The Waikato Times. UNKNOWN.

Waikato Times, Volume III, Issue 124, 20 February 1873, Page 2

The Waikato Times. UNKNOWN.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1873.

|n another column wo publish a telegraphic summary of the Q.ieen'g speech The first paragraph congratulates the nation on the friendly terms tlmt exist with all foreign powers As we anticipated, fhe Hns^bn difficulty is reduced to a minimum, or to sppau more correctly, to nothing. No difficulty pxiatq — never did exist — or is likely to grow out of the action taken by Russia in Asia. It is somewhat astonishing that the writers on the New Zealand Press should have been t?o little — if at all — informed on Indian matters. Had they taken the trouble to read, they would have been able- to estimate the facts briefly announced by telegi ara at their proper value. Russia is bent upon firmly establishing her trade with Asia, and in ordor to do so she is obliged to reduce opposing 1 powers sufficiently to prevent their interference with tho^e who are proHeciiting it. We believe sincjrely tint to do so is the only object Russia had in view when s'^e despatched her lar^c army to tho scene of action. Russia is not able now, nor is she likely to bo for many year*, to compete successfully against England >\ith her wealth, her army, and her allies. England holds tho balance of European power in her }>ands. no matter what combination circumstances bring about, the side E lgland lakes is nearly ceitain to prove victorious, tihe is the wealthiest, is possessed, of the most powerful fleet, and so long as she can continue to hold th.it position, all diplomatists mu,dt be aware that h,er bite iv worse than lior growl. The R«3->i.iri nlann was only raised and given currency to by those ignorant of Indian or European politics. Russia is, at the preset^ moment, only in the lirbt sli\g£ of a gi'eut socia 1

evolution, sho will not be able to light successfully against any European power for somo years to come ; she may be forced into war, but we have sutiicient appieciation of Russian Btotesmen to believo that they v\i)l not voluutarily fire a gun against auy neighbour till she is safe from her own people. The services of the Emperor of Germany in arbitrating the San Juau question are acknowledged, tin's of course was only a simple matter of courtesy. Euglishnien and many foreign critics are of opinion that England has lost dignity. It remains to the strong to ho liberal. Euglish stnt«\.-.ine'- i i\e acted on this sentiment. — A rich and powerful man can afford to wear a threidbato coat, but a grocer's apreutice has to appear as well-clad as possible, otherwise ho loses caste with his fellows. It is honorable to succumb to tho weak, but quite the opposite to give way to an equal. England has undoubtedly become a civilized nation, and consequently is fearful of disturbing tho peace of the world ; her people are aware that to fight entails misery on a vast proportipn of the human race; her moral courage withholds her hand. It requires nioro courage to be sneered at than to fight. It is unfair to taunt Great Britain with having degeperaled because sho hesitates to take up anna. Her unwillingness to fight is only attributable to her keen sense of tho horrors of war. Every British subject is as ready as over to fight for the integrity aud honour of his country, but he has learned that the result of fighting is only that the nation which i.s best piepanxl to legally murder his fellow men, regardless of every other consideration, is tolerably certain to win. It was believed not many years back that civilisation had done away with war; events have proved otherwise ; educated rascality is iound to bo hard to deal with when it evists in tho leaders of an uneducated people

j The Hon. D. }l'Lean aimed m Auckland by the Ncbiaska, ho will, therefore, doubtless be piespnt at the meeting of the Governor w ith the natives on the l'2bh prox. A man named William Prior, foreman of the Hauraki Sawmill, Thames, dropped dead on Tuesday lust. He is believed to haA c died from heart disease. The ship Durham left London for Auckland on the 29th November last, 'lhe Agjiit-Creneial intimates that sUe ! has on board 75 assisted and flee emigrants for this province. Prom our Southern files i\e glean the rumour that the next sitting of Parliament will take place on the 15th April. Tlio early date fixed is aa improbable one, there w ill doubtless be an adjournment to some time in May. The Board of Education has dcclcycd not to become vfi- j sponsible for any outlay beyond the teacup's salary. This resolution has been arrived at in consequence of several applications having been made for funds cxtranoous to th,it object. | We regret to learn that the Cissy lias brought some sheep to Canterbury infected with the foot angl mouth disease. The sheep from this breed are valuable, but we trust tie authorities at i he port of entry will Ji?m> them destroyed, otherwise it is impossible tj estimate the damage that may ensue. Meisrs. Broaden have 5L2 men cmphneJ on railway works on the Auckland and Mercer line A return states thct 2,057 emigrants have been despatched to New Zealand irom England to the same firn^ since the wmr,ien^,pnt of their railway contracts. I The Autumn Auckland Race Meeting is announcoJ to bo held. on the EllerHlic Racecourse on the 11th April. Tho qvents will be a Maiden Plate, a Welter Handicap, a Pony Race, tho Autumn Handicap, Selling .Race, Hack Race, and Consolation Handicap. A good meeting is anticipated in \iew of the largo amount of stakes to be run for. The Government have given intimation of their intention, to introduce an Educational Bill noxt session. It will resemble minuteiy that introduced by Mr Fox last session ; his Bill was n, good one, anclexceptingone cr two claused., should have passed through Parliament untouched. It is impossiblo that any Bill not embodying the pnnoipics of hjs could pass. The "low physique" of the immigrants by tho Christina MrcCausland has Lpcn complained of to the Government by tbo captain, and from what we can hear of other vessels there cectainly has been in London a " plentiful lack" of proper selection. The matter will require to be examined into, for the halt, the lame, and the weak are not the clajs of people that a government immigration agent, goneral or particular, should choose. Indeed, if Darw in's law of natural selection prevails anywhere it is in a colony, wjicrc Uic weakest, if ho does not literally go " to the w all," goes to tho workhouse, — Cross. Boring operations arc being _ undertaken in Auckland for the purpose of procuring a supply of water. A depth of GO feet lit^s beeji sunk on a portion oi the Harbour Endowment property, without at present, however, any results. Two beds of rock have been gone through, and the strata now is of 3 siridy nature. Should the e\per!uient prove successful it will be a great boon to the inhabitants. In Christchurch the Artesian well system is the onjy one that prevailsWater there is obtained at depths un ing from 30 to GO fi>et> from which an inexhaustible supply can be obtained, and of the purest quality. The Bishop of Auckland, accompanied by the Rev C. L. Brady, visited the Raglan settlement on Tuesday, the l'Jtli mst. On the day following Divine Ser\ ice \vas> held in the township, and the Holy Communion administered. In the afternoon, his Lordship held a confirmation at the Okete Church, Waite^una, the Holy Communion being afterwards administered. A\ the close cf the service the Bishop presided at a meeting of the members of the above K hurch, when Mr C. E. Savage, the layreader there, was nominated minister's warden; and Messrs C. Sutton and M. Harsant were elected church wardens for the ensuing year. The canard that appeared in the Southern Cross relative to tho capture of tho British man-of-war in Auckland harbour by n Russian frigate aeeins to ba\ c caused great consternation among many of the business people, and distress of mind among tbo woman folk. The announcement wis received m all sincerity, and scores of people arrived in town during the morning £rom the outdistricts. Even among the shipping with ocular demonstration to the contrary, there were those who waited with anxiety the hoisting of the British ensign on board the man-of-war, while during the day numbors isifpd the bank* to withdraw their deposits. The excitement in fact ippears to have been general, even against tho better sen^e of the bulk of the people. Lord Kinibcrley, in, the speech ho delivered at the Telegraphic Banquet, paid New Zealand a high compliment. ]fo said :— " Look at New Zealand. Ido not believe that in tio whole history of England will be found an example of Englishmen, who have met the difficulties that stood in their way more manfully, or have settled them with greater succe«; nothing could have been attended with hqppicr results than the policy of the New Zealand Ministry towards tho natne chiefs during the last jcar. (Cheers ) The Government of that colony have fully understood their situation; they haie manfully dealt with their difficulties; and the way in which they l'avo surmounted them is a proof that we have laid tho foun, lation of their lasting prosperity and progress. 1 honour the spirit they hayo shown — (hear, hear) — and more bo because thuy now pursue their couisc without lnnrinuung, ami 1 hope thuy now acknowledge that tbeir position is superior to anything in the past; id now mo.c consjli la!.e>l, an.l hopefully encouraging with respect to tho futuie. I have made this icfuicmo to New Zuil.ind, feeling übouiod tl--i ru* colony had shown a greater spiut and dclvi initiation to oveicoinc its dii*icultioa."

Mt J.uueb Ma<J.i..iy, jim , nmved m AueLUuu yoatciday e\cnmg fiom h.uigam&ta, bringing with him 'the plans and duiwin^s of the nevi- tovj nship, and a general outline of the ihstntt. Tli v diggers— or nico correctly speaLitg the population^ foi theie are very Jew bona tide diggers— ha\ c lost he.ut at the delay that has taken place, aud numbc.s of them are returning. The general opinion also seems to bo that the reported iiuds by Brogaa and paity aie a swindle, which belief is somewhat borno out by the fact that Brogau can nether be induced to point out the locale of the supposed rich reef, nor accept of the thirty j,cres awarded to him under the goldfiold regulation. A >cry incLjicHoly cud ptuutu} occurrence has just taken place m our niidbt, says tho roicrttt liug Standard, which has cast a gloom out our festmties, and resulted m the death of a very promising young man named Thomas Hart, ouo of the Constabulary stationed at Ormond. The deceased, it appcavs, was with otheis of the Force, engaged grass cutting on Mr Poy liter's, farm at Wa.erenga-a-hika, and occupied a tent some distance from the house and close by the woolshed. About 1 o'clock on Holiday morning the deceased roje from his bed mid proceeding outside took a pannikin to obtain a draught of water, if mding a cask conveniently placed under the eaiea of woolshed, lie slaked his thirst (aj ho thought with water but really) with a strong soluti )ii of blue-stone and arsenic, winch was kopt in use fir sheep foot ret, ic. A deep draught half emtied the p.iiitukin, the drastic effect of which caused the poor fellow to utter the most hideous yells, v.hich roused Ins companions in tho luil, who immediately came to his assistance ; but I ix lore any one could get to the premises for assistance he wu-> dead. An inquest was held by the Qoroncr. Dr Nesbitt, ytstjrday, tho particulars of which aro not yet to hand. From what mo learn no positi\o blame ia attached to Mr Poynter, nlthough the jury considered it their proper duty to add a rjder to their verdict, purporting their disapprobation of the gentfal carelessness exhibited in tho mdiscr minato uso of poisons. The weight of evidonce v/enfc to show that tho deceased and all wero engaged on the farm had been warned of the presence of tho poison, but whether of this particular cask we aro not aw arc. Finding the icccipt of the depositions we refrain from expressing an opinion as to the culpability or otherwise of thoso who had. charge of these poisons; but we do certainly hope that after this ghastly and awful warning, en eh measures will be taken by those who tralo in these dangerous specifics, as will preserve the lives of thogq who like the deceased, may become in;,ocent victims. Dr Nesbitt o&tnnates that tho deceased must have swallowed over one hundred grains of arsenic, which sufficiently accounts for his sueedy death. Mr J Hurley, writing to the Independent of the Ith inst., sajs :—": — " What education was prior to this I hare butj a poor k'pa ; but of the result I know a little for fcbe short time I 1 are been here. It is an unpleasant but. stubborn fact to relate, that out of a school of seventy children, averaging | in ago from fhe to fourteen year 3, not one could do two siujccs«ive sums correctly in simple addition ; only ono knew simple subtraction, and no ono further. They g^cmed to have no idea of mental calculation, so essentially necessary in this ngc o,i progress, the fingers, being cinplojed by the most adinnccd to ascertain the sum of any two digits ; and a-, to reading, its effects on the ear was somewhat similar to that of the ' Piper of Barjona,' in fact they did not know how to read at all properly speaking " The Poverty Hay Standard w riting in reference to Mr Maokay's visit to tho " King," says : — " We make bold to state that it is our opinion that this mischievous meddling in Maori matters has delated indefinitely tho t da\ when wo shall arrivo at a thorough understanding with the Waikato Kmg party. The natives are shrewd observers, and will not fail to take advantage of our wretched prrty squabbles — and who can bUmc thorn ? Of all party crimes, in our opinion, the "natne diUlculty " should be religiously avoided. If thore is one question more than another upon which political pirties of ovary shade of color should bo uni'ed, it is the native question. The interests of the country and our credit at homo demand it, aud unless we make up our minds to this, tho native difficulty will hang about us like a mghtmaro for years to coii'e "