THE NEW ZEALAND MAIL,

Otago Witness, Issue 567, 11 October 1862, Page 7

THE NEW ZEALAND MAIL,

We extract the following letter fiom the Argun of September i 9 :—

Tv tJic Editor of the Aiyus. Sir,— s3y jour kii-.l p.Tinissioii we wish to bring under publi,' noticu th • tiear neut reeci\ed by the New Zfal.xnd mai's ;it the h.u.ils of the Admiralty agent, C-unmander Kl'is, H ,\

The City of Hobut, with the maiU ii qiuaion. not liavi".^ anived up to the !>our apy m.ti-d for the sailing of L'ic Northam, we askid the Adminltv aj.onfc ns t-Uz w,is hoirly expected, if I,e won! 1 !>■ !, r ;)O t l enough to take the mails mi board if he si^u ud the City vf Iloharfc ouKide. A'lir treating the matter with the gieat'.st indiii'Tcnci 1 , he promised he would.

If ko happened that the City of Hobarfc was not only in M.'jlit, but m-ar cuouyh to exchange "■■iLjnak, when the Nr-rtlnm was p-is<ln< through the Heads. Captain l)ari,v hoisted the nuil fia<, | and made other signals, w hie.i must li ive been seen by those on fio.ud tiie Ninth,, .n, although no response was made. Finding no notice taken "of the si^uaU Captain D;<rby continued to follow the Northam for an hour ami" a half, nuns rw.k- ts and h.nniim blue lights, but to no purpo.se Nuht having h-etiu by this time, ami seeing no chanc 1 of overhauling her, the nha-e was J *-on up as hopeless The weather ux;)uie>:iced by the City of Hobart on thepa^sa..e ii;> vwis unf.ivoiable : but'tobein tiu.e with the niiils, wlueh were t,f mv.'c thin usuai importance, she u; as driven at full speed, with some ri-k and considerable expense for fuel throughout the voyage. It "is, to say the least of it, yexat'ou?, that such efforts i-houhl he rendeied unless — the people of i\ew Zealand and their cone-pondents ia Kurujw subjected to serious loss and iiicoir.iiiierice, simph because an Admiialty accent is incapable or seeing importance in anything not personally connected with him-eli", or too enrolls to do his duty. The above i> by no means the fiis iustai.ee in whi ":1s a total absence 'of courtesy has been manifest, to say nothing of an accommodating spirit, and it mn:ht be ot some advantage to know whether the mail service \u,«. kept up to .show ofl the vagrants of Admiralty agents, or for the benefit of the public. We are, Sir, your obedient servants, | B. B. NICHOLSON and Co , Agents T. S. N. Coinpuuj. Melbourne, Sept. 27. Skllin(l A Xosi:. — But Ie us, iiiLrolace you to another scone in coinmereisl life, to de.sciibe' which ilramatically, we should Hr.-t «how the chief actor-.. The place is the cmniueifial room ; time, ten minutes I after dinuer. A suppi&cd n'.vlcc i-, be n^ drawu out in the usual style by the anlii-ipitive chairman. " Let me see, Sir. Sjiri^^ins, I think we have met before on the 7'Oiid ; 1 know I have Keen jou soiut'1 where." " Very likely, loffngo there." " Ahem ! 1 you travel. I think, for " " Noses.'' " llo<e.s l' 1 "No ! Noses '" "Ah! in the toy trade, I see]', " You are wrong, Sir. I deal in no-.es belonuin^' to living humanity— the canary -sneezing no^es of every day phv'-io^noiny. ' '* Very odd tiaffic certainly, but I should like to sep your vvaj of doius>' buiine'-is. I Ti^ver mot with a aentletnan in the nas.il line befoie.'' Then I shall be rao.t happy Id deal with you. I cannot say that your no*e is ot the iit^t ([uality — it turns up rather too much, and hf-lon^s to a variety not greatly in demand, but I will buy it of \ou." "" My n >?e V " Yes, sir, lam seuous in my piopo«al— your nose." "To be de'ivered " "" When you hive no longer any u«s fi>r it.'' '"That's uot very troublesome. And to be p'lid for — — '' " This vitv momonet. I will ,'ihe you its full value— s.iy £10" " I .vcopt your oil; r."' •' Tlure N only this eindition, that we hotli amee to foifeit L2O if either of ns should so fiom the bareain."' " Aere&l ! that is if jon alow me all ray life to enjoy your propeVty, an'l f*o not attempt to interfere with it in the ]>t.rformaucpof its functions." " Not in the lea«t, sir. You may iiii) oit ore\port the mercliandisp in question as \on please. I will not even make a condition that itsli'ill be insuied." " Then I consont to yuir cUu«p in the a-jfipement." "And I will pay jou uirectly." T.'ie n^icnient is drawn up, the minoy paid, and the baiyii'i concluded, the pur chafer only uhi-iperiiior lot'ie waiter, who s 'on after returns with a p ur ot kitchen (on«s, having the extteme ends luated red Int. " uiv-e rue the torgs, William," siys the dealer in noses. The waiter hands them, and the 'purchaser leans towards tie sel'e' 1 . " Why — what's all this 1" exclaims the man who had sold his nose, looking ai;ha«t at the ominous p-eparation. "Only a pair of lcd-hot ton«s, rir; e^ery lime I make a purchase I mark my merchandise iii order to ensuie its not being changed. Having bought your nuse, I of course mu^t put our usual brand up m it " But zounds ! I cannot allow this."' "Then I must remind you of the clause in the atrieenient, ,md that you are the fir*t to bieik Mio contract "But put yomsrlf in my portion f" "Impossible! Tarn the buyer, not the seller. Pay the forfeit. Twenty pounds I claim. These contlmnen will, I am sure, see the justice of my "demand." Ultimately the purchase-money was returned, and two dozen of ehaiDjnsne accepted as a compromise. The intended lictim was hailed amongst his brother commeivhls as " one of the vi^ht sort,"' and the confuse! eliainmn— the vendor of the turn uj) hose — conferred that, in havinp: disposed of his nose, he had Leon for the first time in his life altogether— sold. — I/cads and Tales of Travellers and Travelling.

The Dukk of Bugclluch and Right of Way.— The Duke of Bueoleueh (writes a corre- «> omjent of the Daily Neir.*) has attempted lo stop the rittht of way thr.iimh Sowley coppice, near the New Fore-t. The llythe (Hants) Magistrates have decided against His Grace, who has, therefore, taken down the step gates, but has destroyed iho budge over the ditch, and der-pened the latter so that the people cannot tret to the cor>pi<-e. Large numbers of mnn have filled up the ditch, but, the Duke's servants have ag in dug it out. Riots are expected t~> take place. Le<ral proceedings are about to bo taken against the Duke for obstructing the highway. Grass Evkrywkbke— The universality of grass i.s one of the most poetical of facts in the economy of the world. There is no place which it will not beautify ._ It climbs up the sleep mountain passes which nr<" inaccessible to man, and forms ledges of green amid the rivinps of the crags : it leaps down between steep shelving precipices, and there fastens its slender roots in the dry crevices which the earthquakes had rent long ago, and into which the water trickles when tho sunbeams strike the snows above. There it 1 -aps and twines in the morning lk'ht, and flings its sweet, "wcot laughing greenness tot'ie.sun; there it creeps and climbs about the mazes of solitude and weaves its fairy tassels with thp wind. It beautifies even that spot, and spreads over the sightless vKaixe of death and darkness the serene beauty of a bummer smile, flinging its prcan In«tie on tho bold granite, and perfuming- the lips of Morning as she stoops from Heaven to kiss the green things of tre earth. It makes a moist and yielding carpet over the whole earth, on which the impetuous may pass with huried treti'J, or the foot of beauty linger. And from this univer-alityof gro vth grass derives its specific name. — Hibbcrd's Brambles and Say Le,ives. Gallant lUrcuk.— On Sunday afternoon, a boy about five years of age. named Alexander Grei>, fell into the river at the Marine Parade. The tide was ebbing at the time, and he was rapidily drifting down, and about ten yards from the wall, when a young man, a mechanic, namei James Seb«ton, residing in Blackscroft stripped himself of part of hia clothes, gallantly sprang into the water, and succeeded in bringing the boy safely to the shore.— Dundee Courier

A Constitutional Puivieop. — The Kladderadatsch of Oerlin pub'ishes a curious historical document, to show the amiiuity of the constitutional prerogatives of the Prussian Diet In consulting tha Parliamentary Annals of the country it has discovered the following motion, voted by the States of Brandenburg in the year lf>il :— " If the required accounts are not placed before us by the Councillors of his Serene Highness we shall be compelled to pull them, one after the other, by the nose until we know what has. become of our laouey."