UP AMONG THE "LANDSHARKS." [By an Eye-witness.]

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1351, 26 February 1881, Page 3

UP AMONG THE "LANDSHARKS." [By an Eye-witness.]

I bid not go amongst them either as a vendor or vendee. As a natural result I was not esteemed a personage of importance. I met one or two of the finny tribe in my travels, but they did not move a flipper in token of respect. Evidently thoy saw at a glanco I was not "indigenous to the Soil," and consequently not good enough game to satisfy the cravings of "oarth hunger." Poverty we are told is a omse. If so, it has got his virtues. Me it preserved from the snares and temptations by which wealth of acres iN be^ct. On the other hand, it saved these " land-leaguers" practising their wiles upon what my i esteemed friend and patron saint, Sir Georgo Giey, would vote " Native Rimj plicity." To the doughty old knight of Kawau I have got a woid to say, and I wish to whimper it softly in his ear. I am truly sorry that leg of yours is doing penanco again — having another stump round the speculative paths of party politics. Its pre-engagement prevents your embracing a grand opportunity for posting yourself up in the " great burning questions of the day." A journey to Cambric] ge would enable you to prime tho biggest gun your giant prowess over fired in the councils of the people. Were you here you would find ammunition enough to explode a veritable " Mons Meg ;" and just think for a moment what that means as an engine of warfare I am prepared to lay odds against your next year's honorarium you would wake up John Hall with a vengeance. He would'nt .sit sloughing over a "Hansard" proof when you had your hand on that trisrger. You would not require propping up in your place in tho Assembly for a whole hour and twenty-five minutes in dumb show, waiting the ploasure of this august personage I trow. With such a sinew of war at you command, you could send him and the whole generation of bloated New Zealand aristocrats to perdition right ofF, and then you and your fiiend, John Lnndon, could reign supremo in their stead. Poor John, I can never thiuk of him but as one of a thorough representative type. In politics he represents the people, and in personal appearance the noble savage. Enough, however, of John ; wo have other fish to fry. Then again, Sir Geoige, just reflect for a moment on tho execution you might do in other directions. Yon -would be able effectually to silence the side-issues and carping interruptions of thntgieat bore, the member for Bruce, and .as for tho provoking smiles put on by that other archconspirator, George Maclean, whenever you get on your legs, why, you might let him have such a sniff of powder as would change his countenance into a ghastly grin, and send him down, down, to the bottomless pit prepared for a certain gentleman and his angels. The " horneyhanded of toil" are about played out. The eighty thousand serfs have ciumblcd down to a mere handful of unemployed agitators, and even these few have ceased from tioubling of Lite. Altogether, I had grave apprehensions tho game was played out when the happy thought struck mo that Cambridge, with its Native Lands Court, its dusky gatherings like Limits led to the slaughter, and its Patetere Association and other vampiies of that stamp would open up fiosh fields and pastures new which a man of your versatile talents could cultivate to advantage. Let mo theiefore impress upon you to get that loir of yours— the one that takes tho periodical round in search of politicil adventure — fixed up with all possible speed, bo ns to enable you to icach Cam bridge without delay ; for, verily, tho hnrvest is plentiful, but the labourers aie few. That is what in sLriet logical sequence would be termed a digression. My respect foi the srreat J'to-Ouinu/ must bo my excuse. And now to business, I have explained how very indifferent the European '■ laud shark" vas to my piesence. Not .so viilh the Maori. On taking up (juarteus in the Land Court, a sturdy old lady belonging to one of the friendly tubes took special noto of me. Apparently tho survey was not satisfictory, as she threatened to taico me outside aud jnve me "a d d good hiding." I cnuld not make out what I had done to offend the old lady. After exchanging signs <md symbols, however, l disoovcicd I had in.idvoitently jostled her and broken her pipe. That was a mishap which came home with force and eflect to my own bereaved bosom. 1 had known what it was to be suddenly di'piivcd of the comforts and cmisolatious of a wellseasoued cutty, and I h ive good icason for supposing my extreme t-oirow left a deep impiosoion on tho old ia'ly's mind At all events she did not take me out £>nd let me have the hiding, as oii«inally piojpctcd The Court itself was suggostivc in all H-> raits It was a kind of fiee-and-e.i^y in the art of judicial pioccdure. Tlie Ju gc occupied a hont seat on a stage hung with tho daubs and drapings associated in rural circles with amateur dramatic entettainment*. Theatres under the best auspices look demoralised enough in day-light. This one was dowmight villinoiv. The whole thing was strikingly suggestive of the Cheap-John entertainment, — tho penny gaff in perfection. It would be simply absurd to attempt to do substantial justice to the audience. Theie was Maori - dom in all its types and distinctions fioin the gi i&ly old savage tatooed up to the eyebrows to the half, or even quartercasto, in whom the last trace of native blood was rapidly declining. They all seem to have an eye to business, and watoh with clear attention every Avoid, and even movement, Tljoy were not by any means slow to give expre'sion to their feelings. These expressions took, j for the most park, the form of a kind of muffled yabbpr, but not unfiequently when their feelings were more powerfully worked on, loud exclamations, and even open remonstrances were vented. The police present were pretty guarded in their movements. They only interfered when the conduct became specially boisterous, and even then it was not a very active interference. The sitting is but young, and when it get 3 old I am to d there is likely to be move worth noting down, l ime and patience alone can show how far that may or may not be correct, If ib does yon may hear from me on some u ture occasion.

The telegraph people in Euglaucl areas negligent in using capitals and in pointing their sentences aa they are in this country judging from the following, which was 6ent from Winchester to London as the utterance of Lord Carnarvon at the first-mentioned place : " The worst-paid country curate is expeoted to speak twice on Sunday with tho persuasiveness of a journeyman-taylor, and eloquence of a barrow. " For " journey-inan-taylor" read " Jeremy Taylor," and begin '"barrow" with a capital letter, and all is right. The safety of the Czar from domestic conspirators 13 purchased at a great price. We read that during His Majesty's recent journey from Livadia, ten peasants and two soldiers were stationed as watchmen along each verstof the entire distance from Sebastopol, making a. total of 36,000 men on foot, with 1,700 mounted. As these were on guard two days and a night* it must be supposed that halt were reliefs. The cost of these watchmen, after making allowance for compulsory service, is estimated to have been at least £15,000.