OTAGO.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 138, 22 April 1864, Page 4

OTAGO.

Tiu: Wksi.kvax C'hvhcH.—A ton meeting was J hold at the Wesleynn Church Inst night, upon the I occasion of the Iter, Mr. H.-mling- leaving his present j churjru to proceed to WtJlinsrtoii. A very lurye I uumbur of the congregation a:>soiiibk<d to bill their ' pastor farewell. A pliitmrm was erected nt the, end j i.l' the Church—which was occupied by the Rev. Mr. ' Sruart (in the chair), Tic-v. Mr. Ounnebee, Res-. Mr. ; .Smith, JU-v. Mr. I'arsons, ami lb.; ftev. Mr. Hiudiiitf. ' Alter tea, addresses wvie delivered by tin! iWs. | Si unit. Connohee, and Parsons, and Thomas I)ick, ; l\s<;„ l'm'-inciul Secretary. l>uriiii; the nmw nt I cveni'iitr, Mr. Alcorn, on" behalf of' the ladies con- ; iicctcd with til.. cuiitfirpilioii, presented thi: Kev. ; Mr. 1 Taiilintr with a very handsnine dressing ease ! and a valuable silver tea service*, and Mr. Shaw, on j behalf of the yent lemon of theconerosjation presented j Mr. Hardin;.' with a handsome isiblc. These were I accompanied by « testimonial inscribed upon pareh- I nient, containing an expression nf the deep regret 1 101 l by the colore", ition at the loss whieh they Mis- i taiued by the removal of their pastor, and also nf ! their lecard /or Mr. llai.liii", and the estimation in j Which he «•:,, hej.l bv those anion- whom lie had labored in this city. 'Mr. Hardin- spoke at some] leneth, thanking the member.- of the chinch fur | their handsome pw.-wit. and for the imilurm kind- ; nos.s with which he had been treated duiiny his stav : in Piuiedin. At tin- conclusion of t| ( e proceedings a ' number of the eimojee-ation bade Mr. Hardin- • and family farewell. We understand that the Kev. gentleman and fin nil v will leave for the new scene uf j his labors by the ' 1 h.ebe,' this day. He leavebehind him a circle nf friends who re-let hi* re- j

innval, mill we .sincerely tm.-t That- ho will bo j,s eminently successful in AV.-llintrti-'ti sis ho hits been in this city. - liuilii Trlyrti/j/i, April 7. Tin: Dt nstax UisTiiirrs.—We extract the followin- interesting item- iVi.m the JJu,,xl„,> Ti.nt-x, which we give in addition lo our own correspondent's letter published in another place in our column.-, l! is not iinp.-obable, should the weather continue favoui-übic, ilml I lu- ncvt will be greatly in excess ul'the returns brought down yesterday afternoon :--" 'Hit- new rush at the Deep Chilly, distant about six miles from the township, is turning out reuuirkuh'y well. The coursu of the creek Ims been turned for » distance of nearly two miles, all tin.' bed of wliich is now bring wrought. In parts their is very little wnsh-ilirt, merely u gravelly ileposit in the crevices of the ruck while hi others it varies from uue to two feet. The gold obtained here is very coarse mid nuggoty, uiueli the mine ns that obtained sit Campbell's, and entirely iliil'erent in either quality or texture to unv fouud in the vicinity of the Serpentine Vallev. At Golden, Crinoline, mill German Jock's Gullies, the population is very much scattered, hut all appear to be working steadily, and appear satisfied with the gains. The race party mv pushing ulieutl famous] V, mid have nearly ihree miles of (heir work complete, fliev intend erecting « good substantial hut. and laying in a slock of provUions. so as to stand out the winter if possible, which here is verv sevei-e, on account of the altitude of the workings., which oceupv | almost the highest point of the Kcugh Kidgc. A . line of snow poles on the road to Drunken Woman's I Creek, would he u meat udumtagc lo the inhabitants i and, perhaps, he the iiieans of saving life, now that 1 the winter ii fu.it approaching, us on'iv on Tuesday ; week hist, the ground was covered with snow to the I depth of six inches, and trail!,- for the space of 21 ; hours, entirely suspended on account of the fog tliat | aecompauied the storm. The Molyneux continues to ; fall steadily, and keeps up its old rate of decrease— : about tour inches perpendicular in twentv-fourhours I —daily hiving bare a iurjic amount of beach. Dingers | from all quarter.- are fast pouring in, and those places. | once famous for the possession of countless ounces of the precious metal, but which have been deserted for so many months, are union assuming a husv uppearunee, and we have little doubt that ere long'the banks oi our noble river will again be the home of a large population, who, if nppearunees prove true, will not be disappointed this season in their "olden expectations. From till quarters miners are wending their way lo this neighbourhood, and we think they are perfectly right in doing so, as in less than a week, siiould the present favourable weather continue, the water will hare subsided to as low a level as ut anytime last season. We are also happy to say thut there is room enough for all comers "to get claims. No one. need be scared by rumours—industriously circulated in far-oil' districts—that all the ground is taken up by parties on the spot. U'e can assure them that such is not the case, and that were all the niniers in Otago assembled on the bunks of the .Molyneux, no single individual would be disappointed'in not obtaining a claim. — lOitl. AMONO THE DniLKI.AY KKS.—The. ffl'ocls of Trades' Unions are beginning: to show themselves ill DmiL-ihn. Bricklayer., are off.-red l,v contractors and employers the lnuuilicent wages of" lon. per .lay of eight hour.-, but the men, many of them, rofu.su to accept worli under 17s. Then- 'is an incipient .strike, a tew working-and the rest holding out. What the result will be ,s not difficult t„ gmvs at. if we m.-.v judge by what has followed ~i, similar strikes in the aU]oining colonies. The liaisons' strike is well remembered, and by none more keenly than the masons themselves, when they held out for Ids. per day. and succeeded in obtaining- it, to K ether with many arbitrary ],rivi!eges. Tbe consequence was, that m n rom adjoining and distant colonies flocked over, seeking employment at the high rates then ruling, when ultimately the market, became over stocked, and this class are now- receiving a lower rat.: of wa-.-s than any braneh of the meehanies' art. It is, ot iWur.se, quite optional lor wnikmen to ask ! wn.-it rate o| pay tn. y in iv think their services are | worth, and to reliise to work for less if they think j

pi..per; but it is not lor them to prevent others in She aaiin: trade to J.-t tlji-iiis.-lv.-s out for hire at anv rate of lemun.-i-alioii tliev mav choose to accept. Intimi.lalioii must not, ami the law will not allow i[ to he attempted, and thi-, is what, if we are- correctlv informed, has been, and is likely („ be the ease here. If the bricklayers consult their' best interests, thev wdl give up ~11 idea of a general strike with such 'a high rate <..f wages offered them. Thev mav feel quite assured that the emplovers in a short time will be able to obtain ail tin; hands thev require, at even a much lower rate than las. a',lav. The lad of | contractors bavin- public.lv advertised lV.i- men at I j such wages, will of it. S flf brine; numbers into the j market, but when it in known that a large body of j men are on strike, the inducement to come to this j province wiil be still ."reaier. We believe this ill- ■ advised movement is owing to the agitation of two or ; three men, to whom no wages which could be offered j I would be satisfactory. Those are the |„>|» which | exist among all classes of mechanics,—men who ; prefer to "sponge" upon their fellow workmen, and j make them dissatisfied with their lot, in preference j to pursuing- honest labour. We are sure that as a body the bricklayers do not de.-ire to hold out; but I there is, unlorlunatoly, a sort of esprit de corjj.i I among working bodies which makes it u grave ' offence not to follow in Die wake of others, however ; objectionable to their interests that thev should do I so. Should the strike become general, it will cause no more inconvenience than a temporarv stoppage- to one or two large works in /.mi/;;; j April I. ! Tin: Waihola Gold Fieli..— The latest accounts I from this newly-discovered gold Held inform us that 1 more than one hundred person* wexc-ut work, making ! satisfactory earnings; and that, should the workings j Haw being Jittcnipleu on the sides of the gully ami j the spurs prove successful, there will be room for a I much linger population. Until, however, something I positive is known on- this latter subject.we cannot. ! advise those- who may be on the look-out for new ! Holds to make a rush to the Waihola, as the present | population is reported to be quite as gieat as the (lis- j covci-K.'s nitheno made will afford room for. The j situation ot trie diggings is behind Mary Hill, on I land inimodiat-dy adjoining. The sinking is fr. m ! live to ten ree.t. From all accounts we think there is j ■ reasonable hope tnat this discov.-rv will prove of some importance, ind being readilv accessible and j : near to sources of supply, the Waihola lield mav yet i ' prove a valuable winter diggings if not n new''!ua- I ] pvka.—lbid. ' I ,

SIR CHARLES CLIFFORD AND GOVERNOR BROWNE. Tun Cornwall Chronicle (Tasmania) publishes a letter originudy addressed to the editor of the IFi-ei-li/ Jit-ifixlc-r by Sir Charles Clifford in reply to the uocusation tliut Governor Browne had forcibly deprived the natives of lands which were fairly and justly their own. The writer having been a Wellington settler, representative of this city in the General Assembly, and a member of the parly of which Dr. Eeafhcrsfnn was the acknowledged chief, our readers may perhaps he curious to know what he has to sav on this subject. Al'i.-r .-jic.tuiug in hiurh terms of Governor Hrowne's character mid eomiuct, and relating the proceeding- which led to (lie war at Tarauaki, whicli are fniiiiliar to our renders, he notices the abandonment of tho Wailara by Sir George tin v, and observes : — '• His reasons are not before the public, ll is much feared that it is one of those concessions to expediency which have impressed the natives witli a I false idea of their su eriority. This police which j had formerly been carried to a •treat extent, is be--1 lieved to be the real cause of tho present most eatamij tons war. it is the opinion of many of those hist ; üble to judge, that had Governor Browne's policy j been ably supported mid fully carried out, the present I outbreak would never have occurred, and the native 1 race would have been saved from that extermination i whicli now seems to be their fate. I might huve 1 gone into greater detail, but 1 must have said enough I ', to prove the injustice of the chaise, and to clear the ; character of an absent man, whose career in Xew i Zealand I had an opportunity of wulehing. and wlc.se j firmness in itpho'ding the honor of his country, logci get tier with his extreme solicitude to do more than j justice to the native race, has in some quarters not j met with the appreciation that was his due. I may say one word for the colonists of New Zealand. Au'v | one who will lake the trouble- to look at. the Act's 1 passed by the General Assembly of Ihe Colony, and j notice the large sums v.ned on the ' Estimates" for : peaceful native purpose.-, will certainly not accuse | I licin i>f wi-biug either to oppress or exterminate tbe i '■"•'<'•" ! j In the opinion, then, of Sir Charles Olitlbrcl had I I Covemoi lSrowiic's policy been ably supported and j i lully carried out, instead of having been violently | opposed, tlic present war would noi have taken place. j ll was t lit- conduct of I lie pcace-ai-auv-priee-party, ! | which lias caused the present struggle, nud it will Ac i 1/,-ir virtuiurt ,fh:,-h j.-///,.„,..„. tin- r.vii-nniunliun ufthc ' i Mmn-i ,-(,rf.~li-fl/i„,,/„,> Ailvfi-tht;: April 11. I