INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 135, 22 November 1866, Page 3

INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

The Otago Gold Fields. — In mining matters there is great activity ; all the .old workings arc .yielding fair average returns. There is nothing new opening, as there is plenty of employment without the necessity for miners troubling themselves to open new ground. Prospecting js therefore a dead letter, and must continue to bs so till there is an increase of 1 population, which is now very much needed. The quartz reef lately discovered at Cameron's Gully, Nevis, shows remarkably well, and the more the 'reef is gone into the better the stone appears to be. It is admirably situated for* being economically worked, both wood and water being in the immediate neighborhood. The reefs at Skippers are turning out splendidly. Southberg and Company are said to be crushing very rich quartz. You may shortly expect to hear something astonishing from this -place. The reefs at the Sandhills are also looking well, and some parties are; now on their way down to Dunedin, witfigthe intention of having a trip over to Melbourne to procure machinery.—' ' Daily Times. " Canards in the Auckland Papers.— The -Wellington correspondent of the " Daily Timoß," in one of his last letters, writes £V 3 follows: — "The long interval bqtween the departure of the mails is very provoking, when stirring events accumulate ; and that which has occurred since T last wrote has been particularly fruitful of intelligence, which cannot be unimportant to Southern readers. There is about the delay, hqvever, this one great advantage : that instead of communicating fragmentary intelligence in the sensational nakedness with which it reaches us, day by day, later news enables the proper corrective to be appUedsfor authentic details to be supplied wlien the rumor happens to have a bona fide foundation. For example (and there is nothing like illustrating by practicaFexamples), a stray mail received froni Auckland a few days since announced that the Maori King had been made a happy father ; but that instead of the public rejoicings being innocently stimulated by libations of caudle, distributed by the Royal Almoner, a leaf had been taken out of the Dahomy book and the nearest white man tomahawked. Sundry loyal natives (so the story ran) were thereby put in mortal fear, and held a meeting to petition for protection, professing to look upon this most foul murcle. 1 as a declaration of war. The "Southern Cross" did what was perfectly justifiable ; it improved the occasion by a little homily on the sadnwss of the return, by these Kingites, to their original barbarous customs. Four days afterwards, however, its hastened to publish its reasons for gravely doubting the Avlible story, and asked the public to suspend its judgment. But the " Herald " came out with minute j>articulars. The name of the murdered man was Lewis, and that of his murderer, Kanga. The one was a quiet okl man, and the other " porangi," or lunatic; and as -tlievhorrible generally fattens on" what it feeds, Lewis had not only been actvally murdered, but was believed to have been eaten . " Accident at Lyttelton. — Yesterday morning an accident, happily unattended by any fatal consequences, occurred in the harbor. As the ketch Gem was returning from the barque Crishna she was caught in a north-west scfliall and completely capsized, being very light at the time. Several boats immediately put off from the shore, but before they could reach the vessel the men (two in number) on board had gained possession of their own boat, and thus saved themselves. The vessel was afterwards towed alougside a hulk.—" Lyttelton Times,' 1 10 th inst. The " New Zealand Advertiser," of Nov. ?, contains the following as the latest from the front :— " The latest despatches from his Excellency the Governor to his Ministers are dated the 30th of October; and we aye indebted to the courtesy of tiie Hon. the Colonial Se3re* tary- for being able to lay before our readers an account of a successful expedition iftto the bush made by Major M'lkmnell and his force, in which they aga|n completely routed the rebels. At two ! o'clock on the morning of the 29th ultimo, the force marched on a village beIqnging to Akitana. named Papaia, i\bbi»,

six miles inland. Near the village the force fell in with a strong stockade formed across the road, and defended by a large party of rebels. Our troops charged and carried the position with great gallantry. In the attack a trooper of the Wanganni Cavalry, named Hanley, was killed, and a native named Panata, belonging to the Wauganui Militia, was slightly wouuded. Akitana' is the man who some time ago laid an ambuscade for Major M'Donnell, and fired on him and his escort. It will be recollected by our readers that thie ambuscade was the principal cause of Major M'Donnell's expedition to Ketemarae. It was also Akitana's people who laid the ambuscade in which a trooper on escort was sl.ob down and tomahawked. There is great pleasure in learning, therefore, that they are now meeting their deseris. Major M'Donnell sprained his ankle, but will soon be fit for service again. Capt. M'Donnell is recoveriug.