MANUHERIKIA.

Tuapeka Times, Volume II, Issue 78, 7 August 1869, Page 2

MANUHERIKIA.

(From our own Correspondent.) Aug»stf£t^^

The severe and protracted frosts of the past month, and the consequent scarcity of water in the various races, have to a great extent retarded mining operations in almost every sluicing, claim throughout the district. Some of the races were completely frozen up for over a week, whilst the water in others was sxich a moving mas 3of broken ice as to be entirely useless for any purposes whatever. On Thursday last the weather commenced to change^, -and the sudden thaw on Friday and Saturday caused a slight rise in the Molyneux, which, I am happy to say, is again falling fast. The races are again teeming yifch the' liquid element, and every claim" is in full swing, and as the days are fast, lengthening, we need hardly expect any further interruption from frost this season.

The Frenchman's Point is as busy as a bee-hive. Kitt and Go. have stripped | another large paddock) and are now busy sluicing the washdirt; which looks exceedingly well. Their, neighbours in the I Etifc or Miss . claim are also doing very well. This company have found their I old pump inadequate to the heavy drainage, r and have had a new one constructed, which is the largest yet turned out in this quarter, its dimensions being —length, 77 feet ; bore, 13in. by 3in. in the clear. The search for gold on the main bottom along the banks of the Molyneux is being prosecuted with considerable success, the most important discoveries perhaps being those of Fisher and Co., who have obtained excellent prospects in their claim on the west bank, opposite the Newcastle /coal-pit and of Wood and Co. (Caledonian Race Co.), at the Half-mile Beach. It is confidently expected that the latter locality will turn out a second Frenchman's Point.

A small rush, which promises to be of some importance, has been going ahead for the last week; or two ; the locality ia the large area of ground bordering on the Manuherikia River, between the Balmoral Hotel and Galloway Station. Several payable claims have been opened, and some of the claimholders speak very highly of their prospects. As yet, the place has not been proved sufficiently to warrant any definite opinion being formed regarding it ; one thing is certain, the locality is entirely new, and it is hard to say what discoveries the present rush may bring to light. The sinking is shallow, averaging from two to six feet, and abundance of water- for sluicing purposes is easily obtainable by cutting races from the Manuherikia river. So far as I can learn, the success of the several dredging companies at work in. the vicinity of Clyde continued unabated, although, with the exception of ths Alabama Co., I have not heard any of the individual returns for the last fortnight. The.Bhareholde.r3 in, this, lucky old craft divided for the ' fortnight ending' last Saturday over £60 per man, whilst the dividend for. the_ fortnight previous amounted to £175 per man. This claim has now been worked for nearly tj^ whole seasons, and has been,. withc^i doubt, the best dredging claim ever opened on the Molyneux; ;_in fact, it may be said, of such of the shareholders as have had sense enough to husband their gains that they have made their "pile." At last the claim is beginning to show signs of exhaustion ; and if, we are to jud,ge from

the experience of the other dredging parties on the Molyneux, I fear it may be some time before the Alabama Co. will " look upen its like again." From all acqdjfrits the dredges near the Teviot Mhß^s Flat, &c, have proved complete failures.

At last the people of Alexandra would seem to be slightly roused from that spirit of apathy and indifference to literary matters which has ever formed a prominent feature in their character. An adjourned meeting of the subscribers to the Public Library was held in the read-ing-room of that building on the evening of Thursday last, the object being to receive the resignation of the late Library Committee (their term of office having expired for over six months) and to elect a new one in their stead. The meagre attendance fully proved to what extent that excellent institutiou is appreciated among us, only some eight or nine perBons being present, and of these the majority were members of the late Committee, Respecting the labours of thai indefatigable body during their term of office, the less that is said the better ; it is only to be hoped that their successors will bring about a more healthy state of things ; and when it is known that such names as the Rev. C. Ross, Mr. Reid, and Mr. Field appear on the new Committee, there is reason to believe that something will be done worthy of the cause. The people of Alexandra are not a literary community. The time has been when Yfe could boast of a few gentlemen of that stamp, who, if not deep readers and thinkers, would at all events push matters forward and keep up appearances ; but the bees have forsaken the hive long ago, and only the drones remain. Such men as Cameron, Drummey, Jack, Ken, Henderson, Watkins, &c, only exist in the memory of the past. After having each performed his share of the hard work, they have one by one departed, to try their fortunes elsewhere, and have left us to feast on the honey which they gatherec. Even of that we have been too slothful to avail ourselves. We are in posssssion of a library, building, and collection of books second to none on the Goldfields. Our appeal to the various provincial newspaper proprietors has been most cordially responded to, and almost every mail arrives laden with "free copies," whose pages are never opened except when put on the files. The institution is, besides, self-supporting, and at the present has a considerable sum to its credit ; yet, strange to • say, the long, dreary winter months have been allowed to glide away, and (except when a stray subscriber comes to have a book exchanged) its doors have been kept as fast locked as those of a state prison. The librarian had instructions to keep the doors open for so many hours daily, but he he seems to have entirely consulted his own convenience in this matter ; nay, on one or two occasions, if I am rightly imformed, they were left open all night, affording a very desirable and tempting shelter to the numerous loafers ■ who prowl about our streets. Of course much blame is laid on the librarian's fl^ouldera^althojjgh, for my own part, 1 see that he is so much to blame Hp the Committee, whose duty it was to Hceep him to the scratch. It must be .borne in mind that the librarian is a publican ; that his hotel contains a snug little parlour, whose table on mail nights is covered with all the leading newspapers of the day. Nobody is so self-denying now-a-days as to sacrifice his own interest for that of othero ; nor is it to be expected that our librarian should for one moment think of throwing open the uninviting doors of the public library when, armed with tray and tumblers, he could, with equal .profit, administer to both our intellectual >and corporal wants in his own comfortable parlour. The election of Town Councillors on Wednesday last resulted in the election of the retiring councillors, Messrs. Beresford and Theyers,. without opposition. The good people of Lawrence must not xun away with the idea that they possess the only quarrelsome set of town councillors in the province. The proceedings of that august body, as chronicled in the Tttapeka Times of the 24th ult. , together with the dastardly flight of your reporter, was completely put in the shade by a' little farce which was enacted, in the Council Chamber here, on the evening of Friday last, and which, as an exhibition of party feeling, would be a credit to the Provincial Council in Dunedin, or even to the Legislative -Assemblies of our less scrupulous neighbours in Tasmania and New South Wales. Councillor Hillhouse, whose distinguished conduct on the day of election for mayor, called forth general comment (even to attracting the attention of the Inspector of Nuisances), backed by Councillor Jack and a few of the supporters of Mr. Rivers in the late contest, nad for a week previous announced his intention, of providing an evening's entertainment, for such of our ' benighted •citizens as choose to attend the Council meeting on the evening in question, declaring that he would "make it hot" for the Mayor and opposing Councillors, turn the fables completely on' their heads, and, in a style of reasoning unprecedented in Alexandra, prove the illegality of the kite election, aa likewise (he underh&nd partydealing of the Town Clerk. The eventful evening arrived, and besides a full meeting of the Mayor and Council, a good number of ratepayers attended to witness the sport. After the transaction of some unimportant business, the ball was opened, A deputation, consisting of Messrs. Evans and Chappie, presented a memorial, signed by a few ratepayers, drawing the attention .of the Council to the fact that certain properties lately erected within the municipal boundary, had been assessed arid rated by the Town Clerk without the sanction of the Oouncil, and the votes Of the occupiers secured for party purposes. The prayer of the memorialists was to the effect that the matter be fully sifted and investigated, and the necessary steps taken to prevent the recurrence of the cause of complaint. Carried, that ihe memorial lay on the table. letter from Councillor Hillhouse, •Tffotesting against the legality of the election of the Mayor, on the ground that the polling-booths were not open in time on the day of election, was then read. Carried, that the letter he not received. Councillor Hillhouse was so completely taken aback by this treatment of his Invincible letter^ that for a short time his

argumentative powers appeared to. have deserted him, for he left the matter to be debated by his colleague, Mr. Jack ; and it must be admitted that that gentleman argued the point with as much ardour and earnestness of manner as he could with decency bestow on so unworthy a cause. His attacks were 'chiefly directed against the Town Clerk, who, for a while, bore the infliction with the stoicism of a Socrates ; at length, an unhappy remark, more malevolent than any of its predecessors, escaped the unwary councillor, and slap went the fist of Town Clerk into violent contact with the tip of the speaker's nasal organ, from which " The crimson tide Began to flow:"

Further argument was useless, and the defeated councillor beat an inglorious retreat, leaving his colleague, who bad by this time recovered his powers of speech, to get served with the same sauce in his turn if he choose. I shall not attempt to justify the conduct of the Town Clerk in this disgraceful scene ; but I can assure that official that he has the sympathy of everyone with whom I have conversed on the matter — all of whom saem to think that Councillor Jack richly merited all he got. Our Town Clerk has, besides, proved himself to be a man of mettle, who will allow no one, not even a town councillor, to trample upon his rights with impunity. It is but justice to our worthy Mayor to mention that during the squabble among his subordinates, he manifested a command of temper and an impartiality of spirit which called forth the warm - enconiums of all present, and which was eminently characteristic of his ability to fill the honourable position which he holds.

Much regret is expressed that Mr. W. Theyers could not be prevailed upon to allow himself to be nominated in the late contest for the mayoralty. Had he come forward, Mr. Finlay would have offered no opposition. He is heart-siok of the office, and it was only at the urgent request of a_large number of electors that he was induced to enter the lists against Mr. Rivers. Mr. Theyers is not, perhaps, blessed -with the " gift o' gab," or so well versed in the etiquette of civic duties, as some" of his more fortunate neighbours ; he has, nevertheless, more at stake in the district than any one of them. He is one of our oldest residents, and has in all his transactions displayed an honesty of intention and an uprightness of principle, that cannot be questioned ; and I feel assured that there is not a business man in Alexandra who is more deserving of confidence, or who has the permanent welfare and prosperity of the district more thoroughly at heart than honest "Billy."