EIGHTY-FIVE YEARS AGO

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26853, 18 August 1948, Page 4

EIGHTY-FIVE YEARS AGO

FROM THE FILES OF THE ©tago IDaflp Ctmea DUNEDIN, AUGUST 18, 1863. “ Captain Murray, satisfied with the entire success of the navigation of the Molyneux by his,, steamer, the Tuapeka. has come to town to build a steamer to trade between Dunedin and the mouth of the river and to cross the bar. He will also confer with the Government concerning the erection of suitable jetties.” , “ Yesterday the steamer Geelong proceeded to Taranaki: with 100 men who have been engaged for the Government by Lieutenant Mace on behalf of the Taranaki Militia for the occupation on conditions- of military service of the confiscated Native' land on which the jnurders of Lieutenant Tragett and his comrades took place. It- is expected that a further body of 100 will be procured in Otago, Lieutenant Mace being still ready to receive applications.”.

“ The committee of gentlemen recently appointed at a meeting of the Hebrew community for the purpose of collecting subscriptions towards the erection of a Synagogue have, we understand, been actively engaged in their work, and have already met with a very gratifying amount of success.”

“ The ship which has for the last five days lain outside the Heads proves to be the Schah Jhan. with cattle from Twofold Bay. She was towed up this afternoon and moored well up towards the cattle yard. She has been very unfortunate with her stock, having lost 120 head of cattle, out of her original shipment of 254.' Unusually heavy weather had been experienced from the time of her leaving Twofold Bay, on the sth inst., until reaching the Heads, and since then 40 head have been thrown overboard, the ship rolling fearfully through the heavy swell prevailing outside.”

A Queenstown correspondent of the Daily Times says that the news lately received from the Head of the Lake does not justify the sanguine hopes once held out in favour of these diggings. The Rees River is said to be too deep and wet, besides being, as the whole dist-ict is, “so patchy.” Yet gold is being obtained pret'-v freely ir places, thoreh not generally. The ter races will not pav like those of the Shotover, Arrow, and Moke Creek, but the time cannot be far distant when they will be tried by properly-con-ducted parties upon a large scale and under the new leasing system.