OTAGO.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1482, 12 September 1865, Page 2

OTAGO.

By tbe Queen we have our ri>- v . the 9th in*t. We make the f O ;;. VA extracts from the Dally Tinm .- ' THE GOLDFIELDS OF OTAO^

In a previous anicle on the «ui>j w t ,f oldflflds of i'ie province, it tr.us;, r.,. '!!' wed tewt we were fully home out v' v 'Z tatistic* quoted as to the present f onr mining community. We «a-v Vorne oat, becaase figures anthem.;^-4 fliml reports are facts incontrov riitV £ he surmises of mi-dimnl omniscient-, [• lot our pappose, ar. present, to enter int.-, l-j pecuhttive argument relative to thn f r'~i jrodnre oMhe diggings, but merdj to lip puMi'.-, »o hpopular form, the result<.i\t (fHcial information that hai been rtcd,,; - T he GotHMOient. Although the j,r>. liscovery baa not of late resulted ;; -;-l jroclaiiia'.ion of new fields of mining we have the satisfaction of kr * ;brongh the excellent reports of the xtining surveyors, that manj valu,.'-; : - we been established relative to t:<- • « if oik auriferous lands. Not the iei-: [JortHiit nf these is that great kit a:r m* cement or conglomerate which a: n the first mining population to the ; [)tago—viz.. the area of country in ih-. ■.tv-i of which Gabriel's Gully is situated. T. j belt baa been incontestable proud : . in extent quite adequate to the surp.r'. large population beyond the exis-e: - •:% present generation. It em bracts t ■. w if of thatjdisin'ct lying between the v:.r:ij-.« of 169 and 170 deg. K. longitude. : parallel* of 46 deg. and -16.30 deg. >. i i:i:::. aod is, geologically speaking, an t.r.cr ; : : the auriferous tertiary series, w; h proved so remarkably productive ir - , commencement of our gold - We maj> reasonably expect, There;::r the whole will turn out to be a peraacs:. goldfield. Outside this proclaimed ; :~i:. a iai#e '.ract of country has been r and worked on the Upper Manuheriio. as well as on its several tributary ?. T':« northern nlopps of that rugged ur.:: ' backs the Dunstan township niltb. r.-: ::: nonnced long ago Lo be non-auritcror.- . hi*: yielded a considerable quantify of the precis metal. Tbe whole of the Pcmahaka a> fain* lo bold a conspicuous place an :r: " gold producing localities the g - r.: raviaea of tbe Wanafca lake, and the through which tbe Waitaki wind? its tir.u 'J course, have given evidence ct t . while it has been asserted by Mr._\ Pyke, an authority we cannot vi : that even at Tuturau, on the Jlaw.>-a ::-a. gold has been found in sufficient - induce a limited mining pniusLi.it." : ■? their fortune. All these facts are amp'e evidence : extraordinary manner in which so'A i? baled in tbe Middle Island: but r. opinion, from an intimate acqn.vi•'-<-a'• this portion of the country. t.:at c found other than a con ponert-ar: ■ alluvium brought down hy the r -yr p Mataura river, a vast field • S / I^ r - .; the investigations of the gto.cg!-*: : ■ ycording to Dr. Hochstetter. pro'tu ;• ...: ablest naturalist that has ever v: - ;■ shores of New Zealand, the auriun • the country terminates CoU-Merah'.v t--north of the source of that riva. !l A i : '. we might assume that gold i> i. c greater or less proportions tlin u; - whole of that portion of the previa . eastward of a line drawn trcm i the W&naka lake to the mot-h river in tbe province if ?vuth;.>:'.l; >■ J for many yea's to come, gold di.'.iiu district of countn will prove as ■;;, to the operative as it wil ! :k i vt:tn::.u colony. ~r i Taking the Gabriels district :lS | i: ', the principal scenes of tuinirg 1 i IUU confined to tbe Blue Spur ar.d ru - ... ? Wetherstones. According to .Mr. I ; report, tbe shares in mining ; i ;• disiriet are as high as ever— 'i ' 1 [l - ' at from £500 to X'l 100. The : is depreciated at Gabriels. Wetherstones, through want ot "'l l r , : although eight heads have L*uiy - ioto the former place, tl-t; i^UKU .. ( advance of the supply. \ terial drawback to mining r cr ' t l i. the best pi oof of the r»chnes< l ' l field is—that the more water v greater number of claims :;IY : confident are the miners ; -.:o many of them have . 1 a company to bring in the 1 ■ 1 ; . t ,i u -- distance of 70 or 00 miles, to a:d ti - ;. !ur e operations. At Wetherst.'uo ' a scaa-ity of water has in m : ul i > ! l l S[r:vimpeded "the working of soicc i,t • iui«ing parts of the di^tfinp l ' >n " is experienced in the attempt to ' 1 • >t , rVt .y, necessary by artificial ini ' ;l ! l< f v / r> ' however, has been made, ami >, " iu j thinks servoirs planned, v> hich Mr. I rur " , would be capable of supply mi: em ployed. , ,„ , 4 |,i,i i Although at first \\ T eathor> 11 j| v pronounced inferior to WI , ti.i! tl'«' iubsequent prospects have -s ;' l to [M uement is quite equ.il. it' not >> i' ] K . rr rn the Blue Spur. It is. .. ;, olli: ! l -uK irretted that a porli<>n " 1 ' rate, averaging 2;') loet 111 , l V n ~,d be worketl by the process ot z 1 vol jhc owiug to the fact that the S J""* It j'' 1 same elevation as those 011 .<■ great pity, therefore, that , it:l 'lists allowed to escape the test voU ld; K ' 1 ; f assiiredlv mi»stjvaluahle u'd" - r|u> s| )i:l> The Jement which occnrs >■' It Wetherstones has been ea» . C)I , w | crosses the flat, and rc. II l)t , .1 I Slaughter-yard Hi!!. "" ll 1 ' v d as | \ I 11011 hi but that it Will J l) 0 f oi>i |Ul>l I Wnitahuna. Mr. Priming ■ | ri j ■ it may even extend to the (tr ike I but, judging front tl ' e I l^ ve '~v 0 do» l,lt ' v . I rock in the former pliu'i• (Vrti""' ■ to his decision on this '| rs! ,)no> l ' 3 ■ ,«•«. it is tl.»t •!» »«* 1 ■ glomerate extends HVtl r vod |K <s''' I md wherever it has been ( ■ liigbly remunerative. li#(r iVt , R , ■ in a flourishing staiti. pro f ■ Fuapeka Flat have ast cap' l ' 1 Lu'"' 5 I mining population, am ' , )V . , r y. ■ laily facilitating the v, ork» J ;ui(i ■ for the iiilrodnction of a|~ ■ ~,« ■ At Waitahuna, also, there of x , [t m jf payable ground, but tl ()rkei i ,|or • c { ■ prevented the spurs bei f. j ;ir ge " ll late summer [months.

account, bare removed to re o ne of the first Quartz Mining \VaiP° rl : 0 f New Zealand is carrying on Coifli" 1 " The stone, which this company oP er, ! tIOI | IS |he depth of 88 feet, appears to pay strii L . |, tfdl about two ounces to the exi' L ' ei, !!l !l ) * i, e st proof of the success of this ton. 1 . ; ui ¥C n in Mr. Drunnnond's own gpoc jllll 'j „ aV s—" la™ of opinion that these lle * ,- (ie value of onr quartz reefs 5 a vorks r rvelve miners, who took the claim up party ,lf *' irs a go with little or no capital, about 1 , ~ rt i, !e to purchase machinery, lay h» viiu: r „ ni i erect all necessary plant, be- „ various good dividends, and » ia '\Ti « «■»»»' forXMo -" bring

I THE T'ATE dr. macadam. • „ r «t into the circumstances of the A:, 'T,| C Kon. John Macadam. M.D., deatli «»t . y h y u, e District Coroner vfs held.• at tlie Provincial Hotel, (M f - / ■ The only witnesses examined MTiean. of the steamship ; UiuinU'. and Mr. Kirkland, assistant to Dr. mi: The deceased, Dr. ( ' ; wns a passenger with me during ?*hitrip of tl<c Alhamhra from Melbourne tl,f J rii ilmers. He came on hoard about t0 " on the afternoon of the 29th ult. f0 nlreilat the time to t* in his usual He fh n-rhaps a Utile more delicate than I he * J him but quite able, I considered, to KTa the ™vage. On the day he told me he had f Ie undergone some very severe work, ■' 1 nr with his students, in making ,n r Vxperimcnts, and had not felt «..li afterwards, but hoped to be so SL h* combed the passage. Oo the fol!,n- when he came on deck, I observed rh.no. »*» The day a n o.ild «n<l hotoerom, and as he was IT) q'nil tirniM'nsr. and combining also of L« I advised him to go below. He JJ weak, and asked me if T knew of sri *L tp « poncing in so short a time any £ of'.* H.. AtaU »ith Mr Kirkseveral times afterwards on T«me da', up to mid-night. He* as then r rilii.e fm'lr, and seemed to be getting Er On Friday morning I i\aw him again, flp p\to"ded his arm and said, -Feel my ;,L Vo one can object to that pulse. I Lm tor** better ihan yesterday, and Ztvmhlm has gone off." On the same „ |lt be i*ve me his watch which he re„Ltr4 me to deliver to Mrs. Macadam. h" me me also his diamond ring, and deJ r jh.-d some property which be had m his . wiifS sion on board. Next morning I was L for at 6 o'clock by Mr. Kirkland, and I fiund 1> Macadam apparently dead—his stiff and cold, but his body still *anti. nas P ut i,lto a bath ° f hot WHter ' biit it failed to revive him. When I had seen him last alive on the previous night, he s «?nied 10 be much better than before. After i li felt ill. lie took a good deal of beef tea, but E0 # »li,k He had very little drink—not so much as I wished him to take, after the fa-icraes he had undergone. On Friday n.irnine lie had a very little spirit, and after--1 advised him to take some Mozelle acl soda-water, so as to aid perspiration. He a ] io iind some beef-tea. Unless it was a very n a ; ? he had nothing else. He suffered fr o . n wf.sickness from the time of sailing, but wiihout retching, and was much de-pre>'<-d liv it physically. John Dnimroo'nd Kirkland : Tam medical stodent in ihe University of Melbourne, and was to Ibe late Dr. Macadam. The decen_*d and I left Melbourne together by When we sailed, the conditio uf Dr. Macadam's health was apparently much improved compared with what it bad been previously, and, though delicate, he I to be capable of undertaking the I maze. For some months previously he had i not been well, and especially from the time of bi« returning from Dnnedin in the steamer Hero. He had then fractured three of bis rih\ which was understood to have caused p/wi/ix. ;md he was confined to bed for a confidera'iie time. He had apparently reciieM, and for a month before leaving for Dimedin he was actively engaged in the laboratory. On the passage, after the first dny. he kept to his cabin, aod had some beef -tea, with applications of hot vs'.e' to bis feei, to indnce perspiration. He of sea sick."e«» and general defciliu. (iHrticnlarly of cold and weakness in bi< )(-!><. Rcvood this evtreme prostration, I noii'-'ii billing wrong in his health. In accorda<ice «iih bin own dexire,two days before his death. ] (o him two pills, containi' iajrain of opium each, at an interval of ihruf hour?. He thonght they would do him bet they Hid not seem to agree *iili him. txeiting him somewhat, and 1 did not administer more. I saw him last alive Ittwffn four and fire o'clock on Saturday morning. He seemed to be in a compel sleep, and, as I thought, to be ai'iiine better. His pulse was natural. At f<x a.m., when I Dext saw him, he 'as apparently dead, and our efforts to revive him by the application of fp'nn and hot water, failed. After his w.orn from New Zealand he was much en* fh "heneier able, and especially within « wst three weeks, when he was closely tmu "re<l in the laboratory. For one of bis Kr c r>tfih, i think he was over-wrought, n nnrd } ie very little to drink, and w '-it was hy me for the jr °* sustaining him. In my opinion u retiihed f mm excessive debility and ivT/J usl ' on - 8 think. lrJ 1 was carried, and leaves s Rwanda young son. - 1 the conclusion of the evidence, th< !5 ™ orn /i tlie verdict, "Died by th( ■'- "'Q of God, in a natural way—to wit xitssive debility and general exhaustion.'

Tempting to set fire to a I HOUSE. '^ m Jordan, for attempted Imuran,', n nt to the New Zealand f "'upany and others, was held beCvjrr , N'cbmond. in the Supreme , : in*t. The review of the fciea- V/ii ,e U, % e in his summing up h,v e Lo < ?% S ( : T ,<l,e<,!o,J S ! 'tl | 'e jury could MilJUi , at an act of incendiarism "lilcf a " l )rt P arf ' ( J f»r by somebody. tha< tin-*/. ! ? ntS aR the prisoner were, '•n'. !*V-" n a 00< i tiealof evidence to show ! 'i t pt' son in the bouse prior ,v"i n ' r - v ' t,mt w ' ien the lighted j (: " I Verw *> ahoul fi uo down, the a ij.,h ?"> ' one donr fastened M'tt in-/.-, t a ,'J' ' "thor being locked; and im n 81 ! * ilbpr windows i ' ' U "' I,ICT being made to open, ijf ti"! , a * Hurnfc( ' 'bat then* wan no evinliti U ' m \ ' l!,v ' n K violently ena ti,j " nfr " a ' s been stated respecting rnj.fi | a, "'< therefore, it was also to be . V mon w bo prepared for 1( '"\ iorit-.-,] . by roeanti °f a key, urihi. an '? "f® Were arranged and f''isor. f .p J rt,,e morning. When n!' Vfcr V. In'- u, f't t .° t ' le ' ,(,us e ( after the dis- ' jury (f r ont '' oor with a key. rtlH,s f 'f (]'»,. i e puzzled with the rb f"«in" iln( ' °f evidence m'", ' i i'> such cases. , \v'm\ » , h y » good many H:|w < that «i . l' ro °f here directed {" "'i'iijs 0 f : le l ir i Sf 'iior had effected two ''"' r n » !ir(iiu.r. ,U ' Ci and a neighfi!"'" 1 in £ | )n(i ,i f " r £7 ° o, c,m ' riri K or ] 101K ,{l( 'liardßon street, and three A Jfc ,J| hftr cov/v. - r!) "" n » Walker street ; and err,!2 8 !l I>orlion of u,f ' Miner#' r' 1 "" und,.- portion stood Hd bten i' a [ erent ' The necnnd proof w? and tt sood deal of the >. r *' W fl« dS lnteri^e( l to supply that g>l, m laid ! t a particul ar reason why the ell, i l,r , (J P ( ' rt y to wh?.? • lpon thiß P olic y; for t'J in tho mnrf U referf ed was not insii, a ' n °ont of Mr. Mackenzie, and th kt!eslion of thi> * P was £m - The h r ,'i. 11ffier e was to P u° Becutlon n » doubt was, tiir!,, 0 '?' 11 ' a view th .® aus ?d in this empty ttr J( i' t! »e adioinin "light communicate, O 1 "'to the Mi ß , ail an( i inflammable i Ssfl, Un"|L M f ? rß, Arms. If that was or,r v a!]„ w 'j 110 ? Upon tlle insurance n P ," t 11 s '"lll of 10 reßU,t WoUl(i b£! ftt It must J" oney in .to the prisoci "s f.p'- - m, inv t'no • recognised, too, that n*;l es ln under poll»i ™ lßht gain beneflt ' v A, v insurers was only "Wit was called. But claims

UK 0 ?* I L berally Stf* w,th h y companies, «#? cash * R9 P^ ld , for properties that were very often not worth the money so paid. As to tlio policy in Mr. Mackenzie's name, it had been said that the prisoner could have had no Stmv^d Un Ti r l'«d been denr £.w" Tu • enef ! t in BUch a case was less, probably, than m the case of a policy in a roao * own name; but it was his duty as il m 1 tho j" , 7—without any wish to press the case &s against tho orisoner—that iIIIZT 0f , J \ m0 Irtg1 rtga «° b^the Prisoner, U»e tffec-t would be that he would be relieved of , th ® ,nort ßage money. The effect, ir this particular property had been destroyed, probably would have been, that Mr. Mackenzie would have been paid the £700 5 ihat lite primmer would have* been relieved from the payment of interest on so much of the mortgage money 5 and that he would nave been deprived of rents from the properly. Bui, if rentN were not corning in well, the prisoner might have been advantaged by losing them, if he also escaped so much of interest. There was greater probability of the prisoner beirg benefited in the case of (he othe«' property, if it had been destroyed without question ; and that was, no doubt, the reason why the Crown was so anxious to give secondary evidence as to the lost policy for £150 in the prisoner's own name. It was peculiarly the duty of the Judge to make clear the evidence where the proofs were complicated ; and be was simply discharging that duty in wbat he had said. So much as to the question of possible intent: it was for j lha jury to consider whether a sufficient motive had heen shown. The principal part of the proofs on which they should fix their minds, was the evidence that the prisoner was the person last in the house. No attempt had been made by Mr. Wilson io suggest aoy other person as th? offender ; but it was not necessary to an acquittal that the prisoner's counsel should do that, and often it would be very wrong to attempt it. The prisoner would be entitled to acquittal, if the proof given by the witnesses was not sufficient to convict him. There had been no suggestion that Mrs. Rouse had any hand in this matter ; and he must say that there was no evidence whatever to warrant an idea of such a thing. As to the evidence given, he would say, generally, that there Aras nothing to make its credibility questionable; it seemed to him to have been all very fairly given, without any desire to keep back facts or to make them press heavily against the prisoner. His Honor read the evidence of all the witnesses, except those called with respect to documents and he commented upon it. That the prisoner did not shut the door after him when he was seen to enter the house was a circumstance to be noted in his favour ; but the evidence of Sutton showed that the inner door screened the corner of the room in which the preparations for incendiarism were made by somebpdy. If there was reason to suppose that a larger sum would be paid on the destruction of the property than the property was worth, the fact of the mortgage had nothing to say to the matter here ; because the mortgage was a debt, from a portion of which the prisoner would be thus relieved. It was common to suppose, and to say, that the temptation to the 'class of persons likely to commit arson was less, perhaps, in such a case, than it would be where ready cash was to be touched ; but supposing that those

houses were not really bringing in, as rent, an amount which was equivalent to the interest on £700, it would be better to have the £700, even if it went into the hands of the mortgagee, because it would relieve the prisoner from interest, as well as from that amount of the mortgage-money. Long as

the case had necessarily been, the two points for the consideration of the jury really lay in a nut-shell. The preparations being such as to carry conviction to every mind that incendiarism was intended by some person, the question was, whether the prisoner was that person; and the force of the evidence against him was so much as it tended to show that

he was the last person in the house, and that he left it locked up.

The jury, after an absence of a little more than half an hour, returned with a verdict of " Guilty."

In reply to the usual question, the prisoner said that he was thirty years old; and, being challenged why sentence should not be passed on him, he said— I hope your Honor will take into consideration that I have been in prison now five months; that, up to the present time, I have always borne a good character, and I have been in the colonies upwards of ten years. I am a married man. My wife, for the past 12 months, has been lost to all reason ; but she has recovered sufficiently to comprehend my position ; and I fear that the sentence passed upon me will drive her back again to her lost state. I have aged parents, who are now, I may Bay, on the brink of eternity, and who only wait your sentence on me to crush them into the grave ; or, perhaps, they might have hopes, if that sentence was a light one, to see me once more. I have nothing more to say, except tliat it has been a case of circumstantial evidence against me, altogether. The Judge : Prisoner, John Iliordan, it is certainly an afflicting thing, even to the Judge who tries you, to hear your statement of the misery that your sentence will inflict upon innocent persons. I cannot, however, allow that fact to interfere with the arm of

the law. The considerations you have now urged should have weighed with you to prevent the commission of the act for which you stand

there. The crime of which you have been convicted is one of the most serious nature.

It is one which displays extraordinary recklessness even of the lives of your fellowcitizens. It is a crime, in my eyes, of a very deep dye ; it is one, moreover, very difficult to detect, and from which the public of this city are in urgent need of protection. Looking to the frail and inflammable nature of the great majority of the habitations in this city, I say that the crime of arson is one against which the inhabitants require to be protected—-as, indeed, the primary purpose of all punishment of crime is the protection of society. I have taken into consideration your previous imprisonment ; but what you have suffered before sentence is but little in proportion to what vou roust suffer after it. Ihe offence of which you have been convicted is that of intent tocommitarson. In moral delinquency, it is not one bit inferior to the crime of arson itself; and it is only by recent legislation that a distinction is made. The sentence of the Court upon you is, that you be kept m penal servitude, within the colony of New Zealand, for the term of six years.

Steam Shipping Companv. — We understand that a number of influential merchants held a meeting yesterday, for the purpose of forming a steam shipping company, to carry on the traffic between this port and theMolyneux, Oamaru, Timaru, &c. The necessary preliminary steps were taken, and the new Swnpany may be regarded as virtually established. His intended to issue a prospectus in the course of a few days. We believe, however, that more than half the P ro j ,o *;<j number of shares have already been taken ud The project is undoubtedly one that commends itself to the support and encouragement of the mercantile community, and of others interested in the prosperity of the port, and the welfare of the province. ro shareholders, the new company offeis a very inviting field for investment, considering the of trade to be done by it We wish it the success deserved by all endeavours to <rive effect to the principle of associated enterprise, in the development of the commercial resources of the province.-Sept. 9.