THE NELSON EXAMINER. Nelson, January 1, 1848.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue VI, 1 January 1848, Page 172

THE NELSON EXAMINER. Nelson, January 1, 1848.

Journal! become more necesiary ai men become more equal and individualism more to be feared. It would be to underrate their importance to suppoie that they lenre only to ■•cure liberty: they maintain civilisation. D« TocacxviLLi. Of Demccr- "v in America, vol. ir., p. 900.

We are told by a French epigrammatist, that " it is as easy to deceive ourselves without our perceiving it, as it is difficult to deceive others without their perceiving it." We have on many occasions found it necessary to notice the self-delusion practised by the good people of Aucklandt who, surveying their little capital with complacency, and knowing nothing of the country at a distance, are apt to exclaim, " This is New Zealand." Though this deception passes current ■wr'the north, and, for aught we know, rua'y never be perceived there, it is palpable enough to us in the south, or to those who really know what New Zealand is. " So that if our northern friends find it so easy a business to deceive themselves, they verify the Frenchman's proverb, as to the difficulty of deceiving others. When any new measure is proposed for the colony, either by the Home Government, or in the local Council, it is judged of in Auckland, not by its fitness or unfitness for the colony as a whole, but by its probable effects on the seat of Government, or on the country within a few miles of it. This practice, as we have said, is now so well understood by all persons acquainted with the country, as to be perfectly harmless here, but as it has a mischievous tendency at a distance, with those who have not the opportunity of knowing better, it is a sort of duty now and then to bring a few facts together, for the purpose of removing any wrong impressions which may have been created. It happened, unfortunately, when the colonization of New Zealand was commenced, that one uniform plan was not adopted throughout the islands ; for not only was the Government settlement founded on different principles to those in Cook's s Straits, but, to a great extent, by a different class of men. It is no part of our present object to inquire, whether the system pursued in the North for the acquisition of

land, or that in the South, has proved the best, or whether by shopkeeping, or the cultivation of the soil and rearing of stock, the colony is the most likely to be benefitted. it is sufficient to say, that from the very first, there has been a connection of interests, fancied or real ; measures, that at Auckland have been viewed as fraught with ruin to the colony, have been considered in the South as a boon and a blessing, and, vice versa. One of the latest examples of the two divisions of the colony being at issue, is on the merits of the Charter lately granted to the colony, but more particularly on the. subject of the two last chapters of the Royal Instructions which accompany it. These chapters are devoted to the aborigines and their lands, and are viewed with such horror at Auckland, that the newspaper refused to print them, and both missionaries and settlers declare that if they are enforced, a general resort to arms on the part of the natives is to be apprehended. To apply the same measure to this part of the colony, or at least to this island, which of itself is by far the largest division, there are no serious impediments, nor is there scarcely a difference of opinion on the benefits which would result from it both to Europeans and natives. In the draft of a petition to the Queen, on the subject of these Instructions, lately prepared in Auckland, and printed in the N~ew Zealander of the 13th of November, we find the following passage : — 11 Every acre of land in this country, whether occupied or not, is claimed by the aborigines, each tribe and family having its respective boundaries, known and (except in some few cases of international dispute) acknowledged by all ; and, consequently, that taere it, properly speaking, no waste lands in this colony that can be appropriated to the Crown without purchase." That this may be perfectly true as regards Auckland, and the northern peninsula, we shall not dispute. On the latter, there are 16,000 natives ; at the Waitemata and Coromandel, 6,000 ; between Auckland and the East Cape, 30,000 ; the Waicato district, 21,400; Roturoa, 9,000; making altogether about 82,000 natives within a couple of hundred miles of Auckland, and confined to sixteen million acres of land, or about one half of the area of the Northern Island. Then the nature o£iue country must be considered. "TVluch of this is rendered unless for cultivation by the broken nattire of the ground, and the large tracks of kauri forest, which have a soil unfit for general vegetation. The Auckland memorial might perhaps have said with perfect truth, that " every acre of land in the Northern District, worth having, is claimed by the aborigines, and that there is no land in the district, of any value, that can be appropriated to the Crown without purchase." But contrast this with the southern division of the island : the acreage is nearly the same, while the number of natives in the latter does not amount to 27,000. It is therefore clear, that arguments which are perfectly applicable in the North, may be totally out of place in the South. Let us now leave the Northern Island altogether out of consideration — its Maoripeopled and broken surface, bare ridges, and heavily-timbered valleys — and direct our attention to this, the Southern Island, with its extensive grassy plains and slopes, larger too by one-third, and having a native population of less than 5,000. A considerable number of these reside on the shores of Cook's Straits, so that the whole country from the Wairau to Foveaux Straits, a distance of upwards of 400 miles, is almost destitute of inhabitants. "On the great plain to the south of Banks' Peninsula," says Dr. Monro, in his admirable journal of his trip to the southward with the party in search of a site for the Scotch settlement ; "on the great plain to the south of Banks' Peninsula there are not, we were told, more than thirty or forty natives altogether. Otago and Robuki are their head quarters and there their numbers are very inconsiderable. In the fine district behind Molyneux Bay, there are only four men. To the northward, along the coast, there are

hardly any." And what is the character of this thinly-populated country? Let us cull a few of the graphic descriptions which Dr. Monro has sprinkled so thickly over his journal. To begin, we will take the view from the head of Port Cooper : "An immense plain, apparently perfectly level, stretched away below our feet, extending in a direct line westward at least thirty miles ; and, to [the southward, as far as the eye could reach, backed by a far remote chain of grand snowy summits. The general colour of the plain was yellow, indicating its being covered with dry grass 5 ; and several streams with tortuous courses marked themselves upori its surface by the silver glitter of their waters." A short distance from Moraki : "We could see a large extent of low, sloping land, apparently grassy, with high hills in the background." Near Waikouaite : " There is a considerable extent of grassy land." At the head of Otago harbour : " The country oppn and grassy." Tairii Plains : "We looked down upon a plain stretching away to the southward for at least twenty miles, with an average breadth of five or six. The appearance and colour of this truct of country indicated that it was partly though not purely grassy." Then at the Molyneux : "At the distance of about ten miles inland, gentle slopes, apparently grassy, rose to a moderate elevation, behind which no mountains were visible save in one direction, towards the north-west, where the white summits of a very far distant range showed themselves. * * This delta is surrounded by a grassy country of inconsiderable elevation. In a westerly diicction it extends a very long way, &c. In a north-westerly direction the mountain ranges are far distant. An immense surface of country, admirably adapted for sheep grazing, waits here the introduction of stock to become a certain source of wealth." And even at the Bluff: "The level land to the north of the Bluff appears to extend a long way into the interior ; distant ranges are seen behind it." We could go on making similar extracts, each of which might serve as a picture, but we have given enough l~ sfoow the natrre of the country all down the east coast, extending back to the base of the mountain range which rises almost precipitously from the beach on the western side of the island. We must however make one more extract from Dr. Monro's journal, to show the value of this vast country, for we know of no one more competent to speak on this subject : " There is a very large field for the production of wool along the east coast of this island, and I am convinced that it can be grown with greater profit than in any part of Australia. * * There is abundance of water, enabling the flockmaster to wash his wool thoroughly ; and the climate of this country is particularly favourable to the constitution of the sheep. Having seen most of the Australian colonies, and acquired a little experience at some expense, I see no occupation which affords so good a prospect of a rapid return for money invested as sheep grazing in this country, where pasture is sufficiently abundant; and there is a great extent of grass land between Banks' Peninsula and the Bluff." Now what can be thought of such assertions, as that " every acre of land in this country is claimed by the aborigines ; each tribe and family having its respective boundaries, known and acknowledged by all V We doubt much whether there is a single soul, out of the 2,000 or 3,000 supposed to exist to the southward of Cook's Straits, 'who has ever seen the hundredth part of this country excepting from a distance, much less made himself acquainted with its boundaries. Is it not absurd to hear men talking in this strain, when it is evident they so lack information ? They undertake to speak of the wants of New Zealand, and yet know nothing about the greater part of it. Because they reside at the seat of Government, they appear to claim the right to speak for the whole com-

munity ; but this is a point which will never be conceded to them. We know Auckland to be prosperous (in one sense), the Customs contributing a large revenue (paid by British money), but on no other grounds is it entitled to consideration. As the principal settlement in the Northern District, through which the bulk of the native population will be supplied with imported goods, and also as a military station, Auckland must always bo a place of some importance in New Zealand ; but it is not saying too much to affirm, that in less than ten years, this hitherto despised and little-thought-of island, will, in wool alone, export a value equal to the whole of the shipments of the north. As nothing will be snore likely to hasten this than Earl Grey's scheme for placing the waste lands of the colony on an intelligible footing, we hope that the Governor, in proclaiming the new Constitution, whatever he may do as regards the other island, may bring this one under the full operation of Earl Grey's measure.

Management of Horses. — At the Newcastle Farmers' Club, held lately, this subject was introduced by Mr. George Bates, of Heddon Banks*'., who observed : It could not be a matter unworthy * of serious thought how the farmer could most economically feed his live stock, when 'the vast number of horses and cattle kept in this country was considered. M'Culloch had estimated the number of horses kept for pleasure, for agriculture, and for other purposes, at 1,500,000. The staple food of the horse was corn and hay. The substitution, therefore, partially at least, of a cheaper diet, was desirable. A gentleman had observed a horse feeding upon whins (gorse), in preference to other food, upon an open common, and was led to make inquiries on the subject. He then found that whins were cultivated in the neighbourhood of London, and that horses and cattle had been fed thereon in Wales for at least a hundred years. It was evident, therefore, that whins had been used in England for provender for upwards of a century and a half. They were also used in Scotland. During the Peninsular War, the horses of the British cavalry fed and throve upon this diet on the Pyrenees. In the northern districts of the principality of Wales, and more especially in the counties of Carnarvon, Anglesey, and Denbigh, gorse has from time immemorial been in use as food for horses. It has also occasionally, and when other provender was scarce, been employed as food for horned cattle. Where, either by itself or in conjunction with other provender, it had been used as food for milch cotvs, the result had been highly satisfactory. It has given to the milk and butter a fine colour and a rich flavour. Those who have applied it to this purpose arq of opinion that cows yield a better, profit than when they are fed with the best hay, or even with turnips. The butter is in all respects of an improved quality. It will grow luxuriantly on the thinest, the coldest, and apparently the most sterile soils. Instance ■ have occurred of farmers having had to pay at the rate of £25, £30, aye, £40 per acre for gorse, to those who had bestowed some little care in the cultivation of it, and that upon land immediately contiguous to that which they themselves occupied. Scores of acres of the land so held, though capable, with the slightest attention, of yielding luxuriant crops of gorse, are suffered to be of no value. Nay, such farmers allow whole districts to remain unproductive. Their own grass crops, for want of activity and forethought, are almost worthless, and they purchase in the immediate neighbourhood, at a high rate, of more intelligent and industrious individuals, the very provender in the form of gorse, which land in their own hands, if judiciously managed, is capable of furnishing in abundance, and in return for the most trifling outlay. — Kendal Mercury. Thk Magnet. — John Hockings, " the Birmingham black-smith," was one day at a lecture, when the lecturer was dilating upon the powers of the magnet, defying any one to show or name anything surpassing its powers ; he (Mr. Hockings) accepted the challenge, much to the lecturer's surprise, but he nevertheless invited him on to the platform, when he told the lecturer that woman was the magnet of magnets ; for if the loadstone on the table could attract a piece of iron for » foot or two, there was a young woman who, when he was a young man, used to attract him thirteen milks every Sunday to have a chat with her. Dr. Gutzlaff records a remarkable effect of the British invasion of China. The natives expected that their idols would repel the invaders, but seeing them unable to make the least resistance, even to save themselves from the hands of an excited soldiery, veneration gave way to contempt. The idols having proved their worthlessness, the Chinese refuse to worship them, and the shrines and the priests are deserted. Delicate Complimbnt. — A young lady being addressed by a gentleman much older than herself, observed to him, the only objection she had to an union with him was the probability of his dying before her, and leaving her to feel the sorrows of widowhood. To which he made the following ingenious and complimentary reply: — " Blessed is the man that has a virtuous wife, for the number of his days shall be doubled." Dr. South, one morning visiting a gentleman, was asked to stay to dinner, which he accepted of. The gentleman stepped into the next room, and told his wife he bad invited the doctor to dine, and wished her to provide something extraordinary. Hereupon she began to murmur and acold, and make a thousand words ; till at last her husband, being very much provoked, protested that if it was not for the stranger in the next room, he would kick her out of doors ; upon which the doctor, who heard all that had passed, immediately stepped out and cried, " I beg, sir, you'U make no stranger of me."