DUNSTAN.

Otago Witness, Issue 663, 12 August 1864, Page 19

DUNSTAN.

(from the daily times correspondent

The river Still continues steadily to fall find no opportunity better than the present could be more favorable for working its biinkß. A person who had never seen the Molynenx other than iv a flooded state, could scarcely re cognise it now ; huge rocks that now appear far beyond the reach of angry floods, were then covered with water, while the large gravelly beaches and islands rearing their heads almost in mid-channel, have but upon rare occasions ever been before exposed to view. As a matter of course, everybody has a claim on the river. At the present moment there is not an idle man in the town ; and, although you may offer a pound per day or five per week for constant work, not & laborer can be got. Mr Holt, the lessee of Ibe coal-pit, cannot for the life of him procure sufficient labor to work his mine. Tbe Pioneer Mining Company are nearly in the same fix, and all requiring work done must either do it themselves or let it remain. f> umbers of bnsiness people not finding trade sufficiently remunerative, are working on the river j you may go into a large number of places, and upon inquiry for the owner, receive the answer that " Mr So and So is away at his claim ; if you v»is.h to see him, he will be home on Satuiday n ; glit, but leaves early ou Monday morning. Parties at a distance will be naturally inqviiin? "how is the river turning ont 1" I 3 the modern Paetolus yieldin- up the treasures which it was reputed to contain? I may, in reply, say, " did any place which was known to contain gold, but which, from causes beyond control, Could not b B f,ot at easily, ever tqua) toe expectations formed of it 1 " All diggers a^e well aware that in all cases where great difficulties exist in obtaining the piecious metal, tbe qi'anuty «upposed to be in the ground is very much magnified and such may be said of the bed of tbe Molyneux. Jt is certainly very rich, the gold is prel 'y evenly distribute 1, and then there are plenty bt claims from which man will and are making their piles, although the sanguine expectations formea of its riches are by no rceins being realised. Bull we have the cDnsoladon that, notwithstanding grumblers are b. r no means few, almost everybody is doing well ; and that we hear of those claims in the yield of which their owners have been disappointed, bnb not ot those when the reverse is the case. I myself peraona'lv know men who are now working ground and making from tna to twelve pounds mv wesk. which is double what they expected ; wbile others are only making wages from ground wliei c they fully calculated upon taking out pound* weight. Still, no man indUßtrioa&ly inclined, and not having extravagant ideas of qu^kiy acquiring wealth, need not fea-- but that alon"; the banks of the Molyneux he will be well repaid for his labour.

Tbe auction bazaar in aid of the Hospital funds, which was held at the Victoria Theatre on Monoay evening last,, was an immens9 enens-s. The house was crowded in all parts, wlii'e toe attendance of ladies, for whose comfort a potion o« the building was specially reseived, was much larger than upon any former occasion. The gifts numbered nearly 3UO lots, comprising articles of every description, which were very tastefully ar ranged; and the Thea're being brilliantly illuminated, the display of goods presented a really splendid appearance. Two remarkably fine sheep, one the giio of Meesrs W. and D. Sbennan, the other by the Messrs Lowe, were gaHy decorated with ribbons, and were plnce'l in a pro miaent position on the stage. It was the original intention of the Committee to have the calf presented by Mr Eraser also on the stage, but from its tize and weight, which was upwards of 800 lbs., it proved beyond the control ot the Committee ; ie was consequents killed and dressed by Mr Grindley, oi the Victorian "utchery, at whose premises it was exposed to view The next renmkable part of the exhibition was the display of meat, which formed an agreeable contrast to the ; articles of glassware and jewellery, and - occupied an adjoining table. It consisted of two calves' heac's, four tails, eigiit feet, four oxtongues, one of them 'weighing eleven pounds, all dressed with ribbons in first-rate style by their doner, Mr G-indley. the rest consisted of two huge rounds of bee£ furnished by Charles Attfjeld, and a well dressed saddle of inuiton,' by Mr Buckland. The donations of jewellery by Messrs Currie and Goodwin Barlow, were on a most liberal scale; and tbeie being a number of like artlelefi from OO cr] >er donors, there was almost sufficient to stock a smaUsboo. In fact, I may say thateve»7 body was ssLoivMid where all the various trinkets came from. Tbe sale commenced at five minutes ppst eight, and •with the exception of three ihort intervals of ien minntes each, during which time the fine baod of the theatre performed several favorite }>'»:*, it was carried on without intermission till a few minuses past midnight, when about half the goods hiri been disposed of. The sale was then a('jot>i-n«"J for a fortnight. The sum realised waa LJO3 IBs. Of comse many of the articles produced great merriment. For a child's wicker cradle, tue g : ft of Mr S. Isaacs, there was a spiriu-d competition —it was first knocked down to the gayer for two guineas, ihen put up again, sou afterwards puKshued for nearly a like amount by a gentlenan whose fair partner has just added to tlie population of th 3 Dunstan. The peat gun o? the evening was a pair of Maon hens, presented by Mr Welsh, tbe Tf>vo'ei to the hosnital. and a most deserving Rift tbey proved, quite deserving of a Treasu^ei", as tbev contributed to the Treasury the bands-line sum of L 20169; they were put up 58 limes, and fetched prices varyiug from half-a-crown to a pound. The highest bidder was aMr D. Ta''firman, of Duoedin : tbe next, was Mr M'Goonioiiie, draper, of Clyde, who bought the hens ntoe times. One '• little old man" iv a leather j f.ckel, "who nobody ever Baw before, became once tbe purchaser and appeal ed determined to be possessor into the bargain, but bis right was disputed in twenty places, and "leather jacket," amidst a storm of confusion, was outbid to the extent of double his purcbase-money. The auctioneers, were Messrs Jones, Lazarus and JBrodie . A'l three gentlemen exerced themselres to the utmostbut as Mr Lazarus met with such good fortpne with the Maori- hens, to him must be awarded the palm of victory. The exertions of Messig Jacobs, Grindley, Barlow and Kowley who formed the Committee of Management, were beyond praise ; and to those gentlemen much of the success of tbe evening depended. Everybody went away highly delighted, and the affair is unanimously declared to have been the ereatest «KSceaß on the Dunstan.