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Grey River Argus, Volume VI, Issue 406, 20 August 1868, Page 2

The Greymouth Volunteer Rifles turned out for parade yesterday afternoon, and fell in on the ground behind the Court House. Considering the time at which the drill took place, there was a very good muster of the company, and all the officers were present. The usual company drill was gone through in a very creditable manner, and was witnessed by a large number of spectators. The third of the series of lectures and readings! in tl "l fif the Wesleyam Church building fund was given in the Oddfellows' Hall, on Tuesday evening, by Mr Hamilton. The hall was crowded to the door. It had been erroneously announced as a lecture on electrobiology ; but this Mr Hamilton disclaimed, as he only intended to make a few experiments. This he proceeded to do, and was fortunate enough in securing several patients, over whom he had the mysterious influence. The result \yas that for nearly two hours the audience was convulsed with laughter at thu many experiments made, the curious antics performed, and the hallucinations indulged in by the persons who were operated upon. During the evening the proceedings were varied by Mr Greenwood giving two readings, which appeared to be much appreciated. At the conclusion of the entertainment, the usual votes of thanks were given to the gentlemen who had enabled the company present to spend a most enjoyable evening. The next of the series will be given on Tuesday eveniig, and is entitled "Mirthful Moments Musically Mingled," but whether it will be a reading, lecture, or concert, we are unable to say. In our issue of Saturday last, we published a short letter from our Arnold correspondent, in which it wag mentioned that a party of miners had arrived there from Pile Creek, for the purpose of applying for a prospecting claim. It now appears that our correspor.deut must have been misinformed, as no such application has been made to the Warden. It is aniiounoed tjiat Mr John Harris, oae of the candidates for the Municipal Council, will address the eleutoi s in the Brian Boru Hotel, to-morrow eveiiiug, at eight o'clock. In our last, it was stated that an earthquake occurred in Greymouth on Monday morning, and it was our belief that a similar visitation had taken place throughout the entire Middle Island. We ar« confirmed in this opinion by the receipt of our h'les, which show that it occurred simultaneously at Christchurch, Lyttelton, Hokitika, Charleston, Westport, and, we believe, at the other towns in the island. The West Coast Times of Tuesday says that the shock of an earthquake was felt yesterday morning in Hokitika, at two minutes to ten o'clock. The shock, which lasted twelve or fourteen seconds, appeared to come from the westward, and passed to the north-oast, and was accompanied by a slight rumbling noise, ! which was most felt in the neighborhood of Gibson's Quay, as we are informed that the vibration was plainly felt by persons in the houses in that locality. Some persona cm ployed at the Government buildings also f«»lt I the shock, and ran into the open air in con. j sequence. A telegram received by the same i journal, from Christchurch, says that a strong shock of an earthquake, which passed from east to west, and which lasted for some seconds, occurred here and at Lyttelton at one minute to ten o'clock this morning. The shock was the most violent ever experienced in Canterbury, but fortunately no damage was done. The people in Lyttelton and ( 'hristchurch are greatly excited at this event, following as it docs close upon the huge tidal

wave which occurred at Lyttelton harbour on Saturday last.— The Westport Evening Star says that several of the phenomena which usually accompany earthquakes wereobserved here on Saturday, and it was at the time stated by the Harbor Master and others by whom they were observed, that nows of an earthquake in some part of New Zealand would soon be received. Their speculations prove to haye been correct. At Weatport, about the time of }pw water, several " bores " or waves o.f unusual size presented themselves in the river, running rapidly in from.-the sea, and tpwards high water the tjde made with unusual rapidity. Usually the tide rises in the Buller without any observable inward current, but on Saturday it ran in at considerable speed ; and, even at $he highest wharf in the river, $heie was at pne time a current pf at least two knots per hour up the river. The largest and heaviest "bore" occurred between five and six o'clock in the evening. It was frpin fpur *to five feet in height, and, as it pressed up the river with considerable velocity, -.t led JQ the John Perm breaking her moorings at Stanley Wharf. SpniJar phenomena were observed along the cpast. By those whp were tray^ljing by Cobb's coach, the sea was seen to recede for a considerable distance, and unusually large waves then brpke upon the shore, and adr yanced considerable distances up the beach. This morning, accprdjng tp tl^e tesfinaony of a number of the inhabitants, a s.hpck of earthquake was distinctly felt at Westport. Time is npt yery accurately kept in this town, but the shoclj or shading geems \o have been felt about ten or a quarter past ten o'clock. Several pet sons wh.P were at the time writing at counters, desks, or tables state tljat they felt £1)0 trembling motion very distinctly, and in one instance the table was both seen and felt to move, while there was a visible vibration of other articles of furniture in the room. At the Caledonian Terrace similar observations wei c made. The division list on Mr Pox's motion which we published in our last show's that out pf 75 members who constitute the House of Representatives $$ voted, 12 paired off, and 4 took no part in the division on Mr Pox's motion. Of the Nelson members, Messrs Parker and Baigent yoted for the motion • Messrs Stafford, Curtis, and Wells against it ; Mr Collins having paired off iv favor of the motion with Mr Eyes. Mr Commissioner Kynnersley is at present on a visit to Nelson, having proceeded thither by the Kennedy on her last trip. We think a caution to Municipal Councils in the selection r>f their officers may be extracted from the fact that the Clyde Mu. nicipal Council (Otago) has sustaiued a loss of £99 through their Town Clerk ; and as they had failed fr> take security from their officers, the Councillors, to appease the wrath of the papers, made up the deficient sum out of their own ppekets. A meeting of the Financial .Reform League formed in Nelson held a meeting on Wednesday evening last, when the following resolutions were adopted :—" That, in the opinion of this meeting, the General Government expenditure of New Zealand has increased during the last ten years in a degree much greater than was warranted by the growth of the Colony in wealth and population ; greater than was required for any legitimate purposes of the Government, and greater than can be maintained ill the f utu re. '' — "That while successive administrations are primarily answerable fpr the prodigal expeuditure of the Colony, the House of Representatives, which is the constitutional guardian of the public purse, has fallen short of his duty, inasmuch- as it has offered no earnest resistance to the extravagant budgets laid before it." — "That no effectual and per. manent reform in the Fiuances of the Colony, can be expected until such changes have been made in the machinery of legislation as shall render the representatives of the people more fully cognizant of, and more amenable to, public opinion * and . with this view this uieetiug recommends that the duration of Varliaments be shortened, and suggests to the constituencies the expediency of inviting their representatives to meet them both before anc) after each session."— "That this meeting views with disapprobation the wish shown by the present Government to bring about legislation by the Assembly on subjects which can be better dealt with by local bodies, according to the special requirements of each ; and protests ajjaiufct the tendency thus evinced to curtail tho legitimate action of the Provincial and Municipal Councils."— "That this meeting is of opinion that any representative legislature which failed to secure the political happiness and prosperity of the people it represents, is no longer worthy of our confidence."