TEMUKA LITERARY SOCIETY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1948, 26 September 1889, Page 3

TEMUKA LITERARY SOCIETY.

At the above society last Monday evening Mr A. Eussell read a paper on his colonial experiences. He stated that in the year 1859 or 1860 a rumor spread in England that a gold mine was found in Collingwood, and he started, believing that he would in a few years return, after having made his fortune. He arrived in 1861 and found the Collingwood mine a thing of the past, but there was a great rush to Gabriel’s Gully and other places. All who went to Gabriel’s did well. Two Irishmen went there and made a thousand pounds each while their ship was loading in Lyttelton. One of them returned by the same ship, while the other remained in the colony. He next gave a description of some of the diggings, referred to tunnelling the Port hill, showed how the Lyttelton Times supported it, and how the Press was started to oppose it. The progress Christchurch had made since then was extraordinary. There was only one house in Ashburton then, one in Temuka, and one in Geraldine. Shortly afterwards a lean-to was built by Mr Copesfcake, Timaru was not half so large as Temuka then. He next referred to the West Coast rush, He went in a ship to the West Coast, and experienced very rough times. The first woman who went to Hokitika walked overland from Nelson, barefooted and bare-headed, in company with her husband, and carrying a heavy swag. She was received with deafening cheers by the diggers. He then drew a comparison between our present surroundings and those of 1861, and pointed out the extraordinary progress we had made, Messrs Twomey, Gray, Brown, and Bryars, and the Eev- Mr Dickson spoke in complimentary terms of Mr Eussell’s paper, Mr Bryars speaking in enthusiastic terms of the excellence of the language used. We were promised a synopsis of Mr Gross’ paper, but were disappointed. We are, therefore, unable to publish it.