THE THAMES DISTRICT.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 1, Issue 49, 9 December 1867, Page 307

THE THAMES DISTRICT.

THE KARAKA GOLD-HEED. ' / ; -•••• » ' • (From tb# Correspondent of the New Zealand Herald.) ■ ■ , Shortland, Nov. 27. A slight, disturbance occurred' here on Sunday afternoon, which I did not report at the time, as I was not pro* sent, and the reports of it were somewhat conflicting. > • A man who was drunk and very disorderly , was being taken—not to the lock-up, because we have not. got one—-to the Court-house whare; the man resisted the police, and with a little hustling from the crowd he managed to escape. There was some in the minds of the police force, I believe, that it was intended to, rescue three other persons who were then in custody, for encamping on a : Maori cultivation, but this fear was unfounded. ■ Order was speedily restored, and the man who escaped was apprehended on warrant on Sunday morning, taken before the Resident Magistrate, and sent to gaol for eight weeks to meditate upon his • short-lived triumph over the officers of the law. Possibly the authorities in Auckland will take our case into Consideration, and reflect whether, with so large a population, and so i much out-door duty, we ought not to have a lock-up, and at least one or two 1 more of a police force. There are certainly some few things that might be mended ; end as Shortland is now ' a municipality, we have to leave the ] mending of them to the-proper au- < thorities; The sale or selection of * the lots in the extension of the town- i ship towards the Karaka Flat took < place yesterday. The selection was by priority of application. There was a large attendance of persons, and 1 1 am told some four hundred applicants < for eighty-four lots. The crushings < which have taken place are so un- > satisfactory that I am unwilling to re- 1 port them. If I state the returns, I! must either do the claims or the ma- 1 chines an injustice. It is not more] than might have been expected that ( the appliances for saving the gold are ' a little defective at first. Fresh trials ] are about to be made, and I hope with , better success. Hunt’s party are now i putting their stuff through Frazer’s 1 machine, aud. they will no doubt have 1 something pretty good to send up at \ the end of the month. For the last i two days we have had a rush on to a < place about three miles up the Moana- 1 tairai Creek. The Prospectors’ Claim 1 had a very good show, but I am not ] aware that any other of the claims . have got gold. As the country gets 1 cleared and prospected it will become an every-day occurrence to have parties \ falling .over the continuation of already discovered auriferous leads.

Mr Commissioner Mackay, thoughattending to official business, is still confined to his whare. The weather is vile, and as the wind is a “ dead muzzier” for getting out, we have quite a fleet of small craft lying in the Kaueranga. I had almost neglected to say that a sample of the supposed copper, which I brought up from the Puru, and placed in the hands af a gentleman who was on a visit here, is pronounced to be sulphuret of iron. In this, case doctors differ, for some still stick to it as copper. Mr Whitaker' was amongst - our , visitors here yesterday. The Midge came in about six last night, and leaves at half-past seven this morning.

A one-half share in Barry’s claim changed hands last week at £450 cash. Oh Monday another half-share changed bauds at £SOO cash; and yesterday Mr Rowe, M.P.C., bought the whole remaining half of the entire claim for i>2200. This looks like business.

•. , _ _ 5. p.m. '' I sent you a despatch per Midge, this morning. Since that time the weather has moderated very much, . .and there; is something, like summer weather. Mr George Graham, M.G.A., who left here l on Saturday on a visit to the Upper Thames; district, has rer turned to-day.' ‘ Mr “ Graham’ reports that he hau'seenf and conversed with' , Te JEGraf Andvnot; alone has he ; ; Vjnost pr^ : ..ednsiderin^tfcatu^

ter to Mr Graham; no other'person of note accompanied the expedition. All the natives; received Mr. .Graham with open arms; the aukati was removed or suspended for this special occasion, and not even the dogs were allowed to bark as the little expedition passed on its way up the river. On Monday last, Mr Graham and his little band were met by Te Hira and his people, and it is worth note that Te Hira no longer talks of making peace, but looks upon that part of the business as being entirely settled. The son of one of the chiefs died on Sunday, and the usual native tangi was kept up during the day, a fact that tended to postpone to some extent the business of Mr Graham. Te Hira was particularly anxious that William, son of Mr Graham, land a surveyor by profession, should pay him a visit. The natives would thus, he said, be able to settle some little difference as to boundaries, and, it was more left to be understood than said,facilitatethe throwing open of the land. Altoget her there is ‘ some hope that those differences and jealousies which have so long alienated the two races may come to an end. Granted that some men want the land. What then ? The Maori cannot use it; and the sooner it is open to settlement, or to the miner on fair terms, the better for both settler and miner and native.

There is a report that the Tauranga has foaled her screw. Should all be right her last boat leaves here at five p.m. Mr Mackay is much better today. I had forgotten to say that Mr Graham is to return to Te Hira and his people at as early a date as he can.