THE LAKE DISTRICT.

Otago Witness, Issue 657, 2 July 1864, Page 16

THE LAKE DISTRICT.

(FROM THE DAILY TIMES OOBRESPONiBHT.I

24th June, 1864. The weather up to this evening has 'beep fine, and frosty, but there are indications of, a )>reak up, and from the appearance of the sky and the increased temperature heavy falls of rain or.'enow are imminent. -The report of the recent discoveties on the West Coast has not been received with any great enthusiasm hythe miners,", wha generally look upon it with « suspicious eye. and would like some stronger confirmation than words for tbe existence of this auriferous paradise in the wilds. It is certainly extraordinary! and even suspicious, that " parcels of gold" should have been thrown away, as the quantify necesBary to prove tbe fact of a probable gold' field" would not have encumbered even the celebrated robin redbreast on which one or the party, lived for six days, according to his own statement There ia no doubt that these" men ;haye explored a considerable part of comparatively unknown country, and have suffered great hardships chiefly from their own improvidence, but experience teaches us to be very chary of accrediting traveller's stories, especially aa regards mysterious regions of abundant gold ; and no greater mischief can be done to ft mmm? community than the encouragement of insane rushes to every spot where an explorer may ftvncy he observes symptoms ot auriferous formation, or from which wandering prospectors return, with a long story, but hayiner thrown away or lost the gold anil specimens, which, would haTe afforded satisfactory substaufciation. ''

Barrington and the two Frenchmen arp at present in the District Hospital, and l are' doing . exceedingly well None of them ' have suffered permanent lDJurv, and their state "ltogetber has been highly colored arti exaggerated. The rjlesidfint Surgeon states that he has seen worse rases sf frost-bite from one night's exposure ; and their appearance, so far from being emaciated, is rather hearty than otherwise* A subscription has been raised at the head of the Lake, add afc the Arrow, amounting to over L3 1 ), which, proved of great service ia relieving their immediate necessities.

Considerable attention bavins: been lately drawn to what are called the Lake Diggings, i.e., the workings immediately contiguous to the Wakntip, it may not be uuinterresting to state precisely what is going on there at, present. At five and seven miles respectively from Queenstown a few me n are at work, bur enn hardly be* rearded except as fossickers— nothing like extensive operation^ having, beea attempted. ' 'The Twelve Mile (Wakatip) is a field of extensive raining enterprise; nearly 100 minem »re at work, and staving on a grand scale is being carried oat, hydraulic pressure being in roost pases aoplied, the stripping being from 40,t0 50, feet. The Twelve Mile is n long gully with a creek of some ten sluice heads, which risiusr above! the head of Woke Oreek, runs into the Lake. It i« worthy of remark that both the right and left hand terraces are auriferous. Three parties are working in the bed of the creek, and there are one or two tunnelling claims: but sluicing is and will be tbe main stay of t»iese workings. The limestone deposite previously mentioned ia your columns exists to the N. W. of % the debweehment of the oreek into the lake, aud extendß over at least ten acres. The stone is of very superior quality A thin seam of anthracite coal ha* also been discovered, but it is not likely to prove of any practical benefit,

Tbe head of the Lake now boagts a regular' Bet* tlement, there being no less thin ' four publichouses, which, with Mr Bees' station and-out-buildings form the nucleus of a future townSbip. A more splendid sight can hardly bs imagined. Tha Dart and Bees Riven empty here into the Lake, and between them lies a magnificent .area, of Mmc 20,000 acres of agricultural land, extending to the Diamond Lake. This is a3 je^ entirely unoccupied, the we regulations as to10 acre leases effectually checking enterprise is the way of cultivating the ground and penetrating deserts where cornfields ought to smile. The population does not quite reach 100, ctiieflymiuers, who are scattered oior several mites* Gold has beon found in Rees' Biver, and t Precipice Crtek, but the chief deposits are in the Bucklerburn, a rapid rock-bound stream tnrough.most o£ its course, but whjeh opens ou£ near the lake into a narrow, flat," bounded by terraces,* wHieb. prove and promise well. The quality , of ' gold frora this port of the district' fe quite different from that of the/ Saotover and Arrow River working, beinp; rough arid mucS waterworri? A quarts reef is reported to have beetf discovered in, the neighbourhood, but, no specimens being si yet forthcoming,. we must wait turther! information.

Ak Old Fox-Hunter in a Fix.—Angular encounter took place a few clayssinceoatlie footpath >lend s rig- across. BaUnchulish Glen^ toGlencreran. The old veteran, Dan M'Coll,)a;fevr days after gjtoine in his resignation as fox-hunter, was returning iiomeone evening.from the; Ballachulish Stone, when, he came up to on.unusually large deer,' which had evidently, been chase<i-in<l scared by shepherds' dogs.' tThe^ariimal^piani-. fested siens oi a pugnacious dlawisition.anlf as Dan had no weapon of defence Bn,yeu small slcilder cane, he, with a prudent regard for liis own safety, took to his heels, fellowef by the deer. - Dai* made for a tree close by him, and' speedily made life way up with wonderful agility.; rH&eideee, however, was not to be sasasily.bafßed. to work in right earnest, h6 duo: all around the tree with his feet and angers, spelling - ami snuffing at his prisoner, endeavouring, with much, sagacity and pepsevewmct, .to reach him, provoking thereby the most grievious apprehension* in the mind of the perplexed object of his" fury. Dan's anxiety was pro6;acted nearly two hours, when at length he spied a" party, of /wayfa)ring travellers moving, down the ridge of the hUI, to whom he shouted desperately for! assistance.', . Hi* cries were heard; and the pirly iinmedifttdy repaired to 1 his aid, when the deer" was beaten off | .towards Benvaar- Hill, and poor Dan delivew* I from his perilous plight. ' - A