KYBEURN DIGGINGS.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 229, 25 July 1873, Page 6

KYBEURN DIGGINGS.

(From our own Correspondent.) As your old Correspondent is apparently' ;> defunct, I hare taken upon myself the - arduous task of representing this neigh-" borhood m your columns. I may succeed, and I may fail. If j succeed I shall ; wear my honors with .becoming, modesty, and if on the contrary I fail, I appeal in ; most pathetic tones to the literary critics - of the Xyeburn, to spare me ! Business ofevery description has been more than? dull for the past twelve months. •: A remarkably dry summer was followed by an equally dry autumn, and the mining population were per force the greater part of ; their time idle. The storekeepers, whose success entirely depends upon that of the the diggers, suffered considerably, and everyone has felt the depression in a greater or less degree., The Kyeburn'is .• one of the few places in Otago which is doomed to derive no benefit from the Public Works scheme. No doubt it will not be forgotten in a few years timei . when the great financier finds it necessary to go round with the hat. The widow and the orphan will not 'then escape, and this noble and muddy stream may possibly become better known.

At the time I. write, although the place is old in; years it is very young in experience. If one half of the inhabitants come to the conclusion that a thing would be beneficial to the public, s the other half is almost sure to raise obstacles in the path, until the promoters, getting tired of the work let the matter, •' drop. This has been the fate of many; : good schemes, which have been, mooted here, and will doubtless be the fate of ! many more.

If my feeble efforts could but establish a more friendly feeling amongst the inhabitants, I should consider myself well repaid, but to dp this I must steer clear' of the track taken by your former corres- ! pondent, and not call a spade quite a spade but insinuate that there is a flat sharp in- : strument used by the natives to remove and turn up surface soil. Probably some touchy gentleman will tell me that I am wrong as it is often used to cut tussocks. I shall then of course apologise, and all will go merry as a marriage sell. You urged in your columns a short time ago, the formation of a Progress Committee in the outlying districts. There are many here who quite endorse your sentiments, and were it not for the ; petty jealousies so common amongst small communities this matter could easily be settled. If Progress, Committees do not suit the public taste, why not join the Mount Ida Mining Association. The great benefit to be derived from coalition, of this description, is that of mutual support. Supposing for instance that Hamilton, Hyde i; Serpentine, St. Bathans, and BLyeburn were to form seperate committees, and acknowledge a central.and head committee atiNaseby, with which they would; all correspond, what immense benefits would be derived by the whole district' from the united ; efforts. Space will not 7 allow me ;fco enlarge upon this subject in my present epistle, but I hope to recur to it on a future date.

Messrs Durward and Keene are sinking a shaft on. Mr; Durward's coal lease, arid are sanguine that they will shortly; reach good coal. The shaft is already down thirty feet, and is well timbered; The material sunt through is tough sandstone. A change, however, is perceptible,, and they shortly expect to reach the casing. I will describe the seains in a, future let - ter. -..;;' , : '.' "."""." '

Mr, Durward lost a valuable horse on Sunday last, in a very simple manner. It appears that he turned the animal out the evening before in hobbles. The next morning he was found drowned in the creek, having fastened his hind foot in the rhain of the hobbles and thus thrown himself in the water: