ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Southland Times, Issue 1100, 26 July 1869, Page 2

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

WB BO KOT IDBNTI** OUHSBLVBa IK AVT WAT WITH THB OPINIONS BXBBBS3BD BY OUS COBBBSBONDBHTS .

(TO TOT EDITOR OF THB BOtTTHIAOT) TIMRfI). Sib — A meeting of a very small portion of the Alphabet took place at a barn, somewhere about the Antipodes of the Tower of Babel, or may be the Dome of St. Paul's Cathedral ; however it matters not. As you had uo reporter present, I will give you a few of the leading speeches which I doubt not will edify you immensely. M. began by asking the meeting why they had requested him to come. A voice — To let us know how you are looking after our interests. M. And am Ito do nothing else than look after your affairs ; will any of you look after mine. A voice — You have the honour and glory of the thing. M. — Honour and glory !_ Honour and glory is all gas. I would like something more solid for my labour. M. continued that the great topic of the day was re-union ; he (M.) had always been strongly in favour of it till the other day he had received a letter from the Super, of C. which he read as follows :— DearM. — come to my bosom again after one long separation, and bring your whole kit and kin with you ; I have a balance of ten millions to my credit, which I faithfully promise to spend amongst your family. I may state our public works, such as railways, bridges and roads are entirely completed. (Signed) C. P.S. Don't forget to bring the need* ful. M . said he, being a man of business, twigged a great amount of soft soap about the letter and the postscript opened his eyes so he wrote back. My dearest C. — You can tell the yarn of the balance to the marines, the sailors won't believe it, an I if you were to send a ton ot gold to show what you had got, I know well that it would be borrowed cash, and the banks would have to whistle for the interest. (Signed) M. P.S. Don't think we are so green. P. then rose and said, the advantages of re-union were, that all the public offices would hare to be removed to 0; and the great number of persons that would have to use horses to ride to their quarters would quite set up both Ballarat and Peters ; and they, B. and P., would be enabled to buy the whole of the oats produced inthe country ; the disadvantages would be that the hotel keepers and grocers would all leave this part and go over to 0. and, therefore there would be no sale for butter and eggs ; he P. would leave the meeting to judge for themselves ; he P. would only say that it required much labour to raise oato, butter you

could easily get by feeding covva on other people's land,. B. of B. next came forward, and said that he of B. had a strong and powerful enemy in the E. of T.'s. He the (E. of B.) had tried all in his power, bdth by fair means and foul, to rout out the enemy ; be (E. of B.) had even gone so far as to try starvation, but without success, and as a last resource would try stratagem arid join his forces with those of C and -with such an eiiemy he would, utterly destroy and annihilate the gang of He ( (E. of B.) did not aay he would support Beelzebub, (if that party was in power), that is to say, if he (E. of B.) could * only get the Prin-tin in fact he had already received ad — to form one of his angels. A voice : — " Eight you are." An old delapidated skipper rose and Sang — Rule Southland,, Southland rules the #ave9 , Sbhß of Southland nevei' shall be slaves. \ All the meeting, to a man, joined haxrtily, M. concluded this pare of the meeting by saying it was a clear case of wreck, but advised all to have good pluck and stick to the craft as long as ribs and trucks held together, and if it came to abandonment it would be a case of jetsum and flotsum, that is, some would sink and others float. The second part of the meeting was opened by B. who madeexeusesfor bringing ! ■o many of his neighbors from such long distances ;he had but a short notice, otherwise he would have been prepared. The next time he promised to kill one of his biggest bulls for the occasion. They (the meeting) all knew that sheep had become a perfect pest about folks doors, and he would like to drive them away like calf before the wind, only he was fond of the^iller, and might catch a tartar; He could not understand the laws ;if he Consulted a lawyer he would just get a Sawdust pill, and be charged oile guinea; and be neither better nor worse ; an idea had struck hint which was to write to Lord Brougham on the law points if any one would pay the postage; Little B. dared anyone to interfere with his pheep, and said he was well up to law and land regulations. He referred the meeting to clauses 43 and* 48, and if the wardens did not understand the word repugnant in clause 45, they had better look it up in "Walker, his sheep had been of immense benefit to the landowners adjoining him in thoroughly cleariug the land and manuring it, at the same time he had been favored much by an eastern star having interpreted the words (small cattle) to mean sheep, pigs, hems, so be would take advantage of it and herd fen thousand swine on C.'s land, the brutes will root and plough it up, making it ready f<tf Crop. The adjoining landlords are so pleased with the benefit conferred on them that they are now joining to present him (little B.) with a piece of plat«, but as crockery was not used in the country, he (little B.) would, he expected, have to content himself with an old tin pannikin. Big B. had invested in sheep which paid him a good return, had also put up fines which had stared him in the face many a long year without giving a farthing interest. Or. (the oldest and most respected) would support little B. He Gr. had sheep, each of which gave him yearly a fleece of wool, which was exported, and was the only thing that brought money to the country. He had also bullocks ; it took five years for them to come to any valne, and then the feed was so bare that nothing was to be got but hide and horns. Little W. had all his land fenced in, and a Crown Grant for the same which gave him a clear and legal right to all land round about, both public and private. Big W. had made many a bawbee by selling fat bullocks raised on C.'s land. It made bis heart bleed to see his cattle driven away by sheep. So he called on all good folk to come and assist him in getting rid of the nuisance. A voice from P. H. — " Tou are old and ugly enough to take care of yourself." L. did not care about being a warden, it was all moonshine, he would pay fines in Southland and send his cattle during the summer to lay bare the plains of Otago. D — lt gave him " sair een " to see anybody's cattle within twenty miles of his doors. The C. got out of his bunk early that morning, and called the steward to get him a sandwich, as he (the C.) was going to a meeting in a barn, barns were cold and hungry places ; on hearing this the chief mate had turned round, and told him (the C.) to take a look into the bread locker, and he would find it pretty near soundings, and if he (the C.) did not get bis fore-and-after rigged, and the wheat put in, there would not be a biscuit to knock against another; he (the chief mate) then brought forth an abstract from the log-book, to show how the crew of the ship had been employed for the nast twelve months.

A. voice — The grey mare is the best horse, and ready about. The C. continued — That having been put on the other tack, had turned farmer, he was put about how to steer, as in England farmers put up fences to keep their cattle within bounds, in this country farmers had to fence in land to keep it from trespassing, in fact much time was lost in yarding, C. not mast-heading his turnips to keep them from running foul of his neighbor's cattle. R'b great ambition was to be a warden, but was doubtful if he was capable of the duty, he had tried his utmost to impound an old rooster, (a. c.> small cattle) but had failed to get him into the stockyard, he (B.) would therefore bring before the meeting the following motion, " that every settler keeps his cattle from twnp&mDg, and every laird to keep his

and from trespaasing," which was carri < unanimously. Th> H. men groaned. The I. men raved. The S. men laughed. The E. men wept. — Your's &c, K. Y. Z. I

Days Hours Hunting wild cattle 52 0 Meetings of all sorts 308 0 Employed on board 5 6 365 6