AUCKLAND.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 1, Issue 32, 5 August 1867, Page 193

AUCKLAND.

[l-ROil OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] : . . June 27,1857. For the last fortnight there lias been scarcely any news of importance. Oneprin cipal. item is the departure of troops on board the John Scott on the 18th iust, for England, comprising the remaining portioii of the. Army Hospital and Commissariat Staff’Corps, and also the-various rethnarit9 of regiments remaining here. In this we see carried out the orders of the Home Secretary.- viz.; that only one regiment shall be stationed in New Zealand. Now we have only about 30 men doing dutm barracks at Auckland. On the 2ud of August, General Sir Trevor Chute, K.C.8., and Staff, will embark on board the steamship Auckland for Melbourne, and tliis colony will be abandoned as the head-quarters of the Imperial Forces. 1,1

In . the matter of retrenchment I must herb speak of the City Board. Lately they have been credueing their' employes,' and' saving. expense: of light by cutting off’a number, of-lamps. Still they keep a foreman of works, and it is a puzzle to many w.hat his duties are, as, at present, no works are in operation.’ I fancy the Board are acting up to the old' proverb,—“ Penny wise, and pound foolish:” " 1

The chief theme of conversation at present in Auakland is the probability of a gold-field iu the Thames district. ’ ‘The laud on which gold has been found belongs th -the chief Taipari,-'Who owns between 3000; and. -40 JO acres. Mr .John White brought ,up a specimen: of-goid found on Ropata’s land, wbiclr is of a small coarse nature,’ and resembles that obtained at Coroinaadel, only of a mu’eli darker color; The natives .will not allow anyone: on the land until they have had an interview with Mr John Williamson, the Superintendent, as; they are anxious to-come to terins. £4OOO. will be a nice little sum for the for tunatb owiierof the auriferous-soil;’And I only hope the land will be worth the money., If a payable gold-field-is opened np in- the.Thames, it will find employment for hubd’reds of.’ young men who are walking ahput Auckland, aiiil trade' Would at once be as brisk, if. not more - so, as” in' former times.i•: As the, Superintendent is at Wellington, no satisfactory - arrangement can be made till he returns; the natives’ not feeling inclined to : treat; with anyone else. It will be useless for 'small* p irtiee of European.s; tie-go: prospecting,for dhe'nativeslire determined to protect themselves, and drive everyone, off the place.- So: soon as it is kiiown that!* tile’land is good] 1 have no doubt- that' Auckland' will be desbrted to the people , who cannot possibly leave it.

Melbourne , and Sydney .wilLjpoin* down their, well-knqwn “ old and a rush will take place that will make it another El Dorado and “astonish the native’s.” 1 "’ '• :

The Great W orld Circus: took their departure on .Friday,, 25th, inst.,.,for, Sydney, ih the d^ella.Mary^: the,.last v fiye,or six weeks they "have, been performing here with great success, drawing,good houses nightly. The last two performances 'were given for a charitable purpose, and the Auckland public responded to the .call iu great numbers, , . , ■ i On Tuesday, the ,25th inst., a meeting of the sons .of old colonists took place at the Star Hotel, when about 30. gentlemen sat down to a first-rate dinner prepared by Mrs Macready.. .The..number was not so great as had:^een.expected, but, neverthethe evening was spent very pleasantly. For some tithe past salt water baths have been in oourse of erection, and on Friday the work was finished, when the contractors entertained a few friends in honor.of the event, A description of them will, perhaps, not be uninteresting, and therefore I may as well give an extract from the Weekly Herald of to-day:— . The .Laths, as. is known, are situated on the eastern side of the breakwater, and are approached by a gangway about 65., feet long by .11 feet broad, which is raised on a solid foundation- 12- x 6 bolted solid to the .rock with ■ 1-inch bolts leaded in and supported by uprights 9 by 9 inches; on these uprights are laid headstoeks 9x9 inches, on. which rest three stringers planked over with 3 Inch planking, laid, diagonally in two lengths and slightly raised in the middle so as to drain off the water. A neat and l strong handrail surmounts the,whole, chamfered, .so as to correspond 'to the general style of the building, which is in the Elizabethan style of architecture. The various rooms of, the. huiiding which face the west, north, and south are. supported on . three , rows of piles, which have been driven into the solid rock. The operation of boring for the.piles, has been one of much labour and.expense; but it has this advantage, that in' case of a pile becoming decayed, it can be easily taken out and a. new one put in its place.

These piles are tied together by ■ diagonal bracing and strong wiring, 9 x 4. . The .various offices occupy the whole west .front, and about half of each side. The remainder of the sides is covered with a platform of three-inch planking. The baths are enclosed by a sheathing of 9x2 planking, 1£ inches apart in the front, and on the north and west by 4 x 2 scantling 4 inches apart. There are two entrances to-the baths, one of-which opens into the office, which is a neat room 14 feet by 3, and the other on coffee-rooms, waitingroom, and kitchen. These rooms are tastefclly painted white, with the mouldings of a light blue, and are surmounted with a flagstaff' 45 feet high. There are besides thirty bath-rooms, each 8 x o feet, and lined throughout, well as two water; closets and a kitchen.- A platform- rims round in front of the bath-rooms; from which stairs descend into the water, which, offers swimming roohi of about 110 feet by 116. Eor the convenience ‘of those who cannot swim there are two "floating baths, one stationary and the- other' capable of being raised or lowered at pleasure by means of a winch. They are each 25 feet long and 15 feet 6 inches wide, and will have about four feet of water on them at low tide. Anyone wishing for a header can have one from either of the two spring boards whielrare firmly fixed on the platform over the.deepest part of the -water. The whole, now that.the. w*ork is finished, presents a striking feature when viewed from the wharf,' and great credit is due. to Mr. Cameron, the architect, and to the contractor, Mr. C.. Dundas, who has shewn his. capabilities for work before now, as will be seen by that part of the railway, bridge which is at present completed in Mechanics’' Bay. The Northern Separation and Reform League held a meeting on Monday, the when Mr. C. F. Miteheil gave notice that he would move at. the next meeting, “.That this Couricil do take ste -a to bring before the General Assembly, in its present session, the subject of the abolition qf imprisonment lor debt.” ;

The attention of a few of the unemployed has been directed to flax dressing as a means of obtaining a Jiving, and rendering themselves independent of Government rations. They li ave been allowed to meet in the City Mission House, and the City Missionary, Mr.-Mason, has rendered them all the assistance in his powar. The flax, when dressed,'is worth £lB per ton ; and though their earnings are small in' comparison to the amount of time spent, yet it keeps them very respectably. They have now formed themselves into a . cooperative" society, the first company, to number' twenty ] persons. Each member is to provide himself .with a hackling frame ih the first instance, as it is an indispensable article. All disputes ■ are to be referred ! for decision :to one chosen from among them. An Auckland has advanced money and provisions,-to be paid for out of the flax prepared, and sixteen’ of the society have commenced operations on some land adjacent to the Panmure Bridge. It is to be hoped that the;speculation will pay those who have undertaken it, and become so extensive as to. employ a great many more, hands* July 29.

,Oir Saturday intelligence arrived oftthe : supposed murder of four Europeans and ■; four Maoris, while driving cattle from Ua- ■ pier to Matamata (Mr Firth’s run.) Great excitement prevails in town relative to the affair. The'letters received by Mr Firth and Mr Buckland from Mohaka, a native who has been in charge of Mr ±> uokland’s cattle at Maketu for some time, state that 1 the party have been killed by the Hauhaus of,the Uriwera tribe. Until further,particulars arrive I can give you no more on the subject."' Mr Firth was expected to arrive at Matamata on Saturday last,-and if the murders' had taken place he would probably learn the facts fijom the uatives fhere. ; Yesterday, the Wellington, s.s., from Wo lmgtoii, arrived here with later-Spiith-ein ueWb, and bringing the Panama, as also later European new 5.,........ ,v...v The latest ihfelligence from the goldr .fields T qudte' ,from’ 'the New Zealand ii d raid of ‘the s!9th \ ' 4 : " J Dr. Pollen 4 andMr Mackay returned from, the Tliames this morning. We learn that arrange-

fm6nts-have been made Wtili the . native chiefs at l Kaueranga, by which a, tract of country heretofore closed Kais.been thrown open open for mining _ purposes,’ I Satisfactory prospects Have been obtained in the Karaku Creek* and some hopes are expressed that gold in payable quantities will be 'found. It is to'be hoped tliat'Te Hira and others who now oppose prospecting on their land, will be influenced by the example set them by Hoterinv ,Eapana, and their people.” i A daring robbery took place on board' the hulk Aspasia, lying in Waitemata harbour, on 'Friday evening last. It seemsthat while j the man in charge of the hulk was ashore he observed a boat alongside ; but thinking it was some pne belonging to the hulk, took very little notice of the matter. On Saturday, when looking over the store of powder, he'found 14 kegs missing. Information was immediately given to the authorities, but no clue haaas yet been obtained of the thieves. • July 31;

, Dr. Pollen has proclaimed the Thames' a gold [district, and meetings of diggershava been held ; but nothing definite-is. known. More in our next. •.