OTAGO.

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 61, 9 June 1863, Page 2

OTAGO.

£(frobi our own correspondent.) DUNEDIN. ; Wednesday, June 3rd, 1563. j The chief topic of conversation among business people here, within the last two or three days, has been the news from the Shotover and Molyneux. The sudden rising of the waters will be a sad disappointment to the miners who for many months have rested all their hopes on the river claims ; and it is feared that our Dunedin merchants, who have lately been liberal in i supplying the up-country storekeepers with goods, will be seriously inconvenienced. Already the effect of this change in the prospects of the miners, is perceptible in the dull state of trade. It is hoped, however, that the waters will subside before the winter is over, and that the holders of river claims will be enabled to work with ome advantage to themselves and the Pro-

vine© at large. It ii sad to read- the accounts of damage done by this unexpected flood. The Shotover rose fifteen feet in a few hours. The Wakatip Mail saya :— " The damage done is almost incalculable. Months of bard labor, and thousands cf pounds have been devoted to the cutting of races, in order to get at the bed of the river ; and many which were just completed, are now ruined and filled up- with mud and bebris. It will be long before the district recovers the shock," The Dunstan News, in referring to it, says :— " Many who have spent long and tedious months holding their claims, are almost dish£<#eened, and unless the waters shbrtly^Sniside, many will leave for the surrounding gulfies, where a living at least is to be obtained." It is satisfactory, notwithstanding this discouraging news, to know that there are extensive gully workings and vast lines of terraces, unaffected by floods, which wilfc for years continue to reward theindustriouV miner, and I have very little doubt but a further exploration in the ranges, will prove the existence upon a large scale of the quartz lodes from which the rivers have obtained their supplies of gold. In Monday's Dunedin Times I see an extract from the Wakatip Mail, announcing the discovery of an auriferous lode a little above Skipper's Junction, which is clearly defined, and about two feet thick at either bank of the river. Some time elapsed in California, after the discovery of alluvial gold, before the precious metal was found in the solid rock. In New South Wales and Victoria, during the fitsfc excitement about alluvial gold, it was believed that little or none existed in the original state. Gradually, as in California, after the cream was taken off the alluvial, the riches of the great fissures, in which the gold originated was revealed, and the supply from them has, in a great measure, «ompensated for the falling off in the alluvial. As it has been in California, New South Wales and Victoria, so will it be in Otago. The laws of nature are uniform in operation all over the world. We see it in animel and vegetable life, and why not in mineral production? I have not myself visited the goldfields of Otago, but I have learned enough to know that quartz mining wlil yet become an interest of vast importance to this Province. Miners with wbom I converse are in the habit of remarking that the the " strata lies too flat— there is not suffiient inclination." I answer, "go higher up, and you will find a series of ranges which has fed the lower country. There the upheaval will expose the lodes." I find that those who have gone higher up, have discovered out-cropping lodes, and I believe that it is the latitude alone that has so long delayed the discovery of rich mines in the rock. The escort arrived last evening, aud brought eown the following amounts — ozs. dwts. Queensiown 2,279 5 Arrow liiver 3,429 10 Dunstan 3,642 0 Tuapeka 2,836 5 Woolshed 373 5 Total 12,630 5 fl 1 would remark that this does not give al fair return from the different fields, for ii have ii on undoubted auihonty, that thel Dun-stan storekeepers have lately been! purchasing gold in the Lake District, to induce Victorian miners to believe that the Dunstan had gone down and was yielding well. On Thursday morning last we had £h< first real indication of winter. We bS! hail, rain, and sleet ; but in the evening it cleared up, and Monday and yesterday were fine as ever. I have lived in variou; parts of the world, but never have I known in any country such really delightful weather as that which we have enjovei here within the last six months. On Monday last, the first sitting: of the Supreme Court (Otago and Southland district), was opened by Mr. Justice Richmond. The calendar contains the names of thirty prisoners for irial. His Honor, in his charge, briefly mentioned that three of the charges consisted of murder, highway robbery in Dunedin, and felonious as sault on a policeman ; but he said these were exceptions to the rule of the singulai good order and quiet which had character isek the town and country during the extraordinary crisis through which the Province had passed. Andrew Hayes was convicted of feloniously receiving a rinjl stolen from George Stephenson, during aj attack upon him outside an unlicensed grog shanty near Caversham ; and the pri soner was sentenced to twelve month.' hard labor. Joseph Lemarque pleads Guilty to charges of forging and uttcrisj a valueless cheque ; Thomas D. Robsa and William Davis, were found Guiltj the former of stealing a watch and otto articles, and the latter of stealing horse, saddle, and bridle. Sentence o the three prisoners was deferred. Willia! White and Maurice Connell, both committe for robbery from the person, were discharged the Grand Jury having returned "No Bii in each case. On Tuesday Joseph Johnstf and Henry Fox were indicted for assaultii and robbing John Murray, a draymen, ontl night of the 28th April last. The offen was committed after leaving the Provinci Bowling Alley, the prisoners having assault the prosecutor with a stone tied up in. a hat kerchief. In prisoners' tents the articl stolen from Murray were found. Both pi soneis were found guilty. Emma Bisse charged with robbery from the person, ffl discharged, the Grand Jury finding no bl against her. | It is worthy of record that the first £-JiJK man known to have visited Dunedin, /laudl-. at the Jetty on Monday. He was apparently quite surprised at the sensation caused! his appearance, and upon landing took to m heels and has not been seen or heard of sini There is little doubt but that he is an ag» sent out to ascertain the state of affairs intl new El Dorado, with a view <*o a genei exodus from Victoria. I Much to the disgust of a very large ctf iv this community, Mr Macandrew has bfc}" returned to represent Port Chalmers in w. Provincial Council. He received 27 vo« while Mr Taylor, his opponent, had ODly There wer«s in the entire district only seve or eighty voters. Whatever may be the tn in regard to Mr Macandrews past condi he is assuredly not the choice of the major! Thursday, 4th June I forwarded you a communication y terday, giving full particulars of all ni ters of interest up to the last minute of i mail closing. As another mail will made up this afternoon for the Titanis avail myself of the opportunity of letti your readers know what lias happened interim. The troops of the 70th regiment Jjfr been withrdawn from duty here, ahcPaHgj be forwarded to the north fortlfwW?; During their absence, the members ofwT - mounted police force are to perform tbfi <■ duties in mounting guard over the treas» ■ and doing other acts of military service!

fie Alhambra arrived at Port Chalmers midnight, but lier mail bags were riot ? warded up until this morning. She '* ags no news of interest or importance '■> m Melbourne. The ship Sir William re was reported as still a-ground, but I - sumo she has been got off by this . | was in company with an experienced f;er last evening. He had just arrived a the Dunstan, and reperts thereon it unfavorably. The river had risen feet and had done very serious damage. ose of the miners who have been sheprding their claims for months past, have : %l coAt.cmite disheartened. Many have '" " i oo&ind gone elsewhere. Not a few i finding their way into town. Still mbersare doing excellently .well. Many s making goo i wages, and few indeed that fe not earniDg " tucker/ but you know • ire tucker never yet satisfied the dig[r; nor is it likely it will, with, as lam fid, snow falling thick and fast all around Molynenx, fuel scarce, shelter indif]ket& t and a long winter to face. lam pleased to learn that both at the akatipand the Dunstan, provisions are ry abundant, and moderate in price. J told you in my last that importation of ttle from Gipp's Land had been stopped - order of the Superintendent. His onor has now issued a proclamation that ttle under the ordinary supervision may i brought in from one port in Queensnd, two in Tasmania, and from Twofold ay, New South Wales. One of our large contracting firms here ire been put to some temporary inconnience by the whole of the laborers nployed on the George-street cutting [akin£ a strike in favor of the eight hour ovement. The men gained their object, it not in the manner contemplated. The "lit hour system was conceded, but the hole of those who had struck were sent i the right about, and others taken on in lieir place. Here's news and a caution at the same me for you Southlanders. The Nelson olonist of May 22nd says: — "For some iys past a number of Maoris, strangers to lis Province, and believed to come prinipally from the neighborhood of Picton, ive been living in Nelson. During theast eight days these Maoris have been eneavoring to buy saltpetre from the storeeepers, and it is stated that an okl solier, who has been living with the Maori*, as been employed to make similar puihases. They :have also been purchasing darbies at various stores, and apparently o show the innocencv of the purpose, one r two Maoris, bearded men, have been laying marbles with Nelson boys— a ding, we believe, quite new in the games f Nelson youth. When it is remembered hat saltpetre is the principal ingredient in unpowder, and that the sm >oth stone larbles areas deadly as bullets and much heaper, at will be scarcely necessary to •. ram storekeepers against selling any of hose articles to the natives. There is a : irohibition dn the Arms Act which ren- ; ers the sale of saitpeure to natives illegal, Ind we are informed .that reference is aade in «. cautionary way to tfce danger of elling marbles to them. Some people, we re told, imagine that a m irble would he jjelt-ss as a bullet, but almost any one b'uld see tliat this is an error. A case oourred in Scotland about a couple of years »o, where either a soldier or a volunteer a Dundee, while firing his rifle with lank cartridge on some practising occaion, in one shot, put a parched pea into is piece. The diminutive missile hit a ioy some forty yaivls distance., 'by which lie skull was fractured, and the boy died rom the wound. Jf a parched pea is Active at a distance of forty yards, a mooth marble will undoubtedly foe good 1 200 or 300 yards,"" And here is something else wtilcTa may ie considered to your advantage. The Yew Zealand Advertiser, in notieiagthe roposal to occupy the land confiscated at faranaki by military settlers from Olago, ays : — " We may inform our Southern ontemporaries that those who know the dock (the writer amongst the number) onsider that the advantages offered by the Government are equal in money value to i gift of L3OO. and that every settler who honestly avails himself of those advanages must necessarily at one* secure for limself an independency for life." The Electric from Glasgow, arrived in the afternoon. She brings 120 passengers, none of whom are assisted ; and has alfo a large general cargo — consisting, in great part of oats, flooring-boards, spirits, and merchandise. She sailed froni Greennck on the 22nd January, and, after putting tack, left Lamlash on the Bth of February. Experienced heavy weather in the ChanDel, good N.E. trades, no S.E. trade, but subsequently had the benefit of a strong south-westerly wind, which carried her as far as Tasmania. During the passage she spoke no vessels connected with the colonies. Four deaths occurred, but all of young children, and by a birth, one addition was made to the number of souls on board. One casuality occurred, by which an apprentice, by name Charles Watson, lost his life. This occurred at 6 a.m., on the Ist of April in lat. I4des;. 56secs. S., and Jong. 31deg 33secs. W. He was stooping over the taffrail, when by some means he lost his balance. A boat was immediately lowered, and every exertion made to save him, but being unable to swim, he was drowned before the assistance came. The weather, within the last hour, has set in cold, with heavy squalls of wind and smart showers.