THE BRIGHTON RUSH.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 349, 12 September 1868, Page 6

THE BRIGHTON RUSH.

The following report has been made by Mr. Warden Broad to the representative of the Government at Westport. Brighton, September 6th 1868. Sie, —I have the honor to report to yon, the circumstances connected with the discovery of payable gold in this district. Some nine weeks ago, a prospecting party, consisting of, Rochford and two other practical miners, were fitted out by the towns-people, for a period of three months, to prospect the country lying south of Brighton towards the Razor Back. It would appear chat though they have succeeded in finding the color nearly every where they tried, it was not until Friday last they felt themselves warranted in coming in arid reporting the finding of payable gold. The locality is to the south of Brighton some 5 J miles, 4J- of which, have to be traversed along a very rough sea beach, involving the climbing over rocks until a creek (knownas Buttlers creek), is reached, and which has to be followed up for a mile through very rough country. The gold is found in about the centre of a very narrow spur coming up from a steep precipitous second range. The greatest depth of sinking is 25 feet ; and there is a depth of from three feet, to five feet six inches, of very rich sand. A large number of miners have visited the ground who all concur in fixing the amount likely to to be yielded from Rochf ord's claims at from £ls to £2O per week per man. There is no extent of grouud on the spur where Rochford has struck gold ; but there are a variety of second spuradjoining, which will, no doubt, be tho roughly prospected. I have seen some of the sand from the claim, (brought in by Mr. Andrews, of the Bank of New Zealand) and can personally vouch for its richness. As it is a discovery likely to be of some value I would strongly urge the advisability of Mr. Pell being directed to make a survey of the best route, and probable expense of a bridle track at once, so that with the usual promptness of the Nelson Government, the miners may at once have a ready access to an entirely new auriferous discovery. I shall do myself the honor to report more fully in a few days, as I have no doubt if gold is struck in other claims than the prospectors, we shall have a large population, and additional police assistance will be required. I have the honor <fec, Chas. Bboad, Warden.

American lawyers have had a plentiful harvest year in an immense number of railway suits brought before the courts in almost every State. On the 18th of June the heaviest judgement probably ever recovered, amounting uo up wares of 4,600,000 dollars (nearly a milliou sterling), was entered in the Supreme Court, at New York, against the Union Pacific Railway Company. The judgment was recovered by the construction contractors of the defendant's line of road as compensation for services performed and as damages for the subsequent breach of the contract, the officers of the road having driven the contractors off.

The will of the late Lord Brougham and Vaux, of Brougham-hall, "Westmoreland, who died on the 7th May, at Cannes, was proved on June 17th, by his brother "William, the present lord, the sole executor. The personal property is sworn under £2OOO. The will, which is dated December 8, 1860, is all in the deceased's hand writing ; it is written on one side of a sheet of paper, and on the other side there is a lithograph of his seat Brougham-hall. The testator, after reciting that by two deeds, dated March 18, 1847, and the 16th of November, 1857, he has settled and disposed of the whole of his real estates in a manner perfectly satisfactory to his mind, goes on to say—" So far as I lawfully can I confirm these deeds ; yet, having regard to the want of any place of safe custody publicly authorised, so often complained of by me, and to the accidents happening at the offices of solicitors and elsewhere, I think it right to provide for the event of the deeds I have referred to being lost or destroyed, and no satisfactory evidence of their execution or contents being forthcoming." In this , event, he then gives and devises all his real estate situate in England to his brother William, his heirs and assigns in fee, and likewise bequeaths to him all his personal estate whatsoever and wheresoever.

From a report issued by the department of Victorian Railways and laid before Parliament we glean the following particulars:—The repairs and additions to the Essendon line of railway rendered indispensable to the safety and accommodation of the traffic along it, during the >race meetings, held whilst the duke of Edinburgh was a visitor to the colony, cost £10,970. The gross revenue of the Government lines of railway for the past year was £552,031 18s 4d, and the working expenses £267,071. leaving a net revenue of £284,960. or a decrease, compared with last year, of £34,076. The number of passengers travelling during the year was 1,101, 583£, the gross revenue from which was £207,606. In 1866 the number was 1,132,275 passengers, and the receipts £217,613. The goods traffic for 1807 amounted to 384,438 tons, as against 399,559 tons the previous year. The condition of the permanent way and rolling stock satisfactory, and the expediency of forming a depreciation fund of their renewal is again brought under the attention of the Government by the Engineer-in-Chief.