RIVERTON GOLD FIELDS.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 253, 7 May 1866, Page 2

RIVERTON GOLD FIELDS.

- » (feom otje own coeeespondent.) . Eiverton, sth April, 1866. The week, in our quiet town, has passed away without any occurrence to cause much excitement. The same may be said as before of the weather which now assures us, that the Southland winter is commencing, and yet some of our farmers have not had an opportunity to get in their crops. Eain and wind have been the order of the day for the last three weeks. This has caused a temporary cessation of communication by boats with the Orapuki diggings. The boat belonging to Mr Hurst, spoken of in my last, had not arrived some days since farther i than .Wakapatu where she lost her rudder and damaged her sail ; through the want of tarpauling a considerable quantity of damage was also done to the cargo. The passengers previously spoken of, one a ; female, walked the remainder of the distance, the latter has since returned, which is a proof that the road is not impassable, even for the softer sex to travel, I have heard of one parcel of about 30 or 40 oz., of amalgam being brought into town, and from the computation of reliable persons I am informed that between two and three hundred ounces are held by the diggers, partly on account of the low price offered. If Mr Hurst can be taken as an authority, he considered that in the state he. saw some gold .sold, it was about its value. The uncertainty in this point as to the actual value will shortly be solved. It is the intention of Mr Dalglish, the manager of the Invercargill branch of the Bank of Otago, to send to Sydney the first large parcel of gold, and thus obtain a reliable return ; he also expresses- his willingness to show that by the Dunedin assay the Bank sustain a considerable loss by the present purchases. Several cases of no public interest were brought before the E.M. Court. Archibald Macdonald, remanded from Invercargill was also brought up on Monday last, having committed a violent assault upon a man named Russell. The evidence went to show that there was some provocation, which the Resident Magistrate remarked did not excuse the prisoner. A fine .of five pounds was inflicted, as also the expense of prisoner's capturejamounting to £11 15s. making a total of £16 15s. which was paid "by the prisoner; several parties of diggers have left during the week for Orapuki.