Local and General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 401, 26 August 1869, Page 2

Local and General.

Land Sales. — The land sales to-day amounted to 174 acres, as follows: — Chrisfrchuvcb, 50 acres; MandeTille, 20 do; Oxford, 104 do; --. •■; y:M-:.:y' A 4 % rr

Chbistchurch Mosi6al Society-.— We understand that the full rehearsal last evening, under the conductorship of Mr H. W. Packer, was most satisfactory in every respect. Rangitata Bridge.— The Timaru paper of August 25, is authorised to state that a letter was some time ago received from Mr Patcrson, C.E., expressing his willingness to undertake the construction of the Raugitata bridge, and we believe that the work will be immediately taken in hand bj' the Board of Works.

Inquest. — An inquest was held on Tuesday, at Rangiora, by Dr Dudley, coroner, and a jury, of whom Mr R. Greenwood was foreman, on the body of a child named Fop^ aged three months, who died suddenly* on Sunday night. After hearing the evidence, the jury returned a verdict of " Death from natural causes.

Improvement. — The Wairarapa local journal of Aug. 19 says :— We believe there is a demand for 300 head of store cattle of two years and upwards, the purpose being to remove them to Taranaki. Holders of fat cattle are now asking- 3.sd per lb by the carcase. Every probability exists that the value Mill materially increase.

A Colonial Industry. — We are glad to learn, from a late Taranaki paper, that the smelting of the iron sand has been attended Trith gratifying and substantial success. Mr Wood, manager, had come in from the works of the compauy on the evening of Aug. 18, and reported that the smelting operations were most successful, and said that the metal ran like waiter.

Mektjngs or Creditors. — At a meeting of creditors, held yesterday, in re F. J. P. Hepworth, Mr J. E. Graham was chosen trustee, and Messrs Edwin Pearce and John Beecher supervisors. The estates in re Robert Cameron and Geo. Wm. Howard were declared to be vested in the provisional trustee. Re Egerton Ninnis ; the meeting adjourned until the Ist September. -^^^ n/Kerojene. — The total quantity of keroV ache imported into New Zealand during the year 18G8, was 296,448 gallons, representing a money value of .£33,672. Of this amount £21,083 was from Victoria, £9740 from the United State 3, £5 109 from New South Wales, and £2750 from the Unite.l Kingdom. The total value of the candles imported during the same period was £88,958.

Close of thb Session. — A Wellington contemporary of Aug. 21, says : —On Thursday afternoon the Government expressed a hope that the business of the session might be very shortly closed, if lio needless delay were caused by the Opposition. In the course of some rather angry discussion on the subject, the Premier plainly stated that rather than submit to a vexatious and unreasonable prolongation of the session by the Stafford party he was fully prepared .to advise his Excellency to dissolve the HouseSv

A Canterbury Man. — The following paragraph, which we extract - from a Wellington contemporary of Aug. 19, will be read witii pleasure by Mr Ollivier's old friends in Canterbury :— Mr F. Morton Ollivier, who has recently been admitted a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court, and entered into partnership with Mr Travers, made his debut to-day ia the Kesident Magistrate's Court, in the case of Parnell v. Spiers. Although his maiden effort was not crowned with victory, yet he did his best to attain it, and was complimented by the counsel on the other side. Mr Ollivier is a young gentleman of great promise, who has won the esteem of all who have known him during his residence among us, and bids fair to attain eminence in his profession.

Retrenchment-; — Our Taranaki contemporary has ihe following' from which it will be seen that the Fox-Vogel Government are retrenching:— " Amongst the reductions made by the new Government have been the disbanding of the local forces in this province. Orders arrived by the Ahuriri to reduce ooir forces from 550 men (which we have lately had on pay in this province), to 300. Accordingly the natives have all been struck off pay; also tiie bush party commanded by Capt M'Kellar, lately stationed at Tikorangi. The bush corps were marched into town yesterday, and were told that if anyof the men intented to leave the province that they were to deliver up their arms at the Militia office. The men asked when they were to be paid, but as Capt M'Kellar could not inform them, they said they would give up their arms on receiving what was due to them.

: -Wesleta.n Missions.— -The St. Albans commemoration of the Wegleyan Mission Anniversary took place last night, when a public meeting was held in the church jmder the presidency of Mr Garrick. There was a very numerous attendance, and the choir rendered valuable aid in the proceedings of the evening. The report originally submitted at the Christchurch i meeting; and already published, was read? after some introductory remarks from the! chairman, aud the following resolutions were» subsequently passed: — Moved by the Rev.* 'VV.' Oliver, and seconded 1 by the Rev. JV Aldred — ',* That the report be adopted, and our meeting hereby expresses its gratification, to Almighty God f or the measure i f of success with which he has been pleased to favour the missionary efforts of the WesleyanJ and other. Evangelical Churches.". Moved, by the Rev. A. Reid, and seconded by Mr C W. Turner- —" That this meeting regards the conversion' of the World ,to Christ .as, the great* work of- the Christian Church; 'and looks' upon the manner in which \ churches prosecute this work as a principal evidence of their progress or decline, and- therefore expresses its hope that the claims of the* home work, though acknowledged jto be most] pressing, may not be permitted to weaken the- efforts of the ..church for tie world's evangelisation, and pledges itself ;o renewed prayer 'and liberality in furtherance of the mission cause.-' Lengthy speeches were delivered by the respective inbvers and seconders, bearing very effectively on the 'greaVclaim wMcb/Tnissionary labour has on

all Christian communities. The Rev. A. Reid was particularly eloquent upon this, giving a very graphic and impressive review of .the Wesleyan efforts to extend the knowledge of the- Divine Word-in a'l the four quarters of the world. Mr Turner also gave some very valuable statistics, more particularly referring to New Zealand, and altogether the meetiug was highly interesting. Immediately previous to its termination, a collection was made in aid of the Mission Fund, and it was subsequently announced that the total amount received that evening, and after the collection made at the Sunday missionary services, was nearly £\2. \ Ladiks. — Our Wellington avening contemporary of Aug. 19 has the following : -A mania has taken fast hold of Wellington ladies, which would be highly flattering to the officers of H.M.S. Challenger if they were not too well accustomed to that sort of thing. We refer to the fashion of ladies assimilating their dress as much as possible to that of the naval officers ; and of wearing in the hair and as ornaments to their dresses, anchors, brass buttons, gold bands, &c. To such a pitch has this mania for naval " belongings " reached, that not a ball takes place in Wellington now, at which at least half a dozen young ladies may not be seen with their chignons tied on the tops of their heads with black ribbons, on which the word Challenger stands " out conspicuous in gold letters in front. This seems ticketing themselves with a vengeance, and in a way happily not seen among English girl?. In the day time, as well as in the evening, the naval influence is observable. Take a stroll down the beach, and ten to one the first lady you meet will have on a blue pilot jacket ornamented with brass buttons, and with gold bands round the wrists. These latter are intended to make her neighbours as wise as herself as to the rank of her naval sweetheart, of her own brevet.

Gold. — We extract the following from our Timaru contemporary of yesterday: — Late news from Waimate states that two or three prospecting parties are contemplating a visit to the country at the head of the Waiho gorge, the supposed locality of the " find " reported in this journal recently. The piece of quartz which, at the time of its exhibition at the Waimate, was said to contain no les.n than 50 per cent, of the precious metal, was uo doubt over-esti-mated in its richness ; but that it did contain a very large per ceutage of gold there is not the smallest doubt, as the specimen was fairly studded with gold. As far as we can learn, the quartz was picked up in the bed of a creek, which, being " likely looking," was turned by the prospecting party, and it was on washing the stuff that the specimen was found. The quartz showed signs of having comparatively recently been broken from a reef, as it was but little water-worn, and the gold points were very sharp and distinct. v The men who found the specimen at once returned to the ground, and we believe are still working there, and they are sanguine that the day is not far distant when the discovery of a i ayable goldfield in the Waiho country or neighbourhood will be an accomplished fact. On Saturday- evening, Mr Sibley, one of the men - who was prospecting for gold on the run of Mr Tripp, returned to town, bringing with him a very fine sample of washdirt, with gold plainly visible, which was taken from one tin dish of stuff. There are two men s;ill at work on the ground, and we believe they iuteud at once to commence sluicing to ascertain whether the ground will pay to work. They are very sanguine, moreover, of finding something better, but the river — the head waters of the Orari— flood for several days, and prevented .them from prospecting as they desired. We believe that Sibley will leave again for the "ground shortly. Thew and party, at the npuha, are a long wa-y .down in their thiril shaft, but have not drivgij through the reef. ; T hey are not able to work; at the reef which ; thejr discovered in the autumn, and Tvhich ied:tp the present search for gold, on account of the snow. Dr Haast recommends the jprange behind Mr Kinibeil's house, at Burkes l-PasSj being examined. The range on Mr run (late Sheath's) is what. l -j^'Uppose Dr Haast alludes to." A Weipington paper of Aug. 19" has the following: ; — We kavc been shown a specimen of quartz jhreught from the Grey Dawn claim at North sMaltara, containing gold; Mr Norris, the manager of the Company, has informed us that this specimen and some others from the samp place have been to-day submitted to Dr ; 1 lector, who has pronounced that they contain; considerable quantities of gold, arid.that gold is the pr xluce of the district,- being similar to that oltained at Baker's Hill. lie has also express* d a wish to have some more specimens -broug lit him. Those wei have alluded to were jtaken from a leader J^pfan inch in thickness, and found at the depth Of Jiy&eet. Readers have been found all- the VSty dowiPf rom a depth of 8 feet beloWsihe surface. Two of the";.; shareholders in this company have been to tl&claiin subsequently, andi brought in some specimens even richer the first. A Taranaki paper of a recent datg has the followingt.^JVe have it from a genjileman who has recently been in the TJrejweju country, that some of the forcea there nave been doing a litt.le 1 casual prospecting iglose to the camps, ami* have found gold; whilst the men who hav^had an opportunity of Joing into the countr^ 1 state that there is plenty of gold in the ranges. " .'■ » . from the Thames Gold»ields j ■s-fey way of the Wellington papers, w,e haye ! &Ss to August 16 : — The Moanataiar|.€om-| yrogy's prospect looks bright. Some fir&tclags specimens have been taken out of; a that opens to the thickness of fire feet. JjTnuraber of shares hare change 1 haudsJi<i moj South for £17. Tho manager reports. <tbjft he will have over 500 ounces of "gold to-|aj. Aug. 16. A correspondent <=ays :*— A «*§ry fine-looking reef was opened lust week in the Young Ilcefers. It was found in a shaft which is sunk to a depth of twentyfive feet. I have been shown some of the

■ stone taken from it, and it looks very likely. I saw gold in several, besides a number of specimens which were very good. Since this has been cut, shares have greatly advanced ; scrip, which a short time ago might be bought at 10s, are now withheld at 3os. The Armstrong reef is also showing well up, and a number of specimens were taken out of it to-day. The reef is a very singular formation, and shows gold in the watery quartz, which is usually looked upon as barren. The Thames Times of Aug. 16, says : — Dixon's No. 1 stone is being crushed at Bleazird's battery. The taking from the .tables for the last nine days, from 100 tons, shows 6)0 ounces of amalgam. It is expected the yield for the month will be about 600 ounces. The i'retly Jane claim, at Karaku, is again looking up, as two good leaders were exposed by the formation of a tramway. The Tradesman's and Hatters' cl"im3 are going to amalgamate. The General Jackson, a new company, has been started with a capital of .£IB,OOO in 3600 shares. Auriferous specimens were exhibited at the last meeting of the Tararu Company. The manager of the North Devon reports that the prospects of the claim were never better than at present, and in hi 3 opinion it will be one of the most permanent as well as one of the best paying mines in the district.

Latest Native News. — The correspondent of the Auckland Herald, writing from Alexandra, in the Waikato, on August 16 says : — Te Kooti is at Tahua, a settlement about 37 miles from Alexandra. Rewi is with him. It is supposed that he is waiting the arrival of Titokowaru and the people from the Wanganui district. The reports that he was at Taupo and Ohinemuri are false. They are given out, no doubt, to lead the Government astray. The Herald also publishes the following, which, is dated Alexandra, August 12: — Te Kooti's last words to the Waikatos were that he was going, but would return again shortly, meaning, no doubt, when the whole of his arms and ammunition reached him that is known to be en route to the Waikato ; and as he expects reinforcements from different quarters, and imagines that the. Government will withdraw their forces from ;|he frontier, then will be the time to .make a successful raid on the Waikato. RewC has , gone with Te Kooti. Tawhiao has sent a. letter.' to the Government witli a formal ■■'denjauch that the prisoners taken atNgaruawahia;together with the arms and auirnfcnition,' should be 'immediately reMimed to Tokangarnutu, and if the demand v is x not immediately complied with, the Waikato threaten to attack the Waikato settlement independent of Te Kooti and his murderous band.