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Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 610, 14 December 1869, Page 2

Our readers will be glad to learn that the Grey Eiver Coal Company will soon be in a position to make a fresh start with a capital of L 25,001). Some difficulty and delay was caused through the doubts qf one. LGOOO shareholder as to the value of the County Council's guarantee. Now, however, the matter will be arranged, as soon as the paidup capital of the company has been reduced from L50,00Qtq.L25,000, which is more than can be expended on tbe railway and rolling stock. ... We ye often stated that one of the greatest disadvantages the miners at Napo? Icon Hill labor under in being compelled to come down to the Ahaura township, a distance of fourteen miles, in order to obtain summonses, registrations for water-races, &c. We are glad to hear from Mr Inspector Franklyn, who has just returned from a visit to the district, that Mr Warden Lowe has appointed one of the constables stationed at Napoleon Hill to issue summonses, and in cases where there are no objections to granting registrations to issue theso also. Tins is certainly a step in the right direction, and we hope it is the prelude to establishing a Warden's Court permanently at Napoleon — the necessity for whioh has been so long apparent, and has been so long advocated in these columns The body qf Peter Stewart, the boatman who was lately drowned in the river Grey, was found on Sunday at Snag Fall, and brought to town, and conveyed to Mr J. Middleton's private cottage. Yesterday • ii.ornizig an inquest was held by Mr Revell, R.M., when the facts connected with his death we previously stated were recapitulated, and the jury returned a verdict of * ' accidentally drowned. " The funeral took place yesterday afternoon, which was largely attended by the local lodges of Foresters aud Oddfellows, of both of which the deceased was a meirber. The procession was a very lorge one, aud was preceded by a brass band, playing the " Dead March in Saul." We are assured by our Westport contemporary that the case of "interference" with the Moonlight Company's ground, which we recently mentioned, has not been finally settled, and that "the question has yet to be tried." Whether or not, we know that the special claim, including the whole area held by the company, was granted only the other day by the Superintendent of Nelson. Gold has been struck on the Brighton Lead, in the vicinity of Hokitika, iv four claims, besides the prospectors', and that now there is uo doubt of its being a true lead. Messrs Di>-nan and Wynn have resigned their seats as members of the Auckland Provincial Executive Council. The latter gentleman has also resigned the office of Provincial Solicitor. The British frog has beeu found in considerable numbers at Wakapuaka, Nelson. We believe that the Superintendent of Nelson intends tt visit this district after ths Christmas holidays. A boy named Leonard Goldfinch has been killed by falling over v cliff whilst returning from Taupo, with our friendly allies. The Coroner's Inquest resulted iv a verdict of accidental death. The formal declaration of the election of the Auckland Superintendency took place on Thursday, the 2nd instant, in Auckland. The following are the correct returns : — Gillies, 2531 ; Williamson, 1479. Mr Gillies thus being returned by a majority of 52. We learn from the South Beach, Stoney Lead, that after eighteen weeks hard working, Harrison and party have succeeded in striking payable gold, with a prospect of sgt s. to the shovel . A boy named Edward Jeffard, five years of -age, has been missing since Saturday, and a reward of. L-5 is offered in onr advertising columns for such information as will lead to his recovery, dead or alive. It i 3 supposed that the boy has been playing on some of the coal-barges, falleu into the river, ami been drowned, although we hope that such may eventually prove not to be the case. Otago has won the annual iuterprovmcial cricket match with Canterbury by three runs, and four wickets to go down. Geoige Smith, of Napier, brewer, has declared his inability to meet his engagements with his creditors. Great interest having been already mai.ifested in cricket, and in order that . tLe excitement should not lag,' a match will be played on the. Camp Reserve on Wednesday betweeu an eleven chosen by J. Kilgour, Esq., our worthy Mayor, and eleven selected by Messrs Guinness and Paul The game will commence at half -past one p.m. sharp. The Greymouth brass band will be in attendance. I A very distressing accident took place on board the s.s. Gothenburg; on her passage from Nelson to this port. A young man nam,ed William MTurJi, apparently about 2<j years of age, died very suddenly, about half-past eight o'clock on Sunday evening, from the effects of hemorrhage into the lungs, •from rupture of a vessel and blood vomiting, : induced by a slight attack of seasickness While off the Steeples, deceased was observed to lean over the forepart of the ship aud I vomit a quantity of blood, indeed so much that it was at once apparently.. a hopeless case. Captain M'Lian, assisted by the officers of the ship and some passengers, did all that could be thought pf for tho poor

fellow, but he rapidly lost strength and consciousness, and in less than twenty minutes after being removed .from the deck quietly expired.. Deceased took his passage in the I Gothenburg at the Bluff, for Melbourne, having been r§comn>enile>l change of climate. By papers found upon his person the young man appears to have been well connected, having also several testimonials of respectability. His body was taken en to Hokitika, where Captain M'Lean will, in handing over the- above.-ipentioned documents, -furnish the necessary clue for the authorities to coinniur.icate with his Mem Is. Great praise is due to Captain M'Lean for his -prompt and humane attention to the sufferer. Major Noakes, who more than once has done the Colony some service during recent campaigns, a,nd who captured Tajuroa and his gang, has been appointed Ivesident Magistrate at Patea, and recently proceeded there to take up his residence. A Chinamiin, named Lee Chow, while working in a creek three miles above Carnaby's store at the Lower Nevis, in Otago, a few days ago, was buried by a fall of earth. Although assistance was promptly at hand, eight hours elapsed before the unfortunate man could be dug out, and life was by that time of course extinct. On Wednesday last our up-country correspondent ei) trusted to a boatman, name unknown, |his weekly report concerning the. various mining centres, but we regret to say that it has not yet reached this office We would feel qb/iged if the boatman iv question would let us have the document an soon as possible. About a fortnight ago a party of two left QueenstQwn, Otago, en route for Martin's Bay, via the Greenstone lUver, for the purpose of prospecting the ground in that neighborhood. They took away with them, says a Cromwell paper, a natural curiosity in the shape of a jackass, laden with provisions, implements, &c. The owners of the p.s. Antrim conveyed them free of charge to the mouth of the river. This, we believe, is the first attempt that Lns been made to reach the Bay from Lake Wakatip since the survey party went over for the ostensible purpose of escorting his Honor the Superintendent home from the memorable West Coast expedition. The Greymouth Literary Society have removed their rooms from Gilmer's Hotel to room No. 5, Tramway Chambers, Kilgour's Hotel. Our notes of a visit to the quartz claims in Moonlight Creek are unavoidably held over until our next, in consequence of a pressuie of other matter. To the disappointment of many there was no Thatcher entertainment last evening. To-night, being positively the last, Mr Small will take a benefit, which will no doubt be largely attended. The Volunteer Fire Brigade had a good turn out last evening, and an excellent practice on the Quay. An interesting discovery was recently made in Auckland by an analysis of stone from a claim in Tararu. The quartz was impreg" nated with a substance believed to be antimony, and some of it was sent to a battery to be crushed, but no gold was obtained. Subsequently a portion of stone was submitted to analysis, and was found to contain a large proportion of silver. We are informed that the silver exist in sufficient quantity to warrant the expen Uture of money in getting machinery for separating it from its ore. In conobaration and continuation of a letter which appeared in our last respecting the absence of a Warden at the Greenstone, we are informed that the same proceeding was, on Friday, repeated there through Mr Warden Shaw not putting in an appearance. His deputy, a trooper, arrived at the last moment, and announced to the large numl c • of interested parlies awaiting the Wai den's arrival that he couLl not come till Monday —consolation small iv itself, and not heard without strong dissentient remarks at the unpardonable conduct of the dilatory servant of the public. We can conceive no excuse sufficient to f i-ie Mr Shaw,or his alter ego,-M.r Keogh, from an evident disinclination to ihjur any trouble in the due performance of their functions, when we consider that there have been awaiting their appearance at the Greenstone— one prisoner, who has been in prison 14 days awaiting trial for larceny as a bailee ; a witness h<rm the Ahaura, compelled to reuyiin, for a like period, and another woman witness, from the Grey, who has perforce been compelled to await there eight days. A case such as this needs no further comment from, us, it is. one thai ought to be dealt with by a higher tribunal than that of public opiuion.