OTAGO.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 49, 28 April 1863, Page 3

O T A GO.

fraOM OUR OWJT COX RESPONDENT. J

DTJNEDIN",

Monday, 20th April,

he very tempestuous weather we have y experienced, or, as our mutual and esicd friend, Capt. Jarvey, nautically lesses it, " those d d sou' west gales," h?en putting us all wrong with respect to %\s und departures. The Alhambra, eh sailed from here during the early part the week, was compelled to put back iujjli stress of weather. Whether Captain n M'Lean, her well known commander, I any stronger expletive than the master he Titania, I cannot say, but if I am pertcd a conjecture, I am inclined to opine,

t Jack's language on the occasion was ijyised of ejaculations not to be found in )ker. The Alhambra put back, the lienburg at the Bluff on her sixth day , the Titania, due in Dunedin about Satur- , not yet arrived at InvercargiYl. and the iliam Miskin keeping company with the srgets, is among the latest intelligence. If writing looks shaky, do not set it down to improper cause. The room lam seated ocks like a " ship in motion." ' Whew ! at a blast as it sweeps down the hill and oops against the wall of my humble tenent, entering every crevice and cranny, and iling a chill through ray veins which I st endeavour to counteract by drawing on "Kirkliston" standing temptingly beeme on the shelf. Ah ! I am better now; ■ gusts of wind, I fancy, are not nearly so ere as they were ten minutes ago, and the ill in the air has quite gone off, which will aw me to tell you in comfort of a very lancholy incident lately come to my ears, tell the tale as it was told to me."

Two months ago, four men, mates and zgers, left Dunedin for the Dunstan to try eir luck. They obtained a claim in which ey were tolerably fortunate, but it was soon irked out and there was no likely spot they dd hit on for a second attempt. After a :i<t deliberation the four mates agreed to ike a journey to the neighborhood of Fox's ish. It was a long distance to trudge on ot, encumbered with swags and carrying eir digging tools, but they had made their solve, after weighing everything pro and n. On they went, up steep hills and down isrhtful descents ; through ravines and over iles of rocks and boulders. Gbn, and gully, id gorge were passed with an endurance and rseverance so peculiarly the characteristic the sturdy and courageous digger. They ere tolerably equipped and carried itli them a supply of provisions, with gold possession to buy more where and when nre could be bought. On the fifth day out, id as night was setting in, the four were .itetl on their camping ground drinking tea, nledwith a little dry brush which had been .it togt- ther. They were men stout of heart id had been mates for many a long day on le other side. They were very friendly and ;ver disagreed. One of them, "Joe," he ,13 called, was a very witty and amusing >ilow, always in high spirits and constantly ?epinghis mates on the laugh with some of is crude, quaint sayings. But this night he as dull, and for a quarter of an hour had Dt spoken a word. "Joe," said one of his mtes, " there's not a word out of you toirjht. What is it ails you?" "Barney," 'plied the man, " did you ever feel as if :ere was a pumping going on at your heart £as if the blood was being sucked out of it nd then pumped back again. Ido Barney. j«sere is something wrong going on here,'' mching his left breast. "Why, Barney, lan, I can't see. I'm blind Barney. Hold ie or I «hall go over the slope. Quick, Bar;y—quick, man. Mates lam dying." With bese last words, the poor fellow rolled over a irpse- The men tore open his flannel shirt. !e was warm, but his heart ceased to beat. lot a sigh or a breath escaped his lips. He ras dead. Silently and sadly, gently, nd lovingly, did they roll him in his atj and cover his face with a jacket. Then Mowed a consultation. They were .it the ararfiit of a high mountain, studded with itting rocks, miles away from any hometead oi habitation. They knew not the loality they weie in, but only the direction in rhich they were proceeding. All night hrough did the three mates debate what hould be done. To carry the body with hem was impossible ; for many places they iad passed over was only accomplished by rawling on hands and knees. To leave it mburied on a mountain top they could not. !o a graye — a shallow graye — (for the ground ras hard and stony J was dug with pick and hovel, and the dead man was placed in it, mapped .in his blanket. The three men hen kneeled over the grave, and each in his wn way prayed in silence, out of the depth if his heart, that the Universal Father of all night, in His great mercy, take their mate nto His everlasting rest. The hole was fill d n ; a mound was formed, and the men went heir way, mourning, and returned back ram whence the came, to tell 0: the de.~. h.

Gilbert has been identified by Detective as the associate of the notorious lardiner. Lyons was brought over from Sydney for the special purpose, and will take iilbert, who has confessed to his crimes, back rith him.

Another destructive fire has occurred, and he city has once moie escaped from a :eneral conflagration. On Friday night a fire >roke out in the rear of the extensive premises if Messrs Jones and "Williamson, general torekeepers, in Princes-street. In despite of the greatest and most praiseworthy efforts beivg made hy the members (f the fire irigade, the flames communicated with Dr. Burns's church, and in a few moments a large part of it was blazing. It was at first thought that the whole of the building would be destroyed, but the firemen succeeded in keeping it under, and eventually in subduing the flames before any very seiious damage had occurred. The brigade acted nobly. It comprises a really fine set of fellows. The members now possess two powerful engines, \hook and ladder apparatus, and all the misjlanea for quenching flames and saving life. lese are continually practised with, and the ftj of the various apparatus to be loroughly understood.

TLe latest from Queenstown and the Arrow sll of the winter having set in in earnest, lany have left the Wakatip for the Duntan — many the Dunstan for Dunedin — and many Dunedin for Victoria. So he it. The [Host of them will return, like swallows, in. jn spring, bringing others in their train. Very jirge supplies have fceen forwarded to the Lake, and the question will soon be solved Jhether drays can make their way up so far during the winter months. Tm Invercar§ill is said to be the only practicable r <>ute. We begin to regret now, when it is too late, that we did not make a strong effort to open up a communication direct from here to the Wakatip.

Pour thousaud five hundred copies of the uaily Times, with the summary for Britain, *ere printed off on Saturday. The demand *as enormous. At their branch office close ipon one thousand copies were sold over the hunter. The Evening News, I think I told ft>u, had stopped. It is to come out again *cry shortly, supplemented with money and bains — two very great essentials in the conduct of a newspaper. Messrs Poussard and Douay, two of the toost eminent instrumentalists that ever

voyaged to this side r of - : the equator, -are. among us. ■■Their" performances commence to-morrow evening, andif they are not well patronised it will be owing to our want of musical appreciation, and not their, proficiency. They have just come f rdm Adelaide, where they created a furore in their faVor, which, from my knowledge of their great talents, was quite deserved. , This week the streets and shop's will be illumined with gas for the first tiate. The offcers of the eornpany have been most energetic in bringing the works into operation. The speculation is likely to turn out a very paying one. in face of all the obstacles the local authorities have thrown in the way ot its success. , .„ How or by what means this letter will reach you, I do not know. Neither the Miskin or the Titania are in port, and the overland mails are somehow nohow, tor which nobody is accountable. Six hundred and twenty-two souls have been added to our population this morning by the arrival of the ships Silistria, Hussar, and .Planet I send you .the police report of Gilbert's case :— Charles D'Arcy alias Gilbert, was brought'up on Saturday last, on remand, charged with having, tn company with others, on the loth June, 1862, attacked with firearms the Government gold escort of the Western District of New South Wales at a place called the Engowra Rocks, and stealing about 2,500 oz. of gold, and about L 3,000 in. bank notes. Detective Patrick Lyons, a member of the New South Wales constabulary, having arrived from Sydney that morning for the purpose of identifying the prisoi.er, was called, and, having been sworn, said :-I know the prisoner by the name of Charles IV Arc v. I recollect the robbery of the New South Wales and Western District Escort, on the 15th June, of 1862. In consequence of instructions received by me, I went, in company with other members of the police force, in pursuit of the robbers, and succeeded in apprehending the prisoner, who was accompanied by another man who at that time gave the name of Thomas lurner, but who has since been convicted by the name of Manus, and hanged for the offence in Sydney. On the person of the prisoner Turner we found 200 oz. of gold, and L 134 in bank notes, and on. the prisoner D'Arey or Gilbert we found Ll and some silver. Two days after we took the prisoners we were met by a body of armed men with blackened faces, who rescued the prisoners from our custody. Shots were fired at the police, and I believe the horse I was riding was killed, but I have not seen it since. My revolver, several other arms, and some money, were stolen from me. I have not seen the prisoner at the bar since, until this morning, when I selected him from amongst several other men, prisoners in, the gaol. The Magistrate (to prisoner).— Have you any questions to put to the witness? Prisoner.— No, Sir ; I admit the fact. (To Lyons).— You say I was rescued from your custody, Lyons ? Detective Lyons.— Yes. The prisoner, who evinced the utmost indifference at the position he occupied, was then remanded to Sydney, New South Wales, to which place he will be forwarded per first opportunity.