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Grey River Argus, Volume X, Issue 835, 31 March 1871, Page 2

The new Bank of New South Wales at the Ahaura is now completed. A police station is to be immediately established'at No Town. ■■• • The" usual fortnightly' meeting of the Borough Council will beheld in the Town Hall this evening, at eight o'clock. The Parliament of New Zealand is, by a proclamation in .the Gazette, further pro* rogued to the 22nd May. ; ; A man named John M'Leod was drowned while attemptiug to cross the Waiwera liver, in the Province of Auckland, on the night of the 7th inst. •: ' . .' A ru.nhpld.er near Kaikoura, in the province of Marlborough, has iately bought fifty ferrets to keep'down the rabbits op his run. ..••. ;i j : . . ./• - .. ... The roads up the Inangahua are generally in a very bad condition. Several large land* • slips have taken place between Christy's and Reef ton, greatly impeding the traffic. 'Thore'was no business transacted at the Resident Magistrate's^Court yesterday. : The civil cases set down for hearing, were adjourned until Tuesday next. ■ ' " v Mr Surveyor Woolley proceeded to Half Ounce on Wednesday morning for the purpose of laying off a Government township. The spot pitched upon is, we believe, at the junction of Duffers' and Half Ounce Creek. At a meeting of the Tenders Committee of the County Council, held on Wednesday, it was decided to call for new tenders for painting the Government buildings at Greymouth, in consequence of the high figures of the tenders sent in. ;■:

Last evening the gold, the result of the crushing from Newton and party's quartz claim in Murray Creek, was brought to town and lodged in the Bank of New South Wales. It amounted to 38oz of retorted gold from 33^ tons of stone. A man named Clinch, who was at work on the Culliford battery, Wangapeka, has meb with a nasty accident, one of the stampers having fallen on and crushed the thumb of his right hand. The thumb was amputated at the hospital. -jfT The election of officers^pf the Loyal Prince Alfred Lodge of Oddfellows, Hokitika, took place at the Manchester Unity Hall on Monday night, when the following officers were duly elected and installed : — P.V.G-. Thomas Willis, N.G. ; P.E.S. A. W. Bock, V.G. ; and brother E. Gurr consented to act as E.S. The Nation has acknowledged the receipt of £596, forwarded to Ireland from the West Coast of the Middle Island, io assist the wives and children of the political prisoners. -£389 9s 6d has also been sent to Melbourne to be forwarded home for the Prussian and French relief fund. A petition was lately forwarded to the proper authorities from Waimate, Canterbury, asking permission to form a rifle volunteer corps in that- township ; to which the Government replied that they were not anxious to increase the number of the volunteer corps, and were short of arms. With reference to the completion of the Port Chalmers Graving Dock, it is a matter of considerable importance to owners and agents of ships trading with the -port, to know that while vessels are in dock, the discharging or loading with cargo can be carried on without difficulty. It appears that Mr Stobo, formerly driver of Cobb's coach on this side of the ranges, beside severe contusions received in the late coach accident atKaiapoi, had one of his ribs broken.. The police are prosecuting both drivers, and the case is likely to excite considerable interest. ■■:.--;■ On dit that the Hon. Dillon Bell has expressed himself in various quarters to the effect that he is willing to accept the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives. He is stated to be endeavoring to induce members to support his appointment. Further, the Hon. John Hall's name is mentioned as his probable successor on the Ministerial benches. Intelligence ha's been received in Dunedin of the sudden death of Mr Robt. Bedbbrough. agent of the Bank of New Zealand at Arrowtown. Mr Bedbprough has been a resident in Otago for about ten years, and during the greater part of that time he has been in the Bank of New* Zealand. In the Manuherikia district he was well, known, and there are many friends of his r in Dunedin and in other parts of the Colony who will deeply i egret his loss . The cause of death, we understand, was disease of the heart* ■ ■ : It is satisfactory to learn that, after all transactions in connection with the recent bazaar in aid of the building fund of the Catholic Church, have been completed, the financial result is, in round numbers, L7oo— a sum far exceeding the most sanguine expectations of its promoters. The committee who carried out this undertaking deserve every praise, having "by their efforts^ made ifc the mosfc'successful affair of the kind ever held in Greymouth. ' There is one of the patent atmospheric quartz-crushing batteries, of which we lately gave a description, for sale in Nelson, ' at a reduced price. If not sold it will be returned to Victoria. It would be a great pity, says the Colonist, if this cheap and effective battery were allowed to leave the Province, especially when the prospects of companies, not only at Wangapeka and Collingwood, but on the Buller and the Grey, also exhibit so much promise. The ease with which this machine can be conveyed is greatly in its favor. ■ The No Town road is rapidly approaching completion. The late fine weather has enabled i;he contractor: (Mr Garvan) to push, the work ahead without interruption, and it will probably be thrown open to the public during the incoming week. The contractors for the upper section of this road, finding that they were unable to carry "put the work at the price tendered for, have been released from their contract by the Government, and the tender of Mr Garvan has been accepted for the completion of the line. It must be considered as somewhat singular that Captain. Wales, the champion shot, should not have taken a first prize in any of the sets fired for. He has won a fourth and a second prize ; whilst his score, taken altogether, entitles him to the championship. Out of the eight sets of prizes fired for,' Otago takes L 363 10s, the champion belt and gold medal, and two silver medals; Wellington takes L 66 10s; Soufchlanl, L 55 10s; Marlborough, L 55 and medal ; Auckland and Thames, Ll4; and Westland, LlO.j The General Government Gazette of the 18th inst. contains the notification that the memorandum of association of the Grey Valley Tramway Company has been registered. The objects for which the company is established are expressed to be " the formation and working of atramwayi to serve also as a horse-track from Greymouth to the Coal Gorge, and such extension of the said works as may hereafter be determined on." Iv connection with this matter we direct attention to the estimates of the company, published in pur advertising 6olumns, as a pprtion of them were omitted in yesterday's issue. j The Wanganui Chronicle reports that a fire took place on March 12, when the ; pretty cottage belonging to Lieutenant, Hey^ood, on the banks of the Tutaenui, about a mile from Martoni and in a short time the costly furniture, and the toany articles gathered in a long series of years, were reduced to ashes. In all probability, the inmates had been watched leavings and the house had been entered for the sake of plunder, the robber striking matches while busy ransacking the place and throwing down the vestas while still alight, thus not unlikely setting fire to the muslin blinds, on seeing which he had hurriedly left the place. - We regret that Constable Dorris, of the Nelson Grey District police Force, met with a rather serious accident on Tuesday morning last. He was: proceeding to Napoleon Hill, and when about half way between Matthews' and the Hill, his horse slipped into one of the: numerous mudholes with which the track is beautifully variegated, and while plunging in an- effort to reletlse. itself, unseated the rider, and rolled over him twice, iujuring one of his legs very severely. • The .constable was, however, able to remount his horse and return to the Ahnnra. < Very serious complaints 'continue to be made as to the manner in which the coal is supplied to the barges afc the Brunner Mine. 'The quantity of slack which- is put into the boats is quite out of -all proportion to the saleable coal, and as the steamers, as well as the townspeople, object to pay for such stuff, a serious loss is entailed upon the owners of the barges. As a ease in point we may mention that a cargo of twelve tons was brought down last evening, four tons of which were found to be unsaleable dust and dirt. Something must be wrong with the screens, orelse they are not properly used. We notice in the address read to his ■Excellency the Governor in" Dunedin, on the occasion of his turning the : first sod of the Southern Trunk Railway, that gradients of 1 in. 50 are proposed to be constructed on the portion of the line from Dunedin to the Taieri plains, a distance of some eight miles;

The length of this trunk line to Invercargill ia some 150 miles, more or less, and over every other portion except that indie ited we (Daily Times) are given to understand easy gradients are obtainable afc a reasonable cost in construction. In this length, of eight miles two tunnels are necessary and although we are not quaVfiu.l to give engineering advicej it appears to us tlub by extending the length of these tuunels, by driving them at a lower level, better gradients than these proposed ; can ■be had, of course at an increased cost We have heard that the late Commissioner, St. John Brauigan, will \isit** his native country— a long sea voyage having "been recommended as thebe'st remedy available for his malady and general physical powers. .The appointment of a successor to Mr Branigan in the command of the Armed Constabulary is a matter which cannot be Much longer delayed, and various parties have been spoken of as eligible for this office. These include Coloneh Harrington, Lyon, Moule, and Reader, and other officers not at present in the colonial service ; but it would seem that the appointment is not likely to fall to any of them. The Ministry, we are told, have made up their minds not to put a military man in command of the forces, Being apprehensive that he would do away with the system of demilitarisation which has cost so much to build up, and are looking out for an eligible Police Inspector to promote to the vacant place. ■ A very simple contrivance for the prevention of accidents to vehicles, occasioned through. fractiouß and runaway horses, has (says the Daily Telegraph) been lately introduced arid patented by the proprietors in the Melbourne Carriage Company, Elizabeth street north. A small spring catch ia applied to the D of the drawbar, by: which the traces are held, instead of being fastened, as in the ordinary manner, at the ends of the bar. By a small rein running through the body of the vehicle, the traces, are at once displaced, and as long breeching is used without any fastening to the shafts, the horse may at any time, aDd with the'mpst perfect care, be loosed from the vehicle at the will of the driver. The experiment was tried yesterday, and with the most successful result. The horse was put into a good pace, and then' suddenly pulling the lever rein attached to the seat the buggy was parted,, from the horse, and the shafts, instead of falling to the ground, remained iv the horizontal position, while the instant stoppage and the break appliance caused nothing like a shock. The invention is likely to prove very beneficial, and already it is being fitted to several vehicles.^ The cost is a mere trifle, while the advantage to be derived from its use must be great. Another very sudden, death; is reported from Auckland as having occurred on the 19th inst. The Cross says : — From the enquiries we have made it appears that the deceased, Eobert Canning, a single man, had been living some time ago with two other men named Samuel James and John Mppre, in a House in Edwards street; One of thenacquaintances having got into the lock-up on Saturday for being tipsy, Canning, accompanied by his mates, came down to the police station about half -past five, o'clock in the afternoon with some food to their incarcerated friend, deceased was then quite well. After leaving the police station, and while proceeding homewards, Canning complained of feeling a slight pain in his breast, but .paid little heed to it. After getting home he and his comrades began talking about the sudden death of Mr Naugliton, R.M., and one of them began to chaff deceased about the pain in his chest, and remarked that Canning did not look well. Canning had barely replied that he felt somewhat ill when he suddenly fell backward, and his face became quite discolored. One of his mates at once sent off for Dr Pearce, but the man had ceased to exist before the doctor could be in attendance. The Thames correspondent of the Southern Cross, writing {on the 19th instant respecting the famous Caledonian mine, says :-— The total return for the fortnight was declared to-day at 12,7110z 16dwt of melted gold— a splendid yield truly, and one not likely to be eclipsed on this or any other field. Touch- . ing the' Caledonian mine itself, I "am" of opinion that some.time is likely to elapse ere another return so good will have to be chronicled. My reasons for stating so-much are, first, that the very heart of the shot of gold has been followed by the winze Jfchat now connects the upper and bottom workings of the mine, and that connection having been ; established, stoping out the ground on a face from below in a systematic mariner must be pursued; and, unless the ground is much richer than present appearances warrant a' belief in, the returns will certainly be less than those that lately have created so much astonishment arid admiration. Secondly, the water has considerably increased, this being one of the effects of the stopping of Tpokey's pumps. All hope of sinking the shaft deeper has been abandoned by Mr Rowe until .heavier (pumping gear is available. Mr Rowe does not appear, to favor the double lift now in use, but is not apprehensive of its capacity being insufficient to keep the water below the level of the crosscut and chamber of the main shaft. The water is now running in a strong stream through the cross-cut from the Golden Crown lower workings, which are pretty well swamped out; There is, however, a large block of ground to take out between the bottom and lower level, so that I think . shareholders may depend upon heavy divi- , dends f or a long time to come, :