MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Volume I, Issue 15, 20 June 1863, Page 6

MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS.

"John" in New Zealand.—According to the Dunedin papers, a "Chow-chow" has at last found his way to Dunedin. These pests of the colonies may now be expected here in droves ; but John Chinaman will not find himself so much "at home" in this part of the world as in Victoria or New South Wales. Some of the friends of these interesting bipeds should warn them of the risk they run in rushing to the New Zealand diggings, as the banks of the rivers here are much steeper, and the current much stronger, than that of the Buckland.— lnvercargill Times. [We recommend Mr. " Chow" to visit the Shotover, where, we have no doubt, the " outer barbarians" will convert the " Brother of the Sun" to their faith by " immersion" in its tranquil waters. —Ed.]

It is really astonishing how some men allow their imaginations to stretch at times. A correspondent of the Maryborough and Dunolly Advertiser, writing under date May 23, gives the following description of New Zealand and the goldfields —'• What a bad thing it is, Sir, to have a good memory. Now this is exactly my case with respect to New Zealand. Do you know I was a denizen of Dunedin, in the Province of Otago, from March to August, 1862 ? Yes, and I saw enongh of it, I can tell you. Having been there during the intervening months, I had abundant opportunity of witnessing the state of affairs. When I first landed on the old jetty, my astonishment was excited by the apparently idle multitudes who thronged the principal streets; the corner of Princes and Stafford streets, in particular, were always blocked by an almost impenetrable phalanx of disappointed and mortified miners. Farley's Arcade, running from High-street across to Maclaggan-street, was densely crowded, especially in ihe evening; the bars and tap-rooms of all the local hostelries itere crammed with a miscellaneous public. I resided at Charley Williams', opposite to Cargill &Co.'s store. This was a digger's house—so that I had plenty of opportunity of conversing with miners; some of them very old, and dexterous adepts too. Well. Sir, the result of my enquiries was this: that the Highlay Diggings, Timbrell's Gully, Waitahuna, Tuapeka, and other places were all shicers; that there had been some good ground worked in former days, but the auriferous deposits were all exhausted. At length, the 12th day of August came, and all Dunedin was galvanised by the rumor that Hartley and Reilly had returned from the Ducstan with 871bs. weight of crude gold! En route to the Dunstan, hundreds perished in the snow-capped mountains of the territory; men returned to the town half famished, and wholly fatigued; discomforted by the perilous peaks, which in every direction arrested the progress of the pioneer. And yet the attractions of gold emboldened some of the more hardy and resolute to make the attempt, and they who went up towards the latter end of last year, have, in a few isolated instances, done remarkably well." Such is the statement of an individual who, we presume, came to New Zealand to dig, but who confined his u prospecting" researches to the u Society's" ground, between the end of the old jetty and the corner of Stafford-street. It would be as well, however, if men, when publishing their experience in the columns of a newspaper, would keep within hail of the truth.

The Otago Daily Times says that Cobb's Taieri coach was upset on Friday evening week, at East Taieri, and several persons injured. There was a full complement of passengers, including several gentlemen who had been attending the poll for representatives of the district in the Provincial Council, at East Taieri. The coach was upset opposite Todd's store, soon after starting, and it was considerably smashed, and one of the horses was much hurt. When the injuries to the passengers came to be ascertained, it was found that Mr. Howorth had a shoulder dislocated, that of Mr. T. Barnes was rather seriously bruised and cut, and that other passengers had suffered in a less degree. Distressing Mine Accident.—A fatal accident occurred to a miner yes'erday at the New North Clunes Company's shaft. The unfortunate man had usually gone by the soubriquet of " Mick." It appears that he was at work upon the brace timbers erected over the shaft, and by some means lost his balance and fell, his body passing in a straight line down the shaft a depth of about 240 feet. Dr, Schmidt was at once sent for, and by the time he reached the scene of this terrible occurrence the body had been raised to the surface, but of course life was extinct. The doctor said that he had never before seen so sickening a sight as the mutiliated remains of the unfortunate man presented; every bone in the body appeared to be smashed, and the intestines were protruding. An inquest will be held to-day.—-Talbat Leader, May 29.

Gambling in America. —No wonder Paymaster Cook, when he proceeded to gamble lost the money destined for payment of the Federal soldiers. He played in a room of which the walls and ceiling were papered with paper of a star pattern; a small hole had been bored through the ceiling in the centre of a star here and there, and in the room above a person stretched on a mattress was able to look into Cook's hand, and by a telegraphic signal machine communicating through the wall and floor to indicate, in gentle raps on the professional gambler's boot or slipper a description of the cards held by the man who was to be fleeced. The tenants of the rooms being in debt the sheriff has had to transact business upon the premises, and in the course of his researches made this discovery.—Times.

A Kerosene Nobbler. —Yesterday at an inn, the landlord and two others had " shaken in the hat," and the nobblers were duly supplied, but by some unfortunate mistake the landlord and one of the others (an Irishman) took kerosene instead of gin, and had taken good mouthfuls before the mistake was discovered. All was consternation immediately, but the prompt application of mustard and other emetics noon brought matters nearly right, but the customer was terribly frightened by the warning of a facetious bystander, not to light his pipe all night, or there would be a combustion to chronicle. Tarrengower Times, May 29.