COROMANDEL.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2967, 19 August 1878, Page 3

COROMANDEL.

. ■» (fkom oue own cobrespondent.) August 15. A public dinner was given afc Boyd's Hotel on Thursday evening to R. Kelly and E. B. Fraser, Esqs., by the inhabitants of Coromandel generally, who regretted to find that these gentlemen—so i long associated with the Tokatea and other mines iv this district, and who have been connected with the miniuu; interests of Coromandel almost since it was opened, were about leaving. Mr Kelly has been manager of the Tokatea for the last nine years, and daring his supervision no call was made, as he worked it economically and well, and great regret was * expressed by the shareholders at his retirement from managership. The other - gentleman to whom the people wished to do honor, has also been connected with the Tokatea mine since the first rise—and together they have been linked with the A rise and progress of the place, generally "* being foremost in everything that conducted to the interest of the district. Major Keddeli occupied the chair, and ■ after justice was done to the good things placed upon the table by the Hostess, and the toast of " The Queen and Royal Family" drunk with enthusiasm, " Our Gruests " was'proposed by the Chairman, who did justice to the merits of the gentlemen who were leaving the district. He felt that language was lost in giving an idea of what they had done during their long residence here. The Vice-Chairman, Mr Geo. McLeod, then Daid the" highest eulogiums to botb

the gentlemen who were and had been among the pioneers of the goldfields here. He said that both gentlemen who were now leaving them for the Thames had been associated with" him in tbe Tokatea mine since its opening, and it was a matter of deep regret to him, personally, that they were leaving the district. He also referred to the hardship they had undergone before the Tokatea mine was opened up, and of their subsequent fight in the Courts of law to retain what they had won by indomitable energy and perseverance. These reminiscences were, however, of the past, and he had only mentioned them to show how well, deserving the guests who had been invited . were worthy of the consideration of the inhabitants who had met here- to-night to do them honor. Mr Kelly replied, and in words deeply affecting, regretted his severation from all his old friends and associations; but circumstances compelled his departure; but he would always look back to his sojourn here as one of the happiest periods in his life, and he had no hesitation in saying-that the mine of which he was manager would once more come to the front, and were he inclined to go into mining again he would invest in that com* pany. Mr E. B. Fraser most cordially thanked the friends around him for the kind manner in which his health had been drunk, and for the handsome manner which they had treated him this evening. He was sorry that circumstances compelled him to leave the district of which he had been one of the pioneers, and the resources of which he had with' others aided to develope. Mr George McLeod proposed the toast of the " Mining Interest," and paid great tribute to the gentlemen who were leaving • as being among the first of the miners in the district. Mr Dockril responded in terms due to those about to depart. Mr Gatland proposed " The Ladies " in a very felicitous speech, and Mr John Fraser replied. This gentleman's modesty prevented him from saying all that he had in his mind, but he did homage to the beauty, the intellect and the domestic virtues of the girls in Coromandel, and wound up an eloquent panegyric by advising all the bachelors in the place to marry, as he intended to do, the moment he could. The toast of " The Press" was proposed by Mr Home, and responded to by Mr Ste_ele.