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Grey River Argus, Volume V, Issue 351, 14 April 1868, Page 2

By the Tararua several West Coast miners have returned from Queensland via Melbourne. Without exception they give a most doleful account pf the diggings and of the condition of the miners. The diggings are exceedingly limited in extent, very patch} ? and in but few cases are the claims yielding more than bare wages. Thousands of men are wandering about idle, and very many of them perfectly destitute. A large number have managed to get as far as Sydney on their way back to New Zealand, and are waiting there for a chance to get back to the West Coast. It is the general opinion that most of the miners who have the means of doing so will return to Westland. The West Coast Times of Saturday says : — It is rumored that a Fenian Society, numbering several hundred members, has been organised in the Buller District, and somer thing very nearly akin to a reign of terror is established in consequence of the uncertain stand taken by the Government through its agent Mr Kynnersley. We are given to understand that many loyal miners, who took part in the late procession, and who were afterwards assaulted on their return to Addison's Flat, have been dispossessed of their claims there, and look in vain to the authorities for redress. Business languishes, it being next to an impossibility to collect accounts whilst the law, that under other cirqumstanqes would enforce payment, is openly defied. If the above is true, the in. terference of the General Government is imperatively demanded, as it is only too patent that the local authorities are utterly incapable of dealing with the emergencyWe are also informed that one of the runners of the Wextport Times was stuck up near Addison's Flat by a mob of Fenians, who seized the bundle of papers and burnt them, and threatened him with dire consequences if he ever " showed his nose that way again." Lieut. -Colonel Whitmoro has been gazetted to the appointment of Commandant of the Armed Constabulary in New Zealand. It is highly probable that Mr Gallagher has been elected the member of the House of Representatives for Westland North. At Charleston he polled 147 votes and at Brighton 103. Mr George Donne only polled 7at Charleston and lat Brighton. We are not yet aware of the returns from Westport Cobden, and the Upper Gaey. The hopes of finding a payable gold field in the province of Hawke's Bay that the inhabitants have indulged in do not appear likely to be realised. The Herald of the 31st nit. says:— "The Sweeney Brothers returned on Saturday last from their pros pecting tonr. They have been absent nearly four months, during which they have care" fully prospected the various rivers and watercourses they came across. Almost everywhere they found specks, but, wo regret to say, have failed to discover anything at all likely to be a payable gold field." The great fertility of the soil and the adaptability of the climate of Westland to the growth of certain kinds of vegetables has long been proved by the magnificent crops of green produce which have been grown in the various gardens along the coast. Yesterday we were shown a remarkably fine pumpkin, of the "orange" varioty, grown in the open air in the garden of Mr M'Donogh, at Paroa. It is of great size, measuring fully 3ft 9in in circumference, with an average diameter of 12 inches. In addition to a fine crop of pumpkins, Mr M'Donogh has raised a large quantity of vegetable marrows, some of which are of very extensive dimensions. The West Coast Times of yesterday states that as the return coach and passengers from the Grey were passing along the beach, about a mile from the Waimea Creek, between seven and eight o'clock on Saturday night last, they were suddenly assailed with stones by an apparently drunken man on the road. One of thra missiles striking a wayside passenger, picked up at Saltwater Creek, also believed to be intoxicated, the latter jumped out of the vehicle with the view of chastising the assailant, who, unfortunately, proved two powerful for him, and, knocking him down, commenced to kick and jump on him, and otherwise assault him in, a most brutal manner. The driver immediately stopped the coach, and, at considerable risk to himself, rescued the unfortunate fellow, and drove on to town. It is reported, also, that Messrs Guinness and M'Dougall, of the Grey, were assailed in a similar manner. The following sensihle remarks appear in an article in the Lyttelton Times respecting the aspect of native affairs in the North Island: — "It appears that Mr Firth, an Auckland merchant, has taken up a large run from the natives, not far from some of the strongholds of the Hau-haus. Some cattle which he was sending on from Tauranga to occupy this run were seized and appropriated by an armed band of Hau-haus. Such an occurrence is much to be regretted. But it would be a subject of infinitely more regret were it to be allowed to become the oscasion of a new war with the natives. The only safe aud true view to take of such an event is, to treat it as a matter of provincial police. If the provincial authorities of Auckland consider the extension of their settled boundaries fco be of so much importance as to warrant their taking up the affair,

let them do so, and punish, or attempt to punish, the wrong-doers. But the colony as a whole must not be involved. . Time was, indeed, when an agitatiou ajid excitement would have been got up throughout the whole colony 011 accounc of such an out? rage ; and, if lives bad been lost in the confusion, wai to the knife would have been a most popular cry. But the cost of such cries is now understood to be con? siderably beyond our means, and is not likely to be incurred. If single qplonists, or small bodies of them, will venture into disr turbed districts, and rjsk both thpir lives and their property, they must make up their minds that the colony will not P^nge into a war on their account. They must lo,ok to the local police force for protection, and to nothing beyond that, It would be utterly unreasonable for them to expect anything more, A settler who had built his hut and tended his flocks imder the shadow of one of the great glaciers of onr Southern Alps, might as well call for protection frpm the Government from an avalanche which threatened to sweep all his property away, as the adventurous settler in the interior of the North Island for prqtection from his chosen uoighbprhond of Hau-hauhism. We can admire and applaud the enterprising spirit of such men, but in order to deserve either admiration or applause, their enterprises must be made at their own risk and not at that pf the colony." Our Hokitika contemporary says :— Again is public attention directed to the far South in anticipation that a rush in that direction will take place ere long, substantial reports having reached town of the discovery of a considerable stretch of auriferous country in the neighborhood of Barn Bay. We know that a party of diggers well provided with provisions, tools, &c, did proceed in that direction by the steamer Bruce, on that vessel's last trip south, with the avowed purpose of opening up a gold field of which they professed to know. We sincerely hope they have been successful, and that the reports above referred to spring from them. At the same time the reports are not confirmed, and therefore at present anything like a rush is much to be deprecated. We have heard fair accounts concerning the Okarifca gold field, which, although not densely populated, comfortably supports the few hundred miners who stick by the old place. We notice that in the Canterbury Provincial Council, on Wednesday evening last, Mr W. Wilson gave notice of his intention to move on the following evening — " That the Council do resolve itself into a Committee of the whole House, for the purpose of considering the following resolution, viz. : — "That, in consideration of the valuable services rendered by his Honor William Sefton Moorhouse, Esquire, to the Province of Canterbury, his Honor the Superintendent be respectfully requested to place upon the supplementary estimates the sum of L 600 0) to be immediately expended in the purchase of waste lauds of the Crown, to be held in trust for the benefit of Mrs W. S. Moorhouse and family. That the trustees for the above purpose should be Mr Speaker, Mr M. S. Duncan, Mr W. Montgomery, and the mover." Mr Bowen is spoken of as a probable candidate for the Superintendency of Canterbury. The Hawkers Bay Herald says that the boiling-down works in that province will soon be at work, after which legs of mutton at one shilling each will be sent round for sale. The following is the message in which Mr Moorhouse intimates to the Provincial Council of Canterbury, his approaching resignation of the office of Superintendent of the province: — " The Superintendent desires to communicate to the Council his intention to resign shortly after the close of this session. This determination was induced by the pressure of urgent private affairs some time previous to the commencement of the session, but consideration of public convenience prevented an earlier disclosure of his intention. W. S. Moorhouse, Superintendent of Canterbury. Superintendent's Office, Christchurch, April 7, 1567." The Auckland Herald, of Saturday last, says. — "A very important judgment was given on Monday last by Judge Beckham in the district Court in the case of Abrams v. Balneavis. It appears that the sheriff's officer, when he arrests a man, " shall not carry any such person to any gaol or prison within four-and-twenty hours from the time of such arrest, unless such person or persons so arrested shall refuse to be carried to some safe and convenient dwelling house of his, her, or their nomination or appointment within a city borough, corporation, &c., &c." The judgment was against the Sheriff. We very re" spectfully doubt whether this is law, for assuming the option to be given to the person to nominate, in the event of his not doing so is the Sheriff to be held responsible ? If the person arrested nominates according to the Statute, and the Sheriff refuses to comply, the case is very clear. But can the Sheriff be held responsible for default of nomination by the prisoner ? Must the Sheriff be the executive of mesue process and the prisoner's lawyer at the same time? However, the Sheriff was fined LSO. We learn from the Canterbury Press, that the warrant for the execution of the convict Swale having arrived, the sentence of the law will be carried into effect on Thursday morning. Kecently Mr Cosgrave, of Hokitika, was blackballed by the Volunteers of No. 2 Company, and he wrote to the papers complaining that this had been done because he was wrongfully snspected of disloyalty. A letter signed " Loyal Citizen" appears in the Even- \ ing Star of Friday, which puts some pertinent questions to Mr Cosgrave. We copy a portion of the letter :— " I now come to the something else which Mr Cosgrave is so anxious to have explained, and which prevented him from becoming a member of No. 2 Company Westland Rifles. I will now ask him in all good feeling, can he answer the few following questions as a man, and then disguise from himself the true reason of his being blackballed the other night. Tney

areas follows. Who v first accorded his support, and identified nimself with the Celt paper by a flaring advertisement at the top of the leading column of that paper ? Who gave LlO towards purchasing a plant for the seditious organ ? Who made the memorable speech at Cassidy's, recorded in the Celt paper of 10th January, when the Irishman and Dublin Ration paper? were to be taken as standards by which to regulate and conduct the Celt ? Again, let me ask, who was the first to hoist the party emblem round lv's hat (months since) ? And again, . who was the first to strike his colors? If Mr Cosgrave p.an answer me these questions satisfactorily, then will I believe that he is a most loyal subject, cruelly traduced." The P-peqß of the 7th inst. says ; — A Maori election meeting took place at Kaiapqi Pa on Friday evening last, when addresses were delivered by the friends of the candidates, they themselves being absent. At its close the supporters of the different candidates tonic up separate sjdes of the building in which the meeting was held ; Green's s;de Avas strongest. Another candidate, Wi Naehira, has come forward. On the 15th a large number of Maoris are expected from the neighboring pas tq take part in the election, and we are told canvassing operations on an organised scale are being carried on by the rivals. The following telegrams from Wellington are published in the Christchurch papers : — Wellington, April 6j. — A small steamer, named the Cleopatra,, frqm Napier, unable to make an offing, was beached near Cape Palliser, and became a total wreck. — The Rakaia has sailed with forty-five passengers. — It is rumored, that the office p,f SolicitorGeneral will shortly be vacant. The anticipated resignation is not caused by political ! differences. A great indignation meeting, re the attempted assassination of the Duke of Edinburgh, was held, in the Brunswick Hall, Auckland, pn Eriday Jast. The chair was taken by Mr John Williamson, Superintendent. Messrs Whitaker, Dignan, and Stafford were the principal speakers. Addresses to the Queen and the Duke were adopted. The Governor,- accompanied by Messrs Stafford and Richmond, intends to visit the Waikato and the Bay of Islands. — From information which they have received, it is said that the Government of New South Wales has ordered the insertion of an advertisement in some of the New Zealand papers, offering a reward for the apprehension of O'Farrell's accomplices.