TRACTS FOR THE TIMES.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 2, Issue 65, 18 December 1858, Page 3

TRACTS FOR THE TIMES.

"Dare lucem et dare servem." . ""-£: No. 8. — c CeAD MIKGB FAII.THA' — (A HTJifDJaEdTHOUSAND WELCOMES). Language is the vehicle of thought. Earthquakes happen ; continents may become submer- i ged ; nations may be enslaved, or change their donnas, but not their national feelings : these are sure indications of a people's character. Lavater has laid down, that the character of a man may be detected not les3 clearly in the most j trifling gestures — in. the ordinary tone of his voice, in the way he takes a pinch of snuff or smokes his pipe, or mends a pen, than in great actions. Allow this and it follows, that such will ever be found the faithfullest signs of national I character. What a chapter — interesting and instructive — might be written on the different forms of national greeting ! A truly intellectual box of pemmican ! Notice a few of the greetings of the East :— the ancient 'Shalum' (Peace) of the patriarchal Hebrews ; a pastoral people, always more or less at war ; the l lf God will,' of the modern fatalist Arab : —'Thy visits are as rare as fine days? of the amatory and poetical Turk. 'How goes the perspiration ?' is that of Egypt, which stamps a feverish dry climate to the life. '■Have you eaten your rice ? Is your stomach in good order ?' are the deiieiously kind enquiries of the timid trepang, bird's nest, and chow-chow consumers of China. (Well might a clever modern writer ask — 'Could such have taken root in Aberdeen or Kentucky?') Then, step to the West ; notice a few of the 'words that burn' : — the 'Chaire' (Rejoice ! be glad !) of the ancient Greek, and the 'Ti-Kaiieis' (what dost thou?) of the modern degenerate eheatiag and chattering one ; — note the contrast. The primitive Romans (with whom virtue signified manliness, and a man's whole value was in the measure of his valor,) said, 'Salve !' Vale ! (be healthy ! v be strong!) — how widely different from that of the modern priest-ridden Italian ! The Spaniard says, ' May you live a thousand years !' ; the Erenchman Comment vous portez-vousV (how do you carry yourself?). Now a real Englishman would never be able to conquer bis innate dread of humbug and flummery so far as to use the hyperbolical phrase of the Spaniard, or the superficial gingerbread and fillagree sentence of the Frenchman. Even the kindly 'IToo's a' 10V ye' of the canny Scot, carries a spice of national paxoltiness in it. And the Irish motto at the head of this tract, with their 'Long life to your lionour — may you malce your bed in glory !' plainly shews the violent enthusiasm of the inborn Irish character, the very soul of a people endowed with peculiar lively feelings. (How I lore a true Irishman! Give me an open honest Englishman, a sturdy liberal Scot, and a loving faithful Irishman, and I'd back my trio of worthies against all the world.) And then we must not forget those of the land we live in, — the hearty and open New Zealand 'ITaere mai? and 'Nau mai' and c Ho mai TcoutovJ — meaning, como hither, — all thyself and thine welcome hither, and, bring youi'selves hither and have no care as to board and lodging. All, however, both cast and west, must give way to the real true honest blunt £o.md_and hearty and no-mistake salutation of John Bull — 'How are yonV and 'How do you do ?' Here is both theory and practice. To be ! to do ! Why, these are everything, the whole contexture of life. What a text to write on! — as a modern genius says, 'Sozo are we?' Happy if the advance of knowledge in the 29th or 30th century (to come) shall enable its Brougham or Whewell to answer, 'Pretty ioell, IthanJc yoti' But "anon.

$Tow, I confess, I have been lured aside from that which I had purposed when I commenced > this tract — namely, to write on what I conceive would strike a chord in the heart of all real settlers, and at the same time (if followed out,) confer a lasting benefit on both our adopted country j and our honoured Eather-land. All real settlers heartily wish the province as a whole to go ahead ; all such, possessing pluck are determined that it shall. What is really wanted in order thereto, is POPULATION. We do not want money or live stock, or a line of steamers or an electric telegraph. Already we have the elements of wealth in profusion around us ; all we want is population. If the offer were now made me, of either a gift of £500,000 for the province, or 2000 good immigrants, I should immediately and joyfully choose the latter. Let this be the first aim of our new government when settled, to do their best towards securing immigration. Let, also, the real settlers do their part, so that the immigrant (on his an-ival) may both read in our honest countenances as well as hear from our truthful lips — ' Cead inille failthcC — a 100,000 welcomes ! I want for my countrymen to have something better before them (on their landing), than to work on the roads, or to wait till sheep-shearing to get a job in shearing the sheep or packing the wool of the few fortunate first comers. This may very easily be managed by 'one and all' uniting in the work. Ist. By the government — setting apart (as acquired from the native owners) more or les3 of the whole of the Ahuriri plains for agricultural purposes and real occupants ; — by the government granting land to agriculturists (where needed) on deferred payments, and also rations (if required)' for the first year, or even longer : — 2nd. By the settler already comfortably settled knowing when he has enough, and so ceasing to buy up . every morsel of land which the government, may have or offer for sale. Or, if it be said, (as it has been said,) 'If I don't buy another will,' then let the rich (really or prospectively) among us put their heads togsther for the real benefit of the province and their poorer fellow-countrymen. For "which purpose some such plan as this might be adopted : let a club, or society, be formed for the purpose of purchasing desirably situated agricultural land from the government : let a suitable sum be subscribed for this purpose,, each giving according to his ability-^-according to that -with, which G-od hath blessed him — (not in driblets of £2 and £5, as have been done for the service, of the God of their fathers (!) but in £50 and £100 and £200— and some of the more fortunate among us can very well afford this) : let such land be sold to fit agricultural.immigrants — to be bona.Jide occupiers — at cost price including charges : let, I say, these thing 3 (or something like them) be done by %s in a kindly brotherly Ohristianly real-British, way^

and let them be once made known in England through the pre3S, and we shall soon hare the pleasure of seeing the many elements of wealth in .our province at present lying dormant and wasting, put to their proper and legitimate uses by a cheerful and happy and steadily increasing population. For it must not be forgotten, that while, on the one hand, there are thousands of our fel-low-countrymen at home who are bent on emigrating ; there are also, on the othex*, many colonies both old and new bent on inviting them to their respective shores. And, further, it should not be forgotten, that were we to have a large increase of able working-class immigrants to-morrow, such would scarcely remain ; or, if remain, not happily and contentedly — seeing that such barriers existed between them and the first-comers. Let us all consider this — especially the rich among vs — and acting rightly towards our poorer brother, invitei him and receive him with open countenance and a hearty greeting of 'ITaere ma? — "Cead mille faiUha' — a 100,000 welcomes ! "Alas ! I liave walked through life, Too heedless where I trod ; Nay, helping to trample my fellow-worm, And fill the burial sod — Forgetting that even the sparrow falls Not unmari'd of &od. "I drank the richest draughts, « And ate whatever is good — Fish and flesh, and fowl and fruit, Supplied my hungry mood : But I never remembered the wretched ones That starve for want of food ! "The wounds I might have healed ! The human sorrow and smart ! I And yet it never was in my soul "" .. | To play so ill a part : Hut evil is wrought l>y want of tliouglity As well as tvant of heart. ! ■ "Wai. Colenso. "Waitangi, Dec. 13, 1858. HggrErratum.— ln Tract, $To. 7, a slight typographical ercror — for, 'the art, or depth, of humbug was reversed for us moderns,' — read reserved.