THE DUNEDIN FEMALE "PANDEMONIUM."

Otago Daily Times, Issue 403, 6 April 1863, Page 5

THE DUNEDIN FEMALE "PANDEMONIUM."

(To the Editor of the Daily Times.)

Sir, —Tlip letters of the Immigration Agent- and the Chief Commissioner of Police to the Provincial i Secretary, od llie admirably immaculate condition and management of the Female D'-pot, have furnished you with an opportunity of disclosing abominations ami impurities of the most diszustinjr char icter. The self-complacency and intemperate zeal of the Govern ment to pui-go the Attain of prostitution from their Camp, have only resulted in dismantlins the barracks an'l placing in the full glare of day the vices and miseries that for some time had there found a local habitation. The "unctuous z?al if Mr Dick is likely to prove as abo tive as was th it of Dr Bowie in the matter of the Yarra Bend Asylum. It appeirs from the Times of the 27th ult. that " one poor female immigrant was starved to death,1' and taut "others were driven to desperate emrses." You al o make use of certain facts, recorded in Mi-ss Ry^'s report, intended for the Provincial G.vernmei t, which go to prove that cases of intoxicaiiou occurred latel', at an eai'ly hoar of the day in the depst; that '• tlie surgton of one of the ships " was drunkin the barracks, and stretched his drunken body " in one of the girl's hunks." That men at unseasonable hours, were allowed to visit the depdt, ami that, on one occasion, "an orgie in the barrack kitchen," hea.led by the sub-Matrou, took placi, to the sreat alarm of the girls on tlie ground floor Thut " communication was continually ptrmtted between the barracks and the police yards." That tin; mothers of illegitimate children were allowed to live in the barracks; that girls stayed out after eight p.m., an I were " allowed 10 accept improper situations." Tlmt "girlsleadinp improper lives arc 'permitted to visit the barracks." " Thar, the '"uilditig is fi'thy in the extreme." Thar it swarms with vermin." That " tuere are no tables or benches." Th.'it " there is no water for diinkinir aud washing purposes.' That " all the sweepings and rubbish lire' allowed-.to accumulate on tbe grounJ round the bulling." Thut " there is no acfi.iminodation for washing clothes, and no room but the Matron's bjdroom for receiving ladies and "gentlemen requiring servants." Sir, tacts such as these netd no oinment. Are they true ? We require better evidence than the self-interested testimony of Messrs Allan an t Branigan to prove that they me false. Their letters were written ar. the instigation of Mr Dick, who .ought to know that men are n"t likely to brititr forth damning PvMeuce auainst themselves. In fact, the English law dons not expi ct that men will convict themselves. It is quits possible that Mr Branigan may hive been led to believe that all was right in his absence. Vice knows how to avail itself of the covert of secrecy. It is also just possible that, while Mr Allan was reposing, in bachelor simplicity, on his couch, at the Hah-way Hush, his fir ams were never haunted l.jr recent appa-. ritions ot infiiiny stalking about the depot. According ti their own"testimony, eleven cases of prostitution have occurre i within the last three months. Ac^ i uruiopr to Miss Hye's report, eleven cases aie sadly balow the number.

'• A perfect success," iudeed ! With the above disgusting facts before him, how could Mr Allan declare th it such was the case 1 Had he no mii-givings on the" matter 1 Did it never occur to him the close proximity of the female and male depots to each other, was dangerous to pure morality Mr Allan may feel a virtuous indig -ation at the bare mention of such scenes; but I say that, he shouli have at once publicly lodged his protest'against all this, and if the Government did not heed it, Irs duty was clear, he should have resigned his charge. Then thepublic would sympathise with him and indemnify him. But tosay that the aftair is a " perfect succesß," is worthy of a Dr Bowie, of Yarra Bend. He protested that his Asylum was a " perfect success " But, in a court of law it leaked out tint the Arcjui had not told the half of its atrocities. It was proved to be a Pandemonium of unutterable abominations.

The matter cannot ■ rest • here, the public have a risht to know whether these things are true. Sir, it is melancholy to think that young1 women brought out to tlii< remote region oi' the globe,' for a high and' noble olyect. sliould, by gross, cruel, and criminal mismanagement, be driven to swell the already too numerous ranks of prostitution. The piteous lamentations of girls who have, in consequence of this bad management, deflected iroih the path of honor' and virtue, will for ever ring' in the ears of a generous public, stimulating it to vi.<it with .I'Ud and prolonged condemnation the men who dared : tocall sUjCh. scents ''a perfect success.'' Further remarks x gjje. superfluous. Let facts speak. I close this coinmji- • uication with a phrase from the Roman orator, Cicer^'j) on the degradation of morals and inannera lv las times— "Oh, l\mpoml Oh, Mores! • I am, &c, "■ •-•w- ---.; J. Q. S. Grant. Chalmerstnn, Half-way Bush, ■ • • , t April let, 1863. .-

THE ELECTIONS. ~ (To the Editor of.the Dail* Times.) Sir, —The' letter Of your correspondent,' " Julius Vogel," whicli appeared in your cjlumns'^oh' Satiii'l day, has in my hearing been fully commented on by sevi l'al influential tradesmen of this place, oae of whom, in particular, witnessed the interruptions of Mr Keyuolds on the occasion of Mr Harris addressing the electors on the day of nomination, and he denounced it in marked and unequivocal terms, as being the most disgraceful procedure he liud wit-

nessed, coming from a man in known cliquism with' an opposition candidate, and whose.own public actions were under review j and this man, whose conduct is censured by •' new chums," and whose public character is so well known by o!d residents and freely discussed, has tha temerity to s?ek the suffrages othis intelligent community to plnce him as their representative in the Legislative Assembly. < : : But surely. Mr. Kdifor, the electors of Dunedin have now sufficiently emerged from darkness to light to discriminate between vulgarism and inteUitrence and that they will n<v.r lend them;e!ves to 'placing in power and position a man whoso known public character i* provcrbi-il for a selfi-h tendency. • r' Tli» conduct, n'so, of his cnfclewte, Mr Dick flurinj the lime your onwpondent, Mr Vogel. Was addressing the electors OTThurslay, I witnessed my self, arid a more unsightly an I indecent exhibition of buffoonery it never fell to my lot to witness Tincpntleman, [am told, is the rght hand man1 of M .jor 'Richardson,' and holds the respon ih'e office of Provincial Scietarv. and apparently does the gro tesoue and dirty business of Mr It jno (is. If tliroush sifh agency and means ihe votes of the electors are to be won, inte!lig"nt and educate:! gentlemen may well refrain from taking any part, in the legMation of the colony, nor will it be possible to convince the eleeto-s of the serinu* injury (h Jv ar* i"dividuall,\ inflicting on this Proving, by placing such men in power, until it i 3 rninnnsly einb rrassed through misgovernment, and thaiiisslves opp-ps^iwly taxed. lam, &c , ■'■' ■ U-— Z. Dunedin, 4th Apiil.