THE SILK WORM.

Auckland Times, Volume 3, Issue 121, 6 May 1845, Page 4

THE SILK WORM.

The power of habit over the human blind is vary great, and were it not so common would seem very surprising. The English nation which piques itself so much on its freedom of thinking, is perhaps more than any other European nation, the siibiect of the most gross and glaring prejudice. Slaves as the body of the nation is, to a proud, ignorant, and intensely selfish oligarchy, which is omnipotent in Loth Houses of Parliament, and of whom the Sovereign is but the pampered, bedizened, and gorgeous slave; and -whiie several -millions of the people are steeped in hopeless penury, with no termination in prospect Cut the •woikhouse to dia in; they not only think themselves the freest (indeed the only free) nation in Europe, but by far the happiest, and tinder this conviction, they ha»e spent millions and millions of money, in thrusting that ideal phantom, (which eery Englishman has in his mouth, but not one of them ever could understand or define) the British Constitution, down the throat cf every nation where their influence has extended, especially during the last half century, even those who neither wished for, understood, or by habit were fitted to receive it Spain, Portugal, Caraccas, Mexico, Buenos Ayres, Chili, &c., gi v ing rise to interminable wars and bloodshed between those .wi dhant philosophers who were for, (aided of course by England) and the greater number who •were against it. It is the same in domestic habits. An Englishman sleeps till nine o'clock in Bombay or Calcutta, the same as in Yorkshire; eats the same amount of animal food a day ; washes it down ■with the same quantity of strong ale, grog, wine, liquers, and what not: the consequence of which is, that India is as the- French say, le tombeau des Anglais, (the tomb of the English. We have said dills much on the incurable habits of Englishmen, to place in a stronger light the great loss this Colony sustains from the dogged pertinacity with which English farmers pursue here In Australia only English .habits of culture. To raise beef, mut. ton, wool, wheat, barley, (and w e almost wonder why) maize, butter, eheese, and a little pork and bacon—these form nearly the catalogue of their produce. We know (and we rejoice at it) that a few spirited men are spreading the une gradually though Slowly o*er our hills, and that we have a few oranges; but except those, what other produce of moment has the Colony to show?

Five or six years ago, the cry amongst our squatters was, O, d - shecpl they won't do; they are too troublesome and too subject to disease; the wool hardly pa>s the costs of producing it; Til turn to catt'e ! Another sa\s, you are right, but 111 turn to a better stock, horses! But now they both see their mistake, for as We have always thought and said, sheep are the most profitable stock in this Colony. The profit of hors* breeding depends inuc'h on the derm } for the Bengal and Madras Cavalt ; ; the supply will soon far exceed it, and after a time, norses must be low in price. Thousands of them are killed every ye-ir in South America for their hides only. The profit from cattle will very soon (if it does not already) depend upon what the hide, fat, horns, &e., will net m London. Wool is, therefore, at present the most Safe and profitable of animal products. But let not sheen* breeders fancy that wool will continue many years at its present price. Already competition reduces the prolit Oft English manufactured woollens, for our machines are Spread everywhere; and the price cf wool must and will be kept down by every possible effort; encouragement will be given to foreigners to compete with New South Wales wool, and that competition will

in the end, produce results that our Squat'ers little dream of, Not only at the Cape, where Merino sheep are rapidly multiplying, and the hiiJs of India, but in Germany, Hungary, Bohemia, the vast Russian Provinces on the B ! a*k Sea; but most of all, in the illimitable and rich pastures of South America, Merino sheep are spreading with a rapidity unknown to many, and unimagined tlil of bite years. When this immense mass of line wool is tumbled into the maiket after a few years, can the present prices stand? Nous vctroiis.

We look thus into the future riot to dismay our fellow colonists but to excite them to action. We do it in the hope of persuading them to consider wliat are' the natural features and productive jioweis of this our noble lard ; if they do so they will find that its culture and productions must assim~ i ate to those of other countries of the like soil—such as the finest portions of Europe, the shores of the Mediterranean, the ancient seats of agriculture, wealth, a n d power. We have repeatedly shown that great squatters never will make a great colony or nation. Since the dispersion from Babel to this hour, no pastoral nation was other than poor, feeble, and semi barbarous, as are the Turkcomen, Tartars, Arabs, and South Ameticans! Pastoral pursuits are opponent to the great element of power, and wealth. —population. It is true, that Mr, Archibald Boyd showed Lord Stanley a large export of manufactures to this colony, but he probably forgot to tell how tliev were paid for, or whether one half of them was ever paid for at all ; there is no doubt that we export a large quautity of wool, why ? because by extraordinary efforts to increase *lie number ol sheep, while free labour lasted, our rlo<ksare now numerous; but the colony is nearly stoi ked, and a very few years will bring it to its full maximum of produce. Grazing is not like agriculture; grass lan !s will oniv bear a certain amount of stock, and when that comes to pass, (as it will in N. §. W. right soon), there we stick in soecula sa?cul a runi. And what so r t o: nation shall We have if big squatters get leases? A few Nabob wool growers and boilers down, in and about the capital, and a set of half Tartar shepherds, and herdsmen, few and far between, roaming through the wide and wild bush, living as we see, in celibacy. in vice, and profligacy, without access to places of worship; and in fact, almost forgetting if there be a God. This is what big squatting, or as the Atlas (by way of dignity,) calls centra' izaiion will product: sending all the wool away in its raw state, as if they were the mere lactois of the English manufacturers, and paying them 20 shillings for the cloth, the wool of which they sold for one ! The wool produces no good to the colony during its transit; it is packed in bales at the station, and never sees light till it reaches the factory ! This is exactly the state of society that all wise and sagacious statesmanought by all and every legal means prevent. Too much land has already got into a few hands by grant or purchase, but monopoly and centralization ought to cease. The vast squatting runs ought to be broken up and distributed among many married and resident squatters on leases (but them alcne) who would not on'y produce MORE AiND BUTTER WOOL, because of ihe superior care they would bestow on their flocks, but they would fiil the land with people, With native labour, with plenty, and above all, with, virtue and morality. We have been imperceptibly led into tids discuisive train of tnongbt, al though our original intention was merely to speak of one article—silk : although there are many othejS which highly enrich the people inhabiting climates like ours; such as wine, olive

and castor honey, dried fruits, such as figs, raisins, Zante currants, coriander Seed mustard, hops, cotton, nay sugar in our northern districts, &c. &c Hows may be reared towards Moreton Bay, on tiie sweet potatoe in any number, and at the smallest expense. But ss a most important and valuable article of export, and as a means of employing women, girls and children, (considered by the big squatters such a nuisance,) we, beyond any other, recommend the culture of silk. Surely that which emiches China, India Italy. Piedmont, France, Spain, Greece. Turkey, Syria. &c, &o , and is rapidly spreading through the southern provinces of Russia is worth some portion of our regard, We pub'ished, a short time back, from an authentic French work, the Agronome, a description of a mulberry brought from China to Manilla, and thence to France, ca led the Morus Multiiaulis, Which produces four times the weight of leaves that the white mulberry does, and which the silk worm prefers, and affords therefrom asupelior silk; it is rapidly superseding the white imi berry through F'ance and Italy, and is most easy of propogation, as it grows from cuttings Monsieur Perrotet. who introduced it, planted the cuttings in boxes at Manilla, a" of which took loot, As we have not I eard of any gentleman having sent for so valuable a p'ant, we now repeat its desfripti >ri, aud we trust that so im portant a source of national wealth, and of useful fema'e employment in the bush, may not be disregarded b> those wl o have the well being of the colony at heart. The Tea Shrub is small and insignificant, )et look at its influence among men ! apod of cotton seems abagatebe, and behold the winders it lias produced ! a grain of wheat is a little thing, and yet grains of wheat feed mankind ! Nothing shou d be disregarded that can advan<e human comforts and kindness. - Sydney Morniiiy Chronicle.

Never, we believe, in anv Colony—not in this, though we have a prettv considerable job in the Australian Agricultural Company; not in Canada even, whose jobs Lord Durham so ably exposed—was there so barefaced, so vile a job as the New Zealand Land Company. How many thousands of honest, unsuspecting, and it may be, happy people, did that gang of swind lers seduce from their homes, by false and exaggerated statements 10 sell their a'l, and come out to New Zeaand »o lose their whole means, and then to wander where they could, or starve and perish at the settlements? So audacious were they, that they sold even in London and Edinburgh, lands to which they themselves had no title, to their dupes and victims! If the liuvernnient mean to colonize New Zealand, it ought to go about it ill good earnest, and not leave it to be done by a jobbing Company. It ought to reduce the price of iand to five shillings per acre; and sell it whenj possib e, to the bona fide occupier, and only in moderate quantities : it ought to leave fully one-fourth of the whole Islands to the natives, including all the lands they now or heretofore have cultivated; and above all, it ought effectually to protect the settlers by a mtfficieut military and civil, force against an armed, intetiiyerd, and hiyh spirited lace of aborigines, li thev t.re unable to do «*, they ought at once to relinquish thesovereigntj to somebouy else more Lt to discharge us functions wisely and use.udy.

It was truly unfortunate that the detachment of troops late y sent to New Zea'and, were not mote promptly ciespa died. They would doubtless late prevented the recent s aughter and conflagration at ivororarika; but as we know not His bxcehency's reason for the delay, w e shall abstain from further remark. Yet even bad moy been sent at once, it dot a not in am

way exonerate the Home Government for its cruel abandonment of the New Zealand settlers, scattered and unpro. tected amongst an ill-Used, cheate, irritated race of armed savages.— Sydney Mommy Chronicle. (From the Wellington Independent.) Below we furnish h copy l»t the ProspeCfn««, which U-&0 circulated yesteid \y, announcing the circumstances which had called onr publication into existence, at thirty S'x hours notice. We know not that it is necessary to say more on the subject at present. We teel assured that any defects in any description that may be detected, will be uatdoricd upon calling to mind the suddenness of the necessity, and the short lime that has elapsed bet wee") •'• a "d 'akinsr action noon it. FELLOW SECTLIHLS. CIRCUMSTANCPS have laddered it impera'ively necessary that a New .Journal should he started in Pott N'cholsou. Tim paper will be ca'led the 4 ' IVkllingpon Independent," ami will l>« i*su«d semi-weekly, viz. —every \\ ednesdav and Saturday, from the Printinn Ollice, Man tiers street. The first number will he published, on Wednesday. the *2 id of April, JH4S. 'I he pi ice will be £2 per annum payable in advacee ; or sixpence each for single numbers, This paper will be sent ea ly each morfd'ig ot publication to subset ihers. The subjoined will l>e the advertising terms :

Six tines and vntler, 2.v Cut for the first, and Qd for each subsequent insertion Over six lines, o\i per line jor the first, and \d per line for each subsequent insertion. This upon comparison and calculation will be tound to bean enormous reduction upon die present tates This paper will be issued by the Prinler* who have so lonu been employed at the Gazttte Printing LVablishnieut ; and they hope it will be awarded to them, that they one all, have acted as if becomes good colonists since they have been in New Zealand, a period 01'several years, Fi-e Punter*, four of whom hive wives ami families, look to the public of thi* setlemeiit to eufttaiu iheir bumble but meritorious efforts. They will be satisfied with very moderate support. I hey feel it necessaiy to slate briefly the circumstances which have compelled them thus to appear before the public.

In the last numbeY of the New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Straits Guardian, Mr. Itoe, the Pi inter, n scried as an a«i « vertisement, a deposition made by P. Wa«erield, Esq., barrister at law, against S. Uevatis, Esq , followed by the solemn affirmation of this gentleman, and another solemn affiimatioti by Mr. James Smith. The deposition and subsequent proceedinns would have appeared in the Netv Zealand Spectator and Cook's Slra»t» Guardian, as Police proceedings, had the Committee of that paper adopted the usual custom of reporting the business of that Court. Lor publishing a public document as an advertisement, the Committee seek to deprive us ot our daily bread. Ihe following are the names ol" the Committee :

Mon. H Petri?, C. Clifford. L'sq. 11. 55TOKES. L»Q T. fcl. PAKTUIbUB, Lsq. \V. Lyon, EtQ. The Printers of Die Gazette (Jdice will make every eiiuit to tenet r Uieh publication u set it I and amusing, Pituieis ure proverbial lor the liberal tendency ol ifieir declines; and the undeiMgned pli:o c e themselves to conduct the press m a llbeial manner. V\ bile tiny will not lully state aught in luahce, lliey claim tin* ri«ht and uill assert die utility ol eu-i----cisin» the public acts or men and public meuMir s ; hut they pled&t themselves to 00 so in a geiieinus spirit, endeavouring at all limes to avoid making die laiinus ot human uatue appear greater than tttey are, 'I heir columns mv rll be, c>er oj.t nl» the public, subjtct only to the sau.e i«--suaini as iho i'mutis Wtli impose upon diems'eites, I. U.'o-Et W . L. VINCENT, J. ML IK, C. LhLUNGHAM, l. IVi'KENZiE. Wellinuton, March 31, i«4.>.