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Grey River Argus, Volume IV, Issue 258, 7 September 1867, Page 2

A considerable rush of diggers has taken place during the last few days up the river, and we learn that the chief attraction is at Nelson's Creek, where for some time the miners have been more than usually profitably engaged. The terraces adjoining the creek have been tested by numerous parties, and the result has been so satisfactory as not only to afford the original proprietors excellent returns, bufcjto offer strong inducements to others. Fpr some weeks back the population at Nelson's Creek has [been in"

creasing, and the fact that few if any .of the new arrivals have returned /speaks very favorably. The diggings in this district present great activity, and 'all are doing well more especially the proprietors of the various water races, which, at great trouble and expense, have been brought in. We are assured that the men working in" this neighborhood are doing as well as any miners on the coast. By the Wallabi, which arrived from the Bailer yesterday, we learn that the body of the man found murdered a few days ago, although not positively identified, has been recognised as that of a Dane or Swede, who has been knocking about the district for some time. Suspicion, rests .<?» his .mates after -whom. the police are maki.ng a rigid search, but no traces of them had been found up %o the time the Wallabi left. Our townsman Mr Williams^ the chemist, has received a quantity of the celebrated sodium amalgam, which has been proved to. be the most powerful known, composition for saving fine gold. We understand that an experiment will be made in a day or two which will illustrate the remarkable properties of this preparation. We have no doubt that when the proper process, for employing the sodium amalgam becomes generally known it will be the means pi causing .a vast ■amount of ground to be re-worked with advantage. A letter appeared in. our issue of last Tuesday complaining of want of proper civility and attention at the. Greymouth Post Office. We have been at the pains to enquire as to the correctness or otherwise of our cor? respondent's accusation, and we are glad to be able to state that from every quarter in which we have made enquiry, we havere,ceived an unqualified contradiction of the complaint alluded to. Several up-couutry storekeepers and others who are frequently entrusted with orders for letters have" assured us that on every occasion they have received the utmost attention and courtesy at the hands of the Post Office officials. The Duke of Buckingham's despatch, announcing the recal of the Governor, was laid on the table the other day, and tbe House adjourned to allow members to call at Government House. The despatch shortly acknowledges the receipt of despatches relative to military affairs, but, as the troops and General had probably left, deems it unnecessary to renew correspondence thereon, and concludes thus — "With regard to the ultimate disposal of the 18th Regiment, 1 await the arrival of the next mail, in expectation of receiving a further expression of your views on my predecessor's. despatches relating to military operations, which your despatch promises. I sliall then, also, be able to inform you of the appointment of your successor in the Government of New Zealand, and of the time at which he may be expected to arrive in the colony. " The gift auction in aid jf the Church of England Building Fund takes place on Tuesday evening, and- we trust it will.be largely attended. The list of articles contributed for sale is very miscellaneous ; but every article must find some one to whom it will be useful or acceptable. The object of this auction sale is one that usually induces pur- | chasers to give very fancy prices for the articles — indeed, we have known on a similar occasion an old hat — a really shocking bad i one— fetch two or three times the value of a new one. No doubt, on this occasion some emulation will be created, so as to run up the prices of articles to the utmost possible limitMr Maclean will officiate as auctioneer, and we do not question that his notorious eloquence will overcome the scruples of the most close-fisted. The sale takes place at the stores formerly occupied by Messrs 11. ENathan and Co., Werita street. yCpommenting on the Separation movement /in j Westland, the Christchurch Press • re-matks:-"The gold fields on the West Coast have been no gain to Canterbury; quite the reverse, she would be better off at the present moment if they had never been discovered at all. All gold fields are a source of expense to the country in which they are situated, but they are a source of immense profit as well ; whereas Canterbury has had nothing but the expense, and the profit has been enjoyed elsewhere. The gold fields have taken away population from this side of the province, have stopped its immigration and abstracted a large amount of j revenue, while they have given nothing in return. When, therefore, Westland wishes to break off the connection, it is not to be ' expected we should raise any objection to the retirement of so expensive and so unprofitable a partner. We have too muck t» gain from separation to feel the slightest desire to oppose it. We may indeed feel some uncertainty as to the future of the toew province. We may doubt the permanence of its resources: we may be well aware that the discovery of any extensive gold field in the North Island— no improbable contingency — would empty it at once ; we may doubt whether it has men capable of taking part in the work of government ; but these are ques-> tions of which Westland can judge for itself. If it is willing to try the experiment, by all means let it do so. We have performed our part in pointing out these difficulties, and suggesting other alternatives than that of being constituted a separate province ; but if Westland prefers to brave the risks of an independent career, we bid her bon voyage, glad to get rid of her as a partner, but as a. neighbor wishing her all prosperity." / The Brunner Lake district has always be<m* favorably regarded by prospectors, but until now the want of tracks has operated as an almost insuperable bar to the progress of disc overy.r y. Novy, this difficulty no longer exists, ■ J as the tracks cut by the Government sur- : veyors will enable the miners to make a thorough examination of the district. At present there is no direct tract to Lake Brumier, but prospectors can take advantage of several lines of tracks which intersect that district. From the Grey to Lake Brunner the straight line is about ten and a quarter miles from the Rutherglen tramway, but rather ■ rough. The start is from Rutherglen, then take the track from there to Card's

store, on the New River, thence, up the right hand branch of the New River about five miles; then follow the cut track to Lake Brunner (which is marked on every survey peg with the letters AA.) Every two miles this track is intersected by transverse tracks cut right and left. Another track has been cut on this side the Coal Reserves, which enters the AA line on the left hand branch of the New River. Another line is cut for four and a half miles up the Teremakan, leading towards the Greenstone— it starts from the upper feray. It will be seen that great facilities are now offered for the thorough prospecting of a large area of uiir tried country, and we have great confidence that when once these advantages are made use of some vahiable discoveries will be the result. Everyone who has penetrated the district in question speaks highly of its appearance, and we only trust that ere long the favorable prognostications will be realised. The Medical Practitioners Bill has passed through the House of Representatives, and is now before the Legislative Council. It has undergone some material alterations. Local Boards of Examiners are constituted at Auckland and Dunodin, but it is still intended that the majority of the Board shall be at Wellington, as being the present seat of Government. Medical men registered under the Imperial Act are entitled to be registered in this colony without payment of any fee, and the schedule has also been amended by the insertion of_ army and navy surgeons. The limits of the Act, as regards qualifications, are very large, but it is obviously difficult in a young colony to ensure the passing of a measure which imposes restrictions. For instance, the 12th clause takes in all foreign diplomas, if the Board are satisfied, upon a personal inspection and examination of the applicant, that he is qualified to practise. The bill in i£s original state fully recognised all duly qualified medical men, whether homcepaths or holding any other, medical theory ; but it left out such men as the leading homcepathic practitioner at Auckland, who, we believe, had been originally a photographer, or some such artist, aud turned homoepathio practitioner without any previous medical training or education, in anatomy or pathology. The. 14th clause of the present bill in its altered form admits all persons who -were in practice before a certain date (1557), whether they have diplomas or not— and, we were going to add, whether Europeans or Maoris ; and it is uuderstood that this concession was stipulated for by the Auckland members in order to prevent the exclusion of the great Auckland apostle of homcepathytowhom we have already alluded. With this single blemish we believe that the bill will prove a boon to the medical profession, of which it recognises and assures the status, and will also be beneficial to the colony generally. It will be remembered that on her • la3t voyage to Sydney the Claud Hamilton took away a^very. large, and valuable .freight of gold, the bulk of which was shipped at the port of Greymouth. The total quantity of gold taken on the trip in question was 28,000 ounces, of which 20,000 ounces were from this place. Strange to say, no report that we have seen in any of the Sydney papers gives Greymouth credit for this shipment, but puts the whole lot down to Hokitika. One would imagine that the captain's of the steamers would at least take paius to enlighten the shipping reporters of the Australian papers as to the geography of the West Coast, more especially as this is not the first by many occasions on. which the export of gold from Greymouth has been underrated, or entirely ignored . We take this . opportunity of reminding our Sydney contemporaries that practically there is as much difference between the ports of Hokitika and Greymouth. as between Sydney and Melbourne, The publication of erroneous statements such as that of which we complain, has the effect of leading passengers for New Zealand astray, inducing them to ship for Hokitika, whilst Greymouth is generally the most central and I convenient port, whilst it is certainly, the most contiguous to the great mining centres ■- The business at the Residenb Magistrate's Court for the last two days may be briefly summed up as " nil. " Beyond a solitary inebriate, the police sheet has furnished no case for magisterial enquiry, and one or two uninteresting and unimportant mining case's in the Warden's Court yesterday comprised all the remaining business. A fresh set of regulations for the Provincial Government officers has beeu issued, and will come into force on the expiration of the current raojxth. Hitherto some difficulty has been felt in determining to whom communications on certain subjects should be addressed, but vow there are three responsible officers, and the matters to be dealt with by each of the departments of Provincial Secretary, the Secretary for Public Works, and the Secretary for the Gold Fields, are clearly defined. All questions to be brought under the consideration of the Government relating *to the offices of the Provincial Treasurer or Provincial Solicitor, or coming under the heads of Police, Gaols, Hospitals, Lunatic Asylums, Sheep Inspection, Weights and Measures, and Education are to be sent to the Provincial Secretary. Letters on matters relating to lands, surveys, geological, meteo" rological, engineers, -telegraph, parks and domains, acclimatization, harbors, public buildiugs, ferries and bridges, wharves and jetties, municipalities, and road boards, -railways, harbor works, and miscellaneous public works are to be addressed to the Secretary for Public Works. All affairs connected Avitn the .gold fields will, of course, have to be brought under the notice of the Gold Fields Secretary. All Government offices are to be open, until further notice, from ten a.m. to five p. m., except on Saturdays, and then from ten a.m. to one p.m. ; and no Government officer other than the head of the office is to absent himself during those hours unless upon leave granted to him by the proper officer. An appearance sheet is to be kept in every office, in which the names of all persons employed therein, together with the hour at which they, enter the

office and the hour at which they leavl^e . , same, are to be returned by such officer as'the head of the office shall appoint. The appearance sheets of the previous week are ; to be left at the Provincial Secretary's office not later than half -past ten every Monday morning. This regulation is not to be understood to apply , strictly to heads of offices.'. The Provincial Treasury will be open foi* > payments on Tuesdays, ■Wednesdays, and • Thursdays from ten a.m. to three p.m. and on Saturday from ten a.m. to twelve". The Provincial Auditor is empowered to call for all books, papers, and vouchers relating to^. any account forwarded to him, and. to^j examine witnesses, if necessary, touching the ■ same. Persons failing to attend his summons are liable to a penalty not exceeding LIOO. He has authority to examine the accounts of all persons entrusted with the collection,*^ receipt, and issue of public money and stores™ of the Provincial Government. The Parliamentary correspondent of the • Nelson Evening Mail draws the following sketch in one of his recent letters :— By the way, T don't think I have mentioned that.the leader of the Opposition (Mr Yogel) has, as is the manner of all great planets, an attendant satellite, whose name is Campbell. This young gentleman is a star that would be almost imperceptible in the brilliant atmosphere by which he is surrounded, did be not shine with the reflected glory of the great Yogel. His duties, besides being in constant attendance, do not appear to be very heavy, but he certainly performs them most conscientiously. They appear to be as follows : To watch with a wrapfc attention that betokens unbounded admiration, the inspired countenance of his great chief, as he makes his fierce attack on the' occupants of the Treasury benches ; to cry out so soon as he gets his cue, ?t Hear, hear," in an approving tone of voice ; to become perfectly hysterical when the planet gives vent to what these two appear to have decided beforehand- should be considered as a capital joke; arid' last, but certainly not least, to interpret anycorrscr tions that hon. members may wish to make to what falls from his honored m?"ter. To fully appreciate the ludicrous scenes that Bometimes takes place on these occasions, yo.u must understand that Mr Yogel is rather hard of hearing, so that, in addition to his other multifarious duties, Mr Campbell has to act as a conductor of sound. Now, vn r fortunately, this conductor has an impediment in his speech, so that under these circumstances, you may easily imagine that by the time an explanation or correction tendered by the Premier or any other member has been retailed by Mr Campbell, and raached its final destination in Mr Vogel's - brain, it has about as much claim to originality as Paddy's celebrated fowling-piece, which was "the self -same gun his grandr father had shot with, barrin' the thriflin* I alterations of a new lock, stock, and barrel." Mr Yogel immediately proceeds to argue upon what he fancies has been said, and as a. natural consequence completely mystifies enemies and friends, including the satellite^ and even the. great planet himself <,must be excused if on such an occasion he becomes, a* little hazy. ■ ""j^t