Corresponence. VALUABLE SUGGESTIONS.

Timaru Herald, Volume IX, Issue 342, 5 September 1868, Page 3

Corresponence. VALUABLE SUGGESTIONS.

to raa. edito^ or t^b rai^o HERALD. The land fund' ia doomed— not fbr sale by ita enemies, bnt by ita friends'— not seized by the grasping North: Island, bnt devoted to the purpose of peaoeand civilization— we are going to people our country, .apd- grow, njen instead of mutton ! The Lyttelton Times has* returned again to the charge. Thia is ominous. The people t rejoiced' m the firat sound of the leadingartiole m reference ib the disposal of waste lands as a premium to the intending emigrant— struck, a. Chord .which found a response ia the will of .the people. The Times ia now mora decided, they , ara lickingthe idea into shape, and. before long we shall hava to submit to. a total change pf our Land Regulations— abolition of pre.emptive rights, free adoption,-, land appropriated, not more, than 100 acres to each, adult member of an emigrant* family at ,tbie rate of ten shillings per acre. No complication, Of legislation, the bugbear of the House of Representatives, but one generalprice throughbttt CStoterbury, this willbe the cty— yonaaust come to thia.. 'Tba: people bf' Timara are a alow , g neration, dweller* ix i* <;sort i.of ;Sleepy' olldw„ Tknara may be deacribed ait a little gossping dirty town aa any m New-Zealand.' Youfmea gbanp'atitbe' ciratJs, .yonr iwomeb

gossip everywhere. So great are the conversational powers of the dwellers m Temuka and inhabitants of Timaru that the very 1 children gossip, and idle with children m ! their arms by the half- hour at a stretch m [ the public thoroughfares. The town and streets are polluted m a similar manner to Edinburgh m the eighteenth century ; one of the principal hotels drains its refuse m the main street and m front of the approach to it. It will soon be no more difficult, unless • I they, amend their ways and purify their I streets, to smell Timaru than Edinboro. The people evidently want waking np. Perhaps they have spent all their energies on their county scheme. Let them ' 'be not too .bold," for " Coax-em," their master, is bought and sold — literally sold. It will be a rare eight when the member for Timaru returns; when he tells the gaping electors assembled to hear hiro, — wben he tells them m spasmodic periods tbat he rose m his place m the House, &c, &c, and the hon. member made answer, &c, that he had received no power to form counties. . What a relief it. must have been to the member for Timaru when he heard this. Imagine him starting up to protect Timaru and her land fund; if the Government did not introduce a measure, it would be his duty, &c. Moses and the green spectacles ! what a tale to tell on his return, to stand by and witness the ravishing of our land fund from us, and instead of acting aa our sworn defender, simply to put up his hands and cry, "fleese to enquire of Ministers if they had the power to create counties. Instead of defending his constituents and their revenue, he has been seduced by the subtlety and cajoleries of his Canterbury colleagues ; and they chuckle how tbey have circumvented our member, bought him with a little flattery, — stole our geui, which he say's" he has had m his possession these last siz years, and refused to give us. Both out' member and his colleagues have aeen the last of that treasure. Before another session of the House of Representatives our land regulations will be entirely altered, (and our land fund will be devoted ' to a pnrpose legitimate enough m itself), bnt without that prudence which should reserve sufficient to justify the expenditure or introduction of large capital. Therefore, under these circumstances, it is < as well you did not get yonr county. ..Yon would have been a stumbling-block — a sort of testy old gentleman with a large balance at your bauker's, always talking of the wisdom of the founders of — the Association — . and holding up yourselves as examples. All for the best, — you cannot do so. Pardon the digression. I started with an idea— these little episodes of " The Town of - Timaru, its Manners and Customs," and "Account of the Proceedings of the Member for Timaru" crept m unawares, and, as the ° manner of 'episodes is, has surpassed or put m the shade the original story. My idea is this : — Timaru wants a member for the Provincial Council to do —Heaven knows what, except to sit on a bench and personate r Patience; because he occupies his seat by - sufferance, is powerless, and must feel very . much like Russell, Patterson, and Mete Kingi . m the House of Representatives. Under these circumstances I would suggest to the Superintendent that instead of a writ being Bent down he should — I know you will fall m with this idea — advertise ; and as the idea is novel, and their Honors may be unused to the business, and the Secretary might not have a , form of such advertisement m his office, and' I the Chief. Clerk has, through a stress of business, heen unable to devote that attention to the literature of the' advertising portion of the community which would justify his entering upon so arduous an undertaking, I will, through your correspondents' column, • . suggest the following f ohn, trusting that if approved pf by the Uovernment, they will pay fbr the space it occupies m your columns : — " Wanted — A Member for Timaru, without encumbrance (i.e. of brains). The duties bo be performed are of a light and easy nature, he will simply be called on to say . * aye' or • n".' He will be allowed the privilege of asking any question he likes (when m order). He may, as a matter of form,, propose any sum on the Estimates for limaru, but they will as a matter of conrse be refused. < If a person who gives •' due at- ; tention to aspiration, he may say 'hear, bear ' upon all occasions. If he is not an . aspirant, 'ear, ear ' only when the 'Government' is speaking. Further information - r may be obtained, &c, tus." ■'■ I think I have started an original idea, Mid hope it will be appreciated m the right , quarter, I am, &O.J :!.: ' - <• ; . Advertiser.

: A MUEDEB.TWBI.VB OB FOUBTEEN YEABS Ago. — The CuDDELii Mubdeb. — James Scully was, on Tuesday last, brought up. at the Police Court, on the charge of murdering Bobert Buzzacotte, at Cuddell Creek, m the year -1856. The prisoner had been brought, up on two previous occasions, and had been remanded; -os all the 'witnesses againit 'him had to be brought from Yass and Burro.wa. It appears that some time m the year 1856, or m 1854 as one of the lost witnesses deposed, some five or more men, amongst whom' were Scully (tho prisoner), : and Buzzacotte (the deceased),' were drinking m a hut at Cuddell. All present were more or less drunk,- and some words passed - between the prisoner and the' deceased, the, former took up a bottle full of spiritß, and atanding up, struck the . deceased, who' was eitting on a stool, over the head' with it. The bottle broke, leaving the jagged neck in'the prisoner's nand, 'and with this he made another blow, again .'striking the deceased on the head. The occurrence did not seem' to' attract' any very great amount of notice amongst the' remainder of the party, and, though the deceased bled a good deal, he would not let the wife of one of the men, who was - m an adjoining room when the blows were .struck, nor one of his own companions, wash the wound, and the -whole party. soon after retired to; bed, leaving only one man lying drunk on the floor m the. hutwith the deceased. In the morning the latter was found leaning against a. bunk dead. A report .was sent to Jthe head station,' and the superintendent came down, and seeing no .blood about, and no wound on tho head of tho deceased, or m fadt any traces of foul play, oonoluded that ' he' died of suffocation an.d without fUrther ado the body : waa bufiod near a- apot Where there' were' aeveral other graves. One Of the witnesses states positively that he can ahow the exact aite of the grave, others affirm that be could not. Sbtne .flepoae that the, body jas. enclosed m a .hardwood coffin,' While" others state that the coffin: was^mada of pine. , The , prisoner, haa been again remanded for further evidence, one of the witnesses against him, and: who' waa. present when the. blows were struck, bomg a cwnfinee of Yaas Gaol, ; Awrjtof habeas corpus Will be" issued (for tha production of this.- man, and the grave of Buzzacotte ,will, wo presume, be identified, if possible, and a careful search beVthen ih^ituted, ,to discover if upon the skull bf the deceived any' traces.' of a fracture orient are' diaceriiiblp.. But.,: so' many years have elapsed since the'biiijal of the body that 'we' si&pcc't that ' tb is 'will .prove, to he « task that will be attended 'with ' <x>usidMable 'diffi-^ culty. Between tho time of the discovery' ofthe dead body bf iho deceased and the arrival Of the superintendent from the head station, a sufficient length of timb elapsed! to ,jdlpw of thfliremoval o£ all traces p£bl6odfrom tha, body and from the floor, on; both of j^hich, according, to the evidence* of thef other witnesses, a good deal, had been previoualy .visiM?,; and as it. appears tha); the superinteudeijt dj d, not e'xamin^.^he body very ch»ely, die absence bf any aospipioua. on .his parta*. to the, cause of death w eaajly apopijntod for. An 'attentive examination. , -of thei- facts .Of. the; case as far aa they have yet been disclosed points to the Qonehuion that, m ithe height of a, drunken, apree, the deceased: received, a , severe wpund -. on. the.head with a bot%, and' t^^ejbi^M aoon, af^, coniing an. endV the parties tp,. dispersed aqd' : left the deceisipd, drunk,alM.hij^lf,..to bWdto death witlwuteyer ; b4ieying that he had been seriously Lajilred. Aa the infliction L of ; the blows by the.bottle waa i witnessed by aeveral •&ktim\, thiee or four of tfhbirij are Still living 'BiaWro pSeseM at tfikbiifiaLoifVhe deceased, iffia'tturt'Mye^Kbwfi^he; caliM : k>f bStfdeath, it is somethin|'Srbri'derful that until tbry

! lately no suspicion of the committal of a murder has ever been' breathed to the authorities, and if after the lapse of twelve years the charge is still brought home to the accused, the case will long rank aa one of the most extraordinary m the whole annals of crime. — Wagga Wagga Express,^JiAj 25. -.-. •■< .