THE WAIMANGAROA.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume V, Issue 168, 19 July 1870, Page 2

THE WAIMANGAROA.

[The writer of the report on' the. Lyell reef, which appeared in our yesterday's issue, has kindly furnished us with the following account of his trip to the Waimaugaroa.] . . ' ''- . „/'. - Having completed my Lyell journey, I proceeded to visit the .Waimang.ar.oa reefs. The instructions relative to the road to that part of the. country .are: so :unmisfakeably simple and brief that I shall, for the benpfit of future" travellers, repeat them. ; They are:— "Follow the coast line north from Westport for 11 miles when you will reach the Waimangaroa river, jump into the middle of it and wade three miles up it until you reach the reef." However absurd these instructions may seem, they are almost literally correct, for really the only way is up the bed of the river, often waist deep, the monotony being occasionally pleasingly varied by a tramp across the intervening shingle beds, the results of the circuitous nature of the stream. However, on reaching Ihe place your troubles are, for a moment forgotten in the contemplation of the superior difficulties that must have been encountered and overcome in getting up the machinery which is erected there. There i 3 a substantial water-wheel 25 feet iv diameter by 4 feet wide, eight heads of light iron stampers, arid other appliances, together with all the necessary buildings. The machinery is rather ancient hut is quite equal to the task it has to perform. As much, however, cannot be said of the gold-saving appliances, for a most visible ignorance has been displayed iv their construction, but I believe these latter are about to be re-constructed by. the present compaay. The main tunnel is immediately adjoining, and on a level with, (he feeding Stage and is most conveniently situated. A considerable quantity of the reef was blocked out by the previous company, but, a large portion of the stuff was, unfortunately, washed away by a flood, but what was saved was crushed with most satisfactory results. As the

main working shaft was filled with water on the occasion jof my visit, I was precluded from examining the reef and thus was unable to form any opinion as to the gbtd-beariDg quality of the stone. There is an entire absence of slate in this district, the general formation], of; the: rpck being granite, and the character of the stone and the size of the reef ate very similar to the GulHford reef at Waugapeka, but bear little resemblance to the main reefs in the Lyell. I beliere that the present company have gpod;prospects in view,' an opinion that is-bofrne out by the -excellent results obtained from the reef by the previous proprietors'.' 1 . .: -; : :" .

iln ;a< Aagqdjni te)]pgf aip: toith^jEnenipg Pqstxp isjstaj&d t|i«t E^r^G^nyi^g^rovcj hard to limit the loan-asked by the Commissioners;,, ,to v/ bal£.j.a.^naillipa^- bu t they refused to accept that sum. i . ';. , \ The yield of 'gold :r at &he Thamess ;for the month, of June ayetragediflO.-?. per week per man^-ipr : the - J w ( hqle ( ,Thaa?ffi t , ( pppu|aT > tion ; 6782 tons of stone were^cKushedju producing 11,428 ounces. 1 The Governor's SalatSy;— : Ap 7 etitibh signed by 24^ of the inhabitants of Waugantfi has hven'" forwarded to tl»e House of Representatives, ,nray4''g them -to- refuse to pass the estimate fpivtheGovprtioi's salary, ibe reason urged for the request beiug that as the .Imperial GoverDtneut has thought fit to withdraw its troops from the colony, the salary should be defrayed out of the Imperial instead of, as at present, out of the Colonial 1 Exchequer. The petition was presented by Mr. H. S. Harrison, but the House refused to receive it. - - -•.•' '■'-" • "•'■■ '■' ; ' '■■ '" A Return, has .been laid iipon' the table of ihe House giving the names of the various tribes of the North- Island,- the parts of the country in which they are -located, the names of the hapusinto which each tribe is divided, the approximate uumber of persons of which each tribe and hapu respectively consists, and the names of the leading chiefs. TJie return, which must have cost an, immense deal of trouble to prepare, gives the total number of the aboriginal population of the North Island as about 34.500. Provincialism. — Judging . from the following remarks which appeared in a late .issue, of the . Timqru Herald, we should, imagine, that ...that journal can. hardly be looked upon as favorable to provim- ial ism :-—" The latest and, most novel argument used is, that New Zealand has grown rich and powerful under these rotten institutions, and that it would be folly to change them after the great results they have achieved. Apropos'of (his latter arigument, we may repeat-the story told by Syd icy Smith of one of his parishoners who had saved a. considerable sum of money, and was in comfortable circumstances. It happened, however, that the man was a martyr to violent stomachic pains, which really were the hane and torment of his life. Would it DOt.be thought very singular, asks the satirical writer, if this man were to send for a physician, and after consulting him, the doctor were to say : •My good friend, you surely will not be so rash as to attempt to get rid of the pains in your stomach ? Have you not risen under them from poverty to prosperity ? You surely will not be so foolish and so indiscreet as to part with the pains in your stomach ?' So it is with provincialism. New Zealand has progressed in spite of provincialism, and not in consequence of it. Provincialism is the pain in the colony's stomach, and we should have been a much richer and happier people if we had never had it at- all. It now embitters our lives and impedes our progress." A Good Muff Story:— The Grass Valley Union, of May 15, relates the following story : — Some young ladies and gentlemen who were taking advantage of the fine sleighing in the interior of the State tot long since, in attending a donation,' surprise, or wedding party, or something of the kind, were obliged to sit three in a seat. One of the seats contained two gentlemen and a lady. The gentlemen of course would not. allow -the lady to take au exposed seat — she therefore sat in the middle. As the night was extremely cold, gentleman No. 1 quietly passed his hand (a remaikably small one hy the way) into the lady's muff. As the muff was not very capacious, the lady quietly removed one* 'of Her hands from the same. In a few momeuts she felt a movement on the other side, and found gentleman. No. 2 attempting to pass- his hand into ihe muff on that side. .She then quietly withdrew her hand from the muifitud sillowed him to do so. 'What toek place in the muff afterwards she is unable to say. But each of ihe gentlemen privately reported to a circle of friends how warmly the lady had returned the pressure/of his hand in the muff, while the lady as privately reported to a small circle of friends ihe magnificent sell she had made of both gentlemeu. , ■ ; . . ••