WELLINGTON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 697, 19 February 1881, Page 2

WELLINGTON.

(prom ouk owjst oobeespokdent.)

, • Feb. 18. . Qdite a." fiz" of excitement has'been caused here by the receipt of news which yivea reason to hope that a payable goldfield may be 'opened out; at Terawhiti, a place'somej.,hing under twenty miles,from the City. For years past it . has , been known that'moro than the " color"! was obtainable at.this 4 place, and indeed one or two men. haye, for a considerable period, been obtaining by means of primitive and inefficient appliances- gold enough during the sunimor months to give them " tucker" all tho year round. But timeß have been far too good during the past ten years for the ordinary work' in? man ti be attracted thence on such conditions, The. change in the labor market, however, has had the effect of directing to the spot a number of persons of more or less experience (the latter category including a number of erstwhile civil servants, or, as my friend Swanson would say, adjective uncivil masters who were sufferers by the arriyal'of.the economical era, The direct success these persons metwith has not been very marked, but the indications of the presence of gold in the neighborhood have been so encouraging that they have kept plodding on, assiatod by a little help from' the Govern: ment. Latterly there has been some tolerably good stone founds and steps were taken to secure a small battery. But last week a discovery of entirely new stone was made, and some very rich specimens were obtained. Dr Hector visited the locality, bringing back with him quartz from the futface -of the reef, which he declared would yield 3oz to the ton. He said, further, that the stone resembled that obtained at (Golden Bay, Nelson, and that the reef, unlike reefs previously discoveied at Terawhiti, ran in the same direction as thoße at Golden Bay. Of course the Philosophical Society have had a most learned discussion on the matter. It is pleasing to note, however, that practical people are taking some interest in the subject, so that in my I may be able to give you Some definite information as to the value of-:,the

discovery. [Since writing the foregoing, I have learned that a party-of gentlemen who visited the Ohau reef to-day speak very highly of the prospect, but cumplain that it is in the hands of persons who are practically ignorant of mining. The character of the re»f cannot therefore be determined for some time by the pirty now at work ; while the owner of the land refuses- to permit others to commence operations until something, definite is known. More good specimens have been brought into town, and it is said the reef is tolerably well defined. The difficulty of access will throw great obstaolea in the way of work. The traok is through fearfully rough country, and when the wet weather sets in will..be almost impassable unless something is done in the meantime.

Just as we wero enjoying a calm after the hospital storm, trouble has arisen in connection with the Lunatic Asylum. These .charitable institutions are almost as productive of a quarrel as a musical society, The complaints in this instance are of a very serious character. The accuser, who has fjeliyprgd his oharges in writing to the Colonial Secretory, declares that his brother, a paying patient, has received a course of severely brutal treatment; that the Superintendent has been seen in parts of the Asylum where female attendants only should be expected to be, and that the management of the institution generally has been lax and careless, if not worse. _ The Government have promptly appointed a commission, consisting of the R.M, and Messrs Waving Taylnr and Woodward to enquire into the charges, and these gentlemen are entering upon <¥' oB immediately. It is sonjevvhai. ppcfiliaf tljat Imipiljatply tl|e Commission was appointed thg Suporintendent of the Asyluiii swore an'information against three female attendants, charging them with illusing a patient, The public, not unnaturally under the circumstances, at oqce jmjiped tq tlje conclusion tliat the Superintendent was endeavoring to anticipate the Commission and shunt blame on to his inferiors, A semi-oftioial explanation, however, has been afforded, from which it appears that the conduct of these women was reported before the Commission was talked of, and that the prosecution was undertaken upon' Ministerial authority. Still this explanation does not get out of the fact that the prosecution affords prima faoie evidence of the truth of the charge against the management of the nsylum. I confess that had it r.ot been for this circumstance I should'have been inclined to treat lightly the complaint lodged with the Colonial simply becauso it. emanates frSm '.a_ geptleipan wjio pef petually lws ' a grievance,' A Resident Magistrate snubs him, a Minister of Justice refuses .'him redress, his. brother pro-, fessjonals " pjt on hiip,' 1 the 'Supreme Court judges !>re partial a|)d porrppfc. All these,have been his complaints jn tpwn, and h« I'aß even now, or l)ad very lately, a' suit pending gainst thp Government for alleged wrongful dismissal. He may succeed in proving that therp has been: cruelty and terrorism where common' humanity demands that there shall be. tender and sympathetic care. People will then acknowledge that even a man with a grievance has his uses in society. Poor Billy Rowe, One could not help being shocked at the sight of the old man standing in the prisoner's dook tp day guilty, on his own confession, of petty larceny, He and the Thames parted company about a year ago, and since then he has been in' Wellington daily, linking lower and lower, till in. a half drunken state he was caught robbing a public house till, ?nd to day received a sentence of 48 hours. Truly, nnp man in his time plays many parts, hut few play so many qs R.owe has. What has he not been :a: miner, a local preacher, the Croesus of the Thames, ; the barometer of the share market, member of Parliament, and then to.fall to this 1 Thj) R.M. spoke of Rilly's good 'education, which showed that th.a said R.M."showed his ignorance of Billy in particular, and'of the world in general, if hp imagines'that members of Parliament are of necessity educated: men. The truth is that' our ' hero has' no education; but before Hard times began to tell .on him, had that!: mother wit which no education can give Signs of the times, The Wellington. < Benevolent Society has spent upwards of £3,309 in reljef during the past year. &nd the committee ex pap t Jh at the' coming winter will be worse than last, Private report says that Major Atkinson s illness is much more serious than it was generally supposed to be. His medi-" cal advisers would not be sorry, to see him take much more rest than a Minister of.; the Crown can possibly get. • The promoters of the West Coast, railr way are meeting with tolerable, success in their endeavors, and are pretty oonfident of raising the 150,000. Still it-it a very large sum, and the 'names* of several wealthy merchants are conspiououi by ■their absence from the list of provisional' directors. •' r '-

Heuiniscehchs 0* year 1845 a worthy citizen pioadcd his way . with some difficulty through fern f * tl 'J rea to To Aw Flat being in search ~of. the■butveyrVopeg which had been driven in w tne streets,• Upon'tliis Spot was ereoteM BP 1 ®* 1 ; house; in which a Very successful mm .bnsiriesslwaCcarried on by <£ their birtli*"T.antl n(,thß'mo6ntftiß andthe flood) . Land of brownlisth and; shaggy j.jfood. In thiyear'lß66 it pas'aei.into thehandi of Ms Jikßs Surra, the present proprietor, . who gave to the. premises the appropriate name of TeAro House, 1 and' under whose management.,..business has steadily progressed yrith the'rising fortunes of tne city, untU' at iength it was a conßiderable enlargement was necessary, and the result ,was, Te Aro Houao, as ;at .present, one of the most complete , Bnd Extensive Drapery Establishments', in the colony of New Zealand. The Jeneral Drapery ocoupies a large space P being 49 foft by 26- feet, Rmply sufficient for ; goods, Fancy Dresses; Silks; UJloyes, flojierv, Ribbons, Laces, &o. ,Tho Men's, Boy's, atwi Youths' Clothing Department'measures 24 feet by 14 feet, and has attached a comfortable fitting-room. .Carpets/and Houwhold furnishings have a similar space them. The Show-roOm'for the salo linery, Mantles, Jackets, Costumes, a very spaoiouß apartment, elegantly fined v. ■ up, and beautifully lighted vfrom , the roof, and measures 89, feet by 22 feet. The stock of goods Vat all times large and well selected, and patterns are forwarded post free on application. A special feature at Te Aro flousd is the Order Department, and very careful attention is paid to the wants of Country Residents, ill orders are executed underlie ittimediate supervision .of the pro* prietor, peburely; packed and, forwarded to their ; destination with .that. Iprompvness and despitoh which have! always:- distill, guished Te Aro House, Cjiibfcstreetj Welling On.—fAOVT.l