PASSING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1029, 19 August 1871, Page 5

PASSING NOTES.

The opening of the Assembly is not the only great event of the past week. In the eyes of some, no doubt, it is not the greatest. Millar, F.S.A., would probably say that the expected arrival of Mr Vogel, the favoured of Royalty and stockbrokers, at Auckland, is a much more important matter. And no doubt the Honourable Gentleman — as the literary Jeanies of Wellington calls him — will be very warmly welcomed on his return. Mr Fox will be delighted to see him in order to relate how the Permissive Bill agitation is getting on, and to ask what he is to say in the House. Mr Gisborne will be all impatience to put him up to a thing or two with regard to his duties as Telegraph Commissioner. Mr Sewellwill be anxious to present his report on the Gaols of the Colony compiled from his recent visit to Westland. Mr M'Lean will rejoice to shake hands with his chief, and tell him how (tin) successful he has been in opening up the Tauranga mail route. The hungry crew of office-seekers ■will hail his return with joy, as also will the merchants of Auckland, always eager for an excuse for having a public dinner. The "organs" of the "ministry of progress" will rejoice in the prospects of fresh inspiration and advertisements ; and last but not least, the employes of the Daily Times office will view with thankfulness the return of the great financier, whose success on the Stock Exchange bids fair to put the Government in possession of sufficient funds to pay their long overdue expenses as witnesses in the Telegram Libel Case.

On Wednesday week wo celebrated the centenary of Sir Walter Scott's birWt. The real anniversary of his birth, howoTer, was Tuesday last ; and it was also the anniversary of the birth of another distinguished man — Napoleon I. — who was bom just two years before Sir Walter. How different a legacy have these two great men left to posterhVy. The one a loved and honoured memory, and a literary monument more lasting than brass. The other a name, the fatal fascination of which has caused incalculable misery and loss of life.

The other day I referred to the claims of geography as a subject of study. It would be well, indeed, if it were more generally studied. We should then, perhaps, not see so many blunders as are displayed in a certain Yankee map now creating a stir in town. Take New Zealand alone, and we find the Nuggets called " Molineau Head,'* Foveaux Strait "Favourite Strait," the Hauraki Gulf, " Shouraki Bay," &c., tfce., while the three islands are called by the detestable pseudo-Irish names they at first received. This is not all, however, for I find laid

down the track pursued by the notorious Wilkes of the American navy in his sham Antarctic expedition, according to which "Willces discovered the Antarctic c< mtinent ; whereas it is well known that Sir James Ross sailed over the spot where Wilkes marked land on his chart, and saw only ice and water. Mistakes, hoajever, are not confined to Yankee maps. In a manual of New Zealand geography prepared by Mr T. A. Bowden, of Wellington, assisted by Dr Hector, it will be found stated that Port Chalmers is one of the chief agricultural towns in Otago. This manual is used in the High School, and very probably in some of the District Schools also.

One of the most astonishing items of news by the Suez mail is that which states that Gambetta is once more in France, and apparently in power. Only the last mail brought us word that he was a refugee in Malta, and that the police in France had strict orders to capture him, dead or alive, should he land in that country. Now he is working hand in hand with Thiers, and appears to possess no small amount of influence in the councils of the French Government. Gambetta is, perhaps, not the most prudent of men, but his force of character and untiring energy cannot fail to render him a valuable coadjutor to Thiers, so long as they work harmoniously together.

A still more important event than Gambetta's resurrection, though probably occasioned in part by it, is the apparent establishment of the Republic on a tinner basis than before, and the retirement of the Count dv Chanibord from pressing his claims for the French throne. I do not believe, however, that a Republic can exist for any length of time in France, until the condition of that country is greatly improved. Just now, no doubt, the people will gladly welcome any Government that affords them a prospect of peace, and the avoiding of political complications or party jealousies ; while the recollections of the corruption of the late Court are still vivid enough to cause Frenchmen to view with dislike the return of royalty in

!any form. Nevertheless, until the people are educated and taught to rely on themselves, a Republic is a constant source of danger in France, and this opinion is very generally shared in by intelligent Frenchmen. Meanwhile, the retirement of the Count de Chanibord will be a severe blow to the priestly party, whose rising hopes are thus rudely crushed.

The threatened proceedings for ousting Mr Fish from the Mayoral chair still hang over, and it is to be hoped that they will not be gone on with. On the whole the citizens are content with the result of the election, and no one complains of having suffered through the polling booth being on the wrong side of the street. Why, then, should the city be put to the expense of a suit in the Supreme Court I Let the patriotic citizen or citizens who meditate taking action in • the matter answer this question.

So far I hold with Mr Fish ; but when I come to consider his action in the matter of his .salary, I am at a loss for words strong enough to express my disgust at his line of action. To retain his seat in spite of the evident wish of the Council that he should retire "while the matter was being discussed, was, to say the least, unseemly. To attempt to browbeat a Councillor for daring to suggest a diminution of his salary was disgusting, and would have astonished me had it been Mr Lloyd who thus behaved. Apart altogether from the question of how much the salary ousjht to be, Mr Fish, if he had not the decency to retire, ought at least to have held his tongue. As it was, he resembled a magistrate presiding at the hearing of a case in which he was personalty interested, and acting as arbiter and special pleader at one and the same time. This matter is becoming a disgrace to the city ; every year there is a wrangle about it. If, as the candidates always say while electioneering, they only desire the salary in order to have money to dispense charity, it would be far better that a certain sum should be annually voted by the Council for charitable purposes, to he spent by the Mayor in the name of the city, rind to be accounted for by him to the Council. Then we should be spared the humbug talked at election times, and such scenes as that which took place last week.

It is Pope, 1 think, who has placed on record his desire, among other amenities of life, for £000 a year and a nice house. In Dunedin, no doubt, there are some who are of a similar mind. Even a minister of religion, 1 am told, who of course warns his flock against the "love of money," " filthy lucre," &c, thinks he is underpaid when he gets £400 a year, besides a free house, and sundry perquisites in the shape of marriage fees. How many poor curates or dissenting ministers in England or Scotland would jump at the offer of a stipend so munificent as compared with their own starvation pittance, as well as the liberation from the close, fever-haunted alleys of crowded cities at home, and the transfer to a breezy, healthful city like Dunedin ! How many struggling professional men and weary overworked clerks, who require to be men of education, and to keep up an appearance on less than half that salary, would welcome it as a godsend ! Nay, how many country ministers in our own province would gladly have their incomes increased to that amount, as some recompense for the semi-banishment to thinly populated districts, and the long miles of weary riding in rain or burning heat ! And here also 1 may note that in South Carolina the average salary of the Presb}'terian ministers i& LI 4O. Not th;it I would underpay any man — parson or layman. But I think that any man with the salary and perquisites I have mentioned, ought to think himself precious well oil". The same Providence that will provide for servants of steamboat companies who give up their situations for conscience sake, will provide for ministers who are in danger of starving on several hundred a year.

Although we are descendants of a nation of shopkeepers, it is nevertheless a fact that we do not care for statistics in our reading. Notwithstanding this, however, I shall venture on a few statistics, fondly believing that an exception will be made in their c:ise because they relate to people who have been, or are charitably supposed to have been, unfortunate. It is so interesting to read about other people's misfortunes. To the point, then. [ find by reference to the file of the Daily Times, that in the first six months of this year there were 85 declarations of insolvency tiled in Otago, besides 10 deeds of arrangement, and two deeds of assignment. In some cases the same person has filed a declaration of insolvency twice, but this is counterbalanced by several instances in which one declaration has been filed by two partners. To enumerate the callings of all these unfortunates would take up top

much space and be pretty dull reading, but I may pick out a few. Looking first at the declarations of insolvency, we find that 7 publicans came to grief during the half-year (oin Omnaru alone) besides 3 persons who are described as '"late hotelkeepers." This shows that grog-selling is not a profitable occupation in Otago, so that we cannot be such a drinking people after all — Mr Fox notwithstanding. In addition to these, also, 1 eating housekeeper, 1 restaurant keeper, and 1 accommodation housekeeper, tiled their schedules. (5 livery stablekeepors and grooms, 0 miners, 2 commission agents, 5 storekeepers, 2 contractors, 3 butchers, and 3 master mariners are among the other unfortunates. Only I baker, however, failed, as well as only 1 undertaker. It is also worthy of note that only 1 Chinaman filed his schedule during the six months. The 10 deeds of arrangement "were filed as follows :— By 3 hotelkeepers, 2 commission agents, 1 butcher, 1 coach proprietor, 1 runholder, ] carrier, and 1 articled clerk ; and the two deeds of assignment by a coal merchant and a hotelkeeper respectively. Lt only remains to state that the proportion of insolvents to the population of the province was more than 17 times as great as it was in England and Wales last year. Here is a fact for solitary meditation.

A little time ago the prevalence of scarlet fever caused a "scare in Dunedin, but of late another epidemic has been much more prevalent, though, let us hope, less fatal. Everybody has been on the sick list with cold and influenza, accompanied with feverishness, and the doctors have had so much to do that they would look quite fagged and careworn, did not the thoughts of the rich harvest they are reaping keep them cheerful. The preA'alence of this epidemic is the more surprising considering the unusually line weather we have been enjoying. Possibly the absence of our usual quantum of wind has allowed the germs of disease to remain in the atmosphere. Here is a chance for some budding Tyndall or Letheby in our midst to make himself illustrious, by explaining this matter.

His Honour Mr Justice Chapman, in his speech at the Scott Centenary dinner, passed, perhaps unconsciously, rather a severe criticism upon ladies' dress. Referring to the ladies as preparing for the ball, His Honour spoke of them as "probably Mjirobing. " This reminds me of a remark in Valentino Vox, 10 the effect that to speak of a lady as in full ballroom dress is almost equivalent to saying that she is only half-dressed. This is trenching upon dangerous ground, however, so that I had better change the subject.

There "was another remark made on the same occasion that ought not to pass unnoticed. I refer to Professor Sale's observation — "Jf thorn is one tiling more than another I love Dickens for, it is that lie scorns "respectability. "' The learned Professor's remark, I feel sure, "ft ill find an echo in the breasts of all those of us who hate shams. Do we not all know people "whom we instinctively shrink from, but whom, nevertheless, we cannot bring any charge against — whose outward life is eminently satisfactory — -"highly respectable" people in fact ! And do as'O not all know how we smart if we get into the hands of such people, who stick into us the cruel claws concealed in the velvet cushion of their respectability ? Do we nob all know the men whose unctuous faces denote their love of good (let us not hay gluttonous) living, whose spotkss i.hirt-fronts remind us of whited walls, and whose glossy black hats and boots suggest comparisons as to the colour of their hearts ( In :>hort, do avc not all know the men of whom Pecksniff, the most despicable character writer ever depicted, is the type .'

What an amusing scene that must have been at the Graving Dock the other day. The rival generals urging on their men,

the one to do, the other to undo ; the poor distracted Bauehop, between two fires ; the calm serenity of the representative of the majesty of the law, watching the fight, and waiting to arrest the one who should draw first blood ; and the j astuteness of Mr Connor, in " gently " ! removing his adversary's men. As Joe Gargcry says, " Wot larx !" I observe in an English paper that lions ; are becoming very scarce in South Africa. ' This will never do. If all the lions are killed out, there will be none left to eat grass with oxen during the Millennium. The whales had better look out. All over the colonies their destruction is being compassed in the most bloodthirsty manner. Sydney mid Auckland are the chief haunts of the plotters, and if they put their plans into operation, before long niauy ' ' monsters of the deep " will bite the dust— no, tha,t isn't right-r-will lash the

deep in their last agony. And here let me deprecate the practice too often indulged in by our coastal whaling companies of killing cow whales accompanied I by their calves, as well as the calves themI selves. It was this practice that thinned the numbers of these creatures before, and drove them away from our shores. It is a great pity that the killing of unseasonable whales is not made (perhaps it cannot be) punishable, like the killing of unseasonable salmon. Sioma.