THE Otago Daily Times. “Invetiam viam aut faciam." [Established November 15, 1861.] DUNEDIN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1866.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23109, 8 February 1937, Page 4

THE Otago Daily Times. “ Invetiam viam aut faciam." [Established November 15, 1861.] DUNEDIN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1866.

SEVENTY-ONE YEARS AGO

It cannot be expected that an Empire so wide as that of Great Britain can subsist without occasional disturbance in some portion of it. Even were all the subjects of the Queen of one race, there would be differences of social institutions and government leading to it. Local circumstances to some extent influence these, but when varieties of race and descent are added, with their concomitant diversities of thought, habit, and feeling, the surprise is, not that there is occasional insurrection or riot, but that there is so little of it. So infrequent in fact is rebellion, that it never takes place without a large portion of the English public feeling convinced that there has been some mismanagement on the part of the local Government, or the even handed laws and institutions of Great Britain would have prevented discontent reaching to so dangerous an extent. With such convictions, the news of the Negro insurrection in Jamaica fell upon England with the suddenness of an earthquake shock. The press and the people were unprepared for it. So tranquil have the West Indian Colonies been since the emancipation of the blacks that. it does not appear to have been suspected there was any feeling of hatred to the white population. . . . . . . When no other nation sympathised with the Negro slaves, Great Britain conferred freedom upon them, at a heavy cost, advocated their cause with other nations, mitigated the horrors of the middle passage, maintained a force for the suppression of the slave trade, and recognised the claim of the African Negro to be treated as an equal with the rest of the human family.

We understand that an arrangement has been come to between his Honiar the Superintendent and Mr Vogel in regard to their candidature for Waikouaiti. Each of them has sent a document to his Committee, recommending the other to resign. Whichever candidate produces his paper on Monday, at twelve o’clock, with the greater number of genuine signatures of electors, qualified to vote, the other candidate has pledged himself to withdraw. As far, therefore, as these two gentlemen are concerned, there will be no contest at Waikouaiti.

Our Wellington correspondent informs us of a burglary committed upon the Colonial Museum, which we may add is about the first symptom of interest which the inhabitants have manifested in the institution. Day after day it has remained open, without attracting other visitors than those seeking shelter from a passing shower. The love of science appears in the Empire City to be confined to the criminal class. Dr Hector is absent examining the coal deposits at the Bay of Islands. He will probably be much shocked at 'the attention devoted to his collection in his absence. Amongst the articles stolen were some valuable instruments.

The Mechanics’ Institute at Port Chalmers has just received, per Parisian, a splendid addition to their library of six hundred volumes, comprising many standard works in history, biographs, poetry, fiction, &c. . . .

It is announced that a nublic meeting will be held in the Theatre Royal on Friday next to consider the conduct of the City Council with regard to the dismissal of the City Engineer.