LAND ORDERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 432, 10 March 1860, Page 6

LAND ORDERS.

The following extracts are from the letters of an Auckland settler to a friend in Otago : — Auckland, 23id June 1859. We [himself, mate, Src] got a land order, befoie we left home, entitling each adult to 4-0 acres of land immediately after arrival in the Colony, which is right enough, bnt the people say it is worth nothing. As for that I don't know, for I have not seen the land yet that we are going to get, but I have seen some of the land heie and it will grow nothing. I can only say that, if it is all alike, ouis is not worth much I have not been doing anj tiling these ten dajs back, as things are rather dull here at present, but it is thought that they will get better in the Spring of the year, at least it is hoped so. Some of my fe'low-passen-gers have left this and are on thoir way to Sydney, so I will know from them in a few days what kind of a place Sydney is, and if this place will not do I will try it. 23rd September 1859. Mr. , a fellow-passenger of mine, is going to Otago. On his arrival here, he bought a piece of laud but he says it is not worth putting expenses on it as it is of no use at all. . . . Things are very dull here at present. There is nothing doing at all. I have been working about ten days these last three months, which is not the third of my time. There are a great many immigrants coming here every month. In fact, there were no less than three ships in one week which bronght at least 800 more people. There are four young men who came out with me on their way home again, and there are a great many going to Sydney and Melbourne and all through the Colonies. There are a good many more on the ocean for this place, so we would require to disperse to leave room for them. There is not the slightest doubt but this is a delightful climate, but I am afiaid that is the best of it. We finished our job to-day of ten days woik, which is counted a long job here. My mate and I were walking about for three months befoie that, and probably we may walk about for other three months for anything that I see to do. There are men in abundance, of all grades, walking about here doing nothing. Some of our passengers have been walking about overknee they landed, which is better thrill six months ago. My mate and myself have not been so bad, for we have wrought about half of our time. We were thinking of trying some other place else, but it is said that all other places are alike. Jf so there is no use of removing, only we must do something. I pity men with families. It is bad enough for young men. It is re,illy too bad of the Government to induce deacent people to come out here and tre.it them so. There are a great many away home in a ship which sailed yesleiday. J. 1,., . c hip Carpenter.

■One hundred and fifty-five New Zealand rams were lately sold by auction in Melbourne at from .£lO to £1(5 each. Ciialmeks' Free Chvrch, Launceston. This new Church was opened for public worship on Sunday the IJth ult. The service in the morning was conducted by the Rev. W. Nicolson, of Chalmers' Free Church, Hobart Town; in the afternoon the Rev. W. Law, minister of the Congregational Church, St. John-square, officiated; and in the evening the minister of the church, the Rev. J. Lindsay, occupied the pulpit. The church was filled at all the services, and the collections amounted in the aggregate to the sum of one hundred pounds.

Sta~e of Society on the Australia n Gold Fields- — However dark the picture may be, we deem it our duty to glance at a phase of life which has not been properly considered. Highly favoured as our land is by nature, there is an evil in our pi-esent social organisation, which, unless a prompt and efficient remedy is applied, may seriously affect our future growth and prosperity. A person visiting the gold fields for the first time, will be struck at observing the great number of persons who seem to be utterly regardless of the future. On eyery diggings may be found, more or less who, to all appearance, are perfectly abandoned, and who are utterly reckless of exposure and dissipation, and seem to be hurrying through life as though it was suffered, but not enjo3'ed. The victims are generally young men, who have passed the period of anticipation, and as they live for no future, they care little whether they live at all. How many young men, ardent and enthusiastic, left their homes in Europe and America to push their fortunes in Australia, and who, after struggling for awhile unsuccessfully, have seen the light of hope go out ! Their thoughts on coming here were of sudden wealth, and a speedy return to their homes. But ill success caused by lack of judgment in some cases — in others by sheer ill-luck, has convinced them that their golden dreams were mere delusive visions ; and if ever they return, it must either be in poverty, or at a far distant day. Their pride forbids the former, and the latter is too distant to sustain them. When a person in the prime of life once realizes that life must prove a failure, his ambition is gone forever — redemption is not to be hoped for. What won/ler then that we see so many in this county hurrying out the memory of the past in the liquid flames of the bottle. Here they find a roving and unsettled population, among whom there is no bond of interest, and who arc strangers to each other. It matters little that the country affords facilities for wealth ; they pitched their fortunes entirely on the first die, and lost 1 and now they rush headlong to destruction. These things are of no account with the political economist: the anAMnn wJiJj hUn So, iiow mucn gold can be squeezed out of the hard- working miner ? Under the present system, we are not only exhausting the resources of the country, but wasting the energies of the people. To secure the happiness of the people, and the permanent interests of the colony, reproductive industry must be encouraged. The slightest obstruction should not be thrown in the way of settling upon the land, and cultivating the soil ; and minin°- engineers should be appointed to carry out prospecting operations for the discovery of new mines. In a word, we should have statesmanship'to meet our present emergencies— such statesmanship as we have not had as vet Miners 1 Rigid.

Lord Brougham on the Working Classes. — Ills Lordship in addressing a vneetin" held at Newcastle-on-Tyne. under the auspices of " the Northern Union of Mechanics' Institutions," in November last, said :— " I have often had occasion to state my opinions to the working classes upon some" points in their conduct which deserved consideration, and the remarks which I have occasionally been led to make are not applicable to the working classes alone, but are equally applicable to all classes of society — to the middle ranks, to the higher ranks, and to the highest ranks ; but, to the working classes their applicability is peculiar. Now, one of those maxims that I have taken leave on various occasions of this sort to lay down is the great economy of time. I consider time is the working man's currency. His capital is his industry, his knowledge, his skill, his experience. I compare his time to a kind of currency, and then I apply to that currency the maxim applied to common currency, " Take care of the pence, and the pounds will take care of themselves." Take care of the minutes, and the hours will take care of themselves. Another maxim I have occasionally referred to applies to all business, and to men of all kinds. Never put off till to-morrow what yoa can do to-daj\ Now this is a very important rule, and it implies a principle of the greatest possible moment ; it is that you should always anticipate the effects of ignorance— not wait till you are a sufferer by it— not wait till you find harm done to you by your want of information, or your want of skill, or imperfect experience. It is too late then. Fools are taught by experience : wise men by observation and reflection. The fool waits till he feels the loss of what he oufeht to have secured ; and he suffers that which he might have prevented, if he had taken the proper time to obtain the information. So it is in all matters. The want of preparation— the delaying the proper time, the fit time, till it is too late, when the effects of the want have begun to be felt, this is the greatest mischief that can happen, for then the remedy comes too late. The mischief's done ; and this applies to all sorts of pursuits— in peace, in trade, in the matter of health, in war as well as in peace. If 3™ wait till you are attacked, and begin then to defend yourselves, it is too late- you ought to have defended yourselves, you ought to have prepared your defence, before you were attacked "

A waggish chap, whose vixen wife by drowning lost her precious life, called out his neighbours all around, and told them that his spouse was drowned, and spite of search could not be found. He knew, he said, the very nook wheie she had tumbled in the brook, and he had dragged along the shore, above the place a mile or more. " Above the place I" the people cried, " why, what d'ye mean ?" The man replied, " Of course you don't suppose I'd go, and waste the time to look below! I've knovvn the woman quite a spell, and learned her whimsies passing well— alive or dead she'd go, 1 vow, against the ciurent anjhoiv !"