WAKATIPU.

Southland Times, Issue 1294, 16 August 1870, Page 2

WAKATIPU.

(FBOM OTTB OW2T COEBESPOJTDEirr.) Qtteenstown, August 10th. The mysterious disappearance of bank notes and treasure, valued at £14,000, from the lock up at Clyde, continues to be a subject of speculation to the public at lar^e. A judicial investigation took place, but the results have not yet transpired. A reward has been offered of £1,500 for the detection of the theives, coupled with a free pardon to any accomplice. This is all the outside world knows about the matter, with the exception of the few meagre details connected , with the discovery of the robbery. That serious blame lies at the door of some one, there cannot be the shadow of. a doubt. Indeed it seems almost incredible that such a vast; amount ot valuable property should be left without any other security than the few common-place precautions adopted for the safety of helpless inebriates. The affair is the leas pardonable when we bear in mind that this is either the third or fourth robbery of the kind that has taken placeat Clyde. Presuming no detection takes place, and the probabilities are at present in favor of such a presumption, Clyde would appear to offer a splendid opening for a few enterprising burglars. A limitedliability association of thieves, with a registered office alongside the Camp, would be a novelty, and operations might be. conducted without much personal exertion, while the risk would be merely nominal. Meantime the police occupy rather an equivocal position. During state occasions, when they are hauled up in rank and file, they look very well. When the Duke of Edinburgh visited Dunedin they were very much admired, and loud were the praises that were bestowed upon their commander, Mr St. John Branigan. But the question arises, Tiave they ever distinguished themselves in tracking out and detecting crime ? Yorkey's murder still remains unaccounted for, 7 ditto the murder of the Chinaman at the Kawarau, ditto the murder of the old digger at Tapanui, ditto the murder of German Charley under the nose of the police in Dunedin, and as for the host of suspicious cases that.have from time to time been washed down the Molyneux, riot a glimmer of light has .ever been thrown on one of them. If we follow out the thread of the narrative, the facts become even more alarming. Valuable property in the custodj and under the immediate control of the police abstracted, and not the slightest clue found, suggests painful reflections regarding a very painful subject, and . the public have an undoubted right to insist that the matter should not be allowed to remain where it has been found. . . The party despatched to Martin's Bay to ascertain the facts of the reported wreck of the Esther Ann, returned to Queenstown last week: \ They, got. as far as the Saddle, when the passage along Lake Harris was found to be impracticable. One of the party had rather a narrow

escape. His foot slipped amongst the frozen snow, and he was precipitateddovrn an embankment, from he i-Was^ rescued with considerable difficulty..; The v-^ injuries he sustained were; of such a ? nature that his removal to the hospital waa deemed advisable. As yet the season has given no indication of relaxing, and the probability is that we will be welHntb next month before the. dividj^g.nmge can be approached. ~~" Now that Southland is in a fair way of becoming an integral -part- of^rOtago, efforts to annex the trade ■ and ; traffic of the districts should not be'relax6'd.^l have every reason to J believe" iffiaf^elForti of this kind would be ably seconded bf the Queenstown people themselves.- Your correspondent's (A. H.) suggestions^ ia last week's Times were perused witn^ a good deal, of interest, and the plausibility of the suggestion impressed every. one acquainted with the lay of the country. To show that the subject has been 1 taken up in thorough earnestness, a proposal has emanated from a highly responsible quarter to tranship goods by means of a tramway clear of the Kawarau falls, and hare them conveyed from thence by water as far down the river as a flatf bottomed boat would carry. This would provide water-carriage from Kingston to within a few miles of Cromwell, and would, moreover, obviate the expense of one pant. At a further evidence of the growing disposition in favor of the traffic by Southland, arrangements are in course of J>eing made by the proprietors of the Antrim steamer with the Southland Railway Co. for the through conveyance of goods to Queenstown at one rateu Similar arrangements are likewise in course of being made by Mr Cope, forwarding agent, of this town; and that gentleman's extensive connection with the district is a guarantee that consignments entrusted to him will meejfc with ..prompt; .despatch^.... [Since the above w.is written, the gold robbery case alluded to by our correspondent, has undergone a very satisfactory development, as will be seen frbrn^a telegram in another column.] ;: [-. „ ;, V.