THE THAMES GOLDFIELDS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume II, Issue 100, 8 January 1870, Page 7

THE THAMES GOLDFIELDS.

A correspondent of the " Daily Times," writing from the Thames GoldfiYlds says : — "It is somewhat amusing to impartial observers to note the wonderful change that has come over the Auckland newspapei s of lute. Until very recently the Thames Goh!fields were puffed, and their riches detailed, in glowing terms, with the evident intention of attracting foreign capital and population. But now they admit that gieat depression j does exist, and that very few of the companies are paying their working expenses. At thesame time they suggest remedies for existing evils, and in doing so, use very strong language in reference to some of the companies formed, and to the promoters of thpm. The fact is, there is no advantage to be pained by further reticence on their part, thanks to the impartial press in the other p-ovince.% which, while the Auckland and Thames pipers were filled with glowing and exaggerated accounts of these goldflelds, represented the sober truth, thereby moderating the excitement Uiut might otherwise have resulted in a most disastrous rush. Even as it is, fartno many people are here — more than can obtain employment. Certain influential men, largely interested in the Thames Goldfields, observing the deductions drawn from the fact of the small quantities of gold exported in proportion to the number of men and amount of capital employed, have hit upon the happy expedient of improving appearances by importing thegold purchased by the Banks on the "West Coast (Westland), and then exporting tho same to Sydney, the eveLt being chronicled in the daily papers thus — " s.s. Hero, from Auckland for Sydney, lO.OOOoz. of gold,"" not revealing the fact that 50C0jz. of such shipment have been received from Westland. When it is remembered that this procedure costs the Banks two freights and insurancesinstead of one, I cannot but conclude that the object sought i 3 to create a false impivssion of the yield of gold at the Thames. Henceforth the only reliable means of information to the public of the export of gold from this province will be the Customs returns as th* duty upon all gold shipped from the West Const must be paid there, before its shipment to Auckland.

Fiji. — We take the following interesting item from papers to hand to the 16th October: — Our little town, Levuka, a place proverbial for its quietness, was thrown into a great state of excitement on Saturday, the 25th September, by an intended duel, and during •the preparation of the weapons a lamentable accident occurred by which oneof our most respectable settlers, Mr F. H. Hoyle, was shot through the leg. xlnxious to prevent the duel, he ran from the billiardroom of the Criterion to the room where Mr Milton was examining a pistol. He fired it to the open door just as Mr Hoyle entered, and the ball went right through the leg, between the tibia and the fibula, grazing one of the bones, but fortunately breaking neither. £teps were immediately taken by the local authorities to put a i top to the intended duel. Captain Morgan, who sent the challenge to Mr Milton, was placed under arrest, and on Monday the case was brought before the authorities. Eatu Mcli, the Native Chief Judge, sitting with Mr J. B.Thurston, H.B.M.'s Consul, during the enquiry. Mr Milton was severely reprimanded for the careless use of firearms, and for having accepted the challenge with the intention of fighting a duel. Captain Morgan was sent in irons io Sydney, and a copy of the depositions forwarded to the Chief of police. He was so excited sa to threaten the lives of several persons, and had to be kept in irons and strictly guarded till safely placed on board the Young Australia. He came to Fiji in the Springbok intending to take charge of the Volunteers who were to be enrolled for the conquest of the mountaineer tribes of Yiti Levu. Courted by Peoxt. — While some little wonderment is being made anent the Spanish fashion of marrying by proxy, as recently reported in the '' Mail," it is a well-known fact that wooing by proxy has long been countenanced in our own land, perhaps nowhere more so than in Fifeshire. Some sixty years ago, a worthy inhabitant of Markinch, and a weaver to trade, named James Wishart, agreed through the counsel of his friends, to marry a fair dame well known to them, and who resided in Leith. James had never seen his intended betterhalf, and cartes-de-vis ite were not then available to represent her charms across the Forth. On the marriage day James went forth to meet his bride — no railways being then in existence — and after trudging many long miles to Kinghorn, when the passage boat arived, he was unable to discover Jenny, and returned home without her company, the one passing the other on the road. After some delay the ceremony was duly- performed, and they lived a happy life to together. More recently, a native of Markinch went to reside in America, and he wrote home to his friends to provide him with a Markinch maid for a wife. Arrangements were gone about — the one never once having seen the other — and across the broad Atlantic the damsel went by appointment, met the man she had never seen before, and instanter became his " wedded w'fe." Many similar instances of loooinrj by proxy could be called up in rural Fife. —"North British Daily Mail."

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