GILES TERRACE.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 355, 19 September 1868, Page 2

GILES TERRACE.

(feom ottr own cobbespondent.) In the much disputed case of Luke and party, against Perry and party, on G-iles Terrace, the Warden has issued an order directing the latter to cease working in the ground in dispute, through which Perry's tunnel runs. It has just been laid off on the ground by Mr. Coe, Mining Surveyor, and the disputed boundary marked out by him in the tunnel. As Perry and Co struck good payable gold before coming to that point, they have now started a branch tunnel, diverging from the main drive in their own ground, from which they can well keep their boxes going and suffer no inconvenience from the injunction laid on by the Warden. Perry has been for some time washing up, and . Davis and party are pre oaring to do the same., From the prospect's obtained, the claims on G-iles Terrace are expected to yield about an ounce of amalgam, or about half an ounce of gold per hour, which, for say ten hours washing will pay about £25 per man per week; as an average, no doubt some will pay more, and others less, but I have no doubt this may be taken as a fair mean return of the claims.

Giles' is becoming quite a township, a street now existing where only a fortnight age a couple of houses stood, and without question, when washing is

going on in all the claims, it will be the moat stirring place on the West Coast. The drives from theDeadman's Creek are going on rapidly, some of the tunnels there, will be over a quarter of a mile iu length. Four new tuunels are going in on the German Terrace on the opposite side of the Arawaite, from Giles', and the lead in all probability will be traced there also. The bottom of the Arawaite valley being some hundred or so below the tunnels at Giles it may be very safely, I think, presumed that the river has cut through it, in fact in Evans and Co's the prospectors, claim, the gold Gommenced at the very face of the terrace, when they commenced their tunnel.

A very ugly trick, as dangerous as it was no doubt malicious was played on Luke and party on Sunday night, by knocking off the blocks fastened at the end of the tip head, at their new tunnel. These blocks stopped the truck loaded with the dirt coming out on the rails, and might have led to the man pushing, being precipitated over with the truck. The fall would be fifty or a hundred feet, and might have led to loss of life if it had not fortunately been discovered in time. The blocks were firmly spiked on to the rails, and must have been knocked off intentionally. lam very sorry to report such a thing from a locality where I did not think there was a man who was capable of it, but such however is the fact, and it speaks for itself. A new hotel is going up at the supposed junction of the track to Giles and the Caledonian, and I am certain wich a very good prospect of successful trade. Mr. Long has purchased the thirty acres of land recently surveyed for Mr. Jackson at the Orawaite, and is also getting thirty acres at the opposite side of the road, surveyed on his own application ; he is getting a considerable portion of it under green crop, for which no doubt he will have a very profitable and permanent market. The two horse tracks used here both by the Pakihis and the river are getting fearfully cut up, and are greatly in need of the District engineer's inspection. The usual track is now so used up that pedestrians are obliged to make considerable detours through fallen timber and scrub to avoid being up to their knees at every step. The Caledonian track as far as it is used to here is in very good condition.

The Melbourne Argus of the 15th August, contains the following extraordinary announcement in its list of insolvents : " James Anderson, of Brighton, late a squatter, now out of business. Causes of insolvency : From having made an assignment ni December, 1866, of all his real and personal estate in trust for the benefit of all his creditors, but which deed he had been unable to get signed ; also, from depreciation in the value of squatting property, and heavy losses through a drought, further —from long continued illness. Liabilities, £200,061 ss. s|d.; assets, £8 ; deficiency £2OO, 053 ss. s£d. Mr Courtney, ofiicial assignee. A cleaner sweep-out than this it would be almost impossible to conceive, and he must have been a good financier who, in the face of his long continued illness, could have carried on business with only £8 to meet a debt of over £200,000." The Nelson Examiner of 12 th mst. says : It appears more than probable that Ministers will be defeated on Mr. Fox's resolutions. Our telegram of last night states that all the Nelson members are in opposition, and that Mr. M'Lean and Mr Ormond, of Hawke's Bay, had also gone over to Mr. Fox, with probably one or two of the Maori members. On the last great division Ministers had only a majority of nine, and the defections above stated are sufficient to convert that majority into a minority. The votes of Mr. Curtis and Mr. "Wells, Mr. M'Lean and Mr. Ormond, and Taheri, taken from Ministers will give the Opposition a majority of one, The Nelson Examiner says :—Our telegram of last evening, annoucing thedefection of the Hawke's Bay members from the Government supporters, because Mr. Stafford has resolved to withdraw the Armed Constabulary from Hawke's Bay, is only another irlustration of the difficulties which beset the Government. The depression of our affairs makes us hard taskmasters, and we require <eur servants to make bricks without straw. We deny the Government the means for effectually maintaining the peace of the country, and then find fault with them for not doing what we ourselves have rendered impossible.