OFFICIAL REPORTS.

Southland Times, Issue 557, 10 September 1866, Page 2

OFFICIAL REPORTS.

Wa have been favored by the Chief Commissioner of Police, with the subjoined reports : — Campbelltown Police Station, 6th September, 1888. Constable Tuohy reports that at 11 a.m. on this date a p irty of seven digits left here for Measou's beach, Stewart's Island, on a prospecting expedition. They bought an oven boat at Campbelltown, md took about two months provisions with them. Messrs Stewart, Hill and M'L?an .-ire the principle men of the \party. The constable was iuforned by a man n uned E there Todd, who returned from Stewart's Island yesterday, that there were two boats' crews fro;u Riverton and one from Invercargill prospecting on Stewart's Island ; he also sail that he knew a part of the island that would turn out as rich as Gabriel's Gully; he said that one of his mates stopped at Stewart's Island getting up a hut, nn A that as soon as he w.is paid off in the cutter, M try Brilliard, he would join his mate. Constable Tuohy further reports that he w.is informed on the sth inst., by Mr Parsons,' who returned from Stewart's Island in company with Mr Joseph Bul--1 ick on Sunday last, that the Victuria sawmill was destroyed by fire on Thursday night last, the mill was first seen ou tire by a workmm named Smith, who lives in a hut convenient to the mill, about twelve o'clock on Thursday night. Smith immediately gave the alarm, and in a few minutes there were about fourteen men on the ground, but the tire had got too much hold on the rniin building, and nothing but a few saws could be saved. Mr Parsons said the owner of the mill, Mr John Bullock, h:id it insured about twelve months ago for £2,000, but he could not say whether it was insured at the time it took fire or not; he also said that Mr John Bullock has built a newmill about three miles from the one burnt ; the new mill is on a lirger sole than the one burnt. Mr Persons his been for a long time in the e.nploy of Mi* John Bullock, superintending the bush work for the mill. Orepuki, Police Station, 4th September, 1883. Sergeant Morton reports that there is about two hundred and fifty miners on the Orepuki diggings, that is, one hundred and fifty on the beach, and one hundred on in the bush, and they are all making yood wages, that is, from four pounds to fifteen pounds per week per man, when t>ey get a full week's work ; the yield of gold is about three hundred ounces weekly. There is several p» ni< s out in the bush prospecting in the direction of the Waiu river. The sergeant never saw diggers so contented with their earnings as those are on this diggings, and they seem to be a very respec tale class of miners, 'Jhere has been twenty of the West Coast miners left here this week ; they seemed to have plenty of money, anl they would not woriv they said lor small wages. Sergeant Morton reports that Mr ~W. Maddens store near the bush diggings, was burned down on the morning of the 11th inst., at 2 a.m., and lost about twenty-five pounds worth of goods, including the loss of the store ; the store was put up among a quantity of fern, an I the fern was not cleared away about the store, and Mr Hirst was buruiag his se.tr on the 31st of August, and on the first i-ist., and the fires extended to Mr Af adieu's store. E. MOETON, Sergeant. T. K. Weldon, Esq., Commissioner of Police, Invercargill.