Local News and Notes.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Volume II, Issue 62, 2 December 1863, Page 4

Local News and Notes.

The Witness contains another outburst of impotent fury anent the Wakatip Petition, consequent, we should imagine, on receiving the account of the Arthur's Point meeting. It contains nothing worth commenting on, for every one here must detect at once that it is a conglomeration of u bunkum ;" and as we have nothing to expect from Dunedin, the opinion of the denizens of that favored town is of the smallest possible moment. The article comments upon two letters, alleged to have been received from Moke Creek and Maori Point, the latter signed "Henry Seal," and the former " A Miner," in which the writers aver that they did not know what they were signing, and that they were misled. We should think the tact of sixty additional signatures being appended at the conclusion of the Arthur's Point meeting would be sufficient answer to this contemptible and false assumption ; and if u Henry Seal " chose to be led by the nose, instead of acting according to his own judgment, he alone is to blame; if he could not read for himself, surely he might have got some one to do so for him. The Petition was canvassed in every one of its clauses, on the various workings of the district, and published in this paper in full, so that nothing can be said on the ground of insufficient publicity. The insinuation that the Petition emanated from our office, we treat with the contempt it deserves, in merely giving it an unqualified denial. Perhaps the difference of the votes on the Dunedin journals and this paper, at the said meeting, may account for the animus exhibited by our contemporaries. The weather for the past few days has been changeable to a degree—Friday, Saturday and Bunday being characterised by an almost Victorian degree of sultriness, while since, a cold wind and intermittent drizzly showers have proved to us that we are indeed in Otago. The rivers continue high, chiefly in consequence of the rapidly-melting snow, but we have not heard of any accident occurring to the numerous mining works now in course of completion. From the Melbourne Argus we learn that a second meeting of gentlemen interested in the establishment of a settlement at Martin's Bay, on the West Coast, has been held. About thirty gentlemen were present, and Mr. Neilley wa sappointed to the chair. On the motion of Mr M. Hall, seconded by Mr Miller, it was arranged that a provisional Committee should be appointed who should draw up a statement containing all the information procurable relative to the project, and report the same to a public meeting, to be convened at the earliest possible moment. The provisional committee was then appointed, and it included the names of Messrs. Neilley,

(secretary) Scott, Lewis, Raraage, Finlay, Miller, Benjamin Huckle, W. Montgomery Bell, Melmoth Hall, Barker, Thompson, Allingham, and C. J. Jones, who were invested with power to add to their number. Many of those present anxiously inquired for special information respecting the country, and the nature of the Otago land regulations, but no one appeared to possess the desired knowledge, though it was confidently asserted that the provisional committee would come before the public with all the requisite facts and figures, and Captain Stokes's Admiralty maps were laid on the table for general iuspec. tion. Martin's Bay is just north of Milford Sound, and it was from this piace that Dr Hector was enabled to reach Lake Wakatip in sixteen hours, whereas a team of sixteen strong horses was unable to reach that spot from Dunedin in less than sixteen days. It was said that the Otago Government have already declared either Milford Sound or Martin's Bay, a port, so that speedy settlement is evidently expected, and survey will quickly follow. The proposal made at present is to spend £750 in a vessel, and £750 in surveys and the purchase of land, to become the property of shareholders. A gentleman present positively asserted that one, at least, of the insurance companies would take the risk of such an expedition, and insure the vessel used* From Maori Point we learn that mining operations are being vigorously carried on, and several instances of success are reported, which tend to show that the rich deposits of the Shotover are not nearly exhausted yet, and that the present season will be one of great productiveness. An accident, which might have proved fatal, is reported as having taken place on J. B. B's. beach last week. It appears that while engaged in placing a crate, a rope to which it was attached! broke, and the crate, together with a man who was on it at the time, was immediately carried away by the current, and swept down the river to Stapleton's beath, where the crate with its horrified freight was safely landed—strange to say, without the slightest hurt. A bridge at Maori Point is much wanted, and many complaints have reached us on the lack of the necessary means of communication between the rich workiugs on both sides of the river. The races to be held under the auspices of the Wakatip Jockey Club promise to be a most successful affair. Subscriptions are flowing in freely from all parts, and we believe the miners are looking upon these races as their real holiday • Application has been made by the honorary secretary, Mr Manders, for a grant of ground near Frankton, for the site of a race course, and we should not be astonished to see these races eclipse anything seen before in Otago, always excepting the champion meeting. The following is the score of the match played between the Queenstown Cricket Club and the Theatre Royal Company, on Friday last. Umpires—Mr Symonds for the Queenstown Cricket Club, and Mr Lockhart for the Theatre Royal:—

QUEENSTOWN CRICKET CLUB. Lewis—c Johnston, b Carey - 2 Louttit—b Carey - - - 0 Carroll—b Carey - - - 9 Evans—b T. Fawcett - - 35 Chambers—b Evelyn - - 0 Weaver—b Carey - - - 17 Owen—b Carey - - -2 Welsh—run out - - - 5 Brookes—b Carey - - - 11 Whyte—not out - - - 3 Symonds—b Carey - - - 0 Leg-byes, 7 ; byes, 30, wide balls, 2 39 123 THEATRE ROYAL. T Fawcett, c Welsh, j b Evaus . . j b Weaver - I ) R. Dale, run out - 0 b Weaver - - 0 South, b Evans - 7 Lb w, b Evans - 1 S Fawcett, c Evans, j b Weaver . . 2 b Evans - 0 j W. Carey, b Weaver 3 b Evans - - 4 Bush, b Weaver - 0 b Evans - - 0 Johnston, run out - 11 b Evans - - 6 Evelyn, l.b.w b Evans 0 b Weaver - - 0 Luke, b Evans - 0 not out - - 0 Haggard, not out - 0 c Welsh, b Weaver 2 Jo^ v C er C ! rrOll ' b o }bEvans - - 0 23 16 Byes, 2; wides, 2 - 4 Wide balls - 2 27 18 First innings - 27 45 U. C. Club—First innings - 123 78 to spare. On Monday, a person named Ashton, who we understand is a shanty-keeper about twelve miles from the Arrow, on the Dunstan road, had two narrow escapes through the deplorable lack of bridges in this district. The first took place at the Shotover ferry, through his horse striking a boulder on the fording-place, which brought him almost to his knees, and caused the rider to lose his scat. He clung, however, to the

horse's neck, thus thwarting, in a great measure, the efforts of the animal to save itself. The swiftly-running current nearly swept them both away, and it was not till after great struggling that they reached the opposite bank, both fearfully exhausted in their battle for life. The next accident occurred at Hayes Creek, the state of the bridge over (?) which we have already repeatedly drawn attention to. This man-trap is composed of scrub laid across a few poles, which are bent downwards by the weight of drays, etc., passing, so that four feet at least of water covers it, while beneath we are informed there is a depth of sixteen feet or so, with an unfathomable substratum of mud. The horse, at this notable crossing, got its feet entangled in the scrub, and not being able to extricate them, became frightened and struggled desperately, again almost unseating his unfortunate rider, whose life must have undoubtedly been sacrificed had he fallen into the stream. By dint of great exertion the horse managed to cross, after which it is to be hoped, no further mishap befell them. It is really disgraceful that the highway of traffic between the important townships of Queenstown and the Arrow should be left in so impassable a condition—rendering, as it does, a journey between the two places a matter of positive danger.