THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 1872

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1120, 29 February 1872, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 1872

fn the District Court yesterday morning, before his Honor Judge Harvey, the following cases in bankruptcy were disposed of :— William Davie : An order was made allowing bankrupt's costs to be paid out of the estate. — Minnie Brown : An order was made relieving bankrupt from custody, where she has been detained for some weeks, at the instance of Margaret Mills, Westport.— John and Michael Ginty, who appeared for their lnst examination and to apply for a final discharge. A n order of suspension of certificate for twelve months in each case was made ."It appeared from the evidence and the report of the official trustee, that they had in the first filing not accounted for a mining share they had disposed of, to the value of LIOO, and on the second filing they had accounted for the LIOO, but had made alterations in the disbursements to equalise the same. — Richd. Large : An order of discharge was granted. — In the case of Albert Flatau or Seymour, Mr Guinness applied, on behalf of Jacob Wag-

ner, for an order for warrant, as -proceedings had elapsed ; order granted. — Chas. Wilson : An order was made for hearing of last examination on 12th April. . We announced the other day that Mr Curtis, the Superintendent of Nelson, would not come as far as the Grey district on his present visit to the South- West Gold Fields. How the feeling on this subject runs may be gathered from the following remarks by our Ahaura correspondent: — l( The Superintendent has thought better of it, and concluded not to pay us a visit. Nobody here expected he would, for his Honor knows as well as we do that he does not intend to do us any good, and ho can't do us much more harm. Mr Curtis, even if he came amongst us, could not alter the opinion the majority of the residents of the Grey Valley entertain of his Government. No amount of official pleading can make any change in that opinion now, therefore it is just as well to avoid giving occasion for possible unpleasantness. This trump card of the Nelson Executive of sending their brilliant and able little chief, that pocket Hercules in politics, about the country to square matters for them, is nearly played out. This roving commission of his Honor's, of wandering about with his hand against every man, and every man's hand against him, and trying to explain away the delinquencies a*nd deficiencies of his Government, appears to be his peculiar mission, and would seem to be Mr Curtis's/orte. He is a farseeingand astute politician, a shrewd and honorable man of business, a fluent and effectivespeaker, a diplomatist of consummate tact, and a man generally well qualified to uphold bis personal prestige' at home and abroad, but he does not appear to possess one atom of administrative ability. And this is how it is that everything nominally under his control is at sixes and sevens. He devises and arranges his plans admirably, and very possibly with a sincere desire for the welfare of the whole of the population under his control, butbere his personal interest ceases. He leaves to others the carrying out of his designs, and a nice mess they make of them. The other leading member of the Executive and the keeper of its conscience, Mr Shepherd, has very little to do with us in these parts, and that little he does well, for it may be said that his payments are prompt, when he has authority to make them. But it is with the Provincial Secretary, Mr Greenfield, that we have mostly to deal It has often occun ed before in the history of the world that great geniuses were not aware that they were the possessors of . wonderful talents. Cardinal Eiehelieu, for instance, had no great opinion of his own ability as a statesman, although all Christendom acknowledged it, but he had an idea that he was a great musician, and he delighted in being told by courtiers and flatterers that the horrible noises hemadeon the fiddle were the perfection of harmony. In like manner, the Provincial Secretary of Nelson has sufficient ability to administer the internal affairs of the Province, but he does not think so, and therefore does not trouble himself, while on the contrary he imagines he has a heaven-sent mission to perpetuate aud foster the acclimatisation of English pheasants, and to improve the breed of red setter dogs.

As we mentioned yesterday, during the inquest on the body of the late Mr Henry Mackintosh, held at Ahaura on Tuesday, . the jury drew the attention of the Coroner and Warden to the necessity of erecting finger-posts to direct foot passengers across the fords, for it was in all probability for want of such a direction that the unfortunate man lost his life. These posts might have been erected at the principal crossings long ago. At Nelson Creek, the Old Ahaura, and the Little Grey Junction, the ferrymen should be instructed, as a condition of holding their licenses or, authority to charge toyfetathflfe.S&er ihen^aM_c^gethem_as^ the "consideration" of the Government, it is likely to "emain there until two or three Government officials arc drowned. The following is an extract of a letter, dated February 27, from a reliable correspondent at Eeefton with reference to the new quartz discovery at Rainy Creek : — "I have had a look at the new prospecting claim. It is genuine. The situation is at the head of. Rainy Creek. What is called a • blow' of stone is on the surface, and nothing like it has been seen before in this district. It is the same description of stone as that in Kelly's claim on Kelly's line. . If it can be judged from appearance on the surface, it is the most likely thing lately discovered, The reefs now cross the Inangahua Valley, and they are still following the same formation of country ; but you must look with suspicion on the reports f:*om the head of Snowy Crock. This is the range," The Treasurer of the Grey River Hospital acknowledges receipt from Caleb Whitefoord, Esq, of the sum of L 23 4s 6d, being a further contribution collected by the Nelson Creek Local Committee. The Sosß News is informed that the Donnelly's Creek Company struck coal on Monday evening at 90ft. In the left-hand branch of Donnelly's Creek (says the Boss Neios) mining matters are progressing favorably, nearly all hands making good wages; but less flattering accounts are received from the right-hand bransh, owing to the heavy damage done to the dams and tail-races by the floods during the latter part of December. The Hon W. Reeves, Mr C. E. Haughton, the County Chairman, and the County Surveyor visited Ross on Monday. Previous to their departure from Hokitika, a deputation waited on Mr Reeves to suggest a deviation in tjie line of the Ross road, near the Hoki,tika river. Mr White, M.H.R, acted as spokesman, and stated that tie residents in Woodstock had had a line surveyed through their township, which they thought was a better, although longer, one than that bj Arthurstown. Mr O'Connor spoke rather favorably of the change. He said the steepest gradients in the new line would be one in twelve, as si«ainst one in nine on the old one, but the distance would be ten chains greater. He was instructed to report- on the proposal. An addition will shortly be made to ihe police force, stationed at Reefton, in the person of Senior-constable M'Ardle, who has recently had charge of the Brighton station. ' It is desirable that the locloup, at Reef ton, should be gazetted a Gaol, with as little delay as possible. Application has been made by Mr John M'Lean to the Provincial Engineer for protection for a bridge over the Inangahua River, connecting the projected Grey road with Reefton. A limb of a tree, detached by the, wind, fell across a hut, in the rear of the slaughteryards, Reefton, on Monday List, wrecking it completely. Fortunately no one was inside the hut at the time of the accident. Six drays and waggons are at present engaged in the traffic between Inangahua Landing and Reefton. Two sections of land in the township of Reefton were surveyed on Tuesday, and taken up for the purpose of erecting a Catholic Church thereon. _ The reef has been struck in Caples' claim, Boatman s, Inangahua, three feet in width. The tender of S. Lewiu has been accepted for the formation of Cnmp street, Reefton. The contract price for clearing and forming a dray road, 14ft wide, is L 5 per chain.

We learn that a party of four men crossed the Little Grey shortly after Mr Mackintosh. The party, seeing that the river was dangerous, wisely adopted the precaution of cutting a sapling, which each man retained in his hold, and thus crossed the stream safely. Some difficulty was, however, experienced, and the party was certain that one man could not have forded the river. The steamer Charles Edward, which arrived at midnight, from Nelson and Westport, brought the race-horses Peeress and xxx. ::.. „: •