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Grey River Argus, Volume VII, Issue 503, 6 April 1869, Page 2

To-day we publish the subscription-list for the Grey River Hospital from Maori Gully, amounting to the small amount of £25 10s. Out of a population of over 500 men, the list just returned is not a creditable one, considering the institution for which the subscriptions were asked. Had the miners contributed the modest sum of ss. per head, over £100 would have been collected, and the Committee had a right to expect something like this amount from an old established and ' populous mining centre. The business at the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday morning was of an uninteresting character. It is high time that the Borough Council took steps to enforce some bye-law with regard to thj3 driving of cattle through the streets during the day. On Sunday a large mob of cattle was driven through the main street, while the residents were coming from church. The practice is a dangerous one, and is sure to result in a serious accident some day soon. A grand art union of furniture will take place at Ashton's Hotel on Thursday evening. The goods are now on view at the Alliance Hotel. It is notified by the Postmaster that the mails for England, Continent of Europe, and America are to close on Thursday, at 9 a.ni.i in order that they may be forwarded to Melbourne per Gothenburg. Surely it might have been found convenient to give the residents in thin town and district a longer notice than this. An accident happened to the Tuapeka coach the other day. It appears that between Tokomairiro- and Tuapeka the coach was overturned by a sudden gust of wind, which was blowing furiously at the time. No injury, however, was occasioned to any one by the accident. The monthly meeting of the Volunteer Fire Brigade was held last evening at the hall, Boundary street. There was a very good attendance. Captain Whall occupied the chair. The minutes of the previous meetings were read and confirmed. A letter from Mr G. King was read, tendering his .resignation as a working member, as he found it inconvenient to attend practices, but notifying his willingness to become an honorary member. Mr King's resignation was accepted, and he was elected a 8 an honorary member. The chairman stated he had received the invoice of the helmets, &c, ordered by the former and the present Brigade, which he read to the meeting: — 1 German silver mounted helmet for chief officer ; 3do do for chief officers ; 10 leather helmets, SO brass helmets, 6 brigade handlamps, 1 officer's do, 1 four feet copper branch -pipe half -inch jet, the whole amount-

ing to £73 63 6d. The sum of £28 was ordered to be paid on account of the hose ami reel, which lately arrived from Sydney. Messrs Kennedy, W. Kilgour, and G. King, who were nominated as Trustees on behalf of the Brigade at last monthly meeting, were declared by the Chairman duly elected, and were requested to, wait on the Native Commissioner, in order to secure a lease of the ground on which the hall was built. The Treasurer's report .showed' that the subscriptions, &c, for the past month hud fallen off; compared with the previous months, £15 being only collected, which sum did not cover the watchman's salary. The amount to the credit of the Brigade was £41 19s. The report was approved and passed. Mr J. P. Fellows tendered his resignation, which was accepted. The Secretary was instructed to write to the County Chairman for the £50 which was voted to the Brigade last session, and a vote of thanks was recorded to the Council for voting that sum. A well-merited vote of thanks was passed by the members to Messrs Coates and Holder for the successful manner in which they had canvassed the town, for honorary members, forty-seven having enrolled themselves, their subscriptions going a good way to strengthen the fund, which was all the more desirable as a large sum will require to be paid away during the present month. Messrs Eoff, Morrison, and Jefford were elected members of the Brigade. A vote of thanks to the Captain as Chairman terminated the business. I The Otago Daily Times of a recent date ! says :— The whole of the land recently thown open for agricultural settlement at the Teviot, is said to be taken up. The scene at the Court-house, when it was made known that applications for land in the block would be received, is described as follows in the Tuapeka Times of Saturday :— Long before the hour for opening the office, crowds of wouldbe cockatoos assembled at the door, and an exciting struggle ensued for places. When Mr Borton made his appearance, he could hardly gain admission ; and no sooner had he opened the door than,: in spite or all his re" monstrances, the office was rushed. A large pile of applications soon littered the counter; and as each applicant got his receipt, he made a bolt for the door, and, mounting his horse, hurried off to affix his notice. The new Warden and Resident Magistrate of the Grey district and Cobden, Mr J. H. Lowe, sat for the first time on the Bench at Cobden yesterday. He must find his office no sinecure, for his duties commenced on Thursday last, when he had a heavy Courtday at Camptowri, sitting until four o'clock. On the following day, Friday, the Court at the Ahaura occupied from eleven to six o'clock, and on Saturday Mr Lowe had to visit the new rush at Napoleon's to settle, on the ground, a disputed mining case. The present state of mining matters in the Arrow district, Otago, is thus commented on by the Lake's correspondent of the Dunsta.7l j Times:— "The Arrow district is better than it has been for the last three years past and is still improving. * Some of the sluicing claims up the river are turning out handsomely, nine or ten pounds per week being by no means uncommon, while by tunnelling into the 'terraces' from twenty to thirty pounds per week is beitig made by share * holders. The long deserted Arrow Flat promises once again to become a scene of busy labor. A company is being formed to rescue some of the auriferous treasures immured there by the floods which have- swept down the river since the great flood in 1563. It is proposed to cut up a tail-race from the Criterion Co.'s dam, which is to be removed. This will lower the bed of the river some eight or ten feet, and cause a very large area of ground to become workable." The report of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society for last year, published in London, says :— lt may show how fearful a scourge has fallen upon New Zealand during the past twelve years, if we compare the figures of the first Australasiau conference with those of the last. In 1555, the returns for the whole of New Zealand were — Church members, 3070 ; attendants on public worship, 7590. 1n1567, church members, 539 ; attendants on public worship, 2709. There are now in the northern district, 68— total, 434. A rush took place at the Big Paddock on Friday last. Two shafts have been put down, and a prospect of three grains to the dish obtaiued. A continuation of the once famous Duke of Edinburgh Lead is supposed t3 have been found. On Sunday evening the Rev. Mr Shaw preached his farewell sermon at the Wesleyan Church. The building was densely crowded, and the rev. gentleman delivered a very able sermon, which was listened to with deep attention. He will leave by the s s. Kennedy for Hokitika, and will ' carry with him the best wishes of a large portion of the community. The pulpit of the Wesleyan Church will be filled by the Rev. Mr Canneli, of Hokitika, who is expected to arrive during the week. The first Mongolian patient has been admitted into the Hokitika Hospital. The result of the late racing meeting at Hokitika is stated by the W. G. Times to be, that at a meeting of the Westlaud Jockey Club, held on Saturday evening, at Dyson's I British Empire Hotel, amongst other business it was decided to disqualify Reay, the jockey qf Flying . Jib. from riding on any course the property of the Westland Jockey Club for two years. No doubt this procedure will meet with the approbation of the public. I The Lytteltofy Times of the 31st ult. says j that Dr. Haast returned to Christchurch on Monday night, from a trip of several weeks into the Central Alps, during which he revisited some of the principal localities round Mount Cook, first explored by him in 1862. The object of the journey of this year was to collect specimens in all branches of natural history, a work which, the public will be glad to learn, he has accomplished satisfactorily. He was accompanied by Mr Edward Seeley, an amateur photographer of considerable eminence, who, under great difficulties and privations, obtained some magnificent views of the grand scenery of the Southern Alps.

We understand that Mr Seeley intends to present, when.it is completed, a full set of all his photographic views taken in the Pro, vince. The value of such a, gift will be readily and cordially appreciated by the public.' The taxidermist of. the Museum, M. F. Fuller, also accompanied Dr. Haast, and greatly contributed to the success of the expedition, by procuring a number of valuable bird skins. Dr. Haast informs us that during the first six days of his stay near Mount Cook, the party was favored with lovely weather — cloudless sky and little or no wind. This, unfortu, nafcely, was followed by a succession of strong gales from the nor 1 - west, with heavy rain. It is hardly necessary to add that the Canterbury Museum will greatly benefit from Dr. Haast's trip. An Auckland authority states that there is no room for doubt as to where the disaffected natives get their ammunition. SpecU" lation in powder and shot is the order of the day amongst the Thames natives. They make a good thing out of it, selling boxes of caps at long prices, and charges of powder, three or four for a shilling. Dr. Hector's report on the Winton coal field in Southland is looked for with much interest in that province. Should this report be favorable, says the local News, a company is almost certain to be formed for the purpose of working the coal, and probably lime also. The new line of road from the Coal Pits to Maori Gully has been laid off by Mr Hurst since the last visit of the County Chairman, and by his instructions. Altogether it will be about eight miles long, and, starting from the Coal Pits, runs to the Stillwater Creek, which will have to be bridged, but this will be the only bridge on the route. Thence it will proceed for a distance of eight chains up the old road, then turns off to the right over a small hill, and then joins the piece of road recently made by Smith and Co. for the Road Board, which carries it right into Maori Gully. The track from the Stillwater Creek to the new road is blazed for a distance of two miles. — We also learn that Mr Rochfort, the County Engineer, is expected here in a few days to commence the survey of the line of track from the mouth of the Omotomoto Creek to the Eight-mile and thence to the Greenstone. A miner named John M'Dunnughan was brought in to the Hospital from the Eightmile Terrace on Thursday last, suffering either swamp or brain fever. The disease was too far advanced, however, and the poor fellow died on Sunday night. The deceased was removed by his mates and friends to the Shamrock Hotel, Gresson street, where he was "waked" on Sunday night, and yesterday, at noon, the funeral took place. The deceased must have been well-known and greatly respected, as over a hundred miners came to town from the Eight-mile and Maori Gully to be present, and a large number of residents iv the town also attended. The majority of the large assemblage wore crape on their arms and hats, fastened with green ribbon. The deceased was a native of County Clare, and only twenty-four years of age. ; The prospectus of a Cloth and Blanket Factory, to be established at Tokomairiro, Otago, has been issued. The works are to be in the hands of a Limited Company, with a capital of X6OOO, in LlO shares. The Oamaru Times of Friday says :— " Yesterday some rather curious tidal phenomena was observed, the ebb and. flow being very variable, so that while the boatmen were at work they, while at one momeut only up to the knees in water, were at another nearly up to the armpits. Rumor reaches us too which, however, we have been unable as yet to verify, that yesterday morning there was an unusual recession of the tide, which left the Landing Service boats (anchored in 11 feet water) for some little time high and dry. This is said to hr»ve occurred at 5. 30 a. m. " In Timaru on Thursday nothing whatever unusual was observed iv the tides. From a Parliamentary paper jusi received, we aie able to glesu some information regarding the expense of commissions during the recess of 18G7-8. First of all w.e have tbe Royal Reception Commission. The Com* missiooers' expenses are nil ; the secretary, Mr F. Wake6eld, was paid LlB6 from Nov. 28, 1567, to May SI, 1868, or at the rate 0? LC72 per annum. The Pokaikai Commis» sion — to inquire into certain cruelties alleged to have been perpetrated by Colonel M'Donnell on natives while in command of the Patea district — cost L 164 15s, of which L 62 2s, and L 52 10s were paid to M. J. Cargiq and G. Graham, respectively, passages and contingencies costing L 47. 3. The Penal Establishments Commission, of which Messrs Haughton and J. O'Neill were the travelling members, cost L 315 ss ; of this sum L 275 2s was paid to Mr O'Neill, and L3ll 8s to Mr Haughton. The secretary, Mr F. Wukefield, received L 65 10s : passages and travelling expenses amounted to L 166 los, and contingencies to L 26 10s. Regarding the Kynnerfcley Commission, no expenses had been brought to account at the date of the report.