Lake Wakatip Mail. QUEENSTOWN, WEDNESDAY, FEB 5, 1873.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 743, 5 February 1873, Page 2

Lake Wakatip Mail. QUEENSTOWN, WEDNESDAY, FEB 5, 1873.

We are authorised to state that, as soon as the necessary arrangements can be competed, this journal will again be issued as a bi-weekly, fuller notice of which will be given it an early date.

A letter from " Progress" having been received too late for this issue, will appear in our next.

'1 he escort, in charge of Sergeant Bullen, took down on Friday the followiug quantities of gold: —From Queenstown, 2,''73 ounces; Arrowtown, 916 ounces; and C'ardrona, 566 ounces, making a total of 3,507 ounces of gold. The Dunedin Echo lends currency toanow dit that Mr Fish has commenced an action for libel against (>ur daily contemporary the Times. Nothing like law for vindication of character and conduct. The National Bank of New Zealand, limited, has issued a preliminary notice- The capital is tobe£2,)oo,OOOiu2<HOt)Oslnires of £lO each. The tirst issue of 100,000 is out, one-third of which is reserved for tliecolouies, and the other two-thirds has been allotted in England.

The next session of the New Zealand Parliament is called for the loth April next. What was considered a pretty strong earthquake passed under Queenstown at a quarter to nine o'c ock on Friday evening. A remarkably distinct rumbling noise was heard for a short period before and during its occurrence, and it lasted longer than is usually the case wi h such p lenomeua. The direction was apparency west to cast.

The Commissioner of Stamps notifies that a penalty of £SO may be imposed on persons circulating Australian Bank notes in iSew Zealand without paying the duty thereon. An inquest was held at Goodwin's Post Office Hotel, Maori Point, on Monday last, before H. A. Stratford, Esq., coroner, and a jury of twelve, touching the death of one Gordon Smith, late of luvercargill, and a shoemaker by trade. The deceased, who had been missing since the previous Tuesday, was found on Sunday near the river, in a sitting posture, against a rock, and among fern or scrub. Ihe deceased was well known Lo be fond—too fond of his glass ; and, from the evidence, it would appear he was none the better for what he bad taken previous to his disappearance. A. post mortem examination was made by Dr Scott. The jury returned a verdict that deceased died of exhaustion, from the effects of dyseutery, brought on by excessive drinking. It is our painful duty to record the occurrence, on Friday afternoon, of a fire at Lake Hayes, on the farms of Messrs W. T. Marshall and W. Paterson. Both farmers were engaged reaping at the time. An inquiry touching its origin was held on Saturday, before H A. Stratford, Esq., coroner, anU twelve jurymen (Mr F. Evans, foreman.) Mr Turtou appeared as solicitor for Mr Paterson. After t><e jury had viewed the scene of the disaster, the following witnesses were examined : —W. T. Marshall, W. Paterson, Patrick Lyons, ana Peter M'Queen. From the evidence, it appeared that the machine had been stopped a short time, and, after proceeding a few yards,' one of the binders noticed the fire eight paces d;stant, at the spot where the machine had stopped, or perhaps slightly between the spot and machine. 'I he fire must, therefore, have broken <'Ut directly after work had recommenced. None of the witnesses could account fur the conflagration, and none of them were smoking, although one of them admitted having matches in his pocket, one of which might have fallen out and become ignited on the ground. Tie fire had a good hold when discovered, and, before it could be checked, reached a boundary fence, which it rapidly passed through, and caught a partially unripe portion of Mr Paterson's crop, fiere it -passed on like wildfire, and the smoke and strong heat prevented iny ne approaching to stay the conflagration; From the standing crop, the fire ran along the stubble, burning all before it—sheaves and partly built slacks. So rapid was the destruction that we understand there was the greatest difficulty in pre venting Mr Paterson's horses and machine from being burnt, The fire originated in a corner of Mr Marshall's field, and, fortunately for him, blew directly on to the farm of his m<>re unfortunate neighbor. Some three acres of the forirer gentleman's orop was destroyed ; while the latter is a sufferer to the amount of about 3,000 bushels of wheat. The jury returned an open verdict. Mr Marshall estimates bis loss at some £l2, and Mr Paterson at £650. \