Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 170, 14 February 1867, Page 2

TV We. are glad to learn that the needful steps, are now being taken for the furtherance of | the forthcoming Greymputh Races, Mr P. D. Hamilton. haying returned f rom Christchurch, and being already actively engaged- in seloctiug,thc best possible spot both for horses to run upon and for the public to enjoy the sport. A meeting of- the stewards, is to be held; at eight, o.'cloek this, evening, at Kilgour's Union Hotels to adopt a liberal: progranimej' which Ayill appear in our columns on Saturday.' ..-■-. . ' .... ; ' / An adjourned meeting of the Ancient Order of Foresters will take place to-morrow , evening, at the United States Hotel, on important business. . ' V^e would remind the public that the adjourued meeting/ "if Q5 the purpose of receiving the reports of the improvement Committee, and nominating new members, is appointed to be held thi3 evening in the Religious L - stitutiin Rooms, Gresson street." We trust the inhabitants will show, their interest in the concerns of the town by a laji'ge attendance.;;.--" ..(;■ _■■■■■ .'■■■ -■■■ ■ ■ ':. ••'■;■■• ■'■ ■'■;'■■ '-' ; That the miner's iv the Grey district have . up necessity to leave their own neighborhood to find rich fields of labor Avas sutficiently proved the other day during the hearing of a milling dispute in the Wardens' Court at Gobden. The parties to the action are working near a place known as Canoe Creek riot far from the Seventeen-mile Beach. SWie plaintiffs, Gerard and party sued Lawlor- and party for' damages sustained through' the defendants haviug encroached on their grdtiiud. The claims are worked by drives, and the defendants were atllegod to have deprived the plaintiffs of a cunsidcrabje quantity of. waiih

dirt. The richness of this wash dirfc may bo gathered from the fact that the plaintiffs swore to a prospect of sdwts Sgra to the dish ill one drive, which pi'ospcet was produced in . Court. Another prospect had reached as high as three-quarters of an ounce to the tin dish, The depth of wash dirfc yielding these high returns was stated to be two feet, and it was al3o mentioned that above the wasl^dirt proper a few grains to the dish could be obtained. The Warden's decision was that each party should nominate assessors who should also choose an umpire, and that the damages agreed to should be.paid by the defendants, In tins ease Mr Tyler appeared for the plaintiffs and Mr O'Loughlin for the deFence. A jumping case from the same neighborhood was heard at the same time, the parties to which confirmed the statements alluded to concerning the value of the ground. The West Coast Time* publishes its correspondence from the Hartst, River, but we can gather little- further information than that previously made public. . The special reporter of our Hokitika contemporary gives the following conclusive opinion as to the rush, which it now appears has been in cveiy sense a most uncalled-for one ;— " It, howeve' 1 , cannot be denied that the place i 3 fearfully overrushed, as the ground ia hand will not employ a greater number than one hundred and fifty men." For the first time Greymouth has been visited by a ciruus company, ■ whose performancpshavebeen nightly attended by numerous and delighted audiences. The company com. prises several first-class arth-tsam equestrianism and athletics, and boasts, in addition, of Mr Cooke, the celebrated Shakespearian clown and joster. The various feats of horsemanship and tumbling are really excellent, whilst the witicisms of the.olownare irre-, sistible. We can • Ijeartily recommend the public to patronise the company, and can -guarantee them a night's fun and amusement. The celebrated little pony Tom Thumb will be recognised as an old acquaintance by many; and it ha 3 lost none ofits amusing tricks and cleverness. The stud is a superior one, and the whole entertain ntent is worthy of the patronage of the public. The Westport Times says :— On the Waimaugaroa the chief hopes of the Buller are at present centred, and we are happy to say that there are some real substantial reasons for the confidence. A l>arty containing amongst others the discoverer of the Darkies' ■Terrace, in the G rey district, set in there about a fortnight ago, and have already struck good gold. So encouraging is the prospect that on Saturday last they came in, and on their return took up. a load of tucker asid touls, including a Califprniau pump made by Orumpton. They are very sanguine of great success, though the work to be undertaken is very heavy. The gold is heavy and coarse, and should the, expectations at present indulged iv by the prospectors be realized, a first-class payable terrace will be opened that will support a large number of miners. At the same time, nothing but hard work will do here and complete muling appliances ivill be requisite. Near the Waimangaroa there are some pakihia very similar in appearance to the celebrated southern ones, .and practical miners have every confidence in their proving highly auriferous. This is a question that the prospecting coinnjittee might with advantage set at rest. At the end of this week we shall despatch a special reporter to this part of the district, and a.s at that time some work, will have been fairly begun, we shall be iv a position to give the details' to our readers. Whatever we state the public may rely upon being absolutely true, without coloring of any kind. Another of the Maori community iv Greymoufch died on Monday— a woman named Taraphui, but better known by the sybriquefc of " Sugar." She died. of dyseufcry, her/death being accelerated by, if not entirely due tb, her persistent refusal to take the medicine prescribed by her medical attendant,' and her insisting on drinking large quantities of water in wjiich cabbages had been boiled. She was buried yesterday. Iv his letter to the Wed Coast Times, the Haast River correspondent of that journal says.:— "l recognised in Duffy and Warren acquaintances of ptiher: days, and. ■■ as. they have been working between Bruce and Jackson's Bays during the past twelvemonths,. I obtained valuable information from them concerning that comparatively unknown section of the West Coast Attracted, southwards by the Okarita rush, they afterwards pushed on to. Bruce. Bay, eventually taking ship for Jackson's Bay, where .they pros-pected-the country north and south, but found nothing payable, although their ressarches extended to Big Bay, forty miles farther, south. According to. their, account there are no beaches.sputhof Jackson's Bay. •the: coast. being bordered by high ranges, and many bluffs. A little gold. was. obtained in that direction, but no ground discovered that would pay more than L 2 per man weekly. Duffy and his mate then made for ..the Haast River, where they at last succeeded in striking gold on a low terrace, about two miles, north of the entrance. This was worked for some time, but becoming dissatisfied with the returns, the two" nomads" started on a prospecting expedition, and com-' menced with a strip of country between the Haast jind Okari Rivers, where they discovered gold, and thus : indirectly caused the late rush." : , As " a ■ satisfactory sign of the times, the full employment of the various steamers engaged in the trade between this port and the northern diggings is not the least, A steady and increasing trade is. some evidence of prosperity, ■ ■■<■ ; .':'■"■'■■. : : ' ' The following petition to his Excellency the Governor is being numerously and in* fluentially signed in Dunedin :--" To his Excellency Sir George Grey, K.G.8., Governor of the Colony of New Zealand^Tke/ Petition of the undersigned Inhabitants of- .! Duhedin— Humbly Sheweth— l. That ttis North an*! Middle Inlands of New Zealand, ' being separated by Cook's Straits, , are essou- . tially distinot; 2. That in consequence of the large native population on the North Island, tho legislation for that Island requires

to be of a different character from that which is suitable for the Middle : lsland, 3. . Tfaa* the late Maori war, which was confined entirely to the North .Island,' has cost 'the' whole Colony of^ Ne,w Zealand a large sum of money. 4. That, while willing to pay the..' proportion of the debt which'. lias been in- '. curred by the Colony to carry on tho war, j yoijr petitioners are of opinion that all future' legislation and all further action with regard to the native population shouM be left entirely .to the inhabitants of the North Island, and also that liabilities arising from such action should be chargeable only against the North Island. 5, Your petitioners therefore pray that, in order to accomplish this, your Excellency wjll be pleased to use your endeavors to effect a seperation of the two Islands as regards their Governments ; just and equitable arrangements being made as to all past liabilities, , And your petitioners wi.l ever pray." The petition was originated by Mr William Hay ami Mr Ure, aud, by tlfcir exertions,, fully fifteen hundred signatures were obtained during Tuesday. It is stated that thp value of stamps issued at Wellington to the end of January was over L 3.0,000,. 0,000, with orders still arriving, • Late Taranakj dates report the Waikato rebels having gone home, stud Native news generally as cheering, The fqllowfiig items of Dunedin news appeared as a telegram in the fjyttelton Times of the sth inst :— " Mr Maeandrew addressed a crowded audience at the Princess's Theatre on Saturday. In the course of his speech,, which at intervals was cheered very enthtu siastically. he emphatically denied the charges .against him, and stigmatised the action of I his opponents which caused his dismissal and disgrace as a diabolical conspiracy emanating from self-serving iatersaf • . During his remarks, when opportunity offered, groans for the Daily 'Time* '-.and . Evenmy HUir- were called for and freely given. It is rumored bliat the Provincial Solicitor has resigned becausp the Government have given in to \he City Council on the Town Belt ..question. . To-c!ay, Monday, the nomination for the Superintendericy took place. About 700 persons were present. The candidates proposed were Dick, Maeaudrew, and Grant. The -show of hands was greatly in favor of Macaudrew. The Otago team sailed per Tararua to-day. It comprises Messrs Butterworth; Chapman, Creagh, Downes, Glasgow, Fulton, Hope, Heiidley, Murison, Parker, G. K. Turton, (captain.) . Our readers may remember a case]] that came before the Resident Magistrate's Court; arising out of the insolvency of Day and Scott, formerly proprietors of the British and American Hotel, iv. which Mr Davies brought an action, for forcible entry . against Mr Hardcastle, the Sequestrator of . Insolvent Estates. . The question of. title to the disputed property was settled yes£on.lay by Air Justice Gresson, his Honor deciding in favor of Mr Davies. To; avoid expansive litigation the parties had agreed to state a casp for the decision of the Judge.-: ' '' V , y ; , r The Press of the.oih inst.. reports, a ca~e of suicide at Kaiapoi, a. man named Peter M'Kinlay, a sawyer, haying hung" himsalf. It appears that during Su.nd.-iy' aiternooa his. wife had gone out to a ueigiihor.'s, and . <m returning home found, the doors of the house, locked. She then tried to effect a:i entrance by the back of tho house through a broken window, and on lifting a piece of lacking which was over tlio window saw the feet of her husband, dangling in one corner of.tbe room. She at once gave the alarm, and- the house was broken into, when on going in the back room the unfortunate man was found suspended., by. a short piece of knotted rope, evidently . formed by knotting several short pieces together. The o,je had been passed over a joist or scantling near the doorway, and the body swuiig suspended within a very : few inches of the floor of the room. No reason, so far as we have h.card, has been assigned for the Tras h.act, further than the deceased, was a); times addicted, to drinking, and might in a fit of temx^orary insanity have' boen tempted, to. commit suic-ide. \ :' "Chalking up" is.an abolished institution iv Southland. . |ii the Southland Provincial J Council an ordiiiance^hasbeeri introduced to amend the .Licensing Ordinance, 18G5. The following is one of ths clauses :—" Every holder of a license; Avho shall sell othenme than for ready money .-any liquor*to.any- person for consumption on the premises, shall forfeit and, paj' for every such.offen.ce.not less than ten shillings and not more than five pounds. Provided that any sale of." liquor i .for consumption with meals siippliedfto any person bonajide. lodging iii the, hbu.se of the holder of the license -shall' not be deemed an .. offence, within the rneauin g of this section. " The powder in the temporary magazine used for the signal gun of th>regattaat Wellington, exploded about theiime of the conclusion of the sports. Itwas^very fortunate, says the J^ew Zealand Advertmr y t^% this occurred at th c end of " the sports, as there remained only a few charges in the magazine. With the. coilcussipri, the awning under which the gu,n was placed was blown into the air, falling pii the heads of soinc people a short distauce off, while: two, persons who were standing close by were knocked down aud slightly injured. This occurred just as one of the committee was trying to put a drunkard named Penton out of the place resorvod for " the committee, and as it was suspected that he had dipped. a lighted match into the niagaziue/he was. walked off to the lock-up. One man was severely burnt, but no real danger is anticipated, ; . ■We. learnVfrom the West Cocut Times oi. yesterday^ :th^tth?^ case : of; Bar tlett, versus Shaw, for "a [ libel in the ,) West Coast Times, occupied 1 the: Supreme Court during the-whole of Tuesday. Mt. O'Loughlin and -Jlr South appeared for tho: plaintiff ; and Mr Harvey and Mr: Button for the defendant. There were very few witnesses examined for the plaintiff, -aiid' iionefor the defendant. The only evidence adduced had reference to the comparative,, receipts at the .theatre before and after the publication of the article complaiucd of. During '".the trial a difficulty arose in the proof -by the jilalntiff of the " pubhciium" of the gaper containing the . ,-v-V ' , \ /

article. The Judge ultimately" decided to'";. ■..'l let the evidence oil this point go to the jury for what it was \vbrtli,' rsserviijg the point | however: Afber speeches from counsfl, his -v Honor summed up very decidedly in favor of .- / the defendant. The jury .were about two ■ hours put of court. On: thei^ return -the v-'YI gave a verdict for the ijlajntiftV damages,.Ls. ; | Tlie" damages Tvere laid at nvc thousand o pounds . Immediately ou : the^er<lictbeiug^>J returned, Mr Harvey gave notice of rootioii , ; v ;j ti enter a nonsuit, and his Honor stated that. :J^ he could sit in banco this morning: to heaitS^ the application , The COnrfe was then dcdared to-bejidjourned .sine die. , , . $>! The following items of ! mining iuteliigencr |§ appear in the Wakatip'MaU of the 26 th inst : j| — • ' The Perseverauce claim, Big Beach, was ;||j sold yesterday under a writ of execution, and, 4>§ bought by the creditors of the compauy: AVo t? understand, that the: ground" will be amal« ; gamated with that of the Bigßeach Company^ V;; The latter company are actively making the ; ; necessary arrangements, and intend ■: : com- yV: mencing work on Monday. One of tli3 largest teams conveying machinery to: South.:: f J burg and Co.'s claim leftliere yesterday, ;Mr ; ; t Birtwhistle individually taking the qharge of ;^ j eleven horses. The prospecting parties look v;'|;^ ing out for reefs in the direction ; of Moon-; v|f| light have retnrued. They report-the disco^ 'Ifl very of any number of reefs, but have^hardly Jp any hopes of their proving sufficiently auri^. ferous to pay. Sluicing operations are almost H/:y totally suspended throughout the district, thQ:'!^ water races having run : dry,'.'.'- & ■ The "Southern C'mw; loaras that William §:'; Thompson's second son has been selected? to, i succeed as ohief of Ngatihaua, anil to so / much of the general influence of his father as : he can manage to keep. The eldest son, Shortland, is elescrvedly luipopular, and was ■} the cause of much vexatibiy to .his. father by)..: . always attempting to stir up; misuhiet. A ■■■'-'-■■ curioua story is told by the natives with re,' . ■ fei'enct! to the eleeiion to tljc phief tahiship , When Thompson was lying ill «it Maiiiiga,tautari, .v,-ith his two sons beside him, he. sa^ito: \, . iiLe eldest, " Shortlaud, take down that guii^;; ; and shoot down that European standing but-.;; side the hut." The youtli,. nothing loth, waa abontto do as he was told,;when hisyoungev 1 ' . brother interfered, saying, ." Why should that be done ? What-evii Uas the man done, : us ?"'; Thonipson, addressing his younger son, said, "Yes, that it is right lyoii havo \ what is wanted— sense ajid discretion!" You will take my place when I an;, gone," And 1 so the thing Ayas settled. . > / The following remarks on : tlie recent triat v of Wilson for the murder (if My Dpbson , ap pear in the LijUellon Times •:;•'■ -!\Vo dp^ not ' ' proppse to enter/into any discussion about the guilt or comparative iunocwee of .the | prisoner Wilson -alias Murray^ r Jjopracticnl v end can now be served by so doing. : But tlfc : manner in Avhich the evidence of Sxtllivan was referred to by the" Jiutg/ji'may be miwla the subject of aiiiuja.l version ■■:■', witli : tho." likelihood of producing somb; good effect. The narrative of Sullivan : bbre an air of; . absolute truthfulness, in the -miiiu iteuess 'aii«l >■ - : . congruity of its circumstantiitl details. ,H«V; had' little to gain and nothing to loose by his testimony, but lie was.- made the object of a most violent attack by the Judge. Hewi«i denounced by him in language wliich'SOuude'l' : extravagant oven \\ lien iiscd by a ; Judgd against ail approver. Now it is np^ prtr piir-%401 pose to shield Sullivan, or to claim for hini a ' shred of character. Bus there is Epmethin^ . to bj said-in tliQ. interests of society and/as.~ against the surviving gang of ineii like Bur- •;. gess, and Snlliyan, and Murray. The s best hold that society has, upon suclijmefti:is; > through the suspicions ..they chtprfeainiof piic ; - : another. Their knowledge of each, other's^ crimes, necessarily, produces feelings <*f nuvtnal distrust. This being the case ;itr: ; ought to be "tlie aim of all- who ,to v - • ; strengthen, the bonds of society iii'such a ; : as exists on our West Coast, to;' promote these feelings of , elistriist aippng the ■ \ . roving; criminals who hunt for^huniaa prey. Nothing is more calculated to dp sd i than: v ' favour shewn to those who. betray, their asv . sociatcs in crime. We Avoiild not cprtaihly : make heroes of such nieii, .norvload theiiv with bribes, but we would spai'e their lives, ••-.and. ..would- cast upon, them no. . unnecessary .. contumely. And we are wholly at a loss tof understand what good end is served bydis>; couraging those who ought rather to be .in-; :■ ivited to break faith with their fellows inK crime. No. doubt there won Id be fewer facilities for crime," especially for gre^t crimes, and, by const quencc, fewer of theni would be commifcted wure the power of combination among the erimiisal classes to be -weakened or ; destroyed. We remember reading -of a' prisoner whp begged a,, small fav,or cf List Judge on the ground of being useful to him : •""For," said he, "if it weren't for the likes' of me, how could ye earn your bread ?" Approvers have not the same claim upon i\ .Tudgc'ri consideration. They tend seriously to reduce the business. We have no satisfaction -in writing upon this subject, or in drawing attention to what suem to be tho shortcomings of an- honorable and able man, But in the interest of the public we feel com- 7 polled to l efer to these things. It is unfortunate when the sentences of a Julge'ai* made the frequent- subject of depreciatory comment. A most unfavourable opinion has been almost universally expressed on the strange contrast between the sentence which. <■- awarded two ye;irs' imprisonment to a-_ mini who" conspired to take away the life of a ' tellow-creature, and failed in doing so only.. because he had not the chance afforded him of can ying out his intention, and the sentence ~ of four years' imprisonment upon* another for the crime of perjury. We are at a loss to' understand the ground of comparison which dictated these sentences. And we could wish that similar causes of perplexity did not occur so often. • ;..-'.'.