JOKES AND FACTS ABOUT THE CANTERBURY SETTLEMENT.
DIE affinity, between trading and colonizing may have been run- ning in the head of a facetious public writer, who also helps to administer the driest part of government, when he saw fit lately to bestow his leading article on the proceedings of the founders of the Canterbury Settlement. But his mode of noticing the body of emigrants is more characteristic of the humorist than the officiaL It resembles a practical joke. Instead of encouraging them in their hard and honourable adventure by expressions of sympathy or friendly counsel, as might have been expected on the occasion of their departure, he jeers them, and sneers at them, and makes jokes upon them, as if his aim were to hurt their feelings and frustrate their enterprise. Regarding the ill-nature of this wit, one should say that our jocular contemporary has never con- ceived the relation of his Department to the planting of fresh colonies, but has only lent his periodical pen to the under-secre- tary red-tapist class, who generally, and more especially those to whom Charles Buller gave the imperishable name of Mr. Mother- country, dislike a proceeding that seems to usurp by merely per- forming the neglected duties of government. Be this as it may, the sting of the jokes in question will be best extracted by the application to each of them of an a oupprriiaate fact. The intended Bishop of the new settlement, in reference to the extensive range of the educational establishments to be planted there, and to the pastoral nature of the country, had said that the colonial youth would be taught to write Greek iambics and to bleed sheep : whereupon it is opined that this spiritual pastor will take good care to bleed his sheep. Well, it happens that this clergyman, expecting to be immediately consecrated Bishop of the settlement, had engaged to accompany the first body of colonists in their emigration, but that, in consequence of the discovery of some merely technical obstacle, he cannot receive his forihal appoint- ment at present; whereupon he declares that he will keep his pro- mise to the first colonists, by going out with them, helping to plant them, and then returning to England for his consecration,. Over and above his necessary voyage to the Antipodes, he makes a voyage round the world, leaving his wife and children in England or dragging them along with him, in the service of the colonists. This mode of " bleeding his sheep " amounts to a great action ; and the man who performs it as plain Mr. Jackson is already more distinguished than he can ever be by titular rank in the Church. The berths of the laboining emigrants in the ships about to sail for Port Lyttelton are wider than usual. We are not surprised, says our punning brother, that " a wide berth" should be given to these fanatical and bigoted Tractarians, who are going out to New Zealand to worship the god " Prer-Bok " (Prayer-book) on " Poo- zee" (Posey) "Heights." Heights." The principle of this joke is, to get the dog hanged by giving him a bad name. But now comes the correct- ing fact. Tomorrow morning, the body of Traetarian colonists will be brought to London from their ships at Gravesend, in order to hear at St. Paul's Cathedral a sermon which the Archbishop of Canterbury (Sumner, late of Chester,) has kindly, at their request, consented to preach on the occasion of their last attendance at church in England. The request and the consent are equally in- dicative of the Puseyitisk views of colonists and Primate ! The fact extinguishes the joke by precisely fitting it.
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