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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 279, 2 December 1878, Page 2

The following additional ipatticulars relating to the loss of the Taranaki arejto hand • —It was the; second mate's watch; when we struck; but the captain wiis on the bridge apd there was a good look out; it was, how? eyer, impdasibiejo see fifty yards on any aide \ when we struck, and the first cry of 'land was little more than half a miuuts before we struck. We were, it seems, some three miles out of our course, and it is thought the error occurred through our having drifted while at anchor in the night. The women behaved admirably all through. After a good deal of delay, and with no slight, amount of trouble, the four ships' boats were got out safely, but it was three quarters of an hour after we struck before the first boat with women and children got off from the ship, quickly fol- , lowed by the second boat with the remainder of the women Some few men showed a disposition to rush the boats, but the determined attitude of one or two gentlemen who were shipping the women and^children at the captain's request stopped this. One gentleman threatened to thrdtv pverboard the first' man who entered a boat till~e7ery woman ftnd child was oft To find a safe piaG? to land we had to pull tophd a jpoiat wteph bia the ship f rofii us. We go* a fi tfee^omen and tihildren ashore, without"' any- accident and. then" the men all followed- safely' Earewha Island oil #hteh -the Cwreck occurred is fire miles outside' Itaurariga Heads, in a N.N.E. direction. The rock Is very rugged, and about 350; feet high. It is in very deep water, about three miles from the main land. A telegram fidnfDunedin aays :— . The Taranaki is worth £ 16,000, and the following ( are the local insurances :— South British, £2500, mostly re-insured ; Colonial £750; Union, £750; National, £750; New Zealand, £750. . ..... The recent mineral discoveries in and about Nelton are bringing the district prominently before the public in other. parts. The Auckland Weekly He' aid, under the heading " Our Mineral Resources," has the following :— lt would really appear that, after all, comparatively little is yet known regarding the immense mineral resources of New Zealand. Its wealth of minerals is untouched, except in regard to gold and coal, aud much remains to be done to develop the many mines of wealth' which are, now only leaking themselves appaient. Since the close of the Parliamentary" session, Mr W. Rowe, M.H.R,, who, whatever may be his shortcomings as a legislator, is beyond question an authority on mining affairs, has paid some visits of inspection to the mineral districts of Collingwood, Nelson, and to the copper deposits of D'Urville Island and Aniseed Valley. He has brought to Auckland samples of copper and silver-lead ore (galena), which have attracted very, great attention during the last few days.; They have not yet been placed for public exhibition, but no doubt they will be on view in some central place in a few days. There are several samples of copper ore from D'Urville Island, and some steel grey ore taken out of a seam 3£ feet wide at a depth of 90 feet from the surface, is a really fine sample of ore— solid, heavy, and rich. One of the curiosities of the specimens is a sample of rock of granite formation, which is impregnated heavily with pure copper. There is, Mr Rowe informs us, a seam of this rock, 12 feet wide, well and truly walled. A test showed it to contain 14 per cent of copper. This rock is found in the neighborhood of Aniseed Valley. There is also a specimen from the Aniseed Valley Copper mine, of which Mr Edward Thomas, formerly of the Thames, is manager. Here a winze is being sunk on an irregular seam, in which there appears to be rather bunches of copper than a continuous run of ore. From the Collingwood district Mr Rowe has a number of really magnificent specimens of silver-lead ore. He has also samples of chrome and other ores, which are well worthy the inspection of scientific men, and traders too, as it may become a very valuable article of export. The Collingwood district is, probably, one of the richest mineral districts in the colony.' - . -; Referring to the thunler stonnoi Tuesday night, the vVellington CArontcfesays: — " We., .did not take the rain measurepientj'.ind it 'is ?.tpo wet to wait on Dr Hector for the informa-; , tion, but, guessing "roughly, wejsliould say it rained a foot and a half. .'By gutter 'measurement in some/pa'ri^lorthe^^ityjig rained a good deal more than fchaf,,%t w^arjUot jri the humor to fall, out "about' a'^ew inches in large quantities// i ~' ""',-'- •••,-.. ' . Commenting on the condition; of parties 'vaf : the New Zealand Parliament/ the Lyttelton Times, remarks :—" But -if/the hejid of the" ship of- State is all round, the. conlpa33, the Opposition, is in.a-w^orse plight. Ie has ho ; head,; o^rath^r it vhaassveralNheads. The difficulty is to, particularise thd tail. We are. reminded of those toy pictures j; hi. iwhich , different heads can be respectively adjusted to one conventional body. Major Atkinson?would be, we should suppose^ the one! head, ,hut if he is,,^e should say, judging from last session, thae •: ' it has an. nndistingnishable "' shaped It is a detruncated head, artificially balanced upon; the top of the body. It ismerely kept there until another headlcan be induced to grow. We haye .had tf series of experimental heads in the ,hdpe,'tbat one at least may be made permanent by thje process Of natural selection. But in that' respect the session closed unsuccessfully. Wehave had ■ a head with two faces from Mr Whitaker; a nagging head from Mr George M'Lean; a denunciatory head from Mr EOx; a head of shocked propriety from Mr Bowen; and a tongue, if not a head, of satirical vituperation from Mr Wakefield. And there has been a host of headlings more or less monitory. What the result maybe.next session we know not. But : during the; last session the effect has been to disunite and i weaken. The session has been like a pianoforte. played - by one who does not know a note of music It may be the music of the, future;, but, certainly we do not recognise it as the music of the present." . . r ■■....;>: : ,