THE OTAGO GOLD FIELDS.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume I, Issue 20, 14 November 1861, Page 3

THE OTAGO GOLD FIELDS.

(From a Correspondent.J Gabriel's gully,

Evening 2ffinl Oct., 18G1. A notice was posted up on Saturday last, asking the diggers to attend a meeting on iMonday, at noon, to pass a vote of thanks and gratitude , Ac., to A. C. Strode, Esq., (late commissioner here) on the occasion of his leaving this post for a better office, and further asked the diggers to observe the day as a holiday, and to subscribe a purse of gold, Ac. ; the notice was quite a literary curiosity of itself, but it failed to attract anything of a meeting, much less to effect a holiday. Another attempt was made to day to get up a demonstration on Mr. Strode's departure ; a score or two of loafers and idlers from the groggeries and stores were collected, and sundry handkerchiefs, Ac., hung as flags, and some attempt at a salute from a few guns, and an attempt at a cheer ended the farce, our late commissioner riding away escorted by two mounted troopers and civilians. lie has given as much satisfaction in his decisions as could be expected, considering the difficulty of deciding cases where the evidence of one party flatly contradicts that of the other, but there was no necessity to set up a precedent that it would be inconvenient to follow on all future occasions when an official is advanced to an easier berth or a higher salary. The population of the Tuapeka has been increased, if not honoured, by a visit from a select party of eye-openers from the other colonies, who practise the lucrative game of the thimble, Jleecing the green ones to the tune of live pounds a bet, and failing custom at,that, monte for a change; what other games they will play remains to be seeu, but quite possibly a little exciting business will be done on the roads with some of the returning diggers who have neglected to send their gold by the Escort. One case of robbery on the roads has been reported. A stump orator has been trying the demagogues game on, with what effect I have not yet learnt. If he succeeds in turning the diggers against the powers that be, the latter will find the task that has fallen on their shoulders a difficult one, for the state ship is not easily steered clear of the shoals and quicksands of democracy, as the colonies of ictoria and New South "Wales testify, where manhood suffrage and vote by ballot are the rule, and submission to the law and lawful authority are the exceptions. Our rulers will need firmness as well as prudence these troublous times.

Our sheep kings have put au extra twopence a lb. on heef ami mutton, which are now retailed at Is. 2d. and Is. 3d. the lb. I* lour is <£4 the hundred ; other provisions the same price as hitherto. Bread is four shillings the loaf. There are six or emht bakeries here, a few licensed, and plenty of unlicensed, grog-shops.