THE GOLD FEVER IN CANTERBURY.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXV, Issue 3752, 28 July 1869, Page 4

THE GOLD FEVER IN CANTERBURY.

The Lyttelton Times of Tuesday, July 20, cays ; — " The gold iever has broken out all over New Zealand with unwonted virulence. Whether the disease is epidemic or contagious is, w e believe, a moot point among the learned^ to be discussed and settled at the next meeting either of the Medical Board or the Philosphical Institute, The rapidity with which the fever has spread from Auckland southward, attack, ing all the principal towns in its passage, seems to indicate that the fever is in the air ; but, on the other band, it has been suggested that the number of specimen* passing from hand to hand accounts for the rapid spread of the disease, and proves moat clearly that it is contagious. It is quite certain that Canterbury ia ' down ' with a most virulent attack, and that fresh victims are daily added to the already long list of sufferers. To borrow from an ingenious rhymester, whoso verses appear in a contemporary* columns, E'en Justice bai let down her scales To take up pick and ihoveL — To be & lucky shareholder iv *n Auckland mine is to be the envied of all beholders. Failing this, the next best thing is to be a lucky shareholder's brother. Everybody who it not occupied with talking gold is searching for it, and the moit_ wonderful discoveries are daily developed. Specimens of quartz are brought in from all quartets by the barrowload. W* understand that Dr. Haast is utterly exhausted iv applying tests, and that the Daputy-Suparintcndenfc h knocked up at all houra of the night by claimants for the Government reward. And this very morning the Executive, accompanied by the all-pervading Mr. WUliam White, are off to the hillsjto see a new