CROMWELL —Nov. 29.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 44, 3 December 1869, Page 3

CROMWELL —Nov. 29.

(From our own Correspondent.)

The reefs still continue- to exercise a magnetic"influence Upon the minds- of the inhabitants! The number of visi-tors-attracted to Cromwell has liot : beeii quite so large during the last week.. Still, we have had some who, in a small way, are entitled to be classified as distinguished visitors. Notable amongst these is the visit. paid at the end of last, week by his Honor the Superintendent, George Duncan, Esq., and JohnV Hughes, .' Esq., M.P.O.'s. There, stay was very short; still, they took time to visit the. reefs and carry away a few specimens along with them. Nothing transpired regarding the nature of their visit. It. may have been personal, or it may have been political; still jit: proves that Cromwell and the resources of the distrietgenerailv are attracting w h oleso tno attention.' ~. liegar.ding the:reel's, the latest item of intelligence.conies from the Cornish liange. A prospecting claim was taken up there some weeks A leader or vein, as it is called, was found near the surface, of .the terrace, which induced the party, to put. in a drive a hundred odd feet down the side. After getting in something'' under a" hundred feet,, what is understood to "be the main leader was struck, showing a very gratifying prospect. This has,had the effect of attracting attention to these ranges, and already - a . numoer of protected claims have been taken up. One share in the prospecting claim sold Tor £IBO, and £250 has now been refused: This shows an upward tendency, and speaks well for the future. At Bendigo Gully the only work being prosecuted with energy is Goodies, now known as Pogau's, claim; the Aurora, on the adjoining reef; and the Golden Crown. It is talked about opening up one of the other .claims by contract; .but, as yet, little.has been done in that way. At the Bannockburn, on the Carrick side of the Kawarau, a new and important branch of mining industry-—in the shape of deep leads—is promising very fairly. The sinking varies from 80 to 120 feet, and the main bottom—a pipeclay composition—carries a very fair sample of water-worn gold. The other . branches'of mining at the Bannockburn /are in a very healthy condition, al-

though seriousapprehensions are enter - - tained that the water supply will, ere long, fall short. . The snow has all but disappeared from the ranges, conse-: quently nothing but the summer rainfall remains. ... The neighboring stations are about to muster, preparatory to shearing. The clip, as seen upon the sheepV: back, looks-very well. As a whole, the I lambing season has been good, the ave- ! >i-age ; yield being from seventy to 1 seventy-five per. cent. The treatment I oTthe wool.varies at the different sta- j : tions. In some instances it is cut in j the grease, in others it goes through the cold water process, while in not a few of the stations hot water is used. The agricultural prospects ot the districts are equally promising. In some of the districts adjoining the lakes the land was put under crop earlier this year than usual. Theresuit is that the crops —consisting chiefly of wheat and oats—-are in a forward 1 state. The weather for some time was ; very dry, but during the early part of] .last week rain came on, and since then | > a good deal..of moisture has fallen." I L The affairs of the town are in a sad I mess just now, consequent upon a disi pute regarding the Mayoralty. The ■ matter was brought under the notice of 1 the Superintendent, who advised that 3 the question in dispute should be referred to Mr.. Wilson Gray, the District Judge. This proposal has fallen through, and proceedings in the Supreme Court are in course of beui"adopted The press of judicial business consequent upon recent discoveries, has revived the subject of a new Courthouse being erected for Cromwell.

The step has now- been decided upon, but some heart-burning is likely to arise about a site. Cromwell, like a great many- places, has the misfortune of being unable to go in for any public project with a unanimity of sentiment. -