AN IMMIGRANT'S VIEW OF AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 290, 17 October 1864, Page 6

AN IMMIGRANT'S VIEW OF AUCKLAND.

The following is :i letter f m or.e of tho Nottingham town missionarit s, who emigiated to New Zealand some time since:— " Otticial Pay, Auckland, March 231h, IS6 " j\fessrs. lledington ami iiaynor, tL Gentlemen, —1 tool it to bo it duly I owe to vou for many favours shown to mo ;it Nottingham, to'.say L do most sincerely thank you. Trustiug you aro both well in Health, as this loaves me and my family, I thank God for all liis mercies to me and mine. " We hoar from time to time of what is doing at: the Police Court by the newspapers. I lind all inv old friends have not yet learned to do well. I hope none of j our sergeants can say that they have taken nine drunken pereoau to take tip in" ouo night. This, however, was said by one lim. Drunkenness prevails to a great extent, especially amongst females, although tho law is very severe, many being actually sent to prison for six months as common drunkards. There were four females eonhned f.r this term the last time I visited the prison. Let mo tell you so aethiii"about our city prison. Do not imagine you aro loo£ ing at that spacious and substantial building on 111-; Pavement or in John-Sireet, but. suppose yourself to be in Uueen-slrc-et, Auckland, at tho corner of Vic-toria-street. In that gully you see a equaro, fen red m some t.n feet- high with boards. Xue c-ntr.u.c ; is by a smalt door lrom Victoria-street. Turn rhu corner to tiuoen-struot and you eoiuo to a wooden building, W'hich you might take to be some geiiUeman's coach-h-mso. No; you arc Wiong this time. ' The one is the Mipreme Court and the other is our prison. When first f looked on them I stood uiriuzLvt, thinking it would be 110 feat for a .Hick: Sliophar 1 to clear the boundary wall. Hut when yen enter you lind a man, carbine in hand uud iixed bayonet. Out of the city is tho stockade. That, too, is a wooden | building. Here the execution takes place privately. Afterwards there is un inquest held over the bodies, to Miov." that thy taw has been I'uLly .-arricd out. l~£ore "1-0 men serving for a long torm of years— s 'tiie Un the onbiuto aie men at woru, quanying and breaking stones, under four guards with loaded carbines and tl.xcd bayonets. fcsueli crimes as uro cJin- I

xnon at home are not so prevalent here. All who Tire willing may get work, and at good -wages. Thoy arc peeking men now to iprm roads at ten shillings per day of eight hours. But house renta are very high* "it is a very poor one vou can get for ten shillings per week. Bread, too, has got To® from 9d. to Is. for a 41b. loaf within the last few days. Still seme men are doing well here, and would do better if wo had peace. I know men who came out in our ship who have got as much as £7 per week mowing. This class of men, and jo'ners, smiths, bricklayers, painters, shoemakers, masons, and good tailors arc doing well. Policemen are not doingwell at all, their pay is £2 2s. per week ; no clothes, and only two pair of boots, hut thoy hope to get an advance soon. Vou must not feel proud when I tell you they are not the smart-looking wide-awake sort of men you have at Here is one of the beat: liallier sleepy : dressed in blue trousers and slop; no number, but a baton slipped up the sleeve. Well, what can you get for two guineas ? It is notlahoureis' wages. Give my kind regard to all the men in the force.—From your sincere friend, "War. Mason-.-N. B.—l like New Zealand very mtich. The cli-. mate is beautiful, We have peaches, black melons, grapes, Jigs, pumpkins, marrows, &c. We have a large rock-melon in the house now. It scents tl-o whole place. We are in a place that overlooks the harbour, within half a stone's throw of the water, i have engaged myself as colpbrteiir to the Bible society My salary will he ,-£l5O per annum, one quarter in! advance, so I may work hard and be thankful. I intend to thank tbn mayor and magistrates for tlieir kindness to inc. Tlieir testimonial here helped nio very much. We aic very busy here now holding assizes. We have many native prisoners taken in the war. Wo have nearly 200 on board a hulk near our hou:-:e. I would not have nil the"people in Nottingham to come here before the war is over, but I should bo glad to see many when the time comes. God grant it may he soon. My prayer is that we may all meet in Heaven. Amen.

[in rcspect to one passage in the above letter, we must observe that the writer had vc-ry little opportunity of teeing or he saw to n very great disadvantage, fair specimens of the Auckland Police. As a body they are certainly not second to any other engaged in public employment. lie was a fortunate person when able to mistake them for sleepy individuals, more observant and interested critics ot' constabulary excellence have found them too wide awake to be agreeable.—Ed. N.Z.LL]