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Grey River Argus, Volume VII, Issue 488, 2 March 1869, Page 2

The regular monthly meeting of the Volunteer Fire Brigade was held in their hall last evening. Captain Wkall occupied the chair. There was a good muster of the members present. An amount of business was got through, occupying the meeting up to eleven o'clock. What is supposed to have been a piece of malicious mischief was committed on the South Beach on Sunday to the property of Mr Hill. His horse was shot dead, and his cow was also shot, but was not dead when the information was brought to town. The police are making enquiries. A letter received iv. Hokitika on Saturday from Christclnircli. states that a thousand sheep were recently sold there for "one shilling a piece. " Surely there is some chance of cheap meat now. Yesterday.a man named George Robinson, a sawyer, working oil' the tramway, while passing the Custom-house, fell down in a fit. Dr. Lee was speedily in attendance, and gave every assistance., The patient was removed by his mates about an hour afterwards. The West Coast portion of the English mail via Panama was not sent on by the Tararua, for some reason best known to the post-office authorities at Wellington. We suppose we will receive ifc by the overland coach via Christchurch on Thursday. Apropos of this subject we find the following very true remarks in Dilke's " Greater Britain":— "The climate of the North Island is winterless, moist, and warm, and its effects are already seen in a certain want of enterprise shown by the Government and settlers. I remarked that the mail steamers, which leave Wellington almost every day, are almost invariably 'detained for despatches.' It looks as though thi? officers of the Colonial or Imperial Governments commence to write their letters only when the hour for the sailiug of the ship lias come. An Englishman visiting New Zealand was asked, in my presence, how long his business in Wanganui would keep him in the town. His answer was, 'In London it would take me half an , hour ; so I suppose about a week — about a week.' " The Taranaki Herald is responsible for the following : — An amusing little episode occurred in connection with Colonel Haultain's visit to this Province on Tuesday last. On the " Sfcurt" dropping her anchor, the New Plymouth Lighter Company's boat was sent off for the mail, but Colonel Haultain declined to come iv ifc when ifc returned from the steamer. He got Captain Fairchild to have the ship's boat lowered and came ashore thau way. At 6 o'clock when the mail was going off in the * Company's boat, the lio^ gentleman came down to the beach and was prepared to go off to the vessel, but preparatory to his being put on board, the coxswain asked him for his fare. Oh, no ! the hon. Defence Minister was not going to pay the f are — ] ie was a Government official aud not a commonplace person at all — a difference would have to be made, and he must be 1 taken off to tho steamer free of cost. The ; coxswain, however, did not see it in that ! light and said that all passengers had to pay, there being no exceptions that he was aware of ; and if be would not pay the fare the boat should go off without bim. And off the boat did go, leaving Colonel Haultain stand- ' ing on the sand looking very silly. Capfc. Fairchild seeing the difficulty the hon. gentleman was in, came ashore in the steamer's little boat aud fetched him. The heavy surf and high spring tides of 1 the last few days have seriously damaged a i large portion of the Saltwater Tramway, and • the enterprising proprietors have determined to do, what the original company ought to have done at first — cut the line through the ' Native Reserve to the Australasian Hotel. 1 Tenders are called for the supply of the nece&V ' sary material and labor. > The stewards of the forthcoming race meeting are pushing forward all arrangements necessary to ensure its success. The road from town to the Omotomoto Creek has been repaired, and the contract for building the 5 bridge over the creek has been let, and is ex--5 pscted to be finished a week before the meetiug. The course is being attended to, and is in first-rate order. Already there are eight horses in training in town aud Cobden, and 1 many others arc daily expected from Hokitika, Nelson, aud Christchurch. We expect l to be able to publish a complete list of the » horses in a few days. ;i ' The Hokitika Daibj News is responsible for the following: — "The course of true love never did run smooth, says the old adage, 1 but the wilful god Cupid must have been in a 3 particularly wilful humor on Thursday even--1 ing. He actually called in the aid of Boreas l to render two of his victims who were believing themselves supremely happy supremely ridiculous ; and what was more, tons was in H the month of St. Valentine too. An amorous - couple were doing the ' Meet me by moon-

light alone' business on the beach, and what . with walking, and talking, and courting, they i took no consideration of the state of the 1 weather, and neither asked the other ' What < the wild waves were saying. 1 On they i walked, and on they talked until the waters i rushed round them, and they found them- 1 selves in the possession of tin island, not a i tight one, and certainly not a right one. 1 Fear took the place of love, and the cry was < ' A boat, a boat, haste o'er the ferry.' The i cry was heard, but was answered in the i wrong way. A stalwart hero wishing to i rescue a stranger from a perilous position i ♦• peeled' and plunged into the briny torrent, i But on his arrival he only increased tfye diffi- j wlby, for the lady though white with fright, i looked black at seeing the stranger in buffi 3 and implored her yreen companion to prevent < her modesty being shocked. Ultimately the . unlucky lovers were brought to the safe side, ' but it was rather too bad tuat after having . endured such hardships, they had to undergo 1 the gauntlet of quizzers, and to stand the i jeers and laughter of an assembled crowd." [ A meeting of teetotallers was held on Fri- , day evening last in the Fire Brigade Hall, j Owing to the inclemency of the weather there Was a poor attendance. A society was established, and office-bearers for the year* were elected. • The fii\e two -storey building recently erected in Boundary street by Mr E. Ashton, for livery stables and a hay and corn store, ! is now to be opened for business, the pror ' prietor having arrived last night with a '' number of very serviceable animals. The ; building itself is 60 feet long by 25 feet, and j contains loose boxes and 14 stalls, the hay ' and corn store being ahove. The enterprising : proprietor certainly deserves all the success ' we can wish him for his venture. Mr George Webster is the third candidate for Mr O'Neill's seat for Auckland in the House of Representatives. The mail tenders have not yet been accepted. It is reported that they will only be for a short period, so as to allow the Assembly to express an opinion. The meeting of the •Greymouth and Greenstone Tramway Coinpajry, called for last evening, for the election of directors, lapsed for want of a quorum, and was adjourned to this evening. Mr Travers has published a letter respecting the late loss of men in a peach grove at Waitotara. He wants to know whether ifc was a. duly organised foraging party, or men on their "own hook." He says the case demands investigation, and that it is remarkable such disasters occur to men under the command of Colonel McDonnell. It is reported that a searching enquiry is about to be instituted into the circumstances conuected with the smallpox patient who recently died at Wanganui. The first annual ball of the Greymouth Rifle Volunteers is to be held to-night in the new Volunteer Hall, which has been splendidly decorated for the occasion. The dancing is to commence at nine o'clock. Mr'C. B. Fisher, the importer to Victoria of the celebrated sire Fisherman, and at one time the owner of the best stud in the Australian colonies, is at present on' a visit to Dunedin. Ib now appears that the Bisliap of New Zealand cannot remain until Sunday next to preach as announced, but he will preach on Thursday evening, in Trinity Church, at 7 p.m. On tli at occasion a collection will be made in aid of the Church of England School Fund. Tellurium is said to have been discovered in the Kaitake ranges in Taranaki, by a party engaged in prospecting for gold. Mr Preshaw, manager of the Bank of New South Wales, Charleston, has acceded to the prayer of the very numerously signed petition urging that Mr Jones should be retained in Charleston. Mr Walmsley, we regret to say, is suspended. On behalf of the Grey River Hospital, we are requested to acknowledge receipt of the following presents during the month of February : — From Mr Magoffin, a box "of plums; Mrs Horsiugton, parcel of books and papers ; Mr D. Girdwood, box of apples; Mr Pelling, flowers and plants ; Mr Coutanche has made several seats and forms for the grounds, and has repaired all the windows of the Hospital; Messrs- M. Kennedy and James Jones have given the use of their horses and drays. The Evening Post says — A quantity of Taranaki steel sand, procured by Colonel Haultaiu, arrived by the Sturt. It is intended to be smelted at the Government armoury, and the steel employed in the construction of breech-locks for the rifles which are being converted into Sniders. The parties who, for a considerable time past, have been prospecting for gold in Stewart's Island, appear at length to have hit upon a promising reef, from which they' have extracted fourteen ounces of rough gold. Their success has induced a gentleman from Invercargill, accompanied by a party of practical miners, to start for the islaudj with a view of properly testing the reef. Some extraordinary statements are current, says the Westport Times, as to the conduct of the Provincial Government in the appointment of a successor to Mr Dutton, Resident Magistrate and Warden at Cobden. On Mr Dutton's resignation becoming known there were, wo believe, several candidates for the vacant Wardensliip, and among the gentleman mentioned as likely to receivo the appointment was Mr F. Harris, Provincial Sub-Treasurer, at Westport. Certainly if anyone in the gold fields' service of the province was entitled to the advancement, Mr Harris was and is. At least such is the popular and, we thoroughly believe, justifiable, impression. Ifc is now stated, however, that the appointment has been conferred— ifc may be said, thrust — upon Mr Lowe, the District Surveyor, and it is further stated that the reason for this is to make room for a Mr Dobsou, who is connected with the engineering or survey department at Nelson. There are other reports as to " wheels within wheels," but they are not so reliable, or eroditabln to tho Executive, as to. justify reference being made- to them, Of Mr

Lowe's appointment there can be but one opinion, and probably he himself shares in the surprise which ifc has caused. However estimable a young man he may lie, aud however well qualified he may be as an engineer, it is very much to be doubted if the inhabitants of the Cobden district will find to be a competent successor to Mr Dutton, who, though perhaps somewhat overrated, was undoubtedly efficient as a Warden. The anomaly of the appointment is increased by the facfclliafc Mr Lowe is one of the youngest, if not the youngest, officer in the Provincial service, and both his colonial and gold-min? ing experience may be said to be next to nothing, Even with our present Wardens, able and experienced as. they are, there is, however unjustifiably, some dissatisfaction expressed. By their new appointment, the Nelson Government are certainly doing nothing to improve the feeling or to consnlt the peculiar interests of a mining population. Towards Mr Lowe personally none can have but a friendly feeling, but of his appointment as Warden few are likely, at the first blush, to approve. It would, however, be ungenerous to do otherwise than to believe that he only required the opportunity- to demonstrate his fitness for the office,