WAIKOUAITI.

Otago Witness, Issue 626, 28 November 1863, Page 6

WAIKOUAITI.

(FROM THE -DXIhJ l'lllES CORRESPONDENT.) November 23r1. in your issue of the 14th I observe a notice from the Chief Commissioner of Crown Linds relative to the election of Wardens in Hundreds, in whfcb he informs the settlers that "if a sufficient number of persons in each Hundred do not take out depasturing licenses before the Ist of January, there can be no Warden elected." It is to be hoped that occupiers of land and others will not fail to comply with clauses 56 and 57 of the Land. Regulations. The importance of there being Wardens in the Waikquaiti Hundred must be evident to all. 'Where people are running ■tock indiscrim/mati }j, those trhd.h'ave' no license dea greater number^han those who have, from the Commissioner's notice it seems few applications have been made for licenses, as there has Tt>>en no election of Warden?. If one half of the people running cattle in this district were to apply for them, it would be quite sufficient to bring the matter withjn the limits of the above' clauses, and secure the presence of Wardens, Stock have positively got into such corfiiston that itfs impossible to collect' even, one's own, though possestoflg a JicenSe, 'from the' quantify of gajitje and number of owners #o,"as a matter of course, muster at |heir convenience, ju doing which fhey drive besides their own gome three or four times the number of their neighbours. These cattle are driven several miles to where" the homer stead may be, here they are kept sometimes only a night, oftener a week and then turned out to stray as they may think proper. This is nearly nn every day occurrence, and leads to many disputes about the ownership of £ke young stock. %t tqay he as well to caution two or three'partjes hero, now well known to the police, as to the consequence of th6ir' continuing the practice of putting private marks' on young cattln when a brand is not visible. This mode of robbing their neighbors has for some time been in vogue but the other day, when a division being caused in the clique, terminating in high words, the above felonious practice ooied out. It forcibly brings to mini the old adage, "when rogues fall out honest folks ge f , the right." A vigilant eye will be kept on these gentltraen, and if they persist iv such avocations they will undoubtedly be brought to' justica. The above information will, probably, make the more honest part of our communi'y exert themselves, and bear In mind that before the Ist of January, Iss l, they mist make application for Depasturing License, without which, there can be no Wardens, wlios^ presence i* so much required to protect the continued raids upon stock by people who have no license. Mr Faterson, the Chief Engineer, arrived from Dunedin last Thursday, the following day he wa< visible, parading about and inspecting the vnrious routes surveyed for the road through here. I believe before he left us he d< finitely fixed upon one of them —so there will be au end to the speculations of certain individuals as fro the direction it take»,

Last week a private cricket match was made between Messrs J. R. Jones, and F. A. Orbell. It Seems these gentlemen were conversing upon the cricket mania, when the latter challenged the former for a game, which was immediately accepted : tt was arranged the battle should be fought as soon as the stumps, &c, could be obtained from Dunedin. Air S. Jones, tbe enthusiastic promoter of cricket, was applied to and requested to forward them, which he kindly did without delay ; the day after their arrival was agreed upon for the contest. The wrather being very boisterous prevented many ladies and gentlemen (who intend, d) adorning the tiel-1 with their presence — notwithstanding there was a fair sprinkling of them. The stumps were pitched at 11 o'clock, and the game at once commenced, Mr Jone3 going in first, he maintained his post wonderfully well, but was at length bowled out. Mr Oi bell then shouldered his bat, aad prepared to meet the swift bowling of his adversary, aud after some very good plajiug his stumps shared the same fate. Ihe second innings passed much the same, and after some capit.l scoring on both sides, Orbell making a good hit at longfield, decided the match ; both gentlemen played leraaikably w«ll, and the game was exceedingly well contested. We hope that sucha manly exeicise, having been started in the district, residents will take the matter up, and en.leaveur during the summer months to form a club, f^ understand theie are some very good players residing in the place, and if they would bestir themselves they might afford many hours of amusement dining the long fine evenings of this season of the year.

The district has suffered a severe Io?s this week in losing the thoroughbied stallion " Garibaldi, '' impoitcd from Ingland by Mr Jones; he died very suddenly, shewing no symptoms of being unwell until tbe evenirg before his death. At the present time he is not only a great loss to his owner but to all breeders of horses. He was a magnificent animal, eq!;al or superior to any in the Province. The crops are remarkably forward, and an early hai vest is anticipated. Oats are already in ear. An old settler, Mr Hecklnr, dug a very fine sample of new potatoes on the lath inst. Mr Fozakerly may take the credit for green peas ; but I hear of no Dunedin garden producing new potatoes so early.