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Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 1981, 10 September 1869, Page 2

The Port Chalmers Railway.— We have been to state that the name of his Honor the Superintendent should not have been included in the list of gentlemen appointed as the provisional committee. Princess Theatre. —The play of Hamlet was repeated last evening to a very fairly attended house, Mr Talbot s impersonation of the melancholy prince being again well received. This evening he appears as Sir Macsycophant in the comedy “ Ihe Man of the World.” The announced afterpiece is “ David Garrick,” with Mr Bartlett as the hero.

ImMIGRATION. —Within the last two days Otago’s population has been increased considerably by the arrival of two home vessels and one steamer from Melbourne. The Asterope and William Davie brought seventeen and one hundred and fifty live souls respectively; and the Rangitoto, which arrived from Melbourne to-day, brought two hundred and forty souls, including two hundred and twenty-nine Chinese ; making a total of four hundred and two.

The Pearl. —The Westport paper of 31st ult; reports that a heavy fresh occurred in the Buller river on the previous evening. The ketch Pearl and the Kaiuma were lying at the wharf at the time. As the fresh increased, the Pearl carried away the weak warps by which she was moored, and hung by her anchor ; and, although Captain Leech hailed her several times, no response was received from anyone on board. Search was also made for the men belonging to her, but they could not bo found. This was at one o’cl 'ck in the morning. At daylight she was found to be on the bar, held y her anchor, which she had so far carried with her, and at nine o’clock, as the tide rose, she stood to sea on her own account, anchor and all. By the steamer Charles Edward, which left in the afternoon, the captain of the cutter sailed, and, as she had drifted northward, the probability is that she his been picked up. The Kaiuma had been shifted to the .lagoon, and was moored by every nail to a sand bank. But, as the crew were taking “ a quiet cup of tea,” she suddenly floated, and was standing out on the same course as the Pearl when she was fortunately, and in the nick of time, brought up by being moored to a chain on the shore. The Mary Van Every, floated high up by the fresh, has been neaped, and will thereby be detained for a week.

A Maori Complaint.— A letter recently appeared in this journal from Horoniona Pohio, a Maori magistrate, residing at Waimati, which could not be understood by many of our readers unacquainted with the exact circumstances of the cause of complaint. Two mouths ago a paragr iph was copied into our columns from the Waihouaiti Herald, stating that some of the Maoris in that locality had embraced Hauhauism, and that this conversion was brought about principally by the proselyting visit of a number* of Maoris from the Timaru district, and the name of Horomona Pohio was specially mentioned as one of those mixed up with the proceedings. Horomona has, in person, called upon us to say. that there is not a word of truth in the statement, and he wrote the letter we have referred to to point out his slanderer. It seems that a Maori named Matthew, now residing at Waikouaiti, and an indifferent specimen of humanity, circulated this report to shield himself and his actions. At least, this is Horomona’s version of the matter, “Matthew,” he says, “is nob a Wakouaiti Maori, but is engaged in purchasing arms and powder." He has moreover, “taken another man’s wife and given her to his own son, -the wife of Paul married to him. ” This statement about the purchasing of powder is so distinct that it calls at least for an investigation to be made, as to whether this man is acting in concert with others now in the North Island. Timaru Herald.

A Cool Request. —What may be fairly reckoned as the “height of impudence” is the request of a well-known character both in Dunedin and Hokitika, to be appointed Treasurer of the County of Westland. flis request is made in a letter of which the following is a copy:—“To the Right Honorable Conrad Hoos, Esq., Chairman of the County Council, and Honorable Members of the County of Westland, in Council assembled. Honorable Sirs, I b 'g, humbly, respectfully, and obediently to offer myself as a candidate for the office of County Treasurer, or County Secretary. I have every confidence from my lengthened Colonial experience and sound business habits, that for either of the stations or for both combined, you could not possibly select a more suitable person to fill either, or in fact, both of them. I refer you as to character to James Webb, Esq., Ceorge Winter, Esq.. Walter H, Bennett, Esq., and to Everard Whiting Jones, Esq., and to many illustrious individuals. Braying your honorable house will consider my application dispassionately, as I have a largo wife and family depending on me for support, I have the honor to remain, honorable Sirs, your obedient humble servant, John Jerome Breeze. N.B.—Any of my spare time I should be

happy to devote either as crier or usher to your honorable Council, without any further fee or reward.”

Moox LIGHT RbEI.’S. A correspondent of the LyUh-fon Timas gives .a very interesting account of the Moonlight quartz reefs, which are about eight miles distant Greymouth. The principal reefs are known as Dalton’s and Copies’ respectively. Their thickness appears to vary from three to six feet, and they extend a considerable distance. Several ordinary claims were taken up on the reefs as long since as two years, and the works in existence were carried out by the diggers after whom they are named. Being unable to work them properly for want ot capital, they got renewal of protection from the warden from time to time, in the expectation that they would make them pay by simply hammering out the gold, but were ultimately obliged to abandon their claims. One of them, however, Patrick Caplos, a most intelligent and determined man, stuck to the ground, resisting extreme hardships and privations, in the conviction that he would ultimately realise a fortune from it, and it would appear that his hope is near fullilment, as, the existence of the reefs coming to the knowledge of some Greymouth men, the necessary capital has been found, and Mr Caples has received a large interest in a company which is now setting to work in right earnest. The company having secured the ground temporarily, Caples ob- 1 tained a ton weight of stone (taken at random from the heaps thrown out from the tunnels ; it was forwarded to Melbourne, and on being tested, the net result was loz ddwts to the ton, with a fineness of gold 23carats Og-grs. The quicksilver used on the occasion before .and after crushing was distilled so that the return can be confidently relied on. Suiphurets were found to exist in only inconsiderable quantities. The quartz thus tested was comparatively poor looking, no’ gold being visible on the outside. Quartz opened out since shows gold plainly. The nuggets which have been sent from here to Christchurch were obtained, amongst hundreds of others, from crevices in the bed of the creek near the junction of the Three Forks, and there is no saying from what reef they came, but they are certain indications that there is an exceedingly rich reef in the neighborhood, and as no other has been discovered after diligent search, the presumption is in favor of the Moonlight Company’s reefs. It is an instructive study to trace the varying size of the gold from the sea beach upwards. Along the beach it is found in the shape of fine gold, at the Coal Gorge it is small shotty gold, on reaching the Ahura it is found in large flakes, and on ascending the Moonlight it increases in size, until, as one nears the reefs, it is discovered iu large lumps from I-oz. up to 40 or 50 ozs., more or less studded with quartz, and more or less waterworn —some nuggets being quite sharp as though recently broken out of the reef. One very good point about the gold is that it is of the finest quality, being Avorth about thirty shillings per ounce more than, the Thames gold.

The Kearsagb. —> The waters of Port Jackson were yesterday disturbed by the keel of a vessel which was principal in a great naval duel between the Federal and Confederate States of America. Most of our readers will remember the excitement with which they i’ead the details of the engagement between the Kearsage and the Alabama, on the 10th of June, Well, the survivor of that fight now lies peacefully anchored in Farm Cove, a curious, though not a very formidable looking vessel. Her present commander was, during that action, the lirst officer, and had assisted in the same capacity at the capture of the Atalauta previously. In armament and appointments she now is what she was. No change has been allowed to pass upon her, save the removal of the chains that protected her engines during the engagement, and even the bolts are left by which she was suspended. She is one of the miracles of that improvisation of naval power which startled the master shipwrights and dockyard officers of the old world by its fertile rapidity. The Kearsage was one of the nine gunboats furnished to°the United States Government within ninety days from the date of the order being given, tho period actually occupied in building the vessel in question being but sixtynine days. —Sydney Morning Herald, 14th inst.