Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1107, 14 February 1872, Page 2

The Hon. Mr Fox, accompanied by Mrs - Fox and his private Secretary, arrived in \ Greymoufch at noon yesterday by the steamer i Murray. Tt was Mr Fox's intention to have | made the journey overland from Brighton, j aud by the County police a relay of horses was sent on from Greymouth, to expedite the party in reaching their destinotion by what might prove, after the recent floods, a somewhat difficult road. But while these arrangements were made, the steamer Murray arrived atWestport, and, returning to that port, Mr Fox took advantage of the opporportunity of proceeding to Greymouth by sea. The Murray had scarcely left_ Westporfc when a disagreeable change in the weather occurred, and there was some fear that, m consequence of the thick fog prevailing, the Murray would be unable to make the port. Captain Palmer, however, made a good landfall, and at mid-day yesterday he got a glimpse of the Grey, and soon steered into the wharf. The weather was such that the Murray arrived almost unnoticed, but the Mayor and Town-Clerk were present to receive the Premier and his party, who are now accommodated at Gilmer's Hotel. During the afternoon Mr Fox, in the company of the Mayor and the District Engineer, I visited several parts of the town, and particularly inspected the river protection works and the situations where most damage had been done by the flood. This inspection would, no doubt, convince Mr Fox of the urgent necessity for some protective works being immediately proceeded with, and we understand that such works as the Engineer recommends will at once be undertaken, Mr Fox, meantime, communicating with the other members of the Ministry as to the part which the Government may be prepared to take in assisting the Borough Council, or in relieving them from a work which is so much beyond their means. It is Mr Fox's inteni tion, we believe, after a few days' stay in town, to visit the Grey Valley and the reefing district, on returning from which he will proceed, to Hokitika. • The work of relieving the many persons who were serious sufferers by the late flood is being actively attended to by the members , of the Relief Committee which has been ap- ■ pointed, and by the ladies who have interested themselves in obtaining subscriptions and contributions of clothing. A considerable subscription, as well as* some supplies of clothing, have been obtained, and a distribution has been made for the covering and comfort of those most distressed. _As will be seen by the report of the proceedings iv the County Council, these subscriptions have been supplemented by a liberal vote for temporary relief, and judging by the tone of the Hokitika Press, and by the kindred spirit of the inhabitants, there will not be ' wanting, on the part of the public, that sympathy for which there is at present so much necessity. At lihe same time, the Mayor has communicated with the Mayors of nearly every municipality in the Colony, and has already received warm expressions of sympathy with the sufferers, and promises of assistance. The distress caused by the flood is necessarily hard to compute; the destruction of property being only a small part of the loss and inconvenience, but whatever amount may be collected, the Relief Committee will no doubt with the most judicious expenditure find that all that they may receive will be required. It has to be remembered, that the loss is not entirely a local one, but that it has extended over a very wide area, and measures will doubtless have to be devised for including the country districts, both as regards the subscriptions and the distribution of relief. Communication by coachbetween Hokitika and Greymouth is at present interrupted in consequence of the damage done to Sefton Bridge, and for some days the mail will only be brought through on horseback, as was the case yesterday. It is understood that the repair of Sefton Bridge is a work which need not occupy many days, and no doubt the authorities will make an effort to have the necessary work done as soon as practicable. The Superintendent of Nelson, Mr Curtis, who arrived at Westport by the Kennedy, has proceeded to Charleston and Brighton,and we are informed that it is his intention to proceed to the, reefing district by way of theßuller, returning to Westport, prior to coming to Greymouth by sea. Mr Shallcrass, chief of Provincial ponce, has come on to Greymouth by the steamer Murray- It is stated by the Nelson 2ftcaminerthatMr Curtis has been for some time unwell, otherwise he would have visited the West Coast at an earlier date. Mr Mackay, Native Commissioner/ has again communicated with the local agent for Native Reserves, Mr Greenwood, and in his I telegram he states that the amount of subsidy which he had recommended to be given for the preservation of the reserve on which Greymouth is situated— namely Ll ooo— had been authorised, the understanding being that the work should be done under the direction of the District Engineer. Mr Mackay adds that he will visit Greymouth shortly. The Borough Council met yesterday forenoon, when it determined to place in the hands of the District Engineer the execution of such measures as he might recommend for the protection of the town, the Council and its officers to assist him in all particulars in which their assistance might bo required. Mr O'Connor, who was early on tho spot after his instructions from the General Government, was yesterday busy making measurements, taking levels, and otherwise forwarding the work upon which his report will be based. • . . The letter of Mr James Wylde, on the subject of protection works, was intended for insertion in. yesterday's issue. We have to acknowledge receipt of a copy of the New Zealand Volunteer Gazette and , Colonial Forces Record— rather alengthy title j for a publication of eight small pages. The Gazette, which is published in Auckland, is necessarily in its earliest numbers more local than colonial, but as it comes to bo read by Volunteers it will no doubt improve in that particular, and serve a useful purpose. AtthoßesidentMogistrate'sCourt, Ahiura, on Monday, 12th instant, before C. Whitefoord, Esq., R.M., Robert Lee was charged with stealing certain article* of drapery from Isaac Pollock, a hawker. The prosecutor was at the Lattb Grey Junction during the late flood, and stayed at M'lnroe's HoteL .His swag was in a part of the house to which the accused had access. On Friday 9, in the morning, he found that bin bundle had been tampered with. He heard that the accused had presented a female servant of Mr M'lnroe's with a pair of jet ear-rings, and ha therefore suspected him. He went to the place where Lee slept, and in a bag which he found in his bunk he found a piece of diaper cloth, a piece of llama, a lady's skirt, a parcel of fancy buttons, and other things, which were produced. On the prisoner being accused of the robbery he denied all knowledge of the articles, and said they must have been put into his bed. This evidence was corroborated by James M'lnroe and the ser.

vant, who said that when the prisoner Lee gave her, the ear-rings' he was yftryt drunk and as he said. he was going. to ifllrow them awayi she asked him for them. She afterwards heard him say that he found them at Bannon's store. The defense was. that prisoner slept in a room adjoining the stables, and any person had access to it. Fe denied a) 1 , knowledge of the articles found in his bunk, and pointed out that there were other articles I found there besides the property h* was accused of stealing, which, did not belong to I him. He urged his previous good character, i and said that he had been entrusted with 1 1 sums of money to convey from Reef ton and I other places'^ and it was , unlikely he would | become a thief for such a paltry amount as I the value of the prosecutor's property. He called Mr William Dargan, who said that he held a trustworthy position in his employment ; that he kept his books and always ' acted hcnestly. Mr M'lnroe also gave the prisoner a good character for several years. The prisoner further said he had been thirty years in the Colony, and never was aocused of any charge before. The Magistrate said that from the evidence before him be had ro doubt but that the prisoner stole the pro.perty. It was probable he committed himself while in a state of intoxication, and the disgraceful position in which he had placed himself would be a warning to him to avoid for the future the possibility of rendering himself liable to lose his senses. Taking the very good previous character he had received from his former and present employers in consideration, the Court would not send the prisoner to trial, or even inflict the full penalty the law empowered. The prisoner was then sentenced to four months' ?-nprisonment with hard labor. Several inquiries have been received by the Secretary to the Jockey Club, from the owners of horses in the different parts of the Colony, as to the state of the race-course, and as to whether the flood is likely to interfere with the races. We believe that no interruption to the race-meeting is at all anticipated. Though the course was covered by the flood, it has not. suffered, the deposit of silt by which it is covered being rather calculated, in the course of a short time, to improve its condition, and steps will be taken to re-erect the bridge, and to render the race-course accessible, and as suitable for the intended meeting as it would have been had no flood occurred. The Stafford road was expected to be open for traffic yesterday. Mr John Cross succeeds Mr J.B. Clarke as Borough Councillor at Hokitika: The voting, which led to little or no excitement, resulted thus :— Cross, 69 "; Gawne, 62 ; Meyer, 52, A man in the employment of Mr Hungerford, at the' Arahura, has been shot through the hand by a supplejack touching the trigger of his gun. . The last pile of the Rakaia bridge ha? been driven, and the event has been celebrated by a dinner. Akaroa is now approachable by a road, which can bo ridden over in two hours from Pigeon Bay, and a steam launch for traffic in the harbor has been brought out by the ship Charlotte Gladstone. Akaroa is advancing. A terrific fire last week raged on the Port Hills, (Canterbury. It commenced at the Hou. Ernest Gray's, and spread through Mr Waid's farm to Mr Bell's run, utterly destroying every atom of food on several thousand acres, and burning several miles of fencing. T*ie peat land in the neighborhood of Captain Charlesworth's farm, on. the, Ferry, road, Christchurqh, by some means or other has caught fire, and is burning some inches deep in the ground. The authorities were to sink an artesian well, so as to procure a supply of water to extinguish the fire. Some of the soverei&as recently imported from the Royal Mint are now in circulation in several towns in the Colony. They are a very handsome coin, bearing on one side the head of Her Majesty, with the usual inscription, and on the other the George and Dragon, ! with the date 1871. Mr Spiers, the crier of the Supreme Court of Wellington, died the other day. He has held the' office since 1846, and was, at the j time of his death, the oldest servant of the Government. . The Rev. William Stewart, Presbyterian i Minister, late of Edinburgh, has amved in Wellington to take charge of the Rangitikei district. By the Dunedin papers we observe that a second line of coaches has been laid on be-tween-Invercargill and that city. A shipment of gold, consisting off 11930z, was forwarded by the Bank of New Zealand, per steamer Albion, to Melbourne. | The Thames Gas Company will soon be in I working order, the contract for the erection of buildings and plant having been taken at L23OQ, to be completed in four months. A writ has been issued for the election of a member of the House of Representatives in the room of Mr Eyes. The town of Wanganui has, at last, been proclaimed a borough under the terms of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1867. The Waikouaiti. Brewery and Cooperage was entirely destroyed by fire oh Sunday night. It is supposed to have caught fire by a spark from the brick kiln near co it. The work upon the tramway in the neighborhood of the Mapawatu has at last taken a start, and large bodies of Maoris may be seen clearing the scrub and Pitching. Young. perch, from one to four inches in length, are numerous in both dams of the Dunedin Water Company's reservoir, , ' The steward of the ship Charlotte Gladstone has presented a robin redbreast brought out by him, to the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society. This is the first introduced into the province, and it is to be regretted that he ia without a mate. Skylarks and rooks have also been brought out to the Society, A. fire 1 1 occurred at the station, Oxford, Canterbury, belonging to G. W. 11. Lee, Esq., on Friday last, supposed to be a continuation of the fire which did so much damage near Eyreton. A great part of the grass on the run was destroyed, and 2000 sheep. The house and woolshed were with some difficulty saved. It has already been announced that it is the intention of his Excellency the Governor to make an overland trip from Wellington to Auckland next month. The Wellington Independent states that in anticipation of the Governor's visit a great meeting between the Governor and the leading Europeans on the one hand, and the King and the Waikato natives on the other, is being arranged. The Christchurch Cathedral Commission are taking active, measures for raising the necessary funds for.proceeding with the erection of the building ; LISOO will be granted from the Church Property Endowment Fund on condition of LSOOO being raised by public subscription, and of this amount over L2OOO has already been promised. The roan Haley, charged with attempting to murder Mr Russell, of Auckland, has been brought up for examination. The particulars of the affair are highly sensational, and the case is strong against him. Violent threatening letters sent to Mr Russell in the name of the International Society have been identified as being in Haley's handwriting, and the paper on which they were written .'has also been traced to him.' The following is a copy of one of the threatening letters

sent to Mr Russell :—" First and last intimation. Accumulation of wealth at the expense of, and by defrtuding! ; tlie humbler classes. The Caledonian, book is closing. You are miking a bad use of your wealth, and position. Yottr wife ia haughty aud proud to those she ought to help. The International has condemned yourse", your wife, and faov'ly to death— poison, shooting, and stabbing. Proper iy — fire. Servants who do nou leave you after notice w .'.". share as their master. Finale within two yearstortures at evei/ opportunity." Advantage was taken of the large gathering of people at the Tuapeka races to get up a series of fooc races. .The first was between Coppin, of Dunedin, and Muidment, of Lawrence — distance, 150 yards— the former being declared a winner after a closely contested spin. A few days afterwards Maidment run Hudson 150 yards in Koss place, Lawrence, and beat him ; and the same day came off victorious in short spins with Millan, of the Blue Spur, and' one O'Brien. A fresh challenge has been given by Maidment to Coppin. It appears that there ia ho truth in the widely-circulated rumor of the death of J. B. Gough, the well-know a temperance orator. J. "S." Gough," father of the lecturer, died recently in England,. at a ripe old age, and the error seems to have arisen from somewhat undue • prominence being given to the latter announcement in the telegraphic news received by, a recent mail, under the impression, no doubt, that it referred to J. B. Gough. Late American papers refer to Mr Gough as being still earnestly engaged in his profession. J The Hon. Mr Gisborne occasionally perpetrates some very dry jokes'. At the luncheon which followed the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of new Provincial Build-, ings at Wellington, he alluded humorously to the condition and lodging of the Provincial Government in Wellington, and said that he believed the delay which had occurred in erecting the Provincial Buildings was in consequence of the Provincial Government being unable to raise the funds to provide the necessary coin to place in the bottle under the stone. ' ■ ' ' '.

Another crushing of the stone from Doran's reef, Wangapeka, has been made, under the supervision of Mr Adams, the manager of the Perseverance Company's claim, and the yield has amounted to only one pennyweight to the ton. This unfortunate result has greatly disappointed the shareholders in the company, and also those of the public, who^ had- hoped that this, the last of the com-' panics on the Wangapeka, would not haye turned out thus. The Colonist says it is, perhaps, poor comfort to the shareholders, but it is as well to recall the fact that the late Mr Davis, the assistant Government Geologist, on examining the reefs at Wangapeka, stated that there was no gold in the Culliford claim, which turned out to be too true, that there was gold in Doran's reef, but that it could not be saved by the ordinary process in use, in consequence^ of the presence of sulphur and other metals in con-; siderable quantity. How far this may be worth consideration, there seems the immediate prospect, so far rs reefs and reefing companies are concerned, of having to say farewell to "dear" Wangapeka.