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Grey River Argus, Volume VI, Issue 375, 9 June 1868, Page 2

The arms and accoutrements for the Greymouth Volunteer Rifles arrived in town by the p.s. Bruce, from Hokitika, on Saturday ; and the Adjutant of the Westland Rifle Corps ha 3 also arrived for the purpose of inspecting the local company. Wo are informed that the arms aiui accoutrements will be distributed to the members this evening at the drill-shed, when a full muster is requested. On Sunday last the Right Eev. the Lord Bishop of Nelson, Dr Suter, preached in Trinity Church, at tho morning and evening services. On the latter occasion the church was crowded to excess, and the unusually large congregation listened with wrapt attention to the eloquent discourse delivered by his Lordship. On both occasions there were collections in aid of the Parsonage Fund, and his Lordship took the opportunity of expressing his gratification at finding that so much had been done for the. church by the members of the congiegation, and he especially thanked all who had assisted them to build a Church and Parsonage in this town. He trusted that they would go on with the good woik until the Parsonage was thoroughly finished and the Church Reserve fenced in. It is stated in the Nelson papers that Mr Donne's constituents, disgusted at the strange antics which their representative has played during the present session of the Provincial Council, propose convening a public meeting at an early date, for the purpose of calling upon the hon. member to give an explanation, if possible, of his conduct, and in case of such explanation not proving satisfactory, insisting on the resignation of his seat. There was no Court business transacted at the Resident Magistrate's Court on Saturday. Yesterday the only case was an information against Isaac O'Donnell for allowing pigs to he at large in the public streets, and he was fined L 2. The Marlborough Press states that the old diggings at Deep Creek are improving, and that the mining population has increased lately. We learn from the Nelson papers that Mr Donne's motion that his Honor the Superintendent be requested, with all convenient speed, to take the requisite steps to submit for sale the town allotments in the districts of Charleston and Brighton, was lost on a I division by 11 to 6, the Provincial Secretary having stated that the Government had decided that the allotments in question should not be offered for sale for the present. I Professor Anderson is dead, and according to the New York correspondent of the Sydney Herald has met a sad end. The writer says : — A few days ago he committed suicide in Cincinnati, where he was performing, first having killed his little sou. Domestic trouble is assigned as the cause ; the despatch stating that Mrs Anderson had the day before left Cincinnati in company with an employe of her husband's. ' She was telegraphed to on the road, and on receiving the terrible intelligence she returned to the city. The Lyttelton Times reports a meeting of the promoters of the Grey River Coal Company on Thursday last, at Messrs Wilson and Alport's office, High street, for the purpose of receiving the report of the hon. secretary's visit to the coal fields. MrOllivier, hon. secretary, said that preliminary drives were being carried on at the east end of the reserve under the direction of Mr Usher, and that tho indications of coal were very satisfactory. These drives were to be continued for two

months, solely with the view of testing the lie of the coal. Mr Kilgour had undertaken to remove the coal as it was taken from the pit, and take it down to Greymouth for sale. He (Mr Olliyier) recommended £has Mf Usher should be instructed to commence auothpr drive at the western end of the reserve, considerably above the level, so as to test the upper seams. The promoters' shares offered to the inhabitants of Greymowtb had been eagerly taken up, and there was little doubt but that an efficient local directory | could be formed to co-operate with that in ! Christphurch. After some conversation, the secretary was requested to prepare a pros.pectus, and submit ij; to the next meeting, so as to open the share list to the public at once. The next meeting was then fixed for Monday next (yesterday), at 3pm., at the same place. The following is a statement of the Revenue of the Province of Nelson derived from the Customs, land (including gold duty), gold fields, and miscellaneous sources, which, it will be observed, shows a marked increase during the last sjx months under each de? partmerit except the gold fields :— Customs: Six months ended Sept., L 12 ,130 14s lid ; Do. .and Consolidated Revenue — six months ended March, L 33.618 185— L45.755 12s lid. Land Revenue, including gold duty : Six months ended Sept, L 16.924 12s 6d; six months ended March, L 22.154 25— L39,108 j 15s 4d. Gold Fields Revenue : Six months ended Sept ? L 18.599 19s ; six months ended March, L 17.581 4s 6d- L 36,181 3s 6d. Mispellaneous : Six months ended Sept, L 927 11s 8d; six months ended March, L 6207 13s Sd— L7l3s 5s 4d. We learn from Dunedin that immediately after the reinstatement of the Yogel Ministry, a motion for a general dissolution of the Provincial Council was carried, but not by a large majority. The election of Messrs Tinothy Gallagher and Edmund Barff, aR members of the General Assembly for "Westland, is gazetted. The foundation stone of the nevr Masonic Hall, Moray Place, Duuedin, was laid on Monday, Ist inst., with Masonic honors, by the Right Worshipful Grand Master of New Zealand, Bro. Vincent Pyke. Tt had been intended that the ceremony should take place upon the anniversary of her Majesty's Birthday, but the inclemency of the weather caused it to be postponed We understand that the] meeting of the General Assembly is likely to be still further postponed from the 23rd of June till the 9th of July. A shocking accident is reported in the Lyttelton Times l to have occurred the other day to the wife and infant of a laboring man, named Campbell, residing at the upper end of Oxford street, Lyttelton. From the statement of the man, it appears that two of his children were ill ; his wiie, who is subject to epileptic fits, was in an ad joining room nursing the youngest. He himself fell asleep beside one of the children, and was awoke soon after by hearing fearful groaning. Jumping out of bed, lie found his wife on the floor in flames, and the infant in her arms. He tore off the burning clothes as soon as possible, burning his own hands terribly. Drs Rouse and Mottloy were soon in attendance, and I did all thoy could. Dr Donald also visited the sufferers. The child expired at noon, and , the mother is not likely to survive. We notice that the Nelson Provincial Council have adopted, by 14 to 7, a resolution moved by Mr Kelling in favor of an improved system of transference and registration of land. It was opposed by Mr Pitt, who pointed , out that the Torrens Act did not work satisfactorily, and he moved the previous question, which was "resolved in the affirmative" by the above majority, that is to say, that Mr Kelling's motion, which ib was proposed to shelve, should be put to the Council. It was so put and carried, and is probably the commencement of an agitation for reform in this particular branch of law business, of which there seems great necessity. Recarding the mission of Mr Fitzherbert to England, on behalf cf the New Zealand Government, a late telegram from Wellington says: — "The Consolidation Acts were allowed after 'a very narrow squeak.' Mr Fitzherbert has obtained an advance of L 450,000 on short-dated debentures, at 4 per cent., to pay off New Zealand Bank Securities at 7 per cent, before maturity. The tone of Mr Fitzherbert's letters is hopeful." In the Nelson Provincial Council, a motion by Mr Donne, to the effect that horse-tracks should be cut at intervals on that part of the coast line between the Razorback aud the Mokihinui River, in order to open up the back country upon the South-west Gold Fields, was carried, a wide diversity of opinion on the subject having been expressed. The Nelson Evening Mail says : — The Rev. Father Tressallet, who for the last few months has been on a special mission to the West Coast, during the late political excitement, returned to Kelson last week, and preached at St Mary's on Sunday evening, Father Tressallet has been chosen to accompany the Right Rev. Bishop Viaid as his chaplain, on his approaching visit to Rome, for which destination his Lordship leaves by the next Panama steamer. We understand that it is the intention of the Catholics of Nelson, amongst whom Father Tressallet has labored for the last five years, to present him with some testimonial of their respect and esteem before his departure for the Eternal City. A curious example of what may be gained by extreme persistency has recently been afforded. Mr James Busby, of Auckland, who was British Resident in New Zealand before the Crown took possession of the Islands, was one of the largest holders of land purchased from the Natives — the pur-chase-money having been paid in blankets, guns, &c. After the Treaty of Waitangi, and the establishment of. a British Government here, the Commissioners appointed to investigate the claims of the old settlers to land alleged to have beeu bought from the Maoris, disallowed Mr Busby's claims in their entirety but still awarded him a very large quantity of land. Since that time, for more than twenty years, Mr Busby has contested his right to the land taken from him and sold tor

other persons. Time after time his case has been brought before the Assembly, and more than oncehas it been the subjectof despatches between the Governor of New Zealand and the Secretary of State. Mr Busby having wearied the editors of the Auckland papers by las constant and lengthy letters upon his grievances, actually bought type and presses, and started a newspaper in Auckland— the Aucklander, in 1862, for no other purpose than to keep his case pontinnally before the public. At length he managed to induce the Government tp submit his case to arbitration, the result of which is thus related by an Auckland paper:- "The arbitrators ap : pointed to enquire intp the merits of Air Jas. Busby's land claims— lauds alleged by Mr Busby to have been purchased from the Natives iv 183,9, and, at other times— have awarded him spme 10,000 acres of land, and land scrip to the value of between L 30.000 and L40,0Q0, the land tp be chosen from the provincial waste lands of the Province of Auckland." • A resolution has been carried in the Nelson Provincial Council, p,n the motion of Mr Dorme — " That his Honor the Superhv tendent be requested to take the requisite steps to get Charleston made a Ppr| of Entry and Warehousing Port." The Government opposed the motion. The Provincial Secretary said :— lt is not a port. The hon. member should have worded his motion differently, and have requested a vote of money to make it a port. (Hear, hear.) I have heard one hon. member say he had walked all over the so-called harbor(Laughter.) Air Home admitted the harbor was not of the best, but he thought for the convenience of the aettlcrs, it should be declared a port of entry. Charleston transacted much more business Jjhau Woodpecker Bay, yet that was a port. He hoped the Council would, as an act of grace, permit the motion to pass. The Provincial Solicitor opposed the motion. Mr F. Kelling, Mr Dreyer, Mr Burn, and Mr Wastney spoke in favor of the motion. Motion carried.