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Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 40, 27 March 1863, Page 2

The Separatiou League have at length shown signs of vitality, and determined to present a memorial to Her Majesty praying for a separate government for the Middle Island. The Otago Daily Times gives the following report of the proceedings at a meeting o f the General Committee held en the 20th inst. : — " The General Committee of the Separation League held a meeting at the Athenasum yesterday afternoon. Mr James Rattray presided. The draft of a memorial to Her Majesty the Queen, praying fora separate and distinct government for the Middle Island, was submitted by the Sub-committee specially appointed to prepare it. Some suggestions for minor alterations were made ; and after discussion Messrs T. B. Gillies, J. H. Harris, F. Walker and J. Yogel were appointed a Sub-committee to go through and settle the draft, which is to be submitted to the General Committee at a meeting to be held at four o'clock on Thursday afternoon ("yesterday.)" Mr. Thomas Polatch, of the Southland Police Force, and formerly of the Otago Constabulary, has been presented with a magnificent gold-chain, by a number of the residents of the Molyneux Ferry, where he was formerly stationed, and very much xespected. We have received the following interesting letter from Mr. William Steel, which we publish exactly as written, in order that wo may not be troubled in future with similar effusions. — Sir,— l should like To Know The Reason Why : I was so unceivellay Treateed at The Coceart. Was it Because : I Was placing myself in Tho false Possisian of A Statsman and Casting TJnwholssorne advice adown The Throatcs : Of Her Majgestey's Industterious Loyial and Subbmissive Peopple. . No : but I think I Can Answer The Question Myself: The Noasom part ot The House j I Think. . Was under The lufluance of What Hurt : Tho generious hearted • The Nobell Scot tish Bard it was the Wee Drappy Oto- so I frankely forgive them for it all. However, I Did uot go to The Consciert as a proffishanel Singer but Just as a Tastful Singer: as i have been 1 Accostomed ever • since i was a Boy in Singing now and again at very large Compenies both of the C«menahty and also oi the Nobility.'. O No i did not go under any false pretence to the . Concurt but i was Clad in The true British Coulliers • they signess of which are 1 " Love Puerity and Truith They yeallow Which Denotes forsaking and I say Forsake Evill and learn to doe good's • tl es are my mootses and that was the reason i mounted the Stage to have my Motive poofc into Execattion leaving it now to The great Searcher of Every humman Heart. I remain Sir your Sincear Freend, WILIIAM STEBi. Pennycuiek Cotago Invercargill the March. .23. .1863. Dear Sir pleaso insccart this in your paper. The Daily Telegraph of the 21st, speaking of the first Dunedin Regatta, says that " the programme put forth by the committee gives promise of much sport, embracing as it

does, nine races, namely, a prize of £30 for five-oared whaleboats, open to all boats fit for whaling purposes ; a prize of £10 for amateurs, single handed ; a prize of £20 for sailing boats under five tons ; a prize of £10 for ships' gigs, to be pulled by the vessels' crews; a prizeof £20 for sailing boats, open to all; a prize of £15 for watermen in two-oared boats, to be pnlled by bonafide watermen who have been on the river two months ; a prize of £5 for a duck hunt ; a prize of £5 for a sculling race ; a prize of £5 for the ladies' purse, to be pulled for by amateurs in fouroared whaleboats ; a prize of £15 for the watermen's scullers race. The prizes are somewhat high, but if they can be afforded must contribute greatly to the success of the meeting." The Otago Daily Times, referring to the same subject, says that the owners of the William Miskin have not only placed her [ at the disposal of the committee, to be used i as a flag-ship, " but have invited those genj tlemen and others to 'assist' at a dejeuner on board. The entries last evening for the several races were very satisfactory ; but we postpone any notice of them until Monday. The Maoris do not intend to allow the " white fellows" to have all their own way. A native crew has entered for the whaleboat race ; and as they declined to comprehend the necessity of mounting a distinctive dress or badge, they will pull in native ' costume,' which will be distinctive enough. It has been arranged to have steamers in attendance to convey parties from the Jetty to view the different races. The holiday on Monday will be a general one ; and with fine weather there will surely be no lack of visitors." The following address was presented last week to Captain Fluerly, of the ship Creole : — "Dear Sir, — We, the undersigned passengers and owners of horses per Creole from Launceston to Invercargill, cannot but express our satisfaction at the kindness and constant attention which we have received at your hands during our voyage from Launceston to this port ; and those amongst us who have horses are well pleased with the condition in which they are landed. "VVish- ! you every success in your arduons calling, we are, &c." (The signatures follow.) \ Many persons profess to doubt the ultimate permanency of the diggings in New Zealand, on what grounds we are unable to say, but the following extract from the Maryborough and Dunotty Advertiser, showing to what extent auriferous earth can be re-worked to advantage, ought to set all croaking on this subject at rest. The Advertiser, speaking of the Avoca diggings, says : — " Time was when thousands of miners were busy as bees in the deep lead there, and when the golden sweets of their labors ca tie thick and fast, — when a couple of men mmied Ross got as much as eleven thousand pounds sterling from one hole on the glorious taad. To prove the richness Of the leart may be instanced facts, some of them of recent occurrence, which look almost like romance, but which, nevertheless, have the very best testimony in support of them. The custom was to wash the greater part of the stuff in the creek, and many thousands upoa thousands *of loads were carted thence from the lead A jjThe digging on the lead having been stopped, a party of Europeans took up that portion of the creek where the stuff had been washed, put up dams and set to work to re-wash the tailings, for which they were rewarded with a return of one and a half ounces to the load. After these le- washed tailings were sup- \ posed to be done with, a paity of ever indefatigable Celestials took up the place on which they were, and they cleared out with £40 per man — a fortune for a Chinaman — and this after paying for the ground on which to carry on their operations. Another company then set to work on these prolific t:\ilinf, s, and have crushed them with a handsome return ; and at the present time boys may be seen busily occupied with tin dishes washing uway at the old spot on the creek, making an average of thirty shillings per week."