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Grey River Argus, Volume X, Issue 868, 9 May 1871, Page 2

We are glad to say that Mr Wylde's son, about whose safety there was some anxiety on Sunday, returned home yesterday morning, no worse accident having befallen him than to be bushed for the night. He requests us to record his grateful thanks to those gentlemen who so kindly joiued in the search for him on Sunday night.

The hearing of objections to the applications for agricultural leases on the South Beach, ought to have come on before the Warden yesterday morning, but neither applicants nor objoctors appeared, About half-past twelve o'clock about a .hundred miners marched into town and proceeded to the Court-house, for the purpose of presenting a petition to Mr llevell, against recommending these leases. The deputies selected t> present the petition were Messrs Mathcson, Colfcon, Marshall, Butler, aud Howieson. The Court was opened, and the following petition was presented : — " To Mr Warden itevell— We, the undersigned, miners of the South Beach, do most respectfully beg that you will take into consideration the well known fact that the ground fur which agricultural leases have been applied for is auriferous, there being four distinct leads known to all miners on that ground. We do, therefore, most respectfully request that jou will not recommend any leases to be granted, and further, that you would recommend that the whole of the auriferous beach belt, that is twenty chains, more or less, from hi»h water 1 mark, from the lagooD, Greynioutb, to the Teremakau, be withdrawn from agricultural leisc purposes. —Signed by 230 miners. May 8, 1871." The Warden addressed the miners, stating his full acquaintance with the land in question, its auriferous character, aud J the great injury that would be inflicted upon the miners ou the South Beach if these leases had been granted. He had made up his mind not to recommend the granting of any leases on the auriferous beach belt ; indeed, it was almost unnecessary to have taken these proceedings, as the regulations prevented the land from being leased . After thanking the Warden, the deputation withdrew.

In the Nelson Provincial Council, the other day, the Gold Fields Representative moved, "That his Honor the Superintendent be requested to make arrangements with the General Government for an extension of tbe line of the Electric telegraph from Greymouth to the Ahaura. " He said the object of the motion was to endeavor to get the General Government to extend the telegraph to an important district in the Gold Fields country. Three and a-half years ago, the Superintendent in his speech, proposed the erection of a line from Greymouth to Westport, the Provincial Government guaranteeing a low rate of interest. The cost was L7OOO. and the extent of line was 75 miles. The cost of the line proposed to the Ahaura was about L2OOO, and the population in the district was about 3700, a larger proportion, as compared with tbe cost, than the former project to Westport Mr Mackley seconded the motion. Mr Gibbs opposed it, considering that although the telegraph vas very useful, it was a luxury | that ought to give way to roads. Mr ATilkie a!so objected to the project on similar grounds ; there were works more necessary in the district. Westport was a sea port, and shipping port, and connection with it was important. There would be little business done, although he admitted that if the Warden's Court were to be removed from Cobden to Ahaura.gthe line would be found of some service, but not so much as he thought to warrant the outlay. He liked the telegraph very well, but roads better. The Provincial Treasurer pointed out that as there was a project to construct a railway to the Brunner mine, and as railways and telegraphs went together, the additional stretch of wire from Brunnerton to the Ahaura would be only a few miles. No doubt roads were better than telegraphs, but in this case to refuse to make a tele-

graph would not save the money or allow it to be applied to roada, because the money for roads, and that for telegraphs cainc out of two different funds (hear, hear), the one from the Provincial and the other from the General Government, who would advance the required sum at a low rate of interest. He could hardly look on telegraphs as luxuries now, for in this country" they were found a great advantage to both consumer and supplier in the conduct of trade. The motion was agreed to without a division. During the winter months the mails for the Arnold district will be made up at the Greymouth Post Office at 3 p.m. on Thursdays instead of 4.30 p.m. Mr Gco. Douno, the Gold Fields Pveprescntative in the Nelson Provincial Executive, has resigned his office as Gold Fields Secretary, in consequence of the Council having voted against the coutinuauce of the office. A Wellington paper says that Mr James M'Allister, who for some time has held the appointment of Assistant Clerk iv the Resident Magistrate's Court, Wellington, has been promoted to a clerkship iv the Post Office Department, and transferred to tikaThe building now used as the Government printing office in Wellington, having been found to be inconvenient aud too small, is to be pulled down, and new offices are to be erected. In the Nelson Provincial Council, the Provincial Treasurer, speaking on the subject of the Brunner Coal Mine, said that the reduction in the receipts was owing to several causes, the chief beinj. that for nearly three months the drought almost stopped traffic in the Grey for large boats. This furnished evidence of a railway being essential to the development of the trade ; and though the coal, beyond the fault, had not yofc been reached, it was known to exist ; and, according to the report of Mr Davis, oi-, rather, a report on his notes, a mass of coal is already accessible capable of supplying 5000 tons per week for ten years. The missing Ghrisfccuurcli mail arrived by coach last night. It had been detained on the other side of the Taipo in consequence of the flooded state of that river, and the wire bridge for foot passengers having been swept away. Michael Keogh, Esq., has been gazetted Deputy-Sheriff for the County of Westland ; and Matthew Price, Esq., has been gazetted a Resident Magistrate for the Greymouth and Hokitika Districts, and as such, to exercise extended jurisdiction to LIOO. A memorial to the Superintendent of the Nelson Province, praying that the allotments in the Ahaura township would be offered for sale immediately, was extensively signed at the Ahiura, on Saturday, 6th insfc. A counter petition, praying that the land would not be sold, on the ground that the town and district were not far enough advanced, and that the town lots would fall into the hands of speculators if sold now, was also taken round, and numerously signed. A middle course, if adopted by the Government, would suit everybody. If those allotments already occupied and built upon, or otherwise improved i.i a bona fide manner, were offered for sale, it would give those who are paying ruinous license and occupation fees an opportunity of acquiring freehold properties, while the unoccupied lots, or those on which "bogus" improvements have been made, could be let stand over until times get better, when those who have signed the second memorial will be in a position to become landowners themselves. At Ross, the other clay, a valuable cow, wandering near the Warden's residence, came to an untimely end by falling down a 50ft shaft, and by her involuntary deepsinking saved burial expenses. The shaft had been covered, and was grown over with grass, but the timber covering was quite rotten, and, probably, the sacrifice of the cow ha 3 saved more valuable life. The TaranaH Herald has the following interesting paragraph. :— " The late gale caused a great injury to vegetation by carrying with it salt spray, which lias withered up the leaves of plants. Mr Williamson, of St. John's nursery, noticed its effects on the iiax leaf, and found tho.t ifc produced a chemical effect which enabled him to bare the fibre with his hand, leaving it in that silky and glossy state so much desired by those engaged in the trade. He has communicated the result of his discovery to Dr Hector, and we may soon expect to hear the test has been applied, with the result." A workman named Arthur Vercoe, employed by the Dun Mountain Company in the bush about eight miles from Nelson, was engaged cutting down a tree lately. It fell sooner than he expected, and before he had time to get out of the way it came down on him, breaking both bones of his right leg a little above the ancle. It is with regret that we have to record a most shocking and lamentable accident which occurred in the Upper Hufcfc on Wednesday morning. It appears that several children belonging to Mr Cruickshank, an old and much respected settler, were playing together, and amongst other freaks, lighting fern fires, when Emily, one of the children, was severely burned by a sudden flame. The poor little creature must have endured much agony, and she died about three o'clock in the afternoon of the same day. A man named Alfred John Cox was accidentally killed on Monday evening last, at Palmerston, Wellington Province, by a tren falling upon him when working in the bush. The deceased, some four years ago, was convicted of bigamy, for which he was sentenced to and underwent two years' imprisonment. During the last two years, however, Mr Cox had resided with his family at Palmerston, and was much respected by all who knew him. He was brother to Mr Cox, solicitor, of Auckland. The following is the report of the proceedings in the Nelson Provincial Council, when the Provincial Secretary moved, " That in the opinion of this Council it i* highly desirable that the line of railway from Oobden to the Brunner Coal Mine should be constructed without delay." He showed the necessity of [having a railway from the mine to the port of Cobdou. The Executive had applied en this subject to the General Government, which had ageeed to support this line. The coal deposits in the Grey Valley were exceedingly rich ; and the large mine which existed required a railway. This would prove to be a highly reproductive work, and produce large annual profits. Notwithstanding present difficulties, the mine was at present yielding over 1000 tons a month. . If the , railway were constructed as much as 4000 tons a month, or 45.000 tons a-year could be despatched. This, at a profit of 3s i per ton, would yield L 7200. Deduct from this LIOOO for ventilating the mine, rollingstock, &c, there would be a profit of say j i LB2OO. The carriage of coal on the line ( ' would be, for 48,000 tons, LCOOO ; the back ( i traffic would be at least L 5 ;0, and the pas- 1 scnger traffic L 250, making LG7SO for this i branch. From this then fell to be deducted i L2OOO for railway staff, and L 750 for up-keep i of the line, and LI2OO for interest, together ] L 3950, showing a profit on the railway of , 1.2900, and on the line of L 6200, making a * clear probable profit from the two concerns i of L9OOO. An extension of the line to the . Arnold would make an iucrease both in goods and passenger traffic; but certainly the s work would be most advantageous. Mr s Wilkie seconded the motion, giving various n statistics as to the working of the mine, and c; the demand for coal, with its present short a

supply. He pointed out the large quantity of coal which might, if proper conveniences existed, be supplied to New Zealand, and even to other colouics, from this mine, the excellent physical advantages for a wharf at Cobden as compared with Greymouth. After a short discussion, the motion was agreed to. The Rev James Uric, Presbyterian Minister of Tapanui, Otago, died at Duuedin on the 27 th ult. A special meeting of the Court Concord, A.0.F., is called for this evuiing, at the Lodge-room, at S o'clock. We are requested to call attention to the important sale by auction of Mr Alfred Clove's stock of groceries, &c, which takes place to-morrow by Messrs Nancarrow, Henderson, aud Co. At, the Resident Magistrate's Court, yesterday, Barbara Weldon was fined L 2 or four days' imprisonment for having been drunk and disorderly, and was sent to gaol for one month for making use of obscene language in a public place. From the various c mplaints which have reached us regarding the loose manner in which the census was taken on these Gold Fields, we believe it would have paid the Westland and Nelson Governments to have adopted the course taken by the RegistrarGeneral of Victoria. The Aye says: — "If the census now being taken be not a complete one, it will not be the fault of the .Registrar- General. In addition to other means tliat ho has taken for securing a perfect return of the population of Victoria, he has now issued a notice that a reward of 10s will be paid to any head of a household who will prove to the satisfaction of Mr Archer that his household has been overlooked by a sub-ennmerator. We do not know out of what fund the 10s reward will be paid ; but it has been ascertained that the sub -enumerator who may have been guilty of neglect will be made to pay auy rewards that may have to be given. " The snags which are allowed to accumulate in the Grey River, in the vicinity of Snag Fall, were the cause of another serious, and what might have been a fatal accident, yesterday. A coal-laden barge struck one of these snags, and immediately sank. The crew were fortunately good swimmers and rjach 3d the shore safely, but the boat aud cargo disappeared, thus causing a very heavy loss to their owners, Messrs D. Maclean and Co. It is disgraceful that nothing is done by the Nelson and Westland Governments to remove these obstructions to the navigation of the river. As the Nelson Provincial Council is now in session, if a representation were made to the members for the district; it is just possible they might bring some pressure to bear in this direction. It was expected that the s.s. Omeo would have brought on the West Coast portion of the San Francisco mail, but it appears that she left Nelson two hours before the arrival of the Phoebe from the North. The Charles Edward had left Nelson early on tide on the morning of Saturday, so the Kennedy will be the boat to convey them to the Coast ports of Westlaud, and will probably not arrive until Thursday or Friday next. This is only another instance of the vexatious delays which take place in delivering the mails for the West Coast, and we trust that the promise made by Mr Sewell to a deputation which waited upon him at Hokitika on Saturday will be kept. He is reported to have said that fhe Government will provide a connection between the West Coast and the San Francisco Mail Service, and the detention of the mails hitherto experienced would not again occur. The subsidy would ' be a small one, but he would have the contract so arranged that the West Coast should be placed upon an equal footing with the East Coast. W e take the following from the Melbourne Leader oi the 29th ult. :— " As a rule, the bane of mistaken marriages in the Colony falls to the lot of tbe weaker sex, and it is only in rare instances that a man who marries in hot haste has to repent at leisure for being taken in by one of the fair sisterhood. A case of the kind luis recently happened, however, in which an unfortunate Benedict has been heartlessly deceived, h,'s 1-jve betrayed, his hopes of happiness rudely shattered, by a jade possessing more than a usual share of Colonial experience. Ann Mullen vas residing at a boarding-house where her charms, it appears, captivated a Mr Peacock, who proposed and was duly accepted as Ann's lover. Before the knot was tied, however, Peacock, who appears to entertain the same horror of widows as did the late MrWeller, was particular in asking if his fiancee had ever been through the marriage ceremony before, and his scruples were silenced by an indignant negative on the lady's part. So they were married, and the honeymoon having lasted for seven or eight days, they began to settle down to the reality of a nuptial existence. One day, however, a swarthy African came to the boarding house and made tender inquiries after Ann, and being informed that Ann was out walking with her husband, the negro made a wry face, and informed the j good woman, to her astonishment, that Ann ! had another husband ia the flesh, and two children in the Industrial School ! Husband No. 2 was duly made acquainted with tbe state of the case, and on appealing to Ann, that unworthy daughter of Eve acknowledged her trausgressions, and when Mr Peacock intimated that he would no longer keep her, she gave him to understand that she was not to be shaken off quite so easily. Peacock in due course received a summons for niainteuau.ee, but the facts being stated to the Court, the case was dismissed, and the arch female betrayer left the Court a wiser if a sadder woman.