Local Intelligence.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 363, 10 June 1874, Page 2

Local Intelligence.

■ The existence of payable ground in the deep ground at the Blue Spur is now proved beyond a doubt. The fact of di»t averaging log. sdwts. to the ton havii.g been found extending over an area of ground that will take years to work out, owing to the ground being leased in large block claims, would in m.xuy places create a ' little excitement ; in fact such a discovery at a distance would inevitably cause a rush. But the only little excitement in connection with this discovery in our midst has been a Court case aboxit the right to a small piece of cround in Gabriels- Gully, and the application for another small block that had been abandoned on the Munros side, by a party of men who have already some 11 acres under a mining lease. In several of the claims sinking operations have been commenced. The Otago Co. have a shaft down 100 feet, and have not yet bottomed. The North of Ireland party, on Munros side, are also sinking. The Nelson Co., to whom great credit is clue for first making known the payable nature of the bottom, will aUo be the first to practically test the ground by crushing the ceniert, the machinery for that purpose being ordered from Dunedin. In the meantime, the Gabriels battery is at the service of, the other claimholders who reach the bottom and wish to test their ground. AYe have received a communication from Mr. Rigney, purporting to be what it; is not, nnmely, a reply to our correspondent "Audi Alternm Pcirtein " on the subject of his petition to the Superintendent and Executive Council i)i re Mr, Warden Simpson. So- far as we are concerned, we have lepresented both steles of the question, ami are content to await the result of the inquiry should there be one. At all event 3, we have no intention of opening our columns for the reception of Mr. Rigney's directions as to what we should or should not insert therein. The Lawrence Quadrille Club commenced their fourth season in the Athenaeum Hall on Monday evening. There wi^s a numerous attendance of both old and new members, and a few hours pleasant dancing were enjoyed. Mr. . Watson provided the music. A ndmbcb of new chum Celestials arrived in Lawrence on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday by Cobh and Co.'s coach. They are a portion of the baroque Hadda's passengers, which, ia now lying in Port Chalmers, The man named Jerry HosoMon, referred to in our telegrams as having been drowned in attempting to swim his horse across the Molyneux near Patrick's, on the Teviot road, had lately been engaged ploughing for Mr. "VVm. Honner, of Millers Plat. He has been described to us as a very respectable and deserving fellow. Mb. Leslie, carrier, of Waitahuna, lost a, valuable horse on Saturday last iv a very simple manner while paniping at Evans Flat. The team were standing round the feeder, when one ' of them thiew out his hoof and broke the leg of one of his. mates at the knee joint. The poor brute, being then completely, useless, Was immediately shot. A girl, six years of age, the daughter of Mr. James Cuttler, of Waitahuna. while at play on a straw stack on Monday, fell oftiind dislocated her elbow, Dr. Stewart by good chance was in the neighborhood, and performed the necessaiy setting of the limb. • A son of Mr. L. C. Holmes, while at play on Monday amongst some timber, had the cap of one of his knees broken by a heavy box- drain falling upon him. Dr. Halley is attending the young sufferer, who bears his accident with great fortitude. ■ John Mokrison, the criminal romancer, has been committed- to. take his trial at the nex* sittings of the Supreme Court. While imprisoned ha made a full confession. The Select Committee of the Provincial Council, appointed' "to inquire into the matter of "Tenders for the construction of Light Railways, and certain Expenditure on the road Tokomairiro to Tuapeka," have made their inquiry and laid their report before the Council. We regret that we have not space at our disposal to. give the report iv full ; bat as regards the accusations wliich were brought against Mr. , Bastings, we cannot more forcibly show their want of foundation than by quoting the comments of the " Bruce Herald. " on the report of the (joinurittep— a journal which has perhaps said more hards tilings of Mr. Bastings than it has of" any other member of the prompt Council. Our contemporary says - '" On the exact points with which it had to deal, tbeCoramittee has returned a complete acquittal of Mr. Bastings, th»t is if acquittal were needed where the utter baselessness of the accusations was cvi- . dent. Indeed, such a work of supererogation do we regard this report to be that we should not have mentioned it did we- not desiie to show the exunt position of affairs in the Council at present." The leport says, with regard to the tenders. "It appears- that Mr. Bastings and the Provincial Engineer did not consult together- in~rej»>wil to these tenders, and the evidence on that point was nob attempted; to be contradicted.'* &gum, "Nobl«ine, or imputation, or irregularity, can be attached to any. member of the Execu-fcive in regard to the dealing, with the^teuders." And with refeienoe. to the road, the report says — "Your Committee are of opinion that there is nothing in the evidence to show: that any mdi* vidual member of the Executive had in any improper way permitted any unauthorised eipenditj^o^thftro^d^qkpflaajrvqt^Ta^pdsV*- j

The s.s. Atrato has at last arrived at Port Chalmers. She is a, ship of 3,185 tons gross, ' and 2.051 registered, and is commanded by -Captain Husband. The Atrato has 762 souls on hoprd, of whom 289 are children. 159 of her ivi migrants are for Otago, anil the remainder for Canterbury. There were 120 cases of measles during the voyage, but none of them were' fatal— all being of the mildest type, , There were 33 deaths amongst the children from various troubles—convulsions from teething, bowel complaints, f&c, and 17 from croup following measles. The shipping reporters of the Dunedin papers describe the paasengeis, as far as they could see them— not being permitted to board the ship— equal to late importations. If we may judge of the character of the "Asiatics" from the conduct of one of their number who lately found her way to Lawrence, we would be inclined to indorse all the Daily Times" has said against them. A woman named Blaokie— a candidate, we believe, for Good Templar honors— on the afternoon of Friday last amused herself by robbing the honey from a hive of bees situated in Mr. Preßsley's nursery. She performed the feat in a most skilful manner, evidently showing previous knowledge of the treatment of these social and industrious little animals. Instead of lifting up the hive, as a novice might do, she carefully removed the 'top from the box, and extracted all the con* containing honey and made away with ii«- AUVthis she did, be it observed, in broad daylight. ' Mr. Pressley, who had been in Dunedin, afriveJ home the Sanaa evening, but knew nothing of the matter till Saturday, when on making inquiry he found that "my lady'' had departed for Dunedin with her jar of honey by Yeend and Pope's coach. After the necessary formalities were completed, a warrant was issued for her arrest, and the police set on her track. We have no doubt she will get a free passage back to Lawrence. The adjourned annual meeting of the Tuapeka Jockey Club was held in the Victoria Hotel last evening. Present ;— R. Williams, Esq., President ; and Messrs, Fairer, Hills, Hay, Quiii, Sheath, Armstrong, and Hayes (Seoretaiy). The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. Mr, Farrer on behalf of the sub-counnitcee appointed to report upon the best means of altering the course, stated that owing to the absonce of a member of the committee their report was not yet ready. The financial statement was then read, received aud adopted. The Secretary was instructed to collect outstanding subscriptions due to the Club. The following'eutlemeu were elected as a Committee of Management , —Messrs. Farrer, Williams, Hills. Hay, Sheath, Quin, Armstrong, Hayes, Downes, Fraer, J. H. Clark and Eoughan. The meeting then closed, a ter which a Committee meeting was held, Mr. B. Williams was called to the chair. The election of officeis was then, proceeded with when the following gentlemen were nominated for the ensuing year :— R. Williams, President ; W. Sheath, VicePresident , \V. H Farrer, Treasurer. Trustees : — Messis. Sheath, Farrer, and Williams. Auditors ;— Messrs. j Fraer and Quiu. Secretaiy — W. Hayes. The usual vote of thanks to the chair clused the proceedings, Thb public is indebted to Mr. Squires for drawing the attention of the Tuapeka Hospital Committee to the large sum expended upon medical comforts for the institution. In the estimates for the Do.uedin Hospital, the sum of £1500. is set down for rationa, and £500, or one third, for medical comforts. The following notice appears in the " Western Star" of the 30th ult:- "Our Editor having in a fit of mental aberration committed matrimony, this issue is rather weak. What effect on the future of Southkud this event will have remains to be proved.—^Signed) The Pkintkk." The Editor referred to is none other than an old friend -Mr. J. C. E|err. The Municipal Council of Qaeenstown have resolved upon having pigs removed from within to without the town boundary. It is time our Municipal authorities were adopting similar measures. Db Lokee, who. some ten y«ara ago kept a hotel at Wetherstoues, and who was an excellent swordsman, has lately been performing in that ajrfc .at an entertainment in Chiistchurch. The Warden's Office, Roxburgh, has been appointed an oifico for the sale and disposal of land within the land district of Clyde, and Mr. Warden Simpson has been appointed District Land Officer thereof. Diptheria has broken out in Inveroargill. There is a case of measles in Gabriels Gully. The Roxburgh. Licensing Court has been adjourned till Friday, the 19th inst. On dit that Mr. Joseph Clark,, the Victorian millionaire, will arrive in .Lawrence this afternoon en route for his Moa Flat estate.