INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

Grey River Argus, Volume V, Issue 341, 21 March 1868, Page 2

INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

The following is the latest news from, the Thames Gold Fields, as contained in the Auckland papers up to the 2nd inst ; — . The s.s. Midge came up from the Thames, on the 26th with 1,111 oz& of gold, theproduct of Hunt and Co. 'a claim, which was deposited at the Union Bank. Wo. understand the same claim will send up another parcel of 800 oz at the end of the., week — in time for shipment by the Sydney steamer. "During the past few days anew, leader of exceeding richness has been struck. A correspondent of the Southern, Gross writes from Mercury Bay, in the-. Thames district : — »" Thejre is nothing o£ importance. to mention in this.,parfc, only, gold prospecting. Gold can be got in any part of Mercury Bay, only not in payable: quantities. The color can be got any-, where up the Whenukati river. It is. every prospector's opinion that the, country is gold-bearing, and that, if they only had the means and the time to prospect it, thoroughly, they would strike payable: gold. " Hunt's claim sent up another 100 ft odd ounces on the Ist inst., having specially chartered the Midge for that purpose.. Numbers of machines are being talked about, but they are all more or less toys, in comparison to what we want here. Many of the claims could now send 10Q> tons to the mill without any trouble. Aa to what there is in the stone itself, I may give what was told me by Mr Shalders.. A claim known as the "Union Jack' 1 had been abandoned by four different parties,. The stone there, these four different parties had been pitching dowji the creek, most industriously, was tested by three* separate persons here, the third being MeShalders, and it was found to yield 2 ozs.,, 2£ ozs., and 3 ozs. to the ton ! The Herald of the 2nd inst. says : — Messrs Clarkson and Coppell arrived by the Midge yesterday morningfromtheThames^ bringing 1100 ounces of gold from Hunt and Co.' claim. This, with the. parcel which arrived early in the week, will make a total of 2200 ozs. from this claim,, being the result of one month's crusliing.. The s.s. Tauranga, T\h o!i arrived from tha Thames on Saturday evening, also brought up about 150 ozs of gold, one parcel (%0), being from the Juuction claim, the result of a crushing from 901bs weight of stone.. The remainder of the gold was from Tapu, Creek. The cutter. Peter Cr.acr.oft arrived from Coromandel on Saturday evening, with between 200 to 300 ozs, from, the Kapanga Claim. The Dunedin evening paper of March. 2, referring to the next Dunedin racemeeting, says; — Our sporting readers, will learn with pleasure ot the probability of there being a. good meet on the Silverstream racecourse at the ensuing races otx the 20th and 21st prox. Of the Christchurch horses, Flying Jib and Bobby Burns arrived by the Phoebe on Friday.. Don Pedro, Mis« King, and Star of the South are on their way down overland,, being engaged for the. Oamaru meeting this week, and Belle of the Isle ana Atalanta, which will complete Webb's, string, will shortly arrive by steamer from. Southland ; Crowden, Firetail, and others, are expected, and the West Coast will contribute Native and Golden Cloud. The, Clutha district will send Terror to repre--sent it, and Camel and Idleboy are to look after the interests of the Dunstanites. There are besides in training, in tha vicinity of the course, or expected immediately, The Miller, Major, Lottery, Virginia, Stormbird, Clown, Filly by Antidote, Ranger, Harkaway, Topthorn, Donald, and Mr C. Hoyt's two maiden horses, unnamed (one being a steeplechaser, and one a fiat racer), also a maiden colt of Mr Walter's. Mr Glassford's. lot will be down in a day or so, comprising Dragoon, Schoolboy, Edith, Museum, and a colt for the Maiden Plate. As soon as the stables are fuller, and the animals, have got into work,, we may be in a position to offer a few hints as to the probable competitors for the various races announced. Seven natives, imprisoned as being con* nected with the Whakitane murder, have, been released by the direction of the Governor^

The Commissioner's office at the Thames has been robbed of a safe containing cash and documents. A reward of L 75 was offered, and soon after the Maoris found the safe secreted in a creek, under the mud. A Moari and a settler have been apprehended on suspicion. In the columns of the Wellington Independent may be found a report of the following conversation, held in open Court, between Mr Justice. Johnston and Mr Travers : — " Mr Travers was at a loss to conceive how, in such a large place — Wellington — there wiw so few special jurymen. By the Act it was provided that all bankers, merchants, and gentlemen entitled to the rank of esquires could be summoned, though he must say that when many gentlemen simply entered themselves on the electoral roll as settlers or stockowners, some individuals dubbed themselves merchants because they drove a night-cart." His Honor thought that the learned gentleman was possibly speaking from the experience he had gathered in another province. It appears that the boring for petroleum has been progressing in Taranaki. The Jocal journal of Feb. 29 says : — We are sorry to hear that another accident has happened to the works of this company. The boring had been successfully carried on to the depth of 510 feet, and indications of petroleum were becoming exceedingly promising, when, on proceeding to sink further, the tools suddenly got fast in the bore— owing to a piece of stone falling in between the guiding bar and the side of the hole— and caused the stoppage. This accident must be exceedingly annoying, especially when the indications were becoming so conclusive. A committee appointed to •nquire into certain allegations as to the improper use made of the charitable institutions set on foot by tho Provincial Government of Auckland for the relief of the destitute, have discovered some singular abuses. "More especially, " says the report, "is this exemplified hy the evidence given in reference to the administration of the fund provided for the relief of the sick and destitute, as voted by the Council for 1867 ; by which evidence it appears that officials in therein ploy of the Provincial and Colonial Governments were in the daily habit of receiving suppliesffrom establishments which were instituted for the sole purpose of relieving the destitute population of the province ; an I the parole evidence is continued by the issue book of the soup kitchen." The harvest in the Lake District seems to be a bounteous one. The Wakatip Mail of Thursday last, says, " Harvesting operations are being conducted under most favorable circumstances. A few unsophisticated individuals predicted, a week ago, bad results because cool dry winds prevailed without much sunshine. The week just passed has been nearly all warmth and sunshine, and so far it has been of advantage to the crops that are backward. Providence has been kind — bounteously kind — to the tillers of Ihe soil. We hope to see it acknowledged by a harvest-home assemblage, in which thanks of praise shall not be forgotten. Even the farmer's average of 40 bushels to the acre will, generally be exceeded. What say you, colonists of Victoria and South Australia, to this ; and nearly all from new. ploughed ground which the frost never touched ?"