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Grey River Argus, Volume VIII, Issue 597, 13 November 1869, Page 2

A small rush was going on last night "on the quiet" to ground about a mile and a-lialf from Greymouth in a south-easterly direction. It is said to be on a flat at the end of the spur of the limestone range, where a party of men have beeu on gold for over a year. The Paroa Road Board held their usual fortnightly meeting on Tuesday last, the 9th inst. Present— Messrs Stansell (in the chair*, M. O'Connor, J. O'Connor, Hamilton, and Dowling. The minutes of the previous meeting having been road and conlirmed, letters were read from the County Chairman, regarding payment of the sura of 1.375 due to the Board from the inhabitants of the Greenstone, requesting that L4O might be spent on the approaches to this township ; and from the Borough Council of Greymouth stating what steps had been taken to settle with the creditors ; and from the Hokitika Prospecting Association, asking the co-ope •ation of the ltoad Board; also several applications for protection for tracks and tramways. The Clerk then read the correspondence from the office. The Sub Committee's and Engineer's reports were ajs.o read, received, and

adopted. Mo\ed by Mr Stansell, and seconded by Mr Hamilton— "That the Secretary by instructed to call by advertisement a meeting of parties holding the Board's acceptances and other oreclitors, to take place on Tuesday, the 23rd inst. , at half -past two p.m."— Carried. Moved by Mr Hamilton, and seconded by Mr M. O'Connor — "That owing to present financial difficulties, the Board cannot at present entertain the petition from the inhabitants of the Greenstone. "—Carried. Moved by Mr Stansell, and seconded by Mr J. O'Connor— " That the Board resolve itself into a aonnnitfcee of the whole to consider outstanding accounts between the Borough Council and the Road Board." — Carried, On the Boaul resuming, lb wa» moved by Mr Hamilton, and seconded by Mr J. O'Connor—" That the Chairman be empowered to take what steps he may think proper with regard to the adjustment of the debt between the Borough Council and the Road Board."— Carried. Moved by Mr M. O'Connor, and seconded by Mr Hamilton— " That the Chairman be empowered to take what steps he may deem necessary with the property of the Board towards raising funds for the liquidation of the Board's liabilities." — Carried. The Chairman was also instructed to hold over all monies the Board had or might receive until next meeting. The Board then adjourned until Tuesday, the 23rd, at half-past two p.m. The Rev. Mr Sheriffs, Presbyterian Minister, will preach twica to-morrow in the Volunteer Hall, and at Paroa during the afternoon. A meeting ot the local postal contract committee was held yesterday, to consider whether any further steps should be taken to induce the Postmaster-General to rescind the weekly contract for the overland mail, lately entered into by him. The Coivmiltee have, we are glad to. learn, decided to send to Wellington a memorial addressed in similar terms to that forwarded from Hokitika. It will be sent round for signatures today., in order to allow of its leaving as early as possible. The Rev. Mr Watkins, the new incumbent of Trinity Church, is expected to arrive here to-day in the s. s. Kennedy. Should he ai rive in time he will officiate in Triuity Church to-morrow. It will be observed that the concert to be given by the Amateur Ministrels in aid of the Grey River Hospital has been postponed until Thursday next. Iv consequence of the ambiguous nature of the telegrams received per s.s. Omeo regarding the result of the race for the Melbourne Cup, the various sweeps drawn in town canuot yet be paid. The Claud Hamilton is expected direct from Melbourne in a day or two with the news. On the evening of her arrival, the inuney in Maxwell's sweeps will be paid over to the winners. The Hokitika Spring Meeting is now finally arranged to take place on the 30th and 31st December, and the night of general entry is fixed for not later than 8 p.m. on the 2Sth December. Letters bearing post-marks of that date, containing entries or nominations, will be received. The programme will comprise stakes to the amount of about LSOO. and we feel certain that sufficient inducement will be shown in the programme to have the entries well filled up. The largest vat which has ever beeu made in Grey mouth, is now being fitted up in the brewery of Messrs Strike and Blackmore. It is constructed to contain 1400. gallons, and ' was made and fitted up by Mr West, cooper, Mackay street. The Lyttelton Times states that great excitement was caused in Lyttelton on Satuiday afternoon last,. by the sudden death of Mrs Smith, wife of the proprietor of the Railway Hotel, Canterbury street. The body has been left iv the same position in which it was found by Sergeant-Major Pardy, after the matter was reported to him by Smyth, whom he took into custody. We have full particulars of the affair, but iv fairness to the prisoner, withhold them untie after the inquest. We are requested to correct an error which occurred in our report of the evidence given by Mr Beau champ, Mining Surveyor, in the case Rees v. Thompson, heard on Wednesday in the Warden's Court. Instead of saying " lhat the Great Extended Race would back up tho water as far as Charlie's Creek if the by-washes were sufficient to carry off any average quantity of water," — the paragraph ought to read tint the water backed by the slip might have reached and overflown the place in dispute, instead of Charlie's Creek. A meeting of the directors of the Moonlight Quartz Mining Company was held at the office ®f the company on Tuesday last, Martin Kennedy, Esq., in the chair. The manager (.Mr Wylde) reported that the works were proceeding satisfactorily, all the foundations for the machinery, the water-wheel, race, &c, being completed, and he expected to have a week's crushing before Christmas. All the tuunels for opening the reefs being completed, he had made arrangements for getting out the quartz for crushing by piece work. A number of applications were received from Victoria for the appointment of working manager to the company, and two applicants were selected, one of whom will be appointed by the company's agent in Melbourne, {after further enquiries being made. A binder from Messrs Lauglands was also received for the supply of 20 heads of (Jcwt. etain^ era, and it was resolved that anangements should be made for the machinery being inspected by the working manager in Melbourne before being shipped. The directors considering it desirable to procure more machinery at once, it was resolved to call a meeting of shareholders, with the view of increasing the capital of the company. Iv the Divorce Court, at Wellington, the other day — When Mr Borlase appeared in Court |as counsel for the respondent in the case of Croucher v. Croucher, he was asked by the Court what was the respondent's motive iv instructing counsel to appear, when he had not himself either put in an an appearance, or filed an answer to the petition. Mr Borlase replied that the respondent whs anxious) to bring out all the facts o^

the case, and then alluded to the circumstance of the petitioner having allowed herself to be considered as drowned, and the harbor to be actually dragged to recover her body, and then, after a period of about ten years appealing to accuse her husband of bigamy and adultery, &c. Mr Justice Johnstone here stopped Mr Borlase, and said that all such observations would, doubtless, contribute some very pretty points indeed for a sensation story, but that they did not justify the respondent's conduct, and could not be listened to by the Court, and he (Mr Justice Johnston) supposed that the respondent wished to say that bigamy was not bigamy, as it appeared that it was the respondent's object to blacken his wife's character as much as possible in order to palliate his own conduct. With regard to the non-appear* ance of the petitioner, both in this case and iv the case of Jessep v. Jessepand Nicholson, Mr Justice Johnston said that the Divorce Court in England, as well as that in the colonies, had determined, ' not to make the obtaining of a decree too easy, and would be extremely cautious and reluctant in granting n'm, when the petitioner did not appear to be examined, for, where the population was so exceedingly and so continually fluctuating, as it was in this, and the neighboring colonies, very gresit injustice might be committed andfthe d.)Oi| r hrown open fur frequent collusions, unless the Court should rigidly insist that the petitioner should bs present for examination. The Court directed Mrs Croucher to be brought from Wanganui, and to be present in Court on Wednesday, the 10th inst., in order that she might be examined. An inquest was held by Air Warden Revell at the Liverpool Bill's Arms Hotel, Liverpool Bill's Gully, on Thursday, on the body of a miner named John Eooney, whose accidental death was recorded in our last. T t appeared from the evidence that the facts we have already stated were correct, and that the deceased was crushed by the falling of the troe upon hiir. He was working in a tail-race at the foot of a terrace, on the top of which his mate was cutting away an overhanging tree. He was teld to clear out, but remained a second too long, for the top of the tree struck the ground, and tliß butt comiug against the face of the terrace slij/.pad along until ib fell right on the head and shoulders of the deceased, just as he was in the act of rising out of the race. Had he remained in the race he would have been perfectly safe. He lived only two hours, and must have suffered some severe internal injury, as there were very few external bruises. The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental Death." A very serious accident occurred on Wednesday to a miner at Maori Point, in the Greenstone district. It appears he was working in a sluicing claim, with a rather high face, and while knocking down some washdirt from underneath the headings, the latter came down in & mass without a moment's warning, and buried the unfortunate man. His mates made every exertion to get him from underneath the earth, and succeeded in doing so after about half an hour's labor. It was thought at first that he was not much hurt, but when the poor fellow attempted to rise, it was then discovered that his leg was broken. Every attention was paid to him, and his leg being temporality set with rough splints, he was carried to Hokitika by his mates, and taken over to the Hospital. Two accidents are reported by the Dunstan Times to have been caused by a high wind which prevailed there on Thursday last. At Clyde, sa^s our contemporary, the Ri.man Catholic Church was blown down, and presented a most singular appearance. The greater portion of tho walls disappeared, and the roof, almost intact, came bodily to the ground, covering the greater portion of the debris. M'therson's punt, on the Upper Clutha, broke away, in consequence of the parting of the wire rope, through the force of the wind. Mr Warden Pyke and Mr Inspector Dalgliesh were crossing with a buggy at the time. The man iv charge of it, with great-presence of mind, steered the puufc on shore, and landed his living freight in safety about 200 y arils down the river. We are given to understand that the punt will be restored in about three days. The gale appears to have been very general throughout the district. Telegrams received in Dunedin from the D onstan state that on the 2nd inst. Colelough and party brought in from the Bendigo Gully reefs stone showing cakes of gold, and estimated to yield at the rate of 100 ounces to the ton. The claim was taken up on* Saturday, aud the stone was struck on Tuesday morning. Since then the ground has been marked off for a mile on each side of the claim. It is a new and distinct reef, 600 yards from Goodger and Co's claim. The stone was taken off the surface, and is, so far as can be seen, "clotbed" with gold. Great excitement prevails here in consequence of this discovery. Goodger and party washed up last night, and realised 300 ounces of gold for ten days' crushing, being at the rate of five ounces of gold to the ton of sfcone. Later telegrams received on the following day state : — lnformation reached Cromwell this morning that Butler and party, who are working the same line of reef as Colelough and party, had struck stone even richer than that struck by the latter. The excitement is very great. A number of persons, supposed to be speculators, arrived here from Clyde at an early hour this morning. The majority of them proceeded immediately to the reefs, and have not yet returned Many shares have changed hands, but it is impossible to givequotations, as shares that at night were with difficulty parted with for L3O, this morning brought LIOO readily; even L3OO being asked iv one instance. For a share in the Golden Crown claim L6OO was offered and refused ; and Ryan and Hawthorne refused a similar amount for a share in their claim. Fresh stone of a good appearance has been brought to Cromwell.