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Grey River Argus, Volume VIII, Issue 590, 28 October 1869, Page 2

The out-going English mail is announced to close at the Post-office here on Monday at 9 a.m., but all registered and money orders must be taken out before 4 p.m., on Saturday. The Weekly Ahgus, containing a resume of the news of the week, will be ready for posting to-morrow, and can be had of the news agents. Telegraphic communication between Hokitika and Christchurch, which has been interrupted during the last few days, was resumed last evening at five o'clock, -when the message from our own correspondent at Wellington was immediately forwarded. The members of the Presbyterian Church Committee are to meet to-night at 8 o'clock sharp. A discovery of canal coal has been made in the northern portion of Auckland, on land occupied by Europeans. Mr Broad, Warden and Resident Magistrate at Charleston, went to Nelson by the last trip of the steamer John Perm. He proceeds to Wangapeka, to take tenvporary charge of the Gold Field there, and to decide whether it shall be held by Nelson official dora or by the bonafide digger. The West Coast Times reports having received information from a reliable source that a rush has taken place up the Arahura River, where the prospects got have been one dwt to the dish of coarse gold, with only five fuel; sinking. The prospectors have been out on the ground for some time, and last week they came down the river with packhorses for a supply of provisions, and to lay on some of their friends. Up to Sunday morning there were only six parties on the ground. Tlie ground is situated, as we have said, up the Arahura River, aud is aboit ten miles from the beach. The best way to go is up the Christchurch road for about four and a half miles, and then keep on the south bank of the liver for about six miles, which leads to a Urge ilat, whcie the rush is situated. A meeting of parishioners of Trinity Church was held last evening in the clurch. There was a good attendance, and Mr J. Greenwood was called to the chair. Explanations were made by Mr Thomas, churchwarden, and an extract from a letter and a telegram were read from the Bishop of Nelson to the Rev. G. P. Beaumont, from which it appeared that as the clergyman who had been sent for from England to take charge of the Greymouth Parish had arrived, and as Westport was without a clergyman, Mr Beaumont was called upon to say whether he would remain permanently at Greymouth, in which event Mr Watkius would take charge of Westport. Mr Beaumont had replied that he was now prepared to remain here, upon his being requested to do so by the parishioners. After some preliminary discussion, Mr Wyldc said he felt sure they would be unanimous in requesting Mr Beaumont to remain in charge of bhe parish. While he had been here he had gained the good wishes of the people ; he had.

proved lrimstlf to be a most excellent parish priest, for they all knew him not only in the church but also in the parish ; and a more hard-working clergyman could not be found. Ho moved— "That Mr Beaumont bo requested to retain permauent charge of this parish." Mr Kenrick seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. There was a discussion as to a guarantee whicli had been given of £50 towards the passage-money and outfit of the clergyman who had been brought out from home, but ultimately the negotiations as to its payment or non-payment were referred to the Vestry. A vote of thanks to the Chairman terminated the proceedings. A gentleman from Ohristchurch, Mr M. Harris, has engaged to open a quartz reef in the Collingwoocl district ; t>nd we are glad to hear that the prospects, as far as he has gone, are most encouraging. The Otayo Daily Times says :— " Mr Brunton, C. E , has sent in his report on the proposed Port Chalmers Railway. We believe he estimates the cost of the line, including rolling stock and a atone jetty at the Port, jat about LBO.OOO. The prospectus of the proposed company will be issued so soon as the Executive have taken steps for carrying into effect the vote of the Council, by setting apart a block of land as collateral security for the guarantee of 8 per cent. The Westport Times hears that Thomas and party, on Monday last, struck payable gold on German Terrace, in the claim adjoining that of Hepburn and party, who lately discovered a new run of gold. The gold has been struck 011 the German Creek side of the spur. It is in this locality that there was a small rush about six weeks ago. It is fully expected that, in a few days, there will be some still better news from this terrace. We believe it is the intention of Mr W. H. Harrison, one of the candidates for the Nelson Provincial Council, to address the electors of the Grey (Nelson) District at Hamilton's Hotel, Cobden, this evening, at eight o'clock. No other candidates have yet announced themselves for the vacant seats, i although rumor mentions a few names. The small specimen of quartz which was reported by the local papers as having been brought to Westport by the surveyor from the Cascades— situated about twelve miles up the Bullor- has been inspected by several persons acquainted with auriferous quartz, and they pronounce it to be quartz very similar to that found at the Thames. Some have even found gold in it, but we imagine that they are slightly imaginative. One mai , however, is sufficiently sanguine to be encouraged to proceed to the locality where the I specimen was found. He proceeded there yesterday, and is hopeful of discovering a reef. At the Resident Magistrate's Court, on Tuesday, before M. Keogh, Esq., R.M , Kate Farrell, charged with having been drunk and disorderly, was fined 10s or fortyeight hours' imprisonment, bhe was further charged with being an habitual drunkard. A long list of convictions was put in against her, and she was sent to gaol for one month with hard labor. On the civil side of the Court, the following cases were disposed of : — Alexander Scott, official liquidator under the Miuing Companies Limited Liability Act, v. Con. Murphy, Auckland— summons not served. Same v. R. J. Tonks, Westpoil, LS, paid into court. Same v. James M'Dowell, Westport, LB, paid into court. Same vW. H. Harrison, LS, plaintiff nonsuited with costs. A. Cleve v. A. Butler, judgment by default for LI 14s 7d and costs. G.F. Smith v. M. A. Pritchard, L2O, plaintiff nonsuited with costs. D. Duncan v. G. Martin, Ll7 3s, plaintiff nonsuited with costs. Same v. Poynter, LI 7 7d, judgment for defendant with costs. R. S. Allen v. Sarah Ann Winters, L 6 14s, to be paid at the rate of 10s per week, or in default one months' imprisonment. Same v. S. Roff, L 4 14s, to be paid at the rate of LI per week, or in default one months' imprisonment. Cook and Sampson v. Smythe, L 3, judgment confessed. Same E. Revell, judgment confessed. The WeMport Times states that the latest mining intelligence from the Karamea is that there are eleven men still on the beach, eight of whom are making good wages. A party of three have been engaged for some months talcing in a race. They have cut three thousand feet of timber, and have laid about half a mile of fluming. A party of seven, who for some time past have been working on the banks of the Buller, have determined upon returning to the Karamea, where they got good prospects on their last visit. They have resolved upon chartering a small craft to couvey their provisions and implements, and their intention is to form a race and lay down five or six heads of water a little higher up than the party at present working there" Several miners who have worked in the neighborhood of the Karamea state that the prospects warrant them in supposing that the population will be considerably increased there before many months. At present there is no store, and miners must fetch their own provisious, though the few who are now on the ground have ample supplies for a month or two. There was a heavy fresh in the Hokitika river on Tuesday. We are informed by the IF. C. Times that about half-past seven o'clock that morning a Portuguese, named Manuel Argenido, who, for some time has been in the employment of Mr Pintz, as market gardener, at the South Spit, attempted to cross the river. This was at low water, and with the heavy fresh that was running out of the Hospital Creek, his boat was rapidly brought to a point where the two freshes meet, and the current diverges oceanwards. Here he was carried down by the force of the current, almost to the mouth of the rivei\ He made strong efforts, and got comparatively out of tho reach of the flood under the shelter of the South Spit, and had he landed there it is believed he would have been s;ife. Instead of this he skirted the spit, and made a vigorous ati tempt to shoot his boat across the river. But he could not manage it, and hi 3 boat was swept oceauwards with terrific rapidity. A number of cyu- witnesses rushed to the beach, and every attempt was made to save him, but ho was right in the centre of tho break,

and was being carried out so l'apidly that all attempts were futile. He made desperate efforts to reach the shore, and was seen to pause for a moment and strip himself of some of his clothes, as if he had determined to try and swim to safety. But he changed his purpose, and he had hardly taken the oars again ere a heavy sea struck his boat, swamped it. and he was battling for life with the terrible waters. Soon he disappeared, and was seen alive no more. About an hour afterwards pieces of the boat were beachtd, but the body of the unfortunate man has not as yet been recovered. Apropos of the case which has just occurred in Nelson, in which a number of Government servants have bought up a large track of auriferous land, we give the following notice, which recently appeared in the Sydney Gazette, and which ought certainly to be brought into force in New Zealand :— " Colonial Secretary's office, 3rd September, 1869. Whereas complaints have been made to the Government that certain Government officers and other public servants have improperly employed their time, and taken undue advantage of their position, by obtaining possession of auriferous or other Crown lands for speculation : And whereas the possession of such lands for such a purpose by Government officers and public servants is objectionable, as tending to divert them from public duties, and to engage them in pursuits which may have an injurious effect upon public interests : It is hereby notified, for general information, that from and after the publication of this notice, no leases of auriferous or other Crown lands will be permitted to be held, without special authority, by any Govcrmneut officer, or other public servant, and that any infringement of this rule will render the person offending liable to loss of ofHce." The Southern Cross, of a recent date, gives the following : — "A correspondent supplies us with the following particulars of a 'lynching' case which occurred at Coromandel last week. It appears thc-it an old lady, after serving some customers, had retired into the room behind the counter, when hearing a disturbance among the bottles she rushed out just in time to detect the two pilferera in tho act of stowing away a bottle of brandy and another of pickles. She very pluckily collared the felons and rais*. d an alarm, which speedily brought to her assistance about a dozen stalwart diggers who were on their way for their 'nightcaps.' The bottles being found on the men and identified by the landlady, there was no need of further evidence against the thieves thus civught red-haudeel, but tho form of a drumhead eourt-inaitial was gone through, and they were seutenceel to receive each a dozen with a rope's-end on the bare back. Lots were drawn as to who should act as the operator. The peculators were tied up with their arms round trees, and, a stout rope being procured, the punishment was administered con gusto. One of them bore the scourging almost without flinching, but the other yelled out lustily. Being told, when they were taken down, that if they did not evacuate the district in a given time they should receive an increased dose of the specific fur kleptomania, they lost no time in 'making tracks.' Our informant further states that there are a considerable number of deserters on the ground ; and has heard that at some distance back there are actually men working in claims with their regulation military trousers on."