Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 200, 25 April 1867, Page 2

On Wednesday morning the official declarition of the polling for the vacant seat in the ■ Provincial Council for the Grcymiuth di - ! ferict was make by Mr Sale at tho Court- ' bouse. The numbers were declared to be precisely the same as those already published, ' i'iz- Whall, 68 ; Harrison, 40 ; so that Mr '' Whall was duly elected. The excitement of ' bhc election seemed to have evaporated, as ' neither of the candidates were present. The public were -represented by an audience of < two, and officialdom by two policemen, which ''< constituted the entire attendance. ' The report, which we gave as a current rumor in our.last issue, relative to a sau- i quinary struggle at the Cement Lead, behind Saltwater Township, turns out to have been incorrect in many particulars. Firstly, the ] name of the assailant was not Murphy, as : then stated, but Charles Dowsiug ; and the i second and most important discrepancy is j that the man is not dead, nor according to i medical opinion, Kkely to die from the effects ] of the wound, unless some further malady i should supervene from his own imprudence.' ' The scuffle originated, as previously reported, '. in a dispute about money matters, between i two rival butchers, which seems, to have ' 1 snded in a nnxtual attack with knives and i lijithe course of the straggle, i Dowsing v ljjjjfped a stab from s. sharp ' butchers' kip,^ which lias inflicted aj wound 1 ■■.Sr^.\ y

a little above the groin abott four inches in ! length and pf such depth that although the bowels did not protrude they were plainly visible, On the arrival of Dr Jackson at the township, which, owing to the absence of any track and tl-ie many obstacles presented by this tangled and swampy piece of bush to night-travelling, was not until an advanced hour of the night, he found the sufferer stretched on a bunk in one of the stores, and at the first examination feared that the wound would prove very serious ; but on its being sewn up and dressed the man became so much easier that Dr Jackson was able to leave him on Tuesday morning, apparently going on so favorably that it has been arranged to bring him into town on Friday, to which day the hearing of the case was remanded by Mr Revell. The prisoner Dowsing, on its being stated by the police that Scanlan was considered to be in a fair way of recovery, was admitted to_ bail in his own recognizances of LI 00, and two sureties of LSO each. The West Coast f'imes states that the Great Extended Company, on the Kanierj Flat, have at last struck gold on the second bottom. The body of the man James Nairn, who was drowned by the upsetting of a boat on Sunday last, was discovered on Tuesday morning on the South Beach, some distance below the Bridge Hotel, and an inquest was held on it before Mr Revell, R.M., when the jury returned a verdict of "Accidentally Drowned." He was a boatman, 34 years of .age, and seems to have been in easy circumstances, as deposit receipts for Ll4O were placed iv the possession of the police after his death. The remains were intcred yesterday at the ;emetery, and were followed by a considerable number of his sympathising mates, by whom he appears to have been much esteemed , The project of opening a track from Brighton to the Little Grey is now (says the Brighton Times) the great topic of conversation with the public, and we understand that it is bhe intention of the residents in that district to lay before the Government the great necessity which exists for carrying out the work. A party, who came across from the Little Grey, have reported as to the feasibility of opening the track, and we hope the authorities will lose no time in constructing . it, as it will place Brighton in dirept communication with the Nelson and Canterbury inland roads. According to the point of view from which the ci p nnstanco s regarded, it maybe taken either as a tribute to the improving manners and morals of our community, or as a proof of the dullness of the times that on the opening of the Resident Magistrate's Court, on Wednesday, after three days' cessation from business, during which the holiday temptations of Easter-tide might have been expected to conduce to a little irregularit}', there was only one inebriate brought before the Bench, and only one other police' case, which was remanded for the attendance of the complainant. f His Honor the Superintendent seems to hold a sanguine opinion regarding Westland. In his speech' on Saturday he is reported to have said :— lf life be given me, I believe that I shall sec, twenty years hence, New Zealand the garden of the Southern Hemisphere. I believe that New Zealand has guarantees of progress not enjoyed by any Australian Colony or island of the South Seas. Medical men tell me that this is a fine breeding Colony. (Laughter.) Yes, here will be a race of men, great alike in mind and body. Westland is, of all New Zealand, the garden of it, although covered by large trees and intersected by large rivers. These are but the ingredients of its greatness. True, they present diflicultics, but these difficulties will be overcome, and the recollection of them will be pleasant. Look at Taranaki, where thousands of acres have beeu rescued from the impenetrable bush, and not even war, murder, rapine, and fire can root out from the breasts of its bravest settlers the rccollectiou of the fact that they found much of the country a dense forest, and by their own labor they had reduced it. I have travelled in all parts of the world, and have never seen a climate equal to this. If you have rain, it is a genital shower ; if you have wet —a deluge — yon have no rheumatism. If I inquire at the hospital or of the medical men, as to the sanitary condition of the place, lam told that the town is disgustingly healthy. All the beauties of the place will recommend themselves without any praise — "good wine needs no bush. " It will be remembered that meution was^ made by the approver Sullivan when he first turned traitor against his companions, that a case containing revolvers and housebreaking implements was expected to arrive from Melbourne. The Wellington Evening Post of the 13th, says that " a bo-c lay at the New Zealand Company's stores, Lyttelton, for some months past ; it was addressed ' Thomas Sullivan,' and, not being claimed, directions were given that it should be opened, when the contents were found to be revolvers, sworas, and masks, which were handed over to the police." The Ohrisfcchurch papers confirm this statement. The man drowned at tlie recent boat accident, at Fox's, was named Isaac Sanders, a carpenter by trade, formerly residing at Hokitika, in Fitzherbert street. A new place of amusement, named the City Theatre, was opened in Hokitika on Monday night. The Brighton Times of the 17th, under the head of ' ' mining, " gives the following summary of the news of that district :— One or two holes have been bottomed near the Belfast Terrace, .and layers of cemented black sand discovered, which ai ; e pronounced to be highly auriferous, but which will require to beorilshed with machinery to make it pay. On the Frenchman's Terrace at the Four Mile, the prospectors ar« getting a quartz crushing machine manufactured, which they hope will be in full working order in about a fortnight. The '-richness of the -ground at this place will ,|,hen be thoroughly tested. Two loads of ceiudnted sand, which had to be ren',av;ed > in,,.-c/rder to. make way for the. -.■ <^^^^^fe^^^^\ '■■;■■••>-.■

erection of the machinery, beiug washed, yielded over 21bs weight of retorted gold. A party working a little to the south of the prospectors, obtained over four hundred ounct)3 of gold, the result of about twenty feet driving. At a distance of about a quarter of a mile in a northerly direction from the. prospectors, another patch of g°ld has been j sti-uck, which promises well, and is supposed to be in continuation of the Frenchman's lead. The result of washing on the Welshman and adjoining terraces still continues to be good, and somewhat exceeds the usual average. The miners have made great improvements in the process of washing, The small sluice box is now replaced by a box, the width of which is from thirty to forty inches, and the length from sixteen to twentytwo feet. They are mostly provided with copper plates, which are said to work in a manner so efficient that very little gold is lost. In consequence of the loose character of the sandy beds which compose the stratum of the terraces, the surface in many instances has given way, a fact which will no doubt injure some of the claims, and at the same time interfere with the erection of places of business, A. memorial, signed by the principal merchants and traders of Hokitika, has been presented to his Honor the Superintend 3nt, requesting him to use his best influence with the General Government to obtain a restoration of the extended jurisdiction to the Resident Magistrate. The application of the District Courts Act has necessitated the taking all cases above L2O into the District Court, a course which entails great delay, and affords facilities to debtors for evading the payment of their debts, His Honor, in reply, stated, that he would bring the whole matter under the consideration of the General Government. A party has lately been out on a prospecting tour in the Province of Hawke's Bay, gold being the object of their search. The Herald of the 2nd mst, says : — " Old miners have, on more than one occasion, been much struck with the appearance of some of the country to the northward ; and it Is bej 7 ond doubt that many specimens of the precious metal have, ffom time to time, been brought to Napier. One resident, indeed, does not. hesitate to say that he knows, and has long known, the exact locality where a payable gold field exists — not, certain I}',1 }', within the province, but very close upon its boundary. The uncertain state of the land question on the East Coast has doubtless had some influence in deterring prospectors. A prospect, however now opening of outstanding native difficulties being settled once and for ever, it is not unreasonable to hope that an impetus will be given to research and discovery, and that the slopes and gorges of the Ruahines will yet be made to yield some hidden wealth." Wo believe negotiations arc in progress between the Nelson Government and the Colonial authorities relative to the construction of a line of telegraph from the Grey to Nelson via the coast diggings and Collingwood. It is expected that the General Government will undertake the cost of this lino as it will not only relieve the main line on the East Coast but secure almost uninterrupted communication, a3 there would than be actually two complete lines from Nelson to Christchurch. The benefit which the proposed line would confer on the West Coast districts arc of sulKeiciit importance. of themselves to justify the establishment of the line. The good people of Marlborough were thrown into a fervent state of excitement about ten days ago by the reported discovery of gold on the Weld's Hill run, in the Awatcre, and a number of persons from Blenheim and other parts of the province hastened to the spot to ascertain the truth of the report. The district was prospected by several parties, and " the color" was found in the Medway, a small river flowing into the Awatere, but nothing was discovered to warrant prolonged search, and in the estimation of experienced diggers the country did not warrant a belief that gold would be found in paying quantities. The Auckland papers furnish some interesting accounts of the progress of cotton culture in tho Fiji's. By the arrival at Auckland of the brigantine Surprise, a shipment of Tahiti' cotton has been received by Mr David Nathan, together with pearl shell and cocoanut oil. We are told the growth of the cotton plant is greatly on the increase in all parts of the island, and the Tahiti Cotton 'Company, the establishment of which we have already noticed, arc progressiug very satisfactorily, having exported upwards of 1000 bales. Dining the present year the Company have despatched a schooner of ISO tons register, with a full cargo for Valparaiso; and a cargo to Sydney in the large steamship Tetoua (formerly the Uncle Sam), which has been purchased by an enterprising gentleman at the island from the Spanish Admiral. This vessel was formerly the mail steamer between San Francisco and Valparaiso. The Company have received new ana improved machinery from England, and have constructed a new gin-house, working 30 gins. The crops were everywhere spoken of as gocd and increasing -for the season. The coffee j plantations were likewise flourishing, and gave promise of an abundant yield for the season. With reference to the work of opening up I the country, --Mr Moorhouse said at the meet-, ing on Saturday last: — "Orders have been given to make tracks on sites for roads through the bush, at intervals of one or two miles. These tracks will be cut at the five feet wide, so that horses can pass, and the digger will thus be enabled to prospect the country and live comfortably for a couple of months at a spell. These tracks will be such that any man, though not a great explorer or even digger, i may travel any distance in any directionl.in the bush without fear of losing himself^ \ shall have posts placed in different pa|| s > with their position marked on them, sojthat when a '"person falls ke m^ know whero llc i^^^^^^^ riVGI ' S) an 3' creeps in course .of H'' ::

" — these will not be neglected. The creeks on all those lines wilj be made passable, and where traffic is frequent will beiaade easy and a subsidy given to boatmen oil rivers where trafßc is found insufficient to pay them. So much for the digging population, but I have auother duty to perform. Government holds the country from the Crown in trust for the empire, to make it a home for the European race. The survey will assist this end. This survey is being made by a gentleman of whose ability and honesty I am well assured. These tracks will be mapped and published in a form, showing a correct survey of the country, within about six months. The Council gave me no vote for this work, and I have rendered myself liable to a criminal prosecution — (laughter) ; but I do not think that a criminal action will be instituted , I think the Council will approve when they understand the reason why 1 did this." We notice that the Rev, Father Royer announces his intention of paying a pastoral visit to the Catholics of Maori Gully, Upper Grey, Brighton, Pakihi, and Buller dis-. tricts. '. We regret to find that, according to our latest files from Auckland, the natives in that province are still turbulent and threaten to cause serious trouble. In addition to the action at Opotiki, we learn that the Kawhia natives, who have long been troublesome, have committed another serious outrage, having destroyed the Wesleyan Mission Station at Kawhia. It is stated that the Rev. Mr Schnackenberg and his family were barely able to escape with their lives. The cattle and sheep were driven off, and everything that could not be carried away was destroyed. It is feared the European settlers will have to leave the district. The Hold tika Easter Races, which were intended to havo come off on Monday last, were deferred until the following day on' account of the unfavorable state of the weather. Tuesday was a fine daj', and the races appear to have passed off very satisfactorily, and to have been attended by a large number of spectators. There were four events, viz.: "Hopeful Stakes," 40 soys, weight for age ; " Packers' Purse," 20 soys ; "Easter Gift," 50 soys, weight for age; "Hurdle Race," 50 soys, weight forage. For the first race four horses contended, Mr Garforth's Kohler being the winner. Mr Carroll's Charles O'Malley won the Packers' Purse; and for the Easter Gift— the chief race of the day — five horses started, Kohler being the victor, and Mocking Bird second. To prevent any difficulties on the score of Mocking Bird's age, her owner, Mr Thompson, declared her to run as a six year old. The little mare carried 71b more than Kohler, and 1 lib more than Candidate. The Hurdle Race was won by Mr G. Mason's Selira. The arrangements were very satisfactory, and both Mr Osborne the starter, and Mr F. D. Hamilton the secretary, are complimented on the efficient manner in which they discharged their functions. The Canterbury 'Press says : -^-Very great dissivtisf acting is expressed, and with very good reason, at the wholesale rejection of claims sent in this year by . persons desirous of having their names placed on the electoral rolls. It generally happens that a good ■nuviy claims are rendered invalid by some mistake in filling up the legal form, but on this' occasion the number is something extraordinary. Of all tha claims sent in, not more than one-third in Christehnrch, and in oilier districts we believe a still smaller proportion, have been accepted by the Registration Oilicer as in accordance with the requirements of the Act. The mistake seems to have occurred in the attestation clause' appended to the form, the majority of those desiring to register their names not understanding that the signature of the claimant had to follow at the end pf that clause, as well as to be inserted in the body of the form and where specially directed in the beginning of the attestation clause. The Home News just to hand mentions that great dissatisfaction is felt in England at the high postage rate charged on newspapers to ]S 7 ew Zealand. We are happy to state that a despatch was received by Go vernment by last mail from the President of the Board of Directors of the Panama Railway Company, announcing that the Board had decided that the charge for the conveyance of newspapers, book packets, and pattern parcels across the Isthmus should be reduced from elevenpence per pound to fourpence. This alteration has also been communicated to the Home Government, and it will cause an. immediate reduction in the rate of postage on newspapers by this route from threepence to one penny from New Zealand to England, and from fourpence to twopence from England to New Zealand. The charge on book packets and -pattern parcels will also be proportionately reduced. The extra charge of a penny on newspapers from England is collected by the Home Government. In order that our readers may form some idea how. the sale of land in Westland is regarded in Christchurch, we clip 'the following remarks from the Chidcluwrcli Evening If ail,:— "Why not sell all the landdividing it into smaller sections where it was proved to be auriferous— and then allow the buyer to make his own terms with the diggers ? That process has already met with complete success in some instances between Greymouth and Hokitika ; the miners willingly paying to the freeholders, a higher fee than they would have had to pay the Government. As to the price, considering the greatcost of road-making and other public works in the particular country, and under existing circumstances, might not a higher price be adopted than L 2 per acre ? If any land were supposed to be auriferous, a far higher price would willingly be. given, on the speculation of reaping a profit from the temporary ' tenancy of the miners, as we have mentioned to be already the case in some instances. As to land that was not auriferous, surely the rough pioneer, and-ierdsman according to ■ M'oW^^0 llßai S^ ho left to ascer- i ;|Mtf||||^^^4he . land/for such purpose^: •^|i4*|^lipnce were imp/sed ; axid^va^'r'.

of depasturing licenses, with a certain prf^ r^^^B tectipn for hoincsteads and substantial if^^^^H provements, would probably be sufficient fl^^| the first instance ; while the land, if W(li^|^^H anything at all, would soon fetch the pi If: fixed for all land in the district; and|ii|^^H temptation of being able to let out auriferl||^^H ground wop Id induce many to purohoae/R- :^^H soon as possible. One great advahtagl^ly^^H some such system would be to do away |jg[|'*^^J the complicated and costly apparatus of ß| j^^J vernment for dealing with miners, and l9| j|^^| all such arrangements to be made by pri^Bj bargains between the purchasers from.™! vernment at a permanent title, andJß roaming miners who only want to -^^■fi temporary use of the land, waterJaßJl