THE CANADIAN OIL REGIONS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 28, 17 December 1861, Page 6

THE CANADIAN OIL REGIONS.

t (From a Correspondent of the Toronto Leader.') Witlr the arrival of the morning train from jSarnin, which, by the way, is only seventeen miles distant, and is the resting-place of great numbers of Americans, who come here, I took one of the half-dozen stages that run to the oil regions. At a distance of four miles we come to a store and tavern; this is Petrolia. West from it about half-a-mile are the wells i known as " Kelly's Wells." These at one time attracted considerable attention. There are here about a dozen wells yielding tolerably. A refinery has been built at a cost of about 10,000 dollars. It is now just commencing /operations. We occasionally passed finely cultivated forms. I found the oil region extending over a limited space. From the tests already made | the oilmen have concluded that it does not extend all over the township, as some at first supposed. Black Creek seems to be the richest territory yet discovered in Canada, and, according to some of the best authorities, it is I the richest in America. Wandering along the banks and in the flats of the stream, which certainly deserves the name it bears, I at every few rods came across a well. They were in every stage of procedure. Some were just commenced: some were just finished; from many men were pumping oil from huge vats. Here let me say that the wells are of diiierent kinds. First, there are the surface wells, so I called because they are only sunk to the rock ; these are for the most part on the fiats of the creek. Some of them, when within a few feet of the rock, quickly fill with oil, which, with .Unucii noise and uproar of gas, bursts in from ithe loose gravelly substance overlying the rock. I have known wells 50 feet deep and live feet square fill to the brim with oil. lS ray, 1 have seen it How over the top and run away in a stream, wasting hundreds of barrels. These wells are dug large, the sides are cribbed, and then puddled, so as to keep out the surface water. Surface wells are dug and finished for about -3 dollars per foot. For rock wells they frequently sink a well like a surface well, and then drill ; but more frequently the soil is bored out with a larp-e auger until the rock is reached, a distance varying from 40 to 70 feet. The quantity of oil this country is capable of producing is amazing. My friend led me until I was tired, and I had seen more oil and more wells in operation, and in course of being sunk, than 1 bad ever imagined as being in this country. 1 was told there were hundreds: that before January 500 wells will be down; and I believe it. Large vats and tanks held the oil. Some of them hold 1000 barrels; the largest are immense pits sunk in the. stiff clay, cribbed and puddled, and these, they say, are better than wooden vats, which leak the oil out, so penetrating is it. The life the oilmend by le « very much resembles that of the gold-diggers ] of California. There was much' discomfort, ( hut the prospect of gain is better and more ■ ;'oiiab;c tiiaa ever held oi\L by California. : Scarcely a wei.l nt iilauK Creek tails. Fabu- l lons prices have been paid for good wells. |! Some acre lots sell as high as 1000 dob. !~ Hundreds of people are coming in every v eek from all parts of Amcricn, most of them!l from Ohio and Pensylvania—men who havej: -i.j-.Lii tK: ;.;:;o-l thing made by th-^e who w\.re;.

men of limited capital for the most part, bu of untiring energy and industry. i The hotels—and they are of hign-soundin<: - names, such as Michigan Exchange, Twii: ! Sisters, "New York House, Royal George, anc • others of the second class, besides shanties in- ' numerable—are all crowded. Vast numbers of people come, look round, and then leave. but return in a short time prepared to go in, Mr. Brydges, managing director of the Great Western Kailway, was here the other day. He expressed himself astonished ; he had not the least idea of the greatness of the oil dezelopment. Why, while I was there quietly looking on, I say wells yield, day after day, from 10 to 50 barrels. Now, 000 wells at 10 barrels per day would give 3000 barrels. What plank road accommodation could manage that, or even half of it ? And this, I assure you, is a small calculation; 10 barrels per diem is moderate, and there will be double 300 wells before a year at the present rate of sinking. As far as I could judge, failure is the exception. Not me man in twenty who pretended to be in the oil regions failed to get oil; nor has any rock well shown signs of drying up. There is no doubt of it, a source of untold wealth is in our midst—an oil territory richer than any j^et discovered —and yet we Canadians know it not; or, rather, we won't let ourselves know it, but shut our ears to statements of facts until people from another country come in and take advantage of opportunities that we let slip. If a particle of gold had been found there, how soon would the country ring with the tidings! Yet here is something equally valuable, and, for some unknown reason, all information regarding it has been sedulously withheld from" the public until nine-tenths of the people even in Toronto deem the whole thing a hoax. Thanks, however, to the enterprise of some of the Torontians, the Americans are no longer jto enjoy a monopoly of the oil-refining business. One firm in Toronto is buying some thousand barrels, while another is introducing it largely into Europe. Once the European market is opened it must create an immense trade, for a substance from which are made refined toilet soaps, candles superior to wax, oil that gives a cheaper and not less beautiful light than gas, and much more convenient, and furnishing the best machine and lubricating oil yet known, must ultimately be brought into universal use— Times, Sept. 25. Prince George Galitzan has petitioned the London Insolvent Court. Considerable amusement has been caused during the past week in military circles, by the receipt of a circular from the department of the Director-General of Stores, which states that in future wooden saddles will be provided for the covering of the vent pieces and sights of Sir William Armstrong's rifled ordnance, and that the said wooden saddles are to be officially known by the name of " Scotchmen." At the Westminster Police-court, last week, a servant girl charged her mistress, Mrs. Wright, wife of a corn-merchant, in Clerkenjwell, with having used threatening language 'to her. During the hearing the complainant was very impudent, audit transpired that her master was in the habit of neglecting his wife and taking the servant to balls, concerts, &c, and that she was accustomed to don her mistress's clothes. In the course of cross-exami-nation the girl said: I have been in danger for the past six months from the defendant, and so has her husband, poor fellow!—(A laugh.) The case was dismissed. Some musicians and theatrical singers, about two years ago, left France to seek their fortune, and after many jonrneymgs chance took them to the HcTvey Islands, part of Cook's Archipelago, in the Pacific. On* of them, a female, has just written the following curious letter to her aunt, who resides in Paris : —" The king of these islands, Makea Gusme, lias three times attended our concerts. The manner in wliicli we are remunerated is singular—there being no specie, we are paid in kind, and. the king himself having no cash, ha? given us engraved gourds. One of these bear& his profile, and I keep it for you, as it will serve as a sugar basin. In the last concert, which consisted of an air from "Anna Bolena," the duo oi " ISTorma," the drinking song of "Luorezia," the air " Ah ! quel plaisir d'etre," and the " Air dcs Francias," 1 received for my part—3 pigs, 23;tiirkeys, 44 fowls, 5000 cocoa nuts, 1200 pine apples, 12(i bushels of bananas, 126 pumpkins, and 1500 oranges. Abduction of a Family.—The village of Asm, near Castelicar (Catalonia), was thrown Into consternation on Sunday by the discovery that an atrocious crime had been committed while the inhabitants were at church for morning mass. The wife of a farmer, named Lopez, on returning home with her two daughters and servants, found that the house had been entered in her absence, and that her husband, v/ho was ill in bed, and her two little boys of live and eight years of age, had disappeared. The house had been completely ransacked, and every article oi value, as well as 12,000 reals (3,000f.) in specie, carried off. As the villagers were all at cliiirclij the robbers got oil' unseen. The next morning Donna Lopez found a letter, which had been slipped under the door, stating that if she would deposit 8,000 reals (2,000f.) in gold at a certain place in the forest of Levas, her husband and children would be sent back to Asm. Tins letter was communicated to the police, and secret tgents were sent to deposit a bay of monay in :lie place indicated, and to keep wau;h at a'dis:ii'.ice, but no one ever came. The police however, arrested five persons, who confessed thai ,hey had assisted Li the perpetration of the 2r.inio, but they obstinately refused to biira}7 ;!i3ir acco:ii-:ll^L\3, or give the leas!: iiiibriiiiitioii ■ 3 to where Lopez and the two children were de:d:\j}. Tha ;>--iic:j are scouring1 tlie country to i

t Romance or the Sea.—The officers of" tl] Fourth Precint have estopped a prettjr littl y romance hy sea and land, by apprehending th 1 heroine, who was dressed up in hero's clothe: 1 She is an Irish girl, who will be 16 years c ■ age, on the 13th instant. Since 1857, she ha 3{been roving the seas (the expression is roman , tic, if not nautical), in search of her lover, whc . at the time of leaving her, about four year : ago, was " a sailor boy, just nineteen years o . age." She says her name is Bridget Dlody ; Her father, Edward Dlody, who is a carpente • hy trade, with her mother, yet live in the tow 'of Cash, county of Tiperary, Ireland. Georg , Kelly, her lover, was a ships carpenter. He > father disliked him because he was engaging , her affections at too early an age, and threat i ened to do her harm. To avoid an}' coliisioi : between the ardent lover and the stern parent Bridget's mother advised that George should leave for America, and thus find refuge fron ' the impending wrath of the threatening father Accordingly the mother gave the daughtei twenty-four pounds sterling, which amouni was furnished to George, and very soon after--1 wards he started off, as had been determinec upon. Mrs. Dlody, having got the lover ou' of harm's way, dnly congratulated herself oilier adroit management, and left further developments in the matter to her daughter, without even the assistance of her counsel For six months following George wrote back regularly to his inamorata, and then his communications ceased. Bridget, now about thirteen years of a^e, conceived the notion of hunting him up. The notion was finally strengthened into a resolution and a purpose by the success of a neighbouring lass, who had followed her lover to America, found him, and brought him back home. With ten pounds sterling, Bridget secretly left home in a sailor boys' rig, and worked her passage from Limerick to Liverpool on a steamboat. From there she shipped as a cabin boy on board oi the ship Resolute, Captain Ilooland, of the Black Star line of packets, for New York, on the 23rd of November, 1857. From that time to the present she has been patiently searching for her lover, though never able to meet him. She continued acting in the capacity o1 cabin boy till about a year ago, when she shipped as an ordinary seaman. During hei cruisings she has spent three months in Sar Francisco, has been five times in New York i and as many times in Liverpool. She last arrived here about four months' ago, when sh< heard that her lover, or a man bearing his > name, was in New Haven, and thither sin went, and stayed until within a few days ago unsuccessfully looking for him. When in pori her time was occupied in looking about sailoi boarding-houses and wharves in the hope o: meeting the object of her persistent search Last night, it appears, Bridget, in the course of her wanderings, was invited to drink in 2 saloon in Cherry-street, which she declined, never having learnt the sailor-like habits oi drinking whisky, chewing tobacco, and smoking. The small crowd of rough sailor-men insisted that is she would not drink, she must at least treat. This she consented to do, and paid for the drinks; but on a further demand of the same kind, she got out of the way. Having had the drinks again, however, her tormenters were determined she should pay, and doubting that she had no money, they pulled her back into the saloon and commenced to search her for some. The amplitude of her bosom opened their eyes, as well as that of the police, who, wonder-struck, immediately called in the police. She remained at the stationhouse last night, attracting a great crowd, when it became known outside that such an odd prisoner was there. She will be sent to the central office for disposition. She says that her sex never was discovered or suspected since she donned male attire till last night, one was dressed in grey pantaloons, vests, and cap, and a red shirt, and appears lik a stout, smooth-faced, modest Irish lad of 18 or 17 years. She begins to doubt the fidelity of her lover, and is willing.to assume the habiliments aud occupation proper to her sex, till she can communicate with her people and go home. Her money was quite exhausted, and had it not been for the discovery of her sex last night, she would have been off to sea again. A Disgraceful Compromise.—We understand that Lieutenant Allen, late of the 82nd Regiment, has undertaken not to proceed with the several remaining actions at law which he commenced against the various officials connected with his illegal imprisonment. It will be recollected that lie recovered £200 damages with costs against his Eoyal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, having previously obtained £50 from a Northampton jury against the governor of the military prison at Weedon. We understand that, in addition, he is to be permitted to receive the value of his commission at the period of his trial by court-martial in India. — Army and Navy Gazette. Rich Otjaiitz at Inglewood.—"At Inkermaii," soys the Juqleiccod Advertiser. " ten linndrcci weight of quartz crushed from a new leader, found at a depth of eighty feet, in the prospect claim, Arcadian lieef, Jnkermarm, yielded the large amount of 293 ounces of gold, or at the rate of 586 ounces to the ton. We obtained this information from one of the prospectors." The same journal has tlie following relative to a new reef found at Kirigov.-ei': —" This place has been soraewhairenlivciicd within the last few days by the discovery of a reef of extraordinary richness, at the head of Evans' gully. The reef has been struck by the prospectors., M'Lcisk and Co., at <i depth of 44 ice!:. The leader Is about eleven inches wide, and has every appearance of being j:eririii7Kiiv. Fifteen hundred weight of the stone crushed a!: the Perseverance I'.vM, yielded 14 oz. lOdw-. 8 gr. Borne stone ohi/ihicd since is ex-