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Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 351, 15 September 1868, Page 2

The obituary notices of yesterday morning (20th ult.) record the death of Mr. Jamea Hayward, of the Surrey Hotel, Johnston-street, Collingwood, whose name will be remembered by many old colonists in connexion with the extinction of a fire on board the ship John Melhuish, on the passage from London to Sydney, in December, 1852, under very remarkable circumstances. The vessel carried upwards of 200 passengers, several of whom are now well-known residents of Melbourne. The fire broke out in the hold, where one of the sailors had been tampering with a brandy cask, and a large stream of spirit from this cask had ignited. The utmost consternation prevailed on board, when Mr. Hayward went below, and with great presence of mind, thrust his thumb into the hole in the cask whence the spirit, which was feeding the fire, flowed. The edges of the aperture being rough, he was unable to com - pletely stop the stream, and the brandy continuing to flow, a blue flame ran up his arm and set fire to his shirt, hair, and clothes. Mr. Hayward however, knowing that the safety of the ship depended on his devotion, heroically maintained his position for five minutes, when Captain Jenkins came to his aid with water from the the hose and wet blankets, and he was saved from death. Bat for the determination evinced by Mr. Hayward, the brandy cask must soon have burst, and as there were 270 similar casks near it, nothing could then have saved the ship. The passengers presented Mr. Hayward with a gold watch and chain in acknowledgment of the signal service he had performed ; and the accounts of this remarkable escape from fire at sea, which were published in the 'Argus and the Times soon afterwards, attracted a good deal of attention at the time.— Melbourne Argus. HAjraAtriSM in Otago.—The Otago Daily Times of a recent date states:— "Not many days ago a Hauhau prophet visited "Waikouaiti attended by a retinue of his dusky brethren from Moeraki. Having arrived at the Maori pah, the prophet invited the natives to assemble at the church ; the greater portion did go, the few that did not respond to the call were those who had been converted to the Wesleyan faith. No one was allowed to enter the church that had not embraced the Hauhau faith. From the great uproar going on during the performance of service, it is supposed the congregation was walking in procession or dancing whilst there. After the very exalted of prophets, Mr. Solomon (for that is the prophet's name), had concluded his sermon, he walked out and placed himself at the door, holding a box of matches in hig hand, from which he took matches and lighted them in succession, whilst the congregation left the church, each individual bowing before the lighted match as he passed by. Several halfcastes have joined the Hauhaus, so they muster pretty strong at Waikouaiti. The few natives that would not join them have had orders to leave the pah, and consequently some have left for the south, and others are on the point of going. Amongst those unfortunates who have got warning to leave is an old Maori missionary, a disciple of the Eev. Mr. Creed, a Maori linguist well known to the early settlers, as a zeal ous reformer of the aboriginals to the Christian faith, during the earlier part of the settlement.

A G-old Field in Waikato. —That liangiriri will yet turn out a payable go.d-lield we have little to doubt, if it onJy succeedsin obtaining a thorough trial; but there is evou still greater and speedier certainty of an extensive gold-held being opened up higher up the Waikato. The land belongs, it seems, to the natives, but they are willing to throw it open to European enterprise, and a private correspondent, from whose letter we quote below, expects that the lands will be thrown open by .November, if not sooner. He says: —"The country i refer to is Matamata, Maungakawa, and Mauugatantari, and the surrounding lands. It is a very large tract of country. This information I received from captain Steele himself, whom the natives sent for to ask his advice as to the best course to be pursued. The Court sits at Cambridge in .November, aud he has recommended them to employ all the best lawyers in Auckland. Two circumstances have conduced' to make the natives anxious to open up their lands : —lst They are very jealous about the succea of the Thames natives, and especially Taipari, who has realised the.handsome fortune of £4.000 a year; and" 2udly, they have heard that when the diggers come from Australia and other parts they will take the lauds for digging purposes in spite of either themselves (the natives) or the Government, so they think it best to throw them ;open and secure the benefit them-elves which they would not do otherwise, they think. The people here aud at Cambridge are in high spirits at the prospect of so rich a gold-field in the neighbourhood." We learn also from equally reliable authority, that exceedingly rich stone has been found at Matamata." Nelson .Examiner