IEMS BY THE MAIL.

Manawatu Times, Volume II, Issue 69, 16 June 1877, Page 3

lEMS BY THE MAIL.

The " Times," in commenting upon its feydney f orrespondent's letter; says : — u The letter which we^ published on April 10 from our correspondent at Sydney presents a bright picture of a British community enjoying a financial prosperity in plea'sant contrast with the, gloom which we experience -at home. - New South Wales is not without manus factoring industries, but, with a wisdom which "well becomes- the .senior of our Australian colonies, it has repudiated the fallacies of Protection and consistently' asserted its adherence to' the teachings of Free Trade. Bicih in the natural resources' of the\country, it uses these resources with freedom, btit with a forecast of the time when the revenue will have to depend on other means of supply. With a population not much . over half- a million; ik enjoys a revenue of 2,250,0001. — not a bad return per . head of population. Buf in addition to this great income New South Wales is able,' * by /the sale of public 1 f lands, to secure a revenue of two an J" a_ quarter, millions more } and this with' the rental of dther public lands, let to occupiers, gives a total of 5,000,0001— considerably more than the' income of •this country, in * the reign of William III: The prosperity of New South 1 Wales, though so great, and distinguished by the judgement with which -advantage ,is taken of such results to secure lasting benefits to the community,

is enly a sample of the general prosperity which ; pitr colonies on the Australian Continent now enjoy. Victoria, though, agitated by more restless ambitions ancL deficient in economic knowledge, was .able- last year to boast a surplus. The mode of raising the ; reyenue-may bea; subject: of eager controversy • both .at Melbourne and at Sydney, but the supply seems to be abundant beyohdall questioni". ... ... Ait the Indre et -Loire Assizes, in France, a woman hks Been condemned to penal, servitude for life for getting rid bf^her^ only, child, a little boy- of fouf, ih -.a manner so infinitely more brutal than; that Moyaux employed' in throwing \ his da nghter down the ; BpgneuK well, .that bne can only ascribe ! her. escaping the punishment of death . :b*y the,, growing repugnance there is dn France 'to the iinfliction of the capital sentence. During the last, six months. ioi his, life .-'the. . pobi* child „%as^ daily Tbealen. with sticks', w^hipsv bootjack, or any weapon that presented itself, and his body being : by this teeatmeht made one mass ; of sorest he #as-thrown into a tub pf bold water and left there for hpm\s. His feet: were ulcerated to such an extent that the bones protruded through the:; skin ; this suggested a new tprture : r the ;child ; was taken put. by his' mother, and made to walk for miles along the stoney rroalds; until he. fainted under the innictipn.- A- merciful death at J|tlgth took^pity :. : pntthe infant inaribyr out even the hear approach of the freedom she:coveted did not move _to cpmpassipn- the heart -pf his : executiaaer;?:; On^he^day of his deith she shAit;;hir& up in^: dark! closet to meetstruggle v alone, 'whilst- she jto^her. 'favorite place of amusementy . the ;theatre/ Finding on her^return the dying child was still ; Hngeriftgybli: : the'^cpnfiiicss ;bf -eterriiiy^ ihasteQed the^ flitting soul by alast of tfie whip, which she handle.d^'ith so miichf (iry -thatitbroke iii her grasp. ; ; Surely for such atepcities ;;as /^se,>imflicted off this; tende#*limbs^ W& ,^nierbi Mby^- pf ffbur-^y^vhis bwn •inpther, death itself would have been :;lenien^^ the jiiry - managed;: as,^^^ usual . tox find ertenuating" eircumstances ; sp this monstrous mother istb be left ibo, disgrace the earth.

The will of Mr,: Sampson, late city editor of the Lpndon " Times," shows that he died worth a fortune of; £60,000. v Yet he stated in a letter, after the trialwhich led to snch ruinous exposures of him, that he was a "poor man." It'is a curious but undoubted fact that he sjtarved himself to deatb.. Many stories : were "afloat about the strange manner of his death, but this is the true one. He had lived for many years with .his sister, to whom he was attached to a degree seldom known or heard of. She died-a f ew weeks ago, and Mr Sampsbil refused ,frpm ; that vX mpment to eat anything whatever, and in. spite of all. the persuasions and remonstrance^ of ; his friends and physicians he persevered in his determination and so died. He lias left the bulk of his property to the children of his sister.