THE LOCALITY OF MR. HANDFORD'S

Otago Witness, Issue 553, 5 July 1862, Page 8

THE LOCALITY OF MR. HANDFORD'S

REPORTED FIELD.

It has been intimated to us by the Government that a prospecting party will probably be fitted out to search the locality indicated by Mr. Ilandford. At the same time it is not considered that he. has any claim on the Government, his direction being so exceedingly vague. In fact, the precedent would be a mischievous one. Any one might point out a " likely looking" place whidii by chance might turn out a gold field, and there would be no limit to claims for reward. We proceed to give in Mr. Handford's own words the position of his asserted gold field, but we should first caution our readers against being unduly influenced by it. As we have before said, wu are oblig v, as public journalists, to give currency to all information of the kind, but the miners should exercise great caution before lending too ready credence to it. We now quote Mr. Hiindford's directions :—: —

" The locality of the field is between the Woolshed diggings and Waitahuna, and the route is as follows : — Go from Dunedin through the Woolshed diggings until you reach the Big Hill, on which is the first commencement of tho ce-i mentcd quartz. One hole has been bottomed on this range. This is the short road to Waitahuna. Turn from this point to the right, entirely off the road, (this is on the right-hand side going out of town) mid make for the Salt Bush Hill. It was in this immediate neighborhood that the gold was discovered. All the country from the Big Hill to this point is highly auriferous, and so on to the sea."

K? InoN Bihds 1 Nest.— At the meeting of the Sheffield Literary and Philosophical Society, on Tuesday evening^ Mr, Stirling Howard exhibited some horseshoo nails as a sample of two gallons; by measure, of the materials which a number of pigeons had carried from a blacksmith's chop and. used to >#ake their nests,

PIIOPOSED SETTLEMENT IN NORTHERN AUSTRALIA. Ai effort is being made to get up a settlement in > rt'rtern Australia, on the shores of Carpentaria, extending inwards over the land discovered"' by .eurke. The subjoined is the plan submitted to a public meeting, but on inquiry it was £mnd that the titles to land proposed to be given, and the authority proposed to be e» raised wore of a very doubtful nature, the laud having been temporarily annexed by the Imperial Government to the colony of Queensland, and, therefore, the laws of that coiony heini; in fores over it. A committee was appointed to inquire into the subject. " The following is an outline of the plan proposed for the colonisation of Prince Albert Lund, Northern Australia, first settlement on the Albert Rives 1 , which empties itself into the (julfof C:ir|watari.i. It is propose I to effect this object by an association consistina: of 300 members, each to subscribe £60. Subscriptions will be received from the whole of the Australian colonies. Fiist sett'-mant to be called " Bnrk" City," the area of whioh sha'l be six him lrsd and forty acjres. Tho assictation to consist of three hundred members, who at-p to suiiscrib'j eighty pounds each, the money to be la-id out in purchvsing a sliip and tender of sutiioiont tonnage to convey the colonists to their destination, with' provisions f)r twelve months; also ail neo?ss,%ry implemeuts, hoi^es, c ittle and sheep for stojk, bullocks for fresh provisions, see Is, etc , together with arms and ammunition, to insure a sucwysful result to the undertaking. The mane.goinent of affairs in the new colony to be entrusted for the first twelve month? to seven members of the association, who will form a council similar in its constitution to the municipal councils of Victoria. The rations will be distributer! monthly (except frush provisions), on the scale annexed ; and in no instance will it be departed from, but in case of .sickness. The whole of the associated colonists shall afford each other every assistance in the erection of dwellings, fencing ground, ploughing, making roads, .etc., for the first twelve months ; the whole of tad crop 3 raised upon the land of each associated colonists, through his industry and the mutual assistance rendered him by his leiio.v colonist*. to belong to himself alone. Eich of the associated colonists to receive a srrant of 320 acres of agricultural land and a half-acre allotment in the city, in consi' l e ration of his being tho first ti colonise. The grant to bear the sen! of the committee of managemunt showing his pre-emptive rit;ht. All lands three miles from the centre of Burke City opan fjr agricultural occupition. The city allotments, and acrioultural area] of 320 acres, shall be .selected by each of tin; a;.wc iated colonhts by lot. All auriferous land, wharves, water fruiiUigbS, and roads shall be reserved.

Ten shillings per square mile per annum shall be the rent for all areas selected for pastoral occupation, till tiken up for settlement. All lands taken up for pastoral purposes shall be open at any time to the agriculturist; in consideration of which, the pastoral tenant shall have a pre emptive r'u'ht to five thousand aircs in one block on nny part of his siiuatfcige, at the upset price of Ten Shillings per acre, p'lyablo in ten years, by yearly "payments of one shilling per acre. "All lands taken up for pastoral purposes shall be stnckel within 12 months or foriuited. The upset !>rict of the waste lands shill be ten shillings per acr^, )y J.eferreil payments, if required, of one shilling per acre per annum. The suffrage will be limited to all white men of the n^e of twenty-one years and upwards who pay rates and taxes. Ministers of ruli^ion, medical niesi, find surveyors ivill be invited to join tliL 1 Association. It ia cdSSi^-red prudent not to take the wives and children of the colonists till the clony is in a fit state to receive them ; but if circumstances demand tha associated colonists to bring out the • ives and children, a limited number will betaken, provided they pay the extra eon of ratbus only. On the termination of the association, the whole of the implements, tools, horses, cattle, sheep, surplus stores, etc., shall be equally divided by the committee of management. Twelve tuonthq from the time of the associated colonist landing in the settlement the association shall be dissolved."