AUCKLAND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 362, 17 February 1863, Page 5

AUCKLAND.

Cfeoji oob own correspondent.') February 6 th, 1863

The receipt of favorable intelligence here by the ss. Queen, whiih arrived from your city on the 3rd inst, appears to bz agiin exercising its attractive influence on the minds of our diggers and floating population,-an I'will doubtless conduce to a large exodus of person* on the first, available opportunity. The depressing effects arising from the non-success of the machinery on Kevens' reef, in extracting gold from the quartz submitted- ,to,, the test, and a lull in the excitement generated by, the finding of exceedingly rich specimens, has manifestly tended to prepare the diggers' minds for the receipt of startling intelligence from other and more favored auriferous districts, and it is to be feared will again most materially reduce the limits of our gold field, by the departure of experienced diggers to your province. Of. this latter class we have never been iavored with a superabundance : and in the present state oi affairs the loss of a few cannot be otherwise than seriously felt in all prospecting operations which may have been originated and zealously carried on for some time past. Although I have not heard of any wondrously rich finds , being made 3ince my last communication, I am yet in a'position to report that satisfactory pickings have been yielded by sever il newly, opened chima, and the older and better tested have continuetV'to give encouraging results. On Saturday last, 1 in <.No 15 creckclaitn, under, the management of Mr Gribble, a nsw lode was struck, and

fronv which^2(i-1b tW3eighfcVV-'Tic^S>^P^CW'|.enßl were taken. Oil discontinniiig'work- the lode is repotted tohave presented an equally ricli .appearance as when first discovered. In No 5 reef claim a quantity of quartz crushed the other day yielded 38 lbs troy.weight of gold ; 25 lbs of very rich quartz,was : taken. out of the, same claim a few,, days later. Gold has been found hi Messrs Talbot, Bergin, and Bonn's claim, (south of J. Jones's) iri continuation of Murphy's reef line. Three leaders were jdjscovered running into one masi at the bo|tpm of the shaft,-'.; and' from several tests wliic|i have 'since been applied to the quartz it h'as:Jbeen found that the whole formation is rich* in, gold. From' "Messrs ' Woallam and "Havill's reef on Bishop's Point a prospect hn recently,been tested and which yieldedl an average'-if about four-grain's of gold to; 2ilbs of quartz. I also hear that rich specimens hVve been taken from" the .YYTaiau, in a creek ciiim'beihcr worked for Messrs Woollam and ,'Havill. ( Air ; Cole * continues." energetically " pushing on his two shafcsV; the oritV hiri^e'st "I* , the Hill, fibwappears tobsabout 90. feet • . thif iowerone near the tunnel, about GOieet. . He is.ejcpec.ii.ig t'.» strike iti the latter shaft the '•liriterous.leider lie found', some' time ago ia ttie tunnel. ,A«erieral mpetin^ of the ■shareholders in'KevenV Reef Gold, Mining Company was to, have been held on Monday afternoon, February 2n,l,but owing to the sudden, illni-sj of the gentleman who' .had undertaken the duty of preparing the report and statern.'nt df'accouiit-i, it waij found impossible to piepare a report which could be considered as showing a full statement of the position of the company by the hour of meeting, and consequently a; preliminary meeting only ,w ■$ held. Tne, company, it will be rememberifd, was formed with limited liability, and air the shares haying b*en paid up (without any very 'satisfactory return) it, became necessary to c'onsiderVhether the affairs, of the company should, be wound .up,','or determine to subscribe a few. pounds more per share with the yie'V of prosecuting further l-e'searchea' into tho reef formation claimed by the'company. Tne crushing b t the machinery hud hot yielded gold in* payable quantities; and the directors, were anxious, to release themselves of their trust and hand over the management of the plant to other directors to be appointed, by the meeting... "A very general feeling appeared to be entertained tnat the feet had not been thoroughly twted, and the advisability'ofeack shareholder contributinj; L 4 p.'r share was urged. The decision ultimatelya'rived nt was to adjourn the meeting for a iortnight until a report could bs prepjuvd, and no further 'proceedings be taken in the meantime"respecting working "of the machine •or coiitiriuance of prospecting. The machine was stated t6 he incomplete working order and perfect, so far as a machine could be, with the ejeceprioh of a"defect in the ripple boxes. The; hole's in the wire g-iuze Wdre nut fine enough. A crushing recently made for M.. lirackenbury,' wnose eliim appears to be a continuation of the same reef, yielded only a few pennyweights of gold] It is stated, but I cannot say with what truth, that Mr Hartley the explorer and discoverer of the Dunttan diggings is now at Corotnandel investigating the quartz resources there, and that he appjars to hi a perfect connoisseur. So far he is reported to have baen greatly astonished at the wealth of gold to be met with in the leaders.

A rumor was rife in town on Monday last that King Potatau Matuitere had arrived in Auckland, on Friday or Saturday, on a visitto his Excellency the Governor, and attended by two of his council, and that on the invitation ot hi 9 Exc liency they had proceeded with him to the island of Kawau. . It appears however, to have been a case of mistaken identity; the parties being chiefs only, of somj consideration in the Waikato country^ one being named Ta Kerei, a son of Paratene. We have also had a canard floating about that Thomson the King nviker was on his.way to Auckland, a week or so, a*o, but thia also turned out untrue. From Wanganui ;>a correspsndent writes to the Daily Southern Cro*s giving the particulars of more thefts by natives in that settlement. He nays ."two or three weeks ago, Hone (brother of Mohi the cow thief,) stole two fat pigs, the property of Mr Robert Scott, near Tumatarau, Wangarei river: Thethree pigs were seen by Mr Scott and his family about two hours before feeding time* and .on being called ..did:.not)come a* usual-for "their milk, with which, they were regularly fed twice a day. Mr Scott at t once started in search, but could find no'trace of them that evening. On Saturday .morning, aboutSa.m, Mr Scott went to his .neighbour, Mr ■D. Hay, to consult with him about the missing pigs; and in accordance with the advice received, proceeded to the top. of a hill on-Mr Scott's property,and atpncejdiscovered traces of a fire in.>a gully, in Mr Hay's bush, at the back of Mr S3ott's property. *Mr v Scott i nmediately ran. to where he-saw, the smoke, and came right on the top of the,marauders, hard at\work killing and singeing two of the stolen pigs. Scott at once identified the pig, and found that the natives had defaced his marks and substituted their own. At this stage tuepigs hadall their hair on, and.there was no trouble in recognising theni. " The natives persisted in flaying the carcases so as to obliterate the proof. Mr Scott then tossed one of his pigs off the fire, but the other was immediately substituted.- in its place, and as Mr Scott again tossed off his pig also Hone struck I him twice with his fist. Mr Scott then started for Mr Hay, telling the natives to leave the pigs as they were till Mr S. and Mr H. would return. On their return, however, which was with haste, they found the pigs cleaned and cut up in pic»33. The head of one, however, was still on the ground, and part of Mr' Scott's murk visible on the portion of the 'right ear not cut off, The part cut off must have been eaten by the dogs, three of which were standing by, eating any little piece they might obtain. Hone struck Mr Scott twice in the sight and presence of Mr Hay, while Mr Scott was calling his attention to his mark still visible on the head. Mr Soott and Mr Hay were therefore obliged to leave the head of the pig, as the natives woull not allow them to touch it when they saw wh.it was wanted with it. Those two gentlemen, not wishing to take the law into their own hands, considered it best to return home quietly; no doubt admiring their enviible position as British subject* on their own property. This is not the'first time that lloue has tried his hand on Mr Scott*s pigs, and on that of other' white men. Informations are properly laid in this case."

A friend writing from Waipa informs me that disturbances (of a slight nature certainly) are occurring weekly amongst the Kingmtives resident there, and should they only continue possibly some of them may break oif their allegiance to the king, or be expelled. > Such a result has been often hinted at. He further says " the truth of my prediction which . have more than once made known to you, that by stopping all communication'with the nativee, thereby depriving them of the necessaries for their comfort, good woiild come, is becoming- more.fully verified everyday. I 'need scarcely observe that the gr.eat majority uphere-are-halt .naked, and what'few are at all decently clad are those who carry the mail between.thig and Auckland;" r JFrom this state of things,'. Patene has repeatedly' made applications to have the mail reiustated again, south from1 this]-which-they so unceremoniously Wize'u' some time back/and -refused toallow it to pass Kihi Kihi. Also my old friend (W&-

tone) Watson, of Waipa road notoriety, has now said that he will allow the road to be made between Waipa and Waitctuna, provided Wiremu Nero" has nothing to do in the work this sidti Waitetuna; so it is quite clear to me as well as every one else in this district, what effect deprivation would have on the natives. In fact it has been acknowledged by the natives themselves to nic, although perhaps unwillingly. --.■'..

Tlie second runanga has been held.at Omui Valley, Mangonui, and the result mi"' lie stated briefly as evidencing a determinnijonto introduce industrinlschools, and which will ue conducted similarly to those now in ope ation at the Waimate. Three separate schjols will be established, one at Wangaroa, one at Ahipara, and the third at Taipa. Mr.' Gorst is said to be about to start a newspaper in the Waikato, to counteract the Maori paper, the Hohice. Hokioe is a bird; and Mr Gorst will call his the Petoitoi moke moke—the "Lonely Swallow." The industrial School at Gtawhao is said to be a failure so far ; only about 15 boys having been in at- , tendance, about half whom were half castes. They were well fed; clothed and taught—four tradesmen being employed to instruct them, namely, a blacksmith, carpenter, shoemaker, and tailor. The Government have undoubtedly gone to great expense in making improvements and additions in the school, but apparently without appreciation by those for whom they were intended—the natives. No" further proceedings have been taken regarding the alleged homicide on board the tarque Nightingale during her passage from San Francisco to this port. The sailors on' ■board have entered their protest against the truth of the statement inserted in the log; and were ready to prove the mis-statements, could they obtain a hearing. This, however, they could not get. The Resident Magistrate •was powerless to take any proceeding in the matter, and the United States Consul having gone: to sea in a whaler for three months, no enquiry could be instituted. The second mate has likewise denied the truthfulness of the entry in the log ; and given his version of the affair in a letter forwarded to one'of our daily papers. /.; V . The Auckland Fire Brigade has* come to an inglorious termination. At a meeting held on the 26th January, to receive replies from the Provincial Government, the - City Board of Works, and the Insurances .Offices of the city, in answer to applications for aid in the" upholding of the Brigade, these were deemed so unsatisfactory that a general feeling' was evinced of a: desire to disband the Brigade, and disbanded it was accordingly. We are now in the happy position of being without any Fire Brigade, with a very insufficient water supply; and the breaking-out of any conflagration at this critical juncture would place the whole city in imminent peril of destruction.. .'

Our City Board still continues in existence, and the members appear zealous to be present at the several meetings, and 'adjourned meetings which are continuously held. The semblance of power is thus so far maintained ; bnt thepayment of the wages of " the two men upon the streets," with receiving reports from the engineer, appear to be the only business transacted. The Provincial Law Officer states that be is engaged in drafting an Amended Town Board Bill, and ha 3 applied to the Chairman of the Board to be favored ■with any suggestions as to the difficulties arising from the working of the present act, in order to ensure as complete a measure as possible. Strange to say, however, the Chairman and the other members of the Board appear very unwilling to supply any information," designate the application as a trap —consider the Provincial Law Officer a slippery customer, and that the Board should be very cautious in having any correspondence with him. So the letter was ordered to lie upon the table. ■ ■

Another shark was captured in the harbor near the wharf about ten days ago. It was evidently a young one. Upon being measured, the following result appeared :—Length, 8 feet 11 inches; circumference of body, 5 feet ; circumference of head, 3 feet 8 inches. It possessed only two rows of teeth. . The twenty-third anniversary of the colony —the 29th January—-was celebrated in a most successful manner—the holding of the regatta, the Horticultural Society's Exhibition, fete at the lake on tbe north shore, and balls, &c, in the evening. The weather proved most auspicious; - and business being entirely suspended, the day was given up to the enjoyment of the amusements offered for the edification of the public. ' . : -. Business in the city, from whatever cause arising, appears at present to be of a very quiet character. The sales by auction, taken on the whole, have not been spirited nor very extensive; bidding somewhat sluggish. I trust on the despatch of niy next communication I may have a more satisfactory report to forward in this respect.