PROVINCIAL.

Southland Times, Issue 1344, 6 December 1870, Page 2

PROVINCIAL.

Masters' Bxzir^On': ite~ iSfch lilt./ a p»rty -ttf^ix men arrived at Queenstown froiij the They cabaeby Lake' l^'Kejcroyjr, and' report the Saddle to. be entirely cleaned, of; .snow. The .journey through to the head of thcWakatipu oc ~ pupied -three -days.- -Matters .at the settlement a,re - nafc in a.very promising state. ' Supplies, with the. exception of .tea .and flour, *had run entirely out. The princV pal 'moan's of .subsistence, is fish andgame, and uftle'Ss some ; regular communicationis; established, the settlers, are doubtful of. beipg ( able to remain^ much longer. The population consists of a score of;men, exclusive: of three families. The heavier portion of the saw-mill machinery still lieson the beach near to where the Esther Ann was^ wrecked. The - track "up the : Jtollyford is., progressing! it has been formed for a. distance of six miles. Our informant (says: the Wakatip journal)adds :— Neither norany; other , vessel hag called in. at the : Bay for tne last* three.montHs. ,' P The. weather ..has been tblerably fine* ■£.'■ party Qf> men are~Jwork-f ing up the beach on(Big Bay-- in 6rder to ti;j-t^p terra^'; .TH't^Vr^ living on flour' an 4 wJbia,tever J else!they can obtain. They -niaker.JLOs pjpr % day,fand sometimeg; Jegs.. J^o* prospecting ,hals been done of any exterit b.'f any of- the -visitbrs- 5 — - the 1 progsamme r; be ! ing to^go to- ; Big : B^y,, and there remain. until , they, get anbppor-" tunity of ; reiurnlng. • ' Lake 1 ijabaater had

been visited by Mr Thomson (it is not more than H miles up Pyke's Creek) and it is a lake of the same character as Lake M'Kerrow, precipitous on the western side, and gradully terraced back to the foot of the range. The scenery is.vaned and beautiful in the extreme. The pnncinrfp^Qßtaoa—©£~avaibtble land : seems to, .be at its head, where the main tributary enters by a valley .three quarters of a mile wide. It presents strong indications of an auriferous character, and as yet has been almost unvisited. Clttth AV^-^Far ming operations are nearly complete for. the season: Farmers have fin\shed t grain^sb wing, and. the :laM genial, rains will bring up and strengthen the young braird," which on some farms already looks very healthy. A great pro- | portion of the grain crop this harvest will 'consist of oats, but on suitable. far ms an average amount is devoted to wheat. Bar- • ley has been sown rather largely on proJmising spots. Turnips and other root i crcps have been more plentifully sown • thß season than in, former years, and a Jaige return ,in this department is expected. On most farms potatoes have been extensively, planted, evidently on saccount of a prevailing opinion that prices will be above the average. The crop :x^d*»^° — : "■"■ "■—^°-^sceedinglyluxarikuti, especially on so-ne tarmsTrryctißInch Clutha district. Garden operations lire well forward. : Fruifc-treos and berry Jbdshes^of all sorts are in a thriving, condition, and high hopes of 'a large yield of fruit are entertained. Kitchen vegetables, also, will be an excellent and abundant crop this season, if .the weather proves at all propiMoaS; . . . i Qr/EK2TSTOWir.— A correspondent writes : -vl^objserv.efrom your columns ;that y our district is occasionally: assailed Joy that social grievance, Magisterial blundering, consequently you will be better able to( . sympathise Vith us Tinder^an ' infliction, ; which, so : far as we arejcdnce^ned.nas become] little -.short of ., a chronic complaint. To come to the point afe once, a tradesman of standing in the place lately "had occasion; to visit an outlying. . district, jn search pf certain debtbw, who gpldeh .maxim , ; short, -accounts and long friendships. His premises, at, the< date, of his,, departure,, cony twined effects valued on oath at a sum of ' These were JeftTin charge of a wbrkman. whp.had no authority whatevrer^ ito transact'any pecuniary business on beof his employer-.- -In- breach of that the emplpye during the absence 'of the master, • quietly converted ;phe stock into cash," which he appropriated m liquidation^of-a-debt alleged to be due ;fdr wages. The example of the employe was 1 fo&owed-by the empjoyer^s creditors,^ and the result was that when, the latter^ returned, he found' his premises dismantled and his occupation gone. The primary cause of this summary proceeding was arraigned before the district magistrate on a criminal information. , After • evidence had been led, this, intelligent custodian of our^ civil and^riminal jurisdiction,foun^tKat_inasmuch as__i3>' > ~ wuuitfaaie. uespojiaUon^ naa oeen gone .about openly, * a 'criminal 'indictment could not be sustained. The best evidence I' can give y/m -that: ; .we] ha,ve; ; become inured to freaks of; this .kind is that the transaction was passed" over; | by/ the district without a word of. comment. ---From other sources (W.e; learn tha,t the, young trout from Invercargill reached Kingston in safety early the following morning after leaving the ponds. Through some mismanagement no special arrangement was ' made about the steamer, which did not reach Kingston till 4» p.m.,* and from the . amount of goods to' bejoaoed there was no chance of a start back till mid-day on : Wednesday. This was the more provoking as during the. hour previous; tp the boat's arrival five : had died, and four.moto . were discovered dead- on~the fish being shown tp the Town^Clerk, from Queenstown, who had gone down on behalf, of ; the Council, to meet, them. , Fortunately,', at this juncture >the- Victoria steamer. ar- ; .rived, and rather than chance losing the remainder,- an' agreement was made with tie owner of the yietoria to take them up. .The steamer left Kingston at 7p.m., arriving at Queeristowri about 11, when the fish were transferred to the 'pond prepared for them, On counting one only was found to have died on board,.'-.. W?l (]&>s>)_ may remark thjtt^hia iei one of the most succesaf «^jo urutsyßTyfii record, and top many thanks cannot be accbrded^to' 'the; Sbcletry for' their, yery \ind assistance; and to "'Mt. Flintj.the driver of the coach, who^gaye every aid in his power. — Absence of rain had been severely felt, but no. injury hasj resulted to the crops.. A break in the weather had taken ; place/ wtieh was welcomed by 1 the farmers.- I—'1 — ' A communication from the Invercargill Sons 6f Temperance Society Was read at the last meeting of : the local • Association tnent the formation _ '_of_ a J)ranch establishment in OjUeenstown, which was" favorably cdnsUiered.-^St6ne fouhd« : at the rwelve-milej -pa- tihev-Lake^^is vUsed.-for-buildirig ■piirposes/'and 1 i^^a'M tV-hardeti-* japidly by exposurer besides,: standing a ; good dressing. .;•;,. . : , r , ;