SOUTHLAND.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2107, 5 February 1870, Page 2

SOUTHLAND.

(IROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Invercargill, Feb. 2nd, IS7O. I closed my last with the intimation that word had just then —ISth nit.—reached town of the wreck of a vessel in the Straits. The particulars came in next day, as did also the whole of the crew—fifteen in all—and it turned out to have been the barque Laughing Water, Gibson, from Newcastle, N.S.W., for Fort Chalmers, coal laden. She had gone upon an unknown rock, in thick weather, off Orepuki, and sunk immediately. The mate did not go down in the vessel, as was at first suppose!, but had been washed off the bowsprit some time before, The whole of the crew managed to save their lives—and that was all—by means of the boat. They landed on our western coast,

and made their way to town via Riverton, receiving every possible attention on their way. Subscriptions in money and clothing were raised for them with the utmost alacrity and god will amongst the diggers at Orepuki, by the people of Riverton, and in Invercargill. The promptitude with which the calls of real distress are answered is a p'easing feature of Colonial life, and is nowhere more conspicuous than in this Province, poor as we are. The poor fellows, from the captain down, spoke of their treatment by our community with heartfelt gratitude. We expect, however, that Otago, as well as the General Government, will refund us some of the money. It seems our position at the extreme south of the island, in proximity to a stormy and much frequented seaway, renders us peculiarly liable to be called upon to satisfy the immediate necessities of castaways, but it would scarcely be fair that we should bear alone the whole cost of such appeals to our hum mity. Much cannot bo said just now about our goldfields. The diggers at Orepuki are just working away, making good wages most of them, but nothing has occurred there thii long time to attract extra attention to the locality. At Longwood, things at the present moment are even quieter than they were some tim? back. There appears to be some hitch about the Great Water Race and Ground Sluicing Company’s affairs. For a while the works were conducted by a manager and board of directors ; afterwards the race and ground were leased, when several fine nuggets were found, a circumstance which gave rise to some ill-natured remarks. The lessees threw' up their lease in disgust, and now the directors are advertising the whole affair for sale. It is a thousand pities that two or three practical mt-n, with a little capital, could not be induced to go in for it, for the gold is there beyond doubt, were only a little more energy and labor applied to its discovery. The nuggets found, a fine lot, about thirty in number—one of them over a pound weight—have been exhibited hero for the benefit of the Hospital. They have not done a great deal for that very deserving institution, but the sight of them ha* helped to convince many sceptics of the auriferous character of our western ranges. Thera is some talk of sending them round to Dunedin. If they do, I hope it may pa the means of inducing some of your go-ahbad fellows to come down here and try their luck. Plenty are no doubt wasting their time on much worse ground. The operations some time since commenced for the purpose of finding coal, are still being carried on with spirit. The first attempt was a failure, but the townspeople—who form the Prospecting Association have bravely put their hands in their pockets again, and set their boring apparatus to work in a fresh locality, close to the Northern Railway, about fifteen miles from town. Such perseverance is almost sure to be rewarded with success; at all events it deserves to be. If we hit a good scam of black diamonds, we’ll bid you welcome to all your quartz reefs. Some of your up-country papers notice the scarcity of hands for shearing and harvesting. Well, our squatters are experiencing precisely the same difficulty, but I hear they have themselves to blame to some extent. It is said that they had a meeting, or something amongst themselves, and agreed not to pay more than a certain sum per 100. The “ hands ” got word of this m eting, and, of course, kicked against it. Combination to force the market met with its usual fate. Numbers of men left the district ; others, rather than accept the money offered under such circumstances, took other work, and the consequence has been that the flockmasters have been compelled to break their own covenant, and give even higher wages than they otherwise would have had to pay, or let their sheep run with the wo d on their backs —another instance of the folly of trying to regulate the price of a commodity by Act of Parliament. Another unforeseen hindrance has also cropped up this year-. Owing to the long slack in the Lake traffic many teams had given up the road, there being now too few to bring down the clip to port as fast as could be wished. Our first ship is not filled up yet, although it was expected she would have been to sea some time ago. The farmers are all on the qui nvc touching harvesting operations. Grass-sowing may be sa : d to be completed, but white crops are not, I think, touched yet. The weather lately has not been favorable to ripening, but a little while’s extra growth is very acceptable, as we had a very dry summer, and straw threatened to be short. The scarcity of labor will interfere a little with farm work, but this district is strong in agricultural machinery, and no doubt all cereals will be saved in due time. The yield is likely to be a good one. Our railway is not quite finished yet, but is getting on well. I think your Dunedin firm who have it in fraud arc giving very general satisfaction. There have been no complaints, cither on the part of the Government, or the men employed, since the works fell into Driver aud Maclean's hands. If they finish it all as well as they have done the first seven or eight miles, wc won't grudge them any profit they make. The rails arc now laid for about twelve miles, and in another month or so, you had hotter ship all your goods for the Lakes to flic Bluff, We will be able to run them up 40 miles of the way in an hour, and put them afloat at Kingston in two days—say throe days from leaving your bonds until they are dedivered at Queenstown.

I don't know of a single political circumstance to relate. If you refer to onr condition some two months ago, and say statu quo, you will hit the point exactly.

Our auctioneers, at least one of them has been doing a stroke lately. There have been several extensive sales, chiefly rural property and stock. Some superior dairy stock were sold the other day in the estate of a gentleman lately deceased, and brought high figures—cows from Lls to LoO, showing that good cattle, like good everything else, always maintain their price. A sale of a different description took place yesterday —viz,, the whole household furnishing of J. R. Davies, Esq., the father of our celebrated wooden n#lway, compound rails, and patent locomotives. His name will ever be associated with the early history of Southland’s railway work; but, alas! “Othello’s occupation’s gone'’—-there's no more work to do-00-00-oo He's clearing out, and going back to Victoria. “.May Ids shadow never grow less ”; it ain’t small at present. An rcvoh\