THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. TUESDAY, MAT 7, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1177, 7 May 1872, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. TUESDAY, MAT 7, 1872.

In connection with the present agitation at Reefton regarding the quartz-mining leases, we may mention that the adjourned meeting was held on Saturday evening, at Slattery's hotel, when there were nearly 500 miners present. The memorial to the General Government, drawn up by the Committee appointed at the first meeting was submitted and unanimously adopted by the meeting. The memorial, asking the General Government to take over the control of the district, will at onre be sent to Wellington. We will publish it as speedily as possible.

The County Engineer, Mr Frew, is reported to be unfavorable to the construction of the proposed line of road inland of the Wanganui Bluff, in which case the seaward face of it will have a track cut along it similar to those lately made round some of ' the more southern bluffs, and which have given great satisfaction to our Okarito friends. Owing to the cold wet weather last night there was but a poor attendance at the dramatic entertainment in the Volunteer Hall last evening. The pieces produced were "The School for Scandal" and "Milky White," both of which were well played. ! To-night the grand sensational drama of " The Sea of Ice " is to be produced, for the first time in Greymouth, with grand scenic effects. At the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, George Addy was fined 5s for having been drunk and disorderly. George Martin, for allowing his horse to wander in the streets, was fined 5s and costs. Enoch Hoiloway, was charged on the information of James Hamilton, stoiekeeper, Rutherglen, with wilfully and maliciously smashing a door. He admitted the offence. Mr Hamilton stated that the prosecution had not been brought to secure damages, but simply to ! caution the defendant against bis riotous conduct, as he was a perfect terror while under the influence of liquor. Mr Bryant having given evidence as to the amount of damage done to the door, the Magistrate ordered defendant to pay 10s damages, and as he had already been locked up for two days to be discharged- on payment of costs, and he would be allowed a week's time to pay the fine.

A miner, whose name has not been ascertained, was drowned some few days since near the Haast. He was in company with another man, and they were endeavoring to get round Arnott Point, when a heavy roller drove them both up against the face of the bluff, and then drew them out to sea. Deceased got jammed amongst the rocks, but the other man swam out and returned to his companion, whom he carried in, but he was quite dead.

The following is a return of the business transacted at the Resident Magistrate's and Warden's Courts at Camptown for the year ending lßt March, 1872 :— Cases tried in the Magistrate's Court— Criminal, 103 ; civil, 173 ; amount sued for LIBBS 17s 3d. Warden's Court --Cases tried and defended, 43 ; number of certificates issued from the Warden's Office, 903 ; number of applications made in the Warden's Court, 685; number of miners' rights issued, 688 ; publicans' licenses, 65 ; business licenses, 161 ; the revenue for the above period including transfer of publicans' licenses, special permits, survey fees, &c, was, under the head of Gold Fields revenue, L 2739 2s 3d, and Resident Magistrate's Court fees, L2BB 2s lOd, making a total of L 3027 5s Id for the financial year. The abeve includes the districts of No Town, Nelson Creek, Red Jack's only; the business of Moonlight, Callaghan Creek, Napoleon, Half-Ounce, Mosquito, Duffer Cieek, Noble's, and the whole of the Little Grey diggings being transacted at Ahaura.

A romantic incident, bearing out the truth of the old adage, that "where there's a will there's a way," occurred in or out of one of our country towns last week. The particulars are as follows :— A young lady of about sixteen summers fell deeply in love with, a gallant young militiaman from the North Island, who is at present sojourning on the gold fields, and no doubt amusing himself goldseeking, and otherwise passing away the time until he attains his "majority." or until his " war medal " arrives from England. It was at length arranged between them that they should "bolt" together, or, m it is generally described in such cases, " fly to some distant land," &c. The lovers had several stolen and sweet interviews, and the course of true love appeared for once to be running smooth, when, through the intervention of some busy-body, the relatives of the young lady became aware of her "goings on, and they immediately placed her securely under lock and key, so to speak. Bnt love laughs at locksmiths, and, for that matter, at blacksmiths. A " third party" was confided in, and this astute individual soon devised a plan for outwitting the cruel guardian who had charge of the girl, and who, like the dragon in the fairy tale, never closed an eye while it was necessary to keep watch and ward over the princess . It is not necessary to describe how it was done, bnt it was done, and the girl and her "dunnage," as the "third party " unpoeti cally described the girl's olothing, were mtr*

reptitiously abstracted during the night. It now became a question as to where the refugee would be. placed, so that she would not be retaken and again placed in " bondage."' The "third party suddenly recollected that a friend "of hisn," who lived at H — —'B, about twenty miles distant, would be j»lad to take charge of Miss — — until the affair had blown over, and he volunteered, in the kindest manner, to accompany her to H 'a. It was necessary to walk on foot for nearly ten miles before horses could be procured, and accordingly the trio set out in the darkness, Miss and the "third party " some mile or so in advance, and the militiaman bringing up the rear loaded with the "dunnage." The "third party" and the young lady procured horses at C n and reached H 's in safety at daylight next morning, but the poor militiaman came to grief. As soon as the girl was missed her relatives started in hot pursuit, and as they travelled quicker than the lover, loaded as he was with his lady love's "rigging," they soon overtook him. He dodged into the bush and let them pass. When they had gone by he came out and proceeded on to hiß destination. The others thinking they had gone far enough, and supposing the fugitives had taken another direction returned and met the militiamen. He, not dreaming but his friends, the girl, and the "third party," bad, by turning off the road, played the pursuers the same trick as he had himself, came boldly towards the two figures he saw approaching him in the imperfect light, when, to his dismay, one of them turned out to be the enraged elder sister of the runaway. What followed may be imagined, but the gallant soldier sajs that during the few minutes following that unexpected meeting he was in the hottest action in which he was ever engaged during the whole of his military career.

We hear that the wire for the bridges over the Little Wanganui and two Saltwater Creeks is now on the ground. When those bridges are completed the dangers of southern travelling will be greatly lessened.

A man named Guiseppi Trabelini was found dead about midnight last Saturday, lying on a sofa in the kitchen of the Commercial Hotel, Waimea.

Some wagß at Queenstown, Otago, find amusement by turning quiet folk out of bed at unearthly hours by ringing the fire-bell. Notwithstanding that an example was before made of a delinquent, the offence has been repeated. The offender on this occasion was a coach driver, named Henry, who was fined L10 — rather dear amusement.

In regard to the yields from the Heart of Oak claim, Carrick Range, Otago, we may mention that a crushing took place on the 13th ultimo, which will make the aggregate yield look much better. On that day a crushing of 175 tons of stuff was completed, the yield being 2530z 4dwt. A deputation waited on the County Chairman at Hokitika, on Saturday last, for the purpose of pointing out the desirability of connecting the line of main road between Ross and Reefton. The West Coast Times reports :— The deputation consisted of the Hon. J. A. Bonar, Messrs Cassius, Churches, Tabart, Pollock, Hall, Lintou, Scott, Macfarlane, Wilkinson, Jenkins, Evans, and Klein. Mr Cassius, having introduced the deputation, stated that there were two ways by which a dray-road could be connected between Ross and Reefton. Either way would place Hokitika and the rest of the southern portion of Westland on an equal footing with our Greymouth neighbors. One of the roads had been already passed by the Government, and only needed a connecting link of about ten miles to make a complete chain of roads between this and Reefton. The road to which he referred was, he said, already made from here to Stafford Town, Goldsboroughand Greenstone, and is in course of formation thence to Marsden. The only piece to be constructed would b& from Marsden to Omoturaotu Creek, a distance of ten miles, and the probable cost would be LIO.OOO. This would be the easiest road to make of the two. The other line would be from the thirty-second mile-post on the Christchurch road, and would need the construction of about twenty-eight miles of new road. It presents not the slightest engineering difficulties, a.id would be the means of connecting about fifteen digging townships, as well as opening up a large extent of agricultural land. In respect to that road it would be advisable to communicate with the Canterbury Government, as that Province would benefit largely by the^ road, and would no doubt assist in promoting its construction. The County Chairman fully agreed that a connecting road should be made. The General Government had intended to make the Marsden road, but his Greymouth friends could not agree amongst themselves as to the line it should take, hence the unfinished state of the connecting link in the line of roads, and now there would be needed a new vote of money by the Assembly, as there is none unexpended which could be applied to the purpose. He would, however, endeavor to do all in his power to have the road made. If the deputation thought that the road from the Christchurch road would benefit Hokitika, he would communicate on the subject with Mr Rolleston, the Superintendent of Canterbury, whom he had always found willing to assist in anything that conduced to the welfare and interests of Westland. Mr Bonar remarked that as it was within the bounds of possibility that in the next session the vrho\e of the West Coast Gold Fields would be placed under one Government, the road to Reefton would connect those Gold Fields together, as the Nelson Government are making a road from Westport to Reefton, and thus Westporfc and Ross would be brought into connection. After some discussion it was agreed that a memorial should be drawn up on the matter and transmitted to the hon. Mr Reeves, and the County Chairman promised that he would place himself in communication with Mr Reeves on the subject. The deputation having thanked Mr Labman for his courteous attention, then withdrew. [Upon the above our contemporary has written an article so much calculated to mislead that we regret amount of space at our disposal will not the allow us to correct it on many points in this issue, but we will do so in our next.]

A serious accident occurred lately in the bush near Mercury Bay, to a man named Henry Smith. It appears that he was accompanying a Mr White, farmer of that place, to shoot wild cattle, and that he was resting himself on his gun, the palm of the hand being over the muzzle, when the weapon slipped, the hammer coming against a fragment of rock with sufficient violence to discharge the piece and break the tumbler of the lock. '» io ball, passing through the palm <>f his .tond, restruck the man on the inner side of the arm, about 4in. from the shoulder-joint, and after splitting the bone made its exit on the outside. A consultation was desired by Dr Agassiz, of Mercury Bay, and a messenger was despatched for Dr Payne, of Coromandel, who ai rived about noon the following day. It being evident that nothing could save the arm, it was amputated just above the wound.. A very unusual complication presented itself, it being found that the brachial artery was wounded by a splinter of bone about 3£in. above the fracture, and Dr Payne found it necessary to cut down upon and tie the auxiliary artery in the upper part of the middle third of its course— in other words, to cut into the armpit from above and tie the main artery high up. The man was doing well, and had passed a comfortable night, when Dr Payne | left*