CORRESPONDENCE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume II, Issue 71, 15 May 1852, Page 6

CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor of the Lyttelton Times. Sir, —I trust I shall be excused for-desiring the publication in your columns of the following brief statement of my views on the subject of the proposed dissolution of the Land Purchasers' Society, and the public meetings which have been held in consequence in Christchurch aud Lyttelton. In the first place, I may be allowed to observe—that the Society to which I refer—and which I regret to see was at the late Lyttelton meeting thought deserving of ridicule and "much laughter"—(reflecting I think as little credit on the good taste of the speaker as it did on the sense of the meeting) did not " die out,'" as was more humorously than truthfully stated to be the case by Mr. Cholmondeley. At the time of its last meeting the Society numbered little short of 100 registered members ; and these included almost every influential resident Landowner in the Settlement. The last meeting of the Society was, among many others, honoured by the attendance of Mr. Cholmondeley himself; and the last meetings of the Council were as numerously attended as I have ever known them to be. The facts of the case are simply these. Sometime since, on the motion of one of its members, the Society was invited to revise its franchise, with a view lo its extension. The question was referred to the Council, by whom it was long, anxiously, and carefully considered. It appeared to" them, however, that any great extension of the franchise, as the Society was constituted, was not practical ble. On the other hand it was urged that the Society, not representing the whole community, carried little weight. That the labouring classes', and various other interests in the Settlement, not represented, were clamouring for a voice i-n the Council of the Colonists, which, as it was then constituted, commanded neither the respect of the Association nor the attention of the Government. That if a Society could be formed embracing every class, it would meet all the wants of the community, and speaking the sentiments of the public as it were with one mind and one voice must, on all questions of general interest, command the respectful attention of the Government. Notwithstanding considrable difference of opinion as to the practicability of such a scheme, these conside-

rations ultimately prevailed with the Council and in conformity with them it was resolved that the dissolution of the Society should be proposed, aud a report was drawn up invitina* all the inhabitants of the Settlement to join, if they so felt disposed, in the formation of a new Society. That report, Sir, was published in your paper ; it was subsequently adopted at a general meeting of the Land Purchasers' Society ; and, in compliance with its suggestions, Notices were advertised in your "Paper that pubhc meetings would be lrdd for the purpose of ascertaining the wishes and the inhabitants of the Settlement on the'subject. I attended, Sir, the proposed meeting at Christchurch ; and I can bear testimony to the truthfulness of your report that, as a 'public de T , v monstration, it was an utter and failure. So far, however, from regarding this as a '" matter very much to be regretted, or as in any way reflecting on the Society of Land Purchasers, I confess I arrived at a very opposite conclusion; and I left the proposed place of meeting impressed with the conviction which (notwithstanding much laboured effect to get up an artificial excitement) I am still satisfied is the correct one, that the great body of the community, for whose benefit the movement was suggested, cared little if anything about it: that they were very well satisfied to allow matters to go on as they were : that they considered the general interests of the Settlement were sufficiently well looked after, and that they were not disposed to join any Society for the mere purpose of political agitation when they were suffering from no very great present hardships, and could discover no immediate political grievance which they could not afford to put up with until the time should come when they might expect to receive legitimate representative institutions. I say, Sir, such was the impression made on my mind, and so strongly, that I do not feel at all disposed to take any further part in the movement if continued. I am aware that the failure of the meeting and the absence of all public sympathy in the proposed movement, is referred by some to the fact that it. was a mid-day meeting, at which people could not be expected to attend. I cofi-' less myself to be one of those who differ from this conclusion. The question as to this time of meeting was carefully considered by the Council, and the hour fixed on'was fixed on advisedly. However different the circumstances of the case might be in a place like the Port town, it was thought that among a scattered population, such as exists on the Plains, it was not to be expected that people would come in, many for several miles distance, with a very imperfect state of road, to an evening meeting after dark. That the only result of such a meeting would be, that you would get a muster of public house frequenters, curiosity seekers, and loungers, while the great body of the industrious and more respectable part of the community would stay at home. That if the people felt so excited,'and deeply interested in the question as they were represented to be, they would not begrudge an hour or two out of a day's work for so very desirable an object. I confess I was one of those who took this view of the subject; and that the Meeting was not attended I am rather disposed to refer to the reasons I have already stated than to any great difficulty presented by the hour of attendance. The meeting at Lyttelton, for reasons which are quite intelligible, appears to have been better attended. But, as far as I have been able to understand them, the proceedings there all ended in a proposal to establish something like a Mechanics' Institute. An excellent institution beyond all doubt, and one in the success of which every one in the Settlement must feel an interest, But Sir, it would be idle to disguise the fact that this was a falling off fsam the original intention. It was not for this that* the Society of Land Purchasers prafposed to dissolve themselves, or from such a quarter that they had reason to expect misrepresentation and ridicule. In conclusion, Sir, (and gise for having so long trespassed on your columns) I heartily join in Mr. Cholmondeley's prayer •• Unit the new Society may be attended with happier results than the old one." lam sure he will forgive me if I own to a slight misgiving that it may (especially if il, aim at a political or quasi political character) possibly turn out to be one of much less value. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your very obedient servant, W. G. Bhutan. Christcliurch, May 10, 1852.

To the Editor of the Lyttelton Times. Sir.—You will greatly oblige by inserting the following letter received from His Excellency the Grovornor-in-Chief, in reply to the Memorial of the inhabitants of Lyttelton relative to the road to Christchurch and the Plains. I am, Sij-, yours, &c. A. J. Alport. ■2, Norw^<3.>>-A T , May 13, 1852. " Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, April 27th, 1852, " Sir,—lam directed by His Excellency the to acknowledge the receipt _Tyour letter of the 15th inst., enclosing a memorial from the inhabitants of Lyttelton, requesting that the portion of the surplus-revenue of the Canterbury Settlement to be applied to the formation of roads might be expended on the completion of the Koad between Lyttelton and Christchurch." " Iv reply his Excellency desires me to request you will be good enough to inform the Gentlemen signing the memorial, that in compliance with the wishes therein expressed, they may rely on his Excellency doing his utmost to promote as far as lies in his power the completion of the road between Lyttelton and the Plains, an object in which his Excellency has from the first formation of the Settlement taken the most lively interest." " At the same time, His Excellency remarks, they will have seen from the correspondence already published on this subject, that he has been cautioned by the Secretary of State, to abstain from making advances in future to the Agent of the Canterbury Association, for the purpose of enabling it to carry out objects which it has undertaken itself to fulfil. His Excellency, therefore, feels that he cannot interfere in these questions, without incurring a very serious responsibility, nor unless any measures he might adopt with respect to them shall have obtained the entire concurrence of the Agent of tlijfwAssociation, and a sufficient guarantee from him for the repayment of advances which might be mad® with a view to their execution." 1 have the honour to be, Sir, Your most obedient humble servant, (Signed) At,fred Domett, Colonial Secretary. A. J. Alport, Esq., &c, &c, &c. Lyttelton." To the Editor of the Lyttelton Times. Sir, —To those commencing sheep-farming, the following recipe as a dressing for the " scab," which was given to me by one of the largest wool-growers at home, may prove useful:— Take arsenic, 2 lbs.; soft soap, 4 lbs.: dissolve in 30 gallons of water. The infected sheep should be immersed in the solution, the head only being kept out. It has the advantage of being much cheaper than tobacco, and equally efficacious. I am, Sir, yours, &c. F. EICIiARDSON. Dunedin, April 7,185 2.