THE ARROW.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 38, 3 February 1864, Page 3

THE ARROW.

(From the Correspondent of the Wdkatip Mail.) '•':-.' January 26. The most important event in the chronicles of; th& current week has been the visit of his. Honor the Superintendent of the Province," to the Arrow. He arrived here on Tuesday evening last, accompanied- by St. John Branigani Esq., Commissioner "of Police. On Wednesday a deputation consisting, of the members, of the Township Committee, waited on his, Honor at the Court House, to present him with an address on behalf of the inhabitants of the Arrow. The deputation was introduced by Lowther Broad, Esq., Warden, and Dr. Douglass, chairman of the Committee, : read' and presented the address. At its conclusion lnVHqnor thanked the deputation for !. their expressions of confidence in his Government, a,nd observed that it was his earnest. 1 wish, and also tliat of each individual member of his Government to adopt measures specially for the advantage of the inhabitants of the goldnelcls. Much apparent delay had undoubtedly occurred in responding to their just petitions, but it had arisen from circumstances over which his Government had no control. The sudden and peculiar demands made on the i*esonrces of the Province, at times a lack of funds, and on other occasions an absence of correct information as to what was really required or actually neccssai*y for the goldfields districts, had caused delays, but he felt assured that the qomprehensive course of action now about to be adopted by his Government would soon convince the deputation that their confidence was not misplaced. The deputation then br-Qiight before his Honor's notice the portions of the address more particularly relating to the immediate local requirements of the district- They stated that they had heard from official, authority that it was the intention of the Provincial Government to carry the Main Trunk Road from Dunedin, tlyough the goldfields, an the opposite side of the Kawarau river, terminating the road at Q.ucenstown ; and thus leaving the Aitow and adjacent mining localities completely cut off from any direct communication with the other goldfields or with the capital. They submitted that the route niost eminently adapted to meet . the requirements' of the mining community, generally, would be obtaiued : by crossing the Aitow at its junction with the Kawarau, and thence carrying the road "to Arthur's Point, through the rich agricultural area of the Aitow valley, and penetrating to the very centre of the upper goldfields, proving also of 'material advantage to the Arrow district, 'which alone, still produces on an average, .one-third. of the gold sent down by escort from the I/ake district, the .larger quantity fgr which Quee.nsto\yn obtains the credit of sending, "being gathered from the Arthur's" Point diggings, the whole of the Shotoyer river and its numerous branches, and from the head of the Lake; Q.ueenstown in point of fact possessing no mining popxilation of its own, but being merely a depot for goods, the nearest point to Queenstown on which a" digging population is located being distant four snilcs; . The : deputation also represented, that a road on the " other side of the Kawarau would . prove of no actual benefit to this Province, but would be merely an expensive undertaking 'for the benefit of the 4 ueellß " traders, and would prove also •as great a boon to the Southland Groyernment as to aayono beside, The implied promise of the Provincial Govorninenb wa3 t"At in the, construction, of the MaikTmvkMpsiA, the interosta of/tho goldfieldsgenerally^ should be considered, dud the deputation submitted tliafc the AmnV district had Some . claim 'to be "recognised as an importaflt goldfleldi f '-* ■■ ' ' '| v A map of th«i dUti'lct was referred to for furMieruluatratingthO; advantages ito be tie- v riy?dfvom.c9n3ti'uoti;.igjth9 voaqtfts suggested by tub depufetion j' and Oomaiiaaionw .. Bfc, Mn skmc;4)i ...dp»w.-iii«, Kong's .atlbutioiv to thofecfe tMt t)).e point ndVotiatM by tho tWgUtfttipH vfitH by hisi JXoiioj? 6n lild ■i/j)vsroacU td M[q teUy^kM AKo yOutoj through -m. • valley jjeftted t)ia u),difcj»ropto oUe.to.TJe adoptoa.^ ■ ttt:.j?o»is| )Ai< Ho»o^ said. that ,tW subject : ;§h;ojftd.H%^ii^ if the : -pyoposcd routed Arthur's^oiht'v'asfbliuU: praeticablo 1 : imd r of gycfttw benefit to tho ; ■proTittce gcnßrftßy,.tUftn that by way of the; jKav'ftvau, tlw dop^tfttion toight. yely o.n its b««)g provided wafo tlw.vftdditio»nl! ■■^tfoi;feiioU.t3iftniwslJottc.fti' ;^OßMl?w;w-^ 5 4«» i pedii«m M mittmti «i : lUt UMW M 'tfttfeu J.U W& <mMM£ tJle mtkev tiM

settled^fn-their '-nwvem^n'ti^' i ilie';inany'''flying rumours, which get .ridiculously exaggerated in circulation, as to the Queensland goldfields causing many to travel thither. For the information {of those who have an inclination to wander, if. J giy|s ijiie extract from a letter I have seen, received by a' digger on the river] which may be relied on iw authentic :— i " A great mob of diggers have lately come here, .some from Sydney, some, from^Victoria* spme from your place, but they have all turned back again and, left with .hearty curses on Queensland and the ill luck th#t brought them there. ■ ... „, .... '„ „ . ■ I The ground will not keep "a "Chinaman in -rice; the climate is so hot, and the sweating fog' every night-'ahd" morning Sis': enough' f to choke a cat. The water is sp^bad-that/we strain it through our teeth ; the flour is 2s 6d lb; beef,6d Va\ and very poor stuff. I worked five weeks, and earned about? 3s per day, and am nOAV off to the copper mines to "make a rise; to get-back to ibut am afraid I shall have-a job to get work> : ;as there are so many who seek employment there, and the wages' 'are down to .a very low rate." * * * : ; Since reading this letter a party has arrived here, direct from Sydney, who "states' that the -highest.-, escort ..ever received there from Brisbane was 60Q> ozs., 0n1y. .. V