Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1134, 16 March 1872, Page 2

The members of the Greymouth Garrick Club met at Hunt's Hotel last evening ; E. Wickes, Esq, President, in the chair. A balance-sheet, showing the receipts and expenditure in connection with the performance in aid of the funds of the Greymouth Hospital was read and adopted, and the balance, amounting to L 9 11s, voted to be handed to that institution. Some business of a routine character was transacted, when the meeting adjourned. A Calcutta sweep on the Jockey Club Handicap will be drawn at Middleton's Wharf Hotel this evening. The tenders for the construction of the dray road from town to the Oinotumotu Creek, ciosc on the 2Dth March, not April, as erroneously announced yesterday. All the banks in towu will close at 11 a. in ou Monday and Tuesday. The Bishop of Nelson will preach in the Church of England tomorrow. Mr Horace Bent has 'joined Collins and Carroll's pompany of Minstrels. Some of the members of Great World Circus Company returned here yesterday by the ss Waipara. The troupe will perform here for several nights during the race week. His Honor the Superintendent of Wellington, and Mr Bunny, Provincial Secretary, passed through Nelson on Monday, on their way to Wanganui, in the steamer Wanganui. The Provincial Secretary of Nelson, Mr Greenfield, was to leave Nelson by the steamer Kennedy, on a visit to the Grey Valley and such portions of the West Coast as the Superintendent failed to visit during his recent stay on the Coast. The Hon. John Hall is still suffering from illness. He was unable, through indisposition, to accept the invitation of his constituents to a complimentary dinner at Lincoln. The Kaiapoi crew have challenged the Lyttelton champion ciew to row them a three mile race on the Waimakariri for LIOO aside .and the championship. ( ,t ■ n ■ . , -> Judge Richmond was a passenger frcm Nelson by the steamer Kennedy. , He opens the Supreme Court at the latter place on Monday. The following is the list of criminal cases to bo tried : — Henry Law, Greymouth, stealing gold from partner ; Patrick Crawford, Greymouth, burglary ; Ann Freeman, Greymoath, larcenyfromthe person ; Stephen Cattle, Greymouth, attempt to commit suicide ; Michael Browne, Greymouth, attempt to set fire to a dwelling ; George Pett, alias Smith, Hokitika, maliciously injuring a horse ; Samuel Solomon, Hokitika, having more than ten pounds of powder on his premises without a license; David Curie,

Ross, libel j John Fan-is, Stafford, embezzlement ; James Riordan, Greenstone, attempting to have carnal knowledge with a girl under the ago of ten years. There are also four cases from the Nelson South-West Gold Fields:— T. O'Neill, maliciously killing a pig ; W. Pothan, cattle stealing— three charges. ,We learn from Christshurch papers that the. fion John Hall is still suffering from "the / jUriess which occasioned his hasty retirement from Wellington during the last session. He was recently invited to a complimentary dinner at Liucoln, but was unable to accept the invitation. • " Information has been received in Wellington of the burning of Mr Fitzherbert's flax mill at the Wainuiomata. The loss is estimated at L3OOO, no part of which is covered by insurance. The cause of the fire was unknown. After many unsuccessful attempts in the province, an artesian well has been sunk at Olive, Napier, and a splendid flow of water obtained at a depth of 150 feet. The Wakamarina Dredging Company had commenced working and obtained very fair prospects, but not sufficient to cover the heavy working expenses, L 3 per week per man being the lowest rate at which labor can be obtained. Tt has therefore been determined to suspend operations for a time. Tbe tramway between Black's Point and Reefton, for which protection has been granted to Mr W. Courtney, will be commenced at once. Mr Courtney has left Westport for the field of his future operations. As signs of the times, and that the trade and consumers of Westport are on the increase, the local paper alludes to two new wharves. with appurtenances about to be constructed by Mr Muuro and Mr M'Leod. The Resident Minister for the Middle Island has accepted a tender for the construction of the Selwyn and Rakaia railway. Tne construction of the line is to be commenced at once. The five Sisters of Mercy, who came out iv the Star of Peace, are now in Christchurch. During the passage the captain of the vessel (Captain Boadeu) so well won the esteem of all on board, that the Sisters of Mercy presented him with a beautiful piece of woolwork, on which the ship's name, the house flag of her line, and Captain Boaden's name are very [nicely and ingeniously embroidered. The Timaru Herald reports an accident which occurred on the railway works, at the hill overlooking the Washdyke Flat. A man named Robert Bulford was engaged in removing some earth, when a fall above took place, and although Bulford sprung several feet aside he could not save himself from being buried by the falling eaith. When taken up his legs and the lower part of the abdomen were found to be severely bruised ; no bones were broken. Bishop Moran of Otago, and his clergy are certainly in earnest when they say they will leave no stone unturned to get children of their flock to attend their own schools. The Catholic school at Lawrence is a success, and Father Larkin is determined that every Catholic child shall go to it. At his own expense he is providing a suitable waggon, .which is being constructed by Cobb and Co, and in it the children residing in Wetherstones , and other . outlying districts will be brought to school and back in all weathers. The Wellington Provincial Government is making arrangements to place from 1000 to 1500 Canadian and Nova Scotian immigrants upon a block of land about 45,000 acres in extent — through which the tramway now passes— between Masterton and the Gorge. A gentleman, possessing a special knowledge of these colonies, has been appointed to select^a block of land for the purpose, and to proceed to Canada to carry out the project. The scheme has been thoroughly approved of by the General Government, who have engaged to pay the passages of the immigrants. An accident occurred at Ross to a miner named M'Grath. He was working below m a_ drive in the Shetland Claim, when a set of timber, which had been put in by the previous shift, gave way and knocked him down, partly burying him under the fallen timber aud earth. He was soon released by his mates, when . it .was found some of his ribs were broken, and he was taken to the Hospital. Had he not been released quickly the accident would, most likely, have terminated fatally, as a quantity of earth came away shortly afterwards. The Auckland correspondent of the Lyttelton. Times writes :— "From all I hear, it really appears that Mr Cyrus Haley, the supposed incendiary, is suffering fron monomania, induced by real or fancied injuries. -Assuredly he imagines that a.powerful enemy, has done him irreparable wrong, but whether or no he has substantial grounds for that fancy or conviction remains to be seen. Meantime he suffers great mental affliction, and is impressed with the belief that efforts are being made to spirit away those who seem to be very dear to him. I hear that his,,hair is really turning grey, notwithstand- | iug everything asserted to the contrary. The fattening qualities of the bush runs on this Coast are now becoming well known, and a great area of country is being rented for cattle-feeding. The Boss News reports that Messrs Diedrichs and Karnbach, who were among the first to stock the river beds of the Coast -with store-cattle, have within the last few days driven a very large mob of stores from Canterbury, to be distributed over their various runs. The mob numbered 540, but some wore drafted off to the Longtord run, on the Hbkitika River. Nearly every river bed is now taken up as a fattening run, when the scrub is gradually being broken down by the stock and giving place to grass. ....?.• .... -• ■ i: As already reported by telegraph, Charleston narrowly escaped being the scene of a serious conflagration on Friday last. At about live o'clock in the morning a man, named Charles O'Donnell, discovered a fire at the rear of the City Hotel, in which he happened to be sleeping in a room just alongside of where the fire occurred. Heimmediatefy gave the alarm, and some people having assembled, the fire was luckily quickly under control. Owing to the early hour at which the fire occurred, had it not been seen in such good time, the entire block, which is the most valuable in Charleston, must almost iuevitably have been consumed. The fire was caused by the servant in the City Hqtel throwing burning ashes, into a barrel some time on the previous day. No later than Sunday last a similar instance occurred in another portion of the town. Writing of the acceptances for the Greymouth Jockey Club Handicap, the Nelson Examiner says :— We fully, expected to have found Hatred in the list of acceptances, as ghp recently ran well in the Amuri, and won all her races against Webb's stable, She is by Traducer, out of Emmeline (Golden Cloud's dam), and with only 7st 21b' should have had a good show. Black Eagle passed through Nelson from Auckland early last week, and if anything of a racehorse should, with only 7st, be a formidable, opponent. He was bred in Taranaki, and got by Nutwith (a full brother of Waimea), out of a Sydney-bred mare. He has twice beaten Flying Jib in short handicaps, receiving wqight, but was beaten by the son of Wet. pail at W3ight-for*age, He is now to receive 3st 71b from Peeress, ancLifc may. well bo a question whether she cair^ivo such a lump

of weight. After seeing Black Eagle, we are not inclined to pick him out as the winner. The most ' dangerous opponent to Peeress will, .we think, be Misfortune, if she . comes right to the post. She is a game little mare, will stay the distance, has a fair turn of speed, and it is a question whether a difference of 2st. 51b will not enable her to beat Peeress. As far as at present informed, we place Peeress and Misfortune first., and second, the latter being the favorite at Greymouth. Elying Jib is at Greymouth, and his presence will give additional interest to the meeting. Professor Haselmayer is at present giving entertainments in Nelson. The Examiner says :—" It is impossible to convey an adequate idea of the wonderful tricks exhibited, which must be seen to be understood. We will only instance one- the Goblin Drum. A small drum attached to a tripod is placed in the middle of the hall. Two gentlemen are requested to write down, on slips of paper, any number of figures they think proper, which they retain in their possession. The drum then indicates by taps the number which these two sets of figures make added together (the figures as called being marked on a board), and then each set of figures is given separately, and the gentlemen who wrote them are appealed to for their correctness. This is but one out of a score of tricks, all executed in the cleverest possible manner, some of which, excel any we ever before witnessed." A perfect stampede took place on Thurs--day, in consequence of three men's ground iv No 1 north, Baigent's, at Boatman's, being declared open to be taken up by holders of 'minera rights; The Ihangdhua Herald thus describes the scene : — "The ground was so declared by tbe Warden during the sitting of the Court, and with one accord some fifteen or twenty competitors made a rush from the Court House. These were joined by several others in the vicinity of the Court ; and altogether about thirty miners were to be seen running at top speed in an excitiDgraco of ten or twelve miles. The majority of those who left the Court made their exit at the door, but a miner named Deegan, who was completely hemmed in by the dense body of people at the upper end of the room, shot through one of the side windows, and thus got a good start. Gaffney, who opened up Gaffney's line; was the first on the ground, and Deegan second. The name of the lucky third we have been unable to learn. .