ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 277, 8 November 1862, Page 5

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

THE CONVICT FEATSOtf.

(To the Editor of the Daily Times J Sir,—the case of the convict Fratson has been the subject of so much correspondence in your paper that though averse to enter into the merits of a case where iife and death is involved, I venture to express my opinion in this, as I think both sides ol a question should be heard.

The prisoner Fraison was indicted for the murder of A. Wilson at the Molyneux on a certain date, and, after one of the most patient trials I ev^r remember' was found guilty of the murder ; the jury who tried him seeming to have not a shadow of doubt on their minds as to his gui t; or, in my opinion, they would have reccornmended him to mercy,'though if they had done so I do not know on what grounds it could have been. Mr Wilson, his counsel, dM all he could lor the prisoner; in fact, in the words of the learned judge, he ably defended him. The murder, the most horrible on record, \va«: brought to iijjht through the inscrutable decrees of Providence, after the vain attempt of prisoner to secrete the body. A clearer case of circumstantial evidence I believe never came before a court of justice, and sentence of death was passed on the prisoner. Now, there are a certain class of individuals who are trying to upset the verdict on the grounds of w;,nt o< evidence, witnesses disagreeing in their evidence, the doctor's opinion called m question as to the result of a particular blow, as if jhe stood looking on while they were struck. I ,thiok those attempts to controvert a sentence or to remark on the verdict of a jury are to say the least yery ill timed. The prisoner is either* cuilty or not; he should be either hucg, or set free if innocent; he should be rewarded for the imprisonment he has received : if not let the sentence be carried out. If the sentences of judges, and the verdicts of juries are to be tiifled with, should we get a few of the Victoran gents of the road landed her., no-mart's life will be safe • especially whilst traelling alone in the country. I notice all this so-called sympathy emanates from parties residing in town and who are pretty safe, as long as they are near Mr Branigan, and the large lore© under him; but a person goiog to sele t land at the Molyneux may be murd-red with impunity: and if the raurdeier is not, caught cutting the body up, the verdict of the jury, is ajraiiist evidence ; at least 'that seems to be the ideas of the parties signing the petition, for on. what other gnunds the verdict is to bo upset Ido not for the life of me undeistand. The prisoner himself had nothing to sty "why the sentence shoull not be pns ed on him; thorftfore I think the matter should be allowed to rert where it is, and by being punishe 1, the majesty of the law will be via dicated, and his example will deter others from com mitting such frightful atrocities. , Hoping you will find space for this in your valuable journal, I remain, Sir, Yours obediently, ■o . m Charles BrownBoyal Terrace, Dunedin, * . November 4tk f 1862.

A NEW MATRIMONIAL AGEXCY. (Frornt'ie Saturday Itevieio,2hd August.) Wii2n th ; C2IUHB returns exhibit an excels of half a million feni tie* over male* in the United Kingdom, it 13 very obvious that a gr at many eligible young spinsters a-;-, destined fr> taste «.f that. bles<eJne*» which Miss Bay and other la lies find in an unmarried me. AH circumstance consideie I, the discovery that men are rather de trap in this world, nud that they are totally iinu c^sary to the c in fort of the fair sex has been male at an exceedingly opportune moment. It is not, indeed, in accordance wirh ordinary commercial principles that, as an attujle grew scarce, it s'loukl be lest valuable atui less in »!emnn'l; but women patriots are wiser tiian Ada>n Smith, ami we are bound to beliwe th-rn whjri th-'jy tell m that they consider fhe sexes an advantage rather than the c-mtrary. It mkht, iudvl, be sugjj'sted ihat a certain ancient fable would explain t?:e i» ditierenci to matrimony so suddenly acquired ly thj strong-minded of their saxy but it U unfoi tui.ate for the theory of the use!essne>s of mankind thsMhe gre.it body of females refuse to accept the teadrng of their sifters. They still think that it is not o»!y proper to get married, bur in every lespeofc more c>i ifortable than lo be setting; up type in a printing-oflloe, or " earning their living" by depriving ruen cf their occupations But those who will and tho>e who vili not get married are nu a perfect equality. We are told tr-at suitors do not come f inward as they v ed to do anl that a genuine priz3 in the mafiimonkl market is extremely darl to rinl. The ordinary <vr i;eies for much-making have broken down, and th. lower classes especially are (Mven co eslabi;>h a fresh mode of communication between each other, while chftmpu'ns uf their sex are la oaring to k <\> young wim?n unmairied, the jour-' nids in which the poor take de.ight are doing their besf, (or worst) to find them husbands. It is a curious fact, indeed, t;i;tD one or two halfpenny papers, lately started, trust for popularity solely to their "r.afrimoiiiiil coainus," The editors of these pulocations must be experienced in every phase of tie guuid p;issii;n, and t)>ey f^ive their judgments with lihadamnitliino seventy on the numerous crowd who intercede with them for mates. Persons who casually fall asross on1 of these journals may be mc inedto suppose that, the " Answers to Correspondents" are only a continuation of the romance-in the first p;ige. This is an (.•ncire mistake. The number oHeitcrs which are appar. nt!y sent to any of the cheap weekly journa s— c p ci-lly lo the London. Journal and the Family llara d, the most popular of th- in all —can only bo explained on t!ie principle that there ore more foo's t!ian wise men in the world. Morning af'tc-r m< ruing, it SKein«, brings packets of letters from all inam.e-' of •p.:rsons and from a-U parts of the country—some containir^' portraits, others sp-jcimens of hand-Ai'iting, and ota< i*s locks ot'liair, usually very red iivUeJ, and saturated wiiii rancid fat. »Su at least we infer iro.n the tenor of the " Answers t) Gon'ospondent-,'' wliicii )i;tve all the appearance of beinir genuine replies to genuine letters. It h not a little curious to remark th«; kind of confidencf.'S tint : re established betwefii blie managsrs and readers of these cheap ournals.

The chief portion of the letter* relate to affairs of love and marriage Oik: young woman wishes the tdiior to tell hue whether it is proper for her to kiss a lover, t-> whom she is engaged, before marriage. 'J'lik answer is, that the dot-d ia queston would be decidedly improper ; but we very ■much doubt whether tliii decision satisfied the (|ueti t, and we h:ive still stronger doubts whether it gui.ied her hi her suiisejuent conduct. It is odd eunuch that Hiiy girl should consider v a' ranker more competent to counsel her upon a point of delicacy or propriety titan hoi* own mother or brother; hut the explanation may he that the readers of these journals invest the Unknown who dispenses his decrees oa the last; page with almost supernatural ittlvibur.es. He midcMamls everything, from getting1 rid of a orn, to ri'iuoviny,- .superfluous hairs, to transferring an estate or obtaining a divorce. In the matter ot hair we mi^ht, inci'-ed, think him afflicted with color blindness; but it is no great failing1 after all to mistike red for auburn, or to c.li a greasy kind of tow '• golden !o -ks. v These things are matters of taste. 1) sides, it hi not always easy to tell the truth without giving olfeiicf:, sjspe-;ia.lly when the enquirer is a woman. Happily, howev.-r, three-fourtus of these correspondents are gifted with every peraonal grace; the other fourth are what, in stable language, are known a.s ",screws." The former want husbands or wives, the latter hive either bald heads or bow legs, and suck remedies for both. " There is no remedy/ we lately read, " for bow legs on the part of a. person who has passed childhood ;" and this was, no doubt, sad tidings for many readers. But let us deal with beauty first. The damsels on the look-out lor husbands deserve the first consideration.

The Halfpenny Journal has a large store of hoiiris to choose from. They are nearly all accomplished, and one of them, '"Madeline." is candid into the bargain. " I have." she says, " a face that looks best at nbht, and [am fond of company and pleasure." " Snowdrop," who writes from Monmouth, declares that she is "equally at her ease in the draw-ing-room and the kitchen—there is no douhfc of ifc. Another of the sirens does not sing a very enchanting strain:—

" I am twenty-six years of age, tall, and with light hair and bli'o eye^. I have a lieivt to bestow on any person wh > would think it worth his while to answer this appeal. 1 should like a kind-hearted working man, as I am in the habit of working lor my own living1. lam not at ail good-looking, and am rather pale." Tiiit; pale yonnj: person is not more downright than '• (x.y.," who " w.-shes for a respectable young man," and says so willmit any assumption of modesty. " Tall gentlemen'1 are in great demand, and it is generally a sine qu.i uoti that the lovers should be Volunteers. Moustaches are considered desirable, and always gain the preference. In some cases the interviews do not result .satisfactorily, and the answer to ono correspondent is eminently suggestive of the end of these tsinnuiarly-arranged marriages—'"get a detective to ih,d out the whereabouts of your charmer.'' MaUeVo do not always r.-.*a-h this extremity ; at any rate tlier.j is no lack of fish to rise at. the bait. Touchstone, it v/iil bu remembered, was raUier anxious to hear a favorable opinion from Audrey concerning' his face, 'f Am I the man yet?" he asked. '"DuUi my simple feature content you V " Your feature:-;," was the lady's reply, " Lord warrant us ! what features!" Suine of the correspondents are very much of the Audrey stamp ; but they are a little more particular about features. The answers of the gentlemen are, therefore, highly colored, and where no great personal attractions are ehiinu-d, the a; peal is earnest on other ground?. Hi.1 re, for instance, is one of the helpless bachelors whom the '-worthy editor" takes kirnlly by the hand :—

'• t\ Liverpool Printer entreats us to intercede with our fair Convspondents, as with all his anxiety to procure a wit'o fi.r hiinseUj he is unable to do so by the present frivol ;m and artificial state of society. Tirs young man is 21, and a virtuous and amiable wife might sav-.) him from ruin. We itron^ly recommend liiia to the notice of our young ladies as a prize worth catching, a'th miih at present his iucouie is not more than ?>i).i a-week. . . . He is a printer just out of his time, and only wants to iind iv a good, true, and loving wife " v heart he can call his own."

The coolness with which the judicious friend of the young man speaks of rather rare virtues in ■womankind, shows how superior are tho ladies who place themselves under his paternal cart. Strange as it may seem, it is i'ctually the fact that some of tlifse "lair correspondents" ere persons of moderately good station, ulton possessing independent means, and not scrupling to give their real names and addressps. How far their peculiar mode of hunting for a husband may be justified by the " present frivolous and artificial state of society '' "we shall leave Miss Hay and others to determine. No_ doubt these poor girls who are silly enough to write these letters are otten duped by the replies they receive, but this no concern of the editor's. He does not trouble himself about the misery he may occasion by introducing persons totally unacquainted with ach other's past life and habits. The candidates for matrimony are not always free b emish. One correspondent wants' to know how he n make his eyebrowa grow, another complains of ■weakness in his knee*, and a third desires to be told by what means he can "ivmove dandrifh" One young person requests "a cure for blushing;" we should scarcely have thought that bashfuines3 troubled any one capable of writing letters of the kind we have describe1.!. A young woman limps in her gait, and begs for advice which will enable her to walk straight; and another asks wh<ther point: into hysterics, would be likely to move a tardy lover to a speedy declaration of hir, suit. One lady laments that her lover has "brun highes and red whiskers"—colors which she is of opinion do not harmonize well together. Very many of the "fair" correspondents complain that "the young mm of the present Hay are dreadfully shy"—an imperfection which certainly cannot be charged again t the clamorous and impatient writers themselves. There is, in truth, no subject beyond thy range of the editor's knowledge. Sometimes an answer is made the vehicle ot putting off quack medicine, though it is fair to'state that in one publication only have we detected instances of this. Subscribers are there advised to -take the 'Universal medicines," one of which, .called' the *' Tonic Pill,'1 cures almost every* malady that . trjubles human k»:u'.' The London Journal and ■ I'amili/ Herald ava perfectly unobjectionable in this respect, and the rej 'es given are obyionsly likely to be useful to the per -)ns ■who seek-for information. It is, as we Kave sai v, upon questions of love- that:-the: c ditorsare most r. .using. The Family Herald bids its readers to fiUbeiieve in first love — *' which is more frequently a delusion of the senses

than an enduring sentiment. First love is generally attended with all the symptoms of delirium, in which reason is prostmted, and all conside-a-tions ot the future hopelessly ignored. It is, in fact, an exaggeration, which liru-i, accident, or alienation, in th« nrgoriry of ins-t mces.' mercifully dilutes with the dictates of common se'.i;;;,"

Whether love, first or ast, is not more or less a delusion of the senses, is a oli^me upon which it would be interesting to hear t is sajre discourse. He is evidently at home in thu ux»>ject, although his decrees are probably opposed to the morals of the stirring romances which occi w Two thirds ot his journal. Upon the whole, liOU'Vii-. trie teaching'of this column is harmless enough in its tendency, and it is satisfactory to find that th« journals which have the largest circulation, are the most discreet in the use of their influence. F>rit is impossible to doubt that the authority of these cheap publications is v°.ry great among the poorer classes, and no one can read the " Answers to Correspondents," without perceiving thot thoy might be made the mrans of doing a. vast am'mnt of evil. Thousands of persons are willing to regulate their conduct, at the most "critical periods of life, by the ad vies of an utter stranger, and they accept his judgment of what is right and what is wrong without hesitation or doubt. A man accustomed tojhtnk for h.m3el jan scarcely conceive the; v&lue and importance whicl many persons attach to the opinion of nn unknown editor. He is taken complexly into the confidenc--. of hss readers ; they tell Him of personal defects which, they would conceal from ail others; they disclose to him their secret troubles ; they make him at once their lawyer, their physician, and their closet friend. Pap rs which wieM a-i influence like this ought not to be overlooked by the student of social phenomena. A few of them, as wo have take tueir su> s r>riber3 on very-dan-gerous ground, and seem to be indifferent to the mischief they may cause; but the majority, and more particularly the really popular of the number, are not unmindful of the responsibilities th- y have undertaken, and use their influence on the right side

Sensible Vorbs about rouvERSTON.~I.tb comes eery leverent soul to protest against tho^e premature declarations of " conversiot-.s,'' and publication of "experiences," that have got so common. It is perilous to forgot the Master's words, Luke xvii. 20. Paul was fourteen years a " servant" of Christ before ha mule known bis ineffable rapture and vision. Modern " converts" do not allow as many hours to expire ere the whole story ishl&zoned. in the public prinU Surely a thing so awful and so sacreJ, unless in veiy exceptional instances, is for the ear of God alone. Q'lis Tract JSocieties would act wisely if thf-y circu'nted by thousands, as a ''Tract for the Times," Sbbes's priceless words of *' Vainglory."— Memoir of Richard Sibbcs, D.1)., by the Rev A. B. Grosurt, Kinross.

A Real Sb.vsation Drama—At the Sheffield -Town Hall, on Tuesday, Harvy Teasdale,wellkno.vn throughout Larcxshire and Yorkshire as a light comedian and acrobat, was charged with an attempt to murder his wife a-nl coiniriib suicide. The facts of the case are as follows: -The prisoner and his wife have been trave'liug together in various towns in Lancashire and Yorkshire, but about three weeks ago they separated afc St. Helen's, and Mrs. Teasdale came toShr-ifi.'ld and took up her abode with some friends in Holly-street. (Jn Saturday week he tried t; induce her to return and live with him, but she refused ; and oa Monday ha called at the shop and s Kot her with a pistol, afkr which he. cut his own throat. The prisoner in answer to the charge, said, lf 1 telt I could not live without her, and I determined to go ami present the pistol afc my head to see it that would move her, and if it didn't, to f're the pistol and cut my throat iv the smoke !'' A conception truly theatrical, but which was not carried out as he ha 1 planned. He accounted for the won; ds on his wife's throat by sajing they must have been done in the scuffla. He was sent to the assizes for the attempt to murder and commit suicide.— Sunday Times.