LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 298, 16 October 1873, Page 7

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ik the report that appeared in our last issue held at the Blue Spur, the name of Mr. D. Maointosh was mentioned as seconder of a motion of Mr. Morruoo't, instead of that of Sir* Oshorne, We notke that the Lawrenoe Crioket Club is to be remscitated— practice will commence next week. We hope both new and old members w^ll mu«t#r strongly oft Friday afternoon, the TBB Becoflfl part of Mr. Vineei.t Pjke't work — * Wild Will BJnderby n -4»as been received by us- it is entitled "The Young Widow." A large number of copies have already been dis* poeed of by the local booksellers. The eontraots far bath, the Congregational and Wesleyan Churches in Whitehaven-akreet are being rapidly proceeded W/ith ; the recant fine wenthor greatly, facilitate* outdoor work. Froit trees in this district promise for the inoouring season & large eros> of fruit. We have never seen them looking better. In the i course of two years. Tuapeka will produce au<Bdent fruit to supply local deiuantia. ills a wonder to us that the .gentleman com" posing the Athenajum Committee have nab nffioient enterprise to purchase for thai in* stitution a good pianoforte. There ia now a very suitable instrument in the building, which they can get on easy terms, and it is to be hoped they will avail themselves of the opportunity of purchasing it v

Wl observe th*t residences are to be provided for the master* at the' side schools on Evans Plat and Clarks Flat Tenders are being called for the erection of suitable buildings. Maaaafl O'Neiiand Party are working away with a will on Tuapeka Flat. This party has been at great expense in bringing water from Gabriels Gully. The late floods did theui a considerable amount of damage by bringing down several large slips of land from the spurs. They have plenty water at their disposal, an-1 are using the hydraulic hose for washing down the ground. Wb hope they will be rewarded for their enterprise by a fair share of the precious metaL W« observe (hat the Beaumont Station, formerly known as Gardners, is in the market, and will be disposed of by public auction ou the 31st of this month. It will offer a good opportunity to our 'sheep owners to invest some of their surplus capital. Mb. StfAlUf. the Government Road Inspec tor, has been employed for several days recently in surveying a portion of the rpad between Lawrence and Evans Flat, previous to tenders being called for pitching and gravelling the same ; 125 chains of the Blue Spur road have also been measured. These works will, no doubt, be coin- ! menoed at onoe if labor is available. j - A COMMITTEE meeting of the Polyoultural Society was held in the Victoria Hotel, on Monday evening. Present— Vincent Pyke, j •Esq., President, and Messrs. Sheath, D. Evans, Pressly, and Moss. Mr. Pressly moved, "That, in consequence of the backwardness of the season, the show intended to be held in December, be postponed to the third weekiu January." Mr. Sheath seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. Mr. Evans moved, "That the show comprise, under class 1., exhibits of horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry of all • descriptions ; and under class 11.. farm and dairy produce, garden produce, flowers and fruit." The motion wag seconJed by Mr. Sheath, and canied. Mr. Moss moved, and Mr. Evans seconded, "That Messrs. Sheath, Evans, and Dartoa be appointed a sub-committee to prepare a list of exhibits in section I ; and that Messrs. Pyke, Pressly, and Moss be appointed a subcommittee to prepare a list of exhibits in section 11, and to report to a general committee meeting to be held on Tuesday, the 21st inst." Carried. The meeting then adjourned with the usual vote of thanks to the ohair. A Committee meeting of the Tuapeka Athenamih was held in the library ou the evening of Thuvsdny last, at 8 o'clock, Mr. ViOCeill Pyke Occupied the chair ; Messrs. Abel and Arhuukle weie also present. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and continued. A letter from the Town Clerk, with reference to the oharge made by the Committee for the use of the hall, was deferred to the next meeting. An account for £2 10s was received from Mr. Joseph Maokay, apparently for printing for a ball in November, 1866. The Committee declined to pass the account, as they had no information about it. The following aacounts were passed for payment j —Fergusson aud Mitohsll, £8 10s. ; George Thompson, £3 10s. The following aooounts in connection with the late concert were passed for pay* ment :— S. Wootton, 10s. ; Herbert and Co., Bs. { Tdapeka Timks, £3 15s. 6d. ; Mrs. Hansen, £1 Is. Mr. Humphrey's account of £2 2a. was held over. An invoice of books to the value of £3 Bs." 2d. was received from the Education Board i The Secretary was instructed to prepare <v statement of receipts and expenditure- of the late conoert. The Bruce Quarts Mining Co., at Table Hill, have made good progress with their shaft during the past week. The sinking iv good, and nearly all of the water comes iv from the adjaaent mines. Messrs. Bennetto & Hiaaixs have been for some time engaged in prospecting an extension of the same reef close to the 'Table H>l! Co.'s battery. After sluicing out the old tunnel originally put in hereby the Table Hill Co., they they discovered a payable Wook of hard, bluish quarta, in which gold i« visible pretty frequently. They then determined to aipk on the lode, and have since got down about 20 feet, the block fnoreuutig in- size as they go down, and showing gold throughout. They purpose crushing a trial lot of stone'at the Table Hill Oo.'s battery. A MEETING was held on the 4th inst. in Mr. Nicholson's hotel, Ettriok, for the purpose of forming a Progress Committee to look after the interests of the Millers and Moa Flat distriots. Mr. Grant presided. Mr. M'Clellaml, in a neat speeoh, showed the advantages which had resulted to Tapanui through a Progress Committee, and moved the establishment of a similar institution here, Mr. M'X^eod seconded. The following gentlemen were then elecie I i— Messrs. Donald M'Kenxie. M'Leod, Nicholson, Patrick, Eady, M'Clelland, Sellars, and Giant; three to form a quorum. It was agreed that the preliminary meeting to draw up rules, &o, should ba held on Saturday next, at the same time and plaoe. Our Tapanui correspondent sends us the following :— The fourth anniversary of the Loyal Tapanui Lodge, M.T7.1.0.0.F., was oelebrated by a soiree and ball in the Lodge Boom, on Friday evening, 3rd inst., and was a complete success. The hall was decorated with evergreens and emblems of the Order, and presented a gay and pleasing ' speotaole. The number present was rot so large as was expeoted, owing to the miserable, weather that pveoeded the event, which effectually prevented people from oomincr any distance. A good sprinklingn kling of local beauty adorned the festive scene, and the havoc done on the occasion hy their (hejartless witchery can only be remedied by soina of them joining the brotherhood. (We speak advisedly on this sobjeot.) Mr. BrarJigani supplied the edibles for khe soiree, and ga>O a spread that the most fastidious could not find fault with. P.G, Bro. Allen occupied the chair \n'«»H worthily, and made a most elaborate and exhaustive speeoh on Oldfellowship, giving its origin and traoing its progress down to the present day, interspersing his address with statistics showing th» financial position of the Order geueraily, and concluded by strongly advising those who were not already Oddfellows to join and participate in. the benefits and good things connected therewith. G. M. Bro. Mooney and several other Bros, made Bbort addresses suitable to the occasion. After an interval of about half an hour (to allow the ladies time to . don the light and airy costume suitable for tripping the light fantastic), during which time the hall was oleared/dancirg was commenced, and kept up with undiminished vigor. The Committee must be congratulated upon the completeness of the arrangements, as everything pnaj^wJ <_4P .rithoot «. hitch: Tie refreobo.ent» (of the Sttrfciaftfc U z>W>r*i \mh not Inebriatea") appeared to he Jne^Kaustible ; while the music can ou'y be described as first-olftaa. The drawing of the £1000 Deity sweep turned out fortunate for Tuapeka— six horses were drawn by holders of tickets in this district, Mr. John Tanton, of Waitahuna, drawing the favorite horse Horatio. We helieve LIQO has been offered for Mr. Tanton's chance, but declined. - Wb annonneed.in. our last issue that the propoßed pigeon match between five gentlemen from the Dunstan district, and five from Dunedtn was off. The particulars had noi then reached us. : Mr. Smith, the managing man for the Dunedin '. team, writes to Mi\ Williaraa of thp Viotoria : Hotel, stating they would not put in an appearj ance. When the- n«ws reached the Dunstan on Thursday last, great indignation was 1 felt by the gentlemen who, were to take part in the mateb, they- having been put to considerable expense in making preparation* for the event ; their guns, pigeon tiapa, ammunition, »n>l other appliances had been forwarded to Lawrence. Unless ioe Donedin men can give some good explanation for baoking out of the match, they pan hardly b» expeoted to bold the honorary title- of gentlemen. Their aotion in this affair so- far has been contemptible, as hi the first instanoe they were the challenging party* The only reasons j that could have deterred them from visiting Lawrence was their fear of defeat, and the expectation of being mulcted in the expenses of the match. Mr. B. Williams informs ns that be has been pa* to considerable expense in scouring birds, having employed men to ride round the surrounding district to aeoure them, A large number had beeu bought a| Mo*. Flat, wmo 30 mile* dUtaat^ -r-^

We would once more remind our readers of the entertainment, consisting of concert and ball, which takes place to-morrow night in the Athenaeum Hall, and, the object of which la to benefit the funds of our local hospital. It Was generally understood that this entertainment would simply be a repetition of the concert given some few weeks ago for the benefit of the Tuapeka Athenaeum, but we notice that a considerable change has been effected in the programme, several new solos, duetts, &c, having been introduced, thus adding additional attraction ; besides which, the attraction of a ball has been added to the programme, the committee providing music, &c, free of expense to the dancers, making up one of the most libi-ral and attractive bills of fare yet offered to a Lawrence audience. We have no hesitation in predicting that there will be an overflowing house. Mb. Haebop has received a large number of Letts' diaries for 1874, ranging in price from 6d. to 10s. Db. Stewaet met with an accident on Saturday last, by which one of his ribs was broken. Ho was also considerably bruised and shaken. We are glad to learn he is rapidly progressing towards recovery. The accident happened near Mr, M'Donald's farm, The doctor, with several friends, had been to Waitahuna for a drive, and on their return oallsd at Mr. M'Donaid's, the doctor i remaining in charge of the horses, which I from some means or other took fright, throwing him out of the buggy, and bolting I down the face of a steep hilTon to the main road. As might be anticipated, a deal of damage was done to the vehicle and harness. The animals freed themselves from the conveyance and galloped on as far as the hospital, where they were secured. The buggy, a new one of Abbot's build, was the property of Mr. John Kelso, and had only been in Lawrence a few days, and it was onjthe first time of its being let that this occurred. A Derby Sweep on the Melbourne Cup I will be drawn at the Victoria Hotel in a few ■ days. Persons desirous of speculating a few shillings had better make early application for tickets. Fbom advertisement it will be seen a new line of COaches between Lawrence and Dunedin will commence running on Monday next, in connection with Yeend's southern line Visitors to and from Dunediu will find every accommodation in these coaches. Our Blue Spur Mining Correspondent writes under date of loth hist., as follows :— Most pf the Companies are still taking advantage of the present plentiful water supply, and working long hours. On the Munros ; side, Messrs. Elliot & Co. fired a shot the other day, which did not work so well as 'expected. Messrs. White and Go. are getting through a good quantify of stuff. On the Gabriels Side the Great Extended Co. had a wash up lately, and are again running, having * great quantity of loose stuff. The Great Amalgamated Company fired a small shot the other day, and will soon be preparing for a general wash-up. The present state of the colonies is inducing some of our more go-ahead shareholders to leave us, and to betake themselves to other more profitable, or perhaps more settled, occupations. Several very useful and energetic men have left ua lately ; and the other day wj witnessed the depaiture of Mr. John Cormack, long and most favorably kaowu on the Spur -in faot, one w,hose place will be most difficult to fill, He was a man gifted with an amount of intelligence and industry, which is always useful in a community. Much as we may regret the loss of such m.n as friends and neighbois, still there is room - for congratulating ourselves on being able to turn out such men as no doubt will command the respect of any community in which they may settle : and ! also that the interest which he holds on the Spur has yielded a sufficient amount of capital to enable him to embark in other and more permanent pursuits. As a means to that end, the Blue Spur has done its duty, and long may it continue to do so. We can point to successful Fiji planters, squatters, farmers, and merchants, all getting their Crst start from the Spur ; and no 'doubt inaf'er years many a colossal colonial fortune will have taken its origin from a claim on the Spur. Another old and respected resident is about clearing out — Mr. John Cowper. John and his team were very useful on the Spur, and will be greatly missed. The residence areas at the head of Gabriels Gully are being fast deserted in consequence of (he great accumulation of water and tailings. Mr. Lawson, who gome time ago sued the claimholders for compensation for damages %o his house and ground, had the other day to dear out, the water having risen to a level with his door step. Mr. Bloxham received something like £40 the other day for compensation, and is now enclosing a new residence area higher up the hill. There only remains Mrs. Taylor, whose beautiful and valuable garden bids fair to be destroyed in a very' short time. It must be a very hard matter to those persons who have spent both time and money in making themselves nice homes to see them almost wantonly destroyed, I and in a great many cases a fair compensation ! denied without being wrung from the claimholders by aid of the law. Sir James Fergusson will visit Lawrence early in December. It is probable that the celebration of turning the first sod of the Lawrence and Tokomairiro railway will be postponed till that time. The mon driving the tunnel for the Gabriels Gully Beef, at the lower level in Walsh Gully, struck the lode on Tuesday.