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Grey River Argus, Volume VIII, Issue 550, 27 July 1869, Page 2

A special meeting of the Volunteer Fire Brigade was held last evening. The treasurer reported that he had received L 8 11s 6d, the balance of the proceeds of the concert given by Messrs Rhodes and Pelling for the benefit of the Brigade funds. The balance-sheet was ordered, to be printed. He had also received a cheque for LlO from Mr Smith as a donation to the Brigade funds, Which brought the credit balance up to L 137 3s Sd, of which L 75 was in hand and the balance due by the Borough Council. It was resolved— " That in the event of the finances of the Brigade being sufficient to meet the cost, the officers be empowered to obtain six ladders (two 2ft., two 15ft., two 12ft.) ; eighteen fire-hooks six Cft., six Bft., sixlOft.); two grapplings with chains, and uniforms, as decided by the Brigade at the monthly meeting, held on June 7." Mr Parkinson tendered his resignation as hon. sec, which was accepted, and the following nominations were made to fill the office :— Messrs Moore, Purcell, De Costa, Hawley, Ancher, Heron, Simmons, and W. Kilgour. The election will take place at the next meeting. A miner named Ciriane Bresiglia, a shareholder in one of the best claims at Napoleon, died on Saturday night of consumption. He had been ill only a few days. On Sunday his countrymen and friends carried his remains to the Ahauva, over a very bad road, whence they were conveyed to town yesterday for interment in the Greymouth Ceuietery. Five whales have been caught this season in Queen Charlotte's Sound, and nine whales have been got off Port Underwood in two days. We regret to learn that Messrs N. Edwards and Co. , of Nelson, are withdrawing their business and steamboat agencies on the West Coast, in consequence of having lost severely during the past year. They will not therefore re-build their premises in Greymouth which were destroyed by the late fire. Only the other day it gave us pleasure to record the happy re-union which took place on the occasion of there-opening of Johnston's Melbourne Hotel, which was destroyed during the late fire. The other side of the picture will be found in our report of Saturday's Court, when Mr Johnston was mulcted in the extreme penalty of £5 and costs for having his house open after hours. The heinous crime which called forth the imposition of the full penalty by the Act was explained to have been a single overlook to ask the necessary permission to keep the house open after the usual hour, for which omission Mr Johnston's counsel expressed great contrition, with what result we have already mentioned. One would have thought that a nominal fine would have met the case, aid it is not to be wondered at that a very general feeling of indignation was aroused when the

result became known, especially among those gentlemen who were present on "the occasion of the " house-warming. " The result was that in a very few hours after the fine was imposed the amount was subscribed and handed in to this office to be paid into the Resident Magistrate's Office on Mr Johnston's account. That was done yesterday, so that the matter was settled, and public opinion plainly expressed, without Mr Johnston being a loser. Of course, breaches of the Westland Public-house Act, or any other Act, must be punished, otherwise law and order would be at an end, but there is such a thing as taking extenuating circumstances into consideration in mitigation of penalty, and there is also such a thing as tempering justice with mercy, which seems to have been lost sight of in onr Magistrate's Court on more than one occasion recently. From the Wentpori Times we learn that the news from Mokihinui is very unimportant. No new discoveries have been heard of, and there are few miuers prospecting at present. Several claims have been bottomed adjoining the prospectors' claim, which caused some excitement a few weeks ago, but without any favorable result. Paton and. party, the holders of the next claim to the prospectors, have got from a quarter of a pennyweight to a pennyweight to the dish. Campbell and party, next to them, lately bottomed and are now driving, but they have seen little more than the color. Thetownship has again subsided into its melancholy state of desertion, and the once disputed sections are jumpable by the dozen. Prospecting or digging at the Karamea has ceased for a time, one or two parties who were there some months ago having left. A track has been formed from the Lyell township, and for four miles up the Lyell creek, by a party of nine miners working in the district. The residents of the Eastern District of Southland have had a meeting, and passed a resolution in favor of annexing that Province to Otago. Mr Alexander Cairns, of Dnnediu, has constructed some models to show the working of a scheme he is about to patent for expediting the transit of goods and crossing of rivers. A public exhibition of them is shortly to take place. The Westport Times states that John Hayden, usually known as "Dublin Jack," who only lately was somewhat severely injured by an accidental fall, has since been very much hurt by a tree falling upon him when he was at work in the tail-race of his claim, and crushing him against the side of the race. Another smart earthquake shock was felt at Christchurch at ten o'clock on Friday morning, lasting several seconds. Its direction was east and west. No damage occurred, except to a few chimneys. Stone from Gebbie's reef, on Banks' Peninsula, has been tested, and found to contain no gold. Nothing payable has yet been discovered in other reefs in the same locality. Several experienced miners are now on the ground testing it thoroughly. In the Legislative Council, on the 6th instant, the Hon. James A. Bonar moved the second reading of the Ballot Bill, and succeeded in carrying it by a majority of 13, the numbers being — for, 19 ; against, 6. It will be in the recollection of our readers that Mr Bonar introduced this measure last session, but it was thrown out by a large majority. The Dally Southern Cross of the loth inst. says that the presence of Te Kooti at Tokangamutu seems to have caused a flight sensation in the Waikato, and precautionary measures are being taken by the officer commandiug the district. The Armed Constabulary are being massed on the frontier, and are now stationed at Kihi Kihi and Te Awamutu, whilst sufficient men of the first-class militia are being called out to man the "different redoubts. Jehu's prototype has sent one Awaru Matito with an invitation to Titokowaru requesting him to come up and confer with him. The King party generally receive Te Kooti's overtures but coldly although it is possible that he may obtain reinforcements from some of the most disaffected of them to strengthen his band for further aggression. Waikato settlers now in town do not profess half the uneasiness felt in Auckland on the subject, but the authorities are evincing wisdom in the measures they are taking to repel any attack that might be i made on the district. 1 In the neighborhood of 'Westport upwards of £250 has been collected on behalf of the Fenian prisoners liberated in Western Australia. A similar or larger amount has been collected in and around Charleston, Brighton, and at the Eight-mile and Greenstone in this district. As the Amnesty Committee in Dublin have contributed £500 to the same fund, and extensive subscriptions have been made in all parts of the colonies, it seems to vs v to be rather a good thing to be a liberated Fenian prisoner. The Wanganui Times has reason to believe that the new Ministry will at once appoint Colonel M'Donnell to an important command on the East Coast. He will now have an opportunity of showing to the colony whether he is able to turn the tide of war or not. He is intimately acquainted with our native allies there, and they have full confidence in I him. He has also % thorough knowledge of the country and the men with whom he has to contend. This time he will be untrammelled by Civil Commissioners, and we earnestly hope will be the right man in the riglib place. We take the following summary of the proceedings in the County Council on Friday last from the W. O. Times:— I ' Petitions were received from All Saints and St. Mary's Schools, praying that aid might be continued to them. It was resolved that the Chairman should communicate with the Chairman of the Board of Education on the subject, and report on Monday next. The Estimates for the coming year were also promised for Monday. A resolution brought forward by Mr Lahman, that all local school committees should be elected by the inhabitants of the districts, instead of being nominated by the Chairman, was carried in the face of stre.nu-

ous opposition from the Chairman and Mr I Button. The everlasting Kawhaka toll-gate cropped up afresh, a resolution that the opinion of the County Solicitor as to the validity of Mr Sprot's lease being carried. Some dis" cussion arose in reference to the Taipo Bridge, which was represented as nearly useless in the first plaoe, and as dangerous on frosty mornings through its slipperiaess. The Chairman remarked that this structure cost a large amount per annum. The river had branched into five forks, and the bridge crossed the smallest of them. Temporary provision, however, against accident was j authorised under the inspection of Mr Surveyor Blake. After a few notices of motion, the Council adjourned." Mr Fox's resolution regarding the detention of the 18th Regiment in the Colony, and requesting General Chute to accept the responsibility of ordering this detention until the Imperial Government can be once more consulted on the subject, was passed after amendment. In the original resolution a specific sum was mentioned to be paid for every soldier left in the Colony, which was altered to the following effect :—" That the House will make provision for the payment of such a sum as the Imperial Government may require for the detention of troops till such time as its decision is made known. " We are told this was agreed to unanimously, and a similar resolution was passed in the Legislative Council, on a division, by nineteen to two. Dr. Featherston left for Melbourne by the Omeo, to present this resolution to General Chute, and induce him to withdraw the order for the departure of the troops from New Zealand at the present crisis. It is very doubtful indeed if General Chute will accept the responsibility which is sought to be thrust upon him, of disobeying the imperative orders of the Home Government. The Wellington Independent, of the 16th, says : — " One of the most stirring scenes to which we have been an eye-witness for some time past, was presented yesterday on the i property of Mr Baker, Karori road, where between twenty and thirty diggers were at work in real earnest. The "diggings" are within half an hour's walk from our office, and may easily be found by taking the left hand track on the top of Baker's hill. Six or eight shafts were sunk, but as yet the bottoms have not been reached. The pick and shovel were actively at work on the shelving terrace, and tin dishes were being freely used. Out of eight or ten prospects washed in our presence from time to time, during the afternoon, it was gratifying to observe gold in more or less quantities in every dish. The precious metal is, however, remarkably fine, and although there is no exaggeration in saying that some of the prospects contained as many as 100 specks of gold, yet the return in our opinion will not exceed one ounce to the ton of wash dirt. The Kaiwarra stream runs past the ground, and its banks both above and below have been carefully prospected. There must have been upwards of 200 visitors to the spot yesterday, amongst whom we observed some of onr chief citizens. The discoverers of these deposits are Messrs William Mason and Henry Short— Mr Baker having .unhesitatingly allowed them to prospect. Some of the claims are pegged off, the shafts are from ten to fifteen feet deep, and the wash from two and a half to four feet thick. The country around is however quite circumscribed so far as alluvial work is concerned, but sanguine hopes are entertained of discovering reefs in the neighborhood, as the gold is very ragged, and cannot have travelled far."