MR HUSSEY VIVLAN IN AMERICA.

Temuka Leader, Volume 2, Issue 121, 15 February 1879, Page 3

MR HUSSEY VIVLAN IN AMERICA.

The above gentleman lias written a book eniitled “ Notes on a tour in America,” which has been very favorably reviewed by the ‘ Spectator.’ From that paper wc quote the following extracts;—

Of the great timber industry at Ottawa, he says:—“ A hundred ruthless tools, from the frame and circular saw to the minute ‘plough ami tongue,’ or still moie minute match-making machine, are sot in motion by its abundant waters, and yet the grandeur of the (Ciiaudiere) Falls is in no way diminished. Moors, windows, and every other ‘ lumber-fixing,’ down to matches from the slabs and refuse, are, in fact, now made at head-quarters, not by man’s hand, but by cunningly devised tools, set in motion by the costless drainage of the wilderness. Let our craftsmen in wood bo warned, and beware how they pit their measured hours against those simple but mighty combinations of nature and art. 1 behove that no joiner-work of or belonging to a house exists which could not he ordered and sent from Ottawa and many other places in Cadada, ready fitted and numbered for its place, almost untouched by man’s hand. It is hardly an exaggeration to sav that the log floats in at one of the establishment and leaves it in the form of doors, windows, hoards, roof-parts, joists, and the like at the other end without aid from man, all force having been supplied by tire simple gravitation of falling water. The incidence of freight and charges is also on the net, and noton the gross weight; nor does the stuff need to pay toil to a dozen intermidiares.” He proceeds to describe some wonderful farming operations in the far west of Canada, on the part of a man who grows fifteen thousand acres of wheat annually. His farm is in Manitoba, and lie goes there with his men and his teams, ploughs the land in furrows six miles long—one furrow out and home is a clay’s work—sows and reaps his corn, clears off and goes home in three months. The author mentions casually that he met the Colorado beetle, taking Ins walks abroad, in a happy unconsciousness of his ill-fame.

The often-described, always delightful journey to San Francisco has never been made more vividly interesting than by Mr, Hussev Vivian, and his account of San Francisco is especially remarkable for his-vindication of the Chinese. He denies the dirt and the diseases of the Chinese quarters; he claims much of the prosperity of tin? city as their work; he utterly repudiates the current stories of their voces and their evil smells:, he visited their houses, their theatre, and their places of worship; he thoroughly informed himself concerning them; he sums up their usefulm ss by stating that without them the Great Pacific railroad never could have been made for mqny years to come, the corn could not be harvested. nor could the grapes lie gathered in the vineyards where they work, “with the patience of women and the strength of men.” They overcrowd, no doubt, 45.000 persons being located in a “ ouarter” 400 by 400 vos., hut they are extremely cleanly. Of the Chinese as servants, Mr. Hussey Vivian gives an account which induces us to wish they would take to emigrating onr way. “ A Chinaman,” he says, is ready to learn and to do everything; he is as docile as a poodle, and moves about bis work as quietly as a tamo cat, always goodnatured and willing, never drunk, never away when he is wanted, no ‘ followers,’ no ‘ this isn’t my place’ ahonthim; ready to do anything he is told, whether it bo in the house, the field, or the factory - ’ No wonder the “ Imodiums,” whose market he reasonably injures, do not like him, and want to mint him out.

The Melbourne correspondent of the ■' New Zealand Times ’ sends that paper the following amusing paragraphs :

1 have never been able to decide the question whether it is the. existence of forests t!int keeps up the annua! rainfall, or whether it is the rainfall in a particular district winch hoops going the forests. I thought those wore the alternate solutions oftlm problem about the effect on climate of forests. But there's a third. It depends on the man who keeps the rain gtiage. Last year the greatest rainfall was set down as occurring in a certain locality, hut the residents in that neighborhood smile when strangers speak of the discomforts of living in such a damp district. It is said that a certain amateur meteorologist was over!icard to soliloquise in January, 1878, after looking over the table of rainfalls for 1877, “ I can lick anything there anyhow,” and did by several inches.

Born (‘body, wishing to say that human nature has not altered appreciably within the time covered by written historical rec irds, says that “ History repeats itself.” I remember being greatly amused with an episode in the novel known as Little Ledlington, where, on the news leaking out that the local hank was getting shaky, two respectable citizens went around and succeeded in persuading the hank's customers not to cause a ran on the hank, and a few days would tide over the diflieultv. Lvery client admitted the reasonableness of the advice

i and promised to keep away from the ; kaii!:. '1 he two friends walked liomc I arm-in-arm and arranged to call quietly

|at 10 m-;;f morning and “lift” their I little “ pot." liy a quarter to 10 the I sensible JA-ddletoniaus Mocked up the

j stre et, to the utter bewilderment of the

j astute two who called too late at 10

Like unto this was an event that I witnessed in a small inland town during the holidays. Tin* Mire murid Mtrn holds a good lion c which, .T m a poor attendance of i.myi-rs, sometimes goes for a mere song. Every hiucher ha-’ an eye for a horse. It was observed by several of these catsmcat men that the pound held throe nice little nags, and the sale v/as to come off on New Tear’s Day, Three of the butchers kept race horses, and had entered them for the Lai Lai races, and they gave out that they wore sorry they couldn’t attend the sale as they were bound to he at Lai Lai. The remaining three nonracing men also mentioned casually to two washerwomen and a barber, and a wet nurse or so, that they were determined to see the races this year at Lai Lai, The auctioneer foresaw a rare opportunity to buy in on his own account, but he had no sooner raised the hammer and asked the original question, “ how' much am I offered for him ?” than all six butchers approached and commenced to bid against one another. I must explain that butchers arc the only men who can afford to speculate in horseflesh now'. Prime fat stock go for L 5, but butchers get the same prices as last year wTion similar bullocks fetched Lit). They say its their “ go in.” The Dunedin correspondent of the “ Cromw'ell Argus” writes as follows ol Mr Yarley:—Another item of religions nows of interest is the arrivel ot the celebrated Mr Henry Yarley, the great revivalist. Ho is not going to ‘‘ t ake,” or to cause the excitement in Dunedin that Mr /S'omervillc did. Somerville, wdiatever else ho was, was earnest; it is doubtful whether ns much can ho said for Yarley. He is a heavy sensuouslooking man; very dark; and having that oily look of sanctification about him that always rouses so strong a suspicion of hypocricy. He talks bout his Lord in an awfully familiar avay, as if he had thrown off all feelings of reverence long ago, and lie can“ blow 7 ” about himself immensely. “ I left a business in London in which I would have made a fortune to engage in Christ’s work,” he savs, “ and 1 remember telling the Lord. I would expect in return a goodly heritage ie his vineyard,” by which yrobably lie means a goodly number of saved sinners put to his credit in the lodger that is popularly supposed to be kept up above. He is pretty rough on his “h’s” occasionally, and of course has to go in a good deal for effect, roaming about the stage nervously, and enforcing sublime truths with his left in a manner that would lead one to believe he had received a pugilistic training. The tw r o hands now' and then are lifted up together, but nevci the right hand singly, and the left is shot of from the shoulder in a very suggestive manner. The oily nature of the man is exemplified by the way in which he speaks of his triends, no matter whether of a year or a day. “ Hear Mr Spurgeon,” “ dear Mr Mnodv,” “ dear Dr Stuart,” “ dear Mr Rruntun,” come tripping off his tongue in a fashion highly aggravating—one can call it by no other term. Altogether he is a disappointment, and the people of Dunedin evidently think him so, for they attend his meetings in but scant numbers.