Sjcuhl SnUllxQnxu.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 394, 26 September 1874, Page 2

Sjcuhl SnUllxQnxu.

THE European mails via Suez close at Lawrence on Tuesday morning at 6 o'olock. The lecture advertised to be delivered in the schoolhouse, Clarks Flat, last night was, owing to the wet evening, postponed till Monday night, at the same hour. Partbidges were both heard and* seen last week in the vicinity of Timber Gully, between Moa Flat and Eoxburgh. by Messrs. R. M'Leod and John Elder. Messrs. Capstick, Duthie, and Co. will hold a sale of cattle at Coghill's yards. Havelock, on Friday, 16th October. A pabtt of Chinamen have started market gardening on the Wetherstones Flat, adjoining the town boundray. They have fenced in a portion of the old worked ground, and are lining the wires of the fence with thistle stalks, as a protection from the wind. It has thus been left io our Celestial friencla to solve the thistle difficulty. The bridges proposed to be erected over the Clutha and Teviot at Eoxburgh are described by tho " Guardian " as two " laminated arch " bridges, and the spans will be 174 ft. and 83ft. respectively. The anniversary services of the Coal Creek "Wesleyait Gbureh will be preached to-morrow by the Rev. W. H, Beck. A tea meeting will be held on Tuesday evening, when the Rev. Mr. Beck and several gentlemen will address those persons assembled. The following additional hundreds are proclaimed in Wednesday's " Gazette " : -Spottis, Waikaka, "Waikoikoi, Waikaia, Pukerau, and Kuriwao. Why is it the "Provincial Government Gazette,'' which is published on Wednesday, is seldom received in Lawrence before Friday or Saturday evening 1 "We have been asked this question repeatedly. The Government refuse to publish important notifications as advertisements in the up-country papers — even notices of local land sales are seldom advertised, and yet they will not supply the "Gazette," the only publication where specific information can be obtained, in a reasonable time after its publication. People located in country districts are placed at great disadvantage, owing to the delay referred to. We have written to head-quarters on two different occasions to get the defect remedied in our particular case, but without any lasting effect. The annual meeting of the Presbyterian congregation, HaTelock. was Leld on Wednesday evening, in the church. From tne report of the retiring Committee, it appeared that £492 had been collected during the year. The following are the Committee for the ensuing year :— Messrs. Kerr, Clarke, Miller, Black, Busne, Johnson, Reid, Yorke, Cairns, and Corry. It was resolved to proceed with the erection of a manse without delay. A ball was held in Coghill's Assembly Rooms, Havelock, ou Thursday evening by the pupils attending the dancing class, which has for some time been taught there, And their friends. A large number were present, and they kept it up till daylight on Friday morning. We learn that Mr. Thomas Featherston is the purchaser of Mr, Borton's interest in the Hercules' water race and claim, which includes three shares, instead of half a share as stated in our last issue. A vert successful soiree, concert, and dance in connection with the opening celebration of the Cromwell Lodge, 1.0. G.T., was held on ' Friday last in "Kidd'a Hall. The sum of £25 was realised by the entertainment. When may we expect Lodge St. Law rence, which for numercal strength must now be second to none in the up-country districts, to get up some entertainment or pio-nio or something else to enliven the monotony of the place. This month's " Illustrated New Zealand Herald " is quite up to its usual excellent standard. Another of Mr. Gully's mountain scenes is the leading engraving in this number. The members of the Milton Cricket Club have signified their willingness to come to Lawrence and play a match. This should be an incentive to our cricketers to go into immediate practice. The people at Waipori seem to ba fully alive to their own interests. Last week, we are informed, the Drainage Channel Committee wrote to the Secretary for Works, drawing his attention to the careless manner in which the Channel was being Bodded, and requesting inspection. This week again the same gentleman has been written to by the Progress Committee re the state of the road Lee Stream to Waipori, and likewise asking that the new road Lawrence to Waipori via Bungtown be surveyed, and the vote therefore expended. The carrying oat of the first work, according to plans and specifications, is a matter which vitally affects the future welfare of the district, and the inhabitants seem to have eveiy confidence that the Government will see to it. The road from Lawrence to Waippri via Bungtown is one of those upcountry works that sadly requires to be done. Shorter by some miles than the present track along the heights, and easily constructed, it would admit of dray traffic at all seasons of the year, and enable travellers to pass to and fro without risking their lives, as many were obliged to do during part of last winter. From advertisement it will be seen that the Government are calling for tenders for the erection of bridges across the Clutha and Teviot rivers at Roxburgh. We regret to learn that a serious accident happened on Wednesday to Mr. G. F. C. Browne, M.P.C.. proprietor of the Waitahnna Coal Pit. The accident appears to have happened in this way: On returning to, the pip with an empty waggon, ' the Eqrse bolted, when Mr. Browne, who was driving at the time, lept from the shafts, to catch hold, of the beast, but in doing so stumbled and fell, and the dray passed over his back. Dr. Halley, who was at once sent for, was soon in attendance, and did what he could to alleviate the sufferer. The injuries .done to the spine must have been "of a very serious nature, as the lower portions of Mr. Browne's body were completely paralysed. On Thursday morning he was somewhat easier, and was able to move one of his feet ; but yesterday, he had made little or no progress towards recovery.

With reference to the death of Dr. Dick, of Naseby, the ** Times " received the following letter from its correspondent : — " The circumstance has oast great gloom over the district. Dr. Dick was a young and rising man in his profession, and had obtained the confidence and respect of the'eoromunity Amongst which he has been practising for the past two and a-half years. The' immediate cause of death is stated to have been iuflanimation of the bowels supervening on a cold caught in his hurry (in a half -dressed state) to attend on the unfortunate patient who attempted suicide. The district ii left in a very awkward position, there being no medical man within 60 miles of Naseby, and several patients lying in the Hospital and elsewhere requiring professional skill and attention. Since writing the above, Mr. Brown, a medical practitioner from Palmerston, . is, I tinderstand to take temporary charge of the Hospital.''

WB are informed that Mr, Hugh Craig haa leased the Junotion Hotel, on the Teviot road, from Mr. James Rae. Thr offices of the Bank of New Zealand at Waitahuna, are to be removed into the township of Havelock. Mr. Blears haa, we understand, got the contract for their removal, Messrs. Richardson and party have opened a uew coalpit at Havelock. The residents may now experience no scarcity of fuel as there are now three coal-pits on the flat all supplying coaL Some of the Waitahuna diggers intend leaving next week for the Palmer. Two of them, Mr. O'Kane and Mr. M'Lellan have sold out of their claims with that intention. Several are also leaving Tuapeka for the Northern Territory. A Chinese storekeeper at Waipori entertained about 200 guests to a sumptuofts repast last Wednesday, to celebrate his commencing business in that district. The spread was laid out in the Oddfellows' Hall, and the greater part of the day was occupied by the guests feeding. Several Europeans partook of this hospitable Celestial's good fare. There were porkers roasted whole, and poultry cooked in a style that would please the most fastidious epicure. The feast passed off with great gusto— our heathen Jfriends separating for their respective hats without getting drank, which cannot always be said of our enlightened countrymen on similar occasions. Writing of Tokomairiro, "The Cockatoo Abroad," in the " "Wakatip Mail," says :— " Tokomairiro is a fine farming district. The country here, as far as the eye can reaoh, is Btudded with farms, The township (Milton) has extended itself very considerably of late, and as there is a brisk market for every description of farm produce at good prices, together with the impetus given to trade by the railway works, things are flourishing. Several residents that I had a chat with were jubilant at the prospects in store for the town as soon as the railway line was opened from Dunedin ; but, so far.as I could see, this prosperity must, in a great measure, cease, when the line will be carried on further, and ''Toko." become a halting place, instead of a depot. I could not hear so much on the flat about Captain Hutton's (the Provincial Geologists) discovery of an enormous coalfield as at & distance. A coalfield certainly exists ; bat its commercial value must be more apparent on paper than the real thing itself, as I found the preference was given to Ktiitangata coal, which appeared to be very generally used for household purposes." The same writer says :—": — " I was rather disappointed at Tuapeka, after all that I had heard and read about its flourishing condition. Perhaps the bad weather -made it look dull, as, in several places, the snow had scarcely left: the streets. Excepting the large sluicing claims both heie and Waitahuna and at Glenore on the Woolshed, there was nothing doing in the shape of gold mining."