Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume V, Issue 321, 4 February 1868, Page 2

The Nathan Troupe opened on Saturday evening, at Kilgour's Union Theatre, to a house tilled in every part, and their second appearance last evening was equally well attendeil . Of the performances of this highly talented family we can only speak in terms of unqualified praise. "Infant prodigies'' are very often painful exhibitions of contorted nature, but we never witnessed such extraordinary precocity of real talent as is displayed by the young Nathans. We regret that the pressure caused by the elections prevents our giving them a detailed notice. We can only say that the amount of dramatic and musical talent — educated as it has been to a pitch of excellence rarely reached by their seniors— which these children exhibit can only be estimated by hearing and seeing them. MLa Petite Marion" isa marvel, and is of hnr little self a perfect bevy of attrac. tions. We can cordially recommend our readers to go and see the Nathan Troupe. In our next we will do their performances more justice. We received a telegram from Hokitika ; yesterday stating that a very heavy storm of wind was prevailing, accompanied by clouds of dnst. All the business places had to lie closed, and much damage was done to buildings. The barometer in twenty-four hours fell one inch and three-tenths, and bad weather was looked for. The weather report »,b the telegraph offico showed that the barometer had fallen very low all over the colony, and gales were prevailing at the Bluff and Lyttelton. Greymouth has again had a narrow escape from fire. Between one and two o'clock on Sunday morning, one of the rooms in a small cottage at the back of, and close adjacent to the Melbourne Hotel, was discovered to be on tire by one of the servants who sleeps in the cottage. The whole of the paper and canvass on the ceiling was in flames, which rapidly spread down the paper an,d calico on the walls of the room. Luckily the five was discovered so soon, as by tearing down the remaining paper, and stamping out that which \va,s blazing, it was entirely extinguished in a few minutes, and before any very serious damage had been done. Had the fire ext.iided to the next room, in all probability not only would the cottage have been deslioycd, but the whole of the block from the 'McHio.,;irnc Hotel d;own to the Custoiu-|io\\se

would have Mien a victim to the flames. The origin of the tire is not known with any certainty, but it is supposed tliat the man who slept in the room bad gone to bod drunk, and either upset his candle or left it burning iv some placa. where it communicated with the paper. An accident, whiph might have been attended by serious results, occurred on the Greymouth and Saltwater Tramway on Suiir day afternoon. As the passenger carriage from Saltwater was approaching town on tbo steep embankment which carries the line across the tidal creek and swamp beyond Boundary street, and when close to tho bridge over the creek, it got off the rails, and in spite of every effort made by the driver to prevent it, turned over down the bank into the water and mud below. The horse was nearly drowned, having fallen into t;lic creek head downmost, but was liberated in time. Fortunately there were pnly three persons in the carriage, and none pf them received .any injury. The driver was a good deal sljakenbut was not seriously hurl;. On making au examination qf the line at tho place where the accident happened, it was found that a sleeper, which had previously been laid on the bank bad been placed in such a pasititinas to obstruct one of the rails, and it was undoubtedly this wanton act of mischief whicfi caused the parriage to upset. It is supposed that the sleeper had been shifted b,y some boys who had been observed playing about ; and, if so, we trust the guilty person will be discqyered and severely punished. Life itself might have been lost, and had the carriage been full cf passengers, the probability is that very serious results, would haye ensued. We learn from the local paper that a very unusual and curious freight was brought in to Westport by a boat which had been out as far as the Steeples, on Saturday no other than four young specimens of the common brown seal, or phoca, of which one was dead* but the three others were alive and vigorous, and are b.ejng exhibited in a tank of water in a house on the Esplanade. Their cries for "papa and mamma" were singularly plaintive and almost human, and their whole aspect very intelligent. The finding of these animals on a place so near the haunts of man is a note-wortby fact iii natural history. The assiduity with which the members of the Greymouth Cricket Club are nowpiactis 3 ing on the Couvt-house Reserve is a healthy sign of the determination of the Club to attain proficiency. The practice-ground has been nicely levelled and cleared at tlie expense of the Club. The Club have also entered into arrangements with Mr Nelson of Coal Creek to form his picturesque gardens into a match-ground, for the use of the Club, and we notice that he is progressing very quickly with the work. When completed it will form one of the prettiest cricket grounds in the Colony. We understand that the Club intend to play the return match with their Hokitika brethren very shortly, and we trust they will «n that occasion appear to better advantage than they did at Hokitika. A scratch match between two elevens will be played on tho practice-grounl to-morrow The following gentlemen will compose the twoelevens :— l4uiness' side : Messrs Guitiess, Paul, Smith, Thomson, Procter, Macdougall, Lyell, Holloway, King, Nancairow and Heaphy. On F. Cohen's side : Messrs F. Cohen, Buckingham, Wright, Gleeson, Barnett, Bradley, D. Cohen, O'Connell. J. Revell, S. M'Dowell and Sheedy. Tho wickets will be pitched at one p.m. sharp. Booths for the accommodation of ladies and for refreshments will be placed on the ground. An official announcement appears in the last Gove.rnment Gazette that the prevalent practice of taking unstamped receipts for accounts settled by cheque is condemned as liable to a penalty of LlO. The greater po'-tion of the" West Coast Times of Saturday is occupied with the report of the evidence taken in the Insolvent Court at Hckitika, in the case of Phillip Sternberg, of Greymouth. The evidence discloses some extraordinary transactions between the insolvent and a person named Marks, of Hokitika, the intention and object of which were to defraud the creditors. It seems that Marks, who was in reality a creditor for only some L 34, got from Steruberg a bill of sale over his stock for L 750, under which he sold and bought the stock, &c, to keep the estate out of the Court. Subsequently he went to Melbourne to endeavor to arrange with Sternberg's creditors there, and from there he wrote to Sternberg advising him to do certain things in the conduct of the business " so that it do not look like a swindle." ! Marks ultimately obtained from Sternberg's creditors a power of attorney to act for them, and it would appear that Sternberg has been left in the lurch, and has turned round upon his quondam friend. The result is that some very edifying disclosures are being mutually made, Avhich may pro. bably lead one or both the parties into trouble. 1 The Westport Times speaks hopefully of the prospects of the diggings on what is known as the Caledonian Lead. It says .- Everything in this district wears an aspect of business and stability that augurs well for its future success. Two large streets have been formed, and the whole of the sections have been taken up, while public bouses and stores are going up in all directions. On New Bsillaarat the building of huts and preparing timber for blocking out is the order of the day. % There is a goodly sprinkling of the fair sex, and the township presents quite a busy appearance— there being about 600 persons up on the leads. On the Middle or Cornish Terrace, a new rush took place on Friday. Russell and party, after seven months ra.ee cutting, have struck on splendid gold, which will pay them for all their, trouble and outlay. Hughes and party's claim o,n the terrace is also paying very well- the washdirt yielding from L2O to L 25 per week per man. The German Terrace is also looking well, and tnere are a great many people prospecting on both sides of the terrace. Mr D.owdney is busily engaged in erecting a substantial butcher's shop on the taut, wJuch

shows that lie. as one of the oldest residents on the Caledonian Lead, must be satisfied with its permanency. The Wellington co-respondent of the Otatjo Daily Times, speaking of the alleged gold discoveries in the Wellington Province says : — Dr Hector has been up the West Coast, examining into the reportod gold finds at Harowkenua. He found nothing there, but there are "indications " in other parts a little further north. There is -a small party prospecting, the mosquitoes, however, swarm so extensively that very little can be done until the summer is over. Groves is in town just now, and although the best face is put on the neighborhood near Terawiti, we may safely conclude that for all practical purposes that district is a failure — it will not pay to vork. A telegram from Wellington states that a portion of the Government House was discovered to be on fire on the night of the 28th ult. , and there was reason to believe it to be au incendiary attempt. The fire was extinguished. The Brighton Times says : — Bushing into the surf appears to be the prevailing fashion now-a-days, for no less than three or four women have had recourse to this mode of settling their trpublcs during the past month. The latest attempt of this kind was made on Thursday last by Mrs ' Baldry of this town. Happily, however, her husband ruslied to the rescue, and prevented her from drowning. We have not heard of any niotive assigned for the apt referred to,