(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.)

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1931, 12 March 1875, Page 2

(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.)

MACKAYTOwtf, March 11. A meeting of Natives was convened for 10 a.m. this day, at Casrell and Bennett's store, to request Mr Mackay to stay in the district. There were expected to be about 300 Natives present. A large number of miners left this placemen Monday-^n route,for the gum diggings. I have seen^ncpe return who have been; there, but t-have seen many that only went half way and came back disgusted; V . :. •> ? ,:, ' X .; ;- A deputation of persons intending to take out publicans' licenses waited on His Worship; -Warden Eraser, asking him if he could not lower the, publicans' license to £20 a jear; payable quarterly, until such time as the.field would.be proved payable. Hia Worship said he could not alter things from the way in which they now, were. - The deputation was pleased with his explanation on matters and retired. Business, on the whole, is getting slack. Many have, gone back, and many are now leaving here, - for the gunT diggings, equipped with spears, spades, ana provisions, to try their luck; r vMr Charles Maclean took a few friends to what he thought was.alluvial gold^ about six "years ago, but, after examination, they discovered it to be a slip from some reef I in the locality. 1 For about four feet, there is a little fine cold'distributed, all through the stuff. The ground is too mullocky for sluicing. To do anything,- they require machinery to work the ground. Houses .are still going up, and the business people here anticipate, having sports on St. Patrick's Day, the L7thof March. * . : _ There, is little or no, work done There."as yet as regards actual mining. The men who intended give' the? place a' trial jre waiting to Hear how the prospectors' claim will be settled tomorrow. There are a few storekeepers-from here who have already stores on the Waitekauri. -=» Claims to the extent of about 200 men's ground havebeenregistered,soyoumay see from this how many of the men here ittban business. Some of those who'have taken up ground h'avfe already set in tasvstematic- work—noticeably the, old Snotover party, Dan Leahy's crowd, and the Me Livers, below the prospectors. There is one fact deserving of mention in connection with the prospectors —that if, Thorpe's and Coleman": and Smith's. They have not been trading on their discovery. Whatever value it may possess, they are content to" keep it^ftr them* selves, not having sold a single interest of any description so far as* I can learn. This speaks well for them and for their confidence in the discovery^ \ They have not traded in a fictitious find for years, and extracted money from cpnfidingdupes. There are men on this field at the present time 7 who for years lived $n the credulity of others, obtaining money on the strength. of false representations of "something^they had found. Now that the field is open these- loafers have nothing, andtthey are loudest in condemning those who have something arid would at once" proceed to work it but for the uncertainty by which they are surrounded. -" • - "■ \" -"- "s

I have just learned that the meeting of natives took place, the attendance being large, but nothing was dene of any consequence. „-:,-, },\-i:~. ■ ; 7,