WAIKOUAITI.

Otago Witness, Issue 658, 9 July 1864, Page 11

WAIKOUAITI.

(PROM THE DAIIiTT TIMES CORREBPOHDENT.)

4th July, 1864. Cobb's coach for tbe first time passed through here to-day en route for the Dunstan, an occunence Ions; anticipated, for independently of its being a great convenience to parties visiting the gold fields, the stopping of coaches at a small tuwn tends indirectly to relieve a certain monotony that generally prevails in all new townships. I think every one who has witnessed the rattling of a coach, and four up a afreet, leaded with passengers, halting, a short greeting of 'friend?, change of horses, all done in a marvellous short spare of time, and then the start again, will agree with me, that it instils into one's heart as it were a kind of spirited feeling that does one good, and especially in a place where nothing of the sort has been seen before. We hope the present route may be permanently used by Cobb and Co., not only during the winter but also the summer months.

Our imports have been much increased the last ten days, owing to the influx of drays for stores for the up-country trade. Business is much improved in consequence of the demand.

Our Cattle Inspector (Mr Bn9t), has made go much of my remarks in my correspondence that appeared in your issue of the 16th June on the subject of pleura-pneumonia— that until I saw a letter signed by him in the Oarnaru Times of the 30th ult., and commented upoa.by the editor, 1 did not intend referring to bis assertions. Mv statements having been so flatly contradicted I feel it to be ray duty to repeat, that what I chronicled on the above date was substantially correct. His principal object of attack is the remark " That the proportion of Provincial bred cattle carried off by the disease does net amount to one per cent." In making that statement I did not include the cattle indiscriminately slaughtered by Mr Bust a few months ago, since I have every reason to believe, as the following abundant proof will testify-that had Mr Bust not destroyed every animal " that hung its head down," tbe Government wonld have much less compensation to pay, and the owners of cattle treated in such a manner would be far better off if Mr Bust had not persisted in his wholesale slaughter. In one instance a person residing in. this town was instructed by Mr Inspector to immediately annihilate his bullock ; the party In •question either refused or neglected to do so, and the beast to this day is in good health. • I have a!so Mr Alfred Jones's authority for stating that several of his cattle that Mr Bust directed to be destroyed are at the present time doing well, and apparently free from disease ; the same gentleman further said that many of his cattle thit were suffering? from the pleuro have fully recovered. I will not venture to say how many— though, no doubt, a good per-eentage— of the cattle killed by Mr Bust wonld have survived. I have inquired of several gentlemen in this district as to their opinion of the loss in provincial-bred cattle, and they have all been of the same opinion, as myself, Damely, about 1 per cent. It seema that Mr Bust takes a .pleasure in representing the dtease in its darkest form, and would lead the public to believe that half the cattle in the district were infsoted, and that the pleuro-pneu-rnonia is rapidly increasing here ; such in reality is, I am glad to Bay, no* the case ; what it may do in the spring is another question. Before concluding, I would refer to Mr Home's report, Inspector for the Oamaru district, who constantly visits the herds in this locality— he says, aacording to an extract, which appeared in the Oatnaru Times of the 16th June, l! that there were not so many cattle in the Shag Valley in the last stage of disease, but there "were still a good many affected." This valley is in this district, and has been used aa a sort of quarantine ground, all the large herds infected being stationed there.

The weath.er-.has been delightfully fine during the past week, clear, shnrp frosty nights, succeeded by warm, sunny, cloudless days, equal almost to summer. "Our roads have consequently dried in a wonderful manner.

A celebrated physician once said to Lord Eldon'a brother, Sir William Scott, rather more flippantly than became the gravity of his profession, " You know, after forty a man is always either a fbel or a physician." The baronet archly replied, in an insinuating voice, "Perhaps ye may be both. Doctor. 1 '