ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 73, 8 February 1862, Page 2

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor of the Otago Dailt Times.

Sir,—As a working man, I have been much surprised at the absence, both in Dunedin and on the diggings, of any regularly organised Savings Banks — a deficiency which, I believe, is anything but in keeping with the general character of this careful and business-like community. To the majority of the working class in town, and the diggers up-country, the establishment of these institutions would be a most signal benefit, affording as they would a secure and profitable investment for their savings, and encouraging habits of economy and self-reliance ; at the same time they would undoubtedly remove much of that temptation to excess which the carrying of money about tiie person is apt to induce ; while the only interest which could possibly suffer is that of the publican. lam aware there would be at first soiae "difficulty in establishing a separate bank for this purpose, and that unless the subject was taken in hand by some person of acknowledged position and influence, there would be but little chance of success ; but I have ventured to throw out the suggestion in the hops that some one maybe found able and willing to take the initiative. Might not some of the present banking liruiH find it worth their while to add this department to their present business ) Or, could it not be incorporated with some existing public institution ? I feel certain that if the matter wore taken up by some of the large employer.-!, or the ministers of religion in the place, that Savings Banks would become "a fact,'' and that an immense benefit woidd be conferred on hundreds who, like myself, are anxious to lay by a little against a rainy day. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, Tubal\Caix. Dunedin, 7th Feb., 1802.

To the Editor of the Otaoo Datly TrjiKS.

Deah Sir, —I noticed in your journal of February Ist a letter signed " .T. B. ii.," the tenor of which was to endeavor to imprest upon ths minds of the Provincial Government to re'ain as ninny of its prosent population as possible. lie 'recommend.?, as one inducement, tlie extension of claim?, in which I fully concur; but I rcirret very much that he should have been, by any circumstance, led to comment upon the? capabilities' of WaUaUiuia and Wetlierstonc.'s, it worked in :i manner described by him. J. 1!. S. can have but a very limited idea of the amount of work that could be performed by such a vast body of raiai as 20,000, or he must entertain great notions of the quantity'of the precious metnl remaining beneath the heaps of mullock that, in every ease, affords tangible proof of to whatextent the places above alluded to have already been worked. J. 3. S. further expresses himself to the effect that, from personal experience, ho is satisfied with the prospect, and that by toining or sluicing:, it would pay from J to 1 oz. per man per day. I will only leave this remark of his to common sense and a feu" figures, which, if taking- the smallest amount, would produce 10,000 o:i. per day, to say nothing1 of our boasted good claims upon 'the 1)111?, which, I presume, would still keep working', and contribute to the "10 or 11,000 oz. conveyed per escort, which, if added to J. 13. S.s calculations, would produce between 70 and 7-3,000 oz. per weak. All I can say is, the sooner that his suggestions and practical experience is brought into operation the better, both for ths inhabitants of the gold-fields and the Province at large. I should not have attempted to have noticed J B. S.s letter through your columns, but I feel it a duty incumbent upon evciy m:m to prevent iiis fellow being led astray by exaggerated reports such as his.

And now, as I have worked at mining operations upon Wofhcrstone's for this last throe months, and am acquainted with every hole and corner of it, I think I may, in justice, claim a right to hazard an opinion in reference to its capabilities. J. B. S. is probably not aware that at the present time there are hundreds of practical and able-bodied man on Wctlierstouc's alone walking about endeavoring to find any sort of a place to set into, whereby they could obtain a few pennyweights to clear tucker. In the gully of Wetherstaie's there is scarcely an old wall, take it from one end to the other, but as, been removed, and numbers are daily venturing, nt the risk of life and limb, into old boles and drives, removing pillars and fossicking under the walls; others, stout and able ! men, are to be seen carrying the headings a long distance to the creek, washing tailings, &c, nsalnst resource, to obtain sufficient to subsist upon, as they arc desirous to stay up hero m long as possible, in tlie hopes that something fresh will break out. I know of numbers who would gladly avail themselves of any opportunity whereby they could obtain a few pennyweights per day, and would leave no part of cither "of the flats in question unturned if it would yield parties of four Aan oz. per day amongst them. These, Sir, are facts to which numbers can bear testimony, to their own sorrow. Numbers have applied for and obtained extended claims upon the old ground, for the purpose of sluicing all before them, and after going to expense and giving it several days' trial, found it would not pay, and therefore loft it. These, Sir, are but a few of the instances I could mention in opposition to J. B. S.s ideas, but I do not wish to trespass upon your "space, as I fed assured, to my sorrow, that we shall soon have tangible proof of the incapability of these gold-fields to support their present population. By inserting the enclosed, you will oblige numbers who fully endorse my sentiments iv every particular, j Yours, fee," W. H. D.

Wethcrstone's Gully, February 5, 1832,

Dunedin, February sth, 1802. To the, Editor of the Daily Times. Sir, —I have seen Mr. Kingston at Port Chalmers yesterday, and he advised ma to send you the enclosed, that you would kindly support this humane action, which will greatly oblige me. Yours truly, Thos.'S. Dowses, Master of the " Sarah and Esther."

To the charitable feelings of the Shipmasters, Agents, and Owners of Dunedin and Port Chalmers. David Magher, one of the seaman belonging to the "Sarah and Esther"—one of the three men that was struck by lightning on the evening of the 7th of Jan., when off Cane S.-iiinder.s, on her passage from Melbourne to this port, and is now lying dangerously ill in the Hospital, having no friends in the colonyj requests the assistance of the humane and charitable. :

Donations will be received by Mr. John Ogilvic, Shipping and Commission Agent, Dunedin ; and Mr. James Galbraith, Port Chalmers.

£^5 THE EXECUTION" OF COLLINS.

The extreme sentence of the law passed upon James Collins, late Golor-Sarg-eaut in the (j sth regiment, for the murder of Ensign Alexander, of tho'same regiment, at Wanganui, on the Ist November last, was carried into effect iv the gaol at Wellington, on Thursday morning. It was finally arranged on Wednesday morning that the execution should take place at the time above mentioned. When the arrangement was communicated to the unhappy prisoner, he expressed himself perfectly ready to meet his fate, as he was anxious for .it to be over, the suspense in which he had been in, expecting every day to be his last, being wearying. When he learned that the execution would take place witliin the walls of the gaol, ho expressed his gratificn-

tion, aiv.i said that it wai a great relief to his mi.'id to think that he should not be ex-posed to the jecre and i:iiult-i of a tlioicrhtlc*) crowd. TJI2 Bishop of Wellington and the Rev. A. Sto.:k have been unwearied 'in their attendance on the unfortunate man since his conviction, and 0:1 the day precc.fliu-r lih oxesution they renninert with him until late in the evening. The "Bishop left him about half-past nine, whori lie expressed a hops that the prisoner would bo ahlo to get soms sleep. After tha Bishop left/ the ''Warden vi3it<:d him, who also requested him to got a little rest; mit he declined to do f.o, m Mr. .Stock hii;l promised to call again, which ha did about midnight. After Mr. Stoek'had left, tha prisonf-r made an effort to sleep but rli 1 not succeed, but remained earnestly praying to God to forgive him hi-? sins, and to have mercy 012 hw 7>oor soul. At his request Mr. lleid visited him again* at three o'clock, nnd again at live,-when he found him weeping bitterly and praying to God to forgive him. When Mr. ll';i"l informed him that he must leave him—his duties requiring his attendance elsewhere—the unhappy prisoner hurt into a floo'i of tears, and seizing the Warden by the hand she shook it mot affectionately for some time, and wilier! him farewell for ever; he thanks:! him for the kind maunar in which he had been treated since his confinement, and expressed the hope that they should meet again in lmaven. Trie Bishop of Wellington, accompanied by the Ilnv. A. Stock, arrived between five and six o'clock, when they administered the Siicrament of thu Lord's Supper to the wretched man.

The Sheriff" and the Provincial Surgeon having arrived at about a rinartor to eight o'clock, the prisoner was informed that the time for his execution had come. He was perfectly calm and collected; and, having been pinioned, he walked to the seatfijM with a firm step and serene countenance, perfectly resigned to his fate, and apparently Irva afFecled thaii any of the spectators. He was attended to the scaffold by the BUhop and Mr. Stock, tli3 latter reading tile burial service of the Church of K.iglaal, commencing " I ;v:u the resurrection ail tho life." I'lie executioner having adjusted tin rope, the signal was given, and tiie unhappy man was taunehe 1 into eternity. After hanging 'the usual tisna, the body was cut down and placed in tha coffin to await tiie coroner's inquest.

The prisoner having expressed a wish to die in his uniform, the request was considerately complied with. Ths bo.ly >vas viewed by a number of persons during the day ; the appearance of the deceased had undergone little or no change, the expression of the features being quite placid, and the skin wholly undi.scolored. The conduct of the unfortunate man from the date of his entering the gaol, had been uniformly exemplary ; the Warden informed us that he was the best behaved man lie had ever had under his charge ; and the feeling that he was justified in sending a fellow creature unprepared into eternity was long before his death considerably modified, and in the end, under the influence of the ministration of religion, apparently obliterated. He was known to have bjen drinking freely some days previous to the perpetration of the crime for whioh his life has now been forfeited, and to its influence, and . his forge'tfulness of G-od, he ascribes, in part, the causa of his unhappy end. ADDITIONAL PAItTICULAnS. It will be in the recollection of our readers that, up to the trial of Color Sergeant Collins for the murder of his stperior officer, lie could not be brought to see the enormity of his ofteuce. He said, in otherwords, that " his purpose was to kill an enemy, nor was ho the less prepared to undergo the punishment than he was to perpetrate the deed." This feeling was observable in his conduct before the committing magistrates at Wanganui, and was evidently predominant in his mind up to the time of his conviction. He felt that the tyranny to which he had been subjected, in some degree, morally if not legally justified him in the terrible course he adopted. He wished his trial to bo postponed in order to obtain witnesses to the truth of the statement he made before the magistrates as to the treatment ho had received from tha deceased. An application was made by his coifiisel to that effect, but the Court ruled that a post-pone-ment of the trial could not be granted on any such ground, as no amount of verbal provocation would justify any one in depriving a fellow creature of life, or reduce "the charge of murder to one of manslaughter On a day or two previous to the trial he wrote to an old friend to ask him to see the witnesses of the prosecution. He wished them to speak the truth and the truth only; but he reminded them of numerous occasions -.aid instaness in which they had themselves bsan witnesses of the threats and harsh treatment to which he had been subjected. These facts he evidently expected to be brought out on the cross-exami-nation, and which would show to th--j jury find the world that he was not altogether the cold-blooded monster the bare facts alone might lead them to suppose ; and that there were extenuating ciruum'stancs in his case which, though thtiy might not be sufficient to cle.vr him of the charge of wilful murder, were yet calculate*! to create some sympathy in his fate. After the trial, tima and his impending1 execution, assisted, as we Jiav« said, by the rc'i'riuiu ministrations ho was afforded, madu a'great change in his views. This will lie at once seen in the following1 letter, -iddressed to a comrade and a "dear old school-fel-low : '"— 24th January, 1832. DiiAU Boil, —It is .with sorrow that I write these few Unas, but hoping they will be a caution to you. Oil! think of my unhappy fate, as you must consider it. Oh! Bob, beware of my unfortunate career in this world. !)o—do refrain from Liquor and bad company, as they will bring1 you to ruin in tlw end. Tnko warning by me, Da —before its too late. Don't let the evil one get such a hold of you, as i did. Oil ! Bob, do refrain.' Do—for God's sake,- and for the sake of your unhappy Old School IV/loiv. Little did I think"them happy days was to end this way. Dear Bob, I could not expect anything- <;be, I took delimit in otfcndinu1 that great and good God who 1 have to appear before now, to ask for pardon. The Lord have mercy o:i my pool1 soul, and prepare me for that srreut day. ' "While we have health and strength we are apt to'forget. God, but recollect what Gocl says that the wicked .shall he. cast into Hell, and all nations that forget him, so de.ir Bob, do soak the Lord while he is near, and voj will find rest for your soul.

Oh! for God's sake, do take warning by the uni happy life I led. Little do we know tlie moment that the Lord will call us to give an account for our pa^t life. "What an awful thing it would be then to say that wo are too late 1 How many have we read of craving for one day more to live, and tlntwould not be granted them ; but thanks be to God. I have got a Ion" day to ssek for pardon from my heavenly father. Ah? my dear friend, it U much more than 1 deserve for allowing the evil one to tempt me to do what I -did ? What could I expect but GoJ's anger to be kindled against me? What can I say for myself.' Only that "I trusted in the devil, and despised God's holy power 1 have got no excuse iit. all But I hope the* Lord will be merciful to me and forgive me. Oh ! if I had to commence my life again, I would lead a different one; but too late to think of that now. Oh Bob, if you are leading, such a life as 1 have done, change "from it—do change from it; pray to God to give you health and strength to guard against: it, for any man that leads such a life cannot expect thd love of God to be with him. Drunkenness —drunltennos*and women will bring a man to the gallows, as it ha* the unfortunate writer of this note. Do—do, dear Bob, for God's sake, do —lead a different life—d?.' Bear in mind that God is looking doyn on ouv'conduct here on earth. Although wo can't see him, he sees us. I know it is a hard task to lead n religious life iv the some.), but there is a groat ni-my bad habits tliatyou can guard against. You should be very thankful to Almighty God for being so kind to you aa to spare you when your comrades were falling woiin-l you at Taranaki. I hope that has taken some eft'jci upon your But I know a soldier's life fcoo well. The more danger, the less God is thought of. Oh, Boh, I ask you one request. When you uve writing to your loving sister , don't mention anything about mo, as she is sure to know some of my "relations in . Most likely, when they see it in the papers, they won't think that I am the "unfortunate man, (I hopa such will be the case,) for it would be a grievous blow to my dear brothers and sisters if they knew , that their brother died suta a death. As for my | dear father and mother, I expect they are dead ami i hone in Heaven.

Oh, God ! Oh, God ! what have I brought myself to at last 1 Little did I think that this was the way that I would have to leave this world; but there is nothing left now for me to wish to remain in it any longer. I am quite reconciled to my unfortunate death. Dear Bob, I would have waote more, only I could not, I feel wretched ! God only knows tli3 thoughts that flash through my unhappy mind, expecting every day to be the last. But God help me, that day will soon arrive. Dear Bob, this is a very short note to them that I loved as a brother. I did not intend writing at all, but I feel wretched when I think of you. I howe these few lines will be valuable to you when I am cold iv my grave, and that will be before you receive this, t hope you will excuse me, for I can't writs any more. May the great God hi with you. From your dear old school-fellow. Farewell, Bob, farewell ! May the Lord be with ■ you. May he give you health and strength to seek him. Do —do/Bob^ seek the Lord while he is near. Farewell, farewell, 'dear Bob, may God bless you, my dear old friend. From the unfortunate, James Collijjs. In another letter, of an earlier date, he thus addresses another comrade ;—- H" Oh, for God's sake—and the sake of the unforj tunate—beware of drunkenness and bad company, for , they are the ruination of man. Do, do, seek the Lord, seek him while he is near —and you will find happiness at the last —I hope thqse fc\y lines will be valuable to you hereafter. In the midst of life we are in death : of whom may we seek for succour but of thee, O Lord, who for our sins are justly displeased ] I would have written more, only my mind feels wretched. Farewell, farewell—may the Lord be with you—may he give you health and strength to seek Him and do His will. Adieu, dear friend, may the blessing of the great God be with you.— Nans Zealand Advertiser, Feb. 1,

THE VICTORIA?? ExVLOHXXi} EXPEDITION. 1 The folbwiii;; from Ul3 itilbiui-ne Yvomiii, will |bs road with intero.it. It will ba kssii that tli3 I writer's objej; i; to s'.io".r that Biirka %v.h jiuom- | patent, aid the w'idl-j a'vur iU-oinojive.l an I badly i managed. It is car.- tj ba "wise aftu- th; evont," bat a*i th? s:ius time it mu-t bs a^co'lod thai the writer m-ik-M out a very stroag ea^e : —

Tiia first mistake was " in starting an hour or so bafore dark, whereas th; p.\rty by that time should liave finished it-; day's journey and cv.ripsd for th-j night." Nothing particular occiirred in the journey through Viet jria," " '"It wits worth while, however, noticing that Ul3 louder nearly every night abandoned his party, and sought lha shelter of the nearest -public lioa.se or .station " —Across the .Murray, at Balranald, a quantity of stroctn was left behind, including tba "only litter the paroy had for carrying the sick." " I'lie leader had by this time received a letter from the coiiHiiitte", instructing him to reduce liis expenses : and several of the met!, amongst whom was Fencn.-ion, the overseer, were attempted to bs got rid of in the following manner :— They were ordered to remain behind with the store.-; left at Balranald, and to come on afterwards. Ferguson soon found out the contrivance, and there was n groat storm between liiiu and the leader in consequence. Challenges to tight were freely Riven by Ferguson, but not accented. "The disturbance ended by Ferguson and two others leaving the party. Ferguson, on his return to Melbourne, tried in,vain to get a hearing from the coininitteo, and went the length subsequently of threatening it with an action; but his Honor the I Chief Justice of Victoria, in his capacity as a member oj the committee, assured his eoinmitteemcn that Ferguson had not a les to stand upon. There was.no urgent reason, therefore, why lie should l>3 heard, and there was no great necessity for according him simple justice. '* Then follows a detail of allege:! mishaps on the way to the Darling. The leader having engaged a couple of blacks to pilot him across the plains, it said that "he showed a want of confidence in himself." Camping places were not sclcctcl until after dark, waggon horses were exhausted from over work and want of wafer, rendering it necessary to send back the camels forty miles to bring four tons dead weight from the waggons. "Wo think it necessary to refer particularly to such facts, because the committee, having undoubtedly started the Expedition at the wrong season, the secretary, Dr. Macadam, has endeavoured to prove to tlu commission that the Expedition started at the right season. Ho said, at the second sitting of the commission, that, 'at the time Mr. Burke left Melbourne, it was considered he had ample time to reach the Darling, and cross over to Cooper's Creek at the most favourable part of the year.' If the committee, or any other body, ever . considered anything of the kind, it had no foundation whatever for arriving at such a conclusion, and it only thus makes known its lamentable ignorance of the elimafce of that portion of the continent." The point of the Darling on which the Expedition emerged from the scrub and plains, was opposite to Phelp's station. " For a fortnight, during: which the temporary depot remained six miles up the Darling from this station, the leader abandoned his party nearly every night, and sought the shelter of Mr. Phelp's homestead." Here too stores aud materials were left. " The horses went on almost without loads, and a heavier duty was now imposed upon the camels than they could endure. The second in command remonstrated, and he was instructed to throw nine camel loads, if he likod, into the river—aud a quantity of goods was so disposed of." It was here that Bowman, who had been with Gregory, lefc the party, disgusted with the mode of proceeding, and not because, fa asserted by Professor Ncumayer. he was dissatisfied with the leader's proposed motto of payment. "Wu have nothing to do with, the task of finding out who is responsible for this untruth. That belongs to others. We fearlessly make such revelations, because our investigations are, day by day, making known to us that the same duplicity has not only been practised by other interested parties, but rent and -important facts have apparently been purposely suppressed and concealed, in order to give a false color to every tiling connected with this extraordinary Expedition." Whatevidence our contemporary, has to support nil these charges against the lender, we know not; but we should think his statements ought to attract the notice of some of the members of the party. King can say ■whether they are exaggerated or not. The fact of 'Ferguson " freely challenging" the leader to tight, is not indicative of a spirit of subordination; and as to the present of brandy to Mr. Phelp's overseer, mention as a fault by the " Yeoman," that was known long ago, and ths explanation was that it was found neces uryto lemovc temptation from the way of some of the men—pcrhnp? of Ferguson himself.

Fashion at the Sea-Side.—The Duchess of Roeliampton had a largo house at tlio quietest end of the town. Anxious mothers lilra Lady Trumpeton diffused an inferior lustra from lodgiugs on the esplanade ; there were foreign grandees who liked living at the hotel; .second-rate people, who revenged themselves for the snubbings they had got all the summer by giving themselves groat airs among the Vestborough fashionables ; members of Parliament who revenged themselves for the silence of the session by bilking blue-books, and looking grave about the British Constitution ; stout Sir Johns, who longed to get ba.'k to their turnips and prixe oxen : fine gentle-' men, solid, languid, and'appareutly sick at heart at the vulgarity of their species ; Indian colonels with livers ; broken down clergymen, with throats ; chaste Penelopes doing worsted work patiently ; while Ulyses was on^ia travels to the ware ;naughi.yClytemnestra with flirtations on hand and tra^ion.l ilciioiitnnents looming in the future ; Lydia and Gloe reading novels on the beach ; while their pretty locks are drying after their bath ; Horace going along the esplanade to Maecenas's lidttings with a new ode in his pocket; Dives in hia barouche, with the gout in his legs, and Attra Cura up with the powdere 1 fofftman behind him : —anybody and everybody, in fact, who wanted some fresh air and a holiday, and who was not above taking- it in a good, practical, emphatic sort of fashion. As for being morbid and low sph-ited ut Westberough, that was'simply out of the question. —Wheat and Tares. English Summers. —The lushest temperature in the summer of this year at any of the 00 stations from which the Registrar-General receives returns was SO's dog., which was reached at C.imden Town in August. Last year-the highest temperature was '. 81 deir., which was attained at Whitehall, and so early aY the month of May. In 1859. 94-4- deir. at the'same place in July, in 1853, 07 deg. at Bradford in Juno. In 1857, 03 dog. at Worcester, also in June. From watering places included iv those returns of the weather we learn that 75 desr. was the hiffhest realms this summer at Vuntnor, 77f5 deg. at Fairlight (Hastings), and 81 deg. at Worthing, all in Ju'nej while in the north the greatest heat at Scarborough was lo dear., and at Llandudno 72-3 dog1., both in Aua'u-'t. 'J'Jie mean temperature of the three summer months of June, July, and August at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, Wiis 01*1 deg. iv 1353." Oi ilog. in 1857, 62-5 deg. in 3858, G4-3 deg. in 185!)', 56-7 due;, in 1860, and 61' deg. in 1861." The ayeraa-e of the la~t 00 years is 60. 'This summer a truly "tropical rain fell at Rose Hill, near Oxford, . on the 25th day of July, 2 9 inches in about eight hours. : . ' ."

This Fruxck Dbvicit.—lt is important ■ ft) notice with roarard to the Financial crisis in France tli.it the sum (if .-£10,000,000 is not'the deficit for this year, nY is erroneously stilted by the X'inies and. other daily journals, but. the accumulated deficit ofthe past years. The average deficit of the past ten ycarj has'been about £.6,000,000 per annum—:tfiat i 3, • Franca is spending' £8,000,000 par annum more^ than iier income—niid now that the system of extra- f ordinary credits is abolished, how is this annual deficit to be met? - :

v ExTUAOIiniN'ARY Capture—On Thursday, as a gentleman ivas standing on the pavement Chaueerylane. witnessing the arrival of the Prince.of Wales, a man snatclio I his watch from Ms pocket, and-made off, the gentleman, in trying to capture him, falling to the ground. The thief, with great tact, madq- his way round the carriages and got as tar as Twining's bank, when a cabman, in flourishing his whip, caught the thief round the throat with it, and it fastened: on him so tightly that it not only pulled him up, but almost strangled him. He was captured, . and the watch found on him.— London'Paper. An inmate of the Royal Ehspitat, Cjieb?a, named Bode, formerly of the OOih Rifles, a native of Nassau, it is rumoured has bsen.pronouuced rightful heir-at law to property to the! amount of £350,0110.