THE DENOUEMENT OF A GBEAT SCHEME initiated by Hilda Fitzherbert'a grandfather fifty years before, for draining the Molyneux River into the Mataura is perhaps worth quoting, the scheme being one upon which Sir Julius Vogel's mind evidently fastens as something more than a "fitting projeot to be exploited in one of the pages of Jules Terno'a books. The orucial moment had oome. The waters of the Molyneux had been turned into (heir new ohannel, and vast crowds lined the

river banka watohing the gradual subsidence of the stream, Tho passage prooeeda : — ■ The time was approaching when it would be known if there was utter failure, or entire success, or something midway between. It had been arranged that if any conspicuous deposit of Kold became apparent a signal should be'giyen, inresporgj to which all the guns aioug the river banks should bn iired At a quarter p^it one o clock the guns pealed forth, and loud a3 was the noise which thoy made, it seomed trifling corap.red with the cheers whioh ran up and down tho river from both banks from the throats of the oountless thousands of speotators. The announcement of Bucoess occasioned almost delirious joy, for it seemed as if every person iv the vast crowd had an individual interest in the undertaking. The telephone soon announced that at a turn in the river, about seven miles from the Lake, what appeared to be a large pool of fine gold was unoovered. Even as the news became circulated there appeared in the middle of the river, right opposite Lady Taieri's stand, a faint yellow glow beneath the water. Gradually it grew brighter and brighter, until at length to the eyes of l\\: fascinated beholders there appeared a long, irregular fissure of about twenty-five feet in length, by about six or seven in width, whioh appeared to be filled with gold; Some of the company now rushed forward, and, amidst the deafening cheers of the onlookers, dug out into the boxes whioh had been prepared for the purpose shovelsful of gold. Fresh boxes were sent for, but the gold appeared to be inexhaustible. Each box held 5,0000z, and supposing the gold to be nearly pure, fifty boxes would represent the valjie of a million sterling. 