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Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1100, 6 February 1872, Page 2

Up to midnight there was no information of tho arrival of the San Francisco mail. ' The Hon. Mr Fox is accompanied, on his visit to the West Coosfc, by Mrs Fox and his private Secretary. The Mayor, Mr Wickes, on being advised of the hon. gentleman's arrival at Westport, invited him to become, his guest during his stay in Greymouth, but being thus accompanied he prefers finding accommodation at one of the hotels. An unfortunate accident happened yesterday to a little girl, a daughter of Mr Sheedy, of the Brian Boru HoteL As a, person wasleavinq the hotel, he awkwardly stumbled over the little girl, and in the fall one of her legs was broken. Dr Morice was early in attendance on the young sufferer, and set the : fractured bone. We understand that a memorial to the Superintendent of Nelson ia in course of signature, by which it is proposed to make a road from the Arnold to the Ahaura, the compensation asked being one acre of land for every pound laid out on the work. The memorial lies at the Tramway Office for signature. The annual meeting of the shareholders of the Grey River Steam Tug Co. (limited) was held at the Union Hotel yesterday afternoon, when the report arid balance-sheet were read and adopted. -Mr Kilgour was re-elected a Director, and Mr J. Somers was elected in place of Mr Ash ton, who retired. It was resolved, that the reserve fund should be lodged in the Government Savings Bank. Yesterday a rumor was circulated in Hokitika that the Energetic claim, Adam Smith's line of reef, Inangahui,' had run cut. There was no foundation whatever for the rumor, 1 as from a gentleman who arrived from Reefton yesterday afternoon, we learn that the Energetic Company's reef is eight feet thick, and gold-bearing throughout. There is still a scarcity of small silver in Chrißtchurch, more particularly of sixpences,'' and it is sail that the latter has given rise to a bet that LSO worth of sixpenny pieces could not be collected within onoweek in Christchurchr We understand that notice was given to the police in Christchurch the other day that their services would riot be required after the expiration of three months from the present date, excepting those who desire to continue their duties at the "educed rate of pay, and give one month's notice of the same from this date. The fire in the bush on the Purakanui road, or Blueskin track, Otago, is still burning, : but no danger is anticipated. A few log and rough fences are likely to come to grief, as also some good paddocks of hay in the Deborah Bay district. The inhabitants there have packed up all their valuables in readiness for a shift to the water if necessary. The f ollowingscores were made by ten of the Greymouth Rangers, firing in the return match with the "Dunedin Scottish." The ranges were 200, 500, and 600 yards, Wimbledon targets; position— 2oo yards, Hythe; 500 and 600 yards, any.

The weather throughout was very bad, being thick and misty, and the smoke hung about the firing points to such an extent that at GOO yards the men could hardly see the target, which accounts to some extent for the large number of centres and misses made at that range. The Dunedin men also had bad weather, and in consequence postponed their firing for a week. The Waipahi Hotel, on the main road from Balclutha to Tapauui, Otago, was totally destroyed by fire lately. The fire originated ! in the kitchen, but the cause is unknown, as no one was in the kitchen at the time. Mr Nelson's loss is over L2OO, in furniture, books, &c. The house, which belongs to Mr Roberts, was partially insured, but his. loss is also considerable. On Tuesday last, a miner, named William Green, while engaged driving some horses in the ' Wanganui river-bed, midway between Okarito and the Totara District, met with a severe accident, by his horse throwing him off and falling upon him, thereby breaking his ribs. Mr Bell intended to have brought him to the Hospital at Ross, but he feared that the removal would do him more harm than would be compensated by tho benefits of the good housing and attendance he would get there, He therefore remains under Mr Bell's hospitable roof, where good fellowship will, we feel sure, exercise a healing effect, A narrow escape from a ' serious accident occurred in the Rakaia river, in Canterbury, a few days ago. It would appear that two men in a spring cart on their way to Temuka, where they reside, started to cross from the north bank, after declining the services of the ferryman to show them the ford. They were cautioned as to the dangerous state of the latter, but Beeing- that the river was low, they did not feel inclined to pay the regular fee, and' 'refused the proffered aid. They succeeded in crossing one rapid, but immediately afterwards the horse stepped into a deep hole, and, together with the cart, were washed down stream, turning over twice pn the way." r Both the men, were of course thiown into the river, but fortunately they seized the cart, and stuck to it until Messrs Dunford and Robinson, who watched them

from the north bank, rode in and rescued them. This was effected only just in time, for a few seconds.later would have seen the party washed into a portion of the river where escape would have been hopeless. Great credit is therefore due to Messrs Dunford and Robinson for the readiness -with they gave their assistance at no little risk to themselves. We understand that in addition to all the goods being washed out of the trap, a valuable imported, sheep dog, which was tied "lsidethevenTcie, was drowned. Neither the horse nor the trap was much the worse for the accident. .- : The West Coast Times says :— "We have made inquiries respecting the attempted suicide at the Hokitika gaol, and learn that the convict Nicholas Cameron— referred to in the Gaoler's half-yearly report as preferring solitary confinement to hard labor —was found about a fortnight ago tied by the neck to the ventilator in the door of his celL: He could only have been hanging afew minutes when he was discovered, and that was at supper time. There is very good reason to believe that he tied himself, up to the bar (which is orilj about four feet from the ground) when he heard the supper bell ring, a few minutes before four o'clock, knowing that the warder would, visit him ; directly ,with his supper. We are;infor'med that on being released from his position of suspense, Cameron pretended to be insanej but finding that : he could not produce that , impression upon the! warders, he soon recovered the normal condition of his faculties, at all ; events sufficiently so to declare that he could do his time more comfortably in a cell than at work on the roads." ! Sir William Thimpson'a siphon recorder is the great telegrapn novelty of the day. The reading of the signals is effected by means of a siphon or capillary glass tube, about two inches long, the shorter end of which dips into a dish of ink, while the larger hangs down in front of a paper strip moved forwaid by clockwork. The immature glass siph on is connected by a very fine aluminium wire, with a coil suspended between the poles of an electro-magnet,, and is moved backwards as it is deflected to the right or the left. The ink is ejected in a tiny Btream from the lower end of the siphon, by keeping the ink electrified to. a high tension. It is a well known fact that, when any liquor is electrified, its particles repelling each other, it is enabled to flow through the. finest: orifice ; and this fact judiciously taken advantage of by Sir William Thomson, has enabled him to procure a frictionless peu point. The electrification of the ink in the reservoir is done by a rotating eleckophorus or • replenisher, kept in movement by an electro-magnetic machine. .. : .; Tt appears that an unkindly critic amongst the reporters of the Southern Gross brought down upon that paper the wrath of the Scottish community in Auckland through having commented freely upon the delicacy of the kilt, and the musical properties" of the bagpipe. The Auckland correspondent of the Jiawkisßay Telegraph mentions in his account of the Caledonian Sports at Auckland that the presence of a large number of Scottish Volunteers from the Thames, dressed inkilts, &c. , led to a newspaper controversy of a somewhat bitter and personal character.. Exception was not only -taken to the kilts (in the Southern Gross reports of the proceedings) but also to the bagpipe music, which it was averred was distasteful to nine-tenths of the people. As might have been expected the Scotch element was very wroth at this. A deputation of Scotch gentlemen waited upon the Honorable Julius yogel (proprietor of the Cross), and an ample apology was received for what had appeared. For several days' after there was a very bitter feeling on the subject," but this has now smoothed -down, and irindeed%lhioßt forgotten;

761. Broadbent 33323 43334 34322—45 To\. Hogg ... 32333 23442 22433—43 fol.Moa ...33343 43324 22024— 42 )r Morice ... 34333 43343 02322-42 Tol. Shepherd ... 34333 44330 22232—42 Tol W. S. Smith 22332 03332 44224—39 301.-Sergt. Chamberlain ... 33232 33434 20232—39 To). Revell ... 33323 34333 00323-3T lergt.G.'S. Smith 32332 44203 23003—34 fol. Hardy ... 23324 30042 43030-33 395