TOKOMAIRIRO. FROM THE DAILY TIMES CORRESPONDENCE.)

Otago Witness, Issue 554, 12 July 1862, Page 8

TOKOMAIRIRO. FROM THE DAILY TIMES CORRESPONDENCE.)

3rd July. A serious robbery took place here la3t Monday, a man named Sannders having had bis pocket picked of £25, in five pound notes, while lying drunk and asleep in the Bridge End Hotel. Information was at once given to the police, -who were promptly on the spot, and arrested two men for it, named respectively John. Freeman m & j onn Thomas,

Another man named Mitchell, was also arrested on the charge of having received a portion of the stolen property. They were all brought up at the Police Court yesterday, when Freeman was discharged, there being no evidence against him, and Thomas and Mitchell were remanded for further evidence. They were again brought up to-day, but on the application of Mr. Inspector Treddc-1. were further remanded. As the prosecutor i 3 unable to identify any of the notes beyond stating that they were new Bank of Ne.v Zer.l.i'i « notes, to which description those found i;i the possession of the pri«oner Thomas answer, [ do not think that any case will bs made out against the pri«oneis. Two cases of a civil nature, and of somo public interest, were also before the court yesterday, in the first of these "line diggers sued a carrier f>r the value of a swag of theirs, which he hid lost on the road from Dunodiu to Tokomairiro, at which place lie had agreed to deliver thesw.ig. The other case was that ol a man who sued another for damage done by breaking through a dam on the Woolshed Creek. There had been a dispute between the parties about the claim, and some time ago I believe that the case was tried by Capt. Baldwin, and it was in consequence of the defendant having broken through the dam in defiance of the Commissioner's decision, that the summons in tlu present case was taken out. The Court here at once dismissed the case as beyond its jurisdiction — neither party having any right to construct a flam or occupy ground there at all. In fact, as matters stand, all the miners — numbering, I believe, about IGoo— are liable to heavy penalties for the unlawful occupation ofciowu lands. That no vscrious rows have as yet taken place there, is attributable to the . fact, that but few of the miners there uiulerstoop that "might was right;" that minors' rights were useless and that no protection of any kind could be obtained from the Government. "Where ignorance is bliss, 'twere i'oliy to be wise;" and, unfortunately, the digger? are now rapidly becoming wiser in this particular. The police-station there is still unfinished. I understand that a courthouse is also to be erected there as well as at Tokomairiro and East Taieri.

A quantity of timber necessary for the completion of the Wnihol.i jetty was forwarded from town some time ago, but instead of reaching the Waihola it went to Clarendon, where it still remain^ very much to the dissatisfaction of parties interested in the completion of the jetty.

An attempt is about being made to resuscitate the Tokomiiriro Agricultural Societ}' I hear that a meeting of the committee has been cp.lL"l, and that a cattle s'iow and ploughing match are to be proposed. Everyone supposed that the society had died ot gold fever, at it has laid dormant since the discovery of tli3 diggiiifr?. Ail will, however, welcome its rc-appcirance. The discovery ol' quicksilver is, T fear, "shicer" — a kind of will-of-the-wisp, which no one can catch or fix: in any parli*uhr spot an}' more than they could catch the metal itself. The discovejy of a white mineral at the back of Mount Misery has also been reported, and specimen^ sent to town, wheie I believe it was found to be only iron pyrites, and consea uontly quite useless.

The Uank of ISTew Zealand arc now erecting their new offices in Milton. A chemist and druggist's, a large steam flour mill, and a large number of private houses, are also in course of erection. To-day a man shewed me a very pretty specimen of quartz, which was thickly covered with gold. He said that he had found it in the neighborhood of the Uurnt Hill, between the llound Hill and the "Woolshed. This is somewhere in the vicinity ofJ.fr. Handford's discovery. During the last few days a considerable number of men h:;ve passed through TokonMiriro en route for the diggings.