The Bruce Herald. TOKOMAIRIRO, APRIL 6, 1865.

Bruce Herald, Volume III, Issue 53, 13 April 1865, Page 3

The Bruce Herald. TOKOMAIRIRO, APRIL 6, 1865.

If anything* was needed to demonstrate the utter absurdity of Mr. Harris's pet scheme of erecting; Otago into an iude-

I pendent Colony, (he late Election fov\ I Brace would supply the deficiency. The ] great evil which has aiwjjys interfered i with the satisfactory working 1 of representative institutions in a 'young 1 colony is ; the want of men able and willing 1 to take a < part in the g-overmnent of f he country. There are frequently a number willing' to i do so who are not n't for the task, and it : often happens thac those who are have not the inclination. Without a number of men in a colony who c;in command the respect and. confidence ot their fellow--settlers, and who can and are willing 1 to devote their time and abilities to politics, I representative g-overmneiit will ever prove a failure, anil will probably prove a curse. Experience has proved this to be the case where even a portion of the couminuuiity lack the class of men to which we" have referred : what the consequences would be were entire self-government to devolve, oil; a community thus situated we can easily j imagine, '['he few men qualified for (he task ! of government would become so thoroughly i disheartened and disgusted with thflse with whom they would be associated that they would retire altogether from political life and " King Mob" woidd reign supreme. iSuch, \i we mistake not, would be the fatH ; of Otago were the views of Mr. Harris; realized. Our Legislature would quickly I degenerate into a Town Board ; epithets more forcible than polite would be ex- i changeo in the Council Chamber, :<i:d if! fisticuffs were not resorted to we might at | least expect to hear threats of expulsion through a window. There is a lamentable want of what are | termed " public men" in Otago. We have j one or two who do us credit., but the list is | small, and it will have to be greatly aug- j merited before Otago can take even a re- j .-peciablo position in the Legislature of the j Colony — much less set up a Government \ on her own account. The New Zealand j Assembly is probably in every way the j most respectable legislative body in the j B.itish Colonies, but, with one or two, striking exceptions, the Otago members j suffer considerably by comparison wit i the j representatives of the other Provinces, and j the new member for Bruce is certainly not | likely to improve our position. We look j upon the late election as a disgrace to the ■ Province — but in saying this we must not | be understood to refer to the choice made j by the electors. We meat) that it is disgraceful that the representation of the most populous coun-y of Orago should have gone a-begging up to the last moment, and that then no better men could | have been found than those proposed. We j believe that the electors will bear us o"t in j saying that neither Mr. Burns, Mr. Dyer, | or Mr. Clapcott, are men of the stamp that! should be sent to the Assembly. They ! maybe, no doubt are, respectable and honest men, but they have not as yet done j anything to entitle them to a seat in the Parliament of New Zealand. We do them the justice to believe that they were themselves aware of" this, arid that had a really suitable candidate offered they would never have aspired to the position. They deserve the- thanks of the electors for offering their services, and for preventing the election proving a mere walk-over to anyone who might have been proposed, but still the Election itself is not the less a disgrace to the Province. As it is, the poll has been a mere sham, ISO out of 971 electors have recorded their vo'es, and the successful candidate goes to represent a district stretching from Mataura to Green Island because he happened to get 102 electors to vote for him. Even of those who voted wa believe that scarcely oue considered the man they voted for a really suitable representative. The great hotly of the electors looked at the election as being a choice of. two evils, and those who did vote did so because they considered- it a duty to choose what they considered the lesser evil. There was no difference in political creed between the candidates who went to the poll ; their views on political matters were almost identical, and the choice became , therefore a personal one. As might have been anticipated, the oldest colonist, with v large circle of family connections and the prestige attached to his name as tho son of a man who is justly revered as one of the founders of the settlement, has won. We do not say that the electors have acted unwisely in choosing Mr. Burns in preference to Mr. Dyer, but we say that they should never have been reduced to such a ', choice. We emphatically protest against , the continuance of the political indifference 1 which could submit to such a state of !

filings. When (he Assembly is asked to [kiss it bill li)ri>-i'ly increasing" tfie rupresent;ifion of this Province, cstn we wonuYr if the opponents of the measure turn round iind, pointing- to the late election, the cnn(liihites brought forward, tlie general indifference displayed, and the small number of electors who voted, say that we do not deserve increased representation, and that we are scarcely fit guardians of the franchise. Humor speaks of the probability of another vacancy in the representation of Bruce If there is any truth in the report, we hope that early steps wiJl be taken to bring- forward one or more suitable candidates — men whom we need not blush to send to the Assembly ; who will be able to mix with the members of that body on equal terms, and who will command the respect and confidence of the constituency. Surely Orag-o has some sunk men. Jf not, then representative institutions are a farce, and the privilege- or self-government which should be our pride will quickly prove our destruction. We have lo acknowledge the receipt of ' Law, Somner, and (Jo's Calendar of Gardening Operations.' It is a very useful work, carefully Comjiil'jd, and coniain- a mass of va;u.u>!e information on t-anliMiing subjects. I* i^s written wuli especial refeuen.'.e to the climate ot this Province, and we couwiiend it lo the attrition or every owntr o! either fruit, fiow<T, or vegeta'./le garden. Our attenion hws boon called lately to ibe very dangerous obstructions caused by the Telegraph po-ts. Iv many phits ibe posts are stayed by a v.i.o, i:is:£ii: d into ihe gi ouiid at some distance from the po-.t, and these wires frequently stretch out o;i to i he road almo.-t to iho metal. A person ri.ling sharply at nglic a.ung tli -* side of the road would be 1.-rougii'.- up rather avvkard.'y on coming in contact with >he. win;. We have almost given up all h;>j)f of ever seeing the Telegraph posts wade us. fal, but it is 100 bad that ".hey should be. allowed to bo dangerous. Decidedly they are neiiher useful lii.-r oruainoul -u, l-ut iliey mi^ht at lt!ii>t j)<K<3fss the negative virtue of being harmless. -"' An 'ther his been added to the long list of un-RuoC's.-ful newspaper .-peeui lUoijs in bu.uedinThoOi.«g:) 'Daily AiaU' iia.-s !iad to succumb to the bad ii.ues, and lia^ followed lo the tomb its prc-d-ic-Siior.-:. the ' Colonist,' 'Telegraph,' 'News,' and • Leader.' ■ •' Tl-.e Escort from the Teviot is to be discontinued. Mr. Jylin Kicirdan has been coaimitted for trial for t-el'.ins> lire to a cottige of hii* in Staflordstr. oi, wlih iiiU:ijt to (ief"aud '.he New Zealand im-urance Company. Bail has been refused. /The ' Marl borough Tisnes' Ini3 be n compelled to suspend publication, in con-rquence of the retirement of o c of the pvoprietorri and i.hege:;era! depression <-f l/usin ss. in its la-t number it staler there is a probability of revival under a new proprietary ,^- We understand that (hr: Roy. JR. L. Stanford wi-l celebnite Divine Service, at the Sch.;ol-h.-use, Glen -.re, oa Sunday evening at halfpa t live o'clock. Ti'-morrow, being Good Friday, will be observed as a Public Holiday at the Port Office and other Government Offices. We piesume the business portion of the community will also observe it. The Kesident Magistrate's Courr, Diinedin, ha^ been occupied during the greatei p»rt of ih^; i.a?t week in imvstigsuing the charge against C. P : Fox of robbing th« Pust (Jffloe. The prisoner has been remanded but admit-led to bail. y>The latest news from Okitiki ia exceerlingly uniavorable. Great do^titutiou prevails there.> On TiWday evening a meeting of the electors of the districts of Green Island and Caversham was beld in the Cay. rshum School-house, to consiuel- the conduct of their memlier. Air. Geoigrt Lloyd in being absent from the Province during the siding of (he d-iuicil without resign, ing his sea-. The following resu-ution was unanimously adopted, as also a petition io the Council praying that leave of absence be re!'us(;d MiLloyd, and VMi seat ileui'ired vacant. 4 T.iat in eensi quence of one of the members .of tills district ilr Ge rge L'oyd, absenti.ig Isimself without consuiting his constituents, as he pledged hini-e!f to do in every case where the interests of the district, tvere concerned, he no longer possesj^a th confidence of the electors.' We have received the Rev. A. B. Todd'a letter. understand that a change lias besn made in lbs present coaching arrangements between Tokomaiiiro, Tuapeka and the Duii.-tan. in future there- will be a daily coach from Tuapekato TokotruiiiKO and back, .On Mondays and Tiuusd us there will bit a coach 'rom Tuapeka to I the L'uustan. '

On Tuesday evening last Miss Aitken gave a fai'pweU reading in Ibe Hcboolhouse, Tokomairiro. '! 1)« aiipixliime was good, and John Dewe, E?q., R.M., occupied the chair and introduced the fair r< ad' j r, at, the same time nnoiogisiug for (he want of miisit , although every attempt had been made to supply the want. Miss A tkeu was received with great applause and cmmenced the proceedings t>y reading one. of A.\toun's well known Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers, Edinburgh after Flodden Field. As Aiiss Ailken read it one could picture the scene described * i'tlie mind's eye.' and when she concluded she was greeted with a liurst <if <ippla is*. Mndern L r «gic was capitally read, and so was one of Mrs. Caudles celebrated CHrt.-ii ii Lectures. " The S>ldiei's Return," th<s " Queen.-. I,' fer,"and '• Our Oallant Volunteers," made up the first part, and w-re read us only Miss Ailken can read. Lonjjlellow's " Wooing of Hiawaiha" was splendidly rendered as the first piece of the second, part, but the next piece, '* The Charge of the Light Brig ide," was the g m of the evening, and it* leiulering was a soul-stirring and m.igmlicent piece ot eloeu'iou. A selection from tli3 "'renile Shepherd" followed, and pioved most amusing one or two smaller pieces were then given and the readings concluded with "The Uofc'ar's Saturday night." Miss Aitken also read, as an. extra piean, •* Mansie Waugh's Visit, to i lie Pia-y," which was most amusing. In I the absence of music, several gentlemen relieved. Miss Ai'ke'i by sin»ing during the intervals. Hearty votes of thanks were given to Miss A.i ken, the gentlemen who sang, and to the Chairman. We ate sure that all enjoyed themseives very much, and we advise our country readers who can do so to embrace (he oppon unity of hearing Miss Aitken prior to her departure for Europe. 'We are glad to see that the Tokomairiro Young Men's Mutual Improvement Society has re-commeuced its weekly Thursday Evening Meeiings.^ The want of a r^gularly-esfablisliPd Firm of Faun Produce Factors in Ouuediu has long beeu felt by the country settlers. We observe from an advertisement in another column that Messrs. W. Fuller and Co. have eutablish-d thein.-eives in that line of business at ttie Free Stoics, Kattiay* stieet. i he Council was to meet yesterday* Out' next issue will contain the List of Appli* cations to Voie in the Eh.-ctoml District of Bruce* Over three hundred applications have been sent in lliir. % \ ear. The 'Daily Times' of yesterday says that there is very little doubt that the Confederate cruiser, Shenandoah, of whose visit to Melbourne reports have recently been given*' has within the past eight days, been in the vicinity of the coast oi Otago. Since the departure of the ship Hydra, which arrived here on the 2nd instant, with a cargo of cattle from .Newcastle, it has leaked out that off West Cape that vessel was boarded by a boat from the Siienandoah; and it is stated that the cruiser had her supplies supplemented by the transference of twelve head of cattle from the stock on board the Hydra. There is another statement, understood to be from an authentic source, that the purpose of the Siienandoah in remaining about this coast was to receive from Melbourne an addition to her crew, consisting of men who had been despatched in a small vessel instructed to join the cruiser. It is a circumstance worthy of some notice that, a few nights after the arrival of the Hydra, a brilliant light was ' sesn at sea by the pilots at the Otago Heads, resembling that which would be caused by a ship on lire. The American three-masted schooner Lubra sailed from the port on the same day, with a portion of original cargo for Sydneyand it was remarked by one of the pilots at the Heads, when the light was discernablc. 'There goes the kerosene. There is just a probability that the Lubra Avas overhauled by the Siienandoah and burnt. Her captain was previously made prisoner by the ship Florida, when his vessel, the Southern Cross, was burnt, and all his property confiscated. The last American ship which left this port was the A. W. Stevens. She sailed for Newcastle on Monday, proceeding apparently by Cook's Straits. Ellen Anderson and William Ford have again been remanded on suspicion of being concerned in the murder of Charley. The ' Daily Times' states that — There was one very painfiil incident during the races on Saturday. Early in the afternoon a great bur>t of flame and smoke was visible from the stand. Jibuti t a mile and a h alf off, in the direction of ths< junction of the disrnct road with the West Tauri ro-id. It was soon settled by some of the visitors that the tl-nnes proceeded from the stack-yard of Mr. J. Fleming; and the -.vhole <:(' the contents of the yard were destroyed, nothing like an t(fectu>.l effort to stay she flames iieing possible. A mounted constable and several of the visitors hastened from the course to render assistance, as soon as the fire wa- observed. We mulersia.d that threshing w:is goin^ on during the forenoon, a steam thre-her beinjs used. Tlie men in charge left for dinner and the firecommenesd during their a:>s;-Ti'.:e. Wo have hoard Air. Fleming's loss estimated at from LIOOO to LloOO, aiid it is saicl that lie is not injured. The ' Diinstiiu Times, 1 writing of the Manuherika district, remarks — ■he proposed Introduction ot tin- Chinese is looked upon in- a very favorable- Sight. The district presents a vast field tor the employment oi Celestial Ubiir.v 1 The ground is mostly shallow aud pretty j evenly per:naated with the precious metal, and j water being everywhere abuud-iut, the introduction o!" these uulustiioiis aimers ' Would prove j of very great advantage.

The following Return of Trustees elected for the several Road Districts after-mentioned is published in the ' Gazette ' for general information. Milburn District — West Ward. — Thomas Reid, James Sutherland, John Grey, John Finch, jun. East Ward — George Lindsay, James Strain, William Black, John France. Milton District. — James Scott, Jas. E. Brown, Robert M'Kenzie, Chas. Falconer, E. T. Gillon, Edward Martin. Helensbrook District— East Ward.— Thomas Dall, Thomas Brooks, Thomas Muir. West Ward.— E. T. Gillon, James Parlane, Wm. Chapman. Hillingdon District. — Campbell France, John Noble, W. Bisset. David Loudon, David Gardyne, Alexander Byres, Wm. Ferguson. Grey ton District. — Robert Dowie, Jas. Cullen, Thomas Harrison. Stony Creek District. — John Kinder, Peter Bell, Frederick Twiss, Thomas Brice, David Bowers, Win. Nielson, — . M'lntosh. Adamsthorpe District. — Jas. Adams, John Treeweek, Jasper Clark. Puerua District. — Robert Christie, Jas. M'Ewan, Peter Dunn, Alexander Anderson, D. P. Steel, James Murdoch, James Dun. Henly District. — John Hyde Harris, William Shancl, Wm. Milne, John Fleming, Alexander Fleming. Otakia District. — Peter M'Laren, Frederick Chittcock, William Adam, William Ashmore, Edward Johnstone, John Stevenson. West Taieri District. — James Shand, James Brrie, William Nichol, Alexander Chisholm. The first Meetings of the District Boards of Read Trustees, recently elected for the several districts hereinafter are mentioned, are appointed to be held at the respective times and places followng for the transaction of general business in connection with District Roads : — Greyton District. — At the house of Mr Robert Do we, within the said district, on Thursday, the loth April, at 4 o'clock p.m. Otakia District. — At the School-house, within the said district, on Friday, the 14th April, at 4 o'clock p.m. Milburn District. — At the School-house, within the said district, on Thursday, the 13th April, at 4 o'clock p.m. Helensbrook District. — At Dyer's Hotel, within the said district, on Friday, the 14th April, at 4 o'clock p.m. Miiton District. — At the School-house, within the said district, on Saturday, the 15th April, at 2 o'clock p.m. Adamsthrope District. — At the house of Mr Jasper Clarke, within the said district, on Saturday, the 15th April, at 4 o'clock p.m. Puerua District. — At the School-house, within the said district, on Tursday, the 13th April, at 4 o'clock p.m. Henley District. — At the house of Mr John Collie, within tho said district, on Saturday, the 15th April, at 12 o'clock noon. West Taieri District. — At the Court House, Outram, within the said district, on Wednesday, the 19th day of April, at 6 o'clock p.m. We have been favored with the following letter, written to a gentlemen on the Woolshed, from a well known miner, who formerly resided there : ' Totara and Okitiki Rivers, March 22, 1865 — Since I came here I have met with several old friends and parties, who have been here almost from the beginning of. this far-tamed rush. I can therefore give you a pretty correct account of all the creeks and rivers about the West Const, and I add my testimony to their experience, and say that this is the worst place in every respect that miners can come to to seek for gold. Last • "Saturday we had to rush out of our tent', and take fefuge in the branches of the big trees, and remain there in the cold and rain till the trt-mendous flood, which carried everything before it, had subsided. Many stout hearts trembled then. It is a mercy no mnn's life was lost at that time. The plact- is completely swamped with people, and thej r are still coming l>y thousands. What they are all to do in this miserable plrsce I cannot tell. There are hnndreds and thousands of able who do not know ■what to do, or how to get a living. There are some very goo 3 cla ; ms at the Six Mile find the Three Mi c Creeks, and if we had been there at the first we mi^ht have' had a chance. Imi ■ now there is no chance' at all. 1 therefore solemnly warn every man who values hU money, his health, and his life, not to come to this place, for there is ever}' chance of losing* and no chance of getting gold. lam a miner ! of ten years' experience, and I therefore can say this rush is a perfect sell — the worst place I ever did see. For myself, lam among a good party of Christians, and we want for nothing. We have a claim, but we know not yet if ie will p;iy us. I think you would do good to the miners by publishing this letter, with my name to it. — L. Larson.