THE NAVIGATION OF THE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 275, 6 November 1862, Page 5

THE NAVIGATION OF THE

MOLYNEUX

RETURN OF MR. REILLY

MR. REILLY'S STATEMENT.

Mr. Reilly having returned from his boat trip to open up the navigation of the Molyneux, has favored us with the following statement as to the success he met with, and the difficulties of the navigation, which,according to his account, would appear to be much less than had been supposed : —

"My party consisted of eighteen men, with two life-boats, which I had previously conveyed by vessel to the mouth of the Molyneux. We started—l forget the exact datebut immediately on the completion of our preliminary arrangements, and proceeded up the river, meeting with no obstacle until we came to the Beaumont. At this point, the whole expedition was imperilled by a circumstance over which I had no control. The Government had sent a surveyor to inspect the river, and this gentleman made a stop at the Beaumont, reporting the stream impassable beyond this spot. In consequence, five of my men took the alarm, and refused to proceed further, and it was only by agreeing to sacrifice half of my cargo, that I succeeded in preventing them from breaking up the party. This difficulty over, I proceeded, finding no insufffiountable obstacle in my way. I made a short portage at the Beaumont of part of my cargo, but the boats went on. The river at this spot is narrow, and consequently rapid, but not impassabl- . Three miles further up I had to make another portage of a small portion of the cargo. The river here is very wide and rocky. From thence I had a good stream up to a point called Mangy Creek. Here, there is a shallow bar, but with plenty of water for the boats drawing two and a-half feet. From here again I had- a line clear stream to the head of Moa Flat. From the want of power I was here again necessiated to make a portage of part of my lading. From the head of Moa Flat to the Teviot, the river is clear, and the stream continues good up as far as Captain Baldwin's.

"At the Teviot 1 left one of the boats to be used as a ferry, and notwithstanding the dreadful accounts I received ofthe difficulties before me, I put the two crews on board the remaining boat and determined to proceed. Eight miles above Captain Baldwin's I encountered the first difficulty of any note, in the shape of a fall and rapids. With four men steering the boat, and some additional hands whom I hired. I succeeded in passing over the obstacle with the tow liue,without taking the boat out of water. About six miles further ahead I encountered another fall and rapid of a more formidable character; in fact, the only bad fall on the route. There I was compelled to make a road, land the boat, and transport it about 100 feet to the head of the fall waters. From thence the stream is good for some twenty miles, which brought us to the Dunstan. Hence, I may safely say that Nature's highway to the D'unstan is jopen. Provisions can be conveyed to the Teviot and Captain Baldwin's, from Dunedin, at a cost of, I should say, not more than fiity pounds per ton, and I trust the diggers may, ere long, reap thy benefit of my labors by having supplies forwarded to them by this economical route."

RESIDENT MAGISTRATES COURT. Wednesday. November 5. (Before A. C. Strode, Esq , R.M.) Drunkenness.—John Fisher, Wm. Wollen, and Win. Connolly were severally fined 20s and costs. Threatening Language. Bernard O'Donnell, complained against for using threatening language to one Wm. Ryan, was discharged with a caution. Language— Wm. Wollen and Wm. Connolly were each .fined in the further sum of 20s and costs. Intent to Commit Felony.—George Thompson was brought up on the charge of being in a public place with iutent to commit a felony. He had been found by a constable in the act of trying doors. Sentenced to two months' imprisonment with hard labor. Vagrancy.—Rosanna Robinson, charged with having no visible lawful means of suppoit, was discharged with a caution. Larceny.—Catherine Thompson was charged with stealing a lamp and other articles Irom the shop of Stanford and Co. Mr Bates, sfco-eman to Stanford and Co., appeared and said that he had no desire to prosecute. The woman was at the time under tbe influence of liquor. The prisoner was discharged with a caution to avoid intoxicating liquors for the future. CivrL Cases, Cooper v. Simpson.— -Judgment for plaintiff for L 6 and co* v g, liurford Jones and Dalton.—Claim for LIS 9s *d. Judgment for amount, payable by instalments ot 10s per week. H organ v. Haldane.—L6, a claim for wages. The defence was that the plaintiff'had left the defendant's ?wk vlc? • e-^ re *"8 term ot engagement had expired. Ihe plaintiff produced a medical certificate to the effect that he had been oblised to leave his service irom illness. Judgmeut for plaintiff in the sum of Lo and costs. Austin v. M'Knight.—Cluha fo>« L 3, wages. Judgment for plaintiff, L 2 53 and | BRBiTtfM.—The name of the person charged with indecent conduct on Tuesday was Telfer, not SUfer, as T?aa printed in mistake,