THE Grey River Argus. SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 1870.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 66, 30 April 1870, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 1870.

A new rush is reported to have taken place at Garden Creek, a tributary of Moonlight. Parties have been working in the creek since Christmas, but they were rushed this week, aud one shaft has been bottomed, with a prospect, it is said, of one ounce and some pennj weights off the bottom. The sinking is uader 20ft. Several rushes have taken place to this gully, but it never turned out anything of any consequence yet. The weatlier during the week has been bitterly cold, and snow is now lying thick upon the back ranges. From Napoleon Hill we hear that on Monday night (a very boisterous night in town it will be remembered) until 12 o'clock the wind blew a perfect hurricane. Tents, sign-boards and everything moveable disappeared before it. It snowed heavily during the night, and continued until 10 o'clock next morning. A number of the inhabitants of this township, taking advantage of the opportunity, amused themselves by snow-balling each other, and they appeared to enjoy the fun immensely. A specialg meeting of the Volunteer Fire Brigade is called for Monday evening at 7 o'clock. The County Engineer, Mr O'Connor, and a boatman named Joseph Cardie, while crossing the Hokitika Eiver on Tuesday last, were capsized, but managed to swim until they were picked up. The Glassblowers are now exhibiting thei r curiosities in Hokitika, and are expected here next week. There was no meeting of the Borough Council last night. As the Timaru mail was crossing the Ashburton River, on Monday last, just after entering the stream, the leaders became detached, and after struggling for some time, fell in the water. The driver threw off his coat and went into the water. After doing all in his power to save the horses, he found that it was impossible to do so, and both were drowned. The coach was delayed only about an hour, and great credit is due to the driver for his pluck and energy. The Provincial Council of Hawkcs Bay meets on May 18. Mr Ormond, the Superintendent, meets his Council without an Executive, being the first occurrence of the kind in .New Zealand. We notice that Mr Ben. Osborne, who for five years has conducted the Empire Hotel in Hokitika, has become the proprietor of the Cafe de Paris ?i the same town. Mr Cotterill, who has given drawing-room entertainments in Nelson, Christchurch, &c, with great success, has announced his intention of visiting Grej.nouth in a few weeks. Something ought to be done at once to secure the bell-tower in Tainui street, as it is iv a very shaky condition. If the Council would hand it over to the Fire Brigade they would see it repaired. The search for the missing miner Moorhead has been continued during the last few days by a large body of men, but without resulc. The general belief now is that he was drowned while crossing either the Grey or Ahaura rivers. The following are some details regarding him:- He is a native of the County Monaghan, Ireland. His mother lives at present about three miles from tho town of Monaghan. He has a brother named William Monaghan, at the Gynipie dig!, 'ngs, Queensland. The missing man is about 38 years of agej sft. lOin. high; slight build, dark complexion, wiry moustache, and small whiskers round the face. Moorhead is supposed to have money deposited in one of the banks in Greymouth, as he has been working a good claim in Nelson Creek for several months back, but the claim is supposed to be worked out now. At the Resident Magistrate's Court on Thursday, Mrs Rice was sent to gaol for a month for drunkenness and making use of obscene language, and yesterday her three young children— ragged, bare-footed, and almost naked, in such weather — were brought up and charged as vagrants. They had been found sitting on a log in the bush on. the previous evening, while their mother, lay drunk in the lock-up. The Magistrate made an order on the Government for the maintenance of the children until their mother comes out of prison. It is worth considering whether these children should not be cared for by those who have charge of the funds which were received at the fete on Easter Monday. They are worse than orphans, and it would be only common humanity for the committee to expend a few pounds in providing them with boots and warm clothes, if nothing more can be done for them; Another alarm of fire was rung out by the bells at six o'clock yesterday morning, in consequence of a flame some feet in length having been seen issuing from the siove-pipe of Cattle's Golden Age Hotel, corner of Richmond Quay and Johnston street. The Brigade turned out rapidly, there being a splendid muster in a very few minutes. The engine was backed to the stand-pipe in Boundary street, and several lengths of hose paid out, when news was. brought that all danger was over. Capt Whall, as Fire Inspector; then visited the building, but found the doors locked, and admittance refused, so that he had no alternative but to force in the doors. It was then found that the fire had

been caused by a careless sorvantgirl lighting the stove with kerosene — a very common, but very reprehensible and dangerous practice. After tbis alarm, surely the residents in that, and other blocks, v 111 see that standpipes are driven at convenient places from which to obtain a ready supply of water. As we have been frequently asked of late to publish the definite terms upon which land can be taken up in the Martin's Bay settlement, we give them as shortly as possible. They have been approved by the Governor, and were only gasetted the other day, although they were adopted by tie Otago Provincial Council in January laslb. 100,000 acres at Martin's Bay have badn set apart for disposal under the regulations, The terms are exceedingly liberal ; including five grants of 50 acres each to applicants not under fifteen years of age, and IQO each to applicants with a family of not less than four children ; on condition of actual residence for at least two years ont of three years' occupation, before getting a Crown grant. This is to apply to a settlement of 10,000 acres only, in which a town and suburban allotments *tare to be laid out; the town land .o be sold at auction at the upset price of L 5 per section of one quarteracre; but every holder of an allotment of 50 acres under residential conditions will bb entitled to select one to-wn lot at the fixep. price of L 2 10s, provided his choice be made within a year of the issue of his certificate of occupation. Suburban lots are of five across each, and sold only by auction at an upset price of 1.1 per acre. 30,000 more are to be sold at 5s per acre to the first applicant in 100 acre lots, only one to each person ; eacp one who has paid for a lot to be allowed, to buy one more lot of 100 acres at 10s an acre. Another 60,000 acres is to be sold either by auction at os per acre upset price, of at a fixed price of 10s per acre to first applicant, as the Waste Land Board shall determine, not more than 530 acres to be sold to any one applicant. All mineral lands are to be disposed of under sections 52 to 63 inclusive of the •• Otago Waste Lands Act, 1866. " The following short history of Oddfellow stip, in the neighboring Province of Nelson, will be interesting to many of the public here. It has been contributed by one of the founders to the Nelson evening paper : — The first meeting of Oddfellows in the Province of Nelson took place in the high fern, on the hill side, abont 200 yards below the present Saltwjtter-bridge, at 2 p.m. on the 7th April, 1842. Seven representatives of the Order were present. A second meeting was held on the following Monday, a little lower clown the beach, in a tent, there being present two additional representatives. The Lodge at this time bore the title of " The Stranger's Refuge," a name which had been given to it on the way out from England in the ship Martha Ridgway. No Lodgi in New Zealand having a dispensation at that time, the members were compelled to apply to the Sydney District to grant them one, a request which was will lingly acceded to, but as there already existed in that district a Lodge bearing the name selected by the Nelson members, and there being a rule to the effect that no two Lodges in the same district should bear a similar name, the title of "The Nelson Lodge, No 3615," was adopted. This was the first dispensation granted by any Lodge in New Zealand ; since then, however, the Society has gone on increasing its members, and eleven Lodges have been opened in the Nelson district alone, with seven Lodges, not including that of Motueka, the sum of LB9l 12s 6d has been paid to sick members, and L 197 2s Sd for funerals. The total value of property belonging to the district is L 6073. It will thus be seen that the Order has effected some good in tho Province. _______^^_____^