Untitled

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 204, 27 August 1872, Page 2

The Wellington correspondent of a Southland paper writes : — Billet hunting is one of the, most prominent of local pursuits. ' It 13 perfectly astonishing the amount of men who are at present in Wellington looking out for some good easj appointment under the Government. The candidates appear to represent every grade of society, with the exception of the class able and willing to do a goorl bard day's work. It is said that the applications received by the Broaden . party are so numerous that their oiHces were in danger of bein<r blockaded with written applications. A clerk was employed to decline these overtures with thanks, but they accumulated so rapidly that it was found necessary to procure the assistance of a printing .press Jo keep down arrears. Is it not lamentable to think that a country which stands so badly in need of immigration should have this floating population on hand ? . Surely there is somelhiug very far wrong in our social organisation. At s Government sale of reclaimed land at Dunedin, on August 5, sections, the upset price of which was £250, were sold to Sargood and Co, ftr £1720. Six section?, upset price, d&'IOQQ, were sold to J. T. Wright for £2550.. One of the whispers of the session is mentioned in the Lyttelton Times thus : — A movement is on foot in the General Assembly, having for its object the rem/ova^ of the ssas tf (government from Wellington to Christchurcb. It is said that there is a strong probability of the measure being carried, A HjSs TO PAEtIAI\IENTAEV MEMBERS. — A promising boy, hearing his father talk a great deal about Parliament, lately asked him — " Father, how long does Parliament sit ? "Four or live months, ray boy," was the reply. " What a long time! why our geese only sit five or six weeks," was the shrewd remark of the youth. In bi3 report on the goldfields, Mr Haughton says : — "From my own personal knowledge of our, goldfields, I unhesitatingly assert that the sum of £3,000,000, instead of the £800,000 proposed, judiciously - expended upon water supply, would prove an expenditure directly, Remunerative, $ad indirectly pro* duotive pf such ap increase to the population of the colony as would confirm us in a position qf qneptri pled prosperity.*' The Prsss .says?— -The sound, of. th.c. picks' and , shovels Is. getting; 1 quit^e a! : cu'sf tomary. sound to the ears, of the inhabitants ■ of Picton, Tor a number^ of •navvies arebusily engaged in forming' that portion ot the railway ( .line : that passes. . through, . the town. ■Vi On -Monday, imorning most of ihe . men. who,; v^ere wanting; work .were: Be t "on Bpme^bf;''t)ae;abpyjej'm,e"nti^ ysyiiisiiol fifty^ eraproyeijia^dY^mQ*

at other portions of the line where their services are required. There £ro within thp colony 3,595 miles of water races, carrying 7,056 sluice head?, constructed at aa estimated cost of £71 T38G ; but even this seemingly large supply is not nearly sufficient to meet the pressing demands of tho present workings, either alluvial or quartz. It will be seen by reference to the warden's reports that in many districts in the province of Otago and County of Westland, miuing operations were entirely suspended, for two or three mouths, during the lust summer from the want of water. Latest Betting-.— We learn that in view of the exciting character of the approaching coutest, a Tattersall's has been added to Bellamy's. The following are the latest quotations : — 1,000 to 1 against Fox's "Ministry." 5,000 ti> 1 on Stafford's " Success," (taken freely) 10 to a on Orraond's " Superintendency." 100 to 2 on yitzhurficrt's '• Sagacity." 700 to 1 on Beeves' •' Venality " 10 to 2 on Gillies' "Stability." 10,00!) to 1 against Vogel's '• Honesty. ' 500 to 15 against Gisborne's " Capacity," (no takers), 5 to 4 against M'Lean's " Policy." -Post. There is now on view in Auckland, we learn from tho Southern Cross, a very beautiful Maori mat, worked by tho natives, and intended as a present to the Duke of Edinburgh. Tho renson big Royal Highness did not receive thi3 very valuable gift v/as owing to the Maoris engaged upon the mat not being able to complete it in time, when it was subsequently purchased by Colonel. M'Donnell. The body of the mat is composed of a very beautifully prepared flax fibre, sewn together with elaborate minuteness, find is most artistically covered with choice feathers tnk.en from the kiwi. This mat has been tho work of many months by highly skilled natives, and probably exhibits finer workmanship than was ever turned out by Maori hands. The greatest amount of money invested on machinery is in Auckland, where ■ the plant is valued at f 208,575. Of this large amount £11)5,175 has been laid out in Grabamsfcown, and £13,400 at Corornaadel. Westlaud stands next in outlay, the amount spent there being £141,874. There is, however, this difference : while the mining in Auckland is confined to quartz - crushing, that of Westiaod is altogether alluvial. In Otago the mining plantia valued at£l23,B6?,butthelitt!e progress that quartz-mining has made may be estimated by the fact that while iv. Auckland there are 891 stamp heads, in Otago there are but 159. The money invested in machinery in Nelson is £85,850; in Marlborough, £1,300; and in Wellington, £500. Westland has only 15 stamp-heads employed iv quartz-crushing, and Nelson, 95. For remainder of news see. fourth page.

As AN .illustration 'of wonderful success at the African Diamond Fields, the Argus intention's the case of a German captain, named, Behrman, who some months ago had the good fortune to lose his ship, the Elite, at Port Alfred. He went up to the fields, worked hard there for a time, and on Sunday went home as a passenger in the Cambrian, the fortunate possessor of £10,000 in draffs on Europe, and diamonds valued at £5 3 000 more -still to dispose of. The following is an extract from the diary of one who, as it will be seen, has encountered perils by sea in the unfortunate town of Westport : — "In trouble again j shipwrecked ashore this time. Total wreck of the Empire Hotel, on Tuesday, 23rd, ; when at 2 p.m. the sea commenced coming in at the kitchen door— 3 p.m., meat safe carried away — 4 p.m., water tanks broke adrift and made tracks— s p.m.', ebb tide, and the house once more high and dry— from 6 p.m. till midnight, all hands packing and removing goods. — Midnight, kitchen carried away by a green sea — 1 8.m., main chimney broke adrift — 2 a.m., two back parlors sailed for G uam — 2.30 a.m., green seas rolling through the house, and out of the front door into the street— -3 a.m., barmaid and housemaid taken safely on to dry land — all hands for the next three hours up to their waists in removing furniture, &c — got into new hotel during forenoon on Wednesday, and set to work to dry dunnage." The Keefton Gaol is not a pretentious building, far otherwise, it fact it is the old lock-up, with two compartments, one being a cell adopted for the confinement of inebriates, felons, debtors male or female, the other being used as an office for the police. However, it is now a proclaimed gaol, and hence it becomes necessary to have periodical visits from a Visiting Justice. In that gaol at the present moment is an individual who, having gone the rounds of the different gaols on the West Coast for many years under various charges for petty larceny, is at last stabled in the Reefton gaol for a period of six months, under the name of Duggari, under three separate convictions. Ist, for stealing a pipe from Dupuis' establishment ; 2nd, for stealing a bottle of brandy from HaselPs store ; 3rd, for stealing from a miner a shirt exposed on a line to dry. This gentleman is evidently dissatisfied with the regime of the Reefton gaol, as compared to what he has been accustomed in other gaols, and hence probably the following complaint which he has forwarded to the Visiting Justice through the officer of police in charge : — " Dear sir please send me 1 galion of the best rum, 31b of white sugar, 31bs of ootmeal, 21bs of mustard for potestas, 1 pint of milk per day, 2 fresh eggs per day so soon as I receive this, I always will pray for your worship and be allways your umbls servant and sinciar frend. James Bowies a prisener at Reefton and i promise to do any thing for you affer I have Done niy time to his Execelency the right Honorable sir Charles Broad Knight." — Inangahua Herald.

A Buffalo Pastor, in the course of a sermon, recently, stated that the fact had come to his knowledge of a child but three years old being received in. the orphan asylum in that city, , who was afterwards found to be suffering from nothing less than delirium tremens. The mother of the child was a most intemperate woman, and had actually fed her offspring from the whisky bottle.