THE WEST COAST.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 270, 29 November 1865, Page 2

THE WEST COAST.

SUCCESS OF BLONDELL'S PARTY AND OTHERS. Intelligence received by Monday's post removes all fears concerning the expeditions that started via the Greenstone Valley and Martin's Bay for the West Coast goldfields. The party must have encountered the very heavy weather prevailing in this district at the time of their departure from here, the journey to Martin's Bay having occupied nine days, while the party we mentioned as having returned a few weeks ago were but five days making from fifteen miles north of Martin's Bay back to Von Tunzleman's. From a letter kindly placed at our disposal by Mr Huff from his partner, Mr Aitken, we make the following extract: — "We were fortunate in getting Dr Hector's boat when we got to the head of the Kakapo Lake, and also in falling in with a party at Martin's Bay from Invercargill with two whaleboats. We were Very glad to see them, as we were getting short of provisions. They gave us a passage up here in their boats. This place (Jackson's Bay) is about 40 miles from Martin's Bay. Bruce Bay is sixty miles from this. I do not see any chance of bringing any cows this way as the road is so bad; it is far from what Dr Hector described it to be. There are some parlies working on tne quiet about twenty-five miles down the coast from here, and I believe they are doing very well. lam going down to have a look at them to-day. There is a store here and a few drunken men knocking about, which looks very well for gold getting. We were very lucky in getting some provisions cheap. I hope I will soon get a good claim." Speaking of the new route to convey mails to and from Europe across the Isthmus of Panama f and for which the terms of the contract have been settled between the New Zealand Government and the P.N.Z. and A.R.M. Steam Navigation Company, the ' Nelson Examiner' says: '• The undertaking which is about to bring Panama within twenty-six days' steaming of New Zealand, and, as we hope, to link unto the line the vast and fertile tropical islands of the Pacific, cannot fail to have a very marked effect upon the future destiny of this colony. With such a class of steamers as are now being built for the service, and the moderate rates of passage money imposed upon the company, the traffic on the line must necessarily become very great, and with the intercourse which will inevitably arise between (flese colonies and the great countries of America, new branches of industry wi;l spring up and extend themselves, and it is idle to speculate on the changes which this intercourse will bring in its wake. The cost of the undertaking will weigh heavily on New Zealand for a time, i in its present state of financial depression, but we firmly believe that the colony in a very little while will benefit by the expenditure." " Practical jokes of a very reprehensible character have," says the * Waikouaiti Herald,' "during the past week been played upon Dr Drury. In the first instance he is despatched to see some poor woman at the Blueskin who was reported seriously ill; a few days afterwards he receives a letter purporting to have been written from Macrae's Mat, from the mate of a miner who had had his leg and arm broken through a fall of earth. It is a great pity but that the perpetrators of these heartless hoaxes could be traced and punished. A joke may be a joke, but we opine such a bootless journey as the latter is far beyond one." The 'Evening Star' remarks:—" Talking about the Hospital question, reminds me of the horrible manner in which the word 'Hospital' was tortured the other afternoon (in the Council) Mr Haggitt, who on the same principle, ought to be addressed Mr * Aggit,' talked about not converting the Exhibition Building into 'an 'Ospital;' after a little while he got the word right, and said 'a Hospital,' but he relapsed again, and before he finished his speech must have had a heap of slain hs at his feet. Mr Miller followed suit, onlj he called it 'a Nospital.' Mr Moss adopted 'an 'Ospital,' and Mr Walker vainly emphasised the aspirate for the benefit of hon member, who continued to twist the phrase most unmercifully. One hon member, whose name I cannot ascertain, bravely said 'a 'Orspital,' whilst another said 'a 'Norspital.'" The 'Sydney Herald,' referring to the Hartley kerosene mine, says" All the machinery for the Hartley Kerosene Oil and Parafine Company's works is now at the mine, and it is expected that its erection will be completed before the end of November, so as to commence the manufacture of oil early in December. Two large tanks, to hold 25,000 gallons each, have been constructed, and are being fixed. A large tank is also being made to hold 10,000 gallons of refined oil. It is expected that the company will, soon after starting, produce about 10,000 gallons of oil a-week, and that this quantity will be ultimately increased. Large shipments of the raw material have been made to Melbourne and Geelong, and 300 tons are now in Sydney, ready to meet any demand that may arise for exportation. The results of the experiments with the mineral on a somewhat large scale have been very satisfactory, a good burning oil having been produced, and the coal yielding 100 gallons of refined oil to the ton*