EIGHTY-FIVE YEARS AGO

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26849, 13 August 1948, Page 4

EIGHTY-FIVE YEARS AGO

FROM THE FILES OF THE ©tacjo S)aU\> XEimes DUNEDIN, AUGUST 13, 1863. “The escort, which arrived shortly : before 4* o’clock yesterday, brought i gold as follows: —Queenstown, 13920 z 15dwt; Arrow Eiver, 1790 oz; Tuapeka, sb*k?T Switzer’s, 430 z returns are for a fortnight. There { was no escct from the Dunstan.”

'( The Dunsan correspondent of the j, Daily Time reports:—“ The weather 1 lately has een very favourable for mining opertions. The river has falj len consideably, and a number of i people have again commenced work- { irig its bank. From the Dunstan to the, Kawarai a good many miners are j busily engaed. At Hartley’s Beach l': there are abut 50 men at work, and some of thei are determined to stick here, let thecwaters of the Molyneux be evpr so }ng in, receding. There have been soie very rich claims here. One claim Wen the river was low a few weeks ao yielded at the rate of 2lb weight p'r day among four men.”

An Auckl&d journal spins the following yarni'We learn that a young influential ad intelligent Waikato chief, has sggested that Matutaera, the ‘King,’ hould depute a Herald to Sir Georg Grey, the Governor, to invite GenerfCameron to agree to the following jn&odl of battle—a proposal which,' in tiT estimation of Richard Coeur de lon, would have been looked upor as the perfection of chivalric ctrtesy. The proposition should select 500 of his best men, and invite General Cameron to do the same; both parties to be equally armed, the Queen’s sddiers employing no cannon, and tie Maoris eschewing pas and potato holes (we beg pardon—rifle pits), thus according a clear field and no favour. The victors were to be the undisputed masters of the soil, the King’s*, flag to be hoisted. at the rriain-sky-sail-mast-head and the Queen’s to be hove over the taffrail, and the oath of allegience to be subscribed to His High Mightiness Potatau, t'he second of that yiufitfious name. The cartel is most serious con'ki deration of their .Excellencies, the Governor; and the Cbrrfrhsthder-pf Her Majesty’s' forces.” ~ % ~