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Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 2011, 15 October 1869, Page 2

A Mistake.—ln spite of every care occasionally errors creep into newspaper reports, sometimes in curious ways. In our report of the concert, in aid of the Benevolent Asylum, we stated that Messrs Mills, Pick, and Co,, gave the posting bills. This

was only partially true, for while they cave some and printed all, Mr Rich.vd Miis, draper, Princes street, had fifty printed and posted at his own expense, as well as giving room on the hording. The error arose from similarity of the name of the donor with the first of the firm. It was also omitted to be stated that Mr R. Murray, Rattray street, provided refreshments to the performers wit hout charge. The Suez Mail Service. —We hear that the Peninsula and t'riental Company have under consideration a scheme by which proper time would he allowed for replies to all letters Yeci-ived from Australia ; both by the Marseilles and Southampton routes. The plan would al-o bring Queensland ami New Zealand within the regular course of post. This is proposed to be accomplished by lengthening the interval between the arrival and departure of mails at London and Sydney ; and the time granted is to he saved by making Aden instead of Gallo the port of junction with the Indian service. Extraordinary Accident. —An extraordinary accident which happened to a miner named Patrick O'Loughlui, at Addison's Flat, on the West Coast, who fell over a precipice two hundred feet high, yet escaped with his life, is thus related by the Westport Times .-—After crossing the Totara O’Loughlin ascended a terrace, when ce was on the level on which the tents of his party stood. Feeling himself out of all danger, and so near homo, ho sat down for a few minutes’ rest. On again starting, being too confident of the road, he took but little notice of it, but before going far he found he was off the track. (It was by this time dark.) Ho fancied, however, that ho knew his position, and without hesitation turned to the right, to bring up the track. Instead of doing so, it took him straight away from it. Be went ahead for about a mile, when he came to a place which looked like an open flat on which the tents stood. In going on to this supposed flat, ho walked directly over an immense precipice about two hundred feet high. In his fall he encountered a small tree growing out from the face, to which ho tried to hold on, but could not, as the beef on his back prevented him from sustaining himself in the air. He was compelled to let go, and fell the remainder of the distance to the ground, burying his legs nearly up to the knees in the soil. He thought at first his back was broken, but soon found it was not, for he could sit up, and with much difficulty got off the swag. He now discovered that his right leg was broken below the knee. Ho could not get off the boot (a Wellington), and having no knifo to cut it off, he tried to do so with tho steel clasp of a purse, but did not succeed. The horrors of this first night, during a pouring rain, may bo more easily conceived than described. At last the morning came, and the poor fellow crawled to the river to drink, and would have crossed if he could, but the water was too high. Night again came on without help—another night of horror was spent, but on Tuesday, about ten o’clock, he was discovered by some of the searching party, which by this time extended over the whole neighbourhood. When he was found he was sitting quite compos- d, wet, of course, and nothing on him but shirt and trousers, and a Grey Hirer Argus made into a hat; he had lost his own. He said to his deliverers “Good morning. I thought you wouldn’t let me starve.” As usual on such occasions, all Addison’s Flat and Shamrock Lead turned out when it was known that Pat. O'i.ougblau was missing. The bush was scoured, tracks were cut in an incredible time ; drags were made to search the river; and everything done that could he of use under the circumstances ; and finally, when the poor fellow was found, a large number assisted to convey him to the Westport Hospital.

The Moonlight Reefs.—An enormously rich quartz specimen was brought to town on Tuesday evening from a newly-dia-coverccl reef in the Moonlight district, and its exhibition yesterday caused quite a fever of excitement. The specimen was nearly solid gold, and is the richest that has yet been brought from the Moonlight district, where valuable gold-bearing reefs have now been proved to exist in numbers. We will state the simple facts connected with this discovery as they have been related to us, leaving them in the meantime to speak for themselves, as we have no wish to get up any spurious excitement. Some three months ago, a number of gentlemen in town formed themselves into a company and obtained a lease of sixteen acres of land at the junction of the middle and left-hand branches of the Moonlight Creek, and immediately set men to work to drive a tail-race up the left-hand branch, in order to cut through any reefs which were supposed to exist there. In this work they were joined by two men paid by parties who had taken up a claim on the opposite side of the creek. During their operations they cut through several leaders, and about a fortni.ht ago came upon a clearly defined quartz reef, allowing gold. They drove right through this, and found that it was four feet thick. This discovery was reported to the prospectors in town, but they gave orders for the men to continue driving to the boundary of the claim in order fully to test the value of the ground. The result was that two days ago they struck another leader, from which they broke specimens showing gold in abundance, the richest of which was one small piece weighing 2 ozs, and containing oz of gold. '1 he men immediately left off and came to town. They state that the casings, which are of a mullocky slate, with quartz intermixed,' are as rich as the specimens brought down, gold being clearly visible all through. Yesterday a company was formed to -work the reef, called the Band of Hope. Last night, a meeting of the promoters was held, at which it was decided that not a share should be placed iu the market until the discovery was thoroughly tested. In the meantime, the prospectors are to work for two months sinking a shaft from the bank right on to the reef, then drive along the lino of reef to test its size and value, and then to send a ton of stone down to be crushed. The result will be anxiously looked for. —Grey River Argus. Accidents. —On Thursday last quite a chapter of accidents occurred in this district. The first, and, we believe, by far the most serious, occurred to a mun who was a passenger by Smith’s express. It appears that Smith’s express van, which plies between Waikouaiti and Palmerston, as well as Dunedin, bi-weekly, loft Palmerston for Waikouaiti ou Thursday morning last, with two passengers, at the usual hour. In descending the bill—a short but rather steep decline—near the residence of Mr Falconer, Pleasant Diver, at its ordinary speed, the linch pin of one of the wheels of the forecarriage broke, and the wheel came off, ’and the horses became frightened and bolted at

full gallop down the hill. Mr Smith, with cool pluck and great presence of mind, stuck to the reins and vainly tried to stop the horses in their mad career. One of the passengers, a shepherd, who has for some time been residing on the Coal Check Station, and who was on Irs way to Dunedin with, we believe, the intention of g.dug to Victoria, was sitting in the body of the waggon, and he became alarmed and recklessly jumped out, an experiment extremely dangerous at any time, but doubly so at the rate at which the vehicle was moving, and in doing so, either from the force he- fell to the ground, or from one of his legs being doubled under his body, he sustained a severe compound fracture of tho leg near the ankle joint. The other, who also jumped out, escaped unhurt. Tec waggon continued for a short distance and capsized, the driver mir iculously escaping with a few slight bruises, notwithstanding that it fell over him. Mr C. I*’. Black, who fortunately- happened to bo passing on horseback” at the time of the accident, and with highly commendable feelings of sympathy and commiascration for tho poor unfortunate sufferer, he, with the utmost despatch, rode into Waikouaiti for medical assistance, and Dr Harding was soon in attendance, under whose care the man was brought into Waikouaiti. The fracture was, however, of so bad a nature that the poor fellow had to he put under chloroform in order to set the bone. This disagreeable process was, however, accomplished by Dr Harding at the Commercial Hotel, where the unfortunate man was coaveyed, and he was afterwards taken to the Dunedin Hospital by Mr Smith. —A second accident took place the same day on the banks of the Shag River. A miner who was working in his claim there had a faU of earth upon him, from which he sustained severe injuries. Dr Drury, of Palmerston, was immediately sent for, and rendered all the assistance to alleviate the man’s sufferings medical skill could devise.—The third accident was one which did not result in serious injury to anyone, but which happened to Mr Power, of Power, Pantlin, and Co., as he was driving a buggy to attend his cattle sale at Palmerston, on Friday last. As Mr Power was proceeding towards Palmerston, the horse, from some cause or other, became restive, and by kicking and plunging succeeded in freeing itself from tho buggy and gal lopped away. Fortunately Mr Power escaped uninjured, and the only damage sustained was to the harness and one of the shafts of the buggy broken. New Zealand Affairs.—The Argus concludes an article on the subject thus : As now. happily, matters seem to be mending iu Now Zealand, the now Ministry have the opportunity, and they should seize it at once, of “setting thoir house in order.” The adjustment of their relations with the tribes is tho most important step. Those relations must always continue in a doubtful state until some arrangement is marie with the Native King. After the close of the Waikato war, four years ago, he withdrew into the wilds of the interior ; but he has neither resumed nor countenanced any hostilities since. He has resisted all the influences brought to bear on him by the present insurgents, and it is high time that some formal and permanent means of amity were established with tho leading chiefs. It is impossible to deny that the situation of the Maoris is not considered as it should be by the Colonial Government. They are pronounced subjects of the Queen, and are regarded as rebels when they are hostile, ami yet they have no definite position when obedient. They are not on the same footing as the colonists, and their attempts to introduce some necessary internal administration have not been recognised. Yet in spits of this, the vast majority have remained either friendly to the whites, or neutral in these latter troubles. In point of fact, the only tribes engaged as a whole in the present insurrection are Tito Kowaru’s small sect, the Ngatiruanuis, and tho Uriweras ; whereas three strong tribes in the east, and one in the sovth-west, have furnished the colony with soldiers, and those north of Auckland have been equally willing to do so. All the others are neutral. The authorities have, therefore, only to blame themselves for the periodical apprehension of a great revolt. Their fears are due to their own neglect. It is a matter of both justice and expediency to accord tho aborigines some proper and defined standing in the country. When ( olonel Brown was Governor, be was authorised by the Duke of Newcastle to arrange a Native district under the Native King, within which the Maoris should make their own lan s and manage their own affairs, suject to tho approval of the Governor, as the Queen’s representative. The same project was recommended by several of the speakers in the late debate in the Imperial Parliament, and we believe it is really the desire of the present New Zealand Cabinet to intro luce the system. Certainly no other contrivance can afford a hope of lasting peace. Nor need the fact that the principal tribes are scpara'ed by the colonial settlements, offer any practical hindrance. There should he several Native districts, and they might be under different chiefs, for tho tribes, for example, in the north peninsula, do not acknowledge tiie authority of King Matatuere. It behoves the Government to take this step at once. It is the only means of giving the Maoris a fair opportunity of returning to the ways of progress, and so of averting the recurrence of war.