SUMMARY FOR EUROPE.

Otago Witness, Issue 528, 11 January 1862, Page 5

SUMMARY FOR EUROPE.

AYe avail ourselves of the opportune departure of the • City of Hobart,' to publish a Summary for transmission to Europe by the mail which learea Melbourne on the 2(sth instant, this being probably the latest opportunity that will offer for the despatch of mails from this port. Since our last Summary, which was published on the 14th of December the most importaut event in the Province of Otago has been the discorery of a new Gold Field at the Waipori River, distant about thirty miles from Dunedin, the exact locality being on the Lammerlaw Creek, a tributary of the Waipori, about eight miles north of the Waipori Ferry, on the West Taieri Road. The first intimation of this discovery was obtained from three men who arrived at Tuapeka on the 17th Dec, having with them 34 oz. of coarse gold, which they stated they had found in a tributary of the Waipori, describing at the same time the locality. Major Croker at once started to inspect the ground, and great numbers of miners also set forth, anxious to be early in securing claims on a new field. The rush was so sudden, and the roads in such a fearful state, in fact, almost impassable, that it was found impossible to get a sufficient supply of provision? on the ground for the sustenance of the multitude, and great hardships were consequently, endured by those miners who, calculating upon finding stores, had neglected to provide themselves with a sufficient stock of food. Great numbers had to return, and it was with difficulty that some of them reached their old haunts alive. Meanwhile, •thers continued to arrive, and all who hadsupplies of provisions set eagerly to work, and in some instances with signal success. Gold was found almost everywhere, but not in payable quantities except in some few localities. It waa, however, supposed that the ground would all pay well for sluicing, as the prospectors had obtained thirty -six ounces out of the bed of the creek by digging a race. Since the fir9t reports, seve° ral others have been received, all tending to confirm the early accounts as to the richness of the ground, aud the prospects of its proving a permanent gold field, while |he enterprise of storekeepers has byen exerted to supply the wants of the miners, and there is now little probability of another season of scarcity there. The effect of the Waipori rush upon the other diggings has been sensibly felt in the diminution of the yield of gold, caused by the sudden withdrawn! of so many miners; and, indeed, the total yield has thus for a while been diminished, as there has not, as yet, been an escort from the Waipori. But there have been other causes which have operated prejudicially on the gold escorts during the past mouth. The Christmas and New Tear's festivities have taken great numbers of men from their work during a part of the time while the singularly tempestuous weather and heavy floods have also proved serious obstacles— the latter especially, because they not only interrupted work for the time being, but did positive damage to an enormous extent, filling up claims, carrying away valuable wash-dirt, destroying and washing away tools and implements. Following our usual practice we here furnish a statement ofthe receipts of gold by the er-cort :— Gold rtcehed by escort to Dec. 12, om 16G1 177,(324 Escort, Dee. 19 „.. 14095 » » 20 U.tiU 10 „ Jan. '2, 1802 11,062 » „ „ 10,083 228,978 10 WRECK OF THE " OSCAR." On the 19th of December information was received in Dunedin that the s.s. "Oscar," which bud on the 1 6th sailed from this port for Melbourne, had been wrecked in the New River, Invercargill, and was past all hope of recovery. The particulars of this sad casualty, as furnished in letters received by the agents of the vessel Messrs. Dalgety, Kattray & Co., from their correspondents at Invercargill, and by ourselves from Dr. Forster, one of the passengers, were briefly as follows :— The v Oscar" had a good run from Port Chalmers to the entrance of the New River, where the accidentoccurred,arrivingonthe 17th about 11 am. The pilot boarded her aftershe had crossed the inner bar, and before he had been in charge of her a quarter of an hour, she ran aground ou a sandbank opposite the pilot station, where she remained, in spite of every effort that could be made to get her off. The tide was ebbing, and soon she became a complete wreck— her back being broken. Fortunately all the passengers were got safely ashore, and the cargo was also all landed from the wreck — the weather being very fine all the while. No sort of blame has been cast upon Captain Kteuart, as the pilot was in charge of the vessel when the accident occurred. As soon as possible after the occurrence a mounted trooper was despatched overland from Invercargill with the news, and with a request that the " Omeo "might call in at Invercargill to take the passengers on to Melbourne. No time was lost in despatching the " Omeo" to the assistance of the passengers and erew — who to the number of about two hundred were very inconveniently placed in Invercargill, it being almost impossible to find accommodation for them. The vessel was sold aa she lay for £80 —her " effects" having been got ashore and t^ld by auction, realising about £1000. THE TLOODS. We have already made some allusion to the floods which have done so much damage at the Goldfiulds, but it must not be supposed that the gold fields alone have been thus visited. In almost every part of the province there have been unusually heavy rains accompanied by storms of hail, ana", in some localities, snow, and there have consequently been floods and inundations on all hands. The Molyneux (or Clutba) river was very milch swollen, and became very dangerous to cross; indeed, two men, one of them the ferryman, lost their lives there this week ; at Gabriel's Gully, also, a man was drowned during the flood. Particulars of both these accidents will be found elsewhere. During the last two or three days the weather has been fine, and it is hoped that it may be settled for a whih. SOCIAL AND DOMESTIC. The arrival during the past four weeks of nearly 2000 immigrants has not been without its effect upon the province, but as the majority of them have immediately on landing started at once for the gold fields, the effect of this large immigration has not been so uotice"able in the town of Dunedin as might have been expected. This is an encouraging fact as showing the capability of the country to absorb at once an almost unlimited increase of population. But, although the crowds have vanished almoat as quickly as they came, they I have had a decided influence in increasing business, — in promoting confidence, — and in stimulating the erection of new buildings, and thus furthering the formation of the town, j which is spreading in every direction, while a 9 might be expected the value of property has been proportionately enhanced. As an instance of the immense increase in the value of really good business Bites, we may mention that the ground lately covered by the old stores of Messrs. Young & M'Glashan was sold this week at auction for the sum of £9,260. It is tru* that tho position of the

land is one of the best in town, but its' extent is small, being considerably lesa than a-qu.irter ]of an acre. While the value of property has j thus been on the increase, the trade of Dnnej d.n has been developing itself, and it is satis1 factory to noto that while tho old established traders are doing betti-r than ever, new br inches of business are being establi.-hed. As regards amusements, there is a " very plentiful lack " of anything of the kind ; the only entertainment having been that of the San Francisco Minstrels, who have had a long and profitable campaign in Otago. We are promised, however, a series of theatrical eutertainments by Mrs. Foley's company. Doubtless the want of a theatre will have operated to some extent iv deterring theatricals from visiting Dunedin. This want, we presume, will shortly be supplied by the enterprise of some of the spirited Victorian speculators, who have been attracted to these shores. In alluding to the lack of amusements, we should make an exception in favor of the Christmas and N«w Year's sports, which passed off with great spirit at Jones's large horse bazaar. The annual report of the Sheep Inspector for the Province, has just been published, and reveals the interesting fact : that while in i 1860, the total returns of sheep (including Southland), was 432,918; the return for 1861 for Otago alone, is 523,126, to which, should be added 55 per cent, for the lambs uuder three months old not returnable. The amount of disease among the flocks, is also, by no means large, only six flocks, numbering in all 26,765 sheep being reported as diseased." Political. In Provincial politics we have nothing of interest to note since our last summary, the I council not having been sitting. It is expected it will meet shortly but the exact time for the commencement of the session has not yet been decided on. From the seat of General J Government in Auckland we have interesting intelligence. Sir George Grey, the new Governor, has at once applied himself to the task of pacification, and while issuing a taking programme of native policy, and meeting the Maories on the most friendly terms has set two thousand soldicru to work at road making ! in the Waikato country. Mr. Man tell has re>| signed the office of Minister for Native Affairs but no successor has been appointed. The idea of a separation ofthe Southern from the Northern Island finds as might be expected but little favor with the Auckland Press, nevertheless it is gaining ground, and we are not without hope that before long it will be a fait accompli.

&§T The sale of Block V, Oamaru District, ■will take place on Monday the 27th iustant, an 1 not on the 17tli December, us erroneously advertised in another part of our present issue. A melancholy case of sudden death occurred :.t Port Chalmers on Sunday last. Captain E. 1 [unison, the well-known shipping agent anl stevedore, was seized with a fit of apoplexy, immediately on boarding the ship Donati, ancl Ml down insensible ; und notwithstanding the medical attentions of Dr. Crooks of the Donati, ami Dr. Halley, he expired the same evening. The funeral, which took place at Port Chalmers, was attended by most ofthe masters of vessels at the Port, and the flu^ ofthe shipping were carried lit " half must." Captain Harrison, we under-i-tand, loaves a family not too well provided for, and a subscription on their behalf was at once .Parted by the piiKsengers on board the Donati, end has since been followed up by friends ashore. Mk. John Mackenzie, brother of Captain Mackenzie, was killed last week near the Waiwero 15ri Ige, on the Southern Road, by the wheel of a l.ullook dray passing over his neck. It seems t'lat he was driving one of three dray 3on the way to thu station, an 1 was sitting on the pole, when s iddcnly he fell off and the wheel passed over him, killing him almost instantaneously. At the third session of the Rural Deanery Koard which was held on Wednesday last, the r.ishop after giving an account ofthe recent visit to I'ivergargill, the Gold Fields, and the Southern Districts, announced that he had secured the ser- \ ices of two additional clergymen for this Province, and that they were at present on their way f. om England, the one for Onmaru and the other for Popotuua. The members present at the meeting were— The Lord Bishop of Cliristchurch, the Roy. E. G. Edwards, and Messrs It. B. Martin, A. C. Strode, W. C. Young, and John De we. A meeting of the members of the Church of England was held on Monday evening, and a resolution was adopted authorising the vestry to proceed at once with the erection of a church in Moray Place. A report of the proceedings will b'.« found elsewhere. The first meeting of the new Town Board was held on monday. A report of the proceedings will be found elsewhere. An agitation has been set on foot for the establishment of a Benevolent Asylum in Dunedin. In the " Daily Times" of Monday last appeared a letter from an old Otago colonist, warmly advocating the establishment of such an institution, and proposing that a fancy bazaar should be held for the purpose of raising funds with that object. We shall bo glad indeed to find the idea being generally taken up, and practically carried into eifect. Ox Friday, January 3, there was a sale of Government Land at the township of Waihola, when 57 sections were disposed of at the high average rate of £37 3s. 2d. per quarter acre section. One soctiort- realized £125. It is stated that arrangements have been made for selling township and agricultural binds in the immediate neighbourhood of the diggings. We learn from the Lyttleton Times of Jan. Ist, that the hon. Mr. Ward was about to proceed from Auckland to Hawkes' Bay for the purpose of endeavouring to arrange the difficulties between the settlers and the natives. On Tuesday, the site lately occupied by the stores of Messrs. Young and McGlashan was sold by public auction, and realized in all, the sum of £9,260. One lot sold at the rate of £80,000 an acre. A welcome addition to the means of communication between Dunedin and. the Port has been made by the laying on of the smart little steamer, Lady Barkly, which now nins twice a-day. A man named Andrew Rattray escaped from the lock-up on Saturday last. He was in custody o;i the charge of stealing a sum of money from the road overseer, at the Taieri Bush. The sailing of the City of Hobart has been delayed until to-day, and an opportunity is thus afforded of writing to England by the January mail from Melbourne. During the past fortnight the weather has been unusually stormy in almost every part of the province, but especially in the neighbourhood ot the diggings ; and to the southward the floods also have been very severe, and it has been our melancholy duty to chronicle elsewhere no less than three cases of drowning. The total number of business licenses taken out on the gold fields up to the 7th January was 4!1, representing an annual revenue of £2055. * The sitting of the Supreme Court will commence on the 15th inst. His Honor Mr. Justice Gresson arrived from Lyttelton on Sunday last, by the steamer Geelong, and has since been occupied in chambers. We were agreeably surprised at the Police Court this week at finding that, on four different occasions, there was not a single case of drunkenness on the charge sheet. We understand that the Bishop of Christclmrch will preach at the Episcopal Church to-morrow, and that a collection will be made for the purpose of assistiug the Bishop of Melanesia in the purchase of a missionary vessel. Calkndar op Prisoners Fon Trial at the Supreme Court on 15th January, 1862: — John Anderson alias Burns, assault and robbery; John Bannon, stealing clothing; same, breaking prison ; John Campbell, assault with intent to rob; John Dyer, stealing money; Mary Anne Edhouse. shooting with intent ; Peter Ford, manslaughter; Henry Jones, burglary ; James Kenny, attempt to rob with fire-arms ; Patrick Mftloney, atealing money; James Murray, escaping from custody ; James M'Govvin, stealing money ; Charles M'Loughlin, larceny; Antoni Navarez, assault and robbery ; George Smith, stealing clothing ; same, breaking prison ; same, stealing a gun ; James Sta.pleton, obtaining money under false pretences ; Peter Shannon, manslaughter ; Thos. S. Soutter, stealing a watch and chain ; Thomas Foohay, jqanslaughter; James Wright, stealing; money ; Thomas Wilton, receiving Btolea property. r