THE NIGHT SIDE OF BULLER LIFE.

Westport Times, Volume II, Issue 157, 31 January 1868, Page 2

THE NIGHT SIDE OF BULLER LIFE.

" Faith, Hope, and Charity, but the greatest of these three are Charity," saith St. James, and never was the truth of those words more forcibly impressed upon our mind than when in making some few inquiries into the " unseen " life in this district. It is a strange fact, but nevertheless a true one, that while we are collecting hundreds of pounds to built temples and houses for ministers of religion, that we neglect either to make inquiries after or to subscribe a few pounds for the relief of those who are starving and dying of suffering and want around us. There is no disguising the truth, and the sooner it comes out in all its nakedness —the sooner it is laid bare the better for society in general. It has been a fond idea that because there are no poorhouses on the coast there can be no distress—there are the goldfields, and if a man wants work let him go and work—very easy said, almost as easy as " take up thy bed and walk " to a sick man, but withal not so easy of accomplishment. There is a noble work before the ladies and philanthropically inclined in this locality, to seek out and relieve cases of distress in this locality:; and although not inclined to be Puritanic, we must again quote from the most practical of the Christianic books that compose the Sacred Word, and say—" Charity covereth a multitude of sins;" and, therefore, this must be our excuse for being discursive. It is not so long since that we made an appeal to the charitably inclined of Westport for a few old rags for the purpose of being converted into lint for the use of the sick and suffering in the hospital, and the response was—nothing:

Alas! for the rarity Of Christian charity, Under the sun. The first case that -came under our notice was that of a woman —a prostitute, he it told—who, having come to this coast in search of a living, had been compelled to have recourse to this kind of life to preserve a miserable existence for herself and three children. She fell sick, and lay down in a miserable tent, with only a remnant of a night-gown to cover her. For three days and nights this miserable Traviata lay till some one more humanely disposed found her out and made her case known to the authorities, and she was lifted out of the mud and slush and conveyed to the hospital, suffering from starvation, neither she nor her three children having tasted food for three days. The eldest of the children, 14 years of age, was an unfortunate, who had been offered by a woman a small sum of money for the purpose of, &c; and there this wretched family lay not a hundred yards from the newly-built residence of our minister, of whom it must be said that he is always ready to relieve distress when brought under his notice. , Oh ! it was pitiful Near a whole city full Home she had none ! Another instance of life on the Buller goldiields quickly follows, of which we are assured as to the truth of. The Nightingale has just entered this port on her voyage from Melbourne. "When

she last entered this port, she brought several passengers, and among them was a man and his wife. The man could not find employment, and the woman fell sick, and was overtaken with the pangs of labor. Her husband went for a gentleman, but the first question he asked was relative to a charge. The husband had no money, and in consequence of neglect, inattention, or ignorance, the woman' was attacked with fever. This came to the ears of Mr Commissioner Kynnersley, who immediately took steps to afford her relief, and the husband was furnished with means to seek after work. The woman in the meanwhile endeavoring to obtain some description of work for her own sustenance.

Other cases have been broughl under our notice of men almost starring, who have been working against hope, toiling and fighting against starvation, engaged in prospecting, sinking, or baling, with their credit stopped, and themselves living on the charity of their fellow workmen. Similar ones out of number we could bring forward, but do not choose to do so, lest we should be accused of exaggeration, but " truth is stronger than fiction;" and we now leave the matter in the hands of the Christian ladies and gentlemen of Westport. We now resolved on visiting the hospital, and were glad to notice a great improvement in the internal arrangements since our last notice. An addition has been made to the original "iron pot" in the shape of a building, originally a stable, which has been fitted up under the direction of the Surgeon, Dr Eockstrow, as a comfortable building, fitted up with bunks, &c., infinitely preferable to the old hospital. In the new buiiding we found Mounted-trooper Doris, who was recently thrown from his horse while riding on the south side of the Buller. The poor fellow is suffering from a contusion of the groin, and is going on as well as can be exected, but we expect it will be some time ere we shall see his well-known figure on horseback, but we believe that all immediate danger is over and it only requires time to bring him round We believe he is about to be removed to Nelson in a few days. Another case was that of a man named Andrew Smith, who had been admitted into the hospital from Addison's Flat yesterday, suffering from a wound on the head caused by the caving-in of a shaft. A poor fellow was also laying there stricken down with consumption, who said he felt better than he did a few days since, and we hope so. Various other cases were brought under our notice, which we refrain from noticing at present. There are 13 inmates in the hospital altogether, although it is capable of making up a greater number of beds.

In conclusion we hope we may be the means of drawing attention to the distress and misery at present existing on the Buller, and should anybody have any old clothes or other materials, let them not throw them away for thev will be gratefull yreceived by the surgeon. The Goverment have done much, and let us pay our due meed to the Commissioner in this respect, that he is not backward in relieving distress ; hut there is such a thing as private charity, and as " Charity covereth a multitude of sins " let us hope that our sick and suffering brothers and sisters may benefit thereby.