The Invercargill Times. TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 1863.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 37, 17 March 1863, Page 2

The Invercargill Times. TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 1863.

While on all sides we are witnesses of a prosperity which falls to the lot of few new settlements, we must not at the same time fail to remember that the sources from which we at present derive our wealth, may, at no very distant date, decrease ; and although a long lifetime will not outlive the gold which has been showered so freely over the favored spots of the Middle Island, and will take many years in the gathering, we should bear in mind that to ensure a permanent prosperity, we must direct our energies to other matters beside mere gold getting. Of the truth of this we have the example of Victoria before us. Never was a higher prosperity developed in any j country from earliest history to the present date. The yield in gold dur- j ing the years '51, 'i>'2, and 'i>3, elec- i trifled all Europe, and just as rapidly ; as the golden freights accumulated, and were sent from her shores to purchase the industries of other countries, ■ so did the flood of capital, population, | and enterprise roll in. There was i nothing, it was contended, which coul' I prevent Victoria from becoming the richest and most prosperous of all colonies. "We have not space here, nor is it necessary that we should jn've its commercial history, nor chronicle an era of bankruptcies, panics, and | trading misfortunes, probably iu.ver j befouTparalleled, but which are known ! to all who arc even but slightly uc- j quainted with Australian affairs. Mel- j bourne, the capital of Victoria, is a ! vast city, with Government and public j buildings literally palatial in their i character, extent, and costliness ; with . its banks, mercantile establishments, : and magnificent erections for the pur- | poses of trade and commerce ; with j its miles of streets, its public amuse- I merits, and possessing all the attractions ! of English and continental cities; with j all these desiderata ; with railway com- j munication ramifying to all the ponu- j lous centres of the interior ; with ! ten3 of thousands of acres of land not yet occupied ; with a country at its back which extends to within twelve ( degrees of the equator; Yictoii.i has not been able to hold he r own ; and the extraordinary spectacle now presents itself of the Middle Island of New Z-.'aland — louph, mountainous, I thinly inhabited ; enjoying jin special , prestige — drawing away to her Pro- j vinces the very cream of the Victorian population. For twelve months past have the inhabitants of our sist.?r colony been hastening from its shores to take j up their lot with us. Let us then take warning. What has befallen Victoria will as certainly ojenr to ourselves, if we should follow in her foot- j steps and walk in the error of her j ways. Victoria trusted solely to her i gold ; it was thought the supply, in- ; stead of failing, would augmen\ It ! saw bv its escort returns that less came down than of yore, bat it con- j tinued in its reckless career of extra- j valance, even lonj^ nfi.er it fed into j deep and almost irretrievable misfortunes. L'k'i a reckless trader, "\ ictoria lived upon her c.ipital instead of turning ir. to profitable account. Are we not doing the same ? For every thousand pounds worth of gold sent out of the I'li.ldle Island, over e'ev:n hundred pounds worth of goods .ire imported for our necessities. "\\ e are, in fact, running into debt, and if we do not .stop in our career, we have the case of Victoria before us to tell us what wi:l be the result. If the- proceeds of the rich ! auriferous deposits winch are taken i from the earth are expended i;\ the purchase of imported articles o( consumption, then in what manner are we to consider ourselves benefitted ? The who'c of the gold must not, if we desire future as well as present prosperity, be allowed 1o filter through our hands, and find its way to other colonies and countries. Some fair proportion of it must remain to circulate among ourselves, a ".id this can only be done by a proper and systematic encouragement of manufacturing interests ; so that many of those articles of general use and consumption — for which we now send our gold away to [ other countries — may be produced by j our own wealth, industry, enterprise, and skill. It is only by manufactures that a poor country is made rich, and a rich country great. What particular description of manufacturing industry should be first initiated, will form the subject of a future article.

! " MexD yOcR ways " is a wholesome maxim, which applies both literally aud metaphorically. In the present 1 case we wish to inculcate the literal ; \iew, and, if possible, to impress upon

the Town Board the necessity of ''mending their ways." Winter is almost upon us, and what provision hns bee a made for those residing in Ihe northern part of the town to reach their homes? None 1 A storekeeper iu Tjy-street who has the misfortune to own or lease asectiou inLeet, Gala, or the neighboring streets, cannot reach it without danger after sunset It is possible to do so, but the man who encounters and overcomes the difficulties ought to have a presentation of some kind commemorative of his daring. Darkness, total and complete, is bad enough, but when to that is added the necessity of stumbling over the fallen trunk of an ancient forest monarch, or sinking knee deep in a half- marsh, half-rivulet, the inducements to ''go home "me certainly very slender. We do not ask the Town Board to do everything at once. We are well aware that, as presently constituted, all the talent of the towu is n-it to be found in the small room where the sage municipal authorities meet; but still, mcdioCre though itbe, the "Board might do something towards making the outlying streets passable at all hours. It is rather hard that men who have bought or leased sections [which look beautiful on the map], should also have to construct a road to their property. This is clearly the work <;f the Town Board, and ought to be seen to without delay. Properly forming such a leading thoroughfare us Xay-slreefc is very commendable ; but other duties should not be neglected. The plea " want of funds " will not pass, because the Town Board has the power of levying a rate upon j j the proprietors of property, and we I I believe none would object to the as- j j sessment. " Before winter has i'air.y j set in, we commend this work to the Town Board. Forming Tay-streei will be almost useless, unlesi the i storekeepers there have ready access to their d .vel ling-houses. 'lhese are nearly all situated in the back or j northern streets, ai);l, as matters at pscsciit slai.d, there is an urgent cry I of " mend yoiir ways."

i | "We arc indebted to Capt. Stuart, of the ■ Aldinga, fjr copies (if Melbourne papers of i lOihinst. The Aldinga left M-jlboimic on the 11 tli. and anived ;it Bluff Harbor yesterj day. At the time of hjr sailing there was 1 no appearance of the English mail. 'Vm ship ! Blue Jacket, which left Bluff IJ arbor on the i '24th ult., li;:d not aniwd in Melbourne when the Aldingu lefr. "We hear uu good authority, that the Lord Ashley, one of the 1. 11. M. Company's steamers, is about to be laid on between Bluff Harbor and Auckland. This will give us a Northe; n Mail every fortnight. The William Mi-skin, a screw biat of 120 ions, well-known i.i Victoria and Tasmania. ha-» been placed ptTiuanc ntlv on tlic linobotween Invereargill and Dimedin. S!i<; has recently had new boilers and received a thorough overhaul. Her cabins arc very elegantly fitud up, and, altogether, sho seems particularly well adapted for the trade. The Committee of ihe Meeh.inio.V Institute have ofleied Mr Henry Houdm a ciiuiilimentary benefit, -whk-h takes place this evening. O:i this occasion there will be a change of performance ; amongst o'her things, Burbank's celebrated soup, -Ji-.jot Hog. or Die,'' and a new character, a "Highlander," in full costume, are announced in tho Bills. From the nucess attending Mr I loud in"s previous peiformancea in Liverear- j gill, we anticipate lie will got what lie is j entitled to — a bumper honso. 1 It does not appear to be generally known that patties flapping gold from this Pro- j vince cannot pay duty at the Bluff. A digger went Id the Bluff last, week with 120 ounces, intending to proceed to Melbourne, but was obliged t > return to luvereargUl to pass it through the Cust mis. Airangement-s nre about being mule to obvi ito tiiis diiliculty, but. to: the pre.iC.it all gild exported from this Province must go through ilia Customs here. Within the last week t wo more boats arrived i at tho Bluff, with their crews, who intend starting as watermen at that p )rt . This ' makes the number of boats employed in that I service up to live, and their owners j have agreed <>:i a very moderate, and ; uniform sci'le of charges. Private enterprise scenu about to ;;C<:o:np!i.)h what the government should have done long as; ■), i.e., I provide the injans for p I'-seagers to land or depart from the Bluff. The Evcni.ij Xcws of I lie 1-th inst. gives us the following account of a strange wager made in Dimedm a few dr.ys ago:— "A Wilder "was nride this afternoon by an old spurt, that a £10 note laid on the (-top at the front entrance to the Provincial Hotel would not be picked up in tenminutc?, and, strange as it may seem, the- note lay there daring that tin.c, tilth >ugli 48 person-; passed in and out in that period. It was settled beforehand that should the finder be honest enough to return the money, it was either to be presented to him or to some charitable in-titution. The ; time wad two oYluek,uutil ten minutes afterward.- 1 ." The products of New Zealand arc daily becoming more numerous. The XcwZca lander of the 27ih Fcb , gives the following concerning the cultureoi" tobacco at Auckland:— '"We have often advocated the suitability of this climate for the produce of tobacco, cotton, and other more profitable cropi than those usually grown. We have seen from time to time excellent cotton produced in this province, but today were brought t o this ot'tice bv the grower, Charles Brown, of the North Shore, two very One specimens of the- tobacco leaf, each measuring over two feet in length, and 12 inches across. The seed had been plaited some time in October, and no particular care had been bestowed upon its cultivation. As we said, it was grown upon the North Shore."