SERPENTINE.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 146, 15 December 1871, Page 5

SERPENTINE.

The weather at the Serpentine is spoken of by our correspondent as having been lately very cold and wintry, with occasional snow storms. The nights have been so severe and frosty as to have dried up the water supply, and this when a number of parties were on the eve of washing up. Nothing can now be done until rain falls. The weather has been frequently threatening oflate, bub the rain, so far, has kept ■oif. . Since last I wrote we have had a visit from the Rev. Father lioyer. The subscriptions to our Jockey Club amount to about'£so, aud it has been decided to hold the race meeting on itlie 2i>th-and 27th December. There will be five events —lst, Maiden Plate, of £5; 2nd, Storekeers' and Miners' Purse, of '£lo ; 3rd, Serpentine Stakes, of £lO, open to all horses ; 4th, Linburn; Stakes, £lO, open to all horses except the winner of the Serpentine Stakes. During the intervals between the races there will be various des-, criptions of athletic sports. A second duty's" races and sports has been decided upon, but no programme has yet been given forth. We have lately had an addition to,our pqpulatiojiY.by the.arrival of a few Celestials from tiie Flowery Land.

AVatiden's Court.—Dec. 12, (Before 11. W. Robinson, Esq., Warden.) : The following applications were granted: —Extended claim, water race, and tail race, J> Eettigrew; extended ,claim, J. Shephei'd; residence area, J. Kelly; extended claim, Leopold Price ;' reservoir and water race, J. Byrne and others. " The application of Byrne and others for a reservoir was objected to : by Long and party and Luttrell and party." The hearing 5 of' the objection of Long and party occupied several hours, and the Warden thought it necessary to'visit' the ground, j.ab the junction of the Serpentine and Saddle Creeks. Long's objection was based upon this, —That, as the dam would, be ' placed more than half, a mile below the ' head of race, as granted from the terpentine'Creek,-it/would intercept water, I that would accrue to,the Gully lor that 1 distance, and which would, if not so intercepted j be available 1 for the supply of his iraeeslower down.- , It appeared, on the ■ hearing, that Byrne's .race was actually constructed to, head from a point below the dam, and evidence was given to show that -■ the notice of application for the race had

been posted at that point. It was admitj ted that there had been an error of des- < cs'iptioh, the application having described ; the he-d < f fclie-race as about 100 yards be- , low the head of the Last Chance Hace, ! whereas it was really 1300 yards below, j The Warden said he was satisfied that j Byrne's race was really intended to head from the point below the dam, and there- [ fore that the objection could not be sus;j tained, Byrne's right of two heads of water from the creek superior to that of Long and party. The objection of Luttrell and party was withdrawn. The application was granted. ! There was another application of Byrne and party for a dam in Poverty Gully. This was objected to by Martin Koone. As it appeared that the Gully in question would probably be again, worked for, gold, the 'hearing of the application and objection was, 5 by consent, postponed' sine' die. The following applications wererefnsed: —rExyended claim and tail race, Wilson and another ; extended claim, E. Smith.