WELLINGTON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2949, 13 July 1888, Page 2

WELLINGTON.

(from Our Own Conespondcnt). , WIG AND GOWN. 1 .The spectacle of a distinguished lawyer and clergyman goading at one another is a sad one. Heretofore, law nml religion have most frequently disported side by side in closest amity, and whenever religion desired a heretic roasted or otherwise disposed of, law—l will not say justice—was generally on' baud: to 'legalize and and assist tho barbecue. They manage things differently now-a-duys, in Tie- i toria, at least., and so there wo have the unhappy exhibition of Mr Purves, Q.C., President of die Australian Mativo Association, speaking of cleiw- l men as the "Rev. Mr Treacle, or :ho Rov. Mr. Briuistonb," while the Rov, Dr. Nash retaliated by characterizing tho scoffing Purves as' " Mr. Assafaitida, Mr. Skunk, or Mr. Polecat," Mr. Purves had, it appears, sneered at tho gift of prophooy claimed by some ministers of religion, and had essayed a little prophecyiiigon his ownacconnt, and Dr. Nash thought the Mr, Purves "very[impudent," 4B , claimed that clergymen woro "as werr ' " educated, as respectable, and as intelligentus himself,", Oftbotito respectability of tho average Victorian Minister of Religion, there can be no manner of doubt. Ho generally lives in a houso which is tho quintessence of ' respectability, he"wears clothes', which ure outward and visible signof intensest respectability, the amount of his salary and the state of his banking book are certificates to his awful respectability, end his very pulpit, and his pulpit utterances reek with respectability. It is indeed just within the bounds of possibility that were Dr. Nash and his confreres less respectable, audacious hijmen like Mr Purves would hesitate ere they cast the Parthian shafts, of ridicule at tho cloth. With tho greatest .respect I would submit that the founder of Dr.Nash's faith could by no strotch of imagination be deemed "respectable" in the conventional sense. Ilk associates wero the humble, tho poor, W the wicked, Ik gathered His/#k from the highways and byways, "and there was neither "treacle" nor " brimstone" for that inspired mpaili. A lso, we have no recollection of Mir tilting of the Purees of that day s as a "skunk," though somo remembrance i oIH mi characterizing tho scribes as "vipfrs," and hinting that they were a rurvem generation, - Something, moreover, he said about Nashimi tho teeth. ' 'ME CUINESE EDICT. Some considerable interest has beon taken in the supposed Chinese edict, an abstract of which was recently published in the Evening Post, Judging .'rom internal evidence I do not for one moment believe in tho ' bono fides'of that document,, although, doubtless, the lost by inserting it was acting in perfect good faith. In th o first place an Imperial edict would most certaij.lv not be sent to any Chinamen resil§g m Hio Colouy, If communication were necessary the Chinese Governtnent would make it by means of an accredited niessenger-probablya mandarin of somo rank. Then, again, by far the larger proportion of tho Chinamen here are mere slaves to a G'l)M,o labor agency, and important™-, secrets would not be communicated 'to'' '''"' men of such a class. Moreover, tho '• edict" contains a threat of war against England, and Chinese diplomatists, tho most secretive on earth, do not manage "flaws in that way. Posaibly some Chinaman has received a vaporing letter from soibo Cantonoeo labor agency, and is giving himself airs by pretending to bo tho possessor of an Imperial document which, bv tho way, . if genuine, would be written on satin, and not, as this is, on paper. A • goodly number of these Tartar coolies cannot read, and would not know an edict from a debtor's summons, teidca, those who imagine theso Chinese have no humor are mistaken, and the wholo hoax was probably concocted and written in some Taranakistreet opium den, I'OMTICAL, 9 The usual signs aro not wanting in the Houso which betoken that members aio nearly tired of talking, mid desire to justify their exist|T, ns members by making a show at V of doing something woro this session tlum merely passing an iniquitous taiill'. Monday sittings liavo been proposed, and, although tho Premier does not think tho time yet l'fpe for permanent Monday sittings, ho will ask tlio House to meet next Monday night. This of course presages the intention to wind matters .up at agallop, and wo may expect to'seo important measures pitchforked through, as last session, whero members have become either too lazy, or too tired, or too indifferent to oppose them,. This is the time-honored dodge of all New Zealand politicians, but ono always > specially favored by Sir Harry Atkinson.

HANSARD. '' A good many people aie asking ufeii the existing rago for rctrcnchinc'iinke Hansard stuff lias been spared, and ' whether if totally abolished tho worldj, ." would be likely to continue to revol\# on its own axw once every twenty-four hours. Tho utility of Hansard reports few have over been able te discover; their inutility is patent to thoiiost superficial observer. The fact that their speeches will be embalmed in tho pages of Hansard prompts members like Mr Fish, of Dunodin, to sjwk by

tho weary.yard on every conceivable topic, No ono listenß to such persons, ordinary reporters olear out when they I'ise, and even the strangers in the gal<lery snore, but, knowing that Hansard will not. only report but improve them, , your Fishes snd other vainglorious , bores outrage heaven and madden men by their careless and suiselsss verbosity, It may safely be said that not once in a srssion if n speech worthy nf preservation ilelhued. Wlwtilansard's direct cost to the country is it would be diflicult to say with any degree of it costs indirectly will never bo known, HOAXING TltU VOUOE, Scotchmen, rightly or wrongly, are not credited by Englishmen with a very koen senso of humor, but tbo /- 'crofters of Lewes played it rather low .Wjown on the military and police a time ago. They industriously tiuulatcd a inmour that they intended «Rig something of a very startling nature. They proposed, it was said, to sail down to Aline forest in a . flotilla of boats, armed with spades, to redeem and reclaim tho rich land at , present in possession of the deer, diversifying tho proceedings by a feast ■ of vension, The flotilla duly started, as did II.M, gunboat Seahorse, with the slierill'j marines, and a small army of polico on board. Over sixty of tho crofters hud arrived before tho myrmidons of the lav, and had landed on tbo beach wliero tlicy could not be interfered with, and tho ''foorco" ' grouped itself round aboutand watched and wailed, Not n word was spoken. Presently tho boss Crofter pulled out a knife. Then the Crofter cut tip some tobacco and lit his pipe. Other Crofters did tho same. There they sat, crofters and police, a long spring day, glowering at ono another in rigid silence. At last Mr Macrae, f-s leader of tho crofters said quietly ' , Gaelic: " Get to your bouts, men, .ji IjJjatr out," Without further word, JRc, or sign the crofters got aboard, hoisted their sails and scudded merrily before tho wind for home. The next day the flotilla got imdenvfigh again, but the authorities were not to be had this time, so the oealiorsc remained at anchor, Then the Crofters landed and held a meeting without police interference—which was precisely their original object.