CAVE CANEM.

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 108, 30 October 1863, Page 5

CAVE CANEM.

[To the "Editor of the Invercargill Times.) g IBi — As it is generally understood that the refuse for the aggrieved is to be found in the Corfespdndence columDS of a newspaper, I, being one , ot that unhappy class, throw myself pell mell upon ' tour valuable journal. The particular ill which has urged me to this headlong course is do^a— r C S like the hero of that enthusiastic old fellow, j[ a yne Reid's novels, I have been and am "hunted jjydogs!!" Morniu^,- noon, and nighf-, not only ' al n I unfondly dreaming of dogs, but their actual presence, tails, ears, tongues, bark, and often bite, ihire oppT ssed m*. I never knew such a place as Invercargill for (lops— it beats Constantinople and liclti Lisbon. And they are the very nastiest description of dogs. Not your noble Newfoundland, that in nice •fltorica'for good little'boys, is always rescuing babies -out of rapid rivers ; nor yet the sweet little terrier, with tarhed-up nose, that one tends tied up in blue ribben to dearest Amy or Violet, with " the best lore of, thine ever fondly, Adolphus;'" but great, straggling, mangy animals, which hoyl after you, snap at you, charge at you, . and consider you sometimes in the light of a tabbing post, sometimes as''viifc-s-i"»B-s," nn.l often, ifthey have been having a swim in ponds of dirty ; inter, as an excellent substitute for a Turkish towel. I have suffered dreadfully from these | creatures, they are always finding me out. Only tbo other day — thinking myself free of my persecutors, I sat down in my private office o solve a question which has long perplexed me, namely, what the Pentateuch has to " fio with Tay street, and Bishop Colenso with the •Chairman of the Town Board, or any other man ; but scarcely were my thoughts composed in the winner that the profundity of the problem demanded, wlion I became conscious of a cold, slimy feeling in thejieft hand. Looking down wit a a sti r'«, I bcbeld r the most filthy of starved out kangaroo ■ idojs, 'Engaged apparently ala boa constrictor in "■:' feting tits prey ••(my hand), before devouring it. ; Seed I describe my feelings at this invasion of my sanctum and person^ need T. vulgarly say that ". it was all up that 'day with' Colenso. : need I also ■. -say thrtt the abominable -creature went down two . ■ pair of stairs with an elan that caused my servant 1 Betsy to shriek " Ho, Eaven^P " ■I hike-it "Sir, that this universal presence and ■obtrusiveness of tlio canine species, is a nuisance. Ibat oujjhfto be,putdovrDi Why flon't the police make & rai3 'Upon stray dogs"'? In Victoria, thisiuisance do ;s" not exist, for there the policeman ; jets half-a-crown a head, for every wandering, brute ho captures and disposes of. Why should'nt " the same rule prevail 'hcre-f I cannct see why by , the absence of proper ragulatious; 'the life of a , .■ peaceful man, who goes^to church twice on Sundnys i«s. ad always reads his paper should be made miser- ' ,&/& (&K as isthe<case with : f" ' Your obedient servant, .. Bartholomew Bapps. ' ■ "•» 111 ( To the Editor of the Invercargill Times.) [ - iStR — I see that the authorities having the care ( '■> of the roads beyond the supervision ot the Town f Board, are taking means to spoil what was one of the only roads fib for pedestrians. 1 refer to the irapr 'vements .(?.) at present being carried on on the North Road. The original formation of the ' road— somewMt on the principal of an arch — ; ' Mowed 'the water a sufficient drainage from the, . centre to the sides, whenceit flowed away, and . kept the roan, comparatively speaking, dry and ! . lard. Tiie alteration being carried out, consists '■■ & levelling the whole width of *tberoa^, by filling iv the sides with a sort ot damp sand, which, a'udajifs way over the whole surface of theroal, oust render.it a 'complete -quagmire after tlie^irst ; isavy rain. .If I recollect rightly-, a very similar , lethod of altering the roadways in other portions if the town, had the effect of reducing the nto thj mpassable state they were in last winter. _ ; Trusting you will spare a corner for this lofcter n your journal, I am, Sir, .Yours, respectfully, : "Viator.