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Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 651, 22 March 1870, Page 2

The as. Claud Hamilton arrived at the Bluff from Melbourne on Friday night last, but the news she brought wa3 not received until Saturday forenoon, wheii it was immediately made public by us in the shape of au "extra." It will be found reproduced in another- column. The first mail for Europe via San Francisco leaves the post office here to-morrow. The monthly parade of the Greymouth Rangers Volunteers ia announced for Thursday evening at eight o'clock, at the Volunteer Hall Tbere is some probability of the snags in the river being removed, now that the Provincial Engineer aud Provincial Secretary are here to see for themselves the urgent necessity which exists for the expenditure of a small sum of money in that direction. The Christcl.nrch Art Exhibition has proved so successful that it has been deter, mined to keep it open for a fortnight longer than was originally intended. Ib will pro bably close to-morrow. In consequence of there being no meeting of the Borough Council on Friday evening lasb, time fur receiving tenders for repairs to the wharf has been extended until Friday njxt. ; Something might to be done at once with regard to the new fire bell iv Taimii street, froui which so much was expected. It is not only dangerous to ring it, from tbe nature of the structure on which it was erected, but when rung it is scarcely heard. The Fire Brigade or the Borough Council ought to take the matter in, hand at once. By the return of the s.s. Kennedy from Martin's Bay, on S mday, we were glad to welcome, the arrival of the shipwrecked passsugers of the Charles Edward, .including the Eev Mr M'lntosh, wife, and seven children While living under a sail on the beach Mrs M'lntosh was safely delivered of a daughter. When lauded here every attention and kindness was shown to the shipwrecked family by the members of the Presbyterian Church Committee. Mr W. A. Hunt, of Thames Gold Field celebiiby, has lefb Auckland for England. An unmistakeable sign of the approach of wiuter has been given at Naseby, Otago, by a heavy fall of snow on the mountains in that neighborhood. Some of tho high peaks near the Popotunoa Gorge are also reported to be covered with snow. On Saturday lasb a bya-day on the Greymouth meeting took place, no less than 60 says. being given iv public money. This may have been well meant as far as the bootliholders interests went, but at the same time was, we imagine, ill advised, as the attendance was very small, and the sjjorb indifferent to a degree. The first race was theMawhera Plate, of 20 soys., niile heats, entry 2 soys., and for it three put in an appearance, viz., Trump, Deception, and Okair. Trump in each hoab went away with the lead, and won with the greatest ease. The noxt race was "a - Free Handicap, of 30 soys., 2 miles, 1 soy. entrance, and % soys. acceptance, For this Trump; Mazeppa, Robin Rood, and Economy were entered and accepted The little bay gelding Economy on this occasion kept on the oonrse, and won, with aiiy amount to ''spare, Trump second, Robin H6od wjis nowhere, stud Mazeppa bulbed. Tho wiuuor carried

9st 31b; Trump, 9s t ; Robin Hood, Bat 101 b; and Mazeppa, 7st 121 b. A nnteh followed between Mr Card's br m Moss Rose and Mr G. Graham's eh m Chit Chat, one mile, an event which resulted in a very hollow victory for Moss Rose. A . hurry Sourry, a mile and a half, ons event, followed, and Mazeppa, Deception, and Moss Rose started. The race lay entirely with Deception, who took the lead and kept it for the first mils ; but owing to a misapprehension on the part of the jockeys, all pulled up on having accomplished that distance. Tho mistake was soon discovered, but Mazeppa was the first to take ad van • tage of the new light, and started at score to complete the other half* mile. Deception gave ohase immediately, but Mazeppa had gained a good couple of hundred yards, and though the mare Kveiv hauled her antagonist rapidly, he haA got too much of a pull, and won consequently by a mere accident, greatly to the discomfiture of the few speculators on the course, as the race was booked as a certainty to the mare. This conoluded the meeting, which, on the whole, has been a most successful one, There are four parties prospecting in the country lying bqtween the Razor-back and the head waters of Fox's River. One of theai, says the Charleston Herald, found aoarse gold ten days ago, but owing to the extreme severity of the weather ab that time they were unable to prosecute their search aud returned to town. They have since, however, gone back to tha bush, aud it is expected that we shall have good news from them before many days clipse. The party who found the nuggety gold a few weeks ago in the ranges near Fox's River have made arrangements for another expedition, and are confident of ftnliug an extensive deposit of gold, To-day we devote considerable space to the reports of two cases, which have canssd great excitement at the Aha^ira and Camptown. They will be read with much interest, one being a c-ise of very great hardship, and the other a nice little expose of some of the proceedings of the Nelson police force, in winch a constable, who has hitherto been considered one of the most steady, efficient, and trustworthy in the force, has been kept under arrest from the 9bh February to the lobh March, on a oharge of drunkenness, and bail refused. There will, no doubt, \kfurther proceedings in this ca3e, and we will hear more of it soou, as the Warden has promised to represent the matter, and send copies of the depositions taken to Inspector Shallcrass, at Nelson. There are 169 registered medical practitioners in the Colony. The Provincial Hotel, Dunedin, has been opened by the proprietor, Mr Sibbald. The Princess 'iheatre is also likely to re-open shortly under favorable auspices. With regard to Parkhill and Co.'s claim at the Seven-mile Beach, which we mentioned a few days ago, we have to state, by way of correction, that the extent of the fiuming is 45 chains, and the lease ten acres. Th^re was a smart shock f earthquake on Thursday nighb at 11.28., in Christchurch. The direction was from N.E. to S.W. No damage done. We mentioned in our last the appointment of Mr Kynuersley as a member of the Nelson Executive. We now learn from the Westport Time* that the recently elected member for the Grey Districb, Mr W. N. Franklyn, wrote to Mr Kynneisley, offering to resign in his favor. Mr Kynnersley's resolution on the subject of taking a seat in (he Council may be deduced from the reply Avhich he has made to Mr Franklyn, and which is to the effect that he declines to become a candidate for election as a member of the Provincial Council. Mr Franklyn was, no doubt; instigated to make the proposal by the knowledge that Mr Kynnerslny would be received with particular favor m the Grey District, and that he might give a preference to the district wifcli which he was iirst and most intimately associated, but the reply puts Mr Kynnersley's intention beyonl all doubt, and we imagine the Grey District will have no reason to be otherwise than fully satisfied with the representation of its interests by the members elected- Mr Franklyn and his colleague, Mr Mackley. Two natives of the Fiji Islands, who an ived at Auckland in the schooner Jeanie Duncan a few days ago, determined to see something of life in that city. With that object (says the Southern Cross) they paid a visit to the Prince of Wales Theatre in costume, which, however comfortable it might have been, considering the almcst intense heat of the atmosphere of the theatre, was.no> way in keeping with the ordinal costume of visitors of the dress circle, to which part of the house the natives essayed to make their way, clothed simply in short breeches. The ticket taker, no doubt, considering that the appearance of two seminaked savages under the circumstances was not advisable, refuse! to let them pass into the dress circle of the theatre in such a state ; when two well-dressed men, who accompanied them, went to the nearest outfitters and purchased a couple of shirts, which the darkies donned on the landingplace. The nion by whom they were accompanied then paid a couple of guineas for a private box, into which tbe party of four entered and remained during the evening, the natives seeming greatly to enjoy the performance, but with much apparent dissatisfaction at being compelled to wear shirts. Whether they are "great men" in their own country we know not, but they certainly found the best places in the theatre, at the rate of ten shillings per head, by which we should presume that they belong to the Upper Ten of Fiji. Iv Westport, says tne local paper, St, Patrick's Day was not distinguishable from other days of the week by many outward visible signs. It presented, indeed, a marked contrast to the same saintly holiday two years ago, when streets were crowded, and feelings ran high, The streets were the reverse of crowded, and people's spirits were subdued, if not absolutely low, for it is on oooasionssuch as the.se that the smallriess of the population of what should be a largely " populated district becomes most apparent.

Until the afternoon there was no accession to the census of the place, but then a few diggers did drop in, and there was a moderate muster of men round the competitors in the vaulting and the foot-ball match which the Sports Committee had organised. These were the only two sports out of a limited programme which were undertaken, and, in the absence of most of the members of Committee, they were successfully engaged by Messrs James Milne and T. Sheahan. What the sports lacked in number, they gained in int-rest. Ths vaulting was good, a height of Bft 9in having been attained by Masou and Holmes, at whiuh they divided the prize, Hamilton and Nattr.vss also vaulted well, but fell short of that height. The sporb waa for a little interrupted by Holmes getting badly thrown through the breaking of the pole, but he soon picKed up his nerves sufficiently to enable him to successfully complete his competition wiLh the others. In the football match there were fourteen on each side } for a prize of twenty pounds. The captains were M'Ginn and Henderson. The starting point was at the north end of Gladstone soreet, and the goal ou tha sea-beach to the northward. The side of which M'Giim was the captain proved the:nselves most agile, and won the game anl the prize. The wrestling match did not eventuate, but yes» terday there was a second foot-ball match and some foot-racirg. Oh Thursday sports were announced also at Gibson's Miners' l»est, and, if the facilities which exist there for amusement were appreciated as they ought to be, extensive ad s'antage must have been taken of them. In the absence of the Charleston cricketers, the match with whom has been postponed until Easter Monday, some scratch-matches, wire organised and played at the same place. In tiie evening there was dancing assemblies for the gay, and a meeting for the grave and serious ; and ut the different bars, th^re was a free-trade in sweepstakes, and a lirge amount of grafcuitous and more or less mixed information on the subject of horse-flesh and the Greymouth Eaces. There was an a^arm of lire on Sunday night about half -past ten o'ebek, caused by the bursting of a k.rosene la.np, ia the Brighton Hotel, Gresson streeb, Tae Le 1 ! was runj, the engine and hose turned oub and hurried bo the spot, but it was found that some one had the presence of mind to throw the blazing lamp and materials that were on fire iuto the street, so that the block of buildings was saved. It is needless speculating as to what would have been the result had this not been done ; but the incident ought to teach the owners of property in that and other blocks, the value of the stind-pipe which was driven in Boundary street,' and incite them to carry out similar works for their own preservation. On Sunday night the engine was taken to the block in danger, but, had occasion required, there was no available supply of water, and thousands of pounds worth of property might have been destroyed for want of the expenditure of a few pounds for driving a pipe that the hose could be fitted to in a moment. It is to ba hoped something will be done in the back blocks, else we may expect a fearful conflagration some of these nights. The members of the Fire Brigade deserve every credit fur the expeditious manner in which they turned out with their .apparatus. We are requested to state that the usual Brigade reward for the person who rang the Boundary streeb bell will be paid on application to the Captain. A very painful case of lunacy, says the Southern Cross, canie bif ore the Bench, at the Auckland' Police Court, lately. It appeared from the medical testimony adduced that Dr. Eiley, late houss-surgeon of the Hokitika Hospital, has become of unsound mind, having, according to the statemeut of his landlady, kept the house in a state of terror by walkiug about with a loaded pistol in his possession, which he refused to give up. He had also recently slept with the pistol under his pillow. . On being interrogated by the doctors, he complained of his head being bad, aud appeared to have lost all memory as to dates and circumstances. Dr.. lliley had only been about six weeks in Auckland, having come np from Hokitika, where he held a highly respectable position, and was inubh esteemed by a large circle of friends. His affliction has caused much sorrow amongst his many acquiantances in Auckland, He was on the 2nd inst. committed to the Provincial Lunatic Asylum. The Lytteltoii Times records another accident in that harbor on Saturday last. It appears that George Messiber, waterman, took off Mrs Plimmer, a passenger for the steamer Wellington, who was accompanied by Mr and Mrs Gv Tayler, Mr Plimmer, and the agent's clerk, Mr S. Sinclair. The reached the steamer safely and went on board ; before however they had re-embarked the the steamer's anchor was up and she was forging ahead, and despite a nasty wash from the steamer aad the boat beiug on the windward side, the party managed to get into it and push off, . but the suction of the screw was so great that the boat was drawn under the vessel's stern. One of the blades of the screw caught the bow of the boat, snia3hvig itiu, aud another blade capsited her, throwing the party into the sea. Mrs Tayler was under the boat, and as she was sinking, Mr Plimmer, who is a good swimmer, dived and brought her to the surface, when he managed to hold on by the broken bow of the boat until they were rescued. The accideut was seen by the crew of the brig Princess Alice, who instantly manned their boat, and put off to the rescue with the greatest promptitude. The boat arrived jusb as Mr Plimmer (who . was supporting Mrs Tayler) was getting exhausted. The crew of the schooner Defiance also launched their boat and picked up some of the party. Captain Holmes seeing the accident' stopped the steamer, lowered his life boat, and picked up two persons, who were transferred to the brig's boat and conveyed on shore in a very exhausted state. Messi'ter's boat, which is a complete wreck, was subsequently towed in to the beach".