THE Grey River Argus. SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 1870.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 653, 26 March 1870, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 1870.

A supplementary English Mail via San Fraucisao will be forwarded totday per B,s. Murray. Messrs BJackctt and Greenfield, Provincial Secretary tind Provincial Engineer of Nelson, returned home from their visit tjo this district by the s.-s. John Peni) on Thursday a.ftsrnoQn.,* The Greenstone escqrt, which arrived in ( Hokitika, on Thursday brought down 2,500 ounces of gold, for the Ra.uks of New South Wale 3 and New Zjaland. It is gratifying to find the General Government acting in a liberal spirit in the manatemeut of its telegraph lines, by announcing s.ome sweeping reductions on and after the Ist April From that date ordinary telegrams of ten words will be transmitted from any station to any station for one shilling, and every additional five words for sixpence. No chargfc will he made for signature, but it must in all cases be the usual signature of the person sending the message. The want of an abundant supply of water on the terraces of Nelson Creek has long been severely felt by the miners, as it i 3 well known that these terraces, aud a large tract of country, could be profitably worked. We are glad to h ea r that a scheme has been s,et on foot by the miners to form a public company, to briny in a large water-race from the Ahaura River to Nelson Creek. Mr Warden Whitefoord was applied to, in order to ascertain what assistance the Government would be willing to grant to the projectors of such an undertaking. He at once expressed his willingness to give every assistance in his power, as he*believed that such a work, would add immensely to the '2)i'osperity of the district. He agreed that Mr Woolley, District Surveyor, should first ascertain and report fis to the practicability of the scheme, .and in the event of its being found right, to make the preliminary surveys ; the projectors to deposit an amount at the Warden's dffice, which would be returned in the event of the scheme being successfully carried out, and appropriated, towards the payment of the wages of the surveyor's assistants should jit be a failure. We may add that the Warden is deeply interested in the success of the scheme, and will render every possible assistance. A number of merchants and others in town are likely to join the miners in the scheme, and a meeting will most likely be called in a few days to consider the advisability of forming a public company. We have to acknowledge receipts of the first number of the Grey Valley Times, published at the New Ahaura township, Grey River. Considering the many difficulties to be overcome the production^ is a very creditable one, anl if proper attention is paid to the wants of this much-neglected district, as promised, our contemporary will not want for support. We wish the enterprise every success. Elsewhere we extract a few items of news from the Times. The manner in which the supply of gol.l is keeping up at this port is surprising, even to those who are most intimately acquainted with the resources of the district. Lately shipments have been made by every steamer, and yet close upon GOOOozs. remain to be shipped by the Claud Hamilton on Sunday morning. The returns for the quarter will be largely increased. Throughout the week the Star Dramatic Company have secured capital houses, and must be satisfied with the amount of support given them during their first visit to this to.vn. To-ni»ht they give their last performance, and we have no doubt that the occasion will draw together another crowded house. The Company proceed to Hokitika to commence another campaign on Monday. This evening's programme consists of " Lady Audley's Secret," " The Two Bonnycasfcles, 1 ' and "The Wandering Minstrel." Presbjterian Church services will be held by the Rev Mr.M'lntosh in the Volunteer Hall to-morrow at 11 a. in. and 7 p.m. The Rev Mr Heine arrived from Nelson on Thursdayj and vri.il hold German Services in the Fire Brigade Hall to-morrow at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. The. Grey. Valley Times of yesterday ; gives us the following items of news :— The visit of the Provincial Secretary and Engineer will not be altogether barren of results, and we a,re happy to say that at least a few of the many puh'ic works needed in the district will be commenced without loss of time. We, may summarise the results thus :— lt has been resolved to complete tho dray-track from the township t,o. Matthews', and a horse-track from there to Napoleon. It is also probable that some greatly needed repairs will be effectel on the Moonlight track. McLnughliu.'s protection for the track from >o.ble's to Napoleon has been canee,lled, and the Government will keep the track open A horse-track is to be made at once to No Tow»n, and the District Engineer, Mr Dobson, remains here for the purpose of preparing specifications and calling for tenders for this and other works. The question of constructing a dray-road, hetweou t!ie

Ahaurannd the Arnold is under consideration, but it is hardly likely that anything will be done till the Provincial Council meets, Though liut an instalment of what is needed, we must be thankful for small mercies, and must also be content with then?. We might add that, when at Napoleon, a deputation waited on Mr Greenfield with a request that a Court should be opened there, that gentle, man stated that the Warden's time was so occupied that he could not rec.omme.nd tue change desired, Since Mr Greenfield's vi«it we are informed that several business licenses have been taken out by persons vho are taking up sections in this township in anticipation of the increased value of property when the head-quarters of the Govern? ment are removed to Ahaura. This, we have elsewhere said, will take place shortly, and we have no doubt the speculations' on hand will prove profitable. Before long -it is probable that nearly the whole of the Totara Flat wi.ll be taken up under the leas? ing regulations, and a flourishing agricultural community lie established there. There were three applications for agricultural leases of fifty acres each, yesterday, and many more are about to be made, We may add that the annual rental is LlO, and shall be glad to find any number of .people thus settling on the land, to their own advantage, aud the benefit of the community aij large. We have much pleasure in stating that the headquarters, of the Warden are about to be removed from Cobden to the Ahaura. A Courthouse and Warden's resideuce is also to be built here, and as soon as these are completed the contemplated change will take jj'ace. A disastrous fire took place at the Knnieii about half-past eight o'clock on Thursday night which destroyed the shop and dwelling house of Mr Barr, butcher, residing in the township. It appears that Mrs Barr h/ul retired and was reading in bed by candlelight, and it is supposed that the candle had fallen out of the bottle which served the purpose of a candlestick, against the lining of the house. Mrs Barr first saw the flame running up the wall, and in a few minutes the whole building was one blaze of fire> obliging her and her two children to escape in their night-dresses. Tha only property saved were some boxes of clothing.- The property is uninsured. A quarter of a ton of stone from Never Despair claim, Wellington, sent to Melbourne, yielded 2d\vt 21gr of gold. The gold is of poor quality, similar to the Thames gold. The County Chairman has granted protection to Hartley Stuttard and Co., for their tramway from Paroa to Marsden, and to colect tolls thereon at the following rates : — Passengers, each, Cd. per mile ; horses, for any distance, 2a 6d each ; cattle, 2s Cd ; sheep, 3d ; goods, per ton, from Paroa to Marsden, L 3 ; Paroa to Rutherglen, Ll JOs. Tha new mail route for England via San Francisco has promised very successful here for the first trip, no fewer than six passen sse:s having been booked by the agents, Messrs D. Gird wood and d\, and despatched liy the s.s. John Perm on Thursday, to join the mail steamer at Auckland. Sergeant Mallard, in charge of the police at Port Chalmers, has been fined L 5 or 14 d iys' imprisonment, and Constable Sullivan 5Js or seven days' imprisonment, for ill-using a drunken prisoner. Mrllodgeis, porter-bottler, A utigua street, C hristchurch, has been killed by being thrown from his waggon. 1 Publicans, whose liceuses expire on or fourteen days before tue 3rd May next, must make applications for renewals at ths Resident Magistrate's otfico not later than Saturday, the 2nd April. According to a census just taken, the total population of the Thames amounts to 12,454. The number is made up as follows .-—Men, 6029 \ women, 2375 ; children, 4050. Of the men, 1223 are returned as unemployed. The proceedings at the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday morning nearly approached a burlesque. Through the serious illness of Mr Revell, two J. P. 's were required for the Bench. All the business was to order a lunatic to be sent to Hokitika Lunatic Asylum, but this occupied nearly an hour. For the first half hour one only of the "great unpaid" was present, and the two medical men in attendance to give evidence as to the prisoner's condition naturally grew very impatient in the serious inroad on their valuable time, and ultimately left after signing the ujual certificate. When the second J.P. a"rived, the medical men were nowhere to le found. A constable spied one in the distance, and, on overtaking him, was informed in a most polite and oft-hand manner that 'his time was as valuable to him as old So-ancl-Sd's, and he would see him," &c. The medical certificates were produced in evidence, and the lunatic was sent to the Hokitika Lunatic Asylum. No doubt it is a serious loss of time to Justices to have to attend the Court, but they ought to be prepared for that -vvh-n they accept the honor, and endeavor to discharge the duty punctually when called upon. We have the " curiosities " of almost everything under the sun. Crime, literature (by some people considered a crime)> science, art, &s., but no one has yet compiled the " Curiosities of Bankruptcy." The book is sure to-be written some day, and we reprint the following morceaux for the assistance of any enterprising writer who wishes to occupy the field we have indicated. The first curiosity is headed "A Young Widow's Sc.hedule," and under it the Melbourne Herald says :—" Our list of new insolvents this morning includes the name of Mrs Jane Clarke, of Russell street, widow, and as the schedule of assets and liabilities is remarkable in its way, we reproduce it : Assets, a mantle., valued at Lls ; wearing apparel, valued at L2O ; total, L 35. The liabilities consis,t of Lll Gs for medical attendance; Ll3 for the funeral expenses of a child ; LI 2I 10s for drapery ;L 27 for carriage hire, I aud L 2 15s for dressmaking. This is the sum total, aud a more curiously compounded one surely never appeared in a schedule." The next "curiosity" is from the old country, and should act as a caution to

ladies who try to keep their husbands locked up in gaol. "At the Court of Bankruptcy on Thursday, a renewed application for release from custody was made by J. Drysdale, commercial clerk, whose only creditor is liis wife, for alimony, ordered by the Court of Divorce, pending a suit for restitution of coi'jugal rights. The lady appeared, as on the former occasion, and opposed the application in person. An offer on the part of the bankrupt to a.llo\v her LI a week in lieu of the alimony of L9O a year decreed by the Court, was rejected with much deter,mnation. His Honor ultimately granted the release, after a violent protest from Mrs Drysdale.'' It is not quite clear who was suing for restitution, &c, but it could hardly have been the female Drysdale, or she would not haye qppased the male Drysdale's release ; and, judging by the meagre paragraph wo have quoted, it is difficult to say whether poor Drysdale would not have been much happier locked up away from such, a creditor as his wife was. We wonder if, when he was released, he paid her — out ? The following are the resulfcs of the Dunelin Race Meeting :— First day: Maiden Plate— Southern Chief, 1 ; Waterwitch, 2 ; Tomboy, 3. Handicap Trotting Race — Straggler, 1 ; Ranger, 2 ; Magic, 3. Dunedin Handic ip- -Southern Chief, lj Lady Ellen, 2 ; Atalauta, 3. Taieri Stakes— Atlas, 1 ; Wildboy, 2; Bobby Burns, 3. Ladies' Purse- Tantrum, 1 ; Musician, 2 ; Banjo, 3. Second day : Handicap Hurdle. Race— -Musi* cian, 1 ; Star of South, 2 ; Don Pedro, 3« Town Plate— Atalanta, 1 ; Miss King, 2 ; Lady Ellen, 3. District Handicap— Atlas, 1 ; Wildboy, 2;. Lady Ellen, 3. Selling Race, Atalanta, 1 j Bobby Burns, 2 ; Beaswing, 3. The site of the Bank of New South Wales, which hns stood empty since the great fire, is, at last, about to bo re-occupied, and we are glad to hear that the contract for the erection of the new bank has been given to a local man. 'Che plans show a large and very handsome two-storey building, somewhat in the Italian style. The frontage will be 39ft, and the front elevation 33ft. The ground floor will consist of the bank, agent's room, and all the offices for gold buying. The second storey will be the agent's house, of five rooms. The contract must be finished by the Ist June. The architect is Mr Armsou of Hokitika, the contractor Mr Charles Holder of Greymouth, and the contract price a little under £1100. At the Resident Magistrate's Court, Greymouth, on Thursday,' before M. Keogh, Esq., R. M. , Julia Lynch was charged with using abusive and obscene language, calculated to provoke a breach of the peace, to Mrs Bro^srn, in G r esson street. TLis was a neighbor's quarrel, in which some very filthy and abominable langnage was sworn to as having been made use of by the defendant. Mr Guinness appeared for the defence, and in cross-examination it transpired that the complainant could neither read nor write, and yet she swore that some writing which she presented to the Bench on a slip of paper was the language complained of. Mr Guinness thereupon insisted on the witness re. peating the filthy language in Court, which was done, after females had been ordered to retire. lv. dismissing the case the Magistrate said that it weighed -with him against the defendant that her counsel forced the utterance of that beastly language in Court when there was no object to be gained by it. He thought it should never be made a terror to persons coming into that Court, the fear of having to repeat such words in public, or that they would be made a public exhibition of Mr Guinness replied that the rule laid down could not apply in this case as in one in Avhich the parties were intelligent and could read and write, but in this case the witness was swearing to somethiug she could not read, eind he thought the coursa he had adopted was necessary. The Magistrate said it appeared to him that the course adopted was quite unnecessary in this case. — Caroline Rich was charged with assaulting and beating her servant, Catherine Armstrong, on Sunday last. It appeared that words had passed between them as to some domestic duties, when the defendant took the complainant by the shoulder, shook her, and gave her a slap on the face. After evidence had been heard on both sides the Magistrate dismissed the case. — Yesterday, before Messrs Lapham and Greenwood, J.P., John Kerrigan, on remand, charged with lunacy, was sent to Hokitika Hospital. Writing upon the necessity for registration, the Wellington Independent says:— "At the present time, too, it is more than ever necessary to remind the electors of New Zealand of their duty in this respect. Impoitaut changes are pending, and large questions will probably be submitted to the constituencies during the next few years, the decision of which will materially influence the destiny of the Colony. The future relations between this young dependency and the rcother country — the regulation of commercial intercourse between New Zealand and the other Australian colonies — the question of provincialism and centralism— of free trade and protection — of unity and separation of the two islands, are all matters which in some form or other will certainly be i*aised during the present or next Parliament, and on some of them a decision will have to be arrived at which will permanently commit us to a distinct line of future action. And if before another general election the redistribution of the representation comes before the Assembly, it will be well for our representatives to meet their political enemies in the gate with a good quiver full of registered electors. .> A curious discovery was made by Captain Beatson, of the brigantine Oieti, during arecent visit to the Auckland Isles. On ascending the highest mountain there— some 900 feet above the level of the sea— he dis. covered the skull of a horse. No other bones, either of a horse or any other animal, were found at the same place, or near it. Struck with the mysterious discovery, Captain Beatson determined to bring the skull with him to Dunedin, in order that it might be deposited in the Museum. How the bones Zpb to their resting-place on the Auckland'

Islea is a subject* which will puzzle our savans as much as the general public. The Isles are entirely out of the track of any vessels carrying horses, and indeed are never touched except in cases of necessity. Some other relics were discovered at the same time, the most remarkable being the skeleton of a young woniaq, whose body might have been washed on shore. A list of ai'ti* cles deposited by the late Captain Norman, when in command of 'th.e Victorian Government ship Victoria, despatched on a special mission to the Jsles, was also found by Captain Beatson. The articles were :.a. Bible, a p.ayer-book, a collection of tracts, several numbers of Good Words, a tinder-box, eleven balls, eight pounds of powder, and a musket. They were found in a cask, and as it did not appear to be watertight, they were taken out by Captaiu Beatson, dried and replaced, the cask being also properly secured. As a source of relief for ship, wrecked mariners, the deposit was rather a meagre one. Our Maori members in the General Assembly, however much they may lack wisdom, have, at "any rate a due sense of their individual importance. ' ' General Meti Kingi, M.H.R.," seems absurd enough; but ths Wanpanui Evening Herald has recently aeen a letter in Maori, from the AJ id die Island member, signed in the following modest style—" From your friend, Mr John Patter •» son, Esq., M.G.A." Jt is estimated that from 130,000 to 110,000 bushels of grain have been grown in the Province of Marlborough this year. The following resignations of M.H.R., are reported in late Northern and Southern papers :— John Cargill, for Bruce, Otago ; A. J. Burns, for Cavershain, Otago; Major C. Brown, for New Plymouth, Taranaki ; Thomas Ball, for Mongonui, Auckland; D. Henkinson, for Riverton, Southland. The Tauranga correspondent of the Auct» land Soutltem Gross writes:— "At three o'clock on the afternoon of March 12, the lust remains of Colonel Fraser were consigned to their final resting-place in the Te Papa cemetery. The day had been cloudy, with every indication of rain. This did not discourage the good people of Tauranga; who turned out almost to a man to express their grief at the sudden departure from amongst us of an officer who had distinguished him-t self as one of the bravest and mos,t successful commanders of the day. All the force, consisting of the Armed Constabulary, Thames Volunteers, Tiiuranga Militia, and twenty men and all the officers of H.M.s.s. Rosario, paraded at the hour appointed at the residence of the deceased colonel. Sub-inspector Gascoigne took charge of the ceremony. In the mournful cortege, the following gentleman acted as pall bearers, Captain Palmer, H.M.s.B Rosario; Major Mair, R.M, ; Captain Tunks ; and Captain Tovey. Doctoi Roache, Rosaria, and Sub-inspector Crappe were chief mourners. The procession was composed of all the respectability of Tauranga, and the stores of the principal houses were entirely closed." In the Otago Company's mine, at the Thames, on the 14th inst., a miner was killed under the following circumstances . — Three of, the men employed at this mine were engaged in removing the old poppet-heads from seven to eight feet high from the mouth of the shaft, to make room for more powerful ones in connection with the whim just erected. In lowering them from their position to the ground, the deceased, as far as can be gathered, was holding the cap piece, and the strength available not being sufficiently powerful— or some seem to be of the opinion it was owing to the greasy state of the ground— the whole of the cap piece and legs, composed of timber, ten feet by eight feet, came down upon his cheat, which caused his death almost instantaneously. Dr Groft was called in immediately, but medical skill was useless. The deceased's name was Patrick Govham, he was a native of county Gal way, a shareholder in the company, and had been employed at the miue for upwards of twelve months. He came from Hokitika to the Thames, but previous to that had been iv Victoria, having landed there in 1857. The latest news from Ohinetnru is from the Southern Cross : — ' ' The natives are gathering together for another kerero, and are arriving from the Waikato, Piako, Mataora, and other places. The subject of their talk is to be sometLing new. The natives here have dreamed that the talk will be good, that is, tend to open Ohinemuri. On the other hand, we must hot be surprised to find it all a ruse to gain time while they harvest their potatoes and corn to enable them better to assist the rebels." Another correspondent, writing on 16th inst., says :— "A large native runanga is to be held to-morrow between all the natives here, and visited by thirty natives from the. King, besides the Waikatos and others. It is reported they are about to change their policy ami politics. The tex> of the meeting is to be the future, eschewing the past. Some of the native crowd here augur great things, such as giving up Ohine* muri to the miners, establishing a lasting peace, and becoming at last as one human family. I hope it may be so, but feel quite certain they deem themselves masters of the position up to now." An Auckland paper recently gave the ifoK lowing important information :— A find, which will have a great effect in determining the fact of the presence of the precious metal under sea-water level, took place in the Belfast Claim, where a parcel of specimens (about half a bucketful) wore tak.e.n out of a winze sunk on the lode to a depth of about 50 feet under high-water mark. Some of the specimens were rich, and all showed the presence of the, precious metal in good quau? tities, so that the find may be taken as a t good auguring of rich gold at great depths. ■ All the way down the winze gold had been J met with, and the greater portion of the stone now crushed at the Tramway battery has been taken out of it, and there is little doubt, from present appearances, but the yield will be fully up to the former one of 3ozs. to the ton. The crushing of 50 tons for the company at the Tramway battery, was completed on Wednesday evening, and when the tables were cleaned up, about 300oz. of amalgam had been lifted off, exclusive of that contained in the stamper-boxes and in the blanket- washings. '