THE PROVINCES.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 119, 19 May 1870, Page 6

THE PROVINCES.

As attention is at present being directed among miners to California, owing to the opening of the new mail route, we (" Grey River Argus ") publish the following extracts from a letter just received by Mr. M. Darcy, storekeeper, at Nelson Creek, fr<sm his cousin, who was formei'ly digging up the Grey River :—": — " At the time I left you I went to Melbourne, intending to return back to Wanganui ; however I i went to the Wedclon Mountains, New South Wales, and from there, along with many others, I steered my course to California, and now I shall tell you something of the country. It's the worst country in the world for a poor man to face to make a living, the average wages on the mines being 3dols. per day (125.) ; and a man to look for a claim to himself, as in New Zealand, he has no chance, as they are all in the hands of large companies, and require large capital to work them to advantage. The generality of the mines are silver, copper, and lead, and the gild mines are not as good as in New Ze: - land. I think New Zealand is prefe. - able for a working man. I would not advise a poor man to come here, as the habits and customs of the people are not so liberal here as either Australia or New Zealand. Wages for labouring men are Bs. per clay. City properly is about five times as dear in San Francisco as it is in Melbourne, and net | half so well built or laid out. The I population of the city is about 200,000. It's a good wheat producing country, and flour realises about £9 per ton (wholesale). There are a good many New Zealand boys herr. I have se< n Jack Meene and his brother Michael ; they landed the same week as I did. I I shall soon be back again." Westport continues to suffer from encroachment of the sea, and the groin recently erected for the purpose of checking its advance has been washed away. The sea has advanced to within three chains of the gaol, which wi 1 have to be removed, or, like the schoolhouse, it will probably soon be taken (o sea. The "Nelson Examiner" of the 20th ult., writes as follows: — The session of the Assembly having been announced for the 14th June, the Government organs are beginning to whip and spur for the coming struggle. They have not spared glowing prophecies — we had almost said anticipatory boasting — during the whole year's course, but, like good jockeys, they have kept some running power in reserve, and are now employing it. Fortune has favoured the Ministry, at the eleventh hour, with something more like a success in war than had previously fallen to their share. The obsequious part of the press are loud in exultation, and we trust there may be foundation for half their cheering assertions regarding the effect of th£, late occurrences in the Bay of Plenty, and the disposition of "Waikato. It in W our duty, however, to warn the simpleminded, that other and less hopeful views are taken of the nature and extent of the success, the merits of the actors, and the probable result as affecting native relations. As an instance of the rapidly increasing value cf land in the Waikato, it may be mentioned that a farm of 500 acres, adjoining the town block of Cambridge, has changed h.nds at £3 3s. per acre.