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Grey River Argus, Issue 154, 8 January 1867, Page 2

A boatman named Dick head a narrow escape from drawing on Saturday night. By some means or other he allowed his boat to get under the paddle-wheel of the steam tug Lioness, which immediately swamped it, and threw Dick into the water. One of the floats struck him whilst he was struggling to escape, ljut luckily did not incapacitate him from swimming ashore. The Hospital is quite full of patients, and every day several applicants for admission hays to be refused. Tne demands on the funds of the institution were never greater, and there never was less apparent interest taken in its welfare by the public. The Christinas season has been allowed to pass without anj' effort to revive the finances, although there can be no question that under good management a large sum of money could have been raised. It does not seem to have occurred to the Provincial legislators that the new Goldfields Act necessitates several alterations and amendments in the published rules .and regulations of the West Canterbury Goldfields. As they now remain they are at variance with the Act in several particulars, and calculated to lead miners into errors. It is to be hoped that part of the duties of the Commission, of which so much is expected* will be to frame fresh rules and regulations for the Goldfields. ' On Saturday, at the Resident Magistrate's Court, David Duncan was, on the application of one Mary Ford, bound over to keep the peace. It appeared that the defendant had been assaulting the complainant. Yesterday two informations by the police agaiiist publicans for absenting themselves from their licensed houses were adjourned until Wednesday. John Brown, for being drunk and incapable, was fined the usual penalty. A telegram from Wellington on the Ist instant states that a young daughter of Mr Buchanan, manager of the Union Bank of Australia, was present at the games, and whilst eating some sandwiches was seized with a choking fit and died. The General Government have resolved on commencing the extension of the telegraphic system to Auckland. Tenders for the erection of the wires from Wellington to Napier have already been called for. Complaints have reached us that claims and races on the South Beach have been seriously damaged by the contractor of the Greymouth and Saltwater Tramway Company. We would recommend that the aggrieved parties should represent their grievances to the Directors, or seek their remedy in the Warden's Court. There still exists a good deal of " fogginess" on the subject of the new Stamp Act. It may be useful to remind our readers that receipts for sums under L 5 do not require a stamp, but cheques or. orders for money of whatever amount require a penny stamp. The West Ggxid Times reports that new ground has. 1 been opened up on the Kanieri River, at a point some eight miles above the township of that name, and upon a likelylooking terraoe, which is situated about midway between the Pioneer race and the river. Ono dwt to the dish was obtained out of the prospectors' shaft, and seveial holes since bottomed have proved payable, the shareholders admitting that LI per day is to be made. Nearly two hundred men aye located there, and as the appeayance of the neighborhood is very promising, strong hopes are entertained that something better than, a lucre V patch* lias been, hit upon.

A shark of the ground species was caught off Hokitika the other day by the crew of, the Challenge steamer, ft measured 8 feet in length, and was 5 feet in girth, Owing to the flooded state of the creeks and rivers along the coast, the coach did not start for Hokitika yesterday. On the motion of Mr Bright, the sum of Ll5O has been voted by the Provincial Council towards the establishment of a law library in connection with the Supreme Court at Hokitika. • The company at the Theatre Royal, like some individuals, improve on acquaintance, and we are glad to be able to note the improvement which lias takenplace both in the performances and the audience. On Satur. day night the drama of the Ticket of Leave Man was played to a good house, and was presented in a manner which, considering the limited resources at command, was very creditable. The interest of the plot was maintained throughout, and all the telling points were made the most of. Mr O'Brien and Mr Ryan in the respective characters of Hawkshaw .and the Jew were exceedingly good. Last night the first piece'' was Rory O'More, the character of the hero being exceedingly well played by Mr O'Brien. The other parts were well filled, and the whole performance was deservng of praise. We oan really recommend our theatre-going readers to encourage the company by their presence. A correspondent of the West Coast Tones, writing from' the Kanieri, says :— Great excitement was occasioned by the reputed discovery of a quartz' reef, up the Hokitika, by Wildridge and his mates, which was, however, allayed to a cortain extent by the return, on Christmas Day, of another party of men who left the Kanieri in the same direction a week or two after Wildridge. They deny the existence of payable reefs so far as proved by their own researches, but state there is plenty of alluvial ground that would pay -well, providing it was not so inaccessible. We learn from Christchuruh that James Edward Fitzgerald, Esq., has announced his resignation as member for Christchurch in the House of Representatives, he having accepted the office of Comptroller of Public Revenues under the General Government. This appointment is a jjermanent and non-political one, Dr Hector, the Government Geologist of Zew Zealand, has arrived at the Buller, and may be expected shortly at Greymouth. From our latest files of Christchurch papers we learn that the Hokitika Fire Brigade Ordinance has been passed, as also the Westland Board of Education Bill. The Medical Practitioners Bill has also become law. Somo discussion took place on the Westland Public House Bill, on the question raised by Mr Thomson, that the office of Resident Magistrate on th»'. West Coast, both as to payment and control, should be placed on the same footing as the like offloes in other parts of the colony. It was explained by Mr Stewart that the Provincial Government, although they paid half the salaries, had no control over Resident Magistrates. Mr TLc n son's motion was lost. The only item of mining news contained in the last number of the Wai port Times is as follows : — At the Waimangaroa several have done very well, and a quartz reef two feet in thickness has Jbeen profitably worked, of which we shall have more to say. At the Nakawa, there are some setting in, .and a seam of coal some six feet in thickness has been opened, from which that mineral can be supplied at, it is said, 7s fid per ton. The mine is only some quarter of a mile from the entrance. At the Mohikinui many are doing well, .and the terraces ten miles up have proved payable. A great number are bound for the Karamca, but from there we have no report. Many items of news in our possession we are obliged to withhold. It would appear that the commercial value of the titaniferous sand at Taranaki has been much over-estimated. The Tar anahi Herald of December 22, says : — The Superintendent has written to Dr Abel, Director of Chemical Works at Woolwich Arsenal, for an opinion upon he ir n sand, especially in regard to its probable commercial value, and the likelihood of its working profitably. In reply, a confidential report was receivad from Dr. Abel, of which the following abstract was laid before the Council : —1 . The iron sand could not be profitably exported to England in the raw state, even if there were a demand for titanic iron ores, because ores as good or better of the same class can be procured in great abundance from countries much nearer at hand, and are actually supplied in small quantities by the Norwegian Titanic Iron Company at from 20s to 2os per ton. It is not believed that this company has made any progress in actually working these ores profitably. 2. The titanic steel produced by Mr Mushet has not acquired any special reputation. He does not use New Zealand ore , because he can obtain a superior titanic ore' at less than one-third the cost. 3. The main difficulty to be contended in working the titanic iron sand is the difficult fusibility of the slag ; the state of the mechanical division would require a very special method of operating, but this difficulty might with experience be overcome by dealing with it in the form of slabs or blocks composed of the sand and the materials to be employed in the flux. There have been several prescriptions for preparing these blocks, which have been tried with more or less success upon a small scale. Probably Mr Martin's proposal is as good as any other, but the quantity of fuel specified in his patent is about four times that used in Sweeden for red iron ores containing the same per centage of , iron. 4. An experimental smelting by Mr. Martin's process is shortly to be tried in the presence of Dr Goad, and the result will probably decide whether the company in which Messrs Gilbert, Kerr, and Co., have interested them* selves will be actually formed, 5. Dr Percy has been consulted on the subject, and fully confhms Professor Abel's view as to the itn.-. probability of the New Zealand iron sand. hfin& profitably worked*

;The. new Public House ) Ordinance for Westlarid, which has been brought in by .the Government, is simply a short one; -to supply an omission in the last Act. with regard to giving Magistrates power to inflict fines for drunkenness, On the 26th instant, Mr Barff moved in the Provincial Council- "That a respectful address be presented to his Honor the Superintendent, requesting him to place on the. estimates the aum of LIOOO for the equipment of prospecting parties in Westland." It was a most necessary measure if the country was to be thoroughly prospected and its resources tested, as private means were inadequate for the purpose. After some hesitation, and no one appearing to second the motion, Mr Bright, amidst laughter, seconded it pro forma. Mr Whall opposed the motion, on the ground that the cutting of tracks was a greater necessity than the subsidising of prospecting parties. The. Provincial Secretary agreed with the lion, member who had last spoken. When the estimates for the goldfields were brought down hon. members would find that that the objection mentioned by the. lion, member for Grcymcmth (Mr Whall) was not lost sight of, Mr Wyldo objeated . to the motion, as he coiTsiderecrihe matter ought to be left to private enterprise,. If it was carried, the House would have claims coming hi upon them for subsidies for discovering good patches of Land in Eastland. Aftev some remarks from Messrs White 'and Dixon against the motion, Mr Hawkes said lie should most decidedly vote agoinst it, be-' cause he always found that whenever money ; was granted by the Government for prospecting purposes it was always frittered away, .^HlLnogood ever oame of it. After some remarks from Mr Barff in reply, the motion was put and lost on the voices. In the Provincial Council on the 26th instant, Mr Barff asked the Provincial Solicitor If the Government intend to take any steps to declare any parts of Westland to be districts under the Vaccination Aot, 1866, and to appoint certain places where vaccination may be performed. The Provincial Solicitor replied that under the Act alluded to the Government had not the power to do so. He might add, however, that the Government would represent the matter to the General Government, in order that at next session of the General Assembly a measure might be introduced for the purpose mentioned. A report from Mr Gill, the gentleman in charge of the gold prospecting party in the Province of Taranaki, of his search up to the 10th instant shows that up to that time no traces had been found of the auriferous metal. Within a. few minutes' walk from Blenheim, says the Express, at this moment, may be seen a most magnificent sight. At Mr C. Redwood's homestead at Riverlands, we yesterday noticed a field, one mile and a half in extent, of the finest wheat which has ever oome undor our observation. It is fast approaching maturity, and the yield is expect cl to be upwards of 10,000 bushels. Mr Redwood's crop, last year, w«s GOOO bushels. Not long ago the West Coast Times published an account of the discovery of a quartz reef, and stated that the stone was estimated to yield 50ozs. per ton. The Evening Star now says :— " We are requested byWildridge and party to say that the statement which has been made that the reef discovered by them is estimated to yield SOozs. per ton, is not the estimate made by them". The specimens which they brought and showed Mere the very best they could find on the reef, and in no case would any of. those specimens exhibited show such an average. The party think it right to make this statement, so that the* public may not. be misled. The party returned to town for the purpose of procuring appliances to enable them to thoroughly satisfy themselves as to the value of the reef, and they advise no one to visit the country upon the strength of any reports, no matter how such reports may be presented. We are indebted to the Hokitika Evening Star for copies of the Warden's reports, published below :— , € Mr Warden Price, writing from Okarita, reports— 'Since my last report the population has considerably decreased, the attraction being still the Pakihi and Fox's River. When I mention that some have left claims yielding as much as LrlO per. man per week, there is no accounting for the infatuation which seizes miners to follow a new rush however uncertain its result ; until, therefore the present excitement is over, I expect things in the district will remain in a very stagnant condition. In the .course of cutting the tracks, a small lake has been discovered by the surveyor at the back of the five-mile beach, close to the five-mile creek. It is a mile and a half in length, half a mile in breadth, situated in the ranges, about three miles from the beach, and 150 feet above the level of tile sea! It will be of great service for sluicing purposes, as I understand that a race can be constructed without any difficulty. Intending in a day or two to visit the locality, I shall, when I next write, be in a better position to report on it. Estimated population, 655.' From the Waiinea, Mr Warden Keogh reports — 'On the sth instant was formally opened the Great Western water race, the first portion of Fox's being completed. So far as it has gone it is a fine piece of work. I have yet hopes of the Arahura lead proving' remunerative. This lead has been struck and traced in various places, from the Arahura almost to the Tere"makau, exactly following the first survey line, but the quantity of water to be con--1 tended withjias. /generally speaking, deterred or baffled mjlfiu f he attempt. This difficulty I ,ex.pect to overcome by promising in two or i&hree'x instances extended claims at differei&EC* ri^ $0 encourage parties to invest time aijfflßßo, l ' m preliminary operations. The exciteifmßP produced by the new Nelson diggings nwreonsiderably diminished our populationfflSßE|? nave heard of no good claiiri k e ™3fflffi|| (^' 1 as fref l ueutl y occurs under similaif|raf^ stances - X Estimated popitfa-

A motion nn -favor of granting sums of money ;to religious bodies in Westland was lost hi the Provincial Council. Mr Barff moved — "That a respectful address be presented to his Honor the Superintendent, praying that the sum of LIOOO be placed upon the estimates for the erection of places of worship in Westlahd ; such sum "to apportioned as follows:— To the Church of England, L 25 0; Catholic Church L 250 j Wesleyaii Church, L 250 ; and Presbyterians^^^ I L 250." He brought forward the motion :be-p(^ cause be found that large sums had beeh*~~~~ placed on the estimates fora similar, purpose in Eastland, and he though that a small sum such as that contained in the motion, if properly laid out, would be productive of much benefit, especially when they considered that every church in Westland was in debt. Mr Hoos opposed the. motion,, both because there was no mention of the localities to receive these sums, and also as it would he establishing a xireoedent which would not be proper toallow. Mr Wylde supported the motion on the ground of consistency. Mr Maude opposed the motion, fle did not see where they were to draw the line at which those grants if once made were to stop. It would, moreover, be doing injustice to those other denominations not included in the motion; After some remarks from Messrs Whall, Bright, Cassius, and Thomsom, against the motion, the House divided with the following result : Ayes, 7 ; noes, 29, The motion was therefore lost. Our Dunedin correspondent, in his last letter, mentioned that there had been something of a " scene " in the Otago Provincial Council, during the debate on the subject of appointing an Immigration Agent in Britain. The House was cleared of strangers, so that , no report of the proceedings appears in the [papers. We learn, however, that there waa * j a regular raw in the house, the personalities jindulged in being of a very strong character. It appears that the House, having affirmed t;he desirability of appointing an agent of th# Province in Britain, the/ nomination and election of candidates for that office was pro. weeded with, and' resulted in Mr James Mac andrew getting the majority of votes. This so incensed some of Mr Macandrew's political and personal foes, that Major Richardson said in committee that he would resign his Speakersliip rather than put the question to the House. A vast amount of vituperation was heaped on the devoted head of Mr Macaridrew, who was absent on the occasion, and ultimately the business was brought to a conclusion by the withdrawal of the proposal by the Government. . A correspondent writing from the Buller on the 26th December sa3 r s ;— On Mondsy a. party of diggers came into town from the Upper Buller, with a parcel of 100 ozs. of gold, which they sold to one of the Banks.* The prospeots of the diggers up country are, as far as I can judge fronveonversation with several miners, very encouraging. There ara not as yet many men at work there, but it is invariably a good sign when you hear of little or no grumbling at the quality of the. ground, and such is the case with the lip-v country diggings here. Good accounts aro" constantly comiug to hand from the Mokw hinui. By far the largest portion of the."-' 1200 ozs., shipped by the Bank of New Zea-f^^ land for Greymouth, on Monday last/waa*Pf purchased from miners from that district. '* Great., confidence in the stability of this place is felt by all the business people, and large importations of goods are frequently made, Messrs Hammond .and Davies, one of our leading firms, importing direct from Mel v bourne.