News of the Week

Otago Witness, Issue 570, 1 November 1862, Page 5

News of the Week

(FROM THE DAILY TIMES.) His Honor the Superintendent has issued a procl.unutum cxr^iiiiing to tlie gold-fields included within Gab; id's district, the whole of the gold fields' rules and regulations which have been and are in foice throughout the other gold fields of the Province. This is in consequence of the revocation of the powers of the Tuapeka MiningBoard. la the Provincial Government Gazelle is pubJished certain correspondence from the Duke of Newcastle and tlie Memorial Committee on the subject of a National Memorial to the Prince Consort, says he the Superintendent " cordially responds to the call ot 11. M.'s Government, that opportunities should be afforded to every class in tlie British Empire of joining in this tiilmte of the nation's gratitude, and cordially accepts on tho part of the Province of Otago the opportunity thus afforded of uniting with Her Gracious Majesty in rearing a monument to the late Prince, which will evince tlie love of a grateful country to the memory of its benefactor. In order that every class in every District of the Province may have an opportunity o c joining in this national tribute, the Superintendent will arrange for the formation of distticl committees, to receive subscriptions from Is. to 55., and similar arrangements will be roadef.-ith the banks, in order that those who so desire may increase their subscriptions; and thus the original object may be carried out, of forming a fund.' which may include the- pence of the artizan and the labourer, as well as the shillings and pounds of the middle and wealthy classes.' " A meeting of the Directors of the Caledonian Society was held on Monday at M'Cubbin's Hotel. There was a full atteudance, and it was agreed that membership tickets should be issued at once, and that subscriptions should he canvassed for by the Directors. Those wishing to join the Society must apply in the first instance to the Directors, A striking instance of the rapidity with which news is now transmitted from one part of the world to another, is afforded in the Pacific Commercial Register, a Honolulu paper, which, in its ibsue of tlie 28th August, gives London intelligence to the 2nd of the s>ame month. Ten gentlemen, including the Duke of Sutherland and the Earl of Caithness, have formed a committee for the purpose of raising a fund Lithe offer of prizes for the most efficient steam fire-engines, hoping that by thus inducing: competition a great improvement upon anything yet invented will be obtained. They ask for the cooperation of insurance companies and parochial authorities. By advertisement in our columns, the Chief Commissioner of Crown Lands for the Province of Ota^o, notifies that all persons having claims for land in Block I, Wakiouaiti District, under applications made previous to survey, must call at the Land Office on the 27th November, for the purpose of having their claims adjusted. The block in questiun has now been surveyed. Gold iv Bell Hill. — Such is the newest fact in connection with tlie wide-spread auriferousness of Otago. We saw yesterday afternoon, two pieces of hardened clay from the hill side, one bearing on its surface five or six specks of waterworn gold, and the other three or four specks. The clay came fioin a point immediately adjoining, and on the Ratfcray-street side of the office erected for the superintendent of the works. It was purt of a seam, four feet thick, of heavy blue clay, mixed with a slaty formation, the bottom of which is about 10 feet from the present level of the foot of the hill, and the top some four or five feet from the sloping surface. The pieces of hardened clay have not been broken, so that whether there is gold in their midst is not known; but two of the specks are of a tolerable sizo, and the gold is light coloured. It is pretty certain that the men employed at the spot indicated, will watch closely the soil that is started by their picks and shovels; and that anything like real " wash dirt," or gold-bearing clay will not readily be tipped on the face of the embankment which is steadily being pushed into the harbor. There were yesterday about 470 men employed on the Hill. The provincial Government Gazette of yesterday contains a Proclamation by the Superintenteudent, revoking the proclamation of Wetherstone's and Gabriel's Gullies and the lands adi acrartncreiu, as v aiming x>^».^ ~^»i_ J _i_ J . rjii reason ascribed for this step i^ stated in the proclamation as being " the failure of the members of

the said Mining Board to torm a quorum for the despatch of business," The powers and authorities of the Board are declared "to have ceased and terminated-" The meeting of the Provincial Council is officially fixed for Wednesday, the 26th November, at 12 o'clock at noon, and the members of the couucil are warned to give their attendanec accordingly. The following is a list of accepted tenders for the public service of the Province from the 7th to 28th October : — Formation of road from Kaitangita township towards Main South-road— levelling, L 5 10s ; ditchiug and fencing, L 5 per chain, Andrew Chapman; layer of fascines, L 8 10s per chain, D. Proiulfoot. Stables at Police Station, Oamaru, L2OB, John Beck. Stables at Police Station, West Taieri, Ll5B, John Gray. Wheelbariows for public works (40 in number), L 46 11s Bd, M'Lean and Boyd. Picks and handles (12 doz.), L 32 Bs, R. Henry and Co. None of the tenders for the lauding stage at the Jetty-street pier, or for fencing the ground at the Geological Survey Office, or for the police stables at Popotunoa, were accepted, Tenders arc called for in the Provincial Government Gazette for a steamer for the West Coast Exploration Service. The specifications may be seen at the Superindcnt's office, Dunedin, at Messrs Holmes, White and Co., Melbourne, and at Messrs Learniouth, Dickenson and Co., Sydney. The Pteamer will be required for about four months. A serious charge is made by a correspondent of the New Zealand Advertiser at Wairarapa, Wellington, against the shippers of cattle and horses to Otago. The writer says :—": — " 1 hope, you will be so kind as to expose tho system of cattle and horse stealing now carried on throughout the province, by persons shipping cattle and horses to Otago, or by persons in their employ; there are numerous instances up the West Coast, where both cattle and horses have been taken off the runs, from the road-side. Mrs Collins, Mongaroa, had two valuable horses stolen from the North Road, and Mr H. Jackson, on his way from town (Wellington), met a herd of cattle in which he identified one of his. Of course when caught it is accidental, but, if not, all arc fish that come to the net. I could point out a number of other cases, but have no wish to mention names further, hoping through your columns to give publicity to tlrs nefarious system." We publish from the Times the first day's proceedings in the case of Mr Roupell, the late member for Lambeth, whose extraordinary forgeries have created so great a sensation in London. Wo shall give the conclusion of the trial in our next. It will be seen in our advertising columns that the Chief Postmaster at Dunedin invites tenders for the conveyance of mails between various partg of the Province from Ist January to 31st December, 18C3. The tenders must bo given in on or before the 20tll November. A meeting of gentlemen favourable to the establishment of a church on Congregational principles was held at Clark's Temperance Hotel, George- street, on Friday evening, when, after

some discussion, a committee was apppointed to take the necessary preliminary steps. The committee have determined, instead of waiting until a numerous body of friends has been brought together so as to form the church, at once to commence a series of services according to Congregational principles. They have engaged the Oddfellows Hall, George-street, and there two services will bo held next Sunday, one at eleven and the other at half-past six o'clock. It is confidently hoped -s that a minister will soon be secured, without even the necessity of sending to Victoria. The Dunedin Volunteer Fire Brigade evidently means business. We have already had on several occasions to notice the prompt and efficient manner in which the members handle the engine on their practice nights, and we have with satisfaciou remarked the regularity of their attendanceat meetings. We have now to take note o another item iv connection with this .praiseworthy society. We have received a copy of the general rules and regulations of the brigade, in tho shape of a nea's pamphlet. The rules appear to be admirably adapted for the establishment and maintenance of that discipline which must be the life and soul of an association of the, kind,

At (he last meeting of the Port Chalmers Town Board it was resolved to proceed at once with' the levelling of George-street, according to the plans submitted to the Board by Mr Poeppel, surveyor At the same meeting Mr Burke formally rctiied from the oflice of Clerk to the Board, receiving, on the motion of Mr Kilgour, a vote of thanks for attention to his duties, and to the interests of the Board, during the period he had held the appointment. In addition to the improvement of George-street, we understand that the completion of Mount-street, in Port Chalmers, is shortly to be carried out by the Government. We have received the prospectus of a new journal about to be published in. Southland, under the title of the Invercaigilt Inn .•?. The new paper is to be published twice a week ; every Tuesday and Friday. The proprietors, Messrs Fitzgerald & Co., state in their prospectus that it will be their object to make the Inverca-t/ill Times the exponent of public opinion on such' subjects as are of more immediate interest to the Province of Southland, without tailing to notice political events of interest throughout New Zealand. The only political topic to which the prospectus alludes, is that of Sepaiation, upon which we must allow it to speak for itself :—" Amongst those topics which at present engross a large share of public attention, ranks the question of ' Separation,' we do not look for its speedy settlement, but our sympathies are with the ' Separationists,' and they shall receive our upport."

We learn from the Snn Francisco Bulletin, o August 28th, that the missing boat of the unfortunate steamer Golden Gate, has arrived safely ; adding 24 more persons to the list of saved.

In our shipping column to-day appears nu account of the newly-discovered channel for entering Otago harbour, which is now well defined by buoys. It will be seen that the minimum depth of the new channel, at low wafer, is 18 feet, and tbat at high water the depth will consequently be from 13 fest to~4 feet.

Quite a "Canvas Town" lias spuing up on the vacant ground skirting the "Harbor towards Pelichct Bay. Scores of tents arc erected in convenient positions, and sheltered from the cold winds by being placed under the lee of clumps of bush. The plentiful supply of fresh water which exists close to this spot, and a number of stumps of old trees whioli furnish firewood, seem to have made this locality a favorite camping-grouud. Most of the occupants are employed at Bell Hill, and aie exceedingly quiet and well conducted.

Considerable progress has been made at the Bell Hill works during the past week, considering tlie interruptions that havo been caused by the weather. About 500 men are at present employed, a number too large for the present area of the works, and the men are constantly in each other's way. We understand a number of tho men aro to be employed, during this week, in cutting a drain round the recreation ground at the head of the harbor.

List year at this time several deaths occurred amongst children from eating the tutu plant, and it would be well for parents to caution their children against eating any plants, roots, or berries with the nature of which they are not perfectly acquainted.

The Liverpool Albion contains the following singular account of the notorious Major Yelverton's movements :— " A letter has been received in Liverpool by the last mail from Australia, from a female passenger who went our. from this pert in the Merchant Prince, in which the writer says : —'You will be surprised to hear that Major Yelverton was one of the saloon passengers, and his third wife. He married her three days before they left England. She was a milliner when he married her. They came out as Mr and Mrs Edwards. His uncle paid all expenses and sent him out of the country,"

The Lady Young brings us Honolulu papers to August 28th. The chief item of news is the death of the Prince of Hawaii, Albert Edward Kanikeouli Leiopapa A Kamehama, a child 4 years of age. The Commercial Advertiser, the paper from which we obtain the information, appears in mourning. Tho Legislature was adjourned on the 23rd August, by Royal commission.

The new building for the High School will soon be completed. The works were placed at a temporary standstill during the rush to the Dunstan diggings, but within the last few weeks rapid pro-cti-pbij biis.,bpon~.nuule_with the buildino- Tt- i* a very cßasto and elegMrkVu^ro^tr^isTr-yiaS ornament to the town, being placed on so prominent an eminence that it can beseen from almost every pare of Dnnedin. The front walls and pillars are constructed oi the Cavershara stone, which seems well adapted for architectural purposes. We learn, from our Auckland Correspondent that the Auckland Chamber of Commerce has been taking the subject of the Panama Route into consideration, and that a committee has been appointed to report upon it. Great stress appears to be laid upon the fact of two mails, despatched via Melbourne, leaving here too late for the home mail steamers, from that port.

The abundant supply of fish in the Dunedin. market, suggests the idea whether the carriage and exportation offish might not be carried on profitably, in this Province. Fisheries are large sources of wealth to many countries, and we see no reason why they should not be equally valuable to New Zealand. Attached to the London and some of the larger provincial English Post Offices, is an official termed the " blind clerk," who receives his appointment from the peculiar aptitude or faculty he possesses for deciphering indistinctly written or singularly mis-spelled adddresses. It was oue of these gentlemen who discovered that "Thorn Hoodless 3 St Ann Ct Searhoo Skur " was intended for " Soho Square," and that " Mr Weston Osburn Cottage Ilawait " was meant for " Isle of Wight." We have been led to wonder whether one of these gifted individuals is stationed at the Dunedin Post Office, and if so, whether he managed to forward to its proper destination a letter which was posted on Wednesday afternoon bearing the following address :—: —

" Kia ri • a ha "ta ho ke "apa ri ma

" ti ka pu tara Wa." The person posting the letter with so remarkable a superscription, was a Maori, and only for a Maori could it have been intended.

The Provincial Council will meet on the 26th November, instead of the 19th, as previously stated in our columns.

A private letter from the Nokomai has been kindly placed at our disposal, from which we learn that although the prospects of the field are , ' doubtful, and the population unsettled, there are a few miners doing tolerably well, averaging three-quarters of an ounce per man per day. The ground however, as far as yet developed is in many places very poor, and many of the diggers are barely getting a living. There havo lately been a few cases of jumping, about two hundred ' yards below the prospectors' claim, and this,' ground would 'appear to be pretty good; for some dishes washed from it yielded a prospect of half-a-pennyweight to the dish. The accounts from the Waikaia are not very favorable. There are several parties working on the forks of the Mataura and doing well. Forty ounces of gold were sold ' on the Bth at L 3 10s per oz. The mining population at the Nokomai is estimated at about 500, about 300 of whom are prospecting as far up as Mr Trotter's and Mr Kees's runs. At the latter a dwt to the tin dish had been obtained. A prospecting claim had been applied for, for new ground about eight miles from Victoria Gully. Sir Gabriel Read was prospecting in the neighbourhood of the Nokomai with a party of eight men.

Our Wesleyan readers may be interested to learn, that at the recent sitting of tlie Wesleyan Conference, the Eev. W. M, Punshon made an extraordinary offer. He offered to undertake the' : task of raising no less a sum than £10,000, to be devoted to the purpose of building "Weslevan Chapels in the watering-places of England," It was thought by Dr. Osborne and others that the tax upon his strength would be too great, but the reverend gentleman removed all obstacles by declaring that he would sacrifice even his health, if necessary, to the accomplishment of such a result, '

The following on the subject of street preaching, we extract from an English paper :— " Sir o Archibald Alison, in deciding upon a case the v other day at Glasgow, said that street preaching was illegal if it obstructed a universally used -' thoroughfare, such as the Strand, London, or the < South Bridge, Edinburgh, independent altogether ' of any danger to the public peace, and that even although the place where the L preaching took place was not a thoroughfare, yet the preaching was illegal it it threateueo, the public peace,",,