THE COLONIST. NELSON, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1860.

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 318, 6 November 1860, Page 2

THE COLONIST. NELSON, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1860.

Some few years since, ■on .our first arrival here, we thus jotted down the ideas which the position and appearance of the town brought to pur mind. .'After describing the bay, harbor, and .boulder-bank with it& probable formation, we wrote: — ; 'At low water the part near the town is one vast dreary swamp, not at all pleasant to behold, nor conducive to the health or be&uty of the place. The habitations abutting on this part must be, anything but salubrious; and fever some day will find a fine and fitting field for its mortal disport-, ings. However the inhabitants are wisely retreating inland, and pushing; the town hillwards; the houses or villas dotted here and there, at the base of theJiillsjand on ; the higher grbund.of the town have, a pretty appearance. The bold frowning background j looks grim and dark on its human intruders. \ In the course of time when capital shall be • legitimately applied this swamp close to the| town will be -if It can be done j without injuriously affecting the harbor.' The lecture of Mr. Doyne on the , : all- j important subject of the saiiitary require- s ments of this place in particular will, we\jj trust, have its due effect not only with those ij placed in authority over us, but ako with j the public generally, who will act on those ( J

whose duty it is to look after the public health and.safety. , ■ ' The,self4audatory weakness of the present times makes us almost imagine that all regulations of this nature belong peculiarly to°the present. But our ancestors, whom it pleases us to pity as lacking all knowledge, were far in advance of us in such matters, even in the most remote villages of England. To substantiate this statement we quote the following local laws in force in the manor of Havan, Hampshire, from the year of grace 1500 downwards; how, long anterior we know not. And we would premise that all these matters were settled without the costly array of District and Resident Magistrates' Courts, police, &c. &c. • CUSTOMS COURT LEET—PRESENTMENTS. • William Stone is commanded to provide a remedy that the smoke which comes out of his kiln, which he lately erected, should not be injurious to John Tulke, under a penalty of 40s. " . «It is ordered that Francis Heather shall not scald any porkers in the street, or fay any soile thereafter there, upon pain to forfeit sa'. • 'The homage present John Bailie tor a common anoyance of the inhabitants of this manor, for not buringe of his murrin beast, for which they amerce him 1 3s. 4d. ''Wee present Francis Aylinge, Richard Woods, Widow Monck, and Ann Bayly for keeping geese and.ducks, which doth much anoy the fresh watter or water-course, that they keep them up [would poisoning be belter?] after the 21st day of December next, uppon paine of 3s. 4d. each of. them. ■ 'We present Joseph Barket for alowing hys wyfe to wash children's clouts and other things in the head of the said spring, and that they forbear doing the same again under the penalty of 40s. each person for every such offence. 'A pain set against every inhabitant^ of the parish that they keep their chimnies clean and well swept, that they fire not to flame out, on the pain of 3s. 4d. for every time so offending. ♦ The jury do present as a common nuisance many do tie their horses in the streets on the market days to the great danger of children passing by. Such horses to be impounded after, due notice. ' A pain is set against any butcher that shall kill or stick any sheep in the open street not having wherewith to receive the blood, upon the pain of 3s. 4d. for each time so. offending. ♦We present the carrion in the garden of John Betswoith at the Bell, as a nuisance to Mr. Edward Hilton. 'We present the dung in Hamwell-lane belonging to Mr. James Andrews, as it entirefy stop up the kennel and hinders people from passing, and we adjudge that unless it be removed by the said Mr. James Andrews within ten days from the date hereof, it shall belong to any person who shall think proper to take it up. 'We present Pallant-lane as choked up with straw : and dung. " * We present that the constubles and surveyors "of the highways for the time being be requested to survey the pitching before the doors of the several inhabitants of the said Liberty, and where they find the same out of repair to give notice to the occupier of the house whose right it is to repair the same within fifteen days after such notice be*! given, on pain of 20s.' • , What a regard is here displayed both to the feelings and the property, of fellowcitizens : no poisoning of ducks, or geese, or fow.ls; no shooting your neighbors' fowls and,throwing them over the hedge, so that your frie tid or your servant might comfortably bag them—these are modern refinements. This is real local self-government—not the word, but the thing. All the above work was done by citizens. in turns ;^and thus—though .".here were no mechanics' institutes or penny newspapers—the whole body of citizens vtere brought, up in grave judicial habits, which would shame some of our bodies, be they juries, common or special, or be they boards,, or directors, or managers, or whatever term seekers after novelty may choose to apply to themselves. We could multiply our extracts, but have confined them to sanitary matters, leaving market regulations, weights and measures, &c. to another article. # • On the subject of Drainage, which Mr. Doyne treated so ably in his lecture, we must take care and not commit the same mistake as. the blundering modern authorities of London have done, inconverting one of the finest rivers of Europe into a pestilential st ream of mud and filth, the stench of which stssails the smelling sense for miles, and the dVHnking ot which can be anything but pleasant, although it may not be positively poisbnous, to a'cockney stomach. For mainy years past the farmers ol England Have paid millions of money foi manure fetched, from the uttermost parts ol the eartH;; while in Lonabn enormous quantities, of fjquaLvalue, have, not only been wasted, but a beautiful river polluted, and a large population annually poisoned-; and millions of money will have to be spent to remedy such gross and idiotic blundering. We think for "the present other means than drainage could be adopted until funds car be raised for a large, complete, efficieni system of drainage—not into the rivers noi into the sea. If moveable boxes were used instead of wells in those numerous small erections which form so prominent a feature of our city,and the ashes from wood, or coal daily thrown into them, and they were removed say once a month in the nighl time, it would soon be self-paying. The Waimean" plains would be renovated, and would return us a hundredfold. From the eartii it was taken—to the earth it should be returned. If necessary, deodorising fluids might be used. It has been proved that a half a gallon : of Dale's Muriate 01 Iron will deodorise 7500 gallons of sewage perfectly; so that the expense on that scon will not be much. " ~ ; v ■;"' We once more say that this h a publu

matter, and the public must make the sleepy? authorities feel the 'pressure from without.' Individual irMustry, taste, experience, and cleanliness may do a great deal, but com-, bined action in communities is necessary to accomplish any great general good. Lord John Russell we believe it was who said that it was not the function of Governments to lead, and that they seldom acted excepton compulsion. Governments, both General and Provincial, act well upon this system, except in spending public money, secretly and otherwise, to feed their hungry hangers-on and supporters.

The Bride, 546 tons, Captain Macdonald, from London, arrived on the 3rd instant, with forty-two passengers and general cargo. She left St. Katherine's'Docks ori the 28th of June, and has consequently had a passage of 128 days. The steward, a man of color, died during the passage; no other casualty is reported. The Bride was chartered by Messrs. Shaw, Saville, and Co.