THE TOTARA.

West Coast Times, Issue 613, 11 September 1867, Page 4

THE TOTARA.

(EBOM THE BOSS G/UABDIAN, 9EPT, 7.)

KOSSTOWN.

The Scandinavian Gold Mininaj Company met on the 29th ult., and appointed Mr Aitken as manager, in place of Mr Whitehair, resigned. The returns of the company's mine this week are a little in excess of lOOozs. The new poppet-heads are in course of erection, and will probably be completed without causing more than one day's delay. The Morning Star Gold Mining Company met on the 3rd inst., and appointed Mr 11. A. Gordon, engineer of the company, to be manager, in the place of Mr \V. Monteith, resigned. It was resolved to call an extraordinary meeting at an early date, to elect a Board of Director?. The claim is in good working order and paying well.

The directors of the Alexander Gold Mining Company met on the 2nd, at their office. The manager reported that the engine was in Hokitika, and the contract let to D. Kelly for its removal to the claim. He was authorised to put the formation of the road from the claim to the beach in hand. The contract for removal of buildings and erection of offices was let to Sheppard and Co , and accounts to the amount of Ll7l 13s. 4d. passed for payment. A call of 10s per share was made payable on the 21st.

The Scandinavian Friendly Society met on the 3rd ; about seventy members attended. Messrs Turk, Campbell, and Maddockwere appointed trustees. Several new members were admitted, and candidates proposed. An accident occurred on the 30th ult. to a miner named Otto Hansen, who fell into an abandoned shaft about thirty feet deep, near the Eastern Tramway, and fortunately escaped with nothing worse than bruises aud a severe shaking. He called out loudly, and his mates who live close by came to the rescue with a rope, which he secured round him, and was hauled out. He was taken to the hospital, and in a few days will be able to resume his work.

A party of men are at work on the beach, near the mouth of the Totara, washing black sand.

Another small rush has set in to th& forks of the Totara, where a party is engaged cutting an extensive head race.

Messrs Moran and M'Donald have obtained permission to extend the beach tramway to the Morning Star, and other claims, and we believe it is their intention to cany, as return loads, some of the tailings which are such an obstruction on the flat, but will be of great service on the the new line of road.

The necessity of the new road to the beach is made very apparent at present by the state of the existing route : at the crossing at the beach near Blanchard's it is necessary to swim horses at high water, and dray or wheel traffic is almost stopped. The coach was delayed three days by this cause and then had to be swam. This ford was in a similar state two years since, and whenever the bar silts up the lagoon becomes a fine sheet of water, very pleasing for boating, but not eligible as aline of road. Another obstruction to our traffic exists at the mouth, of the river, where the punt has been swamped, and has remained more than a week under water, by which wheel traffic is stopped except at low water, and when the .sea is smooth. It is surely time that a bridge was erected there, or at least some precautions taken to prevent a recurrence of accidents at this crossing.

A Schoolmaster was about to flog a pupil for having said he was a fool, when the boy cried out, " Oh, don't ! don't ! I won't call you so any more ! I'll never say what I think again all the days ot my life."

Severe. — Coleridge was descanting, in the presence of Charles Lamb, upon the repulsive appearance of the oyster. "It isn't handsome, Coleridge," said Lamb ; " but it has the advantage of you in one thing." " What is that ?" queried Coleridge, who, as everybody knows, was au exhaustless talker. "It knows ■when to shut its mouth," was the reply.

The Mnyor of Halifax, at a recent dinner of the Halifax licensed victuallers, stated that an application had been made to him a few days ago by an Irishman, for a testimonial of character. The Mayor told him that he had never seen him before. The Irishman promptly answered, "Faith, your worship, and that is the very reason I come to you. I have never been summoned before you or fined, and you never had any trouble with me."

A Travelling Printer. — Printers beat the Dutch, and everybody else, but their wives. We have one in our office who preached the Gospel, ran a side show to a circus, kept a singing-school, ran away with a man's wife and children, practised medicine, has been an agent for a concert troupe, and clerk on a steam-boat. He has now reformed, and settled down to a legitimate business — that of picking up type. We'll make a man of him yet.

Anecdote of the late Duke of Wellington. — When Arthur Wellesley, "with the rank of ensign, went to India, he had plighted his troth to a pretty and handsome girl. During his absence his affianced wife was seized with the Bmall pox. She was sadly pitted. In these circumstances, Miss wrote to her lover, relieving him from his engagement. The young soldier, at once an honorable man and a polite, wrote back, " that it was to herself, and not to her face, he was engaged." This amiable girl was in the sequel Duchess of Wellington.

" You have no children, madam ?" said the particular proprietor of a quiet house before letting a lady the best apartments. " They are in the cemetery," was the gloomy reply. A tear was attempted on the part of the landlord, the agreement was signed, and the next day the lady arrived with a couple of youngsters. " I thought your children were in the cemetery," said the landlord "So they were yesterday, sir, was the reply, " placing a few flowers on the grave of our former landlord, who was so nervous, and to say the truth, so irritable, that — " "I understand, madam, your children killed him."

How the Money was Spent. — A young lawyer was examining a bankrupt as to how he had spent his monny. There was, about L2OOO unaccounted for, when the attorney put on a severe, scrutinising face, and oxclaimed, with much self-complacency, " Now, sir, I want you to tell this court and jury how you used those L 2000." The bankrupt put on a serio-comic face, winked at the audience, and exclaimed, " The lawyers got that." The judge and audience were convulsed with laughter, and the counsellor was glad to let t) ' bankrupt go,