THE WEST CANTERBURY GOLDFIELDS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXV, Issue 1636, 14 March 1866, Page 2

THE WEST CANTERBURY GOLDFIELDS.

(fbom oue own correspondent.) Hokitika, Feb. 12,1866. ; There have been rumours during l the week concerning newly discovered diggings to the southward of Hokitika and in the vicinity of Okarita. To the best of my belief, founded on careful inquiry from persons just returned from Okarita, and also * on my own correspondence, no fresh ground of nr»*r mixj parwcuiar importance has been opened up. The report was first spread by a party of men just returned • overland from Okarita, who, I suppose, in their cups had a vision of the kind of El Dorado they would like to find, and spoke of it to their friends as a fact. It is quite possible that some small gully has been opened, but its extent cannot be great, and had it been rich beyond the ordinary run of "West Coast gullies, we should have heard of it by this time from some trustworthy source. The steamer Bruce returned from Okarita on the afternoon of the 10th, but when she left, no one had heard anything whatever of the new diggings. Whilst I am writing, the Bruce is again outside Hokitika bar, waiting for the tide, and probably I shall be able to add a postcript to my letter, which will definitely settle the truth or falsehood of the reports. I may mention that on previous occasions there have been attempts by interested parties (I need not mention names) to attract more attention to our southern diggings * than the circumstances warranted. Shipowners and storekeepers are but men, and generally not more scrupulous than their neighbours. Without any puffing, Okarita will hold its own for some time to come, whether extensive inland diggings are discovered or not; and in the meantime, the diggers can well afford to wait; most of them are doing comfortably enough as it is. On her return trip last week, the Bruce brought from Okarita 3000 ozs. of gold, about half of which is the property of the bank, the remainder belonging to private parties. It is said, and the papers repeat the tale, that 1000 ozs of this amount belong to a party of four men, who have dug it on the beach during the past three months. The township at Okarita is rapidly increasing in size, and portions of the Maori reserve have been leased to Europeans, unddr the sanction of Mr. Commissioner Mackay, who has just returned from a southern tour of inspection. I am of opinion that, considering the small population there located, the Waimea district is at the present time as prosperous as any on the coast. The men are for the most part comfortably settled down and have some months work before them. I mentioned in my last letter the completion of a great race and flume at the Kanieri; several works of a similar character, though not perhaps involving so great an outlay of time and money, are in course of construction in this district. I visited one or two of these races during the past week, and make no doubt that they will prove remunerative speculations to their respective owners. A new terrace or rather poor ground has been opened in the Waimea, with a plentiful Supply of water ; it is calculated that claimholders will be able to realize from £1 to £2 per man per day. On the beaches, to the north of Hokitika, the yield is pretty much the same as it has been for the last few months. All are making wages, but a preference must be given to a few I claims north of the Grey. In one of these, a fourth share, sold on the 6th instant for £500 cash. I cannot say whether the purchaser has made a good bargain. At the Kanieri, the Star Mining Company have bottomed their engine shaft and obtained from a few barrow loads of dirt upwards of one pound weight. The shareholders are in high ! glee. Talking of this pumping company , reminds me of a great detect in the existing regulations. Both at the Kanieri and the Totara there is deep and wet ground —some of it so deep and wet , as to make it impossible to get down ! to the wash-dirt without the assistance of first-class machinery. Now there ( are men mean enough to allow their neighbours to do all the preliminary work and then take advantage of ' their labours without offering to share ' the expenses. To make my meaning clearer: suppose two parties of men have each a claim on a very wet flat ' requiring machinery; one pumping 1 shaft would amply drain them both, but Smith's party is content to hang ! on, "shepherding" as it is called, untU Jones has gone to the required depth, and is sufficiently deep to take all the water from both claims. During the 1 process of sinking, I have known men not at all ashamed to practice this sort of dodge. Their neighbours must always be allowed to be a few feet deeper than themselves, and their own shaft is in consequence perfectly dry. Suppose again that a wet flat is being worked. On Monday morning a certain proportion of the men engaged, invariably come to work later by an hour or two than they do on other days. The reason is simply that whilst they are idling, their neighbours are unwillingly doing their work for them. " A large quantity of water will have accumulated since Saturday night. ' By pumping or . baling it from one shaft those round about will of necessity be drained at the same time.Now, what is wanted in the regulations is some provision for compelling men either to drain their own claims or toi pay those who do th© work for them.; In deep workings the . matter becomes one of very serious importance, and though at firait, sight it may appeal difficult to frame rules which will the case, in reality I am certain it, could be done Easily arid simply. I wish Mr. Barff Would give tfre Btibjfect a,few minutes,cpnsjderatioij; experience in mining matters would at once show! him the force of toy Remarks. j I hear that'a prospecting (party has been formed for ithepurpose of testing th'e -vblue of the ground upwards 1

towards the ranges from the junctior of the Kanieri and Hokitika rivers The party is to be led by'a minei named Kennedy. They are ndw engaged in building a handy canoe, and when the start is made, will take with ibem two, or three months pro- > visions. Another prospecting party is spokeli , of, for the beaches to the i south of Bruce Bay, but whether this will be carried out is very doubtful. I have met one or two men who have pushed down a good many miles beyond Bruce Bay, and they report that here and there, there are very likely ~ ri -- — «-»wn nnrt I looking spots. J?ur rnj r — cannot, for the life of me, see the use of going so far when so much is to be got nearer home; but diggers were always a restless lot, and will be so to the end of the chapter. I do not think, with the exception of the above, there is any mining news of importance sufficient to warrant me in chronicling it. It is very gratifying to me to be able to let you know that, before long, the town of Hokitika will be considerably sweeter than it has ever been before. The provisions of the Canterbury Police Ordinance are at length to be put in force, and already the police are on the look out and have succeeded in " nabbing " one or two of our citizens who live in the greatest amount of filth. One man, moreover, is summonsed to appear and answer to the charge of having putrid meat for sale in his shop. An inspector of nuisances should be at once appointed. For the next two or three months he would have enough to do. People are very dirty here; they seem really to take a pleasure in the variety and noisome character of the odours by which they are surrounded. How else could a publican endure that his dining-room should overlook a pigsty fully occupied by offal-fed porkers ? Or how could another of the same class allow the refuse, both liquid and solid, of his kitchen to meander without let or hindrance from the backdoor into his neighbour's premises? such matters as these may appear scarcely worth speaking about, but I assure you that to the residents in Hokitika—that is to the clean-living ones —they are anything but trivial. We may also congratulate ourselves on the fact that the Slaughter-house Ordinance has been extended to thisdistrict. The Act is certainly not without its defects, but its principal provisions will be of great service to us. One word more about Hokitika filth, and then I will try and find a more agreeable subject. We have no manure depot, nor can we get the j authorities to set apart a piece of ground for that purpose. Perhaps, "if this should meet the eye of" Mr. John Hall, he will in his great mercy say where rubbish may be shot out without rendering the person who upsets it liable to a fine. The Volunteer Fire Brigade held their monthly meeting, on the night of the 6th instant. A code of rules was adopted and the following officers chosen: —Mr. Millard, captain, Mr. Horn, lieutenant, and Mr. Shields, foreman. Mr. Ecclesfield and Mr. Osborne were proposed for the treasurership, and the former gentleman was elected. A committee consisting of Messrs. M'Cullock, M'Far lane and Holmes were also chosen to act with the officers previously named. There has been much talking concerning a statement which appeared in the Gazette of the Ist instant, to the effect, that reserve No 440 is to be devoted to police purposes. Perhaps, the Government are not aware of the fact that a portion of the Reserve has been granted to the Roman Catholics, and that they have already erected a church on it which cost a good' many hundreds of pounds, and in which service has been regularly performed for some weeks. An accident by which a miner named John Cochrane lost his life, occurred last week on Jones's Creek, in the Totara District. The roof of the drive in which he was working caved in, and buried him beneath some tons of earth. When taken out about a quarter of an hour afterwards, he was quite dead. An inquest was held on Thursday, when a verdict in accordance with the above facts was returned. There has been a daring attempt at " sticking-up" in Greymouth. A Mr. Christenson, who is a gold buyer to a considerable amount, was taking a box containing about £1,200 worth of the metal to the bank, when a man who had been watching him approached, and struck him a severe blow on the back of the-head. Christenson fortunately was not stunned, and had sufficient presence of mind to call out for help. His assailant then ran, but was captured by the inhabitants after a severe chase. The occurrence took place at about eleven o'clock on the night of Saturday. Eventually the highwayman contrived to escape from the police, into whose charge he had been given. He has not yet been re-taken. The old mess-room and some of the officer's tents in the camp reserve have been removed to make room for the new building of the Bank of New Zealand, which has now one of the best sites in town. Much rain has fallen during the past week, but the weather at present is all that can be desired. I hear continual complaints about the road, or rather, the want of a road from Hokitika to Arahura. It seems strange that the Government should have stopped short within a few miles of this place. A track leading to the ford on both sides of the Arahura is also much required, and would serve the traffic both to the Grey and the Bealey. An advertisement names the 12th March as the day of nomination of a member of the House of Representatives for Westland. People do not seem to care two straws about the matter. No one, so far as I know, has come forward, or been asked to c6me forward. . i , The contest for the superinteppency is looked upon with almost, equal in-: difference. Those who care anything about ,fche matter seem to prefer Mr. : Moorhouse.

i A Masonic Lodge (the Pacific) ha , been duly consecrated in Hokitika. The following is a list of the officers —Bros. J. Moss, W.M.; G. W. Bin . ney, S.W.; J. M. Rice, J.W.; — Rees i Treasurer; J. Chapman, P.M., hon sec; Pringle, J.D.; Williams, J.D. Newton, J.G.; Harrison, Tyler. The people of Ross Totara distric have made up their minds to have i hospital of their own. A subscriptior list has been opened and promises well. A low comedian, known as " Yankee Adams," is playing with a small company at the Shakespeare to poor houses . _ * " """.liable talent" in There is no otner • Hokitika. Bartlett's new theatre is progressing rapidly; I am almost afraid it will be too good for the place. Feb. 19. I will commence this letter as, if I remember rightly, I did my last, namely—with a few sentences about Okarita and the south. The rumoured rich ground has been proved a myth, nothing having been found inland worth speaking of, if we except a small terrace a short distance to the rear of the township, which promises to keep a limited number of miners at work for a month or two. I have heard it on pretty good authority that one prospect obtained in this locality was very good, as much as from one to two penny-weights having been washed to the shovel-full. This may or may not be an exaggeration, but whether or no, the terrace ground now opened has nothing whatever to do with the reported inland discoveries of a fortnight back. Of these last, nothing has since been heard. The terraces extend some distance along the beach, and about fifty or a hundred yards distant from the line of the old claims. It seems not that further prospecting may lead to the opening up of a much larger extent of ground. Meanwhile, people here snap up with great avidity the least scrap of information from the south, and in too many instances the story often passing through several hands assumes an importance to which it is by no means entitled. The West Coast Times, publishes, by permission, the following extract from a private letter dated Okarita, February 11th ; the terrace rush which I have spoken of above, took place on the 14th:— In reply to yours of the 13th inst., I am sorry to say that this place is not soundly progressing. The township is increasing, chiefly by business people under the impression that, at some day,»a great rush may take place somewhere here, but no payable gold has been found in the ranges yet; and, with respect to the report that a new discovery has been made 10 miles from here, I assure you that we have heard nothing about it. The beach, six miles south from here, is still yielding well; but a good many of the claims are worked out, and 1 am afraid that, if something new is not found very soon, the business people will have occasion to complain. The schooner City of Nelson left on Friday for Bruce Bay and Jackson's Bay, with a full complement of passengers ; and the cutter Fanny will leave to-day or tomorrow for the same place. In fact, there is very little doing here in the digging line, and I would not recommend any friend to come at present, as the place cannot be supported without a goldfield in the ranges. • Letters which I have myself received speak hopefully of the future of the place, but say no great things regarding its present condition. For some reason or other, the people here seem to attach a great deal of importance to all that is said about the comparatively unknown country which lies to the southward and eastward of Hokitika. A year or two ago, the whole of the West Coast country furnished subjectmatter for the speculations of the Otago miners, and now that the Hokitika diggings have proved so successful, these speculations are confined to, and concentrated on, that part of the coast which remains unexplored. More prospecting parties are spoken of ; and some ot them are on the eve of starting on their somewhat perilous undertaking. The cutter Fanny has been chartered by thirty or forty men, who purpose taking down some months' provisions with them, and pushing their, researches as far inland as they may find practicable. The steamer Bruce is about leaving again for the South. This trip she will push further on than she has hitherto done, visiting the Blue River and Jackson's Bay. A large number of passengers go in her. A death by drowning occurred a few days since in the Waiau. The deceased was a miner, who was travelling in company with his mates to the Okarita diggings. On reaching the Waiau, the party was overtaken by a Mr. Miller, a storekeeper. The river was much swollen, and as deceased, whose name I have not been able to ascertain, was in a weak state from recent illness, Mr. Miller offered to take him across on his horse. On getting into the middle of the stream the horse began to swim, and deceased entirely lost his presence of mind. He let go his hold of the horse, and clutched Mr. Miller, when both of them were drifted down the river. Mr. Miller at length succeeded in getting free, and swam ashore, but deceased sunk, and the body has not since been recovered. . The latest accounts from Bruce Bay are to the effect that about seventy miners are on the ground, most of them making fair wages. Provisions are, all things, considered, tolerably low in price. Coming further north, the Totara district- keeps up its name very respectably amongst the gold-producing spots of the West Coast. Many of the shallow gullies and streams are, in the natural course of things nearly worked out, but the terrace ground, of which there is an unlimited quantity, makes up for any deficiency arising therefrom. Both stripping and tunnelling are being actively carried on, and, as a rule, the men are earning fyir wages and are satisfied. On the flat below the township a great many are working, and from £12 to £14 per man is said to be the average weekly result. If l some are getting less, others to my own knowledge are getting very much more. The claims are very wet, and in some instances are abandoned on. that account. More resolute workers generally occupy this deserted ground; afresh, and frequently have no reaßon

s to complain of their choice. Many c the miners in this locality are workinj : on a false bottom, in consequence o - the great quantity of' Water with viptjic! i,; they ,have to . Some very excellent prospects froti ; shafts just bottomed 1 were 1 obtaine< during last week At Donohue's ]?la b the people are very active, and mining i shares command a ready sale l especially in claims which havi i already struck gold or . are ii proximity to those which have i A fifth share in the slaughter-yar( • claim recently sold for £100. It ha( , belonged to a miner named McGuire who lost his life by the falling in oi some earth. The track from th< , to Donohue's is in a very bac com&ion, s")>o»sh much money ha< been &<• ? ut on it by the storekeeper'! and p«WS who us. - ' • d • wd . There are a few parties . . at the Mikonui, and the whole - surrounding country has a very li j. look. On the 13th instant Dr. Beswick the coroner, held an inquest at the Old Bendigo Hotel, Ross, on the bod} of a man named Andrew Delling, whe shot himself whilst cleaning a pistol It was at first supposed that the firing of the pistol was the result of accident but the evidence at the inquest showed pretty clearly that such was not the case, and justified, I think, the verdict oi "suicide" which the jury returned Deceased was a Norwegian, and a hard working man of temperate habits. Some human remains were found last week, near the Totara Lagoon, having evidently been there for a considerable persod. Only the bones and a portion of the clothing were found, Some months ago a man named Scott, when suffering from the effects of drinking, went into the bush which skirts the lagoon. He was never heard oi again, and it was generally supposed he was drowned. It seems probable that this is his body, but there is no direct proof. The West Coast Times, alluding to the subject in a leading article, seems to be of opinion that in every case where a human body is found in the bush, or a man drowned in any of the West Coast Rivers, the duty of the coroner's jury is to return a verdict of wilful murder against the provincial authorities, on the ground that they should make tracks through the bush, and bridges over the rivers! This is carrying a joke rather too far; for although one or two of the officials might be, as a Scotch judge once told a highwayman, " none the worse of a little hanging," still the business of the country must be carried on, and we could scarcely afford to surrender the whole staff to the gallows, which, I fear, would have to be done if the bloody-minded suggestion of the Times were carried out. I for one should certainly be for giving them " a long day." It is a poor subject to joke about, but the suggestion appeared to be seriously put forward in the columns of our principal paper, and I for one object on the ground of expediency. The buildings of the Bank of New Zealand have been commenced on the old Camp Reserve. At present they do not make much show, but I am assured that when completed, they will be " second to none on the Coast." The new offices of the Bank of New South Wales are getting on to completion, and really the structure is a very creditable one in all respects, and is very much better than I had expected to see, for a year or two, in Hokitika. That portion of the Hospital which has been taken in hand is also almost finished | There are two wards, each 61 feet long by 25 feet wide, besides all necessary offices. These latter are not nearly so large as they should have been; but altogether we must not grumble, the change for the better, from the old to the new, being so immense. The ground around the hospital is well cultivated, and a good crop of vegetables has this year been taken from it. The only drawback to the situation is that the river cuts off easy communication from the Kanieri, and indeed all the northern districts, and the town of Hokitika. In other respects the place is all that could be desired. I am happy to say that the southern channel of the Hokitika, which was for some time gradually enlarging itself and threatening to leave Gibson's quay dry, has received an effectual check by the dam now in course of: construction at its upper end. The work is being very strongly built, under a contract with Mr. Edgar, who also built the wharf. The plan is, I believe, Mr. Balfour's. On the 12th inst., an inquiry into the death of a man, named John Stanford Johnston, was begun at Greymouth, before W. H. Revell, Esq., R.M. The body was found on the beach of the Saltwater river, and bore unmistakeably the marks of violence. The skull was extensively fractured, and there were other less important injuries. Dr. Pelley, who made the post mortem, examination, stated that the deceased was not drowned. The injuries might, he said, have been the result of a fall, but that was not probable. The inquiry was adjourned to allow the police to collect further evidence. In the meantime, a strong impression prevails that Johnston was murdered. The Teremakau rush is spoken of very favourably. The diggings are situated on a terrace, and the sinking very shallow. There are from two to three hundred men on the ground, and the numbers are increasing. I extract the following account of a recent fatal boat accident from the West Coast Times-.— At about 11 a.m. on the 13th, the attention of those on board the steamer was directed to a boat pulling frojn the shore across the Grey bay. Huddenly a heavy roller was observed to strike her, when she immediately filled and capsized, and the crew were left struggling for their lives in the surf. The Gothenburg's lifeboat was immediately lowered and manned by a willing crevy of .volunteers,, headed by the second officer. Her progress, as she pulled towardsthe unfortunates, was intensely watched from the steamer, and great was the joy manifested as the poor fellows were seen to be one after the other extricated from their perilous position. Two of them were taken from the bottom of the boat, and three picked up clinging to the oars. These were at once conveyed to the ; steamer, one of them being in a state of insensibility, but restoratives

f being applied, he . so far recovered as to 1 y able to converse and realise his providentii V escape from death. rescued men state 'there were six persons Jii.i'the boat when st 1 jjfjft the river, but one (if number, name ,;?■ on tt i fepat swamping, struck; pWfor the shor i Signal;'weft"dt once made, arid answered thi life had. Hot succeeded itt reaching the bead c also that hlsi body had not ! been recoverei I "'We, the uftddrsigh'feti ; fcoatitien, providentiall f saved from death at Greymouth, February li j 1866, render tq Captain Mackie our gratefi thanks that-his humane conduct has beei under Providence, the meaiis of saving oi • lives. We are poor in everything but grat I tude, and in thus offering to him publicly on [ sincere and grateful thanks, we confidentl trust that he may never be placed in the per J lous position, which, through his kindness an the interposition of a merciful Providenci i we were this day saved. Signed—Williar [ McKensen, John Thomas, William McGavii I John McLoughlin, Patterson." i The machinery of the unfortunate Maid of the Tarra is about to be trans l ported to the Kanieri, where it will b • used for draining the wet claims. The machinery purchased by thi Star Steam Pumping Company is ex *"* at the KamW VU UC 1U M""* - i in a fe?: aays. Great things are ex • pected from this company, which I an inclined to think will be realized. The three masted schooner Maria ; recently got over the spit into the rivei , and there repaired, has sailed for Mel ; bourne in ballast, under the commani of Captain John Robertson. I believi : she will make another trip to Hokitika which it is to be hoped will prove mori fortunate than her last. The Grey district is decidedly th< worst on the coast for crime. I cai not tell why most of the black sheej have made it their head quarters, bul they unquestionably have. During the week four prisoners have been for warded thence to Hokitika gaol. Tw< of these are committed for trial for ga rotting. A boatman, named Matthew Pop plewell, was drowned last week by th< capsizing of his boat on the bar of th( Grey. The body was picked up a Port Elizabeth. The coroner's juri returned a verdict of " accidental!] drowned." This morning a man, named Patricl Martin, aged 30, and a native of th< county Meath, threw himself into the river from the deck of the steamei Ballarat. Deceased was suffering from delirium tremens. Martin first placed on the deck his money, consisting of £21 in notes and a bill of ex change for £200, together with i registered letter addressed to himself Post-office, Melbourne, and thei jumped overboard. Every effort was ' made to save him, but without sue cess. The body has not been recov ered. Martin is supposed to have beei a miner. Feb. 26. On the night of the 23rd, Mr Prosser, one of the members for West land in the late Provincial Council, ad dressed a large meeting of storekeeperi and miners in the Shakespeare Hall, Hokitika. As a local journal had ii next morning—" There were a con siderable number of influential citizens present, and the body of the large hall was well filled." I went in with the crowd to hear what this man of the people had to say for himself, and il cannot be said that disappointment was the result, for the oration fully met my expectation. Mr. Prosser alluded at great length to his public conduct since his election, but the whole may be summed up in a few words. It appears that when he got to Christchurch, he made some inquiries as to what the Government purposed doing with reference to the harbour works at Hokitika and Gibson's quay, or the wharf, as it is more usually called. Our member said he found that Mr. Balfour was about starting to inspect and report on these works; and he added, with considerable modesty, " I was content to leave the matter in the hands of a gentleman so competent." Mr. Prosser took credit for endeavouring to curtail the road expenditure between Christchurch and Hokitika, and for voting that the sum of £8000 should be placed on the estimates, to be devoted to the construction of bridges, bushtracks, and the formation of ferries. He next spoke of the valuable Act passed during the last session of the General Assembly, by which protection to their enterprise may be granted to persons throwing bridges or ferries across rivers, by authorising them to charge certain tolls. But Mr. Prosser entirely forgot to say to whom the community was principally indebted for the passing of that Act. It was not his forethought that originated the measure, but Mr. Hall's, and whilst spouting on the subject, he might just as well have said so. He knew, however, that Mr. Hall was not in the good graces of the audience he was addressing, and thought it would better suit his book to hold his tongue about it. From the manner in which the Roads and Bridges Act was introduced, I make no doubt many present thought that Mr. Prosser himself had had something to do with the framing of it. The next subject alluded to was the proposed sale of land, both town and country, and I must admit that Mr. Prosser did the State some service when this was before the Council. But it will be necessary for Mr. Hall's land scheme, as it is called, to be again brought forward in a modified form. Land for agricultural purposes must be sold. Mr. Prosser, or fifty Mr. Prosser'e, to the contrary, notwithstanding. The following sentence from the ex-member's speech may, perhaps, contain something new to you : — An amusing scheme was submitted privately to the House, which seemed to receive the favourable consideration of a large number of influential members. It consisted of throwing into the Melbourne market an amount of auriferous land, consisting of large blocks of thousands of acres, to be sold by public auction to speculators. (Laughter.) If it had been possible to have carried out this scheme, I believe it would have been done, as the sole desire of the Council seemed to be to obtain as much money as possible out of the district in order to compensate themselves for the sums laid out on the West Coast road. In fact, they wanted the money. (Hear.) Mr. Prosser said he and his colleague, Mr. Barff, succeeded in bringing the Grey and Hokitika districts uuder the provisions of the " Slaughter-House Ordinance," and the Hokitika district under the " Police Ordinance." I was

>e under the impression, and still an that he had nothing whatever td do i ie the matter, and that both; Acts wer d introduced to Westland on the represen te tation of the magistrates of the! dii trict. There is 'only other join on which I will touch,; and then. Mi l'. Prosser may be allowed to retire fror y the scene. He declared hiriasei strongly in favour of a " local Boart j under the direction of the Genera ,r Government," for the management c i- Westland affairs. Mr. Mark Sprc ir asked him if he was aware whether th Constitution of the Colony would ren (j der such a scheme practicable. H j, had nothing further, however, to sa; n on the subject, and wound up b; '» intimating that his business would no permit him again to accept a Beat i: 0 the Provincial Council. I do not be ■ lieve in Mr. Prosser, but under th 8 circumstances,perhaps, Westland migh have done worse. Mr. Barff has no 3 made his appearance in public ainc " the rising of the Council. - I oC- by an article in the Canterbur ' Times that you fear that the distric 1 of Westland will OS entire! without voters at the ensuing electioi [ for the Provincial Council, the reaso] ' alleged being, that probably most c " the miners' rights and business licence have been issued either in Greymout 3 or Hokitika. The majority of ther ' have been so issued, but a goodly num 3 ber have come from the offices at th Waimea, the Kanieri, the Totara, Oka 5 rita, and a few, I think, many month 1 since, from the Greenstone Creek. Th ] Holdtika Chronicle, after alluding t J the article in the Times, takes a viev > of the question which may not havi presented itself to you. At the las } election, there was a great noise mad because the members elected for Wesl land were not on the electoral roll o [ any district of the province, and th ' AuCt pretty clearly indicates that a] ' candidates should be. At one time, i was thought, there would be a fres T election, but as there was no " peti 1 tion" presented, the matter wa dropped. Supposing now this want c c registration had happened to candi } dates for seats in the Council in an; ' district not on the goldfields, wouli ' not the want of registration have beei > fatal ? The townships of Greymout! " and Hokitika are both withdrawn froc the goldfields, and will, at all events on the sale of the land, be exactly oi * the same footing as any other of th ' electoral districts of the province 1 Now, says the Chronicle, granted tha 3 the miners and storekeepers can vot without. registration, on the strengtl of their licences and rights, what ar 1 we to do for candidates ? Will it b permitted that three members c Council shall take their seats—not a . Goldfields, but as ordinary members- - without registration, a proviso which - plain interpretation of the Acts rec 3 ders necessary ? If so, where are w to look for representatives? for none c ; the Hokitika people are registered, no ♦ will they have the chance to registe 3 for many months after the election . have taken place. To me it seem i that there has been a great omissio] i here, for even supposing no objectioi ; to be taken to the members returnee i the representation of important place like Hokitika and Greymouth shoul< not be allowed to rest on the chanc : of there being no petition presente* i to unseat. I write hurriedly, am have, I fear, not put the case s< ; plainly as I might. Up to the pre sent time no persons have sigmfiet their intention of coming forward Nor, so far as I can learn, have an] ; been asked. Mr. Commissioner Sale returned or Thursday last; and owing, probably, t< instructions brought by him, the Warden's Court has again sprung intc existence in Hokitika. I do not suppose any one will question the legality of the proceedings, though perhaps that might be done with success notwithstanding the opinion of the learned Provincial Solicitor. My experience tells me that the interpretations of the luminaries are sometimes very wide of the mark. In the present case, the opinion is a most convenient one, as it at once gets rid of a difficulty of a very formidable character, and one, 1 am sure, not anticipated by the provincial authorities. The Warden held his Court on Friday, and decided a number of cases. On the 23rd the Bruce returned from Okarita, bringing three boxes containing 2000oz of gold for Bank of New South Wales; two boxes- containing 2000oz for Bank of New Zealand; and about IOOOoz by private hand. A considerable amount was said to be still held by the miners. The new rushes were highly spoken of. The Bruce sailed south again the same afternoon, and returned to Hokitika on the 25th. The news brought by this trip from Okarita is unimportant. The miners who have recently gone there are rushing about in all directions—very few have set in steadily to work. The terrace ground continues to pay tolerably well, but a greater extent is wanted, if employment is to be found for all the new-comers. The rushes south of Okarita are well spoken of, and many miners are now pushing in that direction. The township of Okarita is rapidly extending, and I am told that some buildings of a better description than generally grace a new rush are about to be erected. Several of the business men of Hokitika have gone south to see what chance Okarita affords for branch houses. I fear they will find themselves rather behind time, the field being pretty well occupied already. I talked this week with a party of men, one of whom I know, who have just returned overland from Okarita, and who, nearly two months since, prospected as far as 20 miles south of the township. That would be somewhere very near where the new ground mentioned in my last letter has been opened. These men got gold in several places, but nowhere in sufficient quantities to tempt them to stop. This, and a want of provisions induced them to return to Okarita, where they took up and worked two beach claims, both of which paid them exceedingly well. Their last month's work gave each one of the party nearly £120. The claims

i, being worked out, they returned to a Hokitika for a " spell," but, from what |e I could gather they all had a very high ( opinion of the Okarita district—as I j- 1 : Bujrttose it should now be called—and tfc pulsed going back in the course of p.; a,® days. I particularly questioned n with regard to inland diggings If iWz with the exception of some small I, workings, about two and a half miles il from the township, they had heard of >f none. All reports from Okarita should >t be taken just now with much caution e as there is a tendency to exaggerate i- on the part of those who have erected e or purpose erecting, places of business y there. I know that in one y or two instances very large-sized >t falsehoods have been uttered by u interested parties with regard to Oba- !- Rita, so that although a good many e rumours from time to time come to t my ears, I pay but little attention to >t them, unless I can trace them to some e trustworthy source. I hope next week, owing to some arrangements I y have made, to be able to send you a t morfi zlvuZraw report from this nory tion of the goldfields. A correspondent a of the We«t Coast Times, writing from Q Okarita, quotes as follows from a letter ,f received by him from a friend. Of ia course I cannot tell whether the hi writer's account is true, but give it for q what it may be worth l- We are now at the beach, three miles e from Cook's river, and twenty-five miles from Okarita. We have bottomed, and are doing very fair. These new diggings are likely to be more permanent than the usual © beach diggings, there being gold found in the 0 bush. At present there are from sixty to v seventy men there, and no tucker nearer than the Waiau river. There is nothing of interest to ree port from the Totara, except that several more claims have been bottomed f in the deep ground, and fair prospects e obtained. There has been no new [[ ground opened apart from the established diggings. h Another company has been started i_ at the Kanieri, under the style of the lg " Kanieri Steam Drainage Company." ,f Application has been made for regis- [- tration under the Mining Companies Y Limited Liability Act, 1866. The company intend working ground on Q Commissioner's Mat. There is good h reason for believing that before many Q months have past, the Kanieri will take )} the lead as a gold producing district. a The many races which have been cone structed at an enormous expense, and the powerful steam machinery which t will shortly be in operation draining e the deep ground rapidly and effectually, h warrant this conclusion. The ground e has been sufficiently prospected to allow e an opinion to be formed as to its rich>f ness, and that opinion, as expressed by s all who are acquainted with the locality, _ is, that many acres of first-class auria ferous deposits remain to be worked so t . soon as the water is got under come mand. Large quantities of fuel are ( f being stacked on Commissioner's Flat, (r in anticipation of the demand the steam . r engines will create. There is very litiß tie doing on the Woodstock side of the s river. a The Waimea track, which was a certainly the worst road I ever had I, the pleasure of travelling, is nearly s completed, and owing to that or some 1 other cause with which I am not e acquainted, the price of provisions has i diminished at the township. ProsI pecting is going on rapidly, and several 0 new races are nearly completed. The - old residents have very great faith in 1 the resources of their district, which I . do not think will disappoint them. f Some new ground was opened last week at the Teremakau. I call it new l ground, but the fact is it was tried ) some time since, and abandoned, the i prospectors not being able to realize ) " tucker" out of it. Those who have • now set in, have been more fortunate r than their predecessors, and contrive ! to knock out their £10 per week per man, with a prospect of work for some > time to come. The gold is found in • a terrace lying south east of the town- ■ ship, and at the back of the lagoon, i The terrace extends for some miles • parallel with the beach, and there seems to be no reason why the whole 1 of it should not prove auriferous. The bush and scrub is very dense, and render prospecting further inland a very difficult undertaking. The rush known as " the Darkies," about four miles on the North side of the Grey, boasts of a few claims of more than ordinary richness. One of these, belonging to a man named Dufty, and his mate, yielded last week rather more than £300 a man. We have had about thirty-six hours continuous rain, followed, of course, by a very heavy fresh in the river. The houses at the lower end of Eevell street have suffered considerably, the whole force of the water coming against the piles recently driven and washing them away. Further down on the North spit buildings have had to be removed, and the river is rapidly cutting through to the sea. Should this occur, the whole of the present wharf would be rendered almost useless, as the breakers would wash up as far as its upper end, and shipping would be unable to lay alongside. On Sunday afternoon the flood subsided, and since then we have had splendid weather. There was a rumour this morning that Mr. Balfour's dain for stopping up the South channel, had been washed away, but I have not heard it confirmed, and have been unable to cross the river and see for myself. A man died suddenly in a drive at the Kanieri, on Friday last. An inquest was held, and a verdict returned " Died from natural causes." On same day, the body of a man was washed up on the beach, a little to the southward of the Makewa river. Almost all the flesh was off the bones, so that identification was impossible. The body had probably been in the water for many weeks. Since Captain Turnbull's appointment as harbour-master, he has devoted a great deal of attention to removing the numerous snags in the river below the town, and has succeeded in improving the channel considerably. There is war amongst the publicans, one section having determined to retail their liquors at six-pence a glass, the other section to maintain th& price

at a shilling. Some of them would d< well at either figure. Spurious gold was recently offerei for sale to a Mr. Hill, a storekeeper at the Auckland Rush. The atnouni was small and Mr. Hill purchased it Subsequently, he discovered "that the metal was nothing more nor less thai brass filings, a proof, I should think, tha; his experience as a gold buyer is verj limited. The offender has not beei taken, though Mr. Hill gave averv full description of his appearance. J am told that many spurious halfsovereigns are in circulation in Hokitika and at other points on the coast, hut fortunately have not myself been troubled with any of them. Mr. Samuel Symms, for a length of time connected with the press in Dunedin and other parts ot the colony, and the reputed author of some amusing papers, which appeared in the now defunct Dunedin Mail, was arrested last week in Nelson on a charge of embezzlement preferred by Mr. M'Gregor, the solicitor of the firm of M'Gregor and Harvey, of Dunedin, now practising in Hokitika. Mr. Symms was brought on to Hokitika where the offence was alleged to have been committed, and was charged this morning (Monday) before the Resident Magistrate. As the prisoner had only come on shore about an hour previously, the police requested a remand for three days, which was granted. The charge against Symms ia that he recived certain moneys, as agent for Messrs. M'Gregor and Harvey, and failed to account to them. The members of a certain firm recently carrying on business at Greymouth are " wanting." Some of their creditors are initiating civil, and others criminal, proceedings against them. In the meantime, all of them have to bear in mind Mrs. Glasse's advice, " First catch your hare," which in the present instance promises to be a rather difficult matter. The Challenge, tug, has been on shore at the Grey, but was got off again without sustaining any injury. The p.s. Persevere is expected to arrive shortly in Hokitika. She is the property of Messrs. M'Meckan, Blackwood, and Co., Melbourne. She will carry about 45 tons cargo, and is of a draught suitable for this river. It is proposed to place her on the West Coast trade. The following is from the Hokitika Chronicle: — The Steam Navigation Act was for the first time stringently enforced in this port On Thursday, February 22, and much excitement was caused thereby. The steamer Ballarat had been advertised to sail for i Okarita and with passengers and cargo, and in consequence of the late favourable news from the south, a very large number of miners embarked in her. After some delay they were informed by Mr. Mclntyre that she would not leave that day, a clearance for the boat having been refused to Captain Quance at the Custom House, in consequence of certain representations made to the Collector of Customs. It appears that the Ballarat had no ocean certificate, being only licensed to carry passengers a distance of three milftH from land, and this disqualification also (attending to the steamers Lioness and Yarra, it was useless transhipping the passengers to either of them. Under the circumstances, the captain and agent had no alternative but to leave the vessel. This the diggers were at first very loth to do, although the steam was at once blown off, and they were urgently requested to quietly go ashore. The crowd on the wharf had meanwhile much increased, and for fear of a disturbance, the whole available police force were called out and mustered on the spot. To the credit of the miners, they at last gradually left the Ballarat without creating any disturbance beyond expressing a strong feeling of indignation at being so summarily dealt with. The authorities are perhaps justified in thus suddenly enforcing the clauses of the Act which have hitherto been held in abeyance; but it is difficult to imagine what sudden necessity has arisen for doing so; and it is to be hoped that the stringent regulations will be relaxed in order to allow our steam fleet being usefully employed between Hokitika and the new ports opening up along the coast. If this is not done it is more than probable that the trade will soon pas» into other channels, and Hokitika thus lose a present lucrative connexion. News reached here yesterday evening from the Grey, that the steamer Challenge had been safely got off the bar, and might be expfected to arrive in Hokitika Biver this morning. The Bruce went on shore this morning (Monday), when attempting to cross the bar on her passage into the river. She remains uninjured, and the agents expect to get her off thisevening. She is in a good position, and is said to be in no danger. About two hundred and fifty passengers have arrived during the past week. March 5. There could be no more gratifying evidence of the confidence with which the mining community looks forward to the future of the West Canterbury Goldfield than the tendency which is displayed to bring really first-class machinery to work wherever the nature of the ground seems to require it. Westland is very young as a goldproducing country for the introduction of steam as an aid towards mining operations, and yet several engines are already in position, and others are in course of erection. A few months will probably see a large increase to this number. To tempt a man to invest capital in steam machinery for mining purposes, two conditions are wanted. He must have ground*of known auriferous value, and plenty of it. He must see his way to -obtaining something more than a few weeks' or months' employment, or the undertaking will naturally be an unprofitable one. The Kanieri district offers a fine field for the investment of capital in mining machinery of various kinds, and the claim holders have not been slow in availing themselves Of their opportunities. On Saturday last the Star Steam Pumping Company kept holiday on the occasion of the christening of their engine, which is now put together, and is in excellent working trim, A large number of persons assembled on the ground, some drawn by : mere curiosity, and others by a desire to inspect the plant, with a vieW to future operations on their own account. The engine is a small double; cylinder, 12-horse power, but is capable of being worked much higher. It does its work very smoothly, there being a minimum of vibration. The company gave an excellent " spread" on the claim. The christening was performed by Mr,

lo Shaw, the warden of the district, who poured the customary libation and 1( j named the engine the "Victoria." r There was a lot of speech making, rt' some appropriate and some not appropriate, but which I do not supq pose you would care to hear further n of. It ia my opinion that a little Christchurch capital might be invested y to advantage in some of these mining n . speculations, and the perusal of sharey lists in which they were interested I might serve to dissipate a portion of >. that dulness under wnich, I am led to [_ believe, your merchants are at present suffering. I see that the Otago Daily a \ Times, in want of a better subject lor leading articles, has taken up the , old and worn-out cry of the danger arising from diverting capital from its 8 legitimate channels, and employing it e in the delightful uncertainties of goldF mining. Whatever may have been the effect of over-speculation on the gold- ® fields of Victoria, there is certainly no ? reason to suppose that New Zealand commerce is likely to suffer from this 1 cause. Or, if Otago is in such a miserable plight that the withdrawal of a " few thousands from the aforesaid " legitimate channels" may prove disas- ? trous to her interests, I cannot see that Canterbury would be injured in 3 any way if she devoted a very small r quantity of her wealth to the devep lopment of the goldfield of which she thinks so much. I seriously recom--3 mend my remarks to such of your 3 readers as may have any loose cash at l their disposal, assuring them at the same time that with the exercise of due " caution a good thing or two may be ■ had by embarking in mining specula- ■ tions on the West Canterbury golds' field. There are many here who would , be glad to avail themselves af the asi sistance of steam machinery but are l unable to do so for want of means. Somehow or other the report I have been expecting from Okarita has not ! yet come to hand so that I am unable ' this week to send it to you. I know, however, that nothing of importance in ' the way of discovery has occurred since ' my last.. A great many miners are still going south —almost enough to make a rush, but I cannot learn that they are going in consequence of any trustworthy information received. The return steamers to Hokitika no longer come back empty, but the number of passengers going are still very much in excess of those coming back. Building is going on rapidly at Okarita. The banks have good establishments there, and there are several hotels where . an ordinary amount of bush comfort may be obtained at not very 1 exorbitant rates. The Okarita correspondent of the West Coast Times , gives the following with reference to prices:—"Provisions are sold at a 1 little advance on Hokitika prices, but , when there is more competition, I be- | lieve everthing will be equally as cheap, i At present flour is sold at 38s per hundred pounds ; butter, 38 6d ; tea, 3s 6d to 4s per lb; bacon, 2s 3d to ( 2s 6d per lb; sugar, 9d per lb; bread, ■ 2s the 4 lb loaf." The same corres- • pondent put the numbers at Bruce i Bay at one hundred and fifty, and those at Jackson s Bay at two hundred | —both being, in my opinion, a little 1 over-stated. I may add that a news- : paper is to be started immediately at 1 Okarita, by a firm in Hokitika who 1 have the necessary plant by them. ] The issue will be weekly, but even at j that, I should think the editor and re- i porter will be at their wits' end to fill ! up the columns with readable matter. 1 The great flood which I reported last < week did much damage, and the report i about the dam in course of construc- ; tion across the south channel of the , Hokitika turns out unfortunately cor- < rect. About half the piles which had j been driven were washed bodily out of the ground and carried away, and almost the whole of the timber and plant in use on the work shared the same fate. There is said to have been as much water going down the south channel as in the one which passes by Gibson's Quay. The contractor for the dam, Mr. Edgar, is a very heavy loser. Our politicians appear to have all gone to sleep. The forthcoming elections are exciting very little interest, and no one has, as yet, offered himself as a candidate. It is said that a requisition will be " presented to Mr. M'Glashan, of the firm of Jones, M'Glashan and Co., to allow himself to be put in nomination for one of the seats in the Provincial Council. That is the only bit of electioneering news I have to communicate. A meeting has been held* at Greymouth for the purpose of protesting against the gold got in this district being sent to Hokitika for export. Resolutions condemning the action o the authorities, were passed, and the proposed escort from Greymouth to Hokitika was stated to be an unjustifiable extravagance. The smelting house and assay office i of the Bank of New Zealand were i opened on the 28th ultimo, and since i that date some thousands of ounces of i gold have been smelted by Mr. Smith, ; the bank assayer. ! There have been several committals • in the Resident Magistrate's Court du- ' ring the week. In one instance the * prisoner, a man named Joseph Jackson * put several valueless cheques in cireu- ■ lation. Mr. Samuel Symms, charged • with embezzlement, was after a lengthy " hearing on Friday discharged, the Ma--1 gistrate holding that the prosecution !• had failed to establish the crime at law. ' Tenders are called for by the Go- ' yernment for the formation of a track between Hokitika and Kanieri, a work I very much called for. Up to the pre- ' sent time all goods. have had to be I taken in boats against a very rapid r stream, abounding in snags and ob- ' structions of all kinds. l A few days since, a storekeeper i named Schunikow, formerly of the i Arrow river, Otago, was drowned r whilst attempting to cross one of the I rivers between Bruce Bay and Oka- . rita. The body has. not been re- | covered. f On Friday laßt, a constable returnf ing from Greymouth to Hokitika. found the body of a man on the beach e a few miles to the southward of the •. Saltwater river. The body has not yet

been identified, but is supposed to be that of a miner, who was drowned the day previous, when attempting to cross the Three-Mile Creek. Jacobs, the wizard, continues to draw good houses. , Barlow, the wellknown negro melodist, has arrived from Australia, and purposes trying to draw our spare shillings in the Corinthian Hall this evening. Messrs. "Wilson, Burnell and Co., sold on Thursday last, a few head of cattle which had been driven overland. Their average weight was about 1100 lbs., and they brought £50 a head. The recent rains have given the river an excellent channel, sweeping away all obstructions near the mouth. The small steamers come in and go out at almost any state of the tide. Some new ground has been opened on the Arahura River, about five miles from Hokitika. A small rush of some three hundred men has taken place to the locality. In one claim a very good prospect was obtained— something like two dwts. to the tin dish, but I was unable to find out any other party which had been equally successful. There is a report of some new ground about fourteenmiles up the Hokitika, and I have seen and conversed with a man just returned from the place. His account is that a few claims have been marked out, and that in one of them, paying gold is being got. My friend may have told me less than he knew, for he confessed to having a claim there himself, and may have wished to keep people away as much as possible. The Grey River Argus reports that the recent heavy raina have done much damage to the claims on the North Beach. Many cf the tail-races have been filled up, aui quantities of washdirt carried away. The Customs' authorities have seized a quantity of gunpowder at the Grey, the same not having paid duty. Mr. Prosser has met the electors at the Grey, and favoured them with a repetition of his Hokitika oration. I believe he will now disappear behind his counter. At three a.m. on Saturday, the Lambing Flat Hotel, Gibson's Quay, Hokitika, was discovered to be on fire. The flames did jiot extend beyond the kitchen and pantry, and were extinguished before much damage was done. THE OKARITA RUSH. The Hokitika Evening Star of Feb. 15 states that a special messenger arrived in Hokitika ■shortly previous to our going to press, with the intelligence that new ground has been struck at the lagoon, a short distance from Okarita. The gold is very heavy and the sinking deep. At Okarita the news has caused intense excitement, and we believe will be followed by a larger rush than we have ever yet been called upon to chronicle. A telegram, dated Hbkitika, Feb. 19, states that the news was confirmed of the finds at Okarita, which had caused a great rush to that place. The South Beach Diggings.—A correspondent of the Grey River Argus says— " I visited most of the diggings along this beach, and on inquiry found that almost all the miners actually at work were making, at the very least, wages, whilst a great many were doing very -well. On the back terrace, at the rear of the Ballarat Hotel, I saw some old acquaintances who were working ground that was paying two ounces per day amongst four, and their claim is only reckoned one of the middlings. The stripping here is about nine feet, with three to five inches of washdirt. Close to the Ballarat Hotel, some,good prospects have been obtained, but the ground is very deep and wet. so that the pumps are not of much use ; however, the shareholders are old miners not easily daunted, and they now intend to use long Californian pumps, which, I have no doubt, will enable them to overcome the water. South of the Teremakau a great many miners are at work, and most of those that have regularly ' set into' it with a will, making fair wages. Of course there are a great many only prospecting. Along the south bank of the Teremakau, up the river, several parties are engaged working on the banks, but I am informed the ground is by no means rich. The accounts from Sunday Flat are most encouraging. Several parties here will clear £500 a man, and one party expects to clear very close on £1000 a man. The washdirt is, in most of the claims, from eighteen inches to two feet in thickness, and in the claims I allude to, from 6 ozs to 12 ozs per day can be washed. The gold here appears to be in a patch, as the ground in the vicinity has been well prospected but nothing payable found. Sutherland's still continues to pay first-rate. Nearly all the parties are engaged in washing. In another month a good many of the claims will be worked ont. As is often the case, the prospecting claim is by no means the best; however, it will pay the shareholders handsomely. From what I can learri I believe the claim south of the prospectors is the best—some £600 or £700 a man being expected by the shareholders Between Sutherland's and the Teremakau a few parties commenced work on the beach last week. The prospects obtained are poor, and as the washdirt has to be carried some seventy yards back in the scrub to water, I am of opinion only small wages can be made. I observed one party had sunk a shaft in their claim for water, intending, I believe, to cradle the dirt, sooner than carry it a long distance to be sluiced. The days of quicksilver cradles and copper plates appear to have passed away. I seldom see any in use. No miner of any experience on the beach workings, that I am acquainted with, would dream of using one so long as he could get sufficient water to sluice with. A great many miners are doing away with the hopper on the box where the washdirt is black sand with few, if any, stones in it, and by so doing, find they can make better wages, as they are enabled to put through much more dirt, and they save time washing ! off the blankets, as nine-tenths of the gold is i found at the very head of the box. lam acquainted with two parties on the beach, one Of whom uses three boxes with hoppers, whilst the other only uses one box without a hopper ; nevertheless, the latter can make better wages, although the ground is as good with one as the other. At Sutherlands there is opposition amongst the bakers ; the consequence is the price of the 41b loaf is now Is 6d. Two new boats are now plying on the Saltwater lagoon, carrying passengers from the Saltwater to the end of the lagoon—three good miles, for two shillings. No doubt parties going to Hokitika will avail themselves of the accommodation, as it is a pleasant sail, and a nice lift on the most dreary and sandy portion of the beach. The sly grog informers passed lately en route to Hokitika, under the guardianship of a trooper. I think they acted very wisely in having a guard, or otherwise they might have been maltreated." New Store at Hokitika.—Without exception, the finest and most commodious mercantile premises are the bonded stores erected by Messrs. Wilson, Burnell and Co., of Christchurch, fronting Gibson's Quay. Although the material employed is chiefly timber, the great i precautions have been taken to rendtl the large pile of stores exempt from the danger of conflagration. As one enterprise naturally begets others, Messrs. Wilson and Co.'s example is being followed by other wealthy firms, and the buildings at the lower end of the town, in the vicinity of the quay, will shortly vie with those of a similar description in other towns in New Zealand, which date back more years than Hokitika does week* or months,—Hokitika Advertiser.