THE COLONIST. NELSON; TUESDAY, APRIL 15, ISG2.

Colonist, Volume V, Issue 467, 15 April 1862, Page 2

THE COLONIST. NELSON; TUESDAY, APRIL 15, ISG2.

Law, like fire, may be a good friend or a false friend, but is always a cruel, bitter enemy. The multiplicity of laws and the complexity of laws become in course of time severe afflictions to any community. It is said that a ready reader could not get once, through the British Statute Book in a lawyer's lifetime, and the profession are usually long-lived, being generally longwinded. What with laws repealed, lav sin disuetude, laws amended, British laws, Colonial laws, Provincial ditto, Municipal ditto, &c- —men cannot undertake any affair of importance without consulting a legal functionary. The glorious uncertainty of the law is a standing toast amongst all tip-top topers in the legal line. Law is like a book on surgery—a great many terrible cases in it. ' Law is like a tiger's claw.' But of all the cases that ever came within range of our experience, thus aays a stranger, the following transcends, beyond the transcendentals of the German Kantists; and this example sufficiently proves the cant which must certainly accompany law manufacturing in New Zealand disjoined from all the world beside, and sometimes besides itself. Our friend, a casual visitor, wished to go out, in order to seethe country and enjoy what he was pleased to term a day's shooting, although, for our own parts, we never could perceive any pleasure in shooting down harmless, nay useful, birds. The following colloquy took place. Have you a gun ? O yes, brought one with me from CKago, Did the custom-house officers know of the landing ? No. What the deuce had any of these to do with it ? Only a penalty of £100. The deuce! Have you powder ? Not yet, but I can'go to some of the shops and purchase for money. Not so fast. You must first show your permit. "What do you mean, sir? Only this : such a permit, to allow any powder purchase, must be obtained from some revenue officer, and for which one shilling must be paid down (should it be granted), for allowing you or any one to buy a single pound of gunpowder. You joke. Faith, there is no joking in it, but a good deal of jockeying. What! A shilling for one single pound ! Even so; and if unknown to the officials, you must find some respectable person in town as a kind of guarantee for your conduct, before the said permit is forthcoming. 0, lest I should shoot myself or any of the residents, I suppose? By no means, the security of these is in little consideration ; the statute contemplates the safety and peace of the Maoris. And so the white settlers are to be literally disarmed for fear of offending or frightening these Maoris. So you may think, but your experience in this free and juvenile colony is only of very limited duration. We explained that the law was intended to stop the sordid, money-hunting white man from selling arms and ammunition to the red man at most enormous profits, so as the latter variety of the genus homo should be prevented from shooting one another, any of the colonists, or raising war in the land. | But does the law answer the expected end ? Far from it. No sooner are coercive laws of this kind enacted, than the wit and ino-enuity of subtle man are set a scheming, trying to find or make holes for riding smooth or rough shod through these homespun 'prentice-work statutes. So it conies to pass that about the same quantity of powder and lead is sold as heretofoie. The law is evaded in divers ways; and no wonder, when Maoris have pad as high as fifty shillings for a pound ot ordinary powder. But the customs' collector pockets a goodly number of shillings—the gist or grist of this gunpowder affair, equal to a tax of 40 per cent., a nice method of raising the j

wind ; and the colony goes on very much in the usual hum-drum way, notwithstanding. Admirable commentary ! Lately in Sydney the wise men of the young east in that quarter took it into their heads to amend the publicans' act, and they amended it with a vengeance by leaving out the important clause for fining convicted dt unkards in various penalties. Drunkenness revelled in all its beastliness. The inebriated were trotted up to the police courts, and then deliberately walked out agaiu, thinking it excellent fun 'to do the officials,' and march away cost free. In a southern province of New Zealand, through the loose manner in which a bill relating to cattle had been drawn up and passed by the Council, many persons are subject to a heavy fine for allowing theii cattle to run on their own land : thus almost equalling in absurdity that precious piece of our own legislation, whereby a poor peripatetic cow is not only subject to impounding, &c, under one act, but its owner shamefully robbed under another act, both for the same offence. The brigantine Rebecca arrived in port on Saturday last, laden with coals from Newcastle ; she has been seventeen days on the passage. The Tasmanian Maid returned on Monday morning from the Wairau : since her departure she has had some very rough weather, and had to run into Port Underwood, where she remained one night, and did not reach Picton until Saturday morning last, The Brisk, a srhart-looking schooner, lately from England, under the command of Captain Kreeft (sometime a Nelson resi- | dent), arrived on Friday last, with a general cargo from Melbourne, after a passage of twelve days. We regret to hear that Captain Kreeft has lost one of his children by diphtheria during the passage. The Brisk leaves for Wellington to-morrow. Wairoaßhidge.—Welearn that the first piles for the Wairoa Bridge will be driven in the course of the week. The Provincial Government, we believe, have not yet decided whether the superstructure shall be wood or iron. The contractors, Messrs. Million, Freeman, and Motley, however, will proceed with the foundations, as they will be applicable for either wood or iron. Superintendents.—Mr. Moorhouse has been elected Superintendent of the Province of Canterbury, without opposition. Captain Baillie, of Marlborough, has at last acceded to the wishes of the majority of the Council, and informed them that he has forwarded his resignation to the Governor. The Superintendent of Auckland too has been politely requested to resign by a majority of three in the Provincial Council, on the motion of Mr. Carleton, of Jephtha-vow notoriety. It is presumed that he is too old a bird to be caught by such chaff. Government Prizes.—-The greatest number of points made at the competitive firing for these prizes was stated in our last to have been 30, made by W. 11. West of the City company. There, however, was pending the completion of the firing of one of the Waimea South Volunteers, S. Holt, who, having scored 26 points in ] 1 rounds, has since completed his 15 shots, and made a total of 32 points, which therefore is the highest score yet made. At Taranaki the firing for Messrs. Hi'obert's prizes resulted in 27 points (G. Cooke) for the highest, and for the Government prizes on the first day 26 points (John M'Donald), the average firing being 13| per man, 90 having competed. Permanent Building Society.—We direct attention to an advertisement which appoints Wednesday next for a meeting of the members in order that the necessary rules may be adopted and officers appointed. The meeting will take place at the Temperance Hall, Bridge-street. City Company.—To-morrow the parade will be held on the new drill ground, Botanical Gardens, at five p.m., and on Saturday next a meeting of the company will take place at. the Adjutant's office to elect non-commissioned officers and transact other matters.

j Fire.—On Sunday night an alarm of fire wa9 given at the premises of Mr. Thomas Askew, Bridge-street, and the smoke that was seen issuing from the roof of the back premises presaged a terrible calamity. Fortunately however the active measures that were at once taken were successful in extinguishing it before any damage of moment occurred. The fire began in a top bedroom behind a chest of drawers, the back of which was burnt through near the top and a large space charred over the wall paper and lining were also ignited, as well as several inflammable materials contiguous. No; known cause can be assigned for the occurrence; there was no candle burning in the room, nor had there been on that evening. The fire-engine was immediately on the spot with all the necessary apparatus ; membersof the Brigade very quickly assembled also, and a large number of persons were ready with willing hands to assist if necessary, though very fortunately two or three buckets of water were found sufficient to arrest further damage. The fire-bell most promptly clanged out its warning, a youth named Thomas Bird having very creditably mounted the framework the moment he heard the alarm given, and working the clapper with his hand succeeded in collecting a great number of persons together almost instantly. It was fortunate that the fire occurred so early in the evening and that it was so promptly treated, for otherwise a most extensive conflagration might have resulted. Taranaki Racks —After a cessation of two years the people of Taranaki have found sufficient leisure and security to indulge in the pleasures of the turf, and, as we learn from their local prints, have resuscitated their races lately with a" three days' meet. Their horses however have not had a favorable time of it, and a Wanganui horse, War Eagle, belonging to Dr. Gil>son, carried off the laurels. The first race is the only one that bears any record of the pace, and that was mile-and-half heais, first heat 3 minutes. War Eagle appears to have bad it all his own way in whatever he went for, at all distances and at hurdles as well. The meeting went ofF with satisfaction and success. Sea Birds;.—When a wild goose is shot in northern climates the sportsman always buries it in the earth some hours before cooking it—a process which removes the rank savor of the flesh- Even the fishy-flavored sea-birds can be rendered eatable by this curious process. New Mode op Tracing.—A method of tracing drawings and maps directly on white paper has been lately made public in France. The process po sesses this advantage, namely, that on any paper —such as letter, drawing, or any other, however opaque, it can be rendered capable of the transfer of a drawing in common ink, indian ink, pencil, or water-colors. Fix the paper on which the copy is to be made on the original, and moisten it with a cotton tuft dipped in the purest benzine. Buckle's brush, used for photographic purposes, would answer well. Tlie portions of the paper which have imbibed the liquid ase at once rendered as '.ransparent as prepared tracing paper, and the original / can be copied oft" to its minutest details without x the slightest injurious effects of this process on the drawing. Inks run freely without in the least spreading, and the lines are more difficult to remove from the paper thus prepared than from common paper; lead pencil marks are almost indelible by the indian rubber. As the benzine evaporates, the paper becomes opaque, assuming

its primitive form If' the" liquid be pure and fresh distilled ; and a little exposure to a current of air will remove all smell; If the drawing to be copied is of great size, the benzine can be used as the work proceeds. If from its extreme volatility any portions become opaque before the tracing is finished, it is only necessary to apply a little more benzine on that pait. — Galignani. Courtesy.—An interesting item of intelligence has been received from Portland. Mr. Seward has granted permission to the British troops en route for Canada to pass through Maine. This act of courtesy is a considerable boon to the soldiers at the present inclement season. Captain Cracroft.—Captain Cracroft, himself, under date January 2oth, writes to a friend in Auckland thus:—' My dear , The intense grief under which I am laboring, and the profound affliction into which our family is plunged by the untimely death of my brother in law, Captain Tennant, must plead my excuse for writing very briefly by this mail. I feel still stunned and stupified by the heavy blow that for same wise purpose the Almighty has been pleased to inflict upon me, and although all my'friends try to console me with the assurance that not a shadow of blame attaches to me, I cannot recover from its < ffects. We are, in consequence, going to try a change of scene, and on Monday next, the 27th, we start for Lisbon from Southampton, and shall probably go on to Gibraltar, and make a tour of Spain, as I have obtained three months' leave of absence.' flow to Cook a Ham.—Never put a ham into a kettle of cold water, and bo equally careful never to place one in boiling water. First let the water become lukewarm ; then put the ham in. Let it simmer or boil lightly for four or five hours—five is better than four; then take it out and shave the rind off. Rub granulated sugar into the whole surface of the ham, so long as it can be made to receive it. Place the ham in a baking dish, with a bottle of champagne or prime cider. Baste occasionally with the juice, and let it bake an hour in a gentle heat.