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Grey River Argus, Issue 90, 9 August 1866, Page 2

The New River rash is establishing itself as a first-class diggings, as in almost every claim that has been bottomed gold has been 'struck in payable -quantities. Some of the claims are very much richer than others; and we have heard that in two claims. that were bottomed on Tuesday as much as from 2 to 3 dwts to the tlish was obtained. The lead bfgold runs almost due north and south, .and is believed to. be much more extensive than has been imagined. There are about 1500 persons on the msh, and the township is becoming quite a considerable one. During the year ending August 1; 1860, there have been issued atthe Warden's office, Greymouth, 2000 miners' rights, 500 business licenses, 80 retail spirit licenses, 30 wholesale licenses, and 800 registrations. , The period during which business licenses and miners' rights were issued is not quite a year, and it nuiSt also be remembered that a great many miners' rights and business -licenses used in this district were issued at Hokitika and Teremakau. — . A case of sudden death occurred on Monday evening, at the- Empire Hotel. * A woman, of rather notorious character, known as Mrs Ross, . was sitting" on a form- in the parlor of the hotel, when she slipped off oii» to the floor, and shortly afterwards was discovered to be quite -dead. An inquest was held, before W. H, Esq:, R. M., on Tuesday. William King, landlord of . the Wakatip Hotel,- deposed that he knew the deceased Ctiroline Ross. On. tho evening in question she was^n.'thg Wakatig Hotel, betetween six and seven o'clock, and had two drinks; she remained about -half an hour. •?he did not appear excitcd=' or drunky and he

•did not notice anything unusual in her jjppearance. Patrick Crawford, mauager'of the Empire Hotel, stated that the deceased cajne in to the Empire at about eight o'clock ; whilst she was in the bar, -a mancanie in, and I tpld him to- go into the sitting room # She followed him. I was not there at the time. I returned soon after, and the de. ceased was , then sitting on the ' floor, with her head on the stool. I took do notice at ; that time, but sooir I went to' remove her and found her dead ; this was about twenty minutes or half an hour .after she first flame in ; it was a quarter to nine when I went for- the doctor. During the time that I was in the next room having tea I heard no noise further than the deceased mumbling to herself. I heard no moans. She was quite dead when I touched her, but warm ; I opened her dress, and sprinkled some cold water on her. James Powell, a saddler, residing at the Ahaura, stated that he saw the deceased for the first time at the Empire Hotel, on- the evening in question and was in the room at the back of the bar with her, I noticed nothing particular in her appearance;, she was talking to herself for some time; she was then sitting on a form ; she fell off the form on to. the ground, and lay there while J and the landlord were playing cards. Soon- after the 'landlord went to remove her, 'and found she was dead/ She did not appeal" tp hurt herself, but- slid down quite easily, and did not cpnie in conr tact with anything; she had one drink in my presence ; I considershe was intoxicated. Dr. Jackson, who had been' called in to attend the deceased, stated that .she was, quite dead when he arrived. He had made a post mortem examination, of thg body, and from the congested state of the membranes and vessels of tha brain, he had no doubt of the cause of, death being sanguineous appoplexyr There were no discolorations or indi- . - cations of bodily injury. It was not an unusual thing for persons to die of sanguineous appoplexy without making any struggle. The -jury found a verdict in accordance with the evidence. v . A schooner which has returned to Hokitika from Jackson's Bay brings the report that several parties of miners are at work at Big Bay, getting, coarse gold and making; good wages. - " :.. Watermen intending to ply on the Lagoon, at the Saltwater, must bear iv mind that their licenses for the port of Greymouth do not protect them elsewhere. It is necessary that a business liceiise should be taken out. The neglect of this step brought several boatmen before the Magistrate- the other day, and caused them to;be fined. ■:'■■.'. The West Coast Times of .; yesterday gives a full report .of. the new rush in the Waimea district. The new. diggings are situated nt a- place called Stafford's Hill, about a mile KE. from Stafford Town, oil the Waimea track. The prospectors (Lewis and party) first discovered gold in a blind gully about three months ago,; and have since traced it into the hill by tunnelling, and they v have sunk .a shaft from the "summit and bottomed at. 60 feet with a prospect of 1 d\vt. to the - dish. ; Another party ' have bottomed at '.. a depth of 75, ft., with a foot of washdirt, yielding from four to six grains to! the dish. Gold has been struck in another claim at 55 feet. A party have driven a t«.unel in the side of the hill GO or 70 fee/. -below the summit, and found washdict' that yielded 1 dwi tp.the dish. It is believed the gold .extends right through the hill, it having been struck on opposite sides. " Rumors have been current' in Hokitika that gold in 'payable quantities had been found in the neighborhood "of the Taipo River, and that a rush thither had coin-" menced. Our Hokitika contemporary merely , gives currency to the rumor, and cautions the miners that no definite information is tohand. A similar rumor was circulated some eight months ago, and proved unfounded. We sorry to learn that a good many' diggers are leaving the Little Grey district, in consequence of the excessively high price of provisions there, preventing their making anything but. a bare living. " On the other hand, those who are working in some of the richer gullies are doing pretty well ; but all complain bitterly of the ' high', cost of "tucker." Several, new rushes of more or less importance have recently occurred in the Hokitika district. The West Coast Times, referring to the opening up of some new ground between the Three and Six File Creeks, a short distance from the "Auckland lead,'' says it is only of little account, the prospects not exceeding two" grains to the dish. Six or ■ eight hundred miners had visited the locality, but left it_disappointed. Speaking of the' occasion on which Sullivan g^ve his evidence, the Neteon Examiner says: — "Prom Sullivan's weak state of 1 health, it was supposed that the effort would prove too much for him, but he ascended the witness-box with a light step, and, boldly facing the other prisoners, gave his testimony in a firm, clear voice, without a shadow of nervousness or hesitation being apparent. It is seldom that a witness under any cir cuinstances is found who could evince the possession of so much observation, 1 and such a retentive memory. The prisoners, during" the examination, maintained a firm demeanour r Levy, e_specially,\ scarcely moving a muscle of his face, except when he smiled once at a pqrtion of the evidence. k Burgess's features more than once relaxed into more than a mere smile, when Mr Potter's evidence was given. It will be seen that, on the charge of murdering James Battle, all four prisoners were remanded ; on the charge of murdering the other four men, only Levy, Kelly, and Burgess, "were committed." - An attempt at suicide was frustrated the other day. by the caution of a druggist in Greymouth. A man named William FaggT called at the shop of Mr H. Williams, on Richmond. t Qua.y, and asked for" a quantity, of ' la,udnura. Mr., Williams observing the man to be in an excited ', state gave him blaclidraught in lieu of the poison. The purchaser afterwards went down .to the Victoria Hotel,, drunk off what ho fancied was : poison, vl then fold those near h.hn that

he was done for, as he had taken; ppisom Off course no ill effects followecl Sue dßraght/: bixt the would-be suicide was takeji charge of; by the police, .and on the Jlonday.';. ; waß( charged with' insanity, and remanded for medical examination. He has since been arrested on a charge of attempting to commit suicide, ami is remanded-until 'Monday next.- --" The accused had written two letters, one to his brother and another to his wife stating his intention to destroy himself. " • • The Hokifcika people have been the first; to construct a tramway of any^pretensions, on the West Coast, The Kanieri tramway is v reported to be completed «11 : but the ballastiiig- .• : ' " ' : . •.- ■ . : ;:;7- .. ."-. ;. v, : A narrow escape from wjiat might have been r a sad and fatal accident, 'occurred on .Tuesday afternoon, at' alsout half-past five ' o'clock. Some pbildren, who had been playing about the boats moored near the end.of Bouhdary street, by some , means got .adrift, in one of them, and- but for timely alarm, and prompt rescue, would almost inevitably have^ been carried by the current out to sea.. We would caution parents and others 'against, permitting children to indulge in such a dangorous practice. . . ' m V. . " ' -A very important trial f has just concluded at Hokitika,". involving a question of great commercial interest, .«• The action was .brought by the firm of Alcprn and Co. of' Hokitika and; Greymouiti, f against: Messrs" Langet and Thoneman, ofDunediu and Melbourne, to recover £1000 damages for the non-fulfilment of an order, for goods given. to and accepted by tlie ' 'defendants' .traveller. It appears that the defendants, ; not >feeling v satisfied with the standing of the plaiutiffsr declined to execute the., order* on, the terms, agreed to by their representative,' a,pA tjbe plaintiffs now sued for damages equal' to the difference in the' mzirket value of the gopclg? when purchased, and the ruling price in Hokitika at the time they ought to have been deUvered. The defendants endeavored by their counsel, Sir Rees, to prove that 'they were not bound, by the acts' of" their traveller, but the jury jtopk.- a different vi^y,. •and found a "Verdict awarding' 'the plaintitiV £500 as damages. As the .question at issue is one of importance' ; tb the mercantile community, we publish the Judge's. summing. vp s in anotLer column!' •'; - : - : ;-'':" J ~ '•"' v?