AUCKLAND.

Colonist, Volume II, Issue 157, 22 April 1859, Page 3

AUCKLAND.

On the subject of Free Grants of Land, the Southern] Cross. B&ys: — :. "It becomes necessary to offer a few words of advice td those immigrants who have come out under the present regulations, induced by the flaming red letter placards (one of which now lies before us) which have been so extent sively posted by ship-owners in England. ' Free grants, 40 to 500 acres and upwards, in the Province of Auckland, New Zealand.' : "It is not our present purpose to enquire into the future effect of our Auckland regulations, or to enlarge upon the hardships, which, as we believe, will be ultimately created by them. We desire to make the best of them, as they stand, for the immigrants, and to guard those who have been deceived once, from being deceived again. "We are informed that when immigrants present themselves at the land office, to go through the required formalities, it is suggested to them (whether generally or only occasionally we are of course unable to say), that they need be in no hurry to take up their free-land; that within five years will be time enough, and that for the present, they had better go to work, and: - learn something 'of the country. .■ " The advice is specious; but we strongly advise the new-comers to reject it, to taKe up and secure their land without delay. Not that they will be able to support themselves upon the land ; we do not advise any one to build a hut even upon his land, unless he happen to obtain it where labor is needed in the neighborhood. But land is scarce, and the best is being picked out, month by month. Moreover, the longer a new-comer delays availing himself of his oi'der, the farther will he find himself removed from the town of Auckland and the principal labor market, when he does select. " They had better get it while they can, for if a few more shiploads of immigrants arrive, we know not where to find land, of decent quality, to give them, unless, perhaps, in the Bay of Islands district. But the Provincial Government obstinately refuse to bring those lands into the market, assigning, as usual, a reason which, is contrary to fact. They say that the General Government objects, lest the "settlement" should be injured. This statement has been made to ourselves, personally, at the land office. Upon enquiry, it proved untrue. " We believe the fact to be, that the Provincial Government, having been too lavish of promise, find themselves in difficulty, and, knowing that their own term of office is limited, would gladly stave off active operations under their own regulations, in order to cast the burden upon their successors in office. We repeat our advice to the new-comers, to secure their land without delay. The .supply is deficient; aud that very Government which has tempted out ro large a body of claimants, is using every exertion to frustrate the efforts of those.who desire to cause an abundant supply, by • The enfranchisement of native lands.' " From the same journal we extract the following:— How the Naughty Boys teased the Little New-comes. —" And did the naughty boys tease them and make them cry ; and did they tell them that there was no pudding left, and that they should never have gone away from their mothers' apron strings: and did they frighten them, and say it was no good their trying to work at all at all, little darlings who had been so good, and were going to do their lessons so well, and never play when they ought to be at work. Let them come along to nursie and she will give them some goodies, and keep them out of harm's way; and she won't let those naughty boys hurt them—that they shan't —those good for nothing scamps." Words addressed, not to children, but to a remarkably fine body of men, arrived per John Scott and Excelsior, and who left England with the intention of taking English arms, English pluck, and American axes into the wilds of New Zealand. "Don't believe those boys; they never know their own lessons, and only want to prevent you learning yours too, and then to win your marbles from you. They are all cheats in the play-ground." This is about what they say, though the worda "boys" and " marbles," do not exactly occur. However, in matter, they do say something like it. They are constantly reiterating: " Don't believe anything you hear; the whole Province of Auckland, with the exception of the grandmotherly Provincial Government, is in a league to discourage, cheat, and ruin every immigrant who arrives here: we have held out inducements to you to come, and told you that no man could fail of getting on here ; and you will succeed for certain if you don't make use of your own common sense. If a man tells you that a section of land, which we never saw, is under water, avoid him. He's dangerous; habet foenum in cornu, there's something wrong about him ; his antecedents are bad; m-ty be he was connected with the Firm; above all things don't drink with him ! This is such a splendid country that all the old hands who have made money in it are cheats and swindlers. The province is so completely deluged by dis honesty'and immorality that you, my innocent dove, will find no place where you can take refuge, save in this trustworthy provincial ark." Aud then when the dove comes back with a bit of manuka scrub in his bill aud says at the office of the ark, it was all he could find, and that he met an old settler who. told him there would be plenty of good land if private purchase from- the natives were allowed, the old settler is denounced as a would-be cheat, and the dove is specially warned against going any more into such bad company. ', : '._"' Of what stuff .do those, who speak to men as if they were children, take these, our new arrivals, to be made ? Certainly not of the stuff that goes to make' colonists. Certainly not of the same stuff as those were who made the Co-, loriy of New Zealand; as those who made the name of Englishman respected, when that of the English government was despised, who, in hard and dangerous times, trusted to themselves and to themselves alone; and who had to encounter, not a discouraging joke nor" a gentle grumble, but opposition from natives, and opposition in high places where they should have been able to look for support, and who yet succeeded in conquering for themselves position and power. But our new arrivals are of the same breed, and a fair field is all they ask for. No man is fit to take a place in a new colony who cannot face the truth as well as the bush; and those who would find the usual talk of a colonial town, a stumbling block in their colonial career, bad better return by the next ship to England, for most certainly they will break their necks over the first supplejack, they come across in the bush. Men are not easily dejected or. given to despairing. "Bon esperance et droit en avant" is their motto,