THE DUNSTAN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 788, 27 June 1864, Page 5

THE DUNSTAN.

(FROM OUa OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Dunstan, 24th June. The weather still continues excessively cold, and with the exception of about four or five hours in the middle of the day, it freezes incessantly. The river still continues to go down rapidiy, the streams from the mountains are daily diminishing in volume, and appearance; unmistakably indicate that the present will be a most favorable season for the working of the highly auriferous beach claims on the river Molyneuz. «. meeting of ths shrvr;hoWers ia the For tuna Mining Association will be held in the course of a few liays for the purpose of devising the best means for the raising of funds sufficient to bottom the company's shaft—now down 9-1 feet. This shaft is quite practicable to bottom, the only difficulty to be overcome being a financial one. The Government subsidised the funds of the Enterprise Company to the tune of one hundred pounds, voting money for the sinking of a shaft whie'i struck such a biriy of water at tii-i depth of 54 feet, that nothing short of a powerful engine cjuld drain the ground, while they have refused support to another which is down twic-s that depth and with little or no water to contend against. Tin Enterprise Company upon receiving the hundred pounds from t.b.3 Warden, with, the express undertaking that it must be spent in the sinking of ths shait, have paid olf some LSO debts which, they had incurred after expending iheir substantial capitd, and 'propose, as a farther prosecution of the r labors wouM be fruitless to hand back the batw.e to tk j. Government. The shareholders in the Fortuna thiak, and with justice, thafc that sum might be given over to them, and an application to the effect will, no doubt, be made to the Warden. About LSO is all that is required to bring the Fortuna Company's undertaking to a clo;e, and as gold has actually beon found in the shaft, as well as st the extremity of the tunnels in its near vicinity, the striding of a payable run of gold is confidently calculated upon. Last evening the Aurora Au3tralis, visible in the southern horizon, presented a very brilliant appearance, and between the hours of seven and nine shed quite a fio->d of light over the ranges to the south and west of the township ; on two former occasions, within the last three Wijeks, they have been visible, but never with such surprising luminosity. Cobb and Co.'s coaches commence the new rouie';on Monday, via Dunstan Ceek. Hamilton, and Waikouaiti to Dune.un. The journey will be some thirty mil<>s further, but the excallenco of the road will amply compensate for the increase of distance.

An accident, which occasioned a considerable destruction of property oanurred on Wednesday last, near the Kawarau bridge. As aMr Marsh, who is a cai'rier between the townships of Cromwell and Clyde, was nearing Hill's Old bridge, his tivo- horse dray, being heavily laden, part of the rail slipped from under the near side whec, and both dray and rolled over a steep precipice, the horses fortunately became detached by the breaking of the shafts, but the dray and its loading were completely destroyed.

In the neighborhood of the Kawarau, nv'ning matters are looking up considerably, population being rapidly on the increase. Sluicing operations are making great progress, while tha results are highly satisfactory. Three races, each of sufficient dimensions to carry a dozen heads of water, have lately been cut from Poison Greek ; the length of each race is fully twelve miles. A party of six, holding a claim at the Gor^e, divided amongst them no less than 150 ounces, as the proceeds of their last week's labor: several others have also done remarkably well. ' Up the Molyneux, ami in ths neighborhood of Quartz Reef Point, mining operations are more active than ever, river beach claims are being taken up in all directions, and a large quantity of submerged ground is being wrought by means of wing-dams. The township of Cromwell looks quite lively, and promises, when once the new bridge across theJMolyneux is complete, and the rail opened to the Lake districts, to become of considerable importance.