THE Grey River Argus. THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 1867.

Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 158, 17 January 1867, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 1867.

The Bank of New South Wales have established an agency at the Buller, under the temporary charge of Mr Yates, Goldfields Inspector. In his charge to the Grand Jury at the opening of the Supreme Court session at Hokitika, his Honor Mr Justice Gresson stated that it hail been arranged for three sessions of the Court to be held annually on the West Coast. We are happy to ]oavu that one district at least has, come forward and contributed to the present pecuniary requirements of the Grey ltiver Hospital. Mp D, Boosnan of Nelson Creek has, in a inpst praiseworthy niamier, exerted Jiimself in collecting at his stores the sum of LlB 19s, principally contributed by the miners themselves. Mr Boosnan asserts that were a proper system of canvassing the various districts commenced considerable sums would be collected. Thu names of the various subscribers will be found in another column, anil we have been authorised by the Acting-Secretary, of the Hospital to acknowledge the same on behalf of the Committee, with thanks. We are glad to he able to state that his Excellency the Governor will inelwlo Greymouth in his visit to Westland. A telegram was sent to Mr Whall, M.P.C., on Tuesday, and a reply was received to the effect that Sir George Grey was to reach Hokitika on Tuesday anil would afterwards come to Greymouth. His Excellency may therefore , be expeeteil here on Thursday, but before that day the precise day of his arrival will be ascertained. A meeting of the leading inhabitants will be held at S o'clock this evening at Kilgnur's Union Hotel for the purpose of initialing the arrangen.ents for according his Excellency a suitable reception as Her Majesty's representative. We trust that the people of Greymonth-Avho have always shown themselves oublic spirited on other occasions will heartily lend -their assistance towards giving Sir George Grey arcception worthy cf himself and of the town. We hare' not room for a report of the case tried at the Supreme Court, Hokitika, on Tuesday. We take the following summary of the proceedings from the Went Const Times : — The Supremo Court was crowded yesterday- by a brilliant assemblage to witness and take part in the inaugural ceremony attending the opening of the third Criminal Sessions .held in Westland. The Bar was fully represented, and many ladies elegantly attiroil graced the occasion with their presence, and formed a pleasing clement which the preceding sittings were certainly devoid of. His Honor Mr JusticeGressoji, ushered in by the Sheriff (G. sT^aleT^sq!) took his seat at 11 o'clock precisely, and after the usual proclamation by the crior, the Grand Jury were sworn in, and the Judge delivered his charge. The Grand Jury then retired, and several indictments were submitted, to them. In the course of the day true bills were returned against Joseph Cox, for robbery from the person with violence ; James M' Gee attempt at highway robbery ; Samuel Symms, obtaining money under false pretences ; Win. Booths, obtaining money by means of a valueless cheque ; Louis Bolland alias Bouicauil, on two charges of uttering bank notes, knowing them to be forged j John Donovan;' larceny from the yerson ; James Browne, larceny from a dwelling; James Moriarty, two charges of burglary and larceny from a dwelling. The Grand Jury found no true bill in the case of Ebenezer Lush, for larceny ; Dennis Del acy, for assault, with intent to commit a rape ; and Joseph Browne, for larceny of a golil locket, and in eaeji case. the prisoners were discharged. Two cases were disposed of. the one against' Frederick! Deckmanh, for assaulting and robbing James' Johnston, for which offences ho was ,gen» tenccd to two year's imprisonment, withhard labor ; the other against Samuel; Symms, for obtaining money undoy. fa}se pre-] tences, and in which case the jury roturriedj a verdict of not giiilty. ' Thq Courfc then] adjourned. '

; The arrival of Mr 'Hitchens, who ranks as the second, billiard player in. great Britain, is ■ nbticed;by the :^ff.lbourne Avyus. He beatDufton^u the;last ma^ch played by them,;' and in the two ln-st contests with the champion Roberts (who gave him .350 each time),, he lost pnee, winning thp other by twentythree points. Roberts has a very high opin- . ion of the qualifications of Hitching, who when a| home offered to play any man for a , ; wager of LSOO asj.de, b<>miig pf coiirse the champion. It is <inticjp.-4ed thab his first: match in the colony will take place at the j Albion Hotel, Btnuke-street, his opponent being Mr Burgin. It is the intention of Mr : Hitchens to settle in the colonies. We take the following from the Brute. Herald of Thursday : — A few weeks ago we; stated that a man while digging a race on i the side of the Lake opposite to Waihola, had been successful in washing out a very fine sampjo. of gold. We have again to mention that we have seen another sample of nuggety gold from the same place ; and judg ing from its appearance, we are justified in inferring that ver y payable ground cannot i be very far distant from the locality.; The Daily Tbnes says : -^ We weigshown the gold last evening by Mr Mackay of the Bruce Herald. It is a good rough gold, one piece slightly mixed with quartz, weighing about half an ounce, and several others being about as large as beans. A large quantity of provisions, including three tons of ilonr, was purchased in Auckland lately, and sent to the Thames by relations of William Thompson, for- the purpose of feasting the large numbers who were expected to assemble from all quarters to weep over his remains ov his grave. W§ may state as a curious fact that the goods were purchased, and the vessel despatched, before Thompson died, and several days before his death was known tp the natives who purchased the provisions. A melancholy instance of the effects of ex.cessive dyinking, says the -Went Coast Times, took plaoe at Ross a few days' ago. A miner, named Henry Thomas, had during the Christmas holidays been indulging so freely in the debauchery tlmt is so common at such a time on a goldlield that his mind became affected. On Monday, the 7th instant, his mate left him alone in theh> tent, and was gone but a few minutes, when Thomas's dog followed, and commenced a series of such strange demonstrations that induced him to return to the tent, where to his horror he found his friend coolly sawing away at hi s throat with a common blunt table knife. Before the poor fellow's suicidal course could be arrested he had inflicteil such severe injuries that inflamation of the lungs ensued by reason of extravasation of blood, and he : died on Ji'ridsiy evening last at 10 o'clock. We take the following from the Hokitika Evening Star of the 14th instant : — A report reached town to-day that traces of the mineral black lead, oi plumbago, had been discovered in the ranges at the back of the Waimea. Tins substance is known to exist in various parts of the colony, although the mineral is not found in so pure a state asth.it obtained from the Cumberland mines in England. We trust that we shall be able to lay fuller particulars before our readers in a future issue.