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Grey River Argus, Volume VIII, Issue 526, 1 June 1869, Page 2

From his place on the Bench, Mr Revell yesterday read a lecture to those fast young men about town who delight in "midnight orgies," such as upsetting derricks and (brays and smashing hotel windows. They had better take the warning thus volunteered, eke they will, on the occasion of their next practical joke, find themselves in the unenviable position where nothing short of imprisonment will meet the demands of justice. Our attention has been called to the annoyance experienced by boatmen from stacks of timber being left for days on the landing stage opposite Tainui street, where the most of the boats engaged in the upcountry traffic take in their cargoes. This is a great interruption to the traffic, and steps should be taken to have the timber removed within a reasonable time. Owners of freehold sections in Greymouth will find a notice in another column, informing them that their Crown Grants are now ready for delivery at the office of the Commissioner of Crown Lands, Hokitika. A rental of sixpence per week will be charged on grants which are allowed to lie unclaimed at the expiry of three months from the 28th ult., and whenever the fees due amount to £1 they can be recovered in a summary manner by the Commissioner. The most of the Crown Grants now ready for delivery have been in course of preparation for only about four years ! A meeting of the Greymouth School Committee, recently nominated by the County Chairman, was held at the Resident Magistrate's Court-house yesterday afternoon. There were present — Messrs Glenn, Keogh, Parkinson, and Thomas. Mr Thomas was voted to the chair, and Mr Parkinson was

appointed secretary pro. tern. The Chairman read the following letter, which he had received from the County Chairman : — " Hokitika, 27th May, 1809. Gentlemen— l have the honor to request that you will take steps for the foundation of a loc:al school in your district, to be managed qn the national system, iij accordance with the resolutions of the County Council ; the school will be subsidised by the Government through the Board of Education, and will be inspected by a Government Inspector. It will be necessary to ascertain the number of children in the district, the acpommodation required, the probable cost of buildings and teachers, and also to report to the Board of Education, as early as possible, respecting the arrangements, if any, made with existing schools, forwarding a copy of such report to my office. — I have the honor to be, gentlemen, your obedient servant, C. Hoos, Chairman of the County Council. J. G. Thomas, Esq., and the other gentlemen forming the Greymouth Local School Committee." The letter was received. It was proposed by Mr Parkinson, seconded by Mr Glenn, and carried — " p hat Messrs Thomas and Glenn ascertain the number of children attending school, and also the number of children in that poiti-m of the district below Boundary street, and that Messi'S Keogh and Parkinson ascertain the same particulars ~ for the district east of Boundary street." It was resolved to ask p emission of the Borough Council for the School Committee to hold its meetings in the Council Chamber. The meeting adjourned until Wednesday afternoon. A sample of the manner in which miners lose their money was shown in the Resident Magistrate's Court the other day, when a man was charged with being drunk and disorderly. When apprehended he had no less than £100 in notes in his pocket, and was just in the act of cn L ering a house where he would most probably have been properly "cleaned out." Seeds of the New Zealand flax are being sold in considerable quantities in London. Amongst the favorite varieties are the Brownedged, Eed-edged, Vai iegated-leaved, Blackedged, and the superb Scarlet-edged. We are requested to call attention to the sale of freehold sections in the new township of Rockwood, which takes place at noon to-day, at the offices of D. Maclean and Co. The towuship is situated at the junction of the railway and main road to the Arnold witli the new roa<l to the Eight Mile, at the Omotmuotu Creek, and is at present the property of Mr Wylde. News received from London by the mail, states that Dr. Knight, Auditor-General of New Zealand, who went home with Sir George Grey on a twelvemonths' leave of absence, was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons on the I lth March. Mr E. Ashton and Mr Crogan, liverystable keepers, have reduced their charges considerably. The hire of a horse from Grey" mouth to Hokitika is now £1 instead of £1 10s, and the same fares in return. A pleasure party left town on Sunday for Hokitika by the p.p. Yarra, and while returning on horseback yesterday, Mrs Goff, of the Victoria Hotel, was thrown, and kicked about the face and body. She was severely injured, being much cut and bruised and shaken, and was brought home in the evening in a dray. Yesterday we received information by telegraph that coarse gold had been struck at Mokihinui, three miles inland. The prospects are said to be from one to four dwt. to the dish, and the sinking about fifty feet. A prospecting claim was granted. Miners ought to be very cautious in accepting this news, as it has long been the desire of the residents up north to cause a rush in their direction, in order to revive the departed glories of a few of their once-famous mining centres. The rope manufactory lately established on the sand-spit inside of Otago Heads by Mr A. Mansford, has, says the Otai/o Daily Times, turned out during the last month nearly one ton of rope, made from the native flax, and arrangements have been made to turn out four trues that quantity during the next month. The quality of the rope has been approved of by shipmasters, and orders have been given for a large supply. Our well-known townsman, Mr James Middleton, had a very narrow escape from drowning yesterday morning in the Teremakau river. He rode up from Hokitika, slightly in advance of Cobb and Co.'s coach, and took the old ford, after asking one of the boatmen if he was right. He was told to proceed, but had scarcely gone a few yards, when he was in leep water and his horse swimming. Finding that he was too heavy for his horse, he threw himself off, but held on by its maiu and the pommel of the saddle, as encumbered as he was with a heavy topcoat, he could not venture to swim ashore alone. Drifting down the stream his feet touched either a boulder of a bank, and, as he was out of the current, he managed to stand on it, still holding on to the horse, although he was breast-high, and the water running over his shoulders. He was in this position for about fifteen or twenty minutes, until a boat was launched from the beach and put off for his rescue, when he was safely brought ashore, and also his horse, and was afterwards able to ride into town. While this was going on, Cobb's coach was driven over the proper ford, only a few yards from the place where Mr Middleton was nearly drowned, and the driver, Mr Smith, hastened to render assistance. The well-informed Wellington correspondent of the Otago Daily Times, speaking of the prospects of the approaching session of the General Assembly, writes : — "Political speculation is of course rife, and points strongly towards a dissolution almost immediately on the opening of Parliament. It is understood that the light will take place on the reply to the Address, and people say that Mr Stafford is sure to be beaten, and that, if beaten, he will dissolve. My own opinion is that Mr Stafford has not by any means made up his mind as to what he will do, but that he will be guided by circumstances. On the whole, I think it is more likely that he will

resign if beaten, and trust to. the inability of the Opposition to form a Ministry which could work together and command the confidence of the House. Even those most anxious to see the present Ministry out of office admit that it is difficult tq see or say who their successors are to b,e, and the forr mation of a badly constructed Ministry would be followed by almost immediate defeat, and the probable re-accession of Mr Stafford to office. A temporary retirement of this kind would improve his pqsition, as it would demonstrate the weakness of his opponents, and 'enable him to re-construct his Cabiuet. Dr Featherston states positively that he will n«t accept office, and although Mr Yogel is said to be only holding his seat in hopes of getting into place, neither his own party m>r the Houge generally have sufficient belief in him to desire to see him in the Ministry. Mr Fox, of course, would take qffiee, but he has wonderfully sunk in public estimation lately. Recently, he has been lecturing on teetotalism at Wanganui, and although a president of a temperance society, he lectured in rather an intemperate manner. The Independent devoted a leader to a review of th,e lecture, and. Mr Fox had the folly to write a long letter in reply. Altogether, the idea, derived from Mr Fox's public appearances lately is, that although no doubt a very able man, he is sadly lacking in discretion. I very much doubt whether in the present House any Ministry composed of gentlemen frqm either side, of the House will be able to carry on the public business, and whatever preliminaries there may be, I think a coalition Ministry will prove the ultimate solution of the difficulty."