Head of the Lake.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 1811, 20 March 1891, Page 3

Head of the Lake.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) March 12, 1891

What has been one of the most unseasonable summers ever experienced in this district has come to a close. It has been one continuation of cold, wet, disagreeable weather, and following, as it did, a remarkably bad spring, the effect upon crops of all kinds has been any tiling but favoraiile. The harvest will be, in most cases, nearly six weeks later thau last year, and although the crops are generally heavy, great difficulty will be found in saving them unless the autumn, or, rather, the first of the winter, is very favourable. For turnips and potatoes a great deal depends on the autumn especially the former crop, which, although very backward, will be a fair one in most cases, given an open autumn, without frost or too much lain. The severe spring and summer have told severely on both the pasto! ai and agricultural portion of our community. Lambing, except on the sheltered flats, was nearly a failure, and on account of the incessant bleaching sh£ep were exposed to f> r so many months, the clip was in many cases both inferior and light. Farming work of every kind was retarded to such an extent that, in many cases, not much over the half of the intended crop was got in, and that too late, so that only for the very seusible aid extended by the late Government, the poor settler would have been in a sorry plight. The tourist season, in spite of inclement weather, seems to have been fairly good here, if one is to judge by numbers. There is no doubt that the more the varied beauties and the sublime grandeur of our health giving locality become known, the greater the number of visitors we will have every year. With such a programme to choose from as the E&rnslaw glaciers, Lennox Falls, Lake Harris, Diamond Lake, etc., and, with competent guides to be liad to any of these masterpieces of Nature's grandest handiwork, the tourist traffic is bound to increase yearly. On dit, while speaking of guides, I will relate an incident which will show how foolish it is for those unacquainted with the country to attempt to do any of our "lions " without a competent guide. A party of four—three ladies and a gentleman—visited Lake . Harris, intending to return the same dav. Having no idea of the difficulty or the length of the road—and forgetting that a mile in bush or mountain track does not mean a mile where " M'Adam " and civilization are known —they foun 1 themselves overtaken by night in the bush, and completely lost the track. Mr Grant, the manager of Houteburn station (who had seeu them pass in the morning, and knew of their intention to return) with characteristic thoughtfuluess, went in search of them after dark and found them all forlorn and completely " bushed." Under his able leadership they reached the- station about ten o'clock, and although the ladies were no doubt a little frightened they soon recovered under Mr Grant's kindly hospitality, and were not a the worse, but I have no doubt that, only for Mr Grant's thoughtfuluess, the party, to say the least of it, would (iot have spent a pleasant night. There is nothing exciting in matters mineral. There has been uo word from the Dart since the miners went up after the holidays, as the mode of getting to that locality (I will not say track, for there is none) is so bad that no one attempts it unless driven by necessity. I see by your report of the County Council meeting that £'2oo had been granted to open up the Dart, and was immediately afterwards cancelled when the new Ministry came into power. Now, with all due deference to the preseut Minister of Mines, I think—and many more here think—he ought to have first enquired whether the rnonejf so granted would have been a benefit to the country, and had he done so I do not think he would have cancelled the grant, for surely the fact that the opening up of the Dart would give a living to one hundred men is argument sufficient for the expenditure of so small a sum. Horan, Johnston, and Ford are busy erecting a very expensive plant of irou piping for sluicing —the first of the kind that has been used in this district. More power to them say I. Their claim is undoubtedly a good one, and I hope they will get the gold in bucketfuls, for energy such as theirs deserves success. Work at the Invincible is stopped at present, pending the erection of pumping machinery. Mr J. H. Forsyth, an old settler at Kinloch, was lately united in the matrimonial bands to a Miss Deans. Some few years ago Mr Forsyth lost h's wiife, who died rather suddenly ; and it is no doubt still green in the memory of your readers, that he hail the sad misfortune, through the recent disas-

troil3 Im>;>t accident, to lose two strapping sons and a aughti.r-lhe lattef an admirable housekeeper to tin family, which is still rather numerous. Under tli.-se circumstances Mr Forsyth has apparently shewn a discreet regard for the living without any disrespect to the departed.