Auckland Echoes.

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4305, 18 October 1882, Page 2

Auckland Echoes.

(FROM OUR OWN COHBESPONDENT.) When I 'last took up my pen to commit lo paper the " Auckland JEchoes," the discussion regarding the Contagious Disease Act was in full blast, indeed from the number of letters which appeared in the local newspapers on the subject, it appeared that an epidemic of the cacoethes scrihendi had seized the whole population, and as the Mayor put it—sarcastically of course —old ladies of both sexes rushed into print, totally regardlesa of the come-. quences, worrying the unsavory subject with the avidity of a fiock of vultures round a particularly "high" piece of carrion. Perhaps it'iMWr,^b»_ ! Mayor's little bit of sarcasm, or per-. ' haps the subject is exhausted, bat the dji* cussion has suddenly lapsed, and though -1 Dr Wallis and Mrs %\\\%, the most p«gnacious opponents of the Act, wilLpfOwv , bly make an attempt to call down tb# V , wrath of the public on the devoted hetA of the City Council, I predict that ##''' will have the Act in force without, mttch further trouble. I cannot help here fßr : t marking that I have noticed in /;*h*;-^ attitude of a certain class of our pietists •/" vdesire to oppose anything that will diminish certain vanities of disease, on the „ around no doubt that the loathsome-' disorders referred to act as, watch-dogs to public morality.

■'■ The celebration of the 40th anniversary / of the arrival in Auckland of th« ships Duchess of Argyle and Jane Gifford was a raost interesting reunion* Then* .vessels on the 9th Octobpr, 2842, lap Jed on (far shores about 500 Scotch immigrants, many of whom were eventually prominent figures in the early history of the colony, and in no small measure assisted in, the building up of oar destinies. About 50 of these immigrants still survive, and it was interesting and affecting to see those frosty headed old men and matrons—and the latter predominated—met together and chatting away sociably about "auld lang syne." Forty years ago ? and yet how pregnant with events has been that small span of the hand of Time. In a little over a generation two or three struggling communities of a few hundred souls together have sprung into a popular tion of half a million—the hardy nucleus of a mighty nation in the not far distant future. At least let us hope so. Of the 50 survivors of these two vessels, 20 are accredited with haying between 600 and 7CO descendants. One family—that of Alison—has upward of 100 members; and I do not think even your celebrated large families at the Thames, viz., those claiming relationship with the houses of Thorburn and Gibbons, could muster clans as large. .

Apropos of the celebration,.! have before me two copies of the Auckland Times of October and Nofember 1842—a lively organ of public opinion which in:those primeval days cast a halo of literary glory round the name of Aucklaud. The copies be fere roe are the size of a sheet of foolscap, printed on one side only, and the .type is old and btfttfradivriooghto have been used by Faust at Caxton. The paper was printed on a mangle, and in the copy bearing the date October 3th the editor states " We have stopped the mangle to announce the arrival of' the Jane Gifford and Duchess of Argyle with Scotch immigrants.''''l The" issue of November 25th contain* the following:— "An account of the distribution of the immigrant passengers. by-«1ro-^ Duchess of Argyle,' ' Jane Gfford,' and the apprentices, &c, by the 'St. George.' The sawyers quickly found engagements on the neighboring coasts and rivers; carpenters have no difficulty in finding work at about 6s per day; shoemakers, tailors, and bakers nave found good employment. Good farm servants have been engaged at about £20 per annum and full rations— most of these near Auckland, and a few have gone to Bay of Islands, and thare is room for many more. The female domestic servants and sempstresses ALL (tjiis is in large type, being evidently an important fact) met with good engage* ments in the town and neighborhood immediately, except a few .who were bespoken for service a( the Bay of Islands." Decay's effacing finger has destroyed the remainder of the article. Another article makes a violent attack 00. Wellington, which is contemptuous)/; called a " raupo city," and on the Wellington newspaper, the proprietor of which it would appear was-in a troubled B(ate of _mind at Auckland\bVing chosea as the capital. The paptar has but (wo advertisements—a notice convening a meeting of the "Teetotalers Society" to be held at the iixchange. Goßee Rooms, near Ligar'a canal—a creek that then flowed along the^ present course of Queen street—-aDd^a ii|t:of|yii^ent»ers to the Auckland di»pen?ary, Mrs Hobson, the wife of the Governor, having apparently donated £3 to that desirable object. •

If I have a hobby it is antiquarianiam, and having onca mounted my hbbby, JI am loth to get off. Besides, I trust results of my antiquarian research are not unpalatable to my readers. However, a few rr.ore lines and [ will finish. - I am honored with the acquaintance of seven old gen« tletnon whose residence \\v the colony dates back from 1840; they all drink . whiskey, and are as healthy a heptarchy of old identities ag-'you" 'would meet anywhere. Another acquaintance is Mr Grigg, who is a colonist of 43 •ye^g*' standing, and he assures me that he hasn't tastedliquorforthirty-cightycars. 1a1844 ho went to work at Mercury Bay—he is a blacksmith by trade—and after working hard for six months came to Auckland with a' tolerably large cheque. The seductions of Jimmy Williamson's,(uow . the Hon. James Williamson) 20 x 10 feet' grog shanty proved too much for his good resolutions, and to use the old man's ow-n words he " blowed" all his money in threo days. Since then Mr Grigg has been a water drinker of the most severetype. Mr Grigg for many year? had a smithy in Queen street, and Vulcan.Lane derives its designation from the flashing of the sparks from the old man's forge and the sonoroMS clanging of his hammer.