Local Intelligence.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 372, 11 July 1874, Page 2

Local Intelligence.

Following the good example shown by Mr. Joseph Clarke, Messrs. Neil and Co., of the Beaumont Station, have sent a cheque for £25 as a donation to the funds of tbe Tuapeka Hospital. ■ THE yield of gold- from the crashing of cement taken from the Otago Co.'s claim and crushed at the- Gabriels Gully battery averaged ' over lSdwts. to the ton. Though hardly up to the expectation of some of the more sanguine shareholders, the prospect is really an excellent one, considering that the dirt crushed was not picked. Had they crushed the bottom stuff only, it would not have been a fair test of the claim, although by doing so they might have shown ,a splendid cake of gold, The Company will now immediately commence to open up their claim prior to erecting crushing machinery. Among the recent improvem-nts in the town of Lawrence, none have had such a transforming effect ps the trenching of the ground surrounding the Presbyterian Church. When we remember the broken chai aefcer of the ground, it is indeed wonderful the- change the outlay of a few pounds has imparted to its appearance. The ground has been planted by Mr. Pressley with a largo number of- trees, which consist principally of California^ pines, cypresses, spruce, and Scotch firs, and various ornamental shrubs. From the care which.has been exercised in the removal and planting of these trees, if they take kindly to the - soil, we should imagine they will have a rapid growth, and in the course of a few years will be an ornament to the town. A meeting was held in the Oddfellow's Hall, Waipori, on Wednesday. Ist July, for the purpose of electing a new Progress Committ c for the ensuing year. Mf. R. Buchanan occupied the chair. The Secee v tary read the balancesheet, which was adopted. The following gentlemen were proposed and elected : —Messrs, R. Pilling, JR. Buchanan, R. Webb, J. Kelly, H. M'Cay, J. Cox, and T. Reynolds. A vote of thanks to the Chairman closed the proceedings. The anti-spiritist, Mr. W. A. Chapman, ossisted by Miss Ida Bonnifon, will give an entertainment in the Commercial Assembly Room this evening. Tbe Press of Dunedin and the Province generally, speaks very highly of Mr. Chapman's entertainment. It is characterised as "wonderful," "mysterious." and so on. From the fact that wo h.ive not had any amusej ments in Lawrence for a considerable time, we I have no doubt Mr. Chapman will have a good house. I Mr. Dan Bannatyne has sold the Sussex i Hotel in George-street, Dunedin, to Mr. T. ! Oliver, of Alexandra. We are informed that Mr. Bannatyne intends taking up, his quarters in the vicinity of his farm at the Waihola. We i learn that he has purchased the Lake Hotel, situated on the Af.vin South Road. [ Tne trinl of Louis Buisson for the attempted I murder of his wife occupied the Supreme Court ! the whole of Wednesday and Thursday. The [ jury retired about 6 o'clock on Thursday evening, and after an hour's deliberation [ returned with » verdict of Not guilty. It wilt bb' observed that Mr. Bastings intimates hisintention of addressing his constituents on. Tlyiradax evening next* j

The Molyneux has been rising rapidly since Monday morning last, and we are sorry to learn that tome of the miners at Roxburgh have been as usual sufferers, some boxes having been swept away. The usual change of officers oJS-the Loyal' Roxburgh Lodge, M.U.1.0.0.F.,-tpok place an, Wednesday evening, Bth insl,, _at_the Commercial Hotel, when Bro. E. M. Smith, wasduly installed as N.G. ; and Bro. p£e Bedel as V.G. ; Bro. E. Morrison retyping the office of Secretary. A meeting of the Committee for the management of the Mount Benger ploughing match was held at Mr. Cornish's Roxburgh Ferry Hotel on Saturday evening last, when it was decided to hold the match on Mr. It. Tubman's ground, at Moa Flat, on Thursday, 30th July. ■Entries will be taken until the time of starting, which will be 9 a. in. At Wednesday's meeting of the Waste Lands Board, Mr. Mark Higgins applied to purchase 330 acres of land situated on block V., Waitahuna West. The application was approved of.— Tho report of Warden Carew on the following applications ira.s placed before the Board s— James Thompson, sections 16 and 17. block 71., Waitahuna East ; Robert Dodson. 400 acres ; John Ross, 150 acres ; J. Dunnon, 500 acres: all of Waitahuna East, Walter Miller, 200 acres, at Hill Eud, for tree-planting. —The applications of Mr. Dunnon and Mr. Dodson were approved of, and the others adjourned at the request of Mr. Conneil, who was too ill to be in attendance.— Mr. H. L. Squires, for- Messrs. Fitzgerald and Stewart, asued the Board to re-consider its decision of offering ground in their occupation at Manuka Creek for sale by auction, and to allow the applicants to purchase it at a price to be fixed. The Boaid lesolved to adhere to its former decision, --Mr. Thomas Featherstonet wrote asking whether he would be allowed valuation for the house and stable erected on sections 4 and 5, block XVII., Roxburgh, prior to survey. .The consideration of the matter was deferred until the survey should have come in. —The Secretary of the Mount Benger Progress Committee wiote, stating objections to tut; uure'hase by Messrs. CargiU and Auderson- of their ' pre-emptive right of agricultural leasehold on section 33, block V., Teviot. The letter was referred to the Government, with the view of obtaining their leport thereon.— Mr. G. M'Leod asked to be allowed to remove water-pipes which ha had laid through section 2, block; 11., Ettrick, should he not be the purchaser at the auction, which is shortly to take place. The Board lesolved that the applicant should protect himself by removing the pipes before the sale.

Tlis ceremony of the turning of the first sod of tho Waiareka Railway took place 1 on the 2nd instant, at Oamaru. In the evening an invitation dinner was given in the Star and Garter Hotel by tba couttactorß, Messrs. W. D.

Mori ison and Co. After various toasts had beeu

proponed, Mr. Aslicroft, on being called upon, said .they should be guilty of ingratitude were theyT;o allow themselves to be entirely engrossed

by their own attention to creature comforts. The toast which he had to propose was the toast of the evening. -He knew that contractors

contract debts for which others had frequently

to pay. The present contractors were men of a different stamp, possessing alike character ami means, were men fitted to advance the discriot. He trusted that some of them might see the advantages which the district possessed and be induced to settle in it, and bring up families- some of whom might in years to come become Mayors of Oamaru. He would now propose the health of the contractois for the Waiareka itailway. Mr. Morrison, in responding, expressed ' the pleasure he felt at being present that evening. He desired to thauk the gentlemen who had honored him by attending afc the ceremony which, had. been performed by hlB Honor the Superintendent that day, TO start; an undertaking such a* the present against, a millionaire firm like Messrs. Brogden ana Sons was no doubt a bold thing to- do. They (the contractors) possessed practical knowledge and experience, and would, he thought, be able to make their oontraot pay. If men could be obtained, the Waiareka Railway would be finished within the coutract time. He begged to thank the people of Oamaru for their kindness since ho had been among them. He looked upon the habits and actions of the people of -Oamaru as being far in advance of those of any agricultural district within his knowledge. We have had the privilege of perusing a letter received by Mr. Win. Gascoigne from a relative of his who is one of the party recently organised by Hume to go in search of Glassen one of the Leichdart expedition party, who left Sydney 25 years ago. Hume states that he saw Glassen 12 months ago and tried to get him away from the natives, but the poor old man who was 70 years of age, when put on a horse had to be held on thus making it impossible for Hume who was single-handed to take him away. The old man according to Hume haa three children, and the writer of the letter from which we quote hopes if the old man is dead, thek party will be able to secure some of the children. The expedition was to leave Sydney on the 2nd July, and is expected to return in eighteen months, or say ahout December 1875. It is said that Glasaen cannot talk his own language, but the party are taking a letter with them from the German Consul, which if he can read, will show him that theTe is something for him in his own country. From a letter received by Mr. James Kepple, and which has been placed at our disposal, we make a few extraots. The letter is from an old Tuapeka miner, who has beeaat the Palmer, and gives a woeful description of that goldfield. It is dated :— " Brisbane, 22nd May, 1874. -My dear friend,— When I laat wrote yon. niy mind was bent on going to California ; but instead, I went to the Palmer Kiver. I spent six weeks on the field, and barely uiado tucker. There was nobody getting anything, and the place was to all intents and purposes, nothing but a living grave for most,, of the men who were there. There are hundreds there who can't leave it : they are actually lying on the ground begging _of their fellow-men to give then) a drink of _water. Such a lot of living skeletons were never before seen — unless the prisoners in the army at the Potomac. The principal diseases are dysentery, low fever, and fever and ague. Depend upon it, this ig neither the climate for Victorians nor New Zealanders," Itis said the sum Blr. Lincaster receives for his property and stock is £7,500. ' Yesterday morning a hufc belonging to a I party of Chinamen, living on Wetherstones Flat, caught fire, and was speedily demolished. The programme of the Tuapeka District Ploughing Match will be found iii our advertising columns-, and we feel certain it must give satisfaction. Tbe prizes are both numerous and valuable, and the competition is expected to be keen. Tkb scarcity of good bricks for bniliTing purpo?es haa lately been very much felt in Law. rence. This desideratum, we are glad to learn, is likely very soon to be met by Messrs. Howell and Co., who have opened a new yard on Mr. Walker's ground near the Hospital, and com. menced to make bricks. We understand that Air. Howell is so. excellent tradesman, has a targe oxperienee in the -business, and ia well baSkedia his enterprise,

Ms. Jejtkby, bookseller^ol^ Lawrence h*J handed U3 a copy oi a 'hew $>»ss& Otago pub* lishjifclby .Mr. Wise, of DdtfedS? It is very well got up, and define* tbe .venous electoral districts. Being compiled fe>m official survey* i »nd explorations up tc the^jitoent year we .think it may bo thoroughly relm upon. THB ; prospects at tH&tyaipor£Bladge Channel continue ve*y promising- J*v week Messrs. Simpson and party obtained'!|3tots. to the dish in -their 'sjaim, adjacent jki-lhe channel, ••,Mr. Towsby, of Danedin, will preside »t tie organ in Trinity Chnrch at both morning . e£nd evening services on Sunday next.

The half-yearly financial meeting of the Tuapeka. Pioneer Lodge? AfcO*L.Q«9.F., was held in the Lodge Room on Thursday evening » — Bfo. Qnin in the chair. ■ The balance-sheet and auditors' report thereon were read and adopted. The amount received by- the Lodge during the last six months was £175 8s ;. the expenditure, including sick pay, was £135 17s 7d ; the total value of the Lodge at date is £523 18s 9d. The number of financial members is 87. A vote of thanks was accorded td the Chairman. The following prisoners were sentenced in the Supreme Court on Wednesday :— Lucy Leighton robbery from the person, received 12 months' imprisonment with hard labor ; John Jenkins, found guilty of arson, was ordered to undergo a similar punishment ; Thomas Conley, for assaulting a constable at Caversham, and Moris O'Connel, alias Alex. Gillon, for forgery at Oamaru, each "received a sentence of two i years' imprisonment with hard labor : J. O. Abernethy , who pleaded guilty of embezzlement was ordered to be imprisoned for three years &nd six months f f and John Morrison, for forging and altering, was sentenced to five years' penal servitude and three years imprisonment with hard labour. The only other case to be disposed of at the present criminal sittings is that of Louis Baisson. , t OTAGO Waste Lands Act tinkering has already commenced in the Assembly, On Mr. Shepherd moving for leave to introduce a Bill to amend, the Otago Waste Landsj^ct 1872, Mr. Gillies opposed the niotipn till^R arrival of Messrs. Macantlrew and Ueid. Tht; opposition wag only fair whan it is remembered that Mr. Reid fathered the 1872 Act. Mr: Sher* herd then explained that ho had telegraphed Mr. Reid that he would" delay the "first reading of the Bill until hearing from him, iv case he would also have a similar Bill prepared. Leave was then given on the voices to'introdace the> BUI. .