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Grey River Argus, Volume X, Issue 867, 8 May 1871, Page 2

Considerable distress has been occasioned to the family of Mr Wylie, C.E., by the unaccountable absence of his son, Mr Henry Wykle He left home yesterday afternoon, tor the purpose of following up a creek that runs from the back of the slip on the road to the Eaceonrse. He had net returned at a , late hour last evening, and it is feared that I some accident has befallen him. It is particularly requested that any person who may have seen him in tbe neighborhood will at once communicate with Mr Wylcle. A search was made duriDg tbe evening, but no trace of him could be found. Mr Sub-Inspector llickson and the police went out in search of the missing youth afc a later hour, and returned at three o'clock this morning, unsuccessful. A fresh party was to start at day. light this morning. Our Ross correspondent, writing on the

sth May, says : — The last two clays' rain has effectually impeded all traffic, the Totara River being unusually high. Protection having been withdrawn from the parties owning the boats or punts, they removed them, or would not work them, consequently a slight derangement has taken place that must soon give way when a new order of things is brought about. The Totara Ferry, if let by tender, will bring in a revenue to the County at a greatly reduced scale of charges, as will also a few others in this district ; and if such is the intention of the Government it should be made known as publicly as possible, and not confined solely to that interesting document — the County Gazette. It is painful to wituesa, and have to record, the frequent stoppages, mismanagement, and utter failures of several companies on Jones' Flat, carried on, as they are, in a " from hand to mouth way." On Saturday last the Scandinavian Company had their washing-up, and the wages men employed naturally expected their dues. The manager took the gold to the Bank, and the Bauk, in vulgar phraseology, stuck to it, having, no doubt, a lien on it. For several days the Company's offices wee besieged by eager enquirers, when at last a kind of compromise was effected, the workmen accepting some 25 per cent, of their earnings. During this time no work was going on, and steam was blown off. On Wednesday some further arrangements were made, steam was again got up, a party of miners being got together by the indefatigable Mr Gow for the purpose of working this claim on tribute. All went well until about noou yesterday, when all work was knocked on the bead, the crauk shaft of the engine being broken. What will follow, let tince tell. Numbers of men arc idle through this mishap, but when the Bullock Claim has got tho chamber opened out, a great many may find employment there. It is stated by a Ross paper that the Cassius claim has struck some good wash, and that the prospects of the mine are improving. There appears to bo some difficulty between the Borough Council of Hokitika and the committee of the " Citizen's Ball," with regard to the cost of the entertainment. The West Coast Times states that a " wordy war " occurred. What that means may be imagined. We are given to understand that public meetings will shortly be held at Saltwater, the New Eiver district, and at the Greenstone, iv favor of the movement for the annexation of the Grey district to the Province of Nelson. A good story comes to us from the Waimea. The Warden's Court at that place boasts, of course, a Warden's Clerk, and the gentleman holding that position has an excellent opinion of himself — so much so that he got up a petition from the miners of that locality in favor of his being made a live Warden in the place of Mr Warden Schaw. This little arrangement did'nt come off, and the Warden's Clerk remained Warden's Clerk still. But he had been in the habit of sitting "on the Bench " — that is to say, in a place alongside ths magisterial seat, and on the appearance of that most excellent Magistrate, Mr Warden Price, the following colloquy is said to have occurred :— Warden, observing the Clerk sitting by his side : " Dear me, h'— m. Have you been made a J. P. ?" Clerk : "— N— o, Sir" Warden: "Then please take your seat below there " (pointing to the body of the Court below the Bench). Clerk : " But there is no table !" Warden : " Then get a carpenter to make one immediately, or get a box ;— get a box, sir !" And the ambitious Clerk, of course, subsided. The sequel, however, is better than the story. The following daj, a brother of the offended Clerk, who appears to have been in the Indian army in the capacity of a surgeon, called upon Mr Warden Price, and the scene that occurred is related to be as follows: — " Brother— (presenting card): "Sir! I am Mr So-and-So, an officer in the Indian army ! You have insulted my brother, Sir !" Warden : " Dear me — h' — in. I have also been an officer in the army — Bailiff ! turn this man out." Mr Price's motto is "nemo me impune lacess'.t. ' The following particulars of the mission of Mr Parkes to Melbourne on behalf of the Hall line of Californiau steamers are given by the Leader of the 29th ultimo : —The hon. Mr Parkes, as the agent of Mr Hall, the American shipowner, has, during the week, had an interview with the Government with the view of ascertaining what support they are willing to give to a proposed scheme of postal communication between these colonies and Europe via San Francisco. It is understood that no definite pledge has been given by Ministers, they having simply promised to consider the matter. Of the exact nature of the proposal made by Mr Parkes, the public have been informed through an interview that gentleman had subsequently with the Chamber of Commerce. Mr Hall requires subsidies to the extent of L 70,000 per annum, Victoria being asked for Ll 0,000, and New South Wales L 20 ,000 per annum. The last named colon y has not yet, however, decided what amount it will give, or whether it will give any, and until this matter be satisfactorily arranged as a starting point, it appears felly to ask the other colonies to contribute to the scheme. More than this, if the news brought by the San Francisco mail be correct, a service has already been arranged for without any subsidies being asked until it has been shown that the new service can be satisfactorily performed. The first vessel of the new line, the Nebraska, was to leave San Francisco on the 7th April, and it would be at least premature to decide to support Hall's line, that cannot be said to have an existence, until we have proof that the completed Wcbb-cum-Vogel contract is unable to fulfil the conditions we should require from such a service. There is, moreover, another reason why we should abstain at present from complicating European mail arrangements. Parliament will be compelled to deal presently with the long-promiaed Cape service^ and it is as well that the matter should be approached in a spirit wholly unprejudiced by consideration for the claims of rival routes. :'■ A Queensland paper, commenting on the discovery of the skeletons of white men at Wantata Creek, doubts if these remains are those of the Leichhardt party. Jt points out that they might belong to some of the Burke and Wills expedition, and thinks that the Leichardt remains will eventually be found further to the westward. The theory our contemporary builds up is a fair one as far as it goes, but it omits altogether to recognise an important feature of Inspector Gilmore's discovery. The inspector took a native with him who was capable of correctly interpretmg the language of the tribes in the neighborhood of the Paroo. These tribes stated that when they were boys a camp of white men Mas surprised and its occupants destroyed, and that the remainder of the whites were waylaid returning to the camp v ,^ utcliered - N °w, it is not likely that the blacks would concoct a story the effect of which is, they well know, to make the whites hold them in greater abhorrence. It is fair therefore to assume that their story is true, for no large number of whites it is well known penetrated in the early days far into the interior unless for exploring purposes. If, therefore, these remains be not those of Leichhardt's party, whose can they be ? How reconcile their discovery at Wan tata Creek with the story told by the blacks to account for their presence there ?

The scratching of Florence for the Leger and Cup seems to have caused a constematio n

amongst the turfites at Melbourne. The Daily Telegraph, of the 29th says :— " Growling at Goyder's, consternation at Tattersall's, and sly winking among the bookmakers because the telegraph flashes that Florence is scratched for tlie Leger and Cup. The backers of the mare are smitten heavily. Now, the Egyptians themselves did not see the joke in their being spoiled, nor do the takers of the odds. These modern sufferers hold a meeting, and their taking of sweet counsel together, their comparison of books, ends in nothing. How could it be otherwise ? In the first place, every racing man has a happy knack of believing his brother to be a rogue, with no evidence whatever beyond his own intuitive perception of the fitness of the character, and that testimony avails not anywhere. And then if all that were alleged against Mr Tait were true, there would still remain the question whether a horse belongs to its owner or its backers. Ought Mr Tait to exercise his judgment in running Florence, or a committee of the gentlemen • who have put it on ?' Here lies the great difficulty. It would be got over if all owners could be made honest, which is impracticable. It would fall to the ground with the abolition of p. p. betting ; but that is impossible. Under such a rdglme racing would be open to the objection the witty but blasC French woman took to drinking cold water— it was pleasant enough, but not wicked."