RABBITS IN THE KING COUNTRY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2207, 31 August 1886, Page 3

RABBITS IN THE KING COUNTRY.

TO THK EDITOR. Sill,— l have been told that there is a party employed at the Government expense desti oying the rabbits in the King country. This appears to me to be inhuman, cruel and wanton destruction. I fail to see what evil the rabbits can be in the King country, hut it dors not require spectacles to see that they are a positive blessing. There is no doubt whatever that ill exterminating the rabbits you are also hastening the extermination of the native*. I cannot say — well I believe this is the object in view. Why, in a selfish point of view, keeping out the inhumanity in starving them, we ought tw be glad there are rabbits amongst the natives. If they have no food we cannot see them die of starvation. Civilisation has put humanity into v«, no if there are no rabbit-* we would need to put our hands into our pockets and proude them with flour and sugar. The rabbits are a good thing in the , King country, so let thorn multiply and increase. The fact is the rabbit* in the Province of Auckland can be no evil. Whenever they are appearing to be an evil, the evil will cure itself. As far as bringing in stonts and weasels, this appears to me to be bringing in a little devil to destroy a little innocent. If the rabbits eat a cabbage we c:in eat them, but theie is no tit for tat with the stoats, weasels, and foxes. If they destroy our poultry we cannot, as a return in payment, eat them. I have no wish to do the rabbit inspectors out of an occupation ; let them transfer their work to something moie beneficial; let them become rat inspectors ; let them exterminate the rats, which are an evil, and we will bless them ; we will truly pay them, nnd not grudge them a pension. — I am, yours truly, Hah vpipi.

A ScorcH minister preached a sermon recently, taking for hii text the words, "Know thyself." On the Monday he receheda note (anonymous), saying, "a propus of your text, "know thyself," some people wouldn't know much if they followed that doctrine." French women are dressing their hair in what they call the Chinese fashion, combed perfectly smooth up to the head, then twisted into a coil on one aide, with a Luge comb, specially made, on the other. A Loxjjox clergyman remarked the other day that the lowest stratum of j society was represented by a sweep, who said, " I allus makes it a rule to vash my face vuuce a veek, vether it vanta it or j not." Dksultory fijrhtinjr is reported from Upper Burmah, which .continues very disturbed. The Aloujrpra iPrince, with a considerable force, has taken up a position about forty mile* north-east of Mandalay, and sends small detachments to hara?a our outposts near Mnndalay. On the '27th June, an attack was made on Lanian, a post about 10 miles north-east of Mandalay, by a body of about 40 Shans, who had no firearms, and were armed only with dabs. The Shans rushed pa«t 'the sentry, cutting him and others down, and completely surprised the sepoys who occupied the post. Captain T. E. Reston, of the 12th Madras Infantry, commanding at Liinmn, who lived gome distance from where the sepoys were posted, ruehed, sword in hand, to meet the Shans. He was immediately cut down, receiving Jive dangerous wounds. A jemadar, a sepoy, and two followers were killed, and three sepoys and two followers wounded before the s>hans were driven out. Lieutenant Ayers and a small force of Bcmbay Infantry, while surveying net r M' n«ooo l>i"&o<ty«;i^uWfe4?iWV3a;lK>M&l > i"&o<ty«;i^ u Wfe4?iWV3 a ; 1 K > M& of MttifiilavJ w^fcttA&Wfffy-ntrtirgr- , . n nut Ayers and hie aubadhfr Ww«e WuUUtled, • "j *\\ ',