Correspondence.

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 330, 18 December 1860, Page 2

Correspondence.

To the Editor of the Colonist. Mr. Editor—Can you tell me whether it is the General Government or the Provincial Government that pays ane' o' the constables when he gangs aboot wi' a requisition in the Takak a Valley, askin' somebody in the name o' Maister Richmond to stand as our member in the House o' Representatives ? because if the Government pays constables to do that sort o' wark, or anybody connected wi' the Government even ask them to do sic' things, I think in common justice to the ither candidates, sic' men as policemen and road overseers oct' to hae got the requisition o' the rest o'them that intends comiu' forit to stand as candidates for, Massacre Bay; and show the whole o' them at the same time to the folk that intend to vote; by doin that, the electors wad be able to pick on the man they thocht the best, and sign his requisition accordinly. Wha this Maister Richmond is I dinna exactly ken, but I hae a kind o' a guess, that he's some cb^dwanUftabiUUatyQtthe Gwromeat> and

tins wail juisi be a capital kiud o' a steppiu sfane to get at it. I've been wonderin' to mysel' if he's ane o' the young gilpies that got made a MR. some twa or tliree years syne, because if thats T.ie case I can see through the riddle as plain as through a three-railed fence. Magisterial brotherhood is a funny thing, something like freemasonry, ■ I suppose, when acted on secretly. However, wha' ere' ho may be, his friends have baked his bannock for him nicely—they've had the first cut off the laif, and nearly ta'en it awa' .wi1. them a'together, for I understand nearly a' the folk o' the, valley sign ed the requisition, a great lot hae'in'been said aboot the influence he's gab to hae wi his faither and his brother-in-law in getting everything done richt for the Bay. I wad fain hope that it 'ill no turn out to be the blind lead in' the blind, but it looks unco' like as if ane o' the sides o' the question were blind enouch in promising their votes to a person they never saw, or in fac' to anybody until they had • come down here and explained their principles. i think its a great pity that auld Maister Wrey didna come down to the Bay, and visit the several districts, and explain his political views to the people; bein' a man weel up in years, he couldna possibly be a place-hunter; and bein' ajnan o' great political experience in mineralogy and other matters, and a man o' nae mean abilities even in engineering, and, I dar' say, quite up to the mark in political richteousness, I think he wad hae stood a quid chance o' the suffrages o' the electors, at least I think fifty to one before that law'er body, that wants to come forit. Guid preserve us a' frae' sic' a representative as that! we wad a'most as soon hae auld clooty himael—l mean the de'il. Na', na', awa, awa' wi' him—kmt o' the House wi' him!! I'd sooner vote for a' ■ the Richmonds ever were born, though I never saw ony o' them, bein' sac' laug down here, before I'd see him gang a foot. * I hae' juist heard p' anither highly respectable intelligent workin' man,!'.wKa'' tliey^say is either co mm-' forit, or wad'come if ;he; were asked like' ither'folk; I never saw him mysel, but I hae' heard that he's an unco' clever sort o' a cheild, understands quid government frae' corrupt government, likes quid measures as well as quid men, and is, I believe, pretty weel acquainted wi' the requirements o'the Bay, and, I understand, has been a' over the diggings. I am no juist very sure aboot the name, but if he has any friends in the digging community or elsewhere, I hope they'll not forget him. Noo' Maister Editor, as far as I can see through the political mist o'affairs,ll"tark r the present to be a pretty quid guide for the future; and I think the political and personal friends o' the Superintendent may tak' the hint to be up and doin'—for its no the powers that be, but its the powers that are already at wark, 'for its a quid while noo sin' I heard that the wad be aristocracy o' Neilson was gan to bring forit a man o' raither high family at hame; but they didna want his name to be kerid' till juist before the time o' the election for the Superintendency. I a'most forget what the cad him noo, and it wadna be fair to tell even if I remembered, but it sounded awfu' like a Wms kind o' a sound. I should like to see folk wi' the scales off their een'. I've even heard some folks, the folk speaking aboot that they thocht, or that they had heard, that that man wha' played second ■ fiddle to the Doctor up in the House o' Representatives would come gin the people wad only ask him: he micht do very weel to superintend the eggs and butter in the Neilson Market; but for the other thing I'm afraid it wad turn his brain— he's aye openin' his mouth sac' wide and never say in'ony thing to the purpose that folks doesna seem to understand what he means. I think auld Horn seems to understand they kind o' folk best; he told them he was very glad to see them safe back to their wives and bairns, and hoped they wad keep at hame for the future, as they did sac' weelthe last time they wadna require to gang this. : I hope you'll no think that I am very rude in writin' to you in sic' a hamely style;; but I can plainly see that the people are about letting the management of their dearest interests into the hands of those who have neither experience in life to guide them, or intelligence to support them 7 ; in the arena of Boliticai warfare. ' •••'--*- DANDIE DINMONT. Anatoki, December 7th, 1860. :

Stump Extractor. —Messrs. Fisher, Ricards, and Co., Victoria, have imported from America a very simple machine for the purpose of extracting stumps or trees. The principle employed is the same as that of the ship capstan, and any power may be gained by it, to overcome whatever resistance a tree or stump may present. The machine consists of a wooden frame of two upright standards, having each a flat piece, like a foot, resting on the - ground, and braced together at the top by a crossbeam. An iron axle, round which the lifting chain coils, rests in the two uprights at the height of four feet from the ground. At each end of this iron axle a ratchet wheel is fixed, with ratchets, and socket for wooden lever ten feet long. It is an easy matter to calculate the power gained by this machine. The axle is three inches in diameter, and the levers are tea feet long. The centre of the axle is the fulcrum, the resistance is therefore at the distance of an inch and a half from the centre, or, allowing for the diameter.of the chain, two inches, and the force applied has a leverage.ot ten feet: the advantage therefore gained is as ten feet to two inches, or as sixty to one. Two hundredweight therefore applied to the end of the lever will lift with a force, nearly equal to six tons. There are two levers which can be worked at once, but no extra power is to be reckoned as thereby gained, for this simply compensates for the arrangement by which the lifting chain, at both its ends, coils round the axle. This machine would,be very useful in clearing fields where the trees are not too large, and, if it were balanced on the wheels taken off a cart for the purpose, it could be moved about , from tree to tree with the greatest ease and expedition. There can be no doubt that it could be used to extract trees as well- as stumps, by merely placing it on one side and allowing it to rest wirh its upper end against the tvee.—Farmer's Journal, To Bottle Fruit.—We insert the following receipt as useful for the present and coming season, a little trouble devoted to this end being amply compensated by the store thus ensured when fruit lis not otherwise procurable:—' Take any quantity |of fruit you intend to preserve, pick it, and fill your bottles or jars; then fill the copper or pan with cold water, and set the bottles in up to the neck; then warm the water to the heat of ISO degrees by the thermometer, and let them stand in for twenty minutes at this heat, and be careful the water does not vary. Have some boiling water ready to fill up the bottles with when they come oiit of the copper; fill them within one inch of the top, and let them be corked and waxed immediately. It is important that this be well done. All fruits are best not too ripe. The above is an excellent mode of preserving fruit, which has been found to answer well.' The Cosmopolite, after a short absence from this port, returned on November 23, from Hobart Town, with 24 horses, and a cargo of tinJber and general merchandise. The horses wure landed safely at Port Chalmers on Saturday morning last, and are, we observe ,to be sold by auction, by M essrs. Young and iM'Glashan, on Monday next, the 26th inst.— Otago Witness. . : ■' . The steamer Lyttelton, a small paddle steamer of about SO tons, from London bound for Canterbury, about whose safety great fears were entertained, arrived in this harbor last night. She has been 15 months on the passage; having called in at several ports; she, ia b« months from the Oape of Good Hope, the Uttt pcrtUwhi<Oi(Owo»M.~Wrfto»f«<»^>«eWor r