the number of the house or even the name of:the street. Many psrsons will learn with surprise, on the authority of Lord Stanley of Alderly, that ." more than 20,000 -letters now arrive dailjr bearing only the name of an addressee, with the simple addition of 'London,'" a practice which, besides retarding the sorting, not unfrji]uently causes delay in delivery; for the distribution of this mass of correspondence over the United Kingdom we find that the mails are conveyed'every week-day over about 144,000 miles, viz.," 39,047 miles by railway, 32,297 miles by mail coaches and mail carts, 69,994 miles on foot, and 2,838 miles by packets and boats. The total gives an increase of about 4,000 miles over 1859, -chiefly in railway conveyance. The staff of officers in the British Isles is 25,192,. of whom 11,428 are postmasters, and 11 880 carriers and messengers. The gross: revenue of the Post-office in 1860 was £3,267,602 from postage, and £121,693 from commissions on money orders. £1,066,920 was disbursed in salaries and pensions. The net revenue of the year was £1,102,-17!) being £31,481 less than that of the yr:. •ioivsyp.u-. a diminution owing to increased expeii'il-'in.-. Nearly the whole of this net revenue was di-: ■■ •: from inland letters. For the sake of trade, and ~ r political and other Imperial purposes, it is thought well to carry the foreign and colonial correspondence of the country at a loss. If the letters composing it were charged with the whole of the cost they entail, not only would the sea-postage hi absorbed, but the operation would allow a loss such as amounted last year to £410,000. \Ve arc told that on each, letter between tins country and Sic Cape of. Good Hope .there appears a loss of about'9d; on each letter to the West Indies a loss of about Is. ;°n each letter to the. West 'Coast of Africa a loss of about Is. S;l. ; and on each letter to the United Sates, via G-alway a loss of about 6h. As usual, the year has been marked by the introduction of improvements calculated to increase the efficiency and extend the range of postal service. In

London and its environ? deliveries have been both increased and accelerated. Thirty-thwe places in various parts of the country have been provided with flay mails. More than a thousand places have, for the first time, the advantage of a free delivery. Accelerations have been numerous, including that of the Jrhh mails. One hundred and ten new moiiey-orJer orliees have lifen opened, ami tin- money-order system wliiuh, tbouirli yielding a profit in England, was car-••••-•-n in ■••-.'•)■ -<| at a loss, has been made self-sup-porting. The eh i.igi-s in the postal communication . . . J. v ~. ..ud Paris have been such as to give a iraiu in many cases of 24 hours in the single transit liutwiiini th'> provincial towns of France arid tbo=e of the United Kingdom. Negotiations are also in progress for admitting trade patterns to the privilege of the book post between the two countries.

Mr. S. E. Bolden has sold a, bull cal for 500 guineas. The animal, we may now add, was about fourteen days o!d when thus disposed of. The buyer was Mr, Thomas Atherton, of Spoke, near Liverpool ; and the young patrician (as appears from a. comparison of liix weight with his cost) fetched something above ss. an ounce, or SOs. a pound.—"European Times/ Nov. 2(5.