THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1137, 20 March 1872, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 1872.

Duringthetwo days of the annual race meet ing the weather has been delightful, indeed it could not have been better if made to order, and as a consequence the community at large gave itself ud to a thorough enjoyment of the sport. Business of all kinds had been a very secondary matter, with the exception of the hotels which have done a " roaring" trade. All subjects locally and colonially political have been merged in the all absorbing idea of holiday-making, and even the conductors •oi newspapers have refrained from thrusting their usual "leaders"' upon dry political questions upon the notice of the many thirsty souls whose whole occupation has been the taking and giving ol "odds." As the races are now over we expect to return to our ordinary course of everyday life to-day, and do our best to make up for lost time.

Last evening the Bishop of Nelson delivered a lecture to children in the Town Hall (His Worship the Mayor in the chair) ex-" plainiugin a very simple manner what may be called the history of the manuscripts of the New Testament. The hall was crammed full and the lecture was attentively listened to. .It is the intention of the Bishop to deliver a more exhaustive lecture on the same subject, illustrated by diagrams, to adults, in the Town Hall, this evening, at eight o'clock. ..-..•

We learn by telegraph that the dinner given at Wellington on St Patrick's Day was a great success. The Governor and over 70 guests were present.

A special meeting of the County Council takes place to-day at noon, for the purpose of discussing the question of tolls and tollcollectors on the various lines of road throughout the County. Messrs Fox and Dungan leave town this morning by the steamer, in order to be present.

'Last evening, both the Panorama of the American War, a^ the Voliinteer Hall, and street, were densefy crowded. Both entertainments will be repeated this evening, when we have no doubt that their individual excellence will again attract crowded houses.

At the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, before W. H. Revell, Esq, R.M, one inebriate was discharged with a caution. John Hagerty was charged with making use of obscene language in a public place, and although he stoutly denied that he was the man, he was fined 20s or 48 hours' imprisonment. Henry Jacobs, charged with gambling on the race-course, was remanded until Saturday, being taken in two sureties of LlO each. James Miller, for a similar offence, was sentenced to twenty-four hours'imprisonment.

We are glad to notice that a party of miners havebroughtwatertothebeachatM'Gowan's, at Ross, to work the old lead over again. They have done so very inexpensively, by taking the stream which crossed the road at the cutting near M'i : owan's. It is a very low level, but they think they can work the whole' beach with it; if so, they will, no doubt, do well, as the ground was very rich, and only partially and imperfectly worked.

It is said that the Attorney-General and the Assistant Law Officer have nearly completed the drafts of the Education and the Permissive Bills, and that copies of the bills will shortly be forwarded to members of the Assembly and to the press.

The Provincial Government of Auckland offer a premium of LSO for the best design for a new and permanent Hospital building. The building is to be constructed of brick, stono, or concrete ; to contain accommodation for 120 patients, and the cost not to exceed LIO.OOO.

At a meeting of the Hokitika Hospital Committee, held on Monday . night,, the secretary reported that the sum of L2lß\'6d had been collected in Hokitika, up to date, for the benefit of the institution. He desired | to express his thanks to Messrs Hall, Hine, and Ingram, for the trouble they had taken in assistirg him to make tbe collections. He desired especially to mention the services of Mr Hine, who bad devoted three days to the work and had very materially assisted fin procuring the successful result arrived at. The Chairman reported that the members who were requested to wait upon the County Chairman, with respect to the regulations adopted by the County Council, had been unable to obtain an interview with .him, as he was at Ross, ' but they would take an opportunity of waiting upon him during the present week.

The advantages to be obtained by a participation in the charitable institutions of this colony (says the Melbourne Argiu) are highly appreciated by residents of other colonies who happen to bo afflicted with disease or to have approached old age. An instance' was furnished lately at a meeting of the^ Benevolent Asylum Committee. A man named Robert Olive, about 36 years of age, who was almost blind with cataract of the eyes, was an applicant for admission to the' asylum; His story was that he bad been sent here from Wanganui by the Government of New Zealand, or rather by the Superintendent of Wellington, who paid, his passage by the eteamer Gothenburg, in order that he might be attended to at some of the charitable institutions here. He said he had been about six months in the colony, and had been in the eye institution here, but bis eyes had not improved, and he was now quite destitute. In New Zealand he had a wife And child, and lie had wished to #et back to them) but he had no money. He had tried if Messrs Dalgety, Blackwood a 'I Co. or the captain of the Gothenburg w. : :ild give him a passage back, but they would not do so. The committee appeared to _ consider that the parties who brought Olive to this colony ought to be made to take him back again. Some of the members thought the owners or captain of the vessel who brdtight him were liable to a fine of LIOq

for doing so. Mr Zox said there had recently been several other cases of destitution sent here from New Zealand, one of which was a woman and a family of children. The committee instructedjDlive to try to obtain admission to the Immigrants' Home, and to come again next week, stating that in the meantime Mr Moody, the immigration officer, would be asked to take -the case ■under Kis control.

; A somewhat unexpected incident occurred (says the Melbourne Leader) in the Princess' Opera Hcuse during a performance of "II Trovatore." When Signor Cecchi and Madamo States had finished the duet which brought the third act to a conclusion, the prima donna left the stage rather abruptly. The tenor was disconcerted, and when he reached the wings made ust> of some uncomplimentary allusions in very choice Italian to the lady. He was overheard by Orlandini, who, probably moved by a chivalric desire to defend the fair name of Leonora and avenge the wrongs of the Conte diLmi;< upon the body of Manrico, drew his sword and made a rush at' the base traducer. Fortunately the sword was blunted, and the weapon glanced harmlessly off Cecchi]s breast, but inflicted a flesh wound on his left hand. Quick as lightning Manrico drew his stage sword, and but for the interference of tbe chorus a most dramatic conflict would have taken place behind the scenes.

The General Government have decided to erect a suitable depot near Dunedin," for the reception of the large number of immigrants that will arrive in Otago under the act of last session, the present old building in Princes-street hitherto used for the purpose being not only inconvenient in most respects, but of insufficient capacity to accommodate even for a shoifc time the large influx of people expected within the next fe« months. An admirable site of about four acres has been secured at Green Island, a little south of the fourth mile post, on the main south road, from which it extends northerly to the railway, having frontages to both. The ground has a very gentle slope towards the Kaikorai stream, by which a good drainage can be effected, and with an abundant supply of water from a spring 45 feet above the site, there will be every opportunity of maintaining the sanitary condition of the depot in perfect order.

At Conroy's Gully, Otago, we hear that Iversen's reef since the erection of machinery has cleared every expense including battery and water wheel, &c, a lot of timber on hand, besides paying a small sum as a dividend to each of the six shareholders. Only one crushing has taken place that has not paid expenses. The last of thirty tons taken from a narrow vein at the foot of the main tunnel, gave a yield of 240z 4dwt of retorted gold ; from the fact of the rock alongside the reef having had to be blasted and a lot of water making, a great deal of mullock was mixed with the stone, otherwise the yield per ton would have been far different, the last specimens taken out looking fully up to ten ounces to the ton. The prospect at the present time being so good, the shareholders are now about incurring another expense, by laying down piping along their main tunnel for drainage purposes. It is expected this plan will give this season's work, when a lower level will have to be sought. The reef just now is very tbin, but if it widens as it deepens of which there is every hope, and maintains its present richness, a sure fortune awaits the shareholders.

Millaud, banker and newspaper speculator, died recently in Paris, and who founded the Petit Journal, which at one time had a circulation of nearly half a million._copj^s 5v wa§ liberal" advertising, One day he had at his table nearly all the proprietors of the leading Paris dailies. They conve -sed about advertising. Millaud asserted that the most worthless articles could be sold in vast quantities, if liberally advertised. Emile de Girardin, olLaPresse, who was present, took issue with him on the subject. "What will you bet,", exclaimed Millaud, "that I cannot sell in one week 100,000 fraucs worth of the most common cabbage seed, uuder the pretext that it will produce mammoth cabbage heads ? All I have to do is to advertise it at once in a whole page insertion in the daily papers of this city." Girardin replied that he would give him a page in his paper for nothing if he should win his wager. The other newspaper publishers agreed to do the same thin^. At the expiration of the week they inquired of Millaud bow the cabbage seed had flourished. He showed them that he had sold nearly twice as much as he had promised, while orders were still pouring in, but s:ud the joke must stop there, and no further orders would be filled.

The Southern Gross states that arrangements have been made for the transmission of telegrams from Auckland South via Ohinemuri daily. This will be a great advantage to business men, and will obviate the vexatious delays which Auckland people have hitherto been subjected to in communicating with the Southern Provinces. The Thames Guardian of a late date informs us that the telegraph extension to the East Coast is rapidly approaching completion.; On Thursday night Mr Floyd despatched a clerk with all the necessary appliances and a tent, to form a movable camp, which will for a few days be stationed at Hikutai. To-day we understand that the messenger and clerk had arrived at their destination, and had got the wires attached to. the instrument, and were in communication with the office at Grahamstown. It is the, intention of Mr Floyd to move his camp as the wires progress, and to be in constant communication with the head office, and within a few hours' distance of Katikati. We are glad to hear that a commencement has been made to fix the sites and distances of the posts on the Coromandel line, which was roughly laid out a short time ago," " ; ". :

; The Nelson Mail fairly admits that Nelson proper — that is to say, the Province of Nelson as it existed before the gold discoveries, had reached its highest condition as a settlement. It confesses that if any immigration of labor were directed to the shores of Blind Bay, it would swamp the market, and "simply add to the ranks of pauperism." The pastoral lands have "long been fully occupied and stocked." But our frank contemporary goes on to say, "it may be naturally objected that if there is no land for the small farmer, no room for the stockbreeder or the flock-owner, no opening for the miner, and no employment for the daylaborer, or community must be in a pitiable and unhealthy condition. No one will dispute this ; and what is the opening that does exist in Nelson for fresh population ?— it is simply that the shores of Blind Bay offer great advantages to persons of small but settled incomes. Hear, the Mail:—" There must be hundreds in the mother country belonging to the ever-increasing ranks of the middle' class; it may 1 be, to no particular trade or profession, whose life is one long struggle to keep up appearances upon very straitened means. To them we can offer much. Spots are to be bought or rented cheaply enough all round the shores of Blind Bay, combining every. advantage of scenery and climate, where such as we have described may live on wonderfully small incomes, defying the terrible Mrs Grundy, respectable and respected/- Here; 1 if: anywhere, a man may choose his own standard of living, without losing caste, and if ambitions, may become with comparatively slender pretensions a much bigger man among his neighbors than he could nave hoped to beat home,"* .^