OTAGO.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XX, Issue 43, 18 May 1861, Page 4

OTAGO.

The nomination of candidates for the Superintendency of Otago took place at Dunedin on the 30th of April. Four candidates were proposed, namely, Messrs. Richardson, M 'Master, Macandrew, and Cutten, but the latter-named gentleman withdrew. The show of hands was in favour of Mr. Macandrew by a large majority, but a poll was demanded on the part of the other two candidates. The contest is likely to be a severe one. There has been a great rush of people to the newly discovered diggings on the river Lindis. The only really satisfactory account of this gold-field we have seen published is contained in a letter written by Mr. E. M'Glasban to the Otago Colonist. Mr. M'Glashan is a highly respectable merchant in Dunedin, who paid a visit to the Lindis for the express purpose of satisfying himself of the value of its gold-field. He says of it — The gold met with on the Hindis and Haweais both noggety and icaly j nuggets of the size of horse beans hate been found* Two men, Docherty and Falconer,

who have been working together for several weeks, assured me they had averaged over an ounce per day each. I believe, however, they had been the most successful up to that time. I noticed some large finds by sluice-washing ; at the same time others were not so successful. Never having been on a goldfield previously, I do not consider myself qualified in forming a correct judgment as to the value of the washings ; but Mr. Gibson, of Dunedin, who has had considerable experience on the Australian gold fields, and who was also on a visit to the diggings, informed me that he believed the field to be very rich, and would be easily worked, although he supposed uo large finds would be met with such as in Australia. He defined it " as a poor man's gold field."

Mr. M'Glashan says the character of the rock in the Lindis is a soft blue slate, plentifully intersected with small veins of quartz. He found about seventy-five diggers at work, on the 15th of April, but he is of opinion that the number on the diggings has since reached from 300 to 400. Mr. M'Glashan strongly advises intending diggers to delay their visit to the Lindis till next spring. The carriage of provisions there from Oamaru has already reached a ton ; and as many of those who had gone to search for gold were totally unprovided with the means of living, many had returned disappointed with their want of success.

A severe flood had taken place at Dunedin, which did considerable damage to property in the lower portions bt the town. In the southern parts of the province the effect of the heavy rains was also felt, the river Mataura having risen sixteen feet above its level in ordinary floods, and carried away the handsome bridge erected over it two years ago.

The abstract of the revenue and expenditure for the province for the half-year ended the 31st March last, gives an expenditure of 5690,672. Of this large sum, £12,403 was spent on immigration, £2,947 on education, on steam, a£10,940 on public buildings, on roads, and a large sum on other public works, surveys, &c. At the end of the half-year, however, the province was in debt to the Oriental Bank which, as land sales were about to be resumed on a large scale, would quickly be liquidated.

The following boundaries of the new province of Southland is from the Government Gazette : —

A line commencing at the mouth of the River Mataura, and continued along the right bank of the Mataura river, to its source in the Eyre Mountains, thence to the summit of Eyre Peak, thence in a southwesterly direction to the junction of the Windley with the Oreti or New river, thence due west to the River Waiau, thence along the left bank of the Waiau to the sea, thence by the coast line to the mouth of the Mataura.

who have been working together for several weeks, assured me they had averaged over an ounce per day each. I believe, however, they had been the most successful up to that time. I noticed some large finds by sluice-washing ; at the same time others were not so successful. Never having been on a goldfield previously, I do not consider myself qualified in forming a correct judgment as to the value of the washings ; but Mr. Gibson, of Dunedin, who has had considerable experience on the Australian gold fields, and who was also on a visit to the diggings, informed me that he believed the field to be very rich, and would be easily worked, although he supposed uo large finds would be met with such as in Australia. He defined it " as a poor man's gold field." Mr. M'Glashan says the character of the rock in the Lindis is a soft blue slate, plentifully intersected with small veins of quartz. He found about seventy-five diggers at work, on the 15th of April, but he is of opinion that the number on the diggings has since reached from 300 to 400. Mr. M'Glashan strongly advises intending diggers to delay their visit to the Lindis till next spring. The carriage of provisions there from Oamaru has already reached a ton ; and as many of those who had gone to search for gold were totally unprovided with the means of living, many had returned disappointed with their want of success. A severe flood had taken place at Dunedin, which did considerable damage to property in the lower portions bt the town. In the southern parts of the province the effect of the heavy rains was also felt, the river Mataura having risen sixteen feet above its level in ordinary floods, and carried away the handsome bridge erected over it two years ago. The abstract of the revenue and expenditure for the province for the half-year ended the 31st March last, gives an expenditure of 5690,672. Of this large sum, £12,403 was spent on immigration, £2,947 on education, on steam, a£10,940 on public buildings, 5616,949 on roads, and a large sum on other public works, surveys, &c. At the end of the half-year, however, the province was in debt to the Oriental Bank which, as land sales were about to be resumed on a large scale, would quickly be liquidated. The following boundaries of the new province of Southland is from the Government Gazette : — A line commencing at the mouth of the River Mataura, and continued along the right bank of the Mataura river, to its source in the Eyre Mountains, thence to the summit of Eyre Peak, thence in a southwesterly direction to the junction of the Windley with the Oreti or New river, thence due west to the River Waiau, thence along the left bank of the Waiau to the sea, thence by the coast line to the mouth of the Mataura. The " Menage " System. — In the Newcastle County Court, a few days ago, a menage draper, named Mackeand, sued a joiner, named Gibson, living in Gibson-street, for £2. When the case was called, the defendant's wife appeared, and, in answer to the Judge, J. B. Dasent, Esq., "If her husband hud sent her," she said her husband knew nothing of the transaction, and had never received the summons. On being pressed, she said that she had never told her husband of the debt, and was afraid to give him the summons. The Judge at once ordered the case to be adjourned until the next day, and ordered the woman to bring her husband. On the case being called the following day, the plaintiff said he had discovered an error in respect of 10s. which he had not credited defendant with. The" error had occurred in transferring the account from one book to another. The Judge lectured plaintiff severely on the careless mode of keeping his books, as but for the circumstance of the husband not having got the summons coming to the knowledge of the court, the defendant in all probability would have had an injustice done him. The case then proceeded, and io going over the various items of the account, one was for a cashmere shawl, charge £ 1 os. The Judge inquired of defendant what his average earnings were; on being informed about 16s. per week, his Honour said that a cashmere shawl was an article quite unsuited to the position in life of the defendant's wife, and that she had no right to pledge her husband's credit for such an article. The husband said he had never seen the shawl, and the woman said she had sold it for eight shillings. His Honour severely censured the system of giving credit I to the wives of working men without the knowledge of their husbands, and said he would not allow the claim for the shawl, and the judgment would be for five shillings. The plaintiff inquired if he had any remedy against the wife. The Judge said he had not in law. On the parties leaving the court the Judge called the woman back, and informed her that if she continued these practices she might find herself placed some day before the Recorder. If she obtained goods from tradesmen, leading them to believe that she had her husband's authority, she might be tried for obtaining goods under false pretences* and sentenced to two years' imprisonment.— English Paper.