: oma agp om: EE al. Y = = i neater ee SLRS tere te nant aa CH Sete ene, emma eect er eo nn a ere ete eae canes sane celetiammenaes eae A Dig “teeny to a ee AC iota enltites capseam ae a ar ee ee antag = ga 1 a i, epee a a - THe Dainty EXAMINER. APRIL 21 Lss4 Mr Hodgson’s Letter SHoutp Mr. E. J. Hodgson make good the proposition contained in his letter—which will be found in another column of to-day’s issue of Tur EXaMINER—there are, without doubt, strong grounds for petitioving the Gov- ernor-General in Council to disallow “the Chancery Ameudment Act, 1884,” At any rate, Mr. Hodgson is right in his suggestion that important Bills should be printed, so that members may be able to critically scan them; aud, we think it is greatly to be regretted that greater care is not taken in the passage of Bills. In the Dominion Parliament, the Bills are all submitted to Committees who examine them in the presevce of the public; and if all the explanations re-| quired cannot be made by members, out- siders having specific knowledge of the subjects of the Bills are called upon to give their views. Parliament, though | pot infallible, will not legislate in the| dark; aud neither should our Local | Legislature. The Water Question. | Crrizen is right. There is an urgent} necessity for a further discussiou of the | W aterworks question ; and it had better} be begun now than later. Some evideatly need a tew more lessous about the question ; and we hope that they may | not be taught only by fire and by pes-| tilence. A diseussion in the Market) Hall may bring home tothe minds of, | at least, some of those who signed the, petition agaiust it, the lamentable| blunder that was made in the rejection of the Biil to incorporate the Water- works Company, and the absurdity of| rejecting it on the ground that it pro- vided that each member of the Company should have the same number of votes as) he had shares. The direct loss of citizens an account people | of the rise in the rates of insurance will | be equal toa tax of about two dollars a bead on every man womas and child ; aod every hour that we are without waterworks the personal risks and dis- coraforts of citizens are greater than those of any neighboring towns. While Truro, Moncton, Fredericton and other towns, smaller than Charlottetown, enjoy the incalculable advantages incident to copious supplies of water, we are depen- dent upon itinerent vendors, for every drop we drink, and are left without resource in time of fire ; and when offered the means of supply by a Company, we refuse them except on terms which no Company could entertain. In Banks, Railway Companies and Chartered Corporations of every description doing business with the public, the invariable rule is that shareholders have as many votes as they have shares; and the amendment of the Legislative Council, which provided that the largest share- holders should be deprived of a portion of their votes, was of course made as an easy and convenient means of killing the Bil. The damage is done. It cannot be undone this year. But by discussion and agitation we may provide a public opinion which will next year resolutely demand the passage of the Bill. -—<@D-eS-- —— Rabbits in Australasia. Somr months since we gave a short account of the rabbit pest in South Australia, and recently we came across & paper containing some interesting notes on the subject, which we condense for our readers. It appears that New Zealand is also troubled with the pest to as great a degree as are the two South Australian Colonies of Victoria end New Sovth Wales. About a quarter of a century ago, the first rabbits were im- ported to South Australia as delicacies for the table, but new their extermination forms one of the most serious problems for the legislatures of the Australian Colonies. New Zealand did _ not receive the gift till some years, later, when, unfortunately, it occurred to a colonist to turn adrift a few pairs of rabbits on the bleak sandhills of ove of the coasts of New Zealand. He accord- ingly imported a little family of sevea from the old country, and very soon he and his friends were able to indulge io some pleasant shooting, and found a change from covstant mutton very satis- | sand acres. factory. It wes soon found that their sport could not keep pace with the in-| crease of the rabbits. Soon, every blade of grass was consumed, and then the’ hungry creatures nibbled the roots which | bound the light sand hills and prevented their blowing over the arable land. Farmers then began shooting and trap- ping with all their might, but the rabbits | spread in every directioa, defying | AA. THE D million two hundred and seventy thou- | rightfully his, of which he has been | sand! As cats were considered the natural | deprived. all power to help him. provides that ‘“‘a decree obtained against an | jebsent defendant when subpcena has been made undor this section, |shall in every respect be as binding, as if the defendant had been resident enemies, in « measure, of rabbits, it was) hoped that their introduction would subdue the pest; but the experiment was a failure, as the cats preferred a purely domestic life. In Victoria it was at first hoped that the native cat, a kind of | weasel, would prove a foe to the rabbits, | but it seems that the two animals frater-| nise so far in some as instances to | occupy the same burrows. All manner of remedies have been tried, and succes- ‘himself ruined. He is jeft without any sively given up as useless in the face of the widespread evil. The extent of the| ravages of the prolific rodent can scarcely | be credited. ‘The statistics of the Rabbit | Nuisauce Committee,however,are authen-| tic. They report that in one section a| couple of men state that in one year they | had killed five hundred thousand rabbits by poison, and in the following spring | the sheep-run was just as densely peopled by them as ever. A Mr. Kitchen had kept nearly a hundred mea working as rabbit killers for four months, and had actually cleared his land, but new comers had arrived and now the rabbit pest was worse than ever. Still the plague spreads, and the whole land is more or less infested, and many districts are reduced to mere rabbit warrens, on which it is impossible to feed sheep at all., Many farmers have been compelled to abandon runs of fifteen to sixteen thou- One man was compelled to | abandon two hundred and fifty thousand acres. In one year he expended £3,000 ia endeavors to clear about half of this land from the fest. Another man reports having killed one hundred = and fifty thousand rabbits within twelve months. In 1878 the total namber of sheep in new Zealand was thirteen millions ; but in consequence ot the rabbit pes: the returns of 1881-2 showed a diminution of two millions in the number of sheep, and a falling off of ten per cent. in the export of wool. As a slight com- pensation for the losses sustained through the plague of rabbits, the exports of rabbit skins for the period mentioned ghows an increase of £36,000, the num- ber of skins exported averaging ten million a year. One hundred thousand rabbits were also sent to England by the New Zealand Meat Preserving Co., and the Company have been so satisfied with the venture that they advertise their ' readiness to receive ten thonsard rabbits a day for preserving for a foreign market. Australia has also several rabbit pre- serving factories, putting up from ten to eighteen thousand pairs per week. Great hopes are now eatertained that a really successful rabbit destroyer has been secured or discovered. ‘This is the East Indiau mongoose (Herpesius Griseus), which bas done such good ser- vice in Jamaica as arat-killer for the past ten years. It occurred to a Jamaica planter to introduce this notorious ratter, aa tne results have surpassed his high- est hopes, These active little creatures, resembling large ferrets, multiplied with great rapidity, and waged a deadly war of extermination against the rats. The New Zealand aud Australian Govern- ments have applied to the Government of India for a supply of mongooses which are beiog collected and forwarded to the Zoological Gardens at Calcutta, to be sent thence to Australasia when a suffi- cient number has been obtained. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. —_——~>__—_ The Chancery Act, 1884. Sir,— During the late Session of the Legislature, one of the members of the Lower House (I cannot now remember who he was) suggested that the bills relating to the Supreme Court and the Court of Chancery, should be printed, for the better information of members. It is deeply to be regretted that this was not done; for if ‘‘The Chancery Act, 1884’ had been subjected to public criticism, it is safe to say, it would never have passed—at least in its present form. It professes to ‘‘change’’ the practice of the Court—it does more, it revolutionizes it. It is impossible for any one to read this Act wiihcut feeling that the Court of Chancery has now been given powers which may make it a most oppressive tribunal. In some respects the Judges discretion has been unduly increased, and in others has been so completely taken away that they are compelled to follow a herd and fast rule, which, in seme instances, cannot fail grievously to oppress those suitors who are defendants. In all the acts relating to proceedings in the Supreme Court againat defendants absent from the Province, great care is taken to prevent injustice and wrong to- wards those whose rights and property are adjudicated upon in their absence. Severe] months must elapse between the issuing of | ithe writ and final judgment, moreover the| of, contrasts strongly with your conduct in Plaintiff (very properly) is required to give security in case the judgment should be reversed within a certain time. Up to the present, these safegyards exist- ed to a greater or less degree in the Court all the efforts of the widely scattered | of Chancery; but now by this Act they are | ; settlers to suppress them; and it soon became necessary to hire men to| trap, shoot, and ferret professionally. These trapvers required the aid of large all swept away. absent from the Island, proceedings might be If any one were to be taken againat him in Chancery, and a Judge has power to declare that the publica- tion of the writ in some newspaper for four packs of dogs, and it was soon found | weeks, shall be deemed to be a suflicient that the disturbance thus caused among | service upon him, or it may be sent to an the flocks resulted in greater mischief! address by post, or such other order may | than even the ravages of the rabbits. | be made asthe Judgesees fit. But when | the four weeks have elapsed or the require- | life. mente of the order have been complied with, | a decree withont ‘‘any further notice’ is! driving the money changers out of the Temple, and the license which you claim it Trappers were paid two pence a skin, but it was not long before the market beeame so overstocked that skins sold | for less tian they cost. months old, and thenceforth have about | vince upon business,or pleasure, may, on | taste. against him,| that the man who trades in his religious dealing with, it may be depriving him of, | professions, is engaged in the same nefarious | six litters a year, of from six to eight. It has been reckoned that one ancestral couple, having attained the age of four and a half years, may very well see srouud them a prosperous clan of des- ceudants passed against hin. | ate man, owning any property, is placed, if he may happen to be absent from the Island This Act takes from the Court! The ninth section the service of a| in this Prevince and had been duly served.” It does not require a lawyer to appreci- the terrible position in which every for a short time; for he may return to find remedy. The Judge may have been led to make an order by having had facts laid before him, which, although strictly true, would have borne a different aspect, had he been able to have heard both sides, instead of only one. But the ‘‘binding” nature of the decree effectually prevents relief being given, and unavailing regrets at the miscarriage of justice, although they may be shared by the Court and the de- fendant’s friends, will be a poor exchange for the property of which he has been de- prived. Of course I do not allude to cases in which a decree has been obtained by fraud. These can always be opened; but a fraudu- lent claim, regularly obtained, cannot. This Act requires no security from the plaintiff in case of a re-hearing, anda reversal of the judgment; there is, in fact, no provi- sion made for a rehearing at all. It isa difficult matter to explain a sta- tute relating to the complicated procedure of the Court of Chancery, so as to render it easy of comprehension to your non- professional readers; but, with your per- mission, I shall endeavor to doso. I pro- pose to deal with the maitor in a series of Jetters, for it would be quite impossible, in ope communication, to discuss the objec- tionable features of this measure. J] am not writing in the interests of my profession, for they are well guarded by this Act. But 1 address myself to those who are possessed of property, and who have astake in thecountry. I do assure them that, under this Act, they may find themselves Geprived of their property or decreed to pay a large sum of money with- out having had an opportunity of defending themselves. Of this, I shall convince the most skeptical, and I feel confident that many will join in protesting against this measure, so as if possible to procure its disallowance, and, failing that, to agitate for its repeal. I do not seek to charge any one with ulterior motives in drafting this Act. 1 have no reason for doing so. I do not even know who drew it. There was, no doubt, a iaudable desire to shorten the too lengthy proceedings of chancery. But the Act bears evidence of having been drawn in great haste, and some of its clauses will operate in a manner, which I feel satisfied, could never have been contemplated. The moment I saw the Bill, which was a few hours before-the House was prorogued, I hurriedly drew up a memorandum and forwarded it to the Lieuterant Governor, entreating him at least to reserve the measure. It seems that this cannot be done; and the only course now open is to appeal to the representative of the Queca’s Majesty in Canada to disallow it. Yours truly, Epwarp J, Hopeson. Hillsborough House, 2ist April, 1884, P. 8.—I shall be glad to write to any one by post who may desire further or fuller information than it may be possible for me (with a due regard for your space) to com- press within my published wean b Bh Another Letter from Hon. D. Ferguson. To the. Honorable David Laird, Editor of the Patriot. Sir,—In Tue Examryer of Friday, I ac- cused you of publishing editorial matter relating to myself, which was venomous, vulgar and false.- You do not deny the impeachment, but you plead that you neither wrote nor inspired the article in question. Now you are known to be Editor of the Patriot, and, as such, you are re- sponsible for every line which it contains, Your defence proclaims ‘your incapacity, or meanness, or both. If you knew your place as editor, and was capable of filling it, and had any manhood about you, you would not attempt to shelter yourself be- hind a shareholder of your company, or anybody else. You may be a mere figure- head in the Patrict office, as you were in the public positions you have held; but while you are editor and manager of the paper, the publie will hold you, and you alone, responsible for what is published in it. It would, no doubt, be very convenient for a man of your shuffling propensities to be able to clear his sanctimonious skirts, b attributing all his false and vulgar editorials to cyphers or shareholders; but, I assure you, the dodge will not work in this case. When you say that ] am Editor of Tux EXAMINER you simply state what you know is felse. Tue Exassrner has an Editor who never shirks his responsibility, and under whose management the paper has secured the support and respect of men of both political parties. THe Examiner's ' | suppression from its weekly issue of the correspondence containing the comic tele- gram, which has been so much complained sending almost every week to the country, in your weekly issue, statements which have been proved to be false. You are evidently one of those who love as well as make a lie. Your reference to ‘‘sturdy Christianity” is rather amusing. Christianity to be “sturdy” must be built on true manly charac- ter, and itis none the worse, (at least you appear to think so), of having behind it a physical basis of vigorous manhood. The ‘sturdy Christianity” which you pharisai- ically invite the public to discern in your- selt, appears to the eyes of otherr asa blasted, rickety, carricature of Christian Your allusion to the Savicur’s action in} ; : : Ouse result of this will be that any one! gives Elders to meet arguments with blowa, Rabbits bring forth young when six| who happens to be absent from the Pro-| if not blasphemous, is in exceedingly bad his return, find a decree all his property. Has it never occurred to you ; It will be in vain for an| business as those who, eighteen hundred | unfortunate defendant to urge that hej years ago,converted the house of prayer | never heard of these proceedings—ihat he | into a ‘‘den of thieves ?”’ does not owe the money which he has been | oumbering upwards of one atjutlged to pay, and that the property is a I am yours, ete. D. FERuvson. Ti;-y HEZEAMINEN APRIL wae 4 Another Spy. ‘*l know him a notorious har, Think him a great way fool, solely a coward. —_— Shakspeare. i 1 Sin,—1 perceive in yesterday 8 EXAMINER | a letter from ‘Principle,’ in which he draws attention to the actions of a party whom he very properly designates as a ‘‘mean spy.” It is quite probable that the wan who is writing abusive letters to young ladies is the same who has attempted to vilify the good name of several married ladies. Too cowardly to write tu them, he |speaks and writes in a sneaking manner of them. We are assured that nobody minds what he says,” and that he only renders himself a ‘“‘laughing-stock,” ete.; but, after all, these vipers in human form impose upon some well-thinking people. **Fools rush in where angels fear to tread,” and the governing property of this hoary- headed deceiver being *‘cheek,” strongly flavored with serpentine hypocrisy, he can, generally speaking, drag one’s character to the borders of perdition, and yet manage to crawl off unpunished to some hiding- place. His present shelter is behind the good character of a luckless woman who calls him husband. If envious of a married man’s happiness, “spy” will at once represent him es ‘‘hen- pecked;” then, meeting said man will grin lovingly in his face, and grasp his arm with tender affection; but being repulsed, he will shoot off into some store to recover his inane expressions, and remark: ‘‘I will never speak te Mr. G— again, he can’t teke a joke!” Another gentleman passes— Maligner with a warning nod towards the window, lsunches forth again, ‘*Poor W—t they say he’s awfully jealous. Did you hear about her?’ And having spewed out another symptom of villainy, he clears off to an office where he fondly imagines the clerks laugh with, instead of at him, as he blandly -offers them a littl slip in the information that if he possessed a wife like B over there, he’a’’—but [ shame not the Queen’s English by proceeding with Spy’s threat, Then, tearing up his spiteful effusions, he gracefully removes, and gues on his way rejoicing, sowing defamation as he goes. Should he meet with those of superior mental ability, otherwise lacking, he clutches the opportunity to insult the Almighty by nicknames of ‘‘hunchback,” “cripple,” ete., forgetting that his own mental and moral deformity, which he is responsible for, are disgustingly repulsive. He would gladly walk on erntches forever could he possess one iota of the brains of club-fouted Byron, or gain the popularity of her—the cripple and the deaf—whoxe lovely face looks down to me through Time, as almost rivalling the tender beauty of the Madonnas of the great Masters,—I refer to the Princess of Wales. Nomarvel that Holy Writ denounces in- famous slanderers as ‘scattering firebrands and death.” On'y the King cf Terror, will stop the foul tongue of the wretched, cowardly maligner, who praises the God of truth and justice, whilst his heart is rampant of the devil; who pretends to acquaintance with polite literature, whilst revelling in obscnre language, and who willingly acts as the accomplice of evil. For the consolation of the public generally, and the female sex particularly, I can say, with authority, that this pest of our city is likely soon to be brought to account. I am, Sir. Yours, J USTITIA, Ch’town, April 16, 1884, The City Council as it Was and Is. Sizr,— During a discussion upon the cost of our city schools, the following question was asked, viz.: ‘‘Has the intelligence or brain power of our Civie Rulers improved since the Free School Act was passed ?” To enable the citizens to form a correct opinion upon this important point, I sub- join a list of the names of those who repre- sented, ‘‘before the School Act was pass d,” the same Wards as are now representcd by the majority of our present city fathers; ~ Past. Present, Mayor—DesBrisay, |Mayor—Hooper. Ward 5—D. Laird Ward 5-—J. P, Tanton, ‘+ 5—J.H. Fletcher. ‘* 5—A, Horne. ‘+ 4--W.D.Stewart. ‘© 4—S. McRae, © 4—F, D. Beer. ‘“ 4—Wnm., Ladner, ‘© 3—James Currie. ‘© 3—E. Davy. ‘© Q-James Byrne. ‘*. 2—-H. Douse, CiTIzEN, The Water Question. Srr,—It is about time that the committee appointed at the ‘*Town Meeting,” held last winter to sonsider the water supply question, reported to the adjourned meet- ing. Now that the Legislative Council have thrown out the Bill to incorporate a Waterworks Company, there is urgent ne- cessity for prompt action in the matter, and this is just the season of the year, when most people are idle, to hear a further dis- cussion of the matter, Yours, etc., Cirizen. Charlottetown, April 21, 1884. Will Blake Resign? The St. John Sun's Ottawa correspondent teleyraphs:—‘‘It is rumored that Blake, disgusted with his followers for deserting him and supporting the Government measure relating to Subsidies to Railways, uas threatened to resign the leadership of the Opposition. Nineteen of the Opp: si- tion supported the Government. There were three ex-Ministers among them, and a fourth (Mills) left the House and shirked the vote. Not a single one of his sup- porters from New Brunswick or Nova Scotia voted with Blake, and only one of the Quebec Liberal contingent. He forced the opposition to the measures to vote upon them, and they having grown restive nnder his arbitrary sway, secretly rejoice that he found himself in so slim a minority. Ft is stated that the Ontario contingent believe that Blake’s policy is bad, sceing that his followers are being steadily reduced and becoming disorzanized They advocate Mowat to take Blake’s place.” ee -— Mack's MAGNETIC MEDICINE is an un- failing food for the Brain and Nerves, and by its rejuvenating effect on these organs never fails to cure nervous exhaustion and all weak- ness of the generative organs. Sold in Char- lottetown at Apothecaries Hall. See adver- tisement in another column. [ap2l lw w. ——————p>- > -Gaaee——— Every part of a gun ora sewing machine made at Brown’s shop, on corner of Prinve and Graftbu Street Ch’town, [jan2b wkly. ==> 0 GREAT CLEARANCE SALE. URING the next faw months, W. & A. BROWN & CO. will clear out, at greatly reduced prices, about 3 r Dirk $50,000 WORTH OF GOODs, the greater part of which was saved from the fire. This is a positive clearance sale, as we mean to be ready for our new premises in early fall. We trust our customers wiil not fail to find us oat. Remember the Place: Harvie’s Old Stand, NEARLY OPPOSITE WATSON’ DRUG STORE, We & AL. BROWN & CO, Ch’town, April 21, 1884. - dy wkly ae Sonne oe MISSIONARY ANNIVERSARY, THE—— METHODIST BRICK CHURCH, omtpasion) 1G cnemminn Monaay Evening, 21st instant, at 7380 o'clock, ae ae Qa Rev. Raiph Brecken, A M,. in the Chair, ——-0 MISSIONARY REPORTS AND ADDRESSES BY YOUNG MEN. —--———— 0— -—---- Suvday ®chool Reports and Presentation of Missionary Con- tributions from the different Classes of the School. Singing by the Scholars, vio vil ocenpy ihe Choir and Galleries, cannon), anvil A GRAND MEBTING TBXPHOCTED. -—. O-—------ -—- THE PUBLIC ARE CORDIALLY INVITED. L. W. GOFF, Sec’y of Com. ——IN Ch’town, April 19, 1884. 5 ——- NS neo Gh * Ar SALE OF stew Cottons. 7 eee wien? () Some We have just opened a large Stock of ENGLISH AND AMERICAN PRINTS, NEW SPRING SLPYLES, Received Before the Advance in Duty. —:0:—- We have an immense stock of GREY AND WHITE COTTONS, Purchased when the Cotton market was at the lowest point ot depression. Fieecy Cottens, sheeting Cotioens, Pillow Cottons, TABLE LINEN AND NAPKINS, Towels and Teowelling, TAPESTRY, SCOTCH AKD BRUSSELS CARPETS, And other House Furnishing Goods. WHOLESALE AND RETAIL Qeneneene CHOICE TEAS, VERY CHEAP! By the Chest, Half-Chest, and Quarter-Chest. Also, in Packages of 5, 10, 15 and 20 pounds, " GEO. DAVIES & CO. Charlottetown Boot and Shoe Factory. OUR MAKE OF BOOTS ND SHOES ANE BRAD: OF SOLID LEATHER, And give great satisfaction throughout the Island. sag The Best merchants sell them, and when buying be sure and ask for our make. DORSEY, GOFF & CO. Ch’town, April 12, 1884—eod wkly oe ees Lae