The Southland Times. TUESDAY, JULY 3, 1866.

Southland Times, Volume VII, Issue 3, 3 July 1866, Page 2

The Southland Times. TUESDAY, JULY 3, 1866.

{.'.i Saturday afternoon, owing to the severe £2!» aLd high tide, the water rose on the embank-vu-.LJi l\'o. 1 of the Bluff Harbor and Invercargill I. .iltvajj to the level of the rails. During the ■whole of Sunday the sea broke over the embankment, and by the continued wash, formed a gap in the earthwork of some forty feet in length. The planking and sheeting to the side of embankment next the sea, were not injured. The damage done was repaired on Monday by the contractors. It is to be regretted that a sea wall was not substituted for the timber protection used along the embankment. This portion of the line will be 'iable to similar injuries to those sustained on Sur day, during the variance of weather such as -'-■ have experienced for the last few days. We a that there is abundance of material for the traction of a sea wall, to be had at the Green Tsrarua from the North arrived yesterday ■r ;.•}. The news brought ia of no imme-jn:;;o;-fsnce. The overland mail from a ;i >: nofc yet arrived, and the Wakitip i nor reach here till late in the day. m.ju.r.jf-ed to call the attention of our the important sale of household furniV property, &c, te be held this day, *•' $, M seeiSance of Archibald

We understand that the roads in the country are in a fearful state ; the rivers flooded, snow deep, and severe weather being experienced. The WaHtip coach on its last journey from Invercargill could not reach its destination, owing to the flooded state of the rivers, and the mails were for. warded by horse-express ; the same was ex. perienced in the down mail, — the mailman first had to abandon the coach, and put the mails on horseback, and afterwards, to walk portion of the road to town. A meeting of the Licensed Victualers was held yesterday (2nd July), to consider the steps to be taken in order to protect that body from the competition of illegitimate traders. The subject having been discussed, it was resolved that & deputation should be appointed to wait upon his Honor the Superintendent, to point out the injustice to the parties who had expended large sums in providing accommodation for all classes, and who pay a heavy license fee, and were liable to police inspection, and compelled to keep stipulated hours, should not be protected against the illegitimate trader, who has no restriction, no license fee, and no police interference. A deputation consisting of Messrs Livesey, Jones, Colyer and Wilkinson, was appointed to wait upon his Honor the Superintendent, to point out the evils of which they complained. In the absence of his Honor the Superintendent, the deputation was received by the Provincial Treasurer, who went carefully into the question, and expressed an opinion that the evil was great, and the subject would receive the serious attention of the Government. The deputation, having thanked Mr. Blacklock for the graceful reception they had received, then retired. The Eesident Magistrate was occupied the whole of yesterday (June 2nd), in investigation of a chum made by the master of the Black Watch against the master of the Marion Renny, for damage done to the former vessel during the late severe weather. The two vessels were alongside each other at the end of the jetty, and on the night of the 29th inst., the Black Watch, being built of kauri pine, received a severe rubbing from the tenders placed between the vessels. After a great number of witnesses had been examined the Resident Magistrate decided in favor of defendant, with costs. The strong gale which has prevailed for the last few days has not yet altogether passed, the sky still looks dark and threatening, although during the early part of Monday (2nd June) the intense cold which had previously been experienced, was considerably mellowed, and the sun occasionally peeped through a break in the clouds, giving hopes that the storm had passed. The night, however, showed that the weather had not settled that the gale has not yet spent itself out. It is satisfactory to be able to state that during the gale which has been blowing for some time, the shipping at the Bluff has received no injury, and that all the damage done to ships at the Invercargill port is of very trifling account ; the only instance of which we have heard, being the chafing of the sides of the Black Watch, by the ! rolling of the Marian Renney, both of which ves- ! sels are at the Invercargill j etty. The Sydney Mail, of the 9th June, gives the following account of the finding of the gold taken off the Barwon, from Hokitika : — " It will be in the recollection of our readers that on Tuesday, the 10th April last, an extensive robbery of gold was found to have been committed on board the Barwon on her voyage from Hokitika to this colony. The Barwon, under the command of Capt. Lowrie, arrived at the Commercial Wharf on Monday evening, 9th April, having brought to Sydney 23,160 ounces of gold— ll,ooo ounces of which were consigned to the Bank of New South Wales, the remainder to the Oriental Bank. On the following morning whilst the gold was being removed from on board, it was discovered that one of the boxes, containing 1000 ounces, consigned to the Bank of New South Wales, was missing. Suspicion fell upon three persons — Charles Nixon, steward ; William Smith, assistant-steward ; and Margeret Daniels, stewardess ; who were charged at the Central Police Court with having committed the robbery, and, after several remands. Smith and Daniels were committed for trial, Nixon being discharged. At the late sittings of the Criminal Court, a postponement of the trial was granted ; and on Tuesday, May 29th, Detective Bowden was despatched to New Zealand to procure additional evidence and information. About three o'clock on the Thursday afternoon, such information was given at the Detective office as led to a search being made upon the Queensland Company's Wharf by Detective Elliott, who succeeded in finding the gold buried but a few inches below the surface of the earth, in the angle formed by the fence and the Custom House officer's box, and not far from where the Barwon lay. The gold was found deposited in the original bags, some of which, however, had decayed, tta/a the gold was mixed with the soil ; both soil and gold werb «*refully placed in tubs and removed to the Detective Offi«, it will be washed and weighed. It is believed that tUo-^i,^]^ of the gold has been discovered. Strange to say, the day after the robbery was discovered Detectives Elliot and Bowden were engaged searching on the other side of the fence which separates the Queensland Company's Wharf from the Commercial Wharf, and within a few inches from the epot where the gold has been found. The ground where gold was found buried consists of loose coal screenings, which are easily turned over and trampled down again without making much show, and this will partly account for the spot not having been detected before."