Correspondence.d

Colonist, Volume III, Issue 217, 18 November 1859, Page 2

Correspondence.d

■To the Editor ofthe Colonist.Sir,—Allow me a few remarks upon the jumbled lucubrations of your contemporary of Saturday last, upon the subject of the gold-fields. I might most'aptly be^in with the Latin proverb, •* Quem Deus vult perdere preusque dementat." Anglioe "Whom God desires to punish he first strikes mad."..

' The article.is too longto do full justice to it'.-in one letter, I will .therefore take the first three paragraphs. V ; : , : ' In the first we are told that in connection with our gold-fields " a most important question arises, and which requires our most serious attention," viz, " By whom are the public works, at present so imperatively required there, to be, carried on." This important question puts me in mind of the idiot's reply to the old lady in David Copperfield, who, upon seeing her god-child brought in covered with mud, exclaimed in her fright, " What.'can we do with him ?" to which Tony Lumpkih very quaintly replies, "Wash him." And my answer to that most important question is simply, "By those who have usurped to themselves the whole and sole management and control of that portion of the Province of Nelson, contained within the boundary lines, within which the declared goldfields are situate, as well as the receipt and disbursement of all fees, fines, rents, and royalties arising and to arise from and out of the same, or from any other sources that .may present themselves. The only thing that strikes me as being ludicrous is, that any, man should have thought" it necessary to occupy so large a space of his valuable columns with a prelude to so simple a question. He goes on to tell us of a Spanish ambassador's reply to a deputation of English capitalists, asking for some definite arrangement for the payment of the interest on some Spanish bonds. What the reply literally was my ignorance precludes'me from knowing; but from the context I take ittto be something equivolent to " Don't you wish you may get it ?'' As your cotemporary very quaintly observes, " It strikes us that this might be. the probable answer of the General Government, at least for some time to come, to any application which might be made" (to it) for the Construction of roads and other works of public utility upon the gold-fields. And thus between the Provincial and General Government st6ols, the diggers might fall to the ground; or, rather, still lie on the ground to which they hav.e been permitted to fall by the inaction of our local Executive." Had he m^de use of the term '* permitted to occupy the ground wfth fee, fine, rent, or royalty, for upwards of two years, and as great an expenditure of the mo.ney of the Province as precedence warranted,'' he would have stated the case more correctly, more honestly, and more impartially, which ought to be the ruling principle of those who profess toguide fublic opinion. In answer to all this fanfaronade would further observe that as your cotemporary seems pretty well satisfied that his new King Stork will treat him no better, jf so well, as his old King Log, who,' be it remeriiberedj. is of his own ehoosing, and who, if 1 am not mistaken, will soon teach him "half a loaf is better than no bread;'<that now is the time for those disinterested and patriotic merchants who offered King Log a loan upon his own irresponsible security, to make the same tender to their new Sovereign, who I have no doubt will jump at the offer. And when he gets it,; we reply, "we shall remember that you were bountiful.'* Indeed Ido not see how they could do less, seeing that he has rescued them from the "slough of Despond,", into which they had suffered themselves to be deluded by that notable Triumviri—• '• Qur. Correspondent," " Our.Owjd Correspondent," and ." Our Especial Correspondent." /the latter;of whom, according to his own shewing, is likely to lick the gilt off the gingerbread for some time tp come. And why do 1" say this ? f Because the avowed organ of these gents, and ,their correspondents, confess that " It is more than probable that until a revenue has arisen from the gold-fields'' (over and above the requisite costs, \ charges^ and expenses incident to the management and administration of them,) "the General Government will not undertake any expenditure, even" upon'these necessary objects, no provision having been made for the purpose by the Appropriation Act of 1858." In answer to which .prognostication of this second Daniel, I will ask him if he thinks that had the Provincial Council of Nelson contemplated in addition to the dismemberment of that portion of the the Province styled Marlboroiigh, and the arbitrary assumption of the fees, fines, rents, and royalties, of that portion of the Province designated as the gold-fields, by the General Government, that they would shew, their avowed want of confidence in King Log, notwithstanding they have committed such a suicidal act as to have pledged the whole town of Nelson, and the Waimea, with Motueka district, as security for a loan to be expended upon those amputated limbs of the Province? Should he answer in the affirmative, al} I can say is, that they Would deserve to be placed hi the van pf thpsb described in the proverb I have 'qtiotedf,,..';." .-'■ In my next" I will'notice theremainder of this notable effusion. . . ; And remain, . Yours, &c, ; , . . SENEX ALBUS.:

liiotf GuE.^The Bendigo Advqrtiser commu* nicates further particulars of the recent discovery of iron ore in that district:—" It appears that" Mr. John Hall (already somewhat known to the community by his proposals to the Municipal "Council to build or rent from them the proposed new cattle markets and.abattoirs), in connection with Mr. Patrick Canavan (a miner of some experience in various parts of the world;,) have been prospecting the locality for mineral productions, and a short time since were successful enough to. discover a lode of iron ore, which, on experiment has yielded a most satisfactory resplt, in a p.ercen? tage of 59'5 per cent., a specimen'of whioh is-ifr the hands of Mr. Lariett. When wesay that, froth the best, data, • the richest Staffordshire lodes do not give more than twenty-eight :as the high est average, some idea may be formed ofthe probability of success in the undertaking.ff It: is' proposed' to smelt by the action of charcoal.. The pTopiletary have, we further learn j already'Secured a grant1 of two reefs for their operations, viz., one a quarter 'sputh of the Flora Reef, and tlie other sotith of h^W t)iO road to Dunn ahd Bayhe's pld dairy station ',' Ol) the §ti&]iivhsl\-fa%s."^ttys&f W?T?#^l!Jt:; .?..'>.•-' Vf ;' LiMJE*_iS.Bijss.-^u I curse! ihe hour when-jv| were married!"' exclaimed an 'enraged husbttnd ,to his better half. To whitth' she :*aM\% replied .S'Pop^'niv dear ? for that was the only happy pn«j we p&ye'&fen f'. A ' ' " '.;