THE POET AND THE POUNDER.

West Coast Times, Issue 2787, 7 March 1878, Page 3

THE POET AND THE POUNDER.

(To the Editor. J

Sir, — Our gifted Laureate appears to possess such an emotional nature, that when once his heart is touched he is so overcome by his feelings as to be incapable of action, much the same as some people arc when a hor.-c bolts, or a house is on fire ; they get in such a funk that they can do nothing. Hence, although he says, "Alas, b^a\e Nelly my heart bleeds for thee," he altogether forgets to alleviate that maityi's bufferings. I will instance my meaning. Sonic time since a Chinaman was i-ui'uiced to three months' imprisonment lor stealing ducks. The Chinamen was a boss, and perhaps like Sergeant Nelly, a " brave," and what did his celestial countrymen do ? They begged of the Uislikif .iud^c to give them fouv mouths' ;i piece us vicarious punishment for their bo*-s. Will Mr Cross, l J oet Lauieate, and M 8.C., suffer himself to appear less inagnauiraous than the Ucathen Chinee, Why does he not go to Cleary aud offer to do a month for his fiiend? He has only to go and converse with him, and we have the authority of our worthy Town Clerk, that anyone approaching the prisoners on Cass Square will at once be given in custody, so there can be no difficulty about arranging the matter. Then in the state uniform might we behold the poet pick in hand, '• his eye in fine frenzy rolling" proving incontcstably to an admiring public, that the classic slory of Damon and Pythias is not a fable. Dickens describes a demented geologist who always kept his little geological hammer handy, with which he was wont to chip at the countenances of his friends. Why, then, should not an ex-soldier in his mental paroxsyms be allowed to make " cut one" and " lay" for '' cut two" on the nobs of his friends ? Mr Cross thinks that an old soldier ought to be allowed to do this. Now, if the poet were at work alongside the impounded poundkeeper,j he would have plenty of chances of allowing hU friend to indulge in the playful little idiosyncrasy of tapping him on the parietal bone, say with a pick-axe, and the dazzling and flashing lights that he would then behold darting before his amazed eyeballs would give him an idea of the burning plains of India, the blazing fires of heaven's thunder mocking artillery at Alma and Inkerman, such as never even he, when the poetic <ancy lightened in eye, ever imagined or conceived. It may be thought that it was quite sufficient, that Nelly caused Cameron's cranium to bleed, but it would appear that he had made the poet's heart bleed also. As Lady Macbeth remarked, " Who would have thought the old man had so much blood in him." I am, &c, Lyre. Hokitika, March 6.