THE PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, JANUARYS, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1074, 6 January 1872, Page 2

THE PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, JANUARYS, 1872.

The balance-sheet of the Church of England Bazaar shows the gross receipts to have been L 665 15a 3d, and the expenditure LlO6 2s 2d, thorefore giving the nett proceeds of L 559 13s Id. This handsome sum not only clears off the debt on the Church, bat leaves a small balance in hand. Thn Committe desire especially to thank those ladies who so materially contributed to the successful result by their contributions and services, but also to the Band and all parties who aided in the good work. In our notice of the shipment of gold per Alhambra, the amount of 2000 ounces was credited to the "Bank of New Zealand," it should have been to the "Bank of New South Wales." The Government have forwarded a communication to H. F. Andrews, Esq., Collector of Customs, relative to the proclaiming of Custom House etreet a public street. After thanking Mr Andrews, they state "that as the street in question has been, used by the public for a long time, and could not be closed up without causing great public inconvenience, the Government do not think it advisable to take any action in the matter." The reserve, however, is placed under the care of Mr Andrews and the Resident Magistrate. The Star Minstrels and Polygraphic Company will give an entirely new selection this evening, and on Monday they will be Assisted by several gentlemen amateurs, when no doubt they will have a crowded house. The body of the unfortunate man Joseph Grey, who is supposed to have been drowned in Moonlight Creek a few weeks ago, has not yet been found. A strict search was instituted by the miners of Moonlight, along the course of the creek and in the bush on either side. The police and others made a close examination of the banks and beaches of the Grey, as far down as Nelson Creek and the Blackball, but could not find any trace of the remains There were no cases for hearing at the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday. Ross was flooded on the 2nd insfc., but no damage was done. The fine weather reoently enjoyed by tho residents in the up-country districts changed on New Year's day. Owing to hea^y rains on Monday, all traffic was stopped on Tuesday. _On^ Wednesday at noon it began to the day and during the following night. "The rivers and creeks were swollen and impassable on Thursday, but traffic was re-opened on Friday at midday. The tracks are much damaged, especially about Nelson Creek and Osr-ion. A permanent track, inland from tho i iver, could long ago be made for what it has cost to make these patches of so-called tracks along the river bank. A landslip occurred on the Totara road, near the Hatter's iart^. The fords on the Ahaura river, especially the lower one, are now all deep and dangerous, and travellers require to be vqry cautious. The Dunstan Times understands that a gentleman is now on his way from England who intends to erect » boiling.down establishment in the Dunstan district. The Oqmaru Times says :-- An insect of a \ greenish color, somewhat resembling a beetle, is comnrittjtog great depredations among the (ruit tres/ in the northern part of the district, gripping off leaves and fruit in the most indißcriminating manner. Near the Marewhenua they are to be found by millions A valuable horse, the property of Mr John Devery, Totara Flat, was drowned at the junction of the Ahaura and iirdy Bjvers, on Wednesday, 3rd instant. The horse was being swam across the Ahaura, after the ferry-boat, and the person who held the towing-line was compelled, owing to the force of the current, to let it go. The animal went adrift, and when it got into the eddy cansed by the confluence of the two rivers, the line became entangled in its legs, and, after struggling for a few moments, it sank. The Hokitika Star is responsible for the following :— " On dit that the Government contemplate carrying into effect one of the recommendations of the Mining Commission, viz., that referring to the shifting of the Warden.*.. A coach accident occurred at Nelson on the 27th ultimo, by scinch a miner, named John Anderson, belonging to Wangapeka, received such severe injuries that he died a few limits afterwards. The muni fortnightly meeting of the B % rough Council was held last evening at the Pnnncii Chamber. Present: The Mayor (in the chair), Councillors Kennedy, Smith, Dupre. Moore, Coates, Purcell, and M 'Gregor. The minutes of the previous meeting having been read and confirmed, the Town Clerk read letter* from the Colonial Secretary, acknowledging the receipt of the information relative to the re-election jof E. Wickes, Esq , as Mayor ; from Harry Kenridc. CJerk to the Resident Magistrate, forwarding a ohequ# for L 3 ss, being a portion of the five« imposed under the Municipal Corporations Act ; from Mr Sub-Inspector Hickson, drawing attention to the necessity of . erecting a pound, and requesting Constables Flannagan and M 'Donald should be appointed officers under the Municipal Act. Tfee above letters were received. From the Colonial Sectary's Office, in reply to one relative to the alienation of certain lands from the Borough, and stating tfcat if good grounds were shown for increasing th£ endowment of the. Corporation, the Government would take steps for doing so through the Waafce J^ands Board. — Referred to Committee. From B. Jones, asking permission to erect a signboard. — Sranted. The tender of Messrs Reid and 1 Co, for printing certain forms, was accepted. Flic Pnbfw Works Committee reported that they had viewed thp protective works, fromi Boundary street to the western extremity of ;he works, and recqminendjedtjbat immediate ittention be directed to it. They hs4 jn.-: ifcructerl the Surveyor to report' upon it.'— I Referred fco Committee of the whole, Th ; e] Committee also recommended that the; unount for extras, on delivering stone at* Wcnmdnd <juay, be ;#duc*i from < £§ §s'

to L 4 2s 6cl. — Agreed to. The report of the Town Surveyor 'was read relative lio the condition of the protective works from.jßourid.ary street to the western end of the 'works. He recommended that the works be renewed and secured, to prevent them from being washed out to sea ; and he estimated the cost at L 619 Bs.— Referred to Committee of the whole. Various accounts were referred to the Finance Committee. The tender of the Gbev River Arous, for advertising, was after some discussion, accepted. Tenders were opened for work in connection with the wharf— that of Mr Charles Seabrook for L 97, and Mr Scott L 65 10s.— Mr Scott's tender was accepted. It was resolved that about a chain of roar], for. the purpose of connecting Tainui street, be made. The Council then went into Committee on the protective works, Councillor Woolcock taking the chair. After some discussion, it was resolved that tenders should be called for fifty ,50ft piles, together with the necessary capping and ironwork. The Council then adjourned. The Arrow Observer states that the raid against the Chinese, enforcing them to take out miners' rights, still continues, and with good effect. Constable Hunt and John Alloo have, within the present month, been the means of adding the value of some 250 miners' rights to the revenue. Twelve>mile was the last place operated upon, the results being highly satisfactory. Some characteristic stories are told of how John tries to avoid the distasteful tax — in one instance jumping into a tail-race half -full of water, and running as if for bare life ; in others, crawling under bunks and stretchers, from which they will only be dislodged by gentle persuasion from the end of a whip or stick. The following is the text of the Juries Act passed during last session of *\j General Assembly : — The verdict of not less than five-sixths of any jury impannelled to try any issues or to inquire of or assess damages in any civil cause shall be taken and accepted as and shall have all the consequences of a verdict of any such jury under the existing laws relating to juries : provided that no verdict not arrived at unanimously shall be taken till the jury have retired for a period of at least six hours and have intimated to the Judge presiding at the trial that they have considered their verdict and that there is no probability of their being unani-nous. Owing to the changeable weather lately prevalent, there is a deal of sickness among children in the mining districts, "'hildren of a larger growth have not escaped. An ailment resembling a mild form of quinsey has been about among adults. The following recipe for the alleviation or cure of sore throat has been communicated to the " Queenslander " by a correspondent :— lt cannot be - too generally known that all forms of sore throat, whether simple, ulcerated, quinsey, diptheria, scarlet fever, or otherwise can be eibher totally cured or greatly alleviated by simply wearing a soft old silk kerchief twice round the neok, high up and next the skin, especially if worn at night when the pain is first felt, and not only does the silk cure the sore throat, but it prevents a recurrence of tho complaint. The above is a simple, harmless, and inexsive remedy, and can easily be tried by any sufferers from the painful disorder mentioned. A case of some importance was decided in the Melbourne County Court on the 21st ultimo, which ought to act as a caution to landlords of properties who let their houses to immoral persons for improper purposes, and who, if they do so, must suffer the consequences of their encouragement of vice. In the case of Walsh v. Spencer, heard iv the County Court some time ago, it was shown that the keeper of a public-house in Stephen street had let a house to a woman t<s |r iKMffß" Akfife °W\ 1 &i : ' >n fyrl distrained upon the woman for rent, and she then brought an action against him to rftoovep the value of the goods which had been seized, th# point being raised in her favor that the contract was an illegal one, as tho house was let for an unmoral purpose, and that, therefore, the landlord could not distrain. In delivering judgment in the case, his Honor Judge Cope held the point to be good, and gave a verdict against the landlord for the amount claimed.— A similar case was decided in the Court of Commou Pleas, London, some 'two years since, in which an upholsterer sued "a lady" for furniture to the amount of L6OO. It was admitted that the plaintiff, when furnishing the house, knew that the furniture was to be used for an unlawful purpose, and the Judge dismissed the case with costs. The Bishop of Manchester, at a railway employees tea party at BoX on, concluded a speech as follows : — Might he venture to say in all seriousness one simple word to sweethearts, let him ask them'to make their sweetheartirig consistent with Christian purity here ; do let him say, in the second place, girls, don't you take up with any young fellow just .because he has a sprightly tongue or a dashing manner. If you don't think he is likely to make you a good husban J, don't have him. Before you take to a good man, pee that he is worth taking to. He would say to the. young men, don't be caught by the prettiest face 'or the smartest dress. Look out for a lass who' will make you happy at home, and who, if she cannot make the calico to sow on to the buttons, will know how to make a shirt and stitch the buttons,on. (Applause.) The body of a miner named Hugh Slatchell, was found,, on Thursday morning, in a small creek close to the Kawhaka, near the Christchurch road. The deceased had been missing from his hut, at Pox's Creek, since the 28th ult. A search was instituted for him through the bush, three clays afterwards, by Sergeant Slattery and twenty-five miners, bu f , no trace of him could be discovered. It was ascertained at the time that ha had obtained a gun ond some ammunition from » man named Thomas Watson, deceased statins; jthafc h,e was going in the bush to shoot pjgeoijs. It 'i? reported that there is a shot wound in his body, but no authentic particulars in that respect have been received. Slatchell was a native of Londonderry, Ireland, and was about 28 years of age. The British Trade Journal says .-—"Gold being so much Bofter than quartz, its particles, after being subjected to the same degreo of attrition, ought to be vastly smaller; although of greater toughness than quartz, and possessed of ductility and tenacity which quartz wholly wants, & js yery soft, and, under the influence of the attrition from ruuning water and its accompaniments, ought to be pounded and torn into the minutest fragments ; but this is not so. There is, moreover, a marked difference in toe appearance qi the gold dust indifferent drifts indifferent countries. In some it is like dust or sand,, in others it is like §yjales. If subjected to the same influence in all, there seems no reason why the same shape should not obtain v | in all. In any and every view we think it;' cannot be disputed that degradation must'! have had some share in the work. The' general similarity between gold-producing' districts, by wbjch a Calif ornian miner could ?| detect a likely spot f or. g^ld in Australia or,' Kildonan, probably depends rather on the' oharacter of the mountains out of which t& el.] gold has come than on the mode of product tion of the manufactured dust. We imagine \ tbst tfee truth will be found to be that the; result is referable |o two causes, only one off which may jn some oase^i hay^ j^en present, J in others both ; the first, the ordinary pro* $' ceus of degradation and grinding the rock to'

fragments ; the other, as suggested by Mr ] Sehvyn, the Government geologist of Vie- I toria, the gold has been taken up in solution by the water permeating the gold-bearing rocks, and in passing through the drift, in which minute particles "of gold lay, it has from some. cause become decomposed— and the gold held in solution been precipitated . and deposited around; the most congenial nuclei presented to it, which would- undoubtedly generally, be\ tile particles or pieces of reef gold, or any. metallic substances for which it nad an affinity. -^From various experiments it wsuld appear that organic matter is the necessary chemical agent for decomposing a solution of the chloride of gold, in order to precipitate the- gold as a coherent coating round a uucleus. It is to be observed that organic substances, such as fragments of wood, roots of trees, &c, occur abundantly in 1 the gold drifts of Australia. If water holding gold in solution circulates through the rocks and drifts, all tbe conditions necessary for the production of gold dust and nuggets _by deposit are present. Does the water so circulating now hold gold in solution ? One would think it would not be difficult foi a chemist in Australia or California to determine tbe fact by direct experiment ; but it does not appear that it has ever been tried. It must oe admitted that the fact that gold may be greatly purified by dissolving and reprecipitatmg it, is very suggestive of the generally higher standard of alluvial over reef gold being due to a similar cause. Relative to the case of 'Doherty, reported in our issue of yesterday, Mrs Crawford ' writes as follows :— "I went to Doherty on Friday morning last, anty'asked him if- he would allow me the us? of tis room on Monday night to hold a ball for my "benefit, and I would pay him for it. He said he would, but he would not charge anything for it. I got the application for permission to hold the ball on Monday night written out, and took it down to Mr. Hickson myself. It was granted, and I told Doherty so. He then said he would not allow me to have the room. I never Hpoke to him after about it until Tuesday, after Mr Revell had told me that he had granted another ball for my benefit for Tuesday night. I told him it was not for me, and I knew nothing about it. On Tuenday evening, after the second permission to hold the ball had been cancelled, between seven and eight o'clock, Doherty and another man came to nic and asked me if I would accept of what would be taken at the door. I told him' I wanted nothing from him only the use of the room, which I told him I would pay' for. He acknowledged this to be the terms upon" which I asked him for the use of the room in the presence of a neighbor, Mrs Winsch." A gopd illustration, of ..the difficulties of travel in Westland ifsajsjjhe JRos-i Neios) is afforded in the attempt' ot-Dr Duff to reach Ross on the Ist irist. The Hbkitika river having been crossed in a skiff,, he took the coach and managed to reach the Totara; but the river being in a state of flood, the coach with its passengers had to return to that portion of Hokitika called the South Spit, but which since the morning was almost cut off from Hokitika proper by a heavy fresh in the river. Our traveller, however, proceeded up the bush road towards the punt ; but found the ferryman's house locked, and no one in attendance. The river not being passable there, he returued to the Spit, and, with two boatmen, attempted, along with Dr Garland, to cross the river in a skiff, but got nearly washed out to sea, and only by ereaff efforts regained the starting-point. The river was again attempted in the early morning of the 2nd, and tho crossing accomplished. The Nokoinai Herald is a curiosity iv New Zealand journalism, being written. It consists of four pages post folio, four columns in_ a page, and is published at one shilline. fifth number":— " What is io*become of New Zealand ? In 1769 Cook took possession of the Island. In 1841, by an Act of the Imperial Legislature, New Zealand was declared independent of New South Wales. In 1846, Governor Grey arrived in Auckland ; and in 1871, just thirty years after our selfgovernment, we are L^, $00,000. in debt, with a population of, say, a quarter of a million ; equal, for every European man, woman, and child in the colony, to a 'debt of L3O per head, and an annual payment of L 2 each for interest, being at the rate of Ll 4s 6d per head in excess of the individual tar. on the inhabitants of Great Britain. Let us ask what the people possess for this vast sum ? Can we point to any one great public work of utility? The roads are unmade, the rivers unbridged, tbe country uuworked and unpopulated. [ts yasfc natural mineral wealth hourly leaving its shores fcq enrich more tempting lands. Emigration a' failure, and labor scarce ; and so we might go on ad finitum. The Maori war, numerous provinces and Councils, with all the mummery of Government tin-pot (displays and pleasure trips at home and 'for Governors, Ministers, and Special Commissioners, red tapeism, jobbery, corruption, and a glorious squatocracy, are all we have for L 7,500,000,, 500, 000, the very interest on which leaves the country for England. Who will arise and stem the torrent of ruin that stares New Zealand in the face— boldly step into the gap, and lead I the country the true way ? In these degenerate days, we do not look for another Weshiugton to arise ; but, is there not one earnest, honest, far-seeing man, with a love for his country, that will come forward and scatter the money changers that defile what should be our boast and pride— the Legislative Assembly of New Zealand." What aiay happen to a man in Sydney is thus shown by the -Sydney Morning Herald • — "On the 13tli of last 'month a man named John Paul was brought before the bench" at the Water Police Office, Sydney, charged with having in his possession three ingots of copper, supposed to have been stolen. The case was postponed for a week, in order that Paul might be prepared with evidence to show how he had obtained possession of the copper,- and also to enable the police to make further inquiries. At the end of that time Paul was again brought before the bench, and an application for a further postponement (for a fortnight) "was made by his attorney, on the ground of Paul hot having been able to 1 mid the person from whom the copper had, as it was alleged, been purchased. This appfication was refused, notwithstanding the fact that a six years' character was given to the defendant by a well-known gentleman in this city, and that the police were unable to speak to the contrary, with no proof of the property having been stolen being forthcoming Paul was thereupon sentenced by the Water Police Magistrate to be imprisonment iv Dariiughurst gaol for a period of two months. Paul's wife was thus left with five ypun" children to provide for, the eldest not being more than twelve years old, the poor woman being well nigh distracted with her misfortune, and the disgrace unexpectedly cast upon the family. Since the date of her husband's conviction to within a few days a^o, Mrs Paul has. it is understood, been travel- : ling between Sydney and Bathurst, and has at length succeeded in. discovering tlie.person from whom the copper was purchased by' her husband. Upon the declaration of this person And of a Mr Williams (a storekeeper of Ryde) ; Paul was, ' through 'the 'petition of his wife, ■ on;ths Sth inst., at length released from imprisonment. It k stated that Paul is a poor i man,"andthe hardship of 'the ease has thus pressed heavily upon'his family. The,.unfbi% tunate 'man'has reason'to complain, aiicl will, ; doubtless, not be inclined to speculate in the \ Durchase.of, copper ingots for the rest of his-^