THE The Drey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 1572.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1081, 15 January 1872, Page 2

THE The Drey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 1572.

Another nomination was, on Saturday, received by the Secretary of the Jockey Club for the Greymouth Handicap. It comes from Auckland, and is Mr Hale's b g Black Eagle, aged. This brings the nomination up to eleven. Arthur Dudley Dobson, Esq., has been appointed Chief Surveyor for Nelson Province, vice Henry Lewis, Esq., resigned. Several samples from the various claims at the Inangahua are now on view at the office of the Provincial Secretary, Nelson, to whom they have been forwarded from the West Coast. Although gold is not to be seen in any of them in large quantities, nearly every piece of stone discloses its presence when Tiewed with a magnifying glass. One of the earliest settlers in Greymouth, Mr Patiick Flannery, late proprietor of Flannery's Hotel, Mawhera Quay, died yesterday morning, after a long and. lingering illness. He was very much respected, and during yesterday the flags at the various hotels and vessels in poit were flying halfmast. The funeral takes place to-morrow, at ,30 p.m. On Thursday a cargo boat loaded with females arrived t»t Lardi's Landing, Totara Flat, en route to Reefton. They started from that place for their destination on Friday. These interesting emigrants and their luggage filled one of Mr Lardi's large four-horse waggons. They are mostly from Hokitika, and the latest advices say there are more to arrive. Among the passengers by the Charles Edward yesterday was Dr Giles, Warden for Westport ami the Heefton district, who is fully impressed with the almost boundless resources of that district. It will be seen by a motion elsewhere that block I. (rural), Grey district, has been withdrawn from sale, in order to be granted in payment for public works. It i 3 intended to grant, after the expiry of two months, a lease of a block of land, containing ten acres, more or less, situated at Eed Jack's Creek, Grey district ; applied for by Charles Runs and party. We are informed that of the tenders for road works, invited on the 3rd instant, the following have been accepted and the contracts signed: — Ross road: Section 11, L 1293 ss; section 12, LI 180 7s j section 14, LOll. Hohonu road: Section 1, L 1847 os 8d ; section 3, L 1750 j section 4, L 1709. The Rev. G. T. N. Watkins is at present on a visit to the up-country districts. Mr Watkins held divine service at Ahaura on Sunday morning and evening at the Court House. The rev. gentleman intends visiting the agricultural district of Totara, and some of the principal mining townships before he returns to Greymouth. We understand arrangements will soon be ade so that a clergyman of the Church of England will visit the country more frequently than heretofore. With reference to a paragraph which appeared in our' Saturday's issue regarding the new brickfield near Tamui and Alexander streets, we find that our reporter was in error in ascribing the ownership to Messrs Walton and Murray. It appears that Mr John Titter is the owner, and on this subject we have received the following note from him :— "Please contradict the statement in your paper of the 13th January with reference to the brickyard in Tainui street. It is my property ; I have found the clay and done the clearing, and I have contracted with Walton and Murray to make 100,000 bricks for them. When that contract is completed, I am open to make for any person." A fine horse, the property of Robert M'Neill, Totara Flat, was killed on the road to the Inangahua last week. The animal was loaded with produce from the Flat for Reefton, and when ascending the track to the top of the Saddle one of its hind feet went through o. enlvert The horse in trying to extricate itself toppled over the precipice, bringing the remains of the Government bridge along with it. It is time these culverts were mended or replaced, as the timbers of which they are made are much decayed. They are now nearly six years in use, ,and it is no wonder they are getting rotten. The Corporation of Dunedin has decided to build gas works of its own, the lessees of the present works not having consented to the inductions required by the Corporation. Between 2500 and 3000 persons attended the Wellington Caledonian gathering on New Year's day. Mr Kempthorne, who died the other day at Wellington, had only paid the first premium of L2O on a policy of LoOO effected with the Mutual Assurance Society, which amount will be paid to his wife and little ones A large block of country including 10,000 acres h.-is been purchased from the Provincial (T'lVurnniPiit of Auckland by Messrs Preece mul n»aV.;viii, immediately opposite Grahamstown A company is under formation for the purpose of developing the extensive coal deposits thereon. The gold yield of Otago has fallen off 15,0000z during the last year. The Cante r bury farmers are getting afraid of the scarcity of labor, the railway works having absorbed all the surplus. Colonel Brett lias given notice of a motion in the Provincial Council to the following effect ?— " That in the opinion of this Council it is desirable that all public works be suspended from the 10th January to 10th March, 1572. to enable the farmers to gather their harvest. " We have received a letter from " Leaseholder" regarding the blank forms which have been circulated among the sub-lessees j on the Native Reserve, questioning the adr I disability of furnishing the details asked. As we know that considerable difference of opinion prevails on the subject, we publish the following extract from the letter: — ''It appears to me that the information required would be obtained in a simpler and more ac curate form, without the leasehol lor disclosing minor details, which in the hands of ■peculators might be made use of, detriments 1 to the interests of individual leaseholders. 1 do not for a moment believe that in furnishing statistics on this subject, for the purpose of inducing Government to sell the laud, private transactions that have taken place after the original grant of the lease will l>c recognised. Government knows what num ber of leases have been granted, what amount of rent is paid for them, as well Jas their terms and conditions. No doubt, any person or persons duly authorised by the

leaseholders would obtain from the resident agent of the Native Reserve here the same information. With legard to the value of improvements as required by the circular, trke the amount of capital represented by the assessment of the Borough Council, and a juster and fairer result would be given than in the way proposed by this circular. Th& only answers required from the leaseholder are to the two last questions — " Do you desire to purchase ; if so, what price would you give?" To this I for one would say—" Yes, at a fair and equitable value of the land." Dr Hector, the Government Geologist, and A. Collins, Esq., M.H.R., arrived at Murray Creek on Tuesday, 9th inst. On Wednesday they visited the several lines of reefs, accompanied by Messrs J. G. Walsh, C. Mace, and M. Byrne, of the prospecting claim, on Shiel's reef, and Mr Patrick Brennan, late of Nelson Creek. Dr Hector made an examination of the different quartz lodes and of the coal de posits in the locality. It is understood that Mr Hector's visit to the lnangatma has reference to the making of a road to the reefs, either from Westport or Greymouth. He ascended the tree known as " Walsh's lookout," from which a good view can be obtained. He took a sketch of the country, and pointed out to the other members of the -party how easily a track could be made from Reefton to the summit of the ranges. He would not express any opinion as to the best route to the seaboaid until he had examined the new track by way of the Grey Valley. Messrs Collins and Hector left Reefton for Westport an Thursday. Mr Alfred Saunders, formerly Superintendent of Nelson, "who has been absent in England for about five years, returned to Nelson, accompanied by his eldest son, on Wednesday }ast. /Mr Sauuders purposes settling in the South ; and we learn that his son, Mr W. Saunders, will proceed to Canterbury, as the New Zealand partner in a new iirm of Bennett and Saunders, merchants, the other partner remaining in England. The Hon. Colonel Russell has been appointed Inspector of Native Schools, with a salary, stated at L6OO a-year. There are six native schools for the honorable gentleman to inspect, but then he is said to be completely ignorant of the native language. Mr Worgan is delegated, under the title of Commissioner, to investigate certain confiscated native land claims on the West Coast, at a salary of L4OO a-year. Both of these gentlemen have been very useful to the Defence Minister. An accident occurred at the Port, Nelson, on Saturday last, to a man named Frederick Atkinson, who, while engaged in caulking the ketch Pearl, which is drawn up on the beach for lftpairs, fell from the upper part of the vessel on to the stones beneath. On being picked up, it was ascertained that he was seriously hurt, and Dr Cotterell was sent for, who discovere 1 that, in addition to a number of painful bruises, lie had sustained a fracture of the bone of the arm near the elbow joint. At the Resident Magistrate's Court, on Saturday, Walter Godfrey, a small boy between seven and eight years of age, was charged with feloniously appropriating four L 5 notes, a bill of exchange, and certain photographs, which he had found, the propetty of one Frederick Schultze. It appears that the boy found a LI note on the previous evening, which he gave to his mother. He ' was afterwards playing with the son of Mr G. Martin, of the Cove of Cork Hotel, whom he informed of the find, and Mr Martin told him to see if he could find any more, and after a little while he brought him two LI notes and a pocket-book, containing certain papers, which Mr Martin took to the Police Camp, |and from the information furnished by the pocket-book, Mr Sub-Inspector Hickson sent to Schultze, who is the husband of one of two itinerant musicians, doing tho harp and vocal business, and although Schultze had not discovered his loss, it was ascertained that the pockeo-book belonging to him. Police Constable Keating was sent with the boy to the spot where he said he found the money, near the powder magazine, but he found nothing there, but in consequence of having some suspicion, he searched the boy, and found four L 5 notes and the bill of exchange upon him, the bill being identified by Schultze, who stated that he must have lost his pocket-book near the Church of England, but the boy persisted in his statement that he had found the book and money in a clump of rushes near the powder magazine, Mr Guinness, for the defence, urged that the boy, being under seven years of age, was not able to distinguish right from wrong ; but as it was proved that the boy was seven years and four months old, the case was allowed to proceed. Two small boys were called as witnesses, but as they were of such tender ages that the Magistrate rightly refused to allow them to be sworn. The mother of Godfrey commented rather strongly upon the course adopted by Mr Martin in goiugto the police, as she said " she would have advertised the book." His Worship complimented Mr Martin upon tho action he had taken, and said that if other persons who found, or had become acquainted with the whereabouts of lost property, would behave in a similar manner, much crime and anxiety would be prevented. The boy was only of tender years, and he thought the punishment he had undergone would be sufficient to act as a caution to him for the future, and he would therefore order him to be discharged. A special session of the Diocesan Synod, of Canterbury, was opened at Christchurch on Wednesday last. The business was to consider matters relating to the Cathedral, towards the erection of which subscriptions to the amount of LIBOO had been promised without canvass. The Primate, in his address, said he would be glad if the revised lectionary became authorised by the New Zealand Church.. He was not satisfied, however, that it could acquire force as a regulation of the General Synod, under clause twenty-one of the Constitution, as had been suggested by the Nelson Synod. He thought it would have to be formally authorised by an Act of the General Synod. He adverted to the great loss the church had sustained by the death of Bishop Patteson, and expressed a desire that the Synod should follow the example of the Auckland Synod, and consider the establishment of a Bishop Patteson Memorial Fund, in order to show reverence for the Melanasian martyr. Messrs James O'Malley and Jenkius have been further exploring the new track to Reefton from the Little Grey Junction. They left Reefton on Sunday, 7th inst., at 6 a.m., i and arrive! at the Ikmatua at five or sixo'clock in the afternoon. They blazed the track as they came along, and they reckou the distance is tinder 20 miles from the Junction to Reefton. By the present route the distance is over $0 miles. They left again on Monday, with the intention of clearing the track of brushwood and scrub, so that the pack horses returning without loads from Murray Creek could come by the new route on Saturday and Sunday. 13th and 14lhinst. This new track outers the bush from the Little Grey about 200 yards past the camping ground, formerly known as the "Old Man's clearing," where recent travellers on the present road to Reefton vright have noticed a bullock's head stuck on a pole. The track then continues in a line about equidistant from the Little Grey River and the old road to St. Patrick's Hill, runs through an entirely unexplored country, in which there is every probability of finding good alluvial diggings. It crosses the ranges at the head of Darkio's Creek, through a saddle muoh (lower than that on the pro-

sent road. The track then follows the Inangahua fall of the range by way of Darkies Creek to the junction of Soldier's Creek, thence by a short cut to Donald Ross' old hoiue at the foot of Liverpool Dave's Creek,and nearly opposite Reefton. The distance saved by the new road is considerable, but that is not the greatest advantage. Good shallow diggings may be opened along its course, and the greater portion of it will be at all times clear of the floods. The discoverers of this new road deserve every encouragement in their efforts to open a bettermeans of communication between the Grey Valley and Reefton. There are other people who say they knew all about this new rouce long ago, but they very considerately kept the knowledge to themselves, no doubt for their own benefit. Messrs O'Malley and Jenkins were the first to make public the discovery, and if there be any merit or reward attached to it to them it is due.