LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume II, Issue 94, 27 November 1869, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

On Tuesday, Mr M'Leorl Nicolson sold by auction, at the Survey Office, Lawrence, Sections in Waipori, Havelock, and Lawrence. The sections in Waipori sold were 9 at 2s 6d per foot frontage, and 13 at 5s per foot frontage. There were 102 sections of the Havelock township sold at sums varying from the upset price of £2 to £22 ; rural sections realized from £2 to £2 13s per acre. For the Dalhousie sections there were no bidders, the upset price of £5 being considered too high ; the same reason was attributed to the Wetherstones' .sections not being disposed of. The course adopted by the Government in selling Havelock and Waipori sections in Lawrence is most unaccountable. If there was any saving of expense we could find a good reason for their conduct, but as such is not tbe case, we can only attribute it to their utter ignorance and incapacity of common business matters. The surveyor is sent to Waipori the one day to put a valuation on the property he is instructed to sell in Lawrence on the following day — whereas the whole transaction might be easily completed on th.c one day, and save a dozen or more of the business men. of "Waipori a day's journey, besides their loss of time. We trust those who have the bungling of these matters will see the necessity of selling town sections in future on the ground, or as near to it as possible.

AN inquest on the body of Ah Chow, who died on Friday last, was held in the Tuapeka Hospital on Thursday morning, before W. L. Simpson, Esq., Coroner. Ah Chow was brought from Waipori on -Tuesday night, and from the evidence of his cousin it appeared he had only been in the country a few weeks. A rumour had gone abroad that Ah Chow was one of the passengers in the 'ship from China in which so many died, but this was negatived by the same witness, who stated that only three passengers had died in the ship iff which Ah. Chow and witness went to Melbourne. The deceased had never been able to do any work since he arrived in %h"e colony. He complained of pain in the legs - probably from rheumatism-. The evidence' ■oUCharles-Russell, -assistant , warders-went- to show that deceased had either died in the cart,; or in being 'carried from thence to Ihe ward, as all appearance of life was gone, ,Dr. .Stewart' deposed that he saw 1 the bofly half-an-hour after it was brought into the hospital, and it was quite dead, * Dr.* Halley, assisted by Dr.! Stewart, made a post mortem, examination on! the body, which showed that death had been caused by fatty degeneration of the heait, impeding circulation which might probably have resulted-.fxom the. jolting of the v cart, ..bjtdej tacking some of this deposit, as the chief valva of the heart was fcfcnft plugged ■with, itf Verdict -" Died from disease of the heart."

ON Thursday, the first waggon loaded with j this season's wool passed through Lawrence. The "Engineer" states that the gum obtained from the New Zealand flax is extensively used for sealing safety envelopes. The Cardrona correspondent of the " Wakatip Mail " warns miners to delay rushing to the newly-discovery reefing districts until more reliable accounts are received. The total proceeds realized from the sale of tickets and money taken at the door for Hospi- . tal benefit, given by the Amateur Christy Minstrels, amounted to £24 19s 6d. We beg to apologise to our Manuherikia subscribers tor the delay in the delivery of their last paper, "which was occasioned by the parcel being taken out of the'eoach, at the Teviot by mistake for another parcel. On Wednesday evening the usual meeting of the lown Council was held. The .Mayor, Ors Mears, Walker, and Coverlid, were present. After the minutes of last meeting' had been read and confirmed, the Council adjourned until .Monday, 29th inst ilfn Redwood offered, his celebrated horse Manuka for sale at the Eepository, Melbourne on the 15th inst. The result was that Manuka • was bought in at 740 guineas, and his stable companions, Peeress and Misfortune, at 460 and 80 guineas respectively. A proclamation by His Honour the Superintendent in the last issue of the Provincial Government Gazette, announces the cancellation of the lease to depasture stock on 10 acres of Run No. 48, held by Messrs J. and F. C. Fulton, and known as section 1, Block VI., Waipori distiict. We are informed that the Rev. Mr. Keall the respected Wesleyan Minister of this distiict, has been reappointed for another year, for the Lawrence circuit, by the central Board at Christchurch. We believe this will give general satisfaction to the many friends Mr Keall has made during his short gtay in Tuapeka. The Athemeum Committee have decided upou hokttug a ball about the first or second week ir. the New Year. The time selected is very appropriate, and, we have no doubt, there will be a large turn out. The proceeds will go towards clearing off the debt on the Athenaeum, which is, now in a better financial position uhan it has ever been. The Waitahuna Dramatic Club intend giviDg an entertainment tor a charitable purpose on Wednesday, the Ist prox., at Havelock Bridge. The pieces to be produced are "As Like as Two Peas," and "Which Shall I Marry," both of which have been successfully performed on previous occasions. We trust their benevolent efforts will meet with due encouragement. We arf> informed that Mi- Clark, of the Masonic Hotel, is the successful tenderer for the Anniversary Supper of Court Star of Tuapeka, A.0.F., to be held on the 16th proximo. Those of our readers who attended the opening supper of this Court will remember that Mr Claik on that occasion provided a most excellent spread, and, we have no doubt, that on this occasion he will be up to the mark. THE Lawrence Amateur Christy Minstrels held a meeting in the Commercial Hotel, oa Wednesday evening, to consider the invitation, made by the Wetiierstones Deep Shaft Committee to give an entertainment in behalf of the prospecting of the shaft. After some conversation the Minstrels unanimously agreed to comply with the invitation, and fixed upon Monday, the 13th December, for the performance, which will take place in the Sportsman's Arms Hotel, Wetherstones. We have been requested to state that the cricket ground is now in excellent order for play, and that members of the club may practise every evening. As several matches are contemplated, we trust there will be a good turn out nightly. Gentlemen out of practise will be able to benefit by the coaching of the more experienced hands, and in a short time we feel assured a Tuapeka eleven will be able to pit itself against any other band of cricketers in the province. The Island Block was sold on Saturday by Mr Nicholson, Draughtsman, Lawrence. The whole area disposed of was 2173 acres, lr., 37p., and realized a total amount of £30 J9 25., an aveiage of 28s. Id. per acre— a sum very far below the value of one of the finest patches of land on the goldfields. Our readers will fiud in another column a full account of tbe proceedings. After the land sale Mr Capstick sold a number of cattle at prices averaging from £7 to £9 a head. The uncertainty of obtaining grazing caused Mr Capstick's sale to be much less successful than it would otherwise have been.

The Government have yielded to the pressing request of the Wetherstones' Deep Shaft Committee, and forwarded £75 towards the further 2>rospectmg of it, Thi3 was the only course open for them to adopt after having gone so far with the prospecting of the shaft. We are pleased to intimate that the Amateur Christy iVlii,strels are going to repeat, at Webherstones, on the i3fch prox., their thrilling performance on behalf of the shaft, the proceeds of which, together with the Government subsidy, we trust will enable the Committee to complete the prospecting, and, let us hope, lead to some payable ground.

The recent discoveries at Cromwell should lead to some display of energy in this district. We are assured by many experienced mitiers that most promising quartz reefs are known to exist within a few miles of Lawrence, but owing to want of capital the discoverers are resolved to preserve their secret. Were a proper system of prospecting set on foot, and adequate encouragement offered to the possessors of such valuable knowledge, we have little doubt Tutipcka would long continue to hold a high position among the Otagan goldfields. We have repeatedly urged this matter, and witness with the deeppst regret the careless indifference with which the question is treated by the majority of our business men.

Ok the 23rd inst. a public meeting was held in the Sportsman's Arms, Wetherstones-, for the purpose of appointing a committee for the carrying out of the usual Wetherstoues sports. A vote of thanks was ancorded to the Chairman and Secretary of the retiring Committee for the manner in which they had discharged their duties. The following gentlemen were then appointed as the new committee .-—Messrs Mallard, M'Cluskey, Cranley, M 'Bride, Hart, Kheuby, O'Neil, Cox, Williams, Kofoed, Hears, Coverlid, and Henry. The following officebearers were also appointed :— Chairman, Mr M'Cluskey ; Secretary, Mr Rheuby ; Treasurer, Mr Kofoed; Collectors, Messrs Cranley and M'Bride. The first meeting of the Committee will be held in the Eureka Hotel, Wetherstones, on' Monday evening,

Osr, Monday evening Lawrence was honoured by a visit from the Superintendent. Unfortunately the good people of Tuapeka did not seem much impressed by this act of condescension, and limited their hospitality to a large display of the cold shoulder* ' Mr Macandrew, we team, was on his way to town from Cromwell, where he had been on a visit to the quartz reefs. He was accompanied by Mv John Hughes and Captain Fraser. On Tuesday morning he visited the Blue Spur, -where his reception was chiefly remarkable for the entire absence of anything like cordiality or enthusiasm. Some time after he was observed pacing along Peel-street in a most disconsolate manner, evidently feel, ing acutely the contemptuous indifference with which he was treated. He left for Dunedin the same day.

The Waste Lands Board and Provincial Executive have certainly attained a degree of perfection in the aft 61 "Txow not to do it" Bf&i dom if ever equalled by any otherjmblic bodies. They actually seem, to have a rooted objection to replenishing the treasury in a legitimate manner, preferring apparently the most tortuoas courses human ingenuity can invent. An_ instance of this is shown .by, the manner they arrange -sales of town sections, &&.— their mode of proceeding being to put intending purchasers to every inconvenience by fixing the place of bale as far away from the ground to be' Bold as possible. Of course such a proceeding deters many persons from attending-these sales, and greatly lessens the competition ; but all representations to the Government seem^ utterly uselefKkrJPe .are almost 'iiicTiried? to think that c'onreSras of their own inefficiency, taey^wish to hay© con-, trol of no larger «anr-oWß©aey than is abso-. lutely neoessary for their own ejEpensesi