Cromwell Argus AND NORTHERN GOLD-FIELDS GAZETTE. TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1872.

Cromwell Argus, Volume III, Issue 146, 27 August 1872, Page 4

Cromwell Argus AND NORTHERN GOLD-FIELDS GAZETTE. TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1872.

A sensational rumour, which has sir happily prove I to be not only untrue, hut who without foundation, gained extensive eurrer throughout the Bannockburn district on Sund last; and wis not long m reie'iing Cromwj whee it aho received all but universal creden Perfidv, revenge, and murder were the b* upon which the tale was founded ; and < name of a much-respected gentleman was mil up with thj mitter in a most degrading conri tion. (In Monday morning, however, belief) the rumour was dispelled ; anil it was said ti the whole affair originated in the distempej imagination of a besotted dipsomaniac. Whetj maliciousness had any part in the propagation the story we arc not aware ; but in any cisej is to be hoped that the author of such a set daloua and dastardly report will be mads] stiller for his folly.

The contract for conveyance of mails I tween Cromwell, Quartzville, and Carrickt) once weekly each wav, i)r a period of fi mouths, has been secured by Mr John Hurl, who is also contractor for the Cardrona a Nevis mails. The days of arrival and depart! of the Caiviek mail will he stated in our n) issue. The service commences at the bedims of next month (-September). The following letters remained unchiri at the B.annookburn Post-office on the 24th inn Uex. 2; Prelerick Rover 1 ; RoW Rarnes, 1 ; Robern Williams. 1 ; Win. Roadv, Fied. J. Congrave, 1 ; Karleenia Benjamin, 1 Win. Robertson. 1 ; Thomas Davies, 1 ; Jan ■Sends-, 1; C. Hiekey, Esq., 1 ;—and one rej tered letter addressed. Win. Bruce, senior, j We have been requested to remind thJ interested that the Rev. J. Jones will celebr] the Holy Con mini in here on Saudi-, 1 neKt. The civil c s >s set down for licirin? the Resi lent Mandate's Court on Trrirei ast were all withdrawn, adjourn:-1, orothcrffl dispone I of prior to the opening of the Court! We are informe 1 that Mr Brian Hebdj of Bendigo, has disposed of the -whole of his rrl ins and other property in that locality to ] Thomas Rami, of Xasehy, who intends remj ing to Beudigo at an early date. The vacancy caused in the Civile Mnl cipal Conned by the resunaiiou by Mr Anthl Brough, was tilled up last Saturday, when I dames Hazlett was returnol by a mijnritjl three over the other candidate, .Mr WelsfJ who polled 17. Private letters received in Cronul yesterday from Mr W. .1. Barry conveyed I intelligence that our old acquaintance hasati reached Bathurst. The letters, we believe, m taine I only ambi juous allusions to the writ! prospects of obtaining the princely inherits* be went to secure.

The reputation of the Mossriel twe manufactured by Messrs \. J. Burns and has reached (.he TTome cnn;i'r", an<l le the receipt of orders for several pieces of tw au 1 white series. Simnles have also 1 writtep for and forwarded to a Glasgowh in extensive business. We trust that quality of the goo Is, which has already sect large consumption here, will secure &]U favourable approval at Home.

Ejfr R- F. Badger, whose. sudden and n( j es tine departure from Cromwell was the abject of a nine-days' wonder nearly two years 20 has at last turned up in Victoria. The Ukvant mining-agent is now, or was recently, nzagecl as cook to a survey party in that colony. The Melbourne correspondent of the V&y Times says :—lt is rather remarkable the rreit depth at which mining ia in some cases jarsoed in Victoria in quartz mines. The New forth Clanes has a shaft down 1024 feet, and is Jjont to driv« to test the reef at that depth. The Magdala Company is down 950 feet, and it U believed that the reef will be struck some distance lower. This shaft will soon have cost the Company £20,000 without a speck of gold having been seen. There is a statement that the first company that obtains gold at or below 1000 feet will receive a Government bonus of £ 1000, hut I don't know on what authority it : rests. Thß following from the Oamaru Times may be news to some of our readers :—There appears to be some misapprehension amongst our local sportsmen and others as to when the shootjntr season closes, and our attention has been called to the subject. According to the Act of 1567, the season commences in each year on the Ist April, and closes on the 31st July, but the Governor, by proclamation, has the power to extend the period when " native game" may be shot, and we find that by proclamation published in the General Government Gazette in the month of March; 1867, his Excellency exercised the power vested in him, and extended the time during which native game (except quail) could .'-eshot from four to five months, viz., from the |ist April to 31st August in each year. There may be reason to doubt the propriety of allowing native game to be shot until such a period, as with respect to some birds it is too close on brooding season.

The occupations of the Armed Constabulary Force in the North Island are of a very miscellaneous character, varying from chasing TeKootiand performing ordinary police duty, to sawing timber, mowing hay. sowing grass and potatoes, building huts, prospecting for gold, making roads, driving drays, fencing graveyards, &c, &c. The diamond-seekers of Southern Africa must have had their pockets better lined than the diggers of New Zealand, as we see by reference to the Natal Colonist that a race meeting being advertised to take place at the mines, the site for the grand stand fetched £920, and that onthedav following the purchase, no less than SOOO tickets for seats thereon were sold without difficulty at one guinea apiece. Mr Malcolm M'Lennon, who figured in connec ion with the Clyde gold robbery case, has returned to the scene of his former adventures. This time he comes as the pioneer of a company fur extracting gold from the bed of the river by the aid of pneumatic tubes. Practical dredgers scoff at the whole affair. The residents of Nasebv have memorialised the Superintendent to declare that township a municipality. It will doubtless interest manv of our readers to know that Mr J. J. Williams, who was at one time connected with the staff of this journal, is now engaged in a literary capacity on the Btndigo Eceniug Star. We are requested to st;ite that the Rev. i B. Brake purposes preaching a funeral sermon i next Sunday evening at 7.30, in the Cromwell School-house. The Dunstan Spring Race Meeting is announced to be held on Friday and Saturday, 20th and 21st proximo. The programme for the first day comprises five events, and for the second day three events. At the Moeraki Downs, Canterbury, a child has died from sucking the heads of lucifer matches.

The miners at Totara Lagoon, Grey district, are making from £6 to £l7 a week each. Chinese labour is entering into competition with that of Europeans on the goldfields of Victoria. The Creswlck Advertiser states that "at the Australasian Company's claim an engagement has been made, through one of the directors, with a Chinese agent in Ballarat, for the supply of one hundred men at 275. per week, to «e torthcoming within ten days from Friday last. There was also an understanding made that one hundred more men would be put on shortly."

The Wellington correspondent of the ftewZeaiawl Herald writes :—" Otago is a central figure in the Legislature. Its lands, its law s, its politics, and its representatives are as obtrusive this session so far as in any former one. what a pity th-y cannot settle their differences »t home, without washing their dirty linen in the Legislative Chamber. But it is unfortunately the case that appeals are or must be made to the Assembly, which involve waste of time a «l no small interruption in the despatch of PjMic business. The only remedy I see is to Polish the Provinces altogether or greatly in"ease their legislative powers." A great many lambs have (lied in the Tokoraairiro district during the snow storm, w «i<A has now abate;!, an I stock of all kinds ]«>ich have been exposed to it in the paddocks Have suffered severely.

The following facts regarding the Crofts well and Golden Link Companies* quartz.minea at Bendigo will aff>rd some idea of the value and importance of these, the first opened and as yet 'most successfully developed of the gold-reefs in this district:- -The Cromwell Company,' from May 1869't0 July 1872. hai produced gold of the value of £28,000 ; and besides erecting the valuable machinery and works, constructing roads and other appliances, at a cost of *-and purchasing the share of the late Mr Garrett for £2JOO; —paid dividends amounting to.nearly £9500. Daring the half-year ending JJQth June 1872, the same Company paid amounting to £l2so.—The Oolden Link Company has during the past two yeara produced gold amounting to £IB,OOO, and during the same period has paid dividends amounting to nearly £B9OO.

The Daily Times has been shown hv Mr Nuttall, a gentleman from Melbourne, the plans and specifications of a submarine boat and apparatus, designed by Mr Villaine, for digging and sluicing under water, and intended to be used for that purpose in the gold-yielding rivers of New Zealand. Judging from the opinions of several engineers in Victoria, including Messrs A. K. Smith, H. O. Christopherson, W. Black, and J. Arnott, we should say that the principle is sound, and if properly carried out, the invention will fully answer the purpose for which it is intended. The apptratus consists of an iron boat, air and water-tight, capable of being sunk and raised when required, cmtaining compressed atmospheric air sutlicieut for the support of three men for six hours, fitted inter.ially with thirty feet of sluice, an 1 all the machinery necessary for working the vessel and c inducting the mining, at any depth down to eighty feet. We certainly consider the project well worthy of the consideration of our miners and others interested in river mining enterprises.

Accounts from the Maerewhenua goldfield are very encouraging. Water is plentiful, and the miners are all hard at work, and have goo I prospects. Several races are in course of construction, and another hotel and store has been erected. Under these circumstances it is not surprising to learn that all on the field are in good spirits, and full of hope. The following particulars of the fatal accident reported in our telegraphic news last week are furnished by the Evening Star: —" On Thursday afternoon, a settler at Wickliffe Bav, named Garrick, went from home to go to his work ; and shortly after his departure, Mrs Garrick. having occasion to leave the house for a few moments, left her three children to the care of her eldest son, who is about six years old. He appears to have lost no time in carrying out a proposition he made to the younger ones of playing at soldiers. Going to a desk where caps were kept, he obtained one, and getting from an outhouse where it was placed his father's fowl-ing-piece, put the capon the nipple, and, returning to the house, pointed the gun at one of his sisters, aged two and a half, and fired. The report of the discharge brought Mrs Garrick to the spot, and she entered the house in time to see her child draw its hist breath. The shot had entered the poor little girl's abdomen."