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Otago Daily Times, Issue 319, 27 December 1862, Page 4

The athletic and other games at the Commercial Hotel, are to be continued to-day, commencing at 10 o'clock. A meeting of the Dunedin Eifle Association is announced to tnn_e place on Monday evening, at the Shamrock Hotel, at half-past 8 p.m. The Hawke's Bay Times, of the 16th, says :— "On Saturday last an old man named Ruka was found dead in his whare at Tamumu, by another native named Tukukai. The body bore some marks of violence, and it was suspected that the man had been murdered. An inquest upon the body was subsequently held, which, in the absence of sufficient evidence, resulted in an open verdict. The affair, afc first, caused some excitement among the natives." The Legislature .of Victoria are about considering a motion, by Mr M'Gregor, having for its object the placing on the 'Supplementary Estimates for 18G3, of the sum of £25,000 for water supply to the gold fields, and the completion of works in connection therewith. .y■ . - - From a private correspondent we Jtave some interesting particulars respecting the Nokomai and adjacent diggings. The Nokomai is stated to be almost deserted for the new diggings at Like Wakatip, and there are not more than about 130 miners at present working. An increase, however, is anticipated, as the men at work are doing _ very well. Our informant states that he saw six pennyweights to the tin dish washed from a claim on a small terrace above the Nokomai ; River, but the diggers are so infatuated with the new rushes that they will not stay to give anyplace & trial. The diggings at Switzer's GuUy, called " Poverty GuUy" hythe miners, are not turning;.out as well as the Nokomai. The groundis yeiypatchy ; and limited as far as at present discovered, but there arc some likely looking flats a few miles up the creek not prospected as yet. The miners are leaving " Poverty Gully" and going to the Wakatip where everyone is doing well. One man brought in 40 ounces to Rees* station on Thursday week, and said he obtained it with a .tin dish in one day and a-half, and this style of things is not uncommon. A miner informed our correspondent that' a mate of his was walking up the Arrow and saw gold in the river. He stripped and took seven aid a-kalf ounces in coarse nuggets out with h s hands. Provisions arc stated to have been very scarce, especially flour, but supplies were coming to hand. . The conduct ot Mr Rees tothe miners is highly, extolled; he appears to have sparedjicither trouble noi'ex pense to render the position of the miners as comfortable as possible. He has generally about 7 to 800 miners about his homestead: Our formant says there is quite a township >on thesouth end of the Lake. by/Trqttgr'sj stores springing up and apoulation of abbutlOO. Tlie Southland people have established aa escort whicbr arrived at the Lake oa tho 18th»

\~' We notice-that a meeting of the •' German, j Association" is to be held -at the Excelsior .Cate, j next the Theatre Hotel, on Mondi^eyening next;, for the purpose of forming a " Qyjipi^siuin and' Liedertafei." ' ' '" V \ '" We received information last night that thepunfc at the Molyneux Ferry has been again rendered unserviceable. ,The new wire cable was found to be eighty yards too short, and had to be spliced, hut afterwards broke on"Thursday night. AfcttieK time of the accident, the punt was filled witli" bnW kicks which had to be swam ashore. . Cobb's horses had to be sent across swimming yesterday morning, and the traffic is for the present suspended. The Home News says:—"ln consequence of the recently increasing prevalence of leprosy—the. genuine leprosy of the Middle Ages—in several of our West Indian possessions, the Duke of Newcastle has ordered an inquiry co be instituted into the circumstances connected with the existence of this distressing malady throughout all the colonies. His Grace applied, in the first instance, to the College of Physicians for advice as to the best means of carrying out the investigation, and with this view the college drew up a series of interrogatories, so framed as to obtain, from.the replies of medical and other well-informed persons in the colonies, the most instructive and valuable information." In the last General Government Gazette appeared a despatch from the Duke of Newcastle relating to this subject, and a number of interrogatories were submitted for the consideration of the medical profession in this colony.