Local and General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 392, 16 August 1869, Page 2

Local and General.

Jjxtud Sales to-day amounted to 1 1 6 acres, as follows:— Timaru, 40; Lincoln, 20; Oxford, 56. YCMonicipal Rate. — The Lyttelton Borough Council have announced their intention of levying a rate of 9d in the pound on all rateable property in the borough. S. John's. — The usual fortnightly entertainment will not be given on Wednesday evening next, in consequence of Mr R. Parker's musical entertainment at the Town gall. S&laoisterial. — At the Christchurch Magistrate's Court this morning, Christopher Dearing and Thomas Rowley were charged, before C. C. Bowen, Esq., R.M.,with fighting in Colombo street on Saturday afternoon, and were fined 10a each. The origin of the quarrel appeared to have been a disagreement about some dogs. Gold Prospecting. — As yet, the men at work at Purau have not met with gold. s everal of the workmen are busy bottoming, and will then commence to drive. We understand that the- prospectors are very well satisfied with the. indications given. One party is down thirty feet.; Sunnyside. — To-morrow evening an entertainment will be given at the new hall, Sunnyside Lunatic Asylum, under the direction of Mr E. Long. We believe the patients and friends who may visit them, wfll spend a pleasant evening, as a somewhat lively programme has been prepared. Gold at the Waipara.— Mr Williams has returned from his inspection of the locality where the specimen of quartz on which the Prospecting Company made their application for a goldfield to be proclaimed, was found, but the result is kept strictly private until it lias been fully reported on to the Government. This will be done to-day. Football.— The collegians past and present, played a return match against the club on Saturday. The latter received the assistance of those of its members who had left the college more than four years. No goals were kicked, bnt unlike the previous Saturday, the club were rather the stronger side throughout the game. Children's Entertainment. — The sixth of the series took place in the Wesleyan School-room, Lyttelton, on Friday ; the room was crowded. Readings were given by the Revs. Knowles, Reid, and Ferguson. The evening was enlivened by some part songs by Messrs England and Bradley. A vote of thanks was carried by acclamation to those who had kindly assisted. NVater Velocipede. — On Saturday afternoon Mr Morgan exhibited in Dampier's Bay his water velocipede. The' machine, which is very similar to a bicycle is fixed in the centre of two canoes 12 feet long, canvascovered,'and watertight: A paddle wheel propels the canoes, the handles in front acting on the rudders. Mr Morgan was very successful in attaining a considerable speed. Great care, however, is necessary; a novice on Saturday attempting to drive the machine was thrown into the water twicA ;We learn that there will be a race betweentwo of these machines on the Avon on Saturday next. Westland Gold News. — Our Greymouth contemporary of August 10 has the following: — The recent announcement of the discovery of a quartz reef in the range behind Langdon's Ferry, Grey River, has attracted some attention, and a number of men have visited the locality. A correspondent sends us the following as the result of his visit: — Leaving Mr; Langdoa's Hotel, I proceeded a few hundred yards along the road leading towards the Black Ball, then turned abruptly to the left, and took up a spnr leading to the high ranges. I shortly came across places where

picks and hammers had been plied about some quartz leaders; but no great amount of labour had ever been expended there. That leaders and also a reef exist here is true, but no gold was to be seen. It is a great pity such a district should have remained so long unnoticed, and a still greater pity that parties whom one would suppose to be interested in the development of matters which conduce to the prosperity and permanency of the district should be so blind as not to have had the place prospepted.^ It is generally believed that gold exists in the reefs hereabouts. Several very fine specimens have been found in a creek close by, by I believe, Patterson and party, while they were working an alluvial claim, and some parties are at present working the same creek, but with what success I am unable to say. Should gold be got, of which there is but little doubt, were the place tried, waterpower is close at hand which would work an over-shot wheel to drive any number of stampers. I conclude that the report of 6oz. to the ton must have originated from the fact of the specimens alluded to having been found distributed about. The following, from the same paper, seems to refer to the nugget which recently found its way to Christchurch:— A splendid parcel of heavy nuggets was brought to town a few days ago from Moonlight Creek, and sold to one of the banks. One of these nuggets, weighing 37 ounces, slightly impregnated with quartz, was exhibited round town yesterday, and had a considerable effect upon the share market, more especially upon the shares in the Moonlight Quartz Mining Company. The Westport paper of August 7 says: — Some very fine parcels of gold have this week been brought from the Lyell and the Buller. One parcel of 20 ounces is composed chiefly of two-ounce and one-ounce pieces obtained in the Lyell. And the parcels from the Buller, though principally of light gold, include one specimen exceeding five ounces in weight. This fine nugget was got by Mr Cowley in what was formerly Scott's claim, in which the 92-ounce nugget was obtained. ,The nugget is at present in the possession of Mr Paterson, storekeeper, Kennedy street, who has also a very pretty specimen of richly auriferous quartz which was found in the Lyell a few miles below the quartz reef which was recently discovered, and which, we believe, is likely soon to be taken up by some mining parties. ;