NEW CALEDONIA.

West Coast Times, Issue 1663, 28 January 1871, Page 3

NEW CALEDONIA.

We subjoin a few passages from a letter of the Gladstone Observers Noumea correspondent :—: — " You Avant to knoAV something about these Frenchmen, and T have Aery little to tell. The fact is, avc have very few Frenchmen here in business. Of course Aye have a crowd, of convicts, soldiers, and a few Government officials, but our business people are mo-tly English — at all events not French. Mr Strokarck, Avho Avas once a Gladstone man, holds an excellent position here, and is much liked, although he is a German. That brings i^e to the Avar. We are really terrible. We have, like the * Immortal Six Hundred,' cannon to the right of us, cannon to the left of us, and cannon in front of us. Forts, eaith works, and nondescript floating monsters, are being constructed with all possible vigor. Here, I Jim afraid to a^k what for. What is there here worth the while of the Prussians or any other man to come so far to take? W:irlike stores, a feAv old guns, perhaps a plant of gold coin, and some steam despatch boats are hardly worth the notice of even a filibuster. But for the convicts we should not Avant the soldiers ; but for the soldiers we should not want so much of our beef and mutton. The countiy, ifitisever to be improved, Avill be settled by i3ritish and Germans, or Anjrlici-ed Frenchmen. The few French civilians here appear to me to be rapidly adopting the mode- of thoughts and habits of Messieurs les Anglais. Judging from the conversations I have had Avith the officers of the s earners runuing between here and \'cav South Wales, the most grievous feature of the war is the neutrality regulations, Avhich prohibit French armed vessels remaining in British ports longer than tAventy-four hours at one time. I have seen none of them weeping over the downfall of Napoleon ; yet they have not imitated the Paris mob in tearing down the Imperial arms?. A friend of mine, though, the other day, quietly removed the "N" from his sign in anticipation or fear, I did not ask him Avhieh. The Au llovoir, from your port with sheep nnd caltlo, dropped on some of us rather unexpected))'. The prices fetched, if f am correctly informed, Avcrc not. enormous — not up to Those fetched at Pnebe, on the other side of the island by Hie stock av recked in Captain Hnghan's ac?scl. I am told the cattle averaged about .C 7, and the sheep about twelve shillings.