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Southland Times, Issue 684, 17 June 1867, Page 2

The Building Committee of the Wesleyan Church met on Thursday evening, and decided to enlarge the present building. "A f sub-com-mittee was appointed to have plans and specifications.prepared at once in, accordance,, withresolutions giving a general outline of the requirements^ The Committee are to meet again on Thursday, next r when the plans a,nd .specifications are to be submitted. The public have responded to the call beyond the must sanguine expectation of the Committee. We learn from late Nelson papers that there is a probability of a payable gold-field being found, within about twenty miles of that town on the Moutere.. ..Mr, S._Symms, who. it will be re«. collected was among the first party to explore the West Coast for gold, has published in ; the: " Nelson Examiner " a report of the indications of the auriferous country he found during -a recent prospecting visit to the above mentioned district. He appears sanguine as to the result of. -a well-organised porspecting party* should such be sent ont, and the press urges the desirability of the people and the Government takjng aotion in order to test the correctness of the opinions given. As yet nothing definite has been don«,the "Examiner," 21st May says:— r" The opinion expressed by Mr Symms, in the letter w.hich. appeared in our paper on Tuesday, of the probability of gold being found in the Moutere district, is, we learn, confirmed by-a-similar opinion expressed, by,,,Dr Hector..., We. may_ further add, that a gentleman now residing in Nelson, who has had considerable experience on the gold-fields in Australia, on riding to Motueka about twelve mouths ago, was struck by the likely appearance of the ground about the -Moutere, which he ! thought gave as good promise of a gold-field as j any country he had. ever seen." .-.,.■,■ -- The " Wanganui Times " says the 18th Eoyal Irish— the one regiment that.is to remain in the colony— will shortly be despatched to their various posts— 3oo to Auckland, 150 to Taranaki, i leaving most likely only one company here. Major-Q-eneral Chute, KCJB., will shortly visit Wanganui, and we have reason to believe that our old friend Major — now Leiutenant-Colonel M'Donnell, will return at the same time to resume his command in the Patea district. It" is a singular fact that even the ..disaffected Natives in the Patea express themselves strongly -in favor: of the return of the two M'Dounells, but is not so remaikable as that the Native Contingent cannot be persuaded to take any aotion whatever without, them. * ■ The " Wanganui Times " gives the following account of an eruption of the great volcanio mountain of the North Island :— " Captain Baynton, of the ketch Fawn, reports that when off Stephen's Islaud, aboutlo.3o p.m. on the 2nd instant, he sawTongarirointhe distance brightly illuminated by the flames issuing from the -crater,-He describes the appearanco as that of flames issuing from a furnace, but the top of the mountain appeared to be enveloped in flames, far surpassing in brilliancy and magnitude . those arising from a furnace. Frequeutly during the night the brilliancy of the flame was greatly diminished,by the density of the intervening atmosphere, or, more likely, by that and the clouds of smoke ■which must at times partially envelope fee flames. At 4 a.m. the light appeared from the deck of the Fawn, more of a brilliant blaze than at any time daring the nighVbat gradually djnuni irtttd W &c app*oa& of dayli«Ut,"