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Tiib point submitted by .tho Minister of
Lands and : -Works to - tho Attorney-
General for his advice was this—
Whother under section ,30 of the Mineral
' Lands' Act,' 1877, a lessee is entitled to a
cold raining loflse for an area larger than
that prescribed undor the GoldGelds
Regulation Act" Tho Attornoy-Gcneral
is of opinion that 11 Section GO -of the
Mineral Lands Act provides thnt a losseo
shall, under certain circumstances, apply
for a gold raining lcaso ; but it rany bo
argued that the section docs not directly
or iudirectly provide that jtho Governor-
iii-Council shall grant n lease. Such
lessee, therefore, cannot perhaps, bo said
to be ontitlcd to a lease for an y nrca, but
the point is doubtful: Should tho Gover-
nor-in-Council think fit to grant a lcnso,
1 thick that the application must bo mado
as to aroa under Goldfiolds Regulations,
By Regulation 85, of 14 tli March, 1871.
the area may bo '.- increased in spocinl
coses." We may hero observe that our
mining laws as woll as regulations nro so
out of gear, so complicated, and so . ill-
ndaptcd to meet tho rcquiroments. of
tho miners,' aud to protest tho intcrosts
of tho public Hint they ; appear quite in
competent to accomplish cither object;
The facts of tho case wo nro considering
are intelligible enough but the > great
difficulty nud cause of delay in dealing,
with them was found to bo the law and
the regulations. Tho Commissioner takes
one view of section 30— it is interpreted
in a wholly opposito way by Mr. Adyo
Douglas— tho Minister of Lands and
Works acknowledges his inability to do-
cido who is right and who wrong, and
consequently brings tho Attorney-
Gonerul to his assistance, whoso "advice"
leaves all threo. mora pcrploxod than over
hy the oracular utterance — " that such
lessee, therefore, cannotporhnps be said to
be entitled to a lonso for auy area, but
the point is doubtful " — and no lio leaves;
tho difficulty to eettlo itself— lileo Sir
Able Handy in tho faroo, who . nftor
spending a lifo timo and a fortune in de
vising schemes for extinguishing firn3, at
last concluded that, perhaps, tho best
way to suppress a conflagration was " to
let it go out itself.".
Finding themsolves incompetent to
dccido the merits of the dispute by Law
or Kegulatinus, thu high contracting
parties, including Messrs. Giblin, Douglas,
Shaw, and A. Dobson, the Attorney-
Goneral, met in friendly conference at
Launcostou, wlien tliuy ngreod to make a
compromiso with the irritated claimants
for participating in tho riches of tho gold-
field. The terms aro very curious. Mr.
Douglas, although iu possession of the
transfer of thu lease from tho Hematite
Iron Company sinco thu 2fith February,
agreed on the 22nd March witli tho dis
contented minors," that Mr. Douglas and
his partners apply for a lease undor tho
Goldlields Regulations, of the part
of the section whoro gold is known
to exist, say about oighty uci'os,
with a distinct provision expressed
in tho application, and subsequently
to be insertod as a condition in second
schedule in (ho lcaso, iu tho manner pro
vided in tho form in the schedule of the
Goldlields Regulations, that tho lcssuos
shall mttio for gold in qunrt/. reefs, veins,
or loaders only; and nil alluvial deposits
of gold shall bo avnilnblo to holders of ,
minors' rights, to bo mined and taken |
under tbo Goldfiolds Regulations, such
miners under minors' rights not . to
obstruct or interfere with the works of the
lessees in mining the quartz. Any ques
tion as to whethor tho operations of
alluvial miners actually interfere with or
obstruct the lessees in their mining opera
tions, and all questions as to the nature
of auriferous doposits, that Is. whether
thoy aro quart/, or alluvial, to bo deter
mined by the Commissioner. That upon
receipt aud registration by tho Commis
sionur of the application, Mr. Douglas
lind partners surrondor the mineral lcaso,
with tho understanding that a new mineral
lcaso shall issue to them, excluding the
ntiriforotts portion above alluded to, mid
all such portion fronting on the main
road as shall bo considered desirnblo to bo
reserved for rcsidctico hud . business
areas under tbo Goldfields Regulations.
Tho right to initio any auriferious quarts
reef, vein, or lender winch may bo so rim
under or through such reserve, to be
secured to Mr. Douglas and his partners,
upon condition that the surfaco, mid for
a specified depth boncnth it, bo not dis
turbed." This proposal was agrood to by
Mr. Douglas on tho part of his co-partnors,
by thrco other porsous representing tho
miners, and wns "signed inthe presence of
the Honorable tho Ministor of LandB and
"Works."; The conditions iof this agree
ment wcro fulfilled. An application to
lease 80 acros for gold mining purposes
was duly' mado by Mr. Doug'as and
partners, and for the residue of 203 ucros
for iron — but on tho 23rd April, tho
Minister of Lauds and Works in roply,
acquainted tho applicant. " that tho first
stop necessary to be taken by you, will
bo to surrender to tho Queen ' by dood
tho 283 acres ' at Cabbngu Tree Hill,
Brandy Creek, now registered in your
namo under 41 Vic., No, 7, mid to
snbmit a draftof such deed to the Solicitor-
General to peruse on thepnrtof theCrown."
Oil the 27th April Mr. Douglas replied—
"fearing that some difliculty will arise.
Tho words (41 Vict., No. 7 Soc.) nro the
gold lonso shall be hold 4 in addition to any
lease he may hold undor this or any
former act.' " Tho Law Oflicors of tho.
Crown had to be again called to holp the
Minister of Lniids and Works out of Iho
legal quagmire upon which his mining
legislation located him. And again, tho
Attorney-Gononil practically advised to
leave the law of tho case nlono, mid that
it would he better that Douglas and Go.
should hm-romler all thu rights they believed
themselves to have come possessed of by
Uio transfer of the lcaso of tho flematite
Iron Company, mid to throw themselves
on the mercy of thu Crown. Officially,
therefore, Mr. Douglas is informed by tho
Minister of Lnmhi mid Works— r" That tho
Attornoy-Gondral being of opinion lhat
if tho lcaso be surrendered iu the rammer
proposed, tbo difficulty oroatod by tho
words iu addition toanyle m ho may hold
under thisorany former Acbwill boobviated
aud the Crown will bo freo to dot in .the
nipt tor.1 " Tho louse "was/of courso,
surrendered, aud in duo course Mr.
Douglas mid his co-partners had Hauled
their caso— not iii virtue or by tho aid of
nhy law or regulations— but through the
favor und zi-aoo of .a Miniater. oir wlloflo
Imlmlf Mr. . Douglas;, and ..all,. «» oo-
pai'lmirn, witli llio oxodption of oao, aau
Higiialiscd tliomsolves by diatingiushod
services in tho cnuso of lusuiruiian con-
"UI\Vo'"'i'avo liroitglifc 1 Uio promiriont
InoMonU of this caao to tho noticoof tho
palillo— not hecauso tho spooalatioa has
liappily turnod out a most ®110
for the company as well as for the ei lony,
but as n very striking illustration of the
impolicy of placing at the disposal of any
Minister or Ministers to deal with, as may
seoni meet; tho proporty of the public.
We sco in this instance that noithor Law
nor Regulations, such us wo have mado
to protocfc tho rights of the miuing
population, and to direct the management
of our mineral interests, are competent
to effect tho object of their burners. Docs
anyono for a moment behove that
Messrs. Douglas, Grubb, Hart and Co.
would liavo - conaontod to surrondor .the
lease they ha'd obtained from tho lloma-
tito Iron Company— at some cost it nay
' bo , presumed— if thoy could diave 'rolled
upon tho laws and regulations to support
them against tho claims of thoso who
could bo only rogarded as trespassers upon
their property, if they had confidence in
tho correctness of their own interpretation,
of tho laws mid regulations, and in tho
framing- of which they took tho most
conspicuous part? It appears very evi
dent .that it was not upon the law of the
caso thut'Mr. Douglas relied for the suc
cess of. his enterprise, -and the eventual
possession of the 233 acres of mineral land
transferred to him by tho Hematite Iron
Company, but upou tbo nioro certain
assurance that Ministors woro not likely
to overlook a plnuaiblo occasion for sub
stantially recognising his own and his
co-partners' most invnhiablo political ser
vices. The Laws and' Regulations left
it in the power of tho Minister to troat any
case ns a ", spocinl one," whun the area of
gold-mining ground applied for exceeded
tho limits prescribed bylaw. Aid of
courso Mr. N. J. Brown regarded Mr.
Douglas's 'application as d "spocinl one,"
and treated it accordingly. : Tho sainb
practice .in tho way of " special"' treat- ;
ment wo have noted iu tho administering
of tho Waste Lauds Act. For instauco :
Mossrs. ,-Pilfingora' was a very spocinl
case,", and accordingly Mr. N. J. Brown,
Ministor of Lands and Works, dealt with
it as such. But, unfortuuately, tho dif
ference botween thnt of Mr. Douglas's nnd
of tho Messrs. Pillingors. is, that tho ono
got all he askod for, and tho others got
nothing of what thoy wautod,' but, iu Uio
shape of an cxponsivo law-suit, a good
deal moro thou they over expected.
Instead of a single Commissioner, had we
a proper Mining Board to tuko cog-
nisattco of all such matters as are
now < decided by tho Minister of Lands,
and a solitary subordinate, wo should
liavo como assurance or chauco of the
Mining Laws aud Regulations being so
framed as to provido for all ordinary con
tingencies, mid their administration con
ducted iu a manner thnt would neither
leavo it in tho power of a Minister to re
ward his adherents by acts of " special"
graco, nor afford tho public reasonable
grounds for suspecting tho impartiality
and honesty of thoir best paid servants.
Liko the Waste Lands— tho Public Works
— tho mining interests of the colony lio at
tho mercy of practically irrosponsiblo dis
posers. . '
Tin: Svu.st.v Jstuknatjonmi. ExmnrrtoN.
—We liavo received from Mr. Jingh Muuro
Hull, the secretary to tho 'J'asinauian Coin-
missinnors, a circular which bus been
approved of by . the commissioners, and
which will ho scut to all persons in the
colony likely to assist by exhibits in the
scliume for having Tasmania properly repre
sented. .
Jill. asp Mils, Tavahuh. — These artistes
announce) a farewell entertainment on Tues
day oyoning next, when they will ho
assisted by lady and gontloman amateurs.
Au attractive programme is in course of pre
paration, and we have no doubt hut that the
porfurmaneo will bo largely patronised.
Am.iangh Rooms. — Tho usual m'cclcly
public entortauunenfc was hold in these
rooms last evening. Tlicrowns a fair attend
ance of tempurauco advocates, Mr. Cox
occupying tho chair. Addresses wcro de
livered by Captain Fisher, Mr. Hiddlcstone,
and the chairman, each of which dealt
mainly with the temperance cause. Vocal
and instrumental selections and readings
interspersed tho evening's proceedings,
which wcro closed by singing the National
Anthem,
Bunkvoprnt Socikty,— The usual weekly
meeting of tho Kxcentivo Committee was
hold yesterday afternoon at tho depot.
Tltero were present Dr. Hall (in tho chair),
mid Messrs. Withrington, Mitelicll, Dowdell,
and Mather. Tho Registrar (Mr. Witt) re
ported that during the past week 35 cases,
including 10 individuals, had been relieved
with .10 lull and 5 half rations. "Tho l-otums
from the different institutions'wcrc read, in
winch it wns stated thnt two persons had
heen discharged from the Invalid Depot at
the Brickfields, mid 3 from tlio Cascades.
Fivo cases were inquired into and relieved.
Two tomlers were received for the supply of
bread, ono from Mr. Spcnkman, at Jfld. the
21b loaf, and another from Mr. Carroll, ntjfd
per lb. Tho latter was accepted for the
ensuing quarter. It was resolved that the
offor of tho Messrs. Marsh and Co. to obtain
from Melbourne, at cost price, a machine for
chimney sweeping, bo accepted, and that it
be lent to a woman named Emma Goodie, at
tho rental of Is. per week.
Tub Mayor's Court.— His Worship 'tbo
Mayor (Mr. W, Burgess) anil Alderman
Lspic picsmcd at this Court yestorday morn
ing. William Waters and Charles Burnull
were each fined 5s. and costs for plying for
hiro with unlicensed drays. Joseph Wilson
was mulcted iu a liko smn; for permitting liis
chimney to catch fire. Thomas Stopfomwos
fiued Is. and costs for emptying (night soil
previous to tho lawful hour for so doing.
Joseph. Felthnm and Walter Kelly wore each
fined 5s. and costs for allowing goats to stray
on a public thoroughfare.
Gi.bnorcjiy Poi.ick Coout.— This court
sat ns usual' yesterday morning, whon there
were present the Wnrdon und Messrs. Bilton
and Connor, J«.l\ Frederick I ughes, charged
with having been drunk nud disorderly on
thu2Cth iust.y was fined 5s.t with the usual
alternative. John Evans was mulcted iu the
sum of £1, with 7s. Gd. costs, for having used
abusive Jnnguag while outside tho court. An
ex parte case was taken against a carrier
named John Bird (he . not appearing), for
having on the 20th March driven a 'convey
ance without having a light attached thereto.
It lieing his third offence ho was lined .CI, in
default 14 days' imprisomnunt. JlonryJIill,
George Bill, Thomas Murrell, and James
Fierce, of New Town, was chatted with
having disturbed the peace on tho night of
the 22ml iiist. Jlonry JIill and T. Murrell
pleaded guilty. The ovidonco of Sergeant
W. Batoman went to provo'lhat on tho night
in question the defendants wore shouting and
behaving bin riotous manner, thereby causing
a breach of the public peace. They were all
found guilty. Jl. Hill was fined £1 ami
7«. Gd. costs, G; Hill ami .1. Fierce Ids. with
8s. Gd. costs respectively, ami T. Murrell
10s. and "b. Gd. costs,
Rouuu on tub Furpoumbuh. — Tho Emit
Bay Correspondent to the ".Examiner" is
responsible for the following " An artisto
in search of popularity' at one of our coast
entertainments lately, introducing a fair
associate- to favor tlio , rambled company
with a specimen of combined ; instrumental'
and vocal harmony, was met at tlio. outset,
with a withering and well-directed sliowor
of rottoa eggs, The disuomUtod pair- wiis
thus forced tQ. boat, a prqoipifato iand.un-
d.igniljed retreat. Tho volloy, however, was.
not without uffect upon thu walls and decora
tions of tho little ehuroli, . in >whscj» ; the
cutortainmout was held the, ohairman
coming iu for a stray missilo 'duv.iug the
melc'O,- Tho practice of desecrating a build
ing dedicated to Divlno worship, hy using it
'us n place of public amusement, is becoming
fashionable, for as" it ia' known that tho
p'ulico neglect to oxact tlio lieonso foo . that
is charged elsewhere for bonnes of ontoytain-
' mont, tlio law oan at times, ho conveniently
turned ono side for this 'and another for
' that, like . a reversible coat ; and no wonder
1 people aro found who aro ready to take ad-
i vantage of a'loouu system."
1 i — 1 —
' Rb-auiibst or tub Escaped Convict.—
| Tlio prisoner Henry Abol, M'lio effected his
! escape whilst working nt the Cricket Ground
on Wednesday morning, lias bccu retaken
hy the police and lodged iu gaol. When
tho fact of Lis having absconded wns mado
known to the authorities tho pojico through
out tho colony woro instructed to be oil tlio'
lookout. About half-past 11 on tho same
evening District Constiiblo MoMurrny, of-
Bridgewater, was accosted by a tramp who
requested to be directed to tho Cntisowny.
MoMurrny noticed that tho. strnngor wns
without a coat, vest, .'or lint/ that no woro- -
the gaol trousers, nnd thnt he answered the
description of. .the absonteo. . Hc'thoroupon
.arrested him, - nnd . yestorday morning 'Abel
wns taken back to tlio gaol whoro his identi
fication wns upheld.
Sai> Case op DuowxiNfi.— On Wednesday
n telegram was received in town to the effect'
that Mr/ Alfred Scarlo, son of tho late Mr.
Win. Soarle, of Laburnum Fark, Rioliinoud, .
bad been drowncd whilst bathing at a place,
called- Kawakawa, close To Auckland, ' N.Z.
The deceased, who' was only twenty-two'
years of : age, left - this colony some two or
three months since. !;His sad' cud, will1 bo
rcgratted by a numerous cirole of friends. '
New Road , to . Lisle « Goldvirui. — On
Wednesday . the Chroniclo " received n
telegram from tlio hon. the Minister of
Lands >, and Works, announcing that Mr.
Ball has. been appoiuted overseer of, a, road
party, and received instructions to proceed
immediately ti, Lisle. On arrival .horo, oi
at Lisle, 'lie is to employ a sufficient num
ber of men to clear a road from Millwood's
and. Faullcincr's hotels to the Lisle
diggings. f 'Mr. Hall ! is to carry' on the
work under direction of Mr. Cunningham,
road inspector for that district,; .anu Mr.
Cunningham lias already surveyed and
marked out the road required. The work
is to be pushed on as vigorously as inenns
will allow, and complotcd ns soon as i>ossiblc.
This prompt action on the part of tlio hon.
the minister of Lauds will bo highly appre
ciated, as it stands out in. strong contrast, to
to .the huckstering ami peddling system:
adopted by tho late Ministry in regard to'
dealing with, urgently-required roads to
give access to Brandy Creek diggings nnd
the North-Eastorn tin mines. ; In each of
these urgent cases the pound for pound, or
"pound of flesh," system was adopted for a
long period, during which tho loss to the
public wns fully ns great ns tho actual cost of
the work, -had it Iwcn done nt the proper time.
Hops for New Zeaim\nd.— Another, and
eo far, the lost, experiment in conqictition is
tho nppronchitig introduction of hop culture
into New Zealand. It is said that ns one
solution of tho conflict between the agricul
tural ; laborers aud their employers iu Ivont,"
the Agent-General for New Zealand lias pro
vided;- jjassngCs . for eoiiic three thousand of
tliein to tlint ' colony. As these men are
mostly liop-piukcrs or men practised in the
cultivation of that 'valuable plant, part of
the scheme is to send with them a quantity
of hop seeds nud cuttings. It has long
been said that tlio climate of New
Zealand is very similar to our own at homo.
But it is not less vnriahlu ; nnd climatic in
fluences liavo a good deal to sny to the
success or failure of tho hop harvests. - The
hop " bine " varies extraordinarily in its
valuo from year to year ; it is easily affected
and damaged by insects, continued rains or
thunderstorms, so that the avorngc of good
crops is only one in five years. Even if the
plant will -grow woll iu New Zealand, tho
processes of drying it and preparing it for.
market aro so very intricato and varied that
thoso who embark in this new agricultural
operation will find mnny difficulties to sur
mount hefot-o they mako it a commercial
success. — " Homo News."
Tub Canadian. Premier. — According to
the illustrated papers Lord Lorno's real
master is. Sir John Macdonnld. Tho pic
tures we havo of the Premier looking on
delighted while the Governor-General shows
his agility in dnncing.a reel, and of his
otherwise patting Lord Lome on tho hack,
indicate that the great Canadian statesman
has taken Jlis Excellency under his wing.
Sir John Macdonald is in many ways a re
markable man. To a great cxtont the
architect of his own fortunes, ho has
displayed throughout his career abili
ties of a high order. Ho is a bold
statesman, untiammcllcd hy conventionali
ties, going always straight to his point, and
by book or by 'crook, gaining , tho end in
view. To' tlio great merit of originality, lie
adds, so it is said, tho stilt greater claim to
our regard iu his strong personal resemblance
to tho noble carl who lias given us " peace
with honor." His features arc not oxactly
the same, hut liis manner, his attitude, .and
his poses arc very mnch like Lord Beacons-
field's, lio shrugs his shoulders, waves his
bauds, and behaves with tho saino nrtloss
graco ns our courtly Premier. Of all this wo
shall have ocular proof ere long, ns it is said
that Sir John means to visit England in the
spring,— r"Hoiuo News."
We understand that under the authority
of tho Act of Parliament, 42 Vict. No. 33,
ticrsons desirous of purchasing debentures,
icaring'intcrcst at 5 per cent., redeemable
in the year 1884 nt par can do so, upon appli
cation' at tho Colonial Treasury— Ad vt..
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