FOURTEEN MILE BEACH.

Tuapeka Times, Volume II, Issue 104, 5 February 1870, Page 5

FOURTEEN MILE BEACH.

(From our Own Correspondent.)

Our very circumscribed locality is not very rich in incidents that would interest your readers. Neither have we, like our neighbours at the Teviot, the good fortune to have a grievance to grumble at so aa to make ourselves known and heard in the great councils of the mighty ones of Otago, but we are simply and quietly, fulfilling our modest destines by 'following our different pursuits of mining, farming, and sticking to the time-honoured adage, " fair and easy goes far in a day ;" ancHf any one among us is ambitiously inclined and rash enough to step beyond the legitimate line of his occupation, he is pretty certain to be checked in a manner not very flattering to his discernment, nor beneficial to Ms purse. Still we areprogressing, although slowly. There is a spirit of enterprise under our modest unassuming exterior ; and although we cannot command the capital necessary for the full development of our auriferous resources, we are doing what we can in our humble way. As an instance of the foregoing remarks, I must mention that tho Messrs. Quayle are at present engaged in fluming the Britannia water across the Molynenx at a great cost of labour and money, from the west to east bank of that river, directly below Mr. Quayle's house The ground they purpose working was prospected some four years ago with very fair results ; bub owing to the then high prices of the necessary materials, and the only available water at that time being in the hands of the Britannia Water Race Company, the parties had to abandon the ground. The Britannia Race being now in the possession of Mr. W. Quayle, he determined, with the co-operation of the Messrs. J. G. and W. Quayle, to carry out the long contemplated idea of fluming the watorscroso, and sluicing the ground. It is no chimerical speculation, as could the former holders have procured the necessary element, it would have been wrought years ago, the inducements being shown in the shape of nineteen ounces, of gold for twelve clays work ; the appliances being a hand Calif ornian pumpand a sluice-box with the old venitian ripple 12 feet long. As the water will command the bank of the river for fiv& or aix miles, I think the Messrs. Quayle stand a fair chance of meeting with good returns for their outlay. The great want of this district has been men of the samesort as the Messrs. Quayles, as it is well known there is a largo extent of payable ground on both banks of the river — ground that would not be looked at in the early days, but which, with the present appliances for sluicing, will give handsome returns, or at least fair remunerative wages. Works of this kind should have every possible encourage ment given them, both by the Government and the local tradesmen. Extended areas should be given as an inducement to incur the necessary expenses attached to all works of the kind. However we can only wish the Messrs. Quayles every success their plucky venture deserves, and trust that the results may be greater than their most sanguine expectations.

Bye-the-bye we observed that Mr. C. Nicholson, of the Benger Burn, contradicts the report of his being the author of a letter in one of your issues, signed " Cosmopolite. " No person here believed that he was, as from the interest he has always evinced in everything pertaining to the benefit of the district, render it very unlikely he would write in " Cosmopolite's " style about the Island Block. As there is a goodly number of Milesians in the Mount Benger district who do not care about having their national predjudices attacked, and as potteen, pigs, and potatoes, are amongst the chief of those prejudices, "Cosmopolite" should be careful how he meddles with them, as he might receive a gentle remonstrance impressively given from the tip end of a blackthorn, and not be able to tell who administered ifc. But perhaps he may be accustomed to that sort of thing, as from tho laudatory manner in which he writes up the influential company who are going to open up the Island Block ; it would not be going too far in inferring that he has not yet retired from that highly profitable and independent profession of " gibbie licking."

Harvesting has commenced up here, and tho crops promise well. Our Speargrass Flat settlers are busy getting in their grain.

Messrs. Cargill and Anderson have reduced the charge for grazing cattle to 10s. per head, thereby giving general satisfaction to the district.