CANTERBURY.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 29, 6 August 1864, Page 3

CANTERBURY.

An attempt has been made to burn down the Villa Hotel at Akaroa ; the fire wa3 with difliculty extinguished. The offenders are not known. The sale of waste rural lands in the Province of Canterbury for the month ending 31st July, amounted to 3,583 acres, yielding the sum of £7,164. This, says the Lyttelton Times, is the shortest receipt for many months. Another artesian well has been sunk in Christchurch with successful results, water being struck at seventy-nine feet. It would be seen from the Lyttelton Times that Canterbury possesses a goldfield which is likely to be of some importance — Mr. W. H. Revell, the superintendent of the Government depot on the Grey, arrived from the West Coast on Thursday, accompanied by Hammet, the survivor of the lamented Mr. Howitt's exploring party. Hammett had taken over dispatches from the Government, leaving this side on the 20th June. When going down the Teremagau, on the 4th of July, he met a party of Maoris, men, women and children, passing up to dig gold. They had previously been looking for greenstone, and finding gold, had transferred their attentions to the more valuable commodity. Hammet went on to the Grey ; and being compelled to wait for ten days, he and Mr. Revell paid a visit to the diggings on the Greenstone Creek, a few miles off the track from Lake Brunner to the Teremakau, where they found the Maori party doing well. They found also Arthur Hunt, who had been prospecting in the country for a couple of months, and had lately bottomed a claim, out of which he took a large quantity of gold in ihe presence of the visitors. It is said plenty of rough gold exists in all tb» creeks in tliat neighborhood, and fine gold is known to exist all the way to the beach and southwards. What we have seen is flat or scaly, and of a dark color. Hunt seems to have made about fifty shillings a day on an average even while prospecHig- Provisions for any number are not to be got. A few potatoes and fern tree formed the subsistence of Hunt and the Maoris, with a little help front the Government Btore. Horses cannot at present be taken through from this side ; but , supplies, when there are any, can be most easily taken up from, the ' Grey. If.-, thiß turn out "*- a real goldfield, it will be quite distinct from the Buller diggings, being separated by some eighty miles of rery difficult country. It is, of course, on the Canterbury side, and accessible from the province in .both directions.- 'Messrs. ?evell and Hamniett left the Grey on the 19th '. jnst., and arrived here on the 28th. Instructions ka^been sent by the Government to sell off arid close the store at the Grey, but whether those Or ders will b 9 enforced is now, of course, an open lotion., .-.,■. . „ --,- -■•■:.- .; • ■' ' '