Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume IV, Issue 264, 21 September 1867, Page 2

The Eev. Father Royer, wlio is indefatigable in his efforts to promote the prosperity of the Church under his pastorate, starts on Tuesday on a tour through the up-river diggings, to collect contributions towards the cost of repairing and altering St. Patrick's Church, Greymouth. We have no doubt that the rev. gentleman's appeal will be responded to with that liberality which has hitherto characterised the Eoman Catholic community of this district. We are to have a welcome revival of the drama in Greymouth, Mr Kilgour having engaged a numerous and talented company to perform for a. short season at the Union Theatre. The corps dnimatique includes Miss Harriet Gordon, Mr J. P. Hydes, Mr Kengh (a young actor of great promise), Mr and Mrs Clifford, Mr Woolf, and others. The theatre opens this evening, and the public will no 'doubt, by a full attendance, inaugurate a successful season . We learnfrom the Arnold that the excellent accounts from Nelson Creek have had the effect of still further thinning the number of the mining population of Maori Gully and the adjacent/liggings. The few miners that are left are doing well, and some large returns have lately been made in Italian Gully A small rush is spoken of to the. Waimea Greek, buc our informant cannot supply us with any particulars of ifc. Several prospecting parties have been out m the direction of Lake Brunner, and report that in most of the creuks and tributaries gold can be got in small quantities, but that the diffi : culty in conveying provisions, and their high price, forbids the settling down of a mining community there. When this part of the country becomes really opened up there is little doubt that the Lake Brunner District will be an important mining centre. At present food is so dear and has to be "humped" for such a long distance that there is no inducement held out to miners. Probably any man of ordinary industry could make three or four pounds a week almost anywhere in the district, but when it costs Mm nearly all his earnings for a bare subsistence it is hardly likely that men will care to prospect the country. The diggings on the Nelson side of the boundary are improving wonderfully and appeai : likely ere long to recover their old populationIt is not improbable that the proper method of dealing with the sodium amalgam, imported by Mr Williams, will be ascertained, chiefly through the means of experiments by an amateur chemist, D. Johnston, Esq., Collect or of Customs. Mr Johnston has succeeded in mixing the crude amalgam with the Therein y, which, process it appears should be

conducted either in rectified naptha or re- ] fined kerosene. When the mercury has been made to mix with, .the sodium tlie mixture can then be used in water with perfect aafety and effect. Mr Johnston informs us that the rapidity with which the sodium amalgam picks up the gold is truly astonishing, aud it is his opinj.on that with proper appliances every particle of gold can be saved. As yet, however, only a few experiments haye been made, but tlie mode of mixing the Bodium with the mercury having been ascertained, the proportion to be used in treating different ores or auriferous sand will soon be arrived at. It appears that in naming the price of the fire engine jn our last issue we made a slight error. We stated that it cost L 164, but the actual price was L} 46 Bs. We are glad to notice that £he Nelson Go"al Company have now a large stock of coal at their wharf, and as the manager states that he has arranged to maintain the suppjy, it is to be hoped there will be no more complaints of vessels beiijg unable to Jjjad their cargoes quickly. The Westport Thtf.es of Thursday says tjiat many of the miners at Mokihinui are doing well. The Murray brought, down the first shipment of gold, on Wednesday morning, amounting to 500z5., but, adds our contemporary, "a far larger quantity may be expected by the next boat, as diggers have now begun to sell." It may interest some of our readers from Dunedin tj learn that the first Church (Presbyterian) in Dunedin are likely to give a harmonious "call" to the Rev. (ieorge Sutherland, from Charlottetown, New Brunswick, to be colleague and successor to the Rev. Dr Burns. The preliminary arrangements have already been taken. Mr Sutherland is said to be a preacher of considerable eloquence and talent. Two Chinamen have been convicted at Dunedin of smuggling a quantity of opium and fined L 65. Another Celestial was brought up before the Magistrate the other day charged with stealing some articles of jewelry. After vainly endeavoring to show that he was not in his right senses at the time the theft was committed, he was convicted, and sentenced to IS months' hard labor. The summer season has made a sudden advent, a few days having only intervened between cold and st«;rms and the finest" possible summer weather. During the past seven or eight days the temperature has ranged very high, except at early morning and evening, when a cold fresh breeze down •the gorge generally blows. On Thursday, the thermometer registered 70 cleg, in the shade, and the effect of this unusual heat at this season of theyeai has been to somewhat retard vegetation in the gardens, which sorely need rain This weather is, however, very advantageous to those who are clearing land, and we notice that a good deal of burn-ing-off has been done during the week in the neighborhood of the towns of Greymouth and Cobden. The diggers up country are taking advantage of the favorable weather to make prospecting excursions, several well equipped parties having, we are informed, commenced to examine more closely the country about Nelson Creek and towards the Little Grey. We have to draw the attention rf the managers of schools to the adverti <*meut issued by the Westland Board of Education/ £t will be seen that all applications for grants of money by the Board must be accompanied by full particulars concerning the name, size, and situation of each scjiool, a list of books and educational appliances, a statement of the number of scholars and of the course of education pursued. Owners of private schools, who seek assistance, are requested to state the whole of the grounds for their application. All applications must be lodged with the Board on or before the 16th October, or they will not be reepgnised. Desirous of giyinft their fire-engine a fairer trial by daj light) a number of the members of the Volunteer Fire Brigade met at the engine-house yesterday, and took the engine to the quay opposite Kilgour's Hotel, where it was backed up to the edge of the riverembankment. The suction hose, however, being too short to reach the water, a trench had to be dug to allow the water to be brought closer in shore -a work which occupied sufficient time to have sufficed for the total destruction of any of the adjoining buildings had a fire needed the services of the brigade. After a supply of water had been secured, two jets were attached to the engine, and the pumps being fully manned, an attempt was made to fores the water to the top of the Union Hotel. But the dribbling streams of water discharged barely sufficed to wet the second storey, and it was not until the entire pressure was confined to one set of hose that anything like a jet of water could be obtained, and even then ifc required great pumping power to force a stream of water up to the level of the roof. Even under the most favorable circumstances, it is quite evident that the engine is lamentably inadequate, and would be practically useless in case of fire. The length of suction pipe is so short as to be incapable of being of use unless the supply of water was close to the surface near any premises that were in flames. Although the mechanism of the engine wo] ked more freely than before, the unauimous opinion of those who witnessed the trial was that the engine could be of little seivice, and is quite unsuitable for its work. In addition to the fact that it was built so long ago as 1839, a discovery has been made which would seem to indicate that it has previously been rejected, there being under the new paint evident signs of the engine having formerly belonged to some other place. The letters appear to form the word " Cornwall," and the suspicion is that the engine has at one time belonged to Cornwall in Tasmania. There can be no doubt whatever that whether the engine is or is not an entirely, new one, it is quite incompetent to extinguish any extensive fire in this town, although there b such a ready snpply of water. The public disappointment and the disgust of tlie Brigade are very great, and it

is to be hoped that means will be adopted either to obtain an exchange of the engine for something better, or that the Brigade will be' able to compel its re-acceptance by the firm which supplied it. The West Coast Times informs us that on Wednesday last Mr South, president of the Hokitika Separation League, received a telegram from Major Richardson asking— "Are the petitioners very decided in favor of a separate province, or for merely local selfgovernment without legislative machinery ?" The reply from the League was as follows : — "Legislation from the General Assembly preferred. Our material want is the absolute control of all local revenue, and management of local affairs by a popularly-elected board. We- request explanation as to the powers proposed to be conferred, on local board, its constitution, &c. We must be relieved from Christchurch dpinination." Our contemporary remarks :— " In thus meeting the overtures implied in Major Richardson's telegram, the Council were actuated, we believe, by a desire to take advantage of the almost unexpected opening that seemed to present itself, of obtaining a great practical reform even during the present session of the General Assembly. It was felt that the power of passing Ordinances of Council — the ' legislative machinery' spoken of by Major Richardson — was not an indispensible condition of our emancipation from Christchurch influence — and that, given us the power of securing our revenue for our own Usel, of expending it under the direction of a local representative board, and of controlling by the same machinery the administration of the Government departments, the district might be well content lo look to the General Assembly for such special legislation as may be needful for it. When Major Richardson's reply is received, Me shall be in a better position to consider how far the material interests of Westland may be secured without its absolute erection into a new province." Referring to the late case of murder, the Westport Times of Thursday last say 3:— Since the discovery of the body of the unfortuuate Lennox, tlie police have been unremitting in their exertions to discover the perpetrator of the deed. The clue given by the discovery of the name and occupation of the deceased has been energetically followed up, and the result has been that a man named Robert Wilson was yesterday arrested on the charge of murdering deceased, and will be brought before the Bench to-day. The accused was a mate of deceased, and we understand, started with him, and was the last man seen in his company. He has nothing of the murderer in his appearance, and it is, of course, unreasonable to suppose that the police would divulge any particulars till the proper time. In their presentment to the Judge, the Grand Jury at Hokitika make the following remarks :— The Grand Jury desire to express their sense of the obligations the district is under to the well-organised police force, to whose exertions aud vigilance they believe the comparative^ absence of crime is;greatly due, as well as its early detection and punishr ment. They believe the police have rendered very efficient assistance in furthering the end,s of justice. The Grand Jury entirely concur with your Honor with regard to the present unsatisfactory arrangements for the conduct of Crown prosecutions. They have seen in more than one instance — as it appears to them— that faihire of justice which your Honor expressed a fear would happen from the want of due care, or of thorough sifting of the evidence to sustain indictments ; and they would respectfully and strongly request your Honor to • make the necessary recommendations in the proper quarter to secure the appointment of a public prosecutor whose service? should be entirely rendered to this important department of the administration of justice.