REVIEW.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4026, 13 January 1875, Page 6 (Supplement)

REVIEW.

Colonial Experience; or, Sketches of Feo- j pie and Places in the Province of Otago, Mew Zealand. By Alexander Bathgate. Glasgow : James Maclehose and Co., (51 St. "Vincent street".—lß74. Although—perhaps because—Mr Bathgate's .experiences have not been very great, this little book has a peculiar use which we not often find iv.similar studios of Colonial life. He writes from the common sense point of view. Making nopretension to a great literary effort, and endeavouring only to represent the com-mon-place as it really is, the author has succeeded admirably in giving us the impression of truth and simplicity in every page. It must be remembered that this praise, if it seem but cold, is in fact; the very highest that can be given. Everyone who knows the Colonies becomes aware of a certain plain mattor-of-faeted-ness, to coin a word, which it is diflicult to describe, but which constitutes the characteristic feature, and often the chief charm of them to their inhabitants. We do nofc remember ever to have seen this feature so accurately brought out as in the work before us. For a plain, mat-ter-of-fact account of what is happening under our eye 3 every day, c immeiid us to these experiences. Very soon they will have a historical value only, but jnsfc now, like sornepre-Raphaelite water-colour, they give us a minuteness of practical knowledge of the Province which is simply invaluable to those intending to cume here. Already, indeed, some of the familiar phrases ot the place require elucidation. Very many of those who use the words are quite ignorant of the origin of the term "old identity"—do not know that "it took its origin from an expression in a speech made by ono of the members of the Provincial Council, Mr E. B. Cargill, who, in speakiug of the new arrivals, said that the early settlers should endeavour to preserve their old identity." Which of us have read the verse— Touch not that shaky j-tfcy, Let that old post office be— That's one way to preserve Your old identity. Mr Bathgate is a bit of a philosopher, aud we are thoroughly delighted with the way in which he exposes the humbug of colonial grumblers. Old Colonials have often had occasion to laugh afc the numerous illustrations of the proverb that " distance lends enchantment to the view" which they meet with here. Ad hoc. It is a curious phase of colonird human nature, the disposition to grumble at their lot -yithoufc cause. 1 remember when diuinoat a hotel in a digging.-* town, tho conversation turning on the differences b&twc-en home and the Colony. A man present who had been playing billiards all the morning, aud who, by iiis own account, had been a" baker in a country village in Scotland, said that he thought the old country was best; that money might come in in pennies and halfpennies, bufc it was steadier and altogether preferable. The landlord laughed at him, saying, "^ Why, man, you have*lost; as much at billiards this morning as you would make iv two or three days where you came from." The story strikes us as a peculiarly apt one to illustrate the grumbler's habit of mind. Not only are we reminded of tho change that takes place in the opinions of every man who lives here, and the uu.perceived and complete alteration of his standards and aims, but also of tho reason why so many men fail to realise their aspirations—viz., that they play at billiards whon they should be making their bread, Nothing is more remarkable, and nothing, when rightly understood, is more satisfactory, than the way in which every colonist grows by what he feeds on, and grasps afc amusements and gains which would for ever have hung beyond his reach if he had remained at home. Mr Bathgate, while he underrates the value of that thing so hard to define dubbed "colonial experience," exhibits in his own way a good deal of it himself. More especially is this tho caso in the very shrewd remarks which he makes aboufc such matters as domestic servants, banking, and bush lawyers. Not merely' hisstories in illustration, but his generalisations upon those stories, show a very apt nndciotanding of those things in Colonial life which are really strange and unaccustomed to dwellers afc home. We arc well used to tho facts about banking up country which the author tells us, but it is diflicult to understand how singular they would seem to the seniors of a wellestablished concern in London :— _ A British bank clerk has a very ham-drum life, and so has a Colonial one ia a large town, bufc their work has little r<jsemblance to that of a banker afc tho diggings agency. The banker must- be ready to buy gold afc almost any time of the day ov night ; iv fact, most business is transacted in the evening, and even late afc night, as the miners prefer selling their gold after dark, as this does ijofc break in upon their working hours, and I have seen a bank clerk turn onfc of bed afc a very early hour in the morning to oblige a customer, whicli he did though in drAnalAdh. . . . Instead of waiting till the miners and storekeepers bring in the gold for eale he starts off wifch as much or even more than a couple of thousand pounds in bank-notes in his valise and a revolver in his waist to visit such outlying diggings as ate not large enough to support an agency, _ The romance of the situation, whioh is vividly pourtrayed by a story of the author's personal recollections, is enough to attract a perfect army of the junior children of the Old Lady of Threadncedie streetThe pages aboufc lawyers will no doubt be read v/ifch interest, and, we hope, advantage, by such of the profession as are thinking of carrying themselves and their fortunes to these shores. Lawyers absolutely swarm, and the profession is now overcrowded, admission to its ranks nofc being a matter of very great difficulty, and premiums fqr articled cleiks being hitherto almost unknown. The delightful confusion of ideas upon legal etiquette, &c., in the palniy clays of the bush lawyers 13 well described. I have sp en a gentleman whose designation was of the Middle Temple, Barrister of Law, engaged in arguing a case, his learned friend oa the other side being an ex-sergeant of police. Ifc was said of this latter worthy, who, except when on circuit, devoted his energies to keeping a publio house, that he amassed two thousuid pounds in less than four years by his practice as a bush lawyer. Of the justices of the early days we are told that One of these gentlemen, ifc is said, after getting through a petty cisc wifch some di/fi cult;/, and desiring to infiiet the extreme penalty, expressed his disapproval of the defendant's conduct in the mo3fc severe terms, and was winding up his p.-roration wifch the words—" I fine you," when he suddenly stopped, looked puzzle 1, and asked the clerk of the Court, in a sfcage whisper, " What should it be ." Receiving no-reply, he appealed tt) the sergeant of police, but tbat functionary seemed fco have his whole attention .rivjted to a spot on the opposite, wall, the justice h=efc all. patience, and burst out with, " I fine you the whole lot, sir." A very fair, though succinct, statement of the educational advantages presented by Ofcago forin3 one chapter of this little book. It is a pity that the author should have imported into his account of ifc his somewhat crude notions concerning the religious difficulty. Concerning the land laws Mr Bathgate writes with an impartiality that is quite refreshing, and without descending into those minute accounts of the fight between hawks and crows wliich too often disfigure a matter sufficiently simple by itself. Upon no subject lias fche gross ignorance of our legislative bodies left so deep a mark as on the legislation about landMost of our readers will be inclined to agree with the following :— The squatters are a class which must inevitably become extincb before many years are over, but their places as stock owners will be supplied by large freeholders. A great deal of the land in Otago is only suitable for depasturing purposes, and several large

blocks have already.beeri disposed' of..' So" long as only pastoral land-is sold in this way no one can complain, but when tho-run-holders are allowed to acquire land suitable for agriculture, the Liberal party have some cause for dissatisfaction. But even this I would hardly grudge them were I cti-tain that they would remain here, but when the profits are withdrawn to be spent in Piccadilly, it is high time to look for a remedy. The readers of this notice are not to suppose that Mr Bathgate's book contains nothing but those little sketchy extracts and the like of them which we have presented to them. On the contrary, there i 3 much interesting and reliable information concerning the islands adjacent to New Zealand, the other Provinces, life on the Goldfields, and, more especially, the Chinese. Intending emigrants will find in Colonial Experiences just that sort of plain description of life out here which more pretentious works usually ignore.

It is quite cloar that Mr Bathgate's speciality lies in minuteness of desciiption and intense realism, rather than in broad philosophical statements or able generalisation. We say this with no intention of depreciating his labours. Oii the contrary, of the two methods of writing about Colonial life, we are sure that his is incomparably the' better. This is, we believe, Mr Bathgate's first, but not, we hope, his last book, There is a wide field open to him, if he will cultivate his particular talont of description. We miss, for instance, in the present volume, any account of town life and society. There is plenty of room for such a chapter, and we cannot but regret its absence. Agricultural life a3 it is round the small up-country settlements deserves such immortality as a short chapter may bestow.

This is not only an immigrant's handbook, nor ia it only an account of things familiar to us all, but an undefined something between the two. Wo suggest to the author that a study of colonial character -would yield some rich results, and that if he will bestir himself to the task of telling us more about ourselves, he will be well repaid. The quaint side of our " institutions " remains yet to be written. If Mr Alex. Bathgate will write it, we shall look forward to noting its appearance with even greater zest than that occasioned by his present very able work.