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Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 618, 4 January 1870, Page 2

On behalf of the patiencs in the Grej River Hospital, we have to acknowledge, with thanks, the following contributions towards their Christmas dinner : — From Mr M. Kennedy, 9 bottles porter, 3 do ale, 4 pots jam, 1 box raisins. From Mr Fitzgerald, 1 goose. From Mr Pelling, 4 fowls. From Messrs Cleve and Lahman, 6 bottle champagne, almonds, nuts, raisins, &c. From Mrs Cochrane, 6 geese, v large cakes. From Mr James Jahnstone, 2 gallons colonial wine, 2do port wine. From Messrs. Strike and Blaclcmore, 15 gallons ale, 2 dozen ginger wine. From Messrs M'Carthy and Co., 15 gallons ale, 3 'dozen ginger beer, 3 dozen lemonade. From Messrs Hamilton and Nichol, 1 case of TennantY ale. From Mr W. Jones, 2 tins biscuits. From Mr De Costa, 1 dozen wine and 2 cakes. During the Two-oared Race on New Year's Day, when the Tidal Wave was passing the Upper Ferry, a waterman named George deliberately stood across her in. her course, and compelled her to lose ground. Such conduct as this was, to say the least of it, reprehensible, ,and altogether inconsistent with an Englishman's idea of fair play. In our report of the collar and elbow wrestling, ye gave the name of Mr Cordon as one of- the prize-takers. It should have been Mi' Carton. As a rumor has been abroad that the miner, Hugh Fitasimmons, (who died at Liverpool's Creek from the effects of falling over a cliff) was wilfully pushed over the cliff, we give the following summary of the evidence taken at a police enquiry held on the body at Clifton by Sergeant Boyle, on the 2Sth ult. : — Samuel Millikeu : I am a miner at the New River, and knew deceased. On the morning of the 25th December, I was at the tent of a man named John Bland, about 200 yards above Card's upper store on the New River. The deceased was there between six and seven in the morning. 1 was inside the tent. Four or five of the friends of the deceased came in from an adjacent hut. I had heard there had been a quarrel and blows struck the previous night between the deceased and John Laylanil. The deceased came over with a mate of his named Michael Henry, who suggested that it was better to see the quarrel out. Deceased also said it was best, and wanted Laylaud oat to light, I, along with others, prevented them righting, and John O'Brien, a mate of Layland's, said that if they wanted to fight they must go to their own side of tho creek. The deceased was out&iile the tent at

this time with O'Brien. I saw or heard nothing more until I saw deceased fall o/cr tho terrace, when I helped to bring him up, He complained of a ]>am in his neck. I did not think he had sustained any seiious injury at the time. I did not see any one strike or pnsb. the deceased when outside the tout. He fell ton or twelv 6 feet. He was under the influence of liquo r at the time, John Banuon corroborated the evidence of tj^a'.t witness, ond added: — I think. I srraßrßrien either strike the tie. ceased or giWhim a push with his hand, when his feet caught a root in the ground, and he fell and rolled over the terrace. The root w.as about ten feet from tho edge of the terrace. lam not positive whether O'Brien struck the deceased. Another witness said he did not see any one strike or push the deceased, but saw him fall over the terrace. We carried him to his Oivn tent, where he" died at 10 p.m. on che 2oth. He only complained of a pain in his neck : was quite sensible, and able to speak up to within a few minutes of his death. We intended to have carried him down to Greymouth next morning. He was a native of Strangford, County Down, Ireland. Samuel Milliken recalled : On the 25th. 1 accompanied O'Brien to the deceased's tent, and heard O'Brien auk him if he forgave or blamed him in any way. Deceased said hljffreely forgave him, anil had no enmity towards him. They then shook hands. I consider that the deceased came by his death quite accidentally, and that there is no blame attached to any person. The evidence was forwarded to the Warden, It is understood that the Intercolonial Congress has fallen through in consequence of Victoria refusing to send delegates. Our delegates have been making some minor arrangements with the New (South Wales Government, but the main purposes of the mission have not been accomplished. The business transacted at the Greymouth Post Office Savings Bank during the year 1569 was as follows : — 1172 orders were issued, of the amount of L 6057 19s Id, while 280 orders were paid, of the value of L 1390 3s Id. There were 170 new accounts opened, representing L 6733 5s ; 628 additions were made to open accounts, representing L 9016 10s, making the total deposits 798, representing L 15 ,749 jos. The number of withdrawals was '416, of the value of L11,<381 9s 7d ; 79 accouuts were closed, representing L 4577 13s 3il ; the interest paid, L 56 16s Id ; leaving a balance to the credit of depositors 0fL4068 sssd. We have to record another melancholy case of drowning in a tributary of the Grey river, near Langdon's Ferry, on Thursday morning last. Mr John Byrue, storekeeper Duffer's Gully, was travelling to town with to town with SOoz of gold on his saddle, in company with a young man. The small storm referred to is usually very shallow, but the late fresh had deepened it so that a torrent was running through it ; however, the young man crossed safely, but Byrnef when in the current tried to turn his horse back, when both were swept away and drowned. The body of the horse came ashore, and ttie gold was found on the saddle, but the body of Byrne wat not found up to last night. The Rev. J. Deune, whilst standing talking to Mr Hanson, at the door of the lafcter's workshop, adjoining the Army and Navy Hotel, in Auckland, was lately struck by lightning on the first joiut of the fore-linger of the right hand, The joint has been paralysed ever bince. Mr Hanson felt the shock, and a safe and a bell-hanging contiguous to them, affected by the same power, gave out a succession of ringing vibrations. The Melbourne Athletic Spores Committee announce for their Boxing Day meeting something new and " sensational" in a bicycle steeplechase over ten obstacles, and a water jump ! What the obstacles are, whether straws or candle boxes, does not appear. The Governor has intimated to the County Chairman that he will not visit Westland until next summer. A miner named James Eooke was killed in a tight .at Redman's, in the Totara district, on Christmas Eve. He was very quarrelsome, and struck a man named Mitchell twice. This annoyed Mitchell, and he and Roofce squared up to each other. Several blows were exchanged, when Mitchell struck Rooke on the forehead, and the latter falling on a log fractured his skull. A storekeeper named Adam Cuining was drowned on the 29th ult. while attempting to ford the Totara river on horseback. The holders of brewers' and wine and spirit licenses must see to that they are re-regis-tered at the Custom-house, as their licenses ' expired on the 31st December. At Westport on Friday night last an art union%as drawn for the largest nugget ever found in New Zealand. The value of 1 the nugget — L4OO — was divided into six prizes, the fortunate wiuner having the option of taking the nugget and paying the other prizes, or accepting Ll5O as Lw prize. The following were the winners . — Ist prize, Ll5O, Richard Hazel ; 2nd, Lloo> Moffab (chief officer of p.s. Lyttelton) ; 3rd, LSO, M'Kenzie (Giles Terrace) ; 4th, L2O, A.King (Giles Terrace ); sth, L2O, John Corr; Gth, L2O, R. J; Tonks.