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Otago Daily Times, Issue 5949, 5 March 1881, Page 1 (Supplement)

The reported gold discoveries neat :Cape Terawhiti, a few : miles from Wellington, have also furuished a fertile topic of conversation lately, but really there is nothing.very definite yet known! It seems clear that a piece of quartz accidentally exposed through a bush' fire'yielded, on crushing, gold at the rate of 3 z to the ton, but nobody at present knows: how muph there is of this rich stone, or which: way it lies, or whether it ia workable. All this has yet to be tested, nnd there are several local companies in course of formation, with the view of effecting such test. If only the public can be assured of their bona fides, I believe the shares would be eagerly taken up, as there continues to be a lack of good investments. But, so far, the undertakings have somewhat hung fire, mainly owing 'to unsatisfactory' features in the proposals ofthe promoters, as regarded from intending shareholders' ■■.viewy points. However, we are still sanguine that our cherished vision of a local goldfield will yet; be realised, and; that Terawhici will sooner or later -," turn', up, tramps,", as. an-, enthusiastic "digger!' remarked the other'day. ''There', has been some agitatioa. for hayipg the land'proclaimed a goldfield; but as it is private property and was" acquiredl.prior'to the'passing 16f the" Act of 1873, it does'not "as yet appear plainly bow; this" is to be done, nor has the necessity yet become apparent. A considerable number, of men are at work ,on the spot ?'. stripping" v the supposed reef, and an authentic report is eagerlyflooked.for., ; V,. r ,.. , v ;..'. .!" j Another cherished \ vision—a direct railway from Wellington to the West Coast of; this Island—also'seems 'to be at length' assrimirig I something like a tangible shape;' It wais agreed that ualeßs L 50,000 worth of shares should be" genuinely taken up in the Colony, the'promotera would drop the affair and proceed; no further .with it., Many > persons utterly: scoffed at the bare idea of, raising. Buch > a sum, and ridiculed those who. differed from them as vain dreamers.' However this may be, it is certain, at any rate that some; L 20.000 out of the L 50.000 has already been subscribed locally, with a very slight and non-exhaustive canvass, while the scheme has; been taken up with. enthusiasm at the Manawatu end of the proposed line. It is likely that several, thousands will be raised there, and still more in thia city: i itself when thoroughly canva»*ed. If so, the I provisional directors—a very strong and' in- - flaentlal lisjfc—will go to Parliament for, a bill , and to London for the other L'4oo,ooo', required to pay for the construction of the line; "It may hot be generally known that the distance from Wollingtoh to Napier by a line runningJ/ia the I W,est Coast'of this Island would be vc -Offriallyless than by way of Masterton, althtq *h! thej latter' at first .sight would seem thin} more direct and natural route. ..- Such,! hoW^fr, ia .the i case, and -the 5 saving in distance;;j. buld be practically double*! by the easier of the country traversed,on,the West .Coast route. ..The present' "plan, by the way,' is to take the line yiaPalmerston North, instead of' by F6iton,as' the former would enable the [barren aaridhills, on which the Kail way Ciymi' mission laid so nauoh- stress, (to be1 wholly: avoided, and excellent agricultural land to be' crossed instead, besides the distance being somewhat shortened, v; The j present 'proposal is,,as I have; said, that L 50,000 shall be raised locally, and with: this guarantee of good faith and the concession* promised by the Govern-, ment, which are veined "at' from £50,000 to LIOO.OOO, the company mijht gd; into' the London money -market with fair'prospects -of success, especiallyl in the present difficulty of finding good investments for spare cash. This is the opinion ot Mr A., F. Halcombe, the able manager of the ManI Chester Settlement-, who haa j oat returned from Home. I can only say I' heartily, hope he ;will .be proved, right. .- ~;... ,;".,,/ :,.,.". :;-•,- Our, new Harbour Board is steadily moving ahead, and now is making direct overtures to the Corporation fdr: the acquirement of theQueen's V) harf, which, as your readers'doubtless are aware, is the principal one of this port,' and which is city property, yielding an income of'several thousands per annum. The wharf has cost, in round numbers, L 40.000, and I hear the City Council intend to ask L 70.000 for it j the balance of . L 30.000 going, for ; "goodwill." Oa the other hand,, as the Council have no legal right to make a profit out of the wharf at all; the Harbour Board demur to this demand, especially '•' as an engineering inspection may possibly prove' the present value of the structure to be much less than it cost. I expect, however, that the1 Board will offer L 50.000 or L 60.000, and if that is rejected that arbitration will be suggested. It is plainly to the advantage of the pott that the harbour management should be undivided, and should be in the hands of a body which will use it for the benefit of the port; and not as a milch cow in the interests of the civic revenue. There is a danger, however, that that short-Bighted policy may lead to the killing of the goose which lays the golden eggs, by practically sacrificing the immense national advantage we enjoy-in onr splendid harbour to a pettifogging wish to screw every possible penny out of wharfage and other port dues, to be ■ spent in popularity-promoting streets, drains, and' other little local wants. Thie, however, would be a grievous mistake, and I hope it.will be avoided. ' x:

The Simonsen Opera Company ate playing here to very fair houses—much better than.l at all anticipated, considering the perpetual grumblings about..", bad times.'! True, there have been.-. no: '.' bumper " houses, but .. the "company, on the whole are doing very well. I, might perhaps say as well as they'deserve, for I cannot accord unqualified praise'to their performances, : some having, indeed .been far from satisfactory. MadamsiSimonsen, of course,■ Ib always a grand singer and actress, and she has rather improved than deteriorated. since last she was here, nearly five ■ years. ago. But her daughters are/as yet very crude. vocalists, excepting Leonora, who has not had much to do yet, but has .done that little to admiration., Martina ("Phoebus, what a name, to fill the fpeaking trump of future fame!"), promises well, but her promise Will v not , ripen Into performance for some years to come, even if she continued to be overtasked as she is now: at her youthful years,'in being cast for such parts as Amina in " Sonnambula'.' or Violetta in " Traviata." Franceß i 8 very rough indeed, acd should not have been brought bat for' several years. Miaa Godfrey is a deserved favourite, as also are Signori Eiccardi and Paladini; but Signor. Bianchi, if. ;nofr—as; Rossini called Fraschini in allusion to his superb delivery of, the " Malediotlon" in; " Lucia"—" the tenor "of the curse," is assuredly what the Yankees would term "a cuss of: a tenor." I really don't know which is worst —his' inpessant and wearisome vibrato, so horribly overdone, his dreadfully out-of--time singing, or hii intolerably conceited manner on the stage.' He has really good natural gifts, but needs a complete course of re-tuition before he can be deemed decently presentable as a chief tenor. His best effort hitherto has beehin'Boisedleu's delightful old Trench opera " Lv Dame Blanche," which is played .in an; English dress as " The White Lady," ran three nights. -The strong foreign accent of the principals materiallyl impaired one's "en joyineut of theic English operas. The oompany play here a fortnight longer, going hence to Napier. : '■.'•■■> . •■ We are going to losa our unrivalled organist and pianbt, Angelo Forrest, who departs next week for Auckland. He will be, a great and irreparable loss to music in Wellington, and we are not likely soon to see an equally good performer out here. He has retired from the direction of the Choral Society for a year past, and I hear that unhappy institution is in articulo mortis. It has been-already going down, both musically and financially, for a long while, and I see little hope of its early resußoitation. ...'-.. ' r