The Star. TUESDAY, JUNE 29, 1869.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 351, 29 June 1869, Page 2

The Star. TUESDAY, JUNE 29, 1869.

*,? During the last session of the Pi-o-.vincial Council it was decided un- *' animously that a reward of two hundred pounds should be paid to the ." fipcjfc discoverer of a payable goldfield in the province. Ever since the offer ' wuß made rumour lias been busy with mysterious announcements of the pro- -: bablo speedy discovery of a payable goldfield. The chief difficulty appeared to be how to fix the locality. On one ' occasion the field w.as to be found uear the Opihi, then the Waitaki was the favourite spot, theli a story became current about two very mysterious individuals who came into town at iufcervals with suudry ounces of gold, and, • /after disposiug of thorn, disappeared no one knew how or where. Through/ all these rumours there was to b£ found a party faithful to the claims of the Malvern Hills district, who declared that sooner or later gold was to be found in that locality. , v At last, on Wednesday, the 23rd • ---.inst., the mystery was solved. .The ,'.,. -Press announced the fact that they had ■.."■ received authentic information that payable gold had heen discovered in the . Ma! corn IRlte district. Our cou- - temporary stilted at the same tim<; that' thirty diryr-^'s had started for the .^fields, and that by next morning it was ■♦; '-probable that a hundred men would be on the ground. It is. hardly necessary to say that an announcement of bo important and positive a nature created great interest and excitement. Every man congratulated his neigh-

bour on the brilliant prospects instore, and cheerful countenances were seen in all directions. From enquiries, and information received — ks the police say — we were led to believe that our contemporary had somewhat overstated the case. We pointed this out to the public, and cautioned them against being led away by doubtful dtatetnents. Especially, we called attention to the fact that no one had claimed the reward offered by the Council for the discovery of a payable gold field. Our contemporary the Press, in a fit of indignation, replied that it would soon be seen that somo one would claim the reward, and that this would set the question of discovery at rest. On the following day the reward was claimed by Messrs Deßourbel, Ford, and another. But, strange to say, neither the Government or the public felt satisfied that a payable goldfield had been discovered because Meserj Deßourbol and Co. had claimed the rewa' d. True, some people argued that surely the reward would not be claimed on spec, and acting on this view of the case, a score or two of adventurers hastened to the Malveru Hills. The Government, determined to be on the safe side, published a caution against people rushing up to the Maivern Hills. And now comes the denouement in the shape of a letter from Mr Edmund Ford in this morning's Press. Mr Ford writes on behalf of the persons who have claimed the reward, of whom he is one. He states, that though they have claimed the reward offered by the Government for the discovery of a payable goldfield, they have uot discovered payable gold. The reason given for having taken this extraordinary and unwarrantable step is that they were afraid that some other per3ons who, according to Mr Ford's statement, appear to have discovered payable gold, might be first in the field to, claim the Gpvornmout reward.,^\Mr Ford commences his letter by the naive remark "As I find there is a "wrong . im- " pression on the public mind re- " specting the . reported gold dis- " covery."' We should think so. What impression was likely to be produced 'on the public mind by the fact of .three .sane persons having claimed a reward offered distinctly for the discovery of a payable goldfield ? Why, that a payable goldfield had been discovered. Messrs Deßourbel and Co. certainly owe the public an ample apology for setting up what, according to their own showing, is a false claim, and thereby raising expectations which were doomed to be disappointed. The only adequate reparation left for them is to discover a real goldfield at once? The least they can do, therefore, is^Tio go up to. the Malvern Hills and work till they find one.