BRUCE BAY.

West Coast Times, Issue 168, 3 April 1866, Page 2

BRUCE BAY.

(tfltOM OUB OWX CORRESPONDENT.) The following letter, from "our own correspondent," must have arrived in the Kennedy on Sunday night; but through some inadvertency or omission,- was rioi delivered at our office until yesterday morning : — March 30. I regret to inform you that Hunt's Rush ' has, to all appearances, turned out a complete hoax— a cruel* and heartless, " sell." In my last I mentioned that Hunt had disappeared in the bush, but that he had come back, and was about leading the miners to the gully where he had obtained food prospects. So far as I can now learn lunt was attempting to escape, when lie came on a number of miners camped, who brought him nolens volefis back td ( thd principal camp on Granite Creek. Here for half a day he led the miners through the bush, and at night was no nearer to the inland goldfield. The next morning it was, resolved to start at eight o'clock, and shortly before that time Hunt said it was necessary for him to ascend a tree, in order to look around. He accordingly did so whilst the miners were packing up ; and when they were ready, they went towards where Hunt had been, but to their intense amazement and disgust, Hunt was nowhere to be seen. The bush around was speedily searched, but no traces of Hunt could be found. The miners* exasperated beyond all patience, rushed hither and thither, determined to inflict summary chastisement on him if they could catch him, but their search was unavailing. 1 hear that late last evening Hunt was met by one man who attempted to seize him, but failed in doing so, although he got possession of Hunt's bat and shirt in the struggle. Nine tenths of the miners disgusted and fatigued have returned to Bruce Bay and this evening there cannot be less than between two ana three thousand men camped, all vowing vengeance on Hunt for. leading them such a wild goose chase. Should Hunt be caught he is sure of getting a flogging that he will remember all the days of his life. My opinion is thafrthe rush is a complete "sell" at the same time, I am totally at a loss to discover what motives could induce him to deceive the miners in such a manner. Some say he has reason to retaliate on the miners for the way they illtreated him when he discovered the Greenstone. The business people, of whom there are large numbers, are trying to get rid of their stocks as quick as possible before the miners leave here en mass?. Some huudreds of miners are still at Granite Creek, well provided with tucker, their v mates having returned from Bruce Bay with supplies. It is the intention of the majority of these miners to prospect around, if they cannot find Hunt or his rush ; so after all some good may arise from the large population allured here. There is a probability— a very slight one I confess,— that Hunt has really lost himself, and that he will yet be found, and find out his gully ; but it is very strange that an experienced bushman like Hunt, born and reared, I' believe, in the bush, could lose himself. There is a lingering belief amongst the miners that the gully will be found, and in consequence the most of them intend to remain for a day or two, to see if any news will be heard of Hunt. Should no news arrive by Monday, I believe every miner will leave immediately, — and the movements most certainly will be north. The beaches between here and Okarita are sure to receive such a thorough prospecting as will at once decide their auriferous qualities. I have very little doubt but that payatye gold will be found soon, as on the way down I observed many parts of the bush were not prospected. There is an enormous population scattered between Okarita and Bruce Bay. Why is there no Warden or police provided for the protection of the miners and business people ? Surely the miners are taxed enough to keep up a force of a thousand police, and fifty Wardens. What on earth has tho Government done with the immense revenue derived alone from minors' rights and the

export duty on gold ? , There is not a bridge or a track, that I could see, from, the Grey to Bruce Bay; and every ntine^tha.t travels that (Jistjance, runs^ fifty chances of being ariwned. In tome-, of the numerous rivers. I can tell Mr Sale, its representative of the Government, if police and wardeus are not despatched south a state of utter lawlessness will ensue, and the good old rule " let him keep who can" will come in force. For my own part I have no objection to the good old rule, but at the same time when I am taxed' so enormously I expect to receive a " quid pro quo. , , . Mr Warden Price, with praiseworthy alacrity has arrived, but without a single policeman ; his advent is, however, hailed with .great satisfaction by all as lie is well and deservedly esteemed. Hunt's brother, who has been deceived as well as every pne else, called on Mr Price this afternoon and told him he believed the rush to be a corqplkfi " humbllg:" - i On Thursday morning onb of the .boats, whilst landing passengers from the Britce, capsized in the surf and all hands were in a moment struggling for their lives. There was an.immediate rush made by the miners to the shore, who at once lauuehed two boats, whilst some gallant fellows, whose names, I cannot ascertain, dashed boldly into the .surf and dragged several almost exhausted passengers on phore. Fortunately all hands were saved. , . , The town (I may now bail it so) of Bruce Bay is thronged with people, and the tents are so numerous that I gave up counting them in despair. It is as hard to get through the crowd as in Great Bourke street or Paddy's market of a Saturday evening in Melbourne. March dlst. My prophesies . have come truest last. Lstte last. night I heard rumors to" the £ffect that ,it wiia, the intention' 6"f dome Of the. miners to "rush!', the., stores and shanties. I did not believe it, as I knew hundreds of the miners, and I also knew that few, if any, were hard-up. However, I was quickly undeceived about nine o'clock by a cry of " roll up ; roll up !" and on going out from my tent I found a large crowd around the store of the late Mr Schernikow, but now owned by Messrs. Ecclesfield Brothers, of Hokitika. With great difficulty t managed to get near the door, and then 1 saw that the store was really rushed, the reason assigned being that it was the only store here before the rush, and they (the miners) imagined Hunt had something to do with it. Such reasoning was quite fallacious and quite wrong, the real fact being that a set of ruffians — some thirty or forty only, calling themselves miners, and lusting for Qrink on the '' cheapj" well knowing there were no police to check them, ru'shefl the store for the sole purpose of gorging themselves with drink. I know myself that the manager of the store never thought of a rush or of causing a rush, and what is more, on last Sunday when the ru^sh had really set in, and no other store was] in the place,' the manager sold all the flour tit sixpence a pound, when he could easily have obtained one shilling or one shilling and sixpence. Such generosity I can assure you is well appreciated by the bona fide miners who to a man will all deal with Ecclesfield Brothers for the future, should the rush go ahead. Great credit is due to Mr Sheils, the manager for Ecclesfield Brothers, who, short a time as he has been flown here, has already made numerous friends; When, he saw how affairs wefe &oing he mounted some flour bags, and addressed the multitude in a forcible and able speech, pointing outto them how fairly he had acted by the miners since the rush : his remarks were endorsed by the miners, most of whom cried, " shame ! " The mob then dispersed, but had already destroyed and taken away £15 worth of grog. Some goods were taken away also, but the most were returned ; amongst the rest, a keg of butter. Messrs Ecclesfield Brothers may thank their manager, Mr Sheils, for his prudence and address, or Otherwise the store would have been gutted. After the grog had been partaken of, the cry arose, "Let Us go and give Matty Byrnes (of Brennan and Byrnes) a start." No sooner said than done, as the mob at once surrounded the store, and a scene of devastation commenced. Whole case's of brandy and porter were hauled out and dispensed, with cheers, amongst the multitude, and in the melee a bag of gold containing 46 ozs. was lost. From what I can learn, the miners had a particular " down on Matty Byrnes for charging very high for gotfds at Okarita some months ago, for in the midst of the row I heard several miners call out v what do you think of £3 10s. for the fifty of flour now, Matty." In this store they did nqt confine themselves to taking grog but walked away with everything indiscriminately. A large number of stores and shanties were afterwards visited and plundered, and rowdyism reigned triumphant throughout the town, DUt in very few instances nothing but drink was taken. V our readers must not imagine that the great body of the miners are to blame for this most scandalous affair. I believe only some thirty or forty of the very scruff and scum of the mining population took part in the plundering. I know and am well acquainted with as many miners as any man in New Zealahd and I am glad to say that not one of my acquaintances were amongst the plunderers, on the contrary, when bottlefuls and billyfuls of grog were brought out and offered indiscriminately I myself, and hundreds others, repulsed the proffered drink with scorn. I am unable at present to send you an account of the losses sustained by the differp ent stores, but I will endeavor to do so before the steamer goes, if not I will send them as soon as possible. The only thing I regret is that it is not the property of the government that has been made away with. This night the business people anticipate further outrages, and Mr Warden Price has been busy all day swearing in special constables. 5 p.m. The s.s. Kennedy has just arrived with several passengers and four or five constables. No news whatever has been heard of Hunt.

* Thoro aro two classes of persons of whom it may bo truly, said that their word is as good as their bond — those whoso word is novor broken, and those whoso bond is good for "f" f nothing. Samuel Head, an old man 84 years of ago, walked on Christmas-day from tho village of Oarlton to Gcdling Church, Notts, a distance of a mile, and while in the adt of taking tho sacrament fell back and immediately expired. Decoased was halo and hearty up to that day, but had been hoard to Bay that ho should die on Obrißtruoa-dey,