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Otago Witness, Issue 43, 13 March 1852, Page 2

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will act up to it. Or, by the bye, there's the prospectus, drawn up some two and a half years since by the Government Nominee, we will publish it for them if they like ; — but stay, that says something about freely canvassing the acts of Public men: no, that wont do, " its changed days th' noo ;" " one little month, and ere those shoes were old. * * * " Yet, with all tHe delightful sensation with which.w e welcome our intended rival we tremble. What may be the consequence ? The most fortunate at birth are not always the most successful ; and although our rival's advent was announced by a placard, without a name attached, except " Miles' Boy" affixed by some wag, and that placard posted in the vulgar posij tion of the stable-yard of an inn, it may yet transcend all periodicals hitherto produced. Yes, when we look to the galaxy of talent displayed in the elected Committee — the judicious admixture of all classes, the breaking; down of all : ideas of absurd pride, the Justice of the i Peace consulting amicably with the journeyman painter — we feel there is a | union not to be resisted. What a range | of subjects must.be within the compass , of such a Committee : and as the scheme i took its rise in the Royal Motel, no 1 doubt the articles will be spiitiT-ed ! even though they should be deficient in reason. But we have some doubts whether we have not indulged in an unseemly levity. We tremble for the fate of the "Witness." Look at the desperate calmness of the first resolution, as amended, when compared with the placard outside. Can any one doubt that we are doomed to destruction ? Who shall say what may be oar ultimate fate? But in the meantime we , shall continue oux* labour in exposing | abuses, of w^ich there are plenty to j keep us employed until our formidable j rival makes its appearance : and if we j do perish under its attacks, we hope to ' die not unlamented.

" O wad some power the giftie gie us 'To ste ourselves as others see us ! It wad frae mony a blunder free us." — Burns. We have reprinted in another column an article from the " New Zealand Spectator" because of its amusing accusation of misquotations to us, the offence of all others of which our contemporary is guilty. The public who take the trouble to read its lucubrations will judge for themselves ; hut we would anxiously direct the attention of the writer of the article in that paper to the above lines from that poet of nature, Burns.

The Mail pcs Maori for England via India closes today (Saturda)).

Dunedin, Satuhday, March 13, 1852.

"Well, we are to have a rival for the | public favour. Our readers will per- j ceive, by the report of a meeting held | at the Royal Hotel, that another news- 1 paper is to be published in Otago. This J looks well, and says something for the prosperity of the Settlement. Taranaki cannot boast of one ; Otago is to be blessed with two ; — and this evidence of! a surviving spirit on the part of the minority gives us much satisfaction. We have long suffered from ennui for want of an opponent, for one of the greatest difficulties of an editor in this Settlement is want of material to work upon. ! It is such a shadowy thing to be fighting about abstract principle without an adversary ; even attacking the Governor becomes tedious without contradiction : and matters are consequently perfectly dull. An occasional sparring match j with our contemporary, the " Specta- \ tor," don't enliven us: he is so far off that vve forget the argument before we ,can receive his reply ; besides, he contents himself with calling us " a dull dog/ " imbecile," and so on ; a style we do not understand, and one which quite destroys all hope of an argument ; and ■we believe our contemporary must keep his remarks upon us stereotyped, for we have seen them repeated in almost every paper that has come to hand. Well it is quite a pleasure to think of an opposition"; it is the very thing we sighed for for months past — but softly. It is but a phantom as- yet, and we must not scare the pleasing illusion, for shareholders are tender in the pocket. We are. all. curiosity : what is our . rival's name to be 1- Is, it realty to be , the '' Placeman's 4.dybca£e ?'*'-; or the. , " fanner of the Bench?'-' -Welfare to be •dts; principles? ,The Cqmmittpe *want to ! tbeyjshall have, it- with welcome : we only hftge, they