SUMMARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 524, 14 December 1861, Page 2

SUMMARY.

■: , ; 3^. :-m^w^f » A tfe.Pws- ' ' A b'yferies ifit ;M ajid^bfr: .- .proceeoj^s weVemat^a^Dyi'the .^ri.t. of,aw- / m6ny l vrh'i<ft . .-of uAio'i ytks BSre^d^'no^ana. wfe^rßigSra tnti t <ftlesato > I l t\t^Mtt^^f; y ßemtn^ents. promoted tlV^ iueetingasmosVimpottanV 'and /likely^ to produce results highly beneficial to the r?; Religious progress of the Colony. Several of the Ministers and.EldexgVisited and preached v at the-Diggings during their stay in this Pro* ■ vince:^d^yjh^ve> now almost all . returned, i. to thd^f^speytivehosne^ we believe pey I •car#''%jOh'em * l WKyiftv l o|t»ble W^rHMotibf I mu^ipffl m& TOp, uAd'weknow that they i1;i 1 ; ai^d \sfi Jaway with them the good wishes k aU^ e s l Jtof all with whom they came in coni tact dur*jg tiieir brief stay. •it The '.^bujng- Men's Christian Association , seems determined "that energy Bhall be one of i uts^mbs#prominentcharactcristicß. The op@n» in'g-'acldressJhaa been delivered by hi« IHnat the Superintendent^ and the cecoad lecture dt tile course has been delivered tyy Mf^jfQrsafttt i oi' Auckland- ; m.#otft tS&SSb. to a iiuuieroua ' audlett^ 1 . liiole classes, under the auspices of ',' tfto Association, are held every Sunday, and ;• also fortnightly meetings for the reading of \ essays and debates. It is the intention of the '■ Association to establish Reading and Coffee \ lipoms, and to have evening classes in various . branches of knowledge. \ i ,_k-iA. Jockey Club has been established, in Dun- ? edin, and Races are to take place in February. >' The absence of amusements is a marked fea* I" % ture of Otago» Although originally a 'NScoteh s' settlement, there is no -Caledonian Society, » and no effort made to encourage Scotch games, j , There are no TheatricalSibf Cricket Club, id i » lact the population is vgry nlUch . giVeil lb [ utilitarian pursuit?, \^e hbp"e iti tni* FeSpfecl i an improveitteul $\n take place, as we believe ] in' lhe maxim Vail work and no play," &c. j Indeed there is evidence of slight amendment, as, during the month; the Odd Fellows Lodge held a very successful dinner and ball, at ,- Jones' Provincial Hotel, to celebrate the anni- . versary of their establishment in the Colony. The Lodge is in a most prosperous condition, 1 its funds amounting to over £1700. A troup , of Kthiopean Minstrels are perfdfmhls With great ' success^ they have just re-opened a sei ftond season in Dunediu, after a prosperous tour at the Digging. 0 . i Mtfcli dissatisfaction exists- with the apathy j displayed by the town board. Five new members are about being elected, and it is hoped they will introduce a salutary change. The establishment of a benevolent asylum Jias been suggestedj under the auspices of a „ ladies' committee,—* to commence to. collect ,funds by a fancy bataar.' The fair 'sfx have, however* shown no symptoms of. responding to the appeal. We trust they may" - yet do so. POLITICAL. -The conduct of the General Government ! has caused much dissatisfaction. At its instigation, one of the members of the Provincial ■ Executive, who also enjoyed a General Go- : • verument situation, had to resign, and the ! Superintennent, unable to fill the vacancy, or to form another Executive, had to call the Council together. This did not mend matters ; it appeared that a majority of the Council de- ; sircd»a dissolution, so as to bring on a fresh ; c .'? cti on before the new arrivals Would have ' **!9p to qualify themselves for voting, by plac- { mjf their names on the roll. Such an out- | rageous attempt at obtaining a long lease of ; power, to the exclusion of two-thirds of the •. population of the Province has seldom been | PArallelled, and the Superintendent very proset his face against it. .The Council ! ■' ;^W? ?J resolution, praying ,for an ndjonrn- i •,'metit; and the ' Superintendent promi'-cd to I 1 L;?fer,it J to.^tU6 ii-enerai Government, butiield" * Taut 'no hope of its being acceded to. Th 6 vacancy in the Executive has been filled up " ♦in" the person of Mr/ Hardy, member '< for; ' Tokomairiro^ and"^we T -dQubt if there wilt beany changes of jmportance.-till Uie^HLJCpM^f i j^"a.l' election. It is thought that the members 1 ..oj" the. Opposition who were so anxious for a - dissolution, had also in vi\^y the election of one of their own party as ' Superintendent. What .the daily paper designates as their "little game" has fortunately Beeu stoppedA feeling is growing up in favour of sepa- . rating the Southern from the Northern 1 Island. Their interests are quite at variance, . and the South is a loser in every respect. by the Union. The daily paper' has taken the matter up strongly. We direct reference to ■. a leader on the subject, from the Daily Times, accompanied by a remarkable despatch of Sir George Grey's, .written thirteen years ago, which our contemporary has somehow "fished" out, and which strongly supports the „ cause of separation.

We are glad to be enabled, by this Summary,to renew our accounts of increasing prosperity. The Gold Fields are improving in their yield, and fresh ground is being constantly opened. l The four last weekly escorts hav<i brought down 68,346 ozs., or an average of 17,086 pzs. 10 dwts. This very inadequately represents the total yield. A great deal comes down by private hands, and the miners generally sell very little of what they obtain.' The price offering for gold is less than its value, and they hold in the expectation of a rise. .Jn other respects there is every reason tQ be satisfied 5 business is improving, the tide of immigration is setting in again, and the inland river nava?, gatiori is being rapidly opened up.- iTher'e.is every probability of a New Gold Field being found in the north. Por convenience sake we^ classify under their several heads the leading^ news of the month :—: — , THE GOLD FlEfcfcS. The reported New Gold Field in the Blud 5 Mountains has turned out a hoax, got up, it is supposed, by persons anxious to lead the tide' of population to the neighbouring province'of Southland. The first party that went in search of it, numbering- several hundreds, returned without any success, and the reports were considered unfounded, when a man named' Perkins came forward and offered^ for the consideration of Is. a lb. for carrying their; "swags, to lead the miners, to the field, .^he' whereabout* of which he professed tp,know . intimately. Several hundred men, half believing his statements, followed hint to Southland, where he confessed! that he had deceived them,' and told '.them .they. might;Bhoot hini. A court-martial wasv extemporised} and Perkins was adjudged toftaye''<his.h(sad Bhaye^nnd^t^ receive dozen^lashe^ on tlfe'^'barV.back'.; vThe, punishment was administcred'vnth he^rVy/, good '-wift, sTndnnrwY^S^^feltfe^an^&rSing* [tip, 1 he was arrested for obtaining money^on. false pretences. .. He'^was sentenced ' by till;" magistrate! to four months' imprisonment. . _,When the miners returned from their wildi . goose ' chase7~ tfiey found that ■ttluian'g'^hc'jtf" absence really good discoveries had been" made in the neighbourhood of Tuapeka at Wetherston's Gully. This has since been the principal scene of attraction. The ground is turning out as rich as Gabriel's. Gold has been found along the sides of the hills and in the gullies, which empty themselves into an immense flat, where it is hoped the preciousmetal will ultimately be traced. Some of the 1 ' sinkhjg-is dee]), some shallow, and even supposmg.iio further discoveries be made, Wether-1 ston's must take years to work out. Tunpeka*. continues its rich yields. The greater part of the gold hitherto brought down is from this place and Waittihuiv.i ; scarcely any has yet come from Wetherston's. Jt is calculated that the miners have 50,000 ounces in their possession unsold and unplaced in tho Escort oiiiciv ltgadil>',buLHß}, > so.,{£ichly^ai||^, Jnsigbbours.,J nsigbbours. , A movement is, "afloat to turnrhe Waitahuna River. By experiments made on sand obtained by dredging, there can be no doubt the undertaking would, piiy splendidly ; the.- miners are only waiting , till regulations -are framed allowing larger s ; in the river bed than those of the ordinary size. So much labour and capital would have to be expended that they require this protection. The river is both wide and rapid. ' ' It is likely a New Gold Field will be found in the North. , A report from the prospector appears in another column. The following are the Escort returns from the commencement up to date : —

SOCIAL ANI> DOMESTIC. The "principal eyent -during the month has been the first serjous fire. that has ever occurred in Dunedin. The fire commenced, it is'suppose3j''iu.Cargill & Co.'s stores, hut there is no clueius^toii'pw it was caused. , The store and-c6ut<jnt6''wcre ebmplftteij' destro^'ed, l only v the Willie being left standing. Tne adjoiiuug b-ikcry, in the occiipalion of !Mr. S hand, .was" also destroyed, as were one oc two smaller places in the same direction. -On the other' side of Cargill's, the Witness and Daily Times. oßke Was parti)' burnt, partly pulled, down. \o save" the adjoining buildings. The greater • part of the plant 'of the -Witifoxs and :Daikj, Times was saved, and .the Dully appeared tho. next morning with 'a full account ot tlurtire. 1 * Tlie total 1/>SH occasioned' by the lire was-esti-" mated at £10,000. 'Ufa Witness siitfefed.con- 1 siderable loss, and has nbt yet qu;tc regained its usual proportions :' v nevv ( ina ferial, ho\ycviqi:v jhst arrived, Will euablc'it to;do so next^pub- s Jigatioi). The Daily .Times y - which had only-j be'tn started ten days before the fire, by extra- I ordinary exertion's was continued to be prtbT',' 1 lishe^just ;« if uotluiig: }nd occurred. ", Tho' " absence (>f any means to check lire was verylUfich felt; there was <me litil>j engine — a mere l toy,' ahfl no implenieiits for pulling doivn,"or' ian Drganized lire brigade. ' " ; •■'\' < ./ The comineupemeut of the D.uhj Times— \ the first daily pap,er. in ->fe\v Zualand — maybe • considered anotjier ov,tfut bf.'the month.'' .Notwithstanding'the 'acculent i^rhjt \vith,a.t thei 1 lira^onsct, its zeal'is unabated : indeed, s dfX>vq v ■< 'wer^ojt afraid of accvi^eilpila;desirQ to ', punr^ve/ shoulcl say .its -energies seem 'fired, '■ •' ■and it already promises' to - immediately double ■ its size. .'■''''• , .V,/ • ;ihe iiVat general Conference of the lYe9by-'J'< terian Church iii New Zealand has be£n, ,held \ in tliis Provinctf, and has concluded its.labottJ W

/ ' Oz. Julyl2 , 500 Aug. 1 ....' 2,000 „ 21 5,036 Sept. 3 ...' 7,759 V • „ 18 , 11,281 -= Oct. 4 12,482/- „ 18 15,400 • Nov. 1 19,700 „ 14 35,100 .„ 21 (First weekly) 20,090.. „ 28 17,580 , Due. 5 14;535." ! .C „ 12 10,141 ' " Total, 177,024 * •»