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Grey River Argus, Volume X, Issue 862, 2 May 1871, Page 2

The Hon. Mr Sewell, Minister of Justice, and Acting Postmaster-General, arrived in Greymouth from Hokitika yesterday afternoon, in company with the County Chairman. Mr Sewell's visit is of an official character, but chiefly for the purpose of becoming acquainted wish the circumstances and piospects of the County of Westland and the West Coast Gold Fields generally. Mr Sewell will visit the Brunner Coal Mine this morning, and leave again for Hokitika by this afternoon's coach. At the Resident Magistrate's Court, yesterday morning, before W. H. Revell, Esq., R.M., Geoige Abrahams, of Rutherglen, was cnarged with having committed a violent assault on Alexander Marsh, in a house on Mawhera Quay, on the evening of Friday last. From the evidence it appeared that the complainant and Edwin Blyth, a jockey, went to the house of Sarah Ann Winter, where they commenced "larking." The woman threw some liquor over Marsh, and he returned the compliment, saying " here's luck, Biddy," when the defendant stepped out of an adjoining room, seized two tumblers

and threw them at Marsh. The first misssd him, but the second struck him on the left eye. Defendant threw another tumbler, which missed, and then attempted to aeize the lamp, when Blyth and another man seized him, and put him out. Dr. Morrice dressed the wound. He said it was a dangerous cut from the eye-brow to the cheek, two and a half inches long, and right into the cheek-bone. The defendant was fined L 3, and L 3 7s 6d costs, or one month's imprisonment with hard labor. We learn that the Hon. Mr Domett, Secretary for Crown Lands, is about to visit England, and has obtained leave of absence for that purpose. In the Nelson Provincial Council, on the 27th ultimo, a motion by Mr Gibbs, affirming the desirability of reducing the rental of 2s 6d per acre for land taken up for agricultural purposes on the gold fields, was referred to a select committee. To-day, there will be a sitting of the Licensing Bench,- for the purpose of considering and deciding upon the various applications that have been lodged for the renewal of hotel licenses in the town of Greymouth. We are requested by the Fire Brigade to draw attention to the gradual decline in the amount subscribed for the night-watchman. Surely the monthly amount — 5s — is more than earned by the immunity from fire which, we have lately enjoyed, and which is partly due to the vigilance exercised by the nightwatchman. Miss Edith Palmerston's entertainment deservedly continues to receive a good share of public patronage. Last evening the Volunteer Hall was again crowded, and a new programme was presented consisting of two smart little pieces, "Wanted a Star," and "Married to a Tartar," each of which afforded the fullest scope for the exercise of Miss Palmerston's special accomplishments. Mr Alexander and Mr Pownall supported Miss Palmerston very creditably, and everything passed off smoothly and without any hitch— a most important quality in entertainments of this kind. To-night the performances are in aid of the Volunteer Band, on which occasion Miss Palmerston will make her last Stpearance in Greymouth on her present ew Zealand tour. The programme includes amonst other varieties a new and laughable comedietta entitled "Is he Jealous?" and the sensational recitation by Miss Palmerston of a scene from " Lady Audley's Secret." We trust there will be a full house. It is high time that something was done to regulate the driving of cattle through the streets of the town, so as to prevant danger and annoyance to the inhabitants, The residents in Preston road complain bitterly of cattle being landed at the foot of the town and driven along Arney street and down Preston road, instead of being taken across the Lagoon Ford to the beach. Scarcely a single occasion of landing cattle occurs but one or more beasts get; up a sensation by running riot through the streets. The police should look after this matter. In th« Warden's Court yesterday morning, before W. H. Revell, Esq., Warden, the application was heard of Keown and party, known as the North Star Company, South Beach, for a mining lease of four acres, three of which they already held as an extended claim, and they wished to take in the adjoining acre. This was objected to by Hines and party, on the ground that they were in possession of the acre in question before the applicants put in their application for the lease. The applicants staced that they agreed to take up the ground on the 28th February, and Keown came to town on the Ist March to see the Warden, but as that officer was unwell, they allowed it to remain in abeyance until the 13th March, when the application was put in. They allowed this Space. of time to elapso, booauso thoy wioliod to see the Warden, as they were under the impression they could get a re-survey, and abandon the ground they had worked out, and take in the fresh acre. The objectors stated that some of their party marked off the ground on the 11th March, on the 13th the boundary-line to it was cut, and on the 14th Keown told them that the application for the lease had been lodged. The applicants said they intended to work the ground by means of a steam-eHgine, which would cost them LSOO to place on the ground. They could not possibly work the ground in ordinary claims, as the ground dipped ten feet below the tunnel, and the level could not be altered, as the mouth of the tunnel was so low that the surf occasionally blocked it up. For the objectors it was stated that they could work the ground in ordinary claims, and they intended to use a whim, as was done in other claims on the Stony Lead. After about a dozen witnesses had been examined on both sides, and Messrs Perkins and Newton had addressed the Court, the Warden overruled the | objections, but would not say whether he would recommend the application, as he had received a petition from over sixty miners on the Stony Lead against granting the lease. He would give the matter his serious consideration. On Saturday evening Mr A. Constantine's large three-horse boat was proceeding up the river, with a full cargo and several passengers, and when in the locality of " Buckley's Mistake," the tow-line fouled a large and dangerous snag, which has long been an obstruction to the navigation of the river. The boat was some time in a critical position, and to make matters worse, there was a woman and several children among the passengers, but the coolness and presence of mind disElayed by the crew prevented what might aye been a serious calamity. They made theboit fast to another snag which was close by, and, being fortunately provided with a couple of good American axes, which they always carry in. the boat, they succeeded, after about ar> hour's Lard work, in cutting away the snag and letting it| go adrift. The men deserve credit for thus clearing the river, at a dangerous place, of a great impediment to the traffic, and we are informed by an eye-witness that the dexterity and courage exhibited by the crew, who had to leave the boat and get on the snag, were beyond praise. The Provincial Government of Nelson have introduced a Bill in the Provincial Council for amending the land laws of the Province, so as to admit of the sale of land upon deferred payments. We have not got a copy of the bill, nor is any complete description given of it by any of the Nelson papers. But from a report of one of the sittings of the Council published in the Evening Mail of the 28th ult, we are able to glean a few particulars of the measure. The bill seems to provide not only for the sale of land on deferred payment, but for leasing. The following report speaks for itself :— The Provincial Treasurer moved— l. That so much of tho C.own Lands (Nelson) Leasing Act as excludes agricultural land from its operation be repealed. 2. That the fee of L 5 payable on application shall, when the lease is taken up. be placed to the credit of the lessee on account of rent. ' 3. That subsection 5 of section 14 of the Waste Lands Act, 1863 (providing that sections shall, except in the case of natural boundaries, be rectilinear, and taken so as not to render less available for sale, or injuriously affect other portions of the Waste Lands) shall be applied to leasing as well as sale. 4. That an applicant for a lease, declaring his desire to purchase, may require the Waste Lands Board to assess the land he applies for at its value for sale, and on payment of ten per cent, per annum on such value for a term of 14 years, he shall be entitled to a Crown Grant of the , land comprised in such lease ; provided that no greater quantity of land than 200 acres

shall be so leased to any one person. 5. That holders of leases under the Crown Lands Leasing Act, 1867, shall have the privilege of exchanging such leases for others embodying the provisions contained in resolution 4. He did not think it necessary to expend much time, in proposing these resolutions as they had been amply discussed at the last session when they were unanimously adopted, and he had. hoped, that they would have passed into law, thus tending to further the settlement of the country by those who with a small amount of capital could acquire land and become useful members of the community. The resolutions were put seriatim and created but little discussion with the exception of the fourth, to which Mr Wastney moved an amendment to the effect that lessees should pay no rent for the first four years, as he considered that during that time they would have some difficulty in making both ends meet. Mr M'Mahon seconded the amendment, and stated that he would have liked to go still further and to give free grants altogether on the condition that the land was cleared and otherwise improved. After some discussion the original resolution was carried. The monthly meeting of the Grey mouth Volunteer Fire Brigade was held last evening, at the Fire Brigade Hall, Captain Amos in the chair. The Secretary presented the financial report regarding the late concert, which showed that the nett sum of L4O was added to the funds of the Brigade by its means. Unanimous votes of thanks were passed to the leaders and members of the Choral Union, and Tonic Sol-Fa Musical Association, the Greymouth Brass Band, and to J. Greenwood, Esq., the conductor of the concert, for the services they had each rendered on that occasion. Mr Hosie was also officially thanked for his loan of flags for the decoration of the concert room. Mr Duncan M'Lean was elected an honorary, and Mr Stackpool a working member of the Brigade. The following donations in aid of the Brigade funds were received :— J. Scott, 15s ; Kerr, Arnott, and Co., L 2 2s: The Secretary reported the arrival cf the new hose-reel and ladders from Ballarat, which turned out in first-rate order. A public meeting has been held at Eoss to take into consideration the matter of the sale of lands in Ross, and the enforced payment of business Uecnses by those who are not in business, but who lived in the town. Resolutions were carried affirming the desirability of Belling the town sections in Ross, and appointing a deputation to wait upon the County Chairman on the subject. More than twenty licenses have been issued by the Registrar-General of Land to land brokers in Duuedin. The value of property in Arrowtown, Otago, is increasing. L 100) has been obtained for au hotel, with two acres of land, which was sold about eight month? ago for LBOO. The Westport Times says : — The sea continues to make serious inroads upon the beach, at the rear of Gladstone street. From the site of what remiins of the old cemetery to the end of Freeman street the beach is cut away, having a face seaward of fully fave feet, and ai the present rate of encroachment the danger to properties in the vicinity will quickly become as threatening as it was nine months ago. An occurrence took place recently which mothers will do well to guard against. It appears (says the Lyttelton Press) that a child. Jof Mr Munnings, of Oxford Terrace, in playing with a green-colored collar box, chewed an \ swallowed a portion of the paper covering. Shortly afterwards the child exhibited all the symptams of poisoning, retching frequently, and also being very drowsy. An emetic was promptly administered, and after continued retching for some time, the child recovered. The paper has been analysed by Dr Coward, and is found, to contain arsenic and copperas in quantity sufficient to cause death in a child of tender years, and there is very little doubt but that if an emetic had not been promptly given, fatal results would have occurred in the case referred to. As collar-boxes of the kind spoken of are common in almost every family, it is necessary that extreme caution should be used in leaving them witliia the reach of children. Mr Warden Broad, in his annual report to the Nelson Government, concludes his recommendations upon the subject of water supply as follows:— " Should the Government, therefore, take in hand the water slpply to the district, it will be necessary to consider the best method of utilising the waters of the various rivers, by the construction of large reservoirs, available in times cf drought, and to be used as a standby. Much might be done if the Government could assist private enterprise by a loan upon the security of the works, repayable by easy annual instalments. The water so brought in would prove highly reproductive, and whilst enabling parties to try fresh ground; would give a degree of permanence and stability to the claims at present in operation. The Provincial Government of Wellington, not having funds to replace the bridge over the Hutt River, which had become insecure, has placed a punt oyer the river instead. The Province is thus, the Post remarks, "after thirty years of colonisation, going back to the appliances which the pioneer settlers were compelled to use for a time. The Provincial offices," the same journal adds, "are fast falling into a most dilapidated condition, and in a short time will cease to be habitable, and judging from the conduct of the authorities in the matter we have just mentioned, we may expect to see them replaced by toitoi whares." A writer in one of the Nelson papers draws the attention of the public to tfae absurd anomaly that exists with regard to the coal market at that port— coals from New South Wales being actually scld cheaper than the coal produced at the Grey. He says : — " Twenty-six shillings per ton for Newcastle coals ; thirty shillings per ton for Grey coals, " from which it will be observed that this very necessary article can be transported something like 2000 miles, and sold here at a considerably lower rate, than that which is to be found in abundance, and of equally good quality, within our Province. I called the attention of a friend to this yesterday, who, with an ominous shake of the head, replied, "There's something wrong somewhere." I think so too. The Perseverance Company, Collingwood, have suspended operations, pending a further supply of water, and the first crushing of sixty tons from Cuiliford's, Wangapeka, yielded but four ounces of amalgam. We learn from the Westland Independent that some new ground was opened at Tucker Flat, Ranieri, on Saturday last, and the discovery promises to be of considerable importande. The prospects out of three shafts were excellent; the sinking is about 30ft, and ! there is some Cf tof wash. We hope this good news may be confirmed, and that one of the lost leads has been thus picked up. A correspondent of a Wellington paper gives the following probable solution of a puzzle :- I perceive in the English telegrams published by you to-day, that New Zealand wheat is quoted at Rotterdam at 45s to 565. From previous remarks on the same subject in Colonial journals, I am under the impression that it is actually supposed that the wheat in question is the produce of this Colony. One naturally asks how our wheat should get to Rotterdam? There are two New Zealands, or anglice Sealands, in Europe —one is in the Province of Holland, the

other in the chief island of Deumark, celebrated for it 3 wheat. New Zealand wheat, in the Rotterdam market, means the new wheat —the wheat from tne last crop fiom thp Danish island of Zealand, not wheat from the Antipodes. The Christchurch Press states th>>t a piece of quartz containing gold has bucn found at the Malvern Hills, and that application will be made to have the ground on which it was found reserved. We take the following significant paragraph from the. circular of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited, dated London, February 21st: — "New Zealand securities do not stand so well as when we last wrote, the decline dating from the receipt of a telegram from New South Wales stating that the New Zealand Treasurer was on his way to this country to negotiate loans for L 4,000,000." An Auckland correspondent of one of the Otago journals writes : — " The Caledonian is as rich— if not richer— than ever. Of course, those holding shares in the neighboring claims are sanguine of similar pleasant results, and calls to work the mines are paid willingly instead of the shares beiug forfeited as hitherto. This confidence is doing much good, and putting a considerable sum into useful circulation. Under its influence Auckland will soon be rid of the name some traveller gave it, of " the unpainted city," if the number of houses in painters' hands at the present moment is to be taken as any criterion. The Caledonian dividends since February last amount to over L 130,000, with the prospect of L 34,000 more in a few days, and must have much to do with this change in the outward appearance of the city."