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Grey River Argus, Volume VII, Issue 473, 26 January 1869, Page 2

A meeting of the promoters of th<s Greymouth and Greenstone Tramway Company, is called for this evening at Gilmer's Hotel, at eight o'clock, for the purpose of approving of the memorandum of association. ' It was rumored in town yesterday that' a second bottom had been struck in one of the terraces on the Greenstone, with first-rate prospects. We give it simply as a rumor, until the arrival of our correspondent's usual weekly communication ; but from the natural formation of these terraces, the fact is very likely to be true. It is stated that there are now 2500 men on the Greenstone, over 600 of whom are on gold, and that the townships at the Junction and Greenstone Cree,k are extending. It is stateu by the Charleston Herald that the Banks of New South Wales and New Zealand have decided to withdraw their agencies from Brighton. Mr Bowen has been appointed clerk to the District Court of Westland North, to be holden at Charleston, but at present, says the Herald, is unable to transact business, owing to the non-arrival of the necessary forms and seal of the Court. On behalf of the Grey River Hospital, we are requested to acknowledge the kindness of Mr A. Constantine, in giving a day's work last week with his horse and dray in carting manure and shingle for the improvement of the Hospital Reserve. There is still a good deal of work to be done, and the services of another horse and dray during any day this week will be very acceptable. Dr. T. G. Carr announces the commencement of a series of mesmeric and electrobiological seances at the Volunteer Hall this evening. The novelty of the entertainment, combined with recent events in Hokitika, will no doubt attract a numerous attendance. The Volunteer Fire Brigade had a first-rate practice last evening. The engine was placed on the landing-stage opposite Tainui street, and two streams of water were thrown over the roof of one of the highest buildings in town — Gilmer's new hall — and over the top of the store of Kennedy Bros. There was a very creditable muster of the members of the Brigade. The match between the Volunteers of Wellington and Nelson has been concluded in favor of the latter, the scores bsing 387 to 342. The ranges shot over were 200, 400, and 500 yards. There has been a snake found in the Upper Waikato ; the first of this order of reptile yet found in New Zealand. The interesting specimen has been deposited in the Museum, where it can be seen by the curious. Mr F. Guinness has been gazetted DeputyRegistrar of Births Marriages and Deaths for the Grey District. During a heavy thunderstorm which passed over New Plymouth lately, two boys named Rogers, while returning to their homes at Omata from haymaking, were struck by lightning. The lads were quite insensible when brought into town, but were gradually recovering from the shock. There was no business before the Resident Magistrate's Court on Saturday. Yesterday Frederick Burke was fined 10s or 48 hours' imprisonment, for having been drunk and incapable. Two charges of assault brought by Paterson v. Cattle, were dismissed, as the parties did not appear. The official casualty return of the affair at Ngatapa, from the Ist to the sth January, is to hand. It reports as killed Sub-Inspector Brown, Sergeant Helaraha, and Constables M'Ewen, Sawyer, Chislett, Clarendon, and five Ngatiporou. Wounded : Acting SubInspector Capel, Constables Crosbie, Smith, Clancy, and four Nagtiporou. The carpenter on board the p.s. Dispatch, Charles James Falconer, met with an accident on Saturday night, which, though not supposed to be very serious, may confine him to the hospital for a few weeks. He was going home from the vessel, when he tripped on one of the ropes stretched from the vessels to the mooring-posts and fell, sus'aining some injuries, the extent of which is not yet fully known. He was admitted to the hospital on Sunday. The occurrence of another tidal phenomenon is recorded by the Taranald Herald, of January 9 : — " On Monday last, the tide in our roadstead exhibited extraordinary eccentricities. It was high tide at about six minutes past one, when, although it is the season of neap tides, it rose higher than a spring tide. But this was not all ; it ebbed for above three or four hours, occasionally receding and flowing up to the boat sheds. | It did not thoroughly fall during the whole afternoon. The following is a summary of the latest Auckland news brought to Wellington by the s.s. Phoebe : — Mr O'Neill, of Auckland, has i resigned his seat in the General Assembly, and Mr H. W. Farnell is a candidate for the seat. General Chute and Captain Stack are on board the Hero, which is daily expected. They were en route when the Mataura left. A Maori woman named Atereta was murdered at Rotopiro, Wairoa. near Auckland, by Ruka, for causing his brother's death by witchcraft. The case had been investigated by the chiefs and the woman confessed to

the charge. Ruka met and tomahawked her, and then escaped. Atereta was said to have killed fifty people by spells. A large meeting of miners, unanimously voted "no confi, dence" in the promoters of the petition asking forthe recall of the Superintendent's delegated powers. Mr Grove suggested a petition asking for the appointment of Messrs Vincent Pyke and Wilson Gray, of Otago, to inquire into grievances and frame ■ suitable bye-lawr, A rule nisi obtained by Bushby, in regard io his land claims has been made absolute. ' Letters received from the Maori King contain assurances of peace. Taipari and other* have claimed the reward of £5000 offered by the Provincial Government in April, 1867. A most foolish action was committed on Sunday, by which a man named James, ' Small nearly lost his life. He had been, drinking during the early part, of the day, and as the weather was rather warm, he in the afternoon went to one of the sets of steps on the embankment, took off his clothes and jumped into the river, with the intention of swimming to the Nelson side. When about midway over he was heard to call for help, ' and was seen to s,ink. Dr Morice, with some, others, ran to a boat and put off to the rescue, but the. man had disappeared before they came up to him. A pole was put down into the water, gp,t underneath the man's* arms; and his body was raised to the surface, dragged into the b,oat, and the usual means gi restoration were immediately used by Dr. . Morice, The. ma.n soon recovered his senses and was conveyed to bed in. rear of Kilgour's; floteL It is probabje that an information will be laid against him by the police for an indecent exposure. Mr Warden Pyke, R.M., lately held an inquest at Clyde l on the body of a woman, known as Margaret Whitaker, who had died suddenly. It was stated at the inquest that the deceased lived with a miner as his housekeeper, and that she also worked generally as a miner. The Daily Times states that quite an heroic deed was performed by a. female upon this occasion. It appears that when the news reached Mr^ Elliott, the wife of Mr Edmund Elliott, of the Half-way House Hotel, that one of her sex was dangerously ill and no female to render assistance, she boldly crossed the Molyneux by what is termed a " boatswain's chair," a frail port of seat suspended from a wire rope, the river here being at least 400 yards in width, and the " chair" a very considerable height above the water. After rendering every assistance in her power, she re-crossed by the same means to reach her home. Were medals awarded for courage in such matters, Mrs Elliott would certainly deserve one. • The nomination of candidates for the re« presentation of the Grey District in ths Nelson Provincial Council takes place to-day at Cobden, before the Returning Officer, J. R. Dutton, Esq., KM., and the poll will be taken on Friday next. The only candidates who have locally announced themselves are Mr Mackley, Noble's Gully, one of the oldest residents on the coast, and Mr R. P. a - Bain, late of Greymouth, but now of Charleston ; but it is expected that there will be other candidates proposed, viz, Mr D. Girdwood, of Greymouth, and Messrs Hennelly and M'Donnell, of Charleston. With regard to the polling places, we notice that, as usual, the Grey District people has been almost ignored, and the majority of the population up the Grey District literally disfranchised, Cobden and the new township of the Ahaura being the only places honored with pollingbooths, while all the 'important mining centres have .been neglected. In consequence of this arrangement there is veiy little probability of a local, man being returned, as Charleston or Brighton can easily outvote such places as Cobden and Ahaura. We hope that in future elections the wants of the Grey District will be better attended to in'this respect than it has hitherto been: The Southern Cross of January Bth states that two of the most daring burglaries that have ever been committed in Auckland were perpetrated on Wednesday night, within the walls of the Mount Eden Stockade, under the eyes of the warders on duty ; and with such success 'that the offender or offenders managed to get clear off with their booty. It seems that the thief or thieves, not content with a sum of money which they succeeded in stealing from the matron's room afterwards paid a visit to the private apartment, of Captain Eyre, Governor of the Gaol, and carried off money and other articles to the value of several pounds. The matron, Mrs Peat, resides in a portion of the building allotted to debtors and prisoners awaiting their trial; and about nine o'clock on the evening in question her room was entered by the window, and £2 in money and some other things carried off. Probably about the same time an entrance was effected in the house of Captain Eyre ; but howevei that may be, on his return late at night he found the place had been broken into, and that everything was in a confused state. A closet in one of the rooms had been forced open with a tomahawk, and £3 had been stolen, together with some mortgage receipts, memoranda of different kinds, and a number of other papers. The warders were communicated with, and yesterday morning at an early hour information was given to the police, but up to a late hour last night the offenders had not been captured. In all probability the parties who committed the burglaries have lately been inmates of the stockade.