Correspondence.

Colonist, Issue 52, 20 April 1858, Page 3

Correspondence.

To the Editor of the Colonist. Siß,j—ln the Examiner of Saturday I read the fallowing:—; :

" Mr. Saunders here-jrose and denied the correctness of the'report ofhis speech iv the Colonist." It wouMfrbt'lje veiy'-polite were I to say, this remark is untrue, yet nevertheless I should be sorry to say otherwise.

Mr. Sauriders came to me and most generously offered to explain that he never had any intentioD of impugning the correctness of my report, and I doubt not that hi your Friday's issue will be seen a letter from that gentleman upon the subject. In the meantime however I have reason to believe .'.that I am not infringing privacy in publishing.the following, which I saw lying on the repopter;}' table in. the Council Chamber ;,—

" Sir,— -I entirely admit the correctness of that report in the Colonist so far as it states that you promised to submit your evidence in writing, and that you had every opportunity to refute the evidence taken before the Committee, which are the points in that report which in your petition you ask leavz to answer. " Alfred Saunders. « Dr. Wilson."* A.HIBBLE. .

- P' To.the xEditor of the Colonist, Sir,—/In'the advertised'applications for runs in the ]3i'o^iii(J&',; for: February, 1858, there is one fr/oi. A. R Macuonell and James Dodds; for a "run'which they modestly estimate at .140,000 acre's, and the boundaries they ascertained (I have no doubt) by the very simple process of glancing:at a map of New Zealand, naming a known river as part, a kite another, and the Snowy Ranges as the remainder of the boundary, and then claim all the unexplored land thus circumscribed as a run, guessing the same to be 140,000 acres, which is just as likely to be twice the extent.

Now; without entering on the question as to the probability of those gentlemen actually-oc-cupying the fifth part of the enormous extent of land they claim, I think it a qnestiun alike for runholders and settlers generally, whether one or two individuals should be permitted to appropriate to themselves country sufficient to cut up into half a dozen runs large enough for people of more molerate desires. There are many in this settlement, who, by hard toil and selfdenial, have amassed sufficient to stock a small j run, and look to the We3t Coast as the only ground now offering where they could establish theinselyes, What chance then have they ofdoing so, if it is permitted to a single individual to occupy an enormous extent of country sufficient to satisfy ■ the desires of half a dozen . others with less:selfish aspirations ? A pastoral country is proverbially a poor country; this is a very small pastoral country, but if this sort of monopoly is tolerated it will continue " poor indeed." . : • ' Yours, &c, ; SPECTATOR. Nelson, April 19.

To tlie Editor of the Colonist Sir, —In your last number you publish a notice of Mr, F. Berry's, stating his iutention of stopping the road leading to the Saltwater Bridge. I heard of Mr. Barry's claim to this road some time since, and considered it my duty to enquire into the case. I find it simply a clerical error,—-for 7 links they have put 70 links on the Grown Grant; an error also occurring in the Crqwn Grant issued, to'Mr; Curtis for.the land on the opposite side of the road, in which for 170 links they; have put 1700 links. Now, Mr. C. has just as much right to his 1700 links as Mr. B has to 70 links. If. Mr. C. could claim 1700 links, he would take the road, Mr. Berry's land, and five acres beside. The proper dimensions of Mr. Berry's land is this: —length, 440 links; depth at east end, 110 links,; ditto at west end, 7 links—average width, 58£ links. I make this extract from the Crown Grant:—• " One rood more, or less, being section numbered 1124 on the plan of the said town, bounded on the northward by Bridge street." I beg to state that Mr. Berry has more than a rood in the dimensions given above. Yours, &c, JOSEPH WEBB. ; Nelson,. April 19. ■■•■;'

~, 1o His Honor John Perry Robinson, Superintendent. ' : "*' (Per favor of the Colonist.) Siijj-rr-Irv, addressing you upoa so important a subjectjas rthe one now the theaie of my letter, Ido not offer any apology, that one so humble, should dare attempt to reach the towering height of the pedestal on which you rest—that of the popular will—because I feel that your good sense will suggest to you, that from such as I am, you derived your power. Nay, I feel that the importance of my. subject will sufficiently explain my reason for now addressing the head of this province.

There is such a thing in existence as a West .Coast,.never yet I believe, thoroughly explored, —into whose depths the penetratirag eye of the adventurer has not yet pierced—the very nature of which may be said to be almost entirely unknown to us. One party did recently try to' reach .this now hidden land, but grim death seized upon its most active .member, and the boat returned with his : late companions to receive the condolence of his friends and the grief of Nelson, that the expedition had been thus unfortunately put a stop to. Another party somewhat'advanced in its inauguration, when the main-mover therein became an inmate of ourgaol, and how with shorn locks and heavy irons performs the degrading part of a prisoner's work on our public highways.

But; Sir, this letter is written for the; purpose of asking you, the acknowledged, the elected head of this province, why you have not clone something which should decide at once and forever, whether the beauteous rivers, known to. exist,on the borders of'that unknown coast, have ,any ■,tracts of level. land by their sides wherein-■ the bleating of sheep, the lowing of herds, or the bright gleam.of thojjusy husband-; man's ploughshare, may be seen; some spot from whence this colony may draw a revenue j ,aad <o which those who how look in vain for available land may emigrate. Would such an expedition''cost £200? &nt\, look at the vast stake to be gained. ' Who knows—who can pretend to say/ that there are not millions of unoccupied r fertile acres, with'the sunshine daily gleaming its golden vivifying, beams on nothingness if discovered, would yield the profitable nm,' or the ever gloi ions farm,, with its acres of yellow ripening corn, sratteiing bliss" and blessoduesH whore all now is wild and desolate ?

, I pray you^ now that the Provincial Council will soon cUso its labors, and you be left to look around for the spots most capable of valniblo improvements that you will, through your Commissioner of Crown Lands, set on foot some movement whereby this colony may learn if its unoccupied tenitory be of any value. ALFRED.

, ■_..,.; To the Editor of the . Colonist. ■ Rttldlo me, riddle me vis,. . ■Kone'are"so blind as those tvh'6*. won't see

Sib,—The correspondent of the Examiner who signs himself " Mud," may well feel proud oi' his (I might almost say) singular faculty of elucidating the/idiomatical and mystical lucubrations of the ""Kelson philosophical, political, and theological metaphysicians;; and for one, I feel greatly indebted^'for his very lucid interlineation to the elaborate configuration to which it refers, but of which it is not a just illustration, neither can it be called a fair caricature ; still it may be ■ useful to some correspondents or readers, and [ c\;i only regret that we cannot boast of more " Mud" in this rising and intellectual colony. It brought to my recollection a parallel case which occurred to myself, and goes far to prove how profound thinkers, and men who think alike, resemble each other ih their idiomatical phraseology, when expounding the mystical and allegorical writings of the ancient writers. The circumstance was as fol--lows :—^ ' '' '■ "■■■■■•"■.'■ :: •■•■.-: Being puzzled and perplexed, and at the same time ashamed of my ignorance, in being unable to discover the moral to be deduced from the Bible History of Ahab, asset forth in the Ist Kings, c. xxii, verses 19, 20, 21, and .22, I wrota to a rev. friend of mine, a senior wrangler of Cambridge, seeking in all humility his powerful aid, knowing his characters a profound theologian, when after a considerable lapse of. time he wrote me as follows :—" la reference to your queries regarding I the test referred to, you must bear in mind that yvjaeve: all is either allegorical, metaphorical, anugogicaL , categorical, rhapsodical, or .-oratorical; befqre.y'ou can come within a guess of what is the real meaning of it, you must evitate the sonorous catachresis of metonymoua paraphrases, no less i than, the cabalistical dogmatism of analogical ratiocination ; or otherwise you must immolate the apothegmatical autVactuosity of idiopathic sentiment, to the supervacaneous ponderosity of cacaphonous periods, polyphonoua. rhetoricisms, and syncatigoriatieal collation, and'eonturbanter Constantinopolitani innumerabilibus solicitudueibm., and then perhaps you will begin to have an inkling of the meaning of the passage quoted, and consequently of the moral sought to be inculcated." And sure enough with the aid of such a key the whole truth " flashed across ,my mind as clear aa mud," and I have since venerated the story. I would throw out the suggestion that as everything here goes by merit, I think " Mud" should apply to our self-elected Collegiate Trustees, for the appointments of Professor, of. Philosophical, I Political, and and Theological Mysticism to the College, whereby he might by a series of lectures render the quirks, quiddities, oddities, and witticisms of our grave, potent, and very reverend Seniors and Senators, even more enigmatical, phantasijiatical, and pharasaical than they are at present.- All of which I have, no doubt, to such a recondite pundit, would ; . ;be mere child's play. Perhaps your insertion,of tins would lead, others more competent than myself to give the idea a practical form. By doing which, you will oblige : Yours, &c, . SENEX ALBUS.

The (Mse.of .th> ; immigrant, ship Stebonheath was exciting a great deal of attention mSyd^y. The circumstances were as follows:—At the inquest, held upon the body of a young woman named Annie Cox who came by the vessJ,, i was proved that deceased was ehciente at the time of meeting with, the accident which resulted in her death. (She had fallen down one of the hatchways while suffering high mental excitement.) The surge"nvsuperintendent of the .vessel Dr. Boland, aud Miss Chase, the matron, were both examined, and stated their exertions were wholly ineffectual to preserve order, on board during the voyage; that the' single girls were for the most part of very questionablo character; that, they: encouraged the advances ,Qf the sailors ; and .that/the latter had broken into the single women's, compartnient no1 le.ss than fourteen times during, the voyage put! Such sweeping charges, made upon oath, excited the attention of the public, and both dailies came out very strong upon the subject, taking for their text the sworn testimony, adduced before the city Coroner at the inquest. It has since turned our, however, notwithstanding the eulogium passed by the; jury upon Miss Chase aiid Dr. Koland, that there are two sides to the question. A number of the immigrants feeling themselves aggrieved and i:i-

jured by these statements, have publicly denied their truth, and announce themselves'preparedto come forward and prove, not only that the charges,are false, but further, that the ..Doctorwas, scarcely ever sober, and that he once felloverboard, in a state of intoxication. They likewise state that the cpiiduct of Miss -Chase was overbearing[and tyrannical in the extreme; and that she Wiis guilty of various acts of cruelty to some of the immigrant 'girls who had, undeti, provocation, answered . her rather saucily.., Three members of the immigration Board :aiv sitting to enquire into the first series of allegations, and they have advertised for the -pariins. who make the. counter-charges to come forward and prove them. The latter, however,; dislike the idea of a secret investigation, and they have, at a public meeting, resolved to petition the' Governor-General to institute a full, fair, impartial, and public inquiry, into all the circumstances:': In answer to this petition thfe GovernorGeneral had ordered the complaints of the emigrants to. be publicly heard at the Water Police 'Coiirtv. ■ Dr. .Rolland Was summoned to appear; and as he did hot. appear a warrant was issued for his apprehension. V .

.The state of the River Thames has just been the theme of another report. Mr. Gurney was instructed; to draw up a report on the state of the river.in the" neighbourhood of the Houses of Parliament; with an ; especial view to the c -ntriyance of;some method for rendering, the existing; nuisance.Jess .intolerable, pending the construction, of more elaborate schemes of drainage; The .filthiest part; of the river, it seems, is from the. Penitentiary toi ."Huhgerford-market. :It thus appears that the collective wislloin of ihe country is really assembled.in one of tlie'spols best. adapted for benefiting by. the collective tilth of the metropolis! ,^Mr. Gurney's remedies, for the evils arising from ;th'e deposit of insoluble sewage consist in destroying; obstructions, rounding off tha projections along .shore,;and narrowing the width of the: water way at the lowest.,ebb of tide, so as to produce auniform, flow of the river at low water at a rate of not less than 225 feet a miuute. He also proposes that from low-water mark upwards, the beach be so constructed as to rise in a gradual si ipe of 1 in 16, so as to f icilita'te the full of the sewage into the bed of the river. If the accu mulation of insoluble sewage in the river ce'spools were prevented, the mouths'of the sewers trapped all along the river, and the sewage gabses burnt, Mr. Gurney is of opinion that all cui]se[ of complaint as to the atmosphere about the- 'Houses of Parliament would eejse. He also intimates that it might be a question who-' thor, if tlieso improvements were carried out, ".any drainage of London beyond the naruial outcast power of the river 'would ever be required.'"

Th« Spectator states that, during (he Christinas festivities in London, drunkenness was more frequent on the streets and more widespread than it had ever been- before. OW of the Spectttors cures for the' evil is the opening of the British Museum on Sundays.