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Grey River Argus, Volume V, Issue 361, 7 May 1868, Page 2

Some time ago we gave publicity to & rumor that payaWe gold h.nl been struck somewhere near the kelson Coal mine. We did not hear anything further on the matter until yesterday, when we learned that two parties are working at a place known as " Sulky Creek," and are on good gold. We arc also informed on reliable authority that another party are driving a tunnel from the river about two miles beyond the coal mine. They had previously sunk a shaft at the back and obtained good prospects. Several prospecting parties ha>e recently gone up Coal Creek, and are located somewhere between the Coal Creek range and the Bald Hill. The newly discovered lead at the back of the Nprth Beach lias been rushed, and great expectations are formed of it. One of the wardens of the Hokitika gaol, named Wheelan, died suddenly whilst on duty qu Tuesday morning. Disease of the heart is supposed to have been the cause of his death. Wheelan Was much respected . he had received a medal for service in India, where he had been wounded several times. By the Flora Macdonald we have late Auckland papers. The Governor has been on a tour to the Bay of Islands, where he was well received by the natives. The pleasure of his visit was marred by the fact that some neighboring tribes were at war. The correspondent of the Southern Cross gives the iol-. lowing account of the affair : — I went to see Mongonui, one of the great chiefs of the Bay district, to get the particulars of the affair. It seems that there bail been some dispute about laud, and the parlies met tp discuss

the matter, there being several hundreds on either side. A chief pained Kaihe was speaking rather strongly about tho conduct of the other party, using unparliamentary language, when a halfrcaste named Wi Katene took up his gun and shot him — a downright kohuru, or murder, A demand was then made that the halfrcaste should be given up, which was refused j and some lighting took place, in which a native was dangerously wounded, The parties have, ife seems, enr trenched themselves in pahs, On one sjde are six hundred men, and on the other about six hundred. All these particulars are from natives, but about the killing and wounding I believe there is no doubt. The land in dispute is, it seems, a piece of three and a half aqres. The whole affair is a line epitome of all native quarrels., from the cause of causes onwards, and a lesson to Sir George. Tamati Waka says that a man having been killed on the one side, and one wounded on the other, the utu account is about square, and peace can be made, At the meeting of the Board of Education, held at Hokitika on Wednesday last, it was resolved, on the motion of Mr Harrison, that an inspection of all schools that have received aid from the Board should be made by members of the Board, who will furnish a report on or before the 20th inst. The gentlemen appointed to inspect the Grey mouth schopls are Messrs W. H. Harrison and G. W. Moss. The subject of a general system of public schools was introduced, but its discussion, was postponed until the next meeting of the Board, at which Mr Harrison gave notice that it was his intention to submit resplutiona on the subject. The recommendations of the Board will then be forwarded to the Chairman of the County Council, and the Chairman of the Select Committee on Education . There will probably be a conference between the Board and the Committee prior to the next session of the 'Council. We have Charleston papers up to Saturdaylast, but they do not contain any news of interest. The Thames quaitz reefs appear to keep up a good yield. The Southern Cross of the 20th ult. says:— ''By the s.s. Airedale, which left the Manukau ou Saturday, the Bank of New Zealand shipped for England via Panama three boxes of gold, containing three thousand one hundred and odd ounces, the produce of the Thames gold field. This, we believe, is the largest parcel which has been yet shipped by the New Zealand Bank during any one month since the gold fields were opened ; but, doubtless, as the large number of machines now in course of erection come into active crushing operation upon the hundreds of tons of quart? now stacked at the various claims, the export will be immensely increased. We believe that, by the shipment of the gold to England, considerable advantages accrue in regard to the separation of the very large per-qentage of silver — about 30 per cent.— with which the gold is impregnated in many of the samples obtained at the Thames. The actual saving effected upon the silver is found to repay any extra cost sustained in forwarding the gold to London in preference to Australia." It is notified in our advertising columns that a special meeting of the Greymouth "Volunteer Fire Brigade -will be held on Friday evening (to-morrow) at 8 o'clock, As important business has to be disposed of, it is to be hoped there will be a full attendance. The Attorney* General, Mr Prendergast, arrived at Hokitika by the Claud Hamilton. He will conduct the presecution for the Crown in the trials for riot and sedition, which, take place at Hokitiea next week. The West Coast Times of yesterday says : •'Various rumors have been iv circulation within the last few days as to counsel retained, or attempted to be retained, for the defence, We believe there is no probability of either Mr Ireland, Mi Aspinall, or any other member of the Victorian bar taking a brief in the case. It is reported, however, that Mr James Smith, of the Dunedin. bar, is being communicated with, and that there is a chance of his paying Hokitika a visit." We learn from the Nelson Evenin;/ Mail that among the cirrivals by the Phcebe is the itev. Father Hickie, a gentleman who has been delegated by the Irish Catholic Bishop 3, under the especial sanction of his Eminence Cardinal Barnabo, the Prefect of the Propaganda, to collect subscriptions throughout those colonies in aid of the Irish Catholic University. The reverend gentleman has been engaged for the last four years on thi3 mission, and has received very encouraging support in California, Australia, and also in this colony, his appeal to the Catholics in Wellington having been responded to by the sum of L7O. The Catholic University in Dublin was founded in 1854, with the object of supplying to the Catholics of Ireland a superior education, they being debarred from entering Trinity College, Dublin, and the present Government have promised to jonfer a special charter upon the University. The Hon. John Hall, who arrived at Hokitika from Christchurch on Saturday evening, left again by the overland route on Tuesday. His visit was necessary to the issue of certain regulations relating to the sale of waste lands, which will shortly be published. The Westport Times, of Monday, says that the extensive plant erected by Mr C. Nees, consisting of a powerful steam-engine, sawmill, and battery of stampers for cement crushing, situate near the Nile Bridge, also the tramway, about a mile in length, connecting the work with Charleston, were brought to the hammer on Thursday. The engine and saw-mill were knocked down to Mr Philip Booney for L3lO, and the tramway and trip trollies to Mr Stebbing, the former for L2t>, the latter for L 25. It appears that shortly after receiving payment of the last two lots, the auctioneer (Mr Dwan) discovered that the tramway grant included the ground on which stands the engine and saw-mill, and there was a probability of ths purchaser of the latter being called upon to remove the same. Be that as it may, however, Mr Dwan repudiated the sale of the tramway and trollies, and put them up for sale again next

day, stating that he did so at the risk of the former purchaser. Some curiosity was evinced as to the result of the second sale, and when the auctioneer (Mr Dwanj, Mho appeared very much excited, refused to receive a protest handed in by Mr Stebbing, the former purchaser, and kicked it into the mud. The tramway was knocked down to Mr Pvioney for L 28,, and the trucks tp Mr Mace for L2O, but in this instance tlte tramway alone waa spld without the grant. Before, and during the sale, the auctioneer indulged in unlimited abuse of several individuals there present. We refrain from describing in detail the extraordinary conduct of Mr Dwan, or passing any comments, as the circumstances are likely to be made the subject of a case or two in the IJesideut Magistrate's Court. The Nelson Examiner, which is one of the best conducted and most influential journals in New Zealand, thus comments on Mr Commissioner Kynnersley's report ou the Addiboii'b Flat disturbance : — Tkejletter addressed by Mr Commissioner Kynnersley to his Honor the Superintendent, giving an account of the late proceedings at Addispn's Flat and Westport, has been commented upon both here and on the West Coast. In the estimation of some persons the letter contains passages which shpuld never have been suffered to appear in print, and the Superintendent is blamed for not having returned the letter to, Mr Kynnersley, with a request that it might be re-written. Foi\ our part, we take a totally different view of the document. That it is not couched in customary official terms we admit, but that, in our Opinion, gives it additional value, An officer well up in official slang, and thoroughly paced iv redtapeism, would certainly have written a very different letter. There would have been at the commencement the "honor to report," and the "honor to remain, •&c," at the end, and all the intermediate, matter a very dry and spiritless narrative, giving the least pussbile information on all the transactions. There would, probably, have also been a private and confidential communication, giving the Government a little more insight into what had occurred, of which the outside world would have been kept in the dark. Mr Kynnersley, on the contrary, puts the whole proceedings into very forcible and intelligible language ; and the publication of his letter has put us in possession of all the facts, B.ut the style of Mr Kynnersley's letter is a small matter compared with the wisdom or otherwise with which he has treated a very threatening state of affairs on the Wesfc Coast, and which with the slightest mismanagement might have led to great loss of life, sowed the seeds of future feuds, and entailed on the colony an enormous expenditure of money. This we believe has all been averted by the Commissioner's wisdom, courage, and forbearance. Instead of railing at the Commissioner, we regard him as entitled to the gratitude of every well-wisher of the colony. Jt is terrible to contemplate the evils that might have ensued had Mr Kynnersley listened to the clamors of the people at Westport, and sanctioned their advance on Addison's Flat when pressed to do so. The people of Westport are talking, we perceive, of memorializing the Government toiustitutean inquiry into the Commissioner's conduct. We imagine nothing could give Mr Kynnersley greater satisfaction. We are indebted to the West Coast Times for the following fuller particulars of the execution of O'Farrell at Sydney on the 21st April : — O'Farrell was executed at nine o'clock this (Tuesday) morning. There was a large number of persons present to witness the execution. 0 'Farrell prayed fervently at the foot of the ladder leading to the gallows with Father John O'Dwyer. He walked rapidly and firmly. He made no remarks to the spectators, and died without any struggling. He sent a letter to the Colonial Secretary yesterday, which he requested would be opened after his death. It is reported that O'Farrell said privately before his death, that he was glad the Prince escaped, and that he was glad he had avoided New Zealand, where his life might have been in danger. The Colonial Secretary stated in the Assembly, this evening, that the GoA'emment had received another important communication from another quarter, but declined to state the particulars. O'Farrell's body was interred at Haslam's Creek."