OTAGO.

Colonist, Volume III, Issue 289, 27 July 1860, Page 4

OTAGO.

[from a correspondent.] The people in the southern portion of the province are in high spirits. Gold has been found on the banks of the Mataura ; ; and although it is not more than half a penny-weight, it has caused a great excitement, and induced a number of old diggers to.form prospecting parties in search of the precious metal. It will depend on the result with which these parties meet, to form a proper estimation if there is a prospect for a paying gold-field or not. The hitherto followed system of selling unsurveyed land and allowing afterwards the buyers to have it surveyed by private|surveyors, has been abolished, after it was found out that this system favored very unfairly the landsharks. It is reported, to say the least, that very great irregularities have been discovered, which are not very creditable to our survey department. The town of Invercargill, the capital of the future new province Marihiku, has made, an attempt to provide for a place of public worship. This town numbers now upwards of 90 dwell-ing-houses, has a courthouse, post-office,, two hotels, seven stores, a crown laud office, gaol, and survey office; but is still wanting a place of public worship, which is indeed not very creditable to its inhabitants. (From the Witness.) Sudden Deaths. —On Tuesday last, a man of the name of James Flemming, who was working on the road at Saddle Hill, complained of feeling ill, and walked into Dunedin. He was admitted to the hospital, and on Wednesday morning was found dead in his bed. We have not heard the cause of death, but we understand that the body swelled to a most extraordinary extent. The deceased came lo the colony by the Storm Cloud, and was to a}l appearance a fine strong healthy young man; he was unmarried. Another sudden death occurred at Dunedin on Friday last.. It appears, that a young man, of the name of Alexander Hay, was about to be married, and on Thursday night hdd partaken rather freely of intoxicating drink. On Friday morniug the door of his house being found open, a passer-by looked in. and saw the deceased lying with his head on the bed, with a bottle near him Medical aid was sent for, but Hay was fouud quite dead. The medical gentleman called did not consider it the apparent quautity. of liquor consumed from the bottle found sufficient to cause, death. The deceased came to the colony by the Storm Cfoud. ,An inquest on the, body was held last night, and,adjourned till to-day at 1 o'clock for a postmortem examination. .. .. Coboner's Inquest.—-An inquest was held on the 30th ult., before E. .Hulrne, Esq., on.the. body of a young man named A. Hay, who had recently arrived in the colony, and was about to be married. He was discovered on the previous day, at a house iußattray-street, sitting in a crouching position on. the bed, with a bottle half, full of wine between his legs, arid a bottle of ruin near him, but quite dead! A. post mprtem examination of the body had taken place, and the jury returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased had died troui inflamatibn ;On the, lungs, accelerated from exposure to cold.—Another Inquest has been held- at Port Chalmers, on the body of, a man named Robert 'Harriott, a seaman belonging,to the Pjrate, whose body was, picked up on Monday morning, iv shallow water, near the jetty. 'Deceased ,had come on shore, t with four others,, on the previous evening, and had been freely indulging •iw drink at an unlicensed house at the Port. It appears .that • considerable ; confusion ensued among the men, on their going again into' the boat, but there was no eyideuce as to any knowledge of the deceased's being missing until found as; above stated. The jury returned a verdict of "Found drowned." The deceased had probably fallen from the jetty in the. confusion,, as! he had received some severe injuries on", the" head, but not sufficient tocause death. ■.[ '■ (Fish, O!—We hayo more.than once called attention to the neglect..' of what, we believe might bearemuneratiye; branch of trade, both lor homo; qonsump'tioii'aDd exportation, aa op«, '■"£ i iO';.l iiivV 1. .ii'it'i;.}y'K"i w.:;r,V 'i/-J'-; i ''•■"' ■■""'

portunity/or (establishing , which is, afforded by, the {abundant supply'of fiSb.1 dri l6ur 'cbaWs'ahd 1 at the mouths of the harbors. Something Fias'/however, been commeuced in this direction', as we Liave seen a quantity of excellent fish (harbuka) which have been smoked and; cured at lifoeraki, by Mr., Legg'att, who,:-we under-, stand, has made, arrangeraenti by which bemoan, supply,any quantity that, may ba,required,; It ought to find a ready market, both .here and elsewhere. ~ , ■ ~-, ~.