THE SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1870.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 737, 8 October 1870, Page 2

THE SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1870.

Tn order to afford our readers as copiously as possible the more detailed accounts of the war in Europe, brought by the mail from Melbourne, we have been compelled to omit our leading article, reports of up-country Police and Warden's Courts, correspondence from Dunedin and elsewhere, extracts from files from all New Zealand ports, and also from all Australian ports, and many other matters of local interest which, however, will appear in our next. The fuller telegrams from the Melbourne papers supply a corroboration of the startling information published by us a few clays ago. The reverses of the French appear to have been completely disastrous. As' might have been concluded from the large number of prisoners alleged to have been taken, at Sedan, tae army at that place was, in the face of overwhelming odds, compelled to capitulate. The Emperor, it seems, was captured during the fighting, and has been removed to Cassel. The (statement that the Prussian Prince and other Commanders are marching direct on Paris may be taken possibly as merely indicative of the continued advance of the Prussian army through French territory, and not as a concerted operation against the Capital. The brilliant successes of Prussia have evidently alarmed Austria, which State, we are informed, is massing its troops and seeking alliances to counterbalance the power of Prussia. Russia also, we are told, is preparing for any emergency, and Belgium is alleged to be in a disturbed condition, although upon this latter point there is some doubt The only naval engagement between the contending powers resulted in the destruction of a Prussian monitor by a French ironclad frigate. Nothing has occurred likely to disturb the neutrality of England, and it may be hoped that she will escape complications with any of the European powers. The abandonment of the French military occupa- i tion of Rome ha 9 been productive of no untoward result, the Italian Government having taken upon itself the responsibility of protecting the Pope and preserving order in Rome. The news previously circulated of the presence in London of the Empress of the French and the Prince Imperial is contradicted. Her Majesty, by the last accounts, was in Belgium, and the Prince was still at Naniur. It gives us pleasure, on behalf of Miss Qninlan, (who was recently paralysed) to return her warm thanks to the kind friends who subscribed for her the handsome sum of LlBO. This fact is creditable alike to those who so liberally subscribed, and to those gentlemen who took the matter in hand. A case of throwing good money after bad occurred in the Resident Magistrate's Court on Thursday. A washerwoman sued a delinquent for 7s, obtained judgment, and had to pay 9s costs. -uiAi yyMPPCTfejy beatetfimiutolHff tiyWnVctfl named David Souter, that she died on Wednesday night. A dissipated tailor, named Dawkins, who had been cohabiting with the deceased, hung himself in the lock-up the following morning. Souter was brought before the Courb, and remanded until Monday. The Police Lock-up at Napoleon Hill has been declared a public gaol of the Colony. At the Resident Magistrate's Court, on Tharsday, before W. H. Revell, Esq., 11. M.. Mary Ami Hai'ris charged Mary Tanner with malicious destruction of private property to the value of La, and also with making use of abusive and threatening language, whereby the complainant asked that the defendant should be bouud over to keep the peace. The parties, being neighbors, had quarrelled about some lent domestic articles The defendant used the threatening language, the complainant went for the police, and during her absence the defendant was said fco have smashed two engravings. The defendant now denied having either broken the pictures or used the language attributed to him. The defendant was ordered to pay L 4 for the damage done, and was fined LI and costs. The second charge was dismissed, on payment of costs. An attempt was made on Thursday, on the civil side of the Magistrate's Court, to prori a partnership between Joseph Graham and Messrs Atkinson and Co. in the purchase and disposal of a quantity of skins and wool. The claim was brought by Mr Montgomery for Ll4 Us 6d for freight of wool, skins, and hides from Totara Flat to town, and of salt from town to the flat. Mr Guinness appeared for the plaintiff, and Messrs Perkins and Newton for the defendants. Although this claim was small, the case, from its ulterior consequences, was a very serious one for the defendants, for if they had lost it, they would have been held liable as partners in the insolvent estate of Graham. It was proved that the defendants had already paid the amount of freight when settling up with Graham. Mr Guinness accepted a nonsuit on four of the items in the account, and, on the application of Mr Newton, the Magistrate granted a nonsuit on the only remaining one, The so-called track between the Twelvemile Landing and Langdon's Ferry is now impassable, except at risk of life. The river has undermined the banks, and hundreds of square yards of it have been washed away. There is no means of getting through the scrub further inland, and the track for hor3e3 at present is not more than 18 inches wide. The river has been gradually changing its course here, and now the full current of it runs along under this part of the track, and the work of destruction has been going on some time. This has been 'noticed by everyone who has passed for the last two months, except the "District Engineer or his officers, but as those gentlemen are only "lodgers" in this part of the country they cannot be expected co take as much interest in the concern as the landlord does, especially a3 their rent is paid for them by other people. An important interpleader case was heard in the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, before W. H. Harrison and Joseph Kilgour, Esqs., J.P. It was a case arising out of an action, Joyce v. Rodrich Ll9 13s 6.J, for which judgment had been obtained, and the bailiff took possession of a house and land. Rodrich had left the colony, and prior to leaving had conveyed the premises to a woman named Gethiug, with whom it appeared he had cohabited. She now pleaded this deed against the execution. It was shown that the house was made over for the sum of LSO, alleged to be due by Rodrich to Mrs Gething as wages for her services as housekeeper. Mr Newton, for the execution creditor, impugned the deed as be nj fraudulent towards creditors, and also advanced the argument that the conveyance was

invalid, Mrs Gething being a married woman. Mr Guinness contended that duo consideration had been given, nnd that as nothing Lad been proved to show that Itodrich was insolvent at the time, or that lie had any other creditor bub Joyce, the deed not come within the meaning of the law as a fradulent one. The witness Getting gave her evidence in a most contradictory and uuseemly manner, but the Bench held that the consideration held good, and that the circumstances, of the case left no doubt on their minds that the deed was fraudulent, and cameyinthhi the meaning of the statute of ifflfbeth. Their Worships quoted the following from Miller and Collier's Treatise on Bills of Sale, <kc. "The exact quantum or proportion of debt which will be necessary to set aside a deed Avill vary with the circumstances of each case, and apparently an intention to defraud or delay creditors will be | iuiputed, if it can be reasonably inferred that the granter had just reason to believe that his assets, after the deduction of the property settled, would be insufficient to pay liis debts ; for, in the words of Sir R. T. Kindersly, V.C., it is established that it is necessary to show from anything said or done by the party that he had the express design by the deed to defeat creditors; but if he includes in it property to such an amount that, having regard to the state of his property and to the amount of his liabilities, its effect might probably be to to delay or defeat creditors if the Court is satisfied of that,: the deed is within the meaning of the Statgbe " Accordingly the interpleader was disaMwed, and &n order was issued for the bauuTßto sell the property. A public meeting was held on Thursday evening, at Kilgour's Union. Hotel, for the purpose of taking steps for the formation of a company to erect gas works in Greyroouth. There was a good muster of the inhabitants present. J. Kilgour, Esq., Mayor, occupied the chair, and-, in introducing the subject, spoke at some length as to the advantages that would be derived by the town being lighted with gas, and showing from calculations he had made the profits that would result to intending shareholders. The meeting, by resolution, unanimously agreed that it was desirable to form a company, and a provisional committee, consisting of twentytwo gentlemen, with power to add to their number, was appointed to carry out the necessary preliminaries. A vote of thanks was passed to Messrs Kilgour and Masters, the promoters, after which the meeting adjourned. The provisional committee will meet at the Union Hotel on Monday night, at half -past seven, when the prospectus and otherjnatters will be considered, previous to their tieing submitted to the public. The conference of mining delegates assembled to consider the new Mining Regulations appear to be doing their work well. We have received a few particulars of the alterations suggested, which are as follows : — The old rules respecting water rights are to be resumed. The amount of capital expended to represent one man is to be fixed at Ll5O, instead of L 250 as before. The word "machinery" has also been more clearly deliued in its interpretation. The subjec of leases is under consideration, and it is proposed to do away with them, as also the survey, &c. The new description of claims defined in the new regulations as "spur claims" is to be erased, and there is to be no difference between tunnelling and deep sinking, so far as depth from the face is concerned. Extended claims are to be the same as before, only any size may be taken up. A clause for taking up double areas in abandoned ground without survey is to be inserted. The delegates are to have an interview with Mr Hoos on Monday for the purpose of submitting and discitssing the meeiM^nloi of his constituents — in the TowWHall, Hokitika, "on the events of the last session of the Assembly." At the close of the address a motion, proposed by Mr Klein, seconded by Mr Cross — (happy JBarff to have too such champions I)- was proposed and unanimously carried. It was to the effect— "That the efforts made by the member for Westland South jn the interests of Westland, deserve the thanks of this meeting, which are tendered to him accordingly." Next in importance to the European war news is the speech of Mr Barff, and no doubt it will receive due prominence in the columns of the West Coast Times to-day. The residents in this district await with thrilling interest the " disclosures" which the hon. gentleman has promised to make.