Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 168, 9 February 1867, Page 2

The report that payable gold had been stmck not more than about one hundred - yards to the rear of the Saltwater township led to a rush on Thursday, arid in a very short time 500 or 000 men were on the ground. The sinking being easy and; shallow, more than.a hundred holes were speedily bottomed but iv no case was more than the color obtained. It would appear that the prospectors h«'yl y struck a small patch, We are requested on behalf of the Hospital Committee to acknowledge the receipt of LIG 6s, collected by Mr Molloy, storekeeper. Notown. We should like to see" Mr Molloy? s example followed by other up,-country storekeepers. . We learn that a number of men Tire stiU testing the ground lately rushed and duffered behind the Nelson Store, being satisfied that the gold is not far off. It is probkble that our suggestion-relative to the use ■ of boring apparatus.wili be; carried into effect. ; ;; Last evening. the company at; the, Union Theatre performed the popular drama of Eob Pioy to a full house. The casi was a good one, Mrs Poole taking the part of Helen Macgre^or, and Miss, Cooper that of Diana Vernon. Mr Burford played /Bob'-B'by, MiRyan appeared as Rashleigh, und Mrs Ryan as. Francis Osbaldiston. Mr O'Brien was the Bailie. The piece was well acted throughout, and dcservedthe.many tokens of approbation •■ which the audience volunteered: Wo can but regard' the class of performances now beiug produced at the; Union; Theatre, as a real revival of legitimate acting, and we trust the enterprising proprietor will be encouraged by the hearty support of the public to continue his efforts; to provide, nrst-class dramatic performances. We are credibly informed that emissaries of the Fenian organisation are at present on the West Coast collecting funds, and that large sums.have been subscribed by the Irish miners. We are assured also that there is an agency in Hokitika through which channel men willing to serve in the Fenian '' army" are sent passage free to Ireland via Melbourne, The'TFea/ Coast Times ol Thursday devotes a leading article to the subject Of the coal reserve on the Canterbury side of the river Grey. After-explaining what took place in the Council with regard toleasing the reserve, our contemporary goes onto say s—lt would be iii tlie highest degree satisfactory to see this coalfield worked, because its working would involve the investment, in a permanent enterprise, of a large oapital; the ere« ploynent of a large body of worlunen ; the creation of facilities for throwing the mi.terial into the market both for local consumption and for exportation, at a price so low as to enable it. to compete successfully with other colonial sources of supply. It would increase ithe profits of our shijpping trade hy furiiishing vessels with out'eargoes. And—wha^wpuld^'be' as: beneficial as any

other result— it would add to the permanent capital interest established in the district, We have no doubt that a bill to lease this coal reserve to a company, based upon cev-\ tain eqiutablo conditions, will meet \vdth the acquiesencc of the Council at its dext sitting. Of what character ought these conditions to be? Amongst them there should be a provision that the lease is not to become operative until a certain specified capital has been bwia Jide subscribed ; that the equitable claims of any original shareholders being satisfied by an allotment to them of certain preferential shares in consideration of the preliminary expenses incurred by them, the general share list shall be thrown open— a fixed number of shares being reserved for •Westland investors ; that the company should be bound to commence operations, and expend a certain amount of capital within a certain period, imder penalty of their forfeit, ture of all rights accruing under the lease ; that a royalty should be charged upon every ton of coal leaving the mines j and that the pre-emptive rights of the company should be defined. By the adoption of these conditions it appears to us. that all interests would be protected, and a sufficient inducement given for the investment of capital in the development of what is admittedly an ' enormous field of wealth. Yesterday .. Mr Commissioner Kynnersley, E.M., held his first Court under the extended jurisdiction. Sevt ral cases werp disposed of, a report of winch will appear in our next issue. The Lytidtoy, Tiyies saj's .WWe understand that Mr Ward has forwarded his resignation as member of tho House of ; Representatives to. the proper quarter. We believd that Mr Ward Avill start shortly for Melbourne to attend the postal conference there. He will return to Canterbury probably about tlie end of March and take passage for England by the April Panama strainer. - We gather a few later items of Dunedin news from the Oamani Times of Saturday last j— A Mr James Cunningham is to coutest the election for the Wakari District with Mr Driver. For Dunedin, the Daily Time ß states that there are "rumors that two or three of the seven late candidates will not again Offer themselves, and Mr J Turner is pretty confidently mentioned as one of the . new aspirants." Mr Main is to be a candidate for Manuherika ; the late representative Mr Macpherson will not como forward. Messrs Dick and M'acawlrew are now fairly in the field for the Siiperintendcncy. There is a i'umor of Major Riclwdson not being unwilling to come forward for the representation of Lawrence. The- late members, Mr Ilrown and Mr Grove, of Wetherstones, it is said, will contest the election." " A rumor was current in town yesterday afternoon that there were inducements for a 1 rush up the Ahnura river, where a-number of parties are said to have been working successfully for som q time past. " We have made careful enquiries concerning the matter, and are justified iv stating that although, payable., gold has been found by detached parties at various places up the Ahaura, nothing suffi-. cient tqxause or warrant a ruslvhas beendiscovered. There is little %.übb that the district is -well worth the attention of the prospectors, but no ground has been opeued that offers inducement for an indiscriminate rush of miners. • . . & : Tho Haast River rush is drawing large numbers of miners from Hokitika. The We&( Coast Times of Thursday says :~ -A very ; large number of persons left town yesterday J;y the Kennedy aud the Alhambra for' the new rush at the Haast. The former steamer took alone about a hundred, and the latter upwards of four hundred passengers. The :• -wharf p csented a very animated scene. The passengers for the Alhambra were taken out by the river steamer. Yarra, which-accom-panies her on her trip. Altogether theremust be some fifteen hundred, persons now on the ground, including those who will be landed this morning, and we fear it will be found that the rush has already been ove:-, done. By the .Kennedy, yesterday, . our special.mining reporter left to make a thorough examination/of the ground, and in the course of a day or t\yo we shall be able to piiblish . his communication, which we feel justified in saying will be conscientiously truthful. The movement that ."vyas initiated, some time ago with reference to the formation of a ; Fire Brigade appears to have died of inanition. A great fuss; was made at first, aud the Government was solicited for a site for the engine-house, and a subsidy, but the fact remains that a fire might at any time occur iv the town, and no steps could be adopted /to extinguish it, except the spasmodic attempts that are ordiuary on such occasions. We do : not know who are responsible for the great -neglect that has prevailed in this matter, but we have an indistinct remembrance that the Improvement Committee assumed the direction of affairs. It is high time, that the/ inhabitants should bestir themselves and no longer rest oont(siited under the risks; which they now mm of losing their property. V ' We take the following from the. Qkdrita Times of Saturday last :—T he addition to our population, wliioh,; during; the last mouth, could not have been less thaiv 200, has giveii our ■ beaches a more animated appearance. An extended claim^has been taken up on tho North Beach, opposite the township, and when infull work the shareholders are cdnfident of making from L 5 to L 6 per week.. Sinoe this claim was taken up, abouttwenty others have gone across to the same neighborhood, but they cannot be-said .to have set in at any particular "spot, as they are . generally prospecting about, tryiug variousplaces but will likely ere long settle down. At the Five Mile, there arc estimated to.be about 250 ininers, many who have been steadily at work ever since that beach was opened, but a great proportion are either new faces, or iueu who had^ left the Five Mile foj the Northern rushes have again, returned.- . They are mostly working in the old ground, there not being much new ground ayailable on that beach. There are said to be foiirteeii men ; but prospectiug behind the Five Mile. Two parties arc siuking;by the side of a made ter-

race, which opens out into an extensive flat, about five miles up the newtracl;, but have not yet bottomed. Scanlan and partjv on the one side of the terrace,, are down about thirty feet ; while' Walker and party, o« the other side, are down twenty -three fest. The former party are now sinking through some hard boulders, but they aveiiot troubled with water, At Gillespie's there are about 100 men at work, the majority doing well; and if a nother race were brought in it would greatly increase the confidence in the place, One party who have a race are said to be making two or three ounces per 'week per man ; the stripping being from one to one and a half feet. A prospecting shaft is being sunk at the south end of the beach, but is not yet bottomed. At the Lake, Macdonald and party have moved from the oreek where they were previoiisly at work, to a flat about seven miles further inland, and are meeting with better success than they have hitherto done.; Three or four miners arrived in Okarita from Bruce Bay on Wednesday last. They report that district as very dull, and that several. men had come up "Overland, from the Haast to Bruce Bay, not having met with the success at the former place which they anticipated. The present V protectivo" tariff of : Victoria operates rather seriously on the coal trade of^this port. The Grey coal has a good reputation in Victoria,- especially for gas making" purposes, but the duty of one shilling per ton now levied on all imported coal operates as a serious obstacle to the extension of the trade. In the face of the competition of the New South Wales coal (which, we understand, is admitted duty free) there ia hardly an appreciable margin of profit on the exportation of coal from this pprfc. When the Nelson Goal Company gefe]i|feir3^&yay . completed the duty will not lje^o^|i^|tjsi.a matter, and the Company are sati^eyi^hey will be able even in the face o^'a'pimectiive tariff to compete successfully, with . ; the tralian producers of coal;i.iv<^ -V ;^ ■ The folloSving informatioh^a /'published rer lative to the Post Office Savings' Banks that have been, opened at the Post Offices at Wellington, Auckland, Dunedin, Chiistchurch and Hokitika :— 1; Interest at the rate. of five, per cent, per annum is given on sums less than'L2oo ; at the rate of. four per cent, per annum on sums over LS()0 ; and in the same proportions far any shorter time on every complete LI deposited, provided that no" interest be allowed on more than LSOO. 2 Depositors in the Post Office Savings' Bank have direct Government security for the prompt repayment of the money. 3 A depositor in any one of the Post Office Savings' Banks can continue his deposits at any of such Banks, and can withdraw his lnoiiey at that Post Office Bank which is most convenient to him. 4 The strictest secrecyis I observed with respect to the names of deposi-. tors in Post' Office Baiiks, and tlie amount of their deposits. Married women may deposit money in the Post Office Savings' Bank, and money :-.-so /deposited will be /repaid to the depositor, nniess her husband gives notice," in M'liUng, of inariiage, and clain\3 payment ; of . the deposits. 6 Money may be deposited by or oh 'behalf of miuoi's. Depositora over seven years of age are treated as persons of full age, but minors under, seven years ; of age cannot withdraw their deposits until after they have reached the age <>f seven.. 7 Applications to. the Chief Office in each Province on the business of Post Office Savings' Banks and the replies sent thereto, are free from charge for postage. . . /...,... ■■-.-..■ , It is meuti(«ied in the Melbourne papers that the appointment of District Judge fur VVestland has been conferred upon Mr Edward Clarke, formerly Assistant 'Crown Prosecutor in Melbourne. Whilst we are' bound to suppose that Mr Clarke is in every respect a fitting person for the office, we cannot help thinkiug it unwise of the Government to shut out. the profession in New Zealand from offices of this kind. We are quite sure that a suitable Judge could have . been selected from the ranks of the profession in this' colony, and it seems to us to convey a tacit slur on . the New ' Zealand lawyers that we should have to go to a neighboring colony for our judges. Our authority f6r: the statement of Mr Clarke's appoiritiucnt is the Melbourne Age, which also states, that MrCLorke formerly filled the position of - County' Court Judge in ;Ehgland. ; A notice in the New Zealand Gazette re r cords the Registration of the "ifoyal Westland Insurance X'ompany (unh'mited). " Tlie following is -the /text of the notification .— . " I,. John Bdwroii, Registrar of Joint f Stock Companies for the. Province of Canterbury, do hereby notify that 1. have registered a memorandum of association, with aVticlies of association, establishing a company with unlimited liability of the shareholdera therein, entitled, * The Royal Wesiiaiid insurauce Company (unlimited), ' the objects 6f whicli are the ihsurance .'; of goods and property against Iqss ,. by tire, and ijblie doing of such other things as are incidental or conducive to the attainments of the above objects. And that in pursuance of the ' Jhint Stock Com-, pany Acti ]lß6o,'- J/haveissued a certificate of incorporation oE the said Company, bearing date the severiteentH day of January, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven. ■George Bowroh, Registrar of Joint Stock Companies." In refereuce to the above, we cannot avoid coirimentiug upon the extraordinary omission that is made in the'announcements of the company, wth regard to its directors. It is most unusual for a company to solicit public confidence in such affairs as insurance without affording some hiformation as to the managemerit of the. company, Without ven^riugtcreffect upon fche statiis or legitimacy of the company referred to,, we must say tbat the.public haye a right to fulL information as to whom they ate golicited-t'o entrust their confidence, : " '■ f Friday last /was the twenty-ofifth anniversary of the settlenient of the Provibce of Nelsonj^ and was celebrated .'with^festivity at Nelson^. There was' a public procession, ancl a banquet, at which aU the leading m^ii of. the city^ were present ; :in the evening there was a graiiil display of fireworks. T^ie folr lowiii" short notice of the foundation of the^'

settlement is given by the'2\^fca» Examiner : 1 -On the^ Ist of February, 1542, ship 1 Fif esbire, , with 144 immigrants on board I p-nphored in what is now known as the road-/ &tearf, aiul on the day following the ye>sel- : ' entered tho harbor. On the 9th February, .. the Mary Ann arrived with 173 ihimigrants, aud on the 27th, the Lord Aucklaiid; with^ r 121 immigrants.'.- These- three had- ■; exiled from the Downs in company early in ,/ the preeeedhig October; and had. proceeded /;■■ to Wellington to learjlr where: the sitejof : :'*C Nelson had been fixed, the selection. having^ been left to Captain Arthur Wakefield, whole ' - ; party, consisting of seventy -four surveyors aid laborers of various kinds, left England W oa the 27th April preceeding, in two vessels. \"l the Will Watoh and Whitby.aiid who, after . also/calling at Wellington, reached Blind ,-;/',^ Bay early in November. On the 15thi;pf^#^ February, the ship Lloyds with the/ wives; ; -/i and families of the "preliminary meu," as ; the party were called, who had accompanied S. Captain Wakefield, also arrived here,, so that .' the end of .-February saw 696 immigrants / landed on our shoresj besides" about 100 cabin passengers who had a'ceompanied them to plant a new home in a new world. Other • ! emigrant vessels foUowedin qviicksuccessi^a/ /;4 at the rate, for some tinie^ of onei^;^ month, and by the end of the ye^lß^;thia ; ; gjttleinent of Nelson, which had plreviously been untrodden by any Ewrapeiin],- had', -a .population approaching 3,000 souls;;