AS OTHERS SEE US.

Evening Star, Issue 7290, 15 August 1887, Page 4

AS OTHERS SEE US.

TO THE EDITOR. SiR.-Last February a gcutlcnnn (by occupation a farmer) brought me a letter ol introduction. Ho informed me lie was possessed of LIO.OGO ; that having a fnuilv to provide far, and finding that ho wailofing money vear by year, he left England and went to Victoiia with the ihtontion of eetillng in that Colony, but that after consideration he gave up thaiden, as the scarci'y of water in the Colony, together with the occasional droughls, ftightened him. As he had always intended to visit New Zoiland before sett injr, he therefore called on rne. I had some conversation with him, and rioommended him to take a good look at the Colony, so as to bo able to judge for hinnclf. He left New Zoaland two month* later during ray absence up at the Lakes. I lately reoeived a letter from him posted as New York, and, as portions of his !e ter may bo of interest, I add them here.—l am, e t e-) G. P. Cliffjhd. Dunedin, August 12. ' America, or rather the S'.aiee, is a wonderful country; iU oapabjiff ies are immense. Life in some respeots is dttligbtfu) and in bfhprs damnablo. The almighty dollar, and the means taken ta obtain it, are something frightful- There may be such a thing as commercial honesty, but I hivo failed to find it. As to justice, that, like everything elie, is traded in. Socialistic schemes and dynamite plots are discussed openly. The true American has much In his character to be admired; but in the mixed community here he is outnumbered. The Irish element carries fearful influence, added to whloh the blacks will give trou'ile yet. The time is not far distant when there will be a terrible state of things, or I am much mistaken. I am about to visit Canada, and expect I shall settle there. I was very pleased with New Zealand ; It possesses a gonial climate, and is a grand country, but there Is not enough of it (I am speaking now as a farmer). I found all the good land that was easy of access was already sold, and could only be bought at a high figure ; and the only othor land worth anything w»0 oat of the reach of communication, and often anydst mountains, f also found that it was an exception when a property was not heavily mortgaged. J saw stock that would be considered good'anywhere ; superior to any I s»w in Australia, and far superior to anything I have seen here—l refer particularly to draught horse?. To my astonishment I found J could not possess property without having to pay a tax on It, and yet the prevailing cry was : ' All we want Is men with capital,' This is a most anomalous state of things. Before leaving England I heard much of the Intemperate habits of the colonies. My verdict would be that both in Victoria and New Zealand the people are far more temperate thin In England. I cannot say as muoh for the States, from what I have seen."