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Southland Times, Issue 1165, 15 November 1869, Page 2

The settlers and residents in the Mataura district will be glad to learn that Dr Alexander M'Lean, L.K.C.5..E., has taken up his quarters among them, and intends to practice his profession. Mr H. E. Osborne will sell this day at 11 o'clock, at his rooms, section 19, block 14, Invercargill hundred ; as also, at 12 o'clock, at Forthstreet, household furniture, &c. Two old colonists returned per Omeo via Melbourne from a trip to the home country. We refer to Messrs Mathew Holmes and D. Low, the latter having been absent some five months only. At the sitting of the Waste Land Board on Friday last, 3130 acres were disposed of.

The Tuapeka Times of the 6th. inst. says : — We have great pleasure in announcing that the opposite reef has been struck in the Wetherstone9 Deep Shaft. It will be remembered that a drive of 8 feet from the bottom of the main shaft was begun some time ago. This has been finished, and on sinking a small shaft at the end the reef was struck. The money on hand is barely sufficient to keep tho shaft dry, the water making more strongly than it has yet done. From the dip of the reef it is supposed thU a shaft sunk about twenty-four feet from the end of the drive will nearly hit the gutter — the estimated depth being only some 70 or 80 feet. We need hardly say that it is of the highest importance that the j enterprise should not be allowed to stop just at | the moment when success appeai'3 S3 clo3e at baud. We trust the Government will give an additional grant, and that the public will largely supplement it. Mr Wood met the electors of Campbelltown on Friday last, and informed them that he had resigned his seat as their representative. Mr T. M. Macdonald then addressed those present as a candidate in the re-union interest, and after answering several questions, the usual vote was passed in that gentleman's favor. The Coromandel correspondent'of the Advertiser -writes as follows : — A large saw-mill, driven by an engine of 20 horse power, is in full work at Kikowhakarere, and while looking at it I hearJ that whatia called a "log drive" was about to take place. I went up the creek about half-a-mile to get a good view, and was well rewarded for ray trouble. After waiting about a quarter of an hour, a man came running down the creek to warn all lookers on, and a £ew minutes afterwards a rush and a roar gave notice that the sluice-gates had been opened. Immediately the water in the creek rose about six feet, and between forty and fifty large logs, from three to six feet in diameter, were driven down the creek at the rate of about twenty miles an hour. They were turned and tumbled about by the water like casks, and when they came to a narrow part of the creek the roar of the waters and the dull noise of the logs driven together and heaped one above the other, formed a scene not easily forgotten, and enabled one to form a very good idea of the irresistible force of pent-up water. In its agricultural report of the 4th inst., the Melbourne Argus says : — lt appears that butter has fallen too low at Sydney, and the makers at Kianaa and in the other principal butter-produc-ing districts of New South Wales blame the agents for tbis. Meetings have been held, and it has been resolved at these to appoint local committees, commence shipping to England, and thus reduce the supply for Sydney. The total charges for freight, commission, &c, are estimated at les3 than £lo a ton, or about Id per lb., and if the butter is only well got up, so that it may arrive in good order, much more than the 61 or 81 per lb. now obtainable at Sydney should be realised for it. The abundance, and consequently low price, here has helped to bring about this movement, stopping the outlet in this direction for the Kiama and Wollongong butter. Cowkeepers in Victoria will scarcely hare to consider the shipping question ; but butter will be very plentiful for a month or two, and a large proportion of the surplus, over and above what would meet with a ready sale, ought to be salted down against the time when feed may be expected to become scarce again. Many of those who are skilled at this 1 «^ OT Ka^nmncr to make . cheese, so. that • the very low price of butter will not last long here. Telegraphic communication between Wellington and Wanganui waß opened on the 4th inst., by the transmission by the Premier, Mr Fox, of the following message : — " I congratulate you on the completion of the telegraph. May it strengthen the bonds of union and promote the prosperity of the Colony." Mr Buller, the Resident Magistrate, replied as follows : — " The settlers of Wanganui and surrounding districts reciprocate | your congratulations on the completion of the * telegraph, which they accept as an earnest of future progress and prosperity." An interesting meeting to brethren of the mystic tie wjts held on Thursday evening, 11th inst., the occasion being the presentation to P.M. Bro. Butts, of a handsome masonic jewel, in recognition of the many services which the worthy brother has rendered to the craft in Southland. Harmony succeeded the formal part of the business, and the uninitiated may rest assured that " the bumper toast " went round. A few yeara ago certain islands were called " Feejee." Subsequently it became " Fiji," but now tho English residents on the islands themselves adopt the title of " Viti." Which is it ? Some of the Wangapeka quartz having been sent to Auckland for the purpose of being tested, the Assayer of the Bank of New Zealand there reports as follows : — " The sample of quartz received from Nelaon for assay gives 3350zs of gold per ton. The atone weighed 375gr3. yielding 3'Bo6grs. You must not allow yourself or the public to be carried away by this test, as I have seen some from the Thames nearly as favorable, and a general crushing of the stone would yield little more than l£ozs to the ton." It may be as well to state that by assay the whole of the gold is extracted from the quartz by chemical means ; this of course is not done in I ordinary crushing. We have received a prospectus, issued by Mr R. T. Wheeler, of Dunedin, of a new weekly journal to be published there, and to be entitled "The Otago and Southland Mining Journal." It says : — " The political aim of this journal will be to obtain from the (3-overnment and Legislature full consideration of the claims of the mining population, land for settlement, judicious assistance to great schemes for water supply and drainage, and the due representation of the mining interests among the governing classes of the country — these will be some of our leading principles. The information conveyed will consist of accounts of Scientific discoveries, mechanical appliances and new processes of interest to the miners, and especially everything with respect to the economical extraction of gold. The principal decisions in Warden's Courts, statistics of the progress of the goldfields throughhout the Colony, lists of all local mining companies, with prices of shares, and meetings 'of mining companies, besides a general resume of the events of the week. In addition, such local information ■will be given as will afford matter of interest to the general public. Full and reliable accounts from all the diflerent mining centres throughout the Colony, will also from time to time be supplied."

In a Gazette, bearing date the 11th iasfc., Mr Wood proclaims that he lias a9suni9d the office of Superintendent, of Southland, and calls upon tho inhabitants of the Province to be aiding and assisting him therein. Mr K. Rose, tha Dupnty •Registrar of births, deaths, and marriages, is at present acting in that capacity until the regular apjointment is made. A pheasant's nest, with ten eggs, was discovered in the vicinity of Otepopo the other day. Mr J. G-. S. Grant is again in the field of literature, he having just issued the first number of " The Delphic Oracle." A. diamond from Mudgee, which was forwarded to England for examination, hps been returned, cut and polished, and is declared to be of first quality, and worth at home £500. The meeting convened for Friday evening last of gentlemen favorable to the formation of a Caledonian Society was adjourned till this evening at eight o'clock. In Greymouth a few days ago three female sly grog sellers were each fined £30 and costs ; on the same day two others were fined £15 each and costs, and a man £10 and costs. Prize winners at the last grand show of the Southland Agricultural and Pastoral Association will be glad to learn that the long-expected medala have at length come to hand. Having been favored with a sight of them, we can state that they are both substantial and elegant specimens of the goldsmith's art, and well worthy of acceptation. The gold medals exceed a little in size and weight a crown piece, while those in silver are considerably larger, the design in botb cases being the same. The obverse bears a neatly engraved inscription, stating for what, an! to whom the medal is awarded, the centre of the reverse bein? occupied with the agricultural symbols— wheat-sheaf and plough— in relief, encircled with the title of the association, and dafca of exhibition. Mr Sleep, of Ballarat is the maker, and although he has been alow in executing his commission, ifc must be admitted that he has performed his work well. Each medal is nicely placed in a morocco case, inlaid with velvet. They will no doubt be highly prized by their fortunate winners, in whose homes they will form ehorished heirlooms; mementoes of past success, prompting to future effort. We were pleased to observe eeveral bales of well-prepared flax brought into town on Saturday last, from the mill of Mr John Oughton, Roslin Lea. It is more gratifying to know that the machine has been entirely constructed by that enterprising settler, and we sincerely trust that his spirited adventure will meet with the success which it so much deserves. The correspondent of the Age writing from G-eelong on the Ist inst. about the wreck of the Lightning, says : — All that remains of this once noble ship is a black outline of her form, and ugly irregular portions of her bulwarks, on which the shags and other birds of prey already congregate. The figure-head, a carved bust of Pluto, old Neptune's own brother, with a beard like the " curled Antony," has floated ashore, and now lies like a malefactor, with a rope round his neck, tied to a post in three feet of muddy water, the small boys pelting him with stones and broken bottleß. To what base uses may we come at last.