Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1189, 21 May 1872, Page 2

The entertainment last evening at the Volunteer Hall was for the benefit of Mr Seymour, who, both by his musical ?'and dramatic abilities, has rendered good service to the company since they have been here. The weather was miserable, but, notwithing, a very good house assembled, and the result must have been very satisfactory to the beneficiaire in every respect. The piece de resistance was "Kip Van "Winkle," and it went off excellently. The scenery was very well made up, and altogether the performance was a complete success, and a high compliment to the amateur who received the ovation. At the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, Patrick Farley, who had been arrested on Saturday for drunkenness, was discharged with a caution, having been incarcerated since that time. A Warden's Court commenced yesterday, but was brought to a summary conclusion by Mr Guinness, who was engaged on one side, pointing out that, as it was Whit Monday, it was a public holiday. The Court was then closed, and the only case on the list adjourned till a future date. "We have already published a report of the debate in the Nelson Provincial Council on the expenditure on main roads in the Grey and Buller Valleys. Regarding this our correspondent . writes :— One of the biggest Scenes. in what you have already designated the Battle of the Six Thousand took f place in the Council Hall last evening. By the Six Thousand I paean, of course, that number of pounds steiling which the Superintendent of Nelson recommended should be spent on the outskirts of Nelson settlement, and which ! the General Government wisely did not spend as the Superintendent wanted, but as the exigencies of the case demanded. Much has already been written in your columns on this same subject, but much more was said in the Council last evening, and to less purpose, as it was long after the event. Mr Arthur Collins was the author of the fight by a motion in which he so thoroughly misrepresented the position of the General Government, morally and legally, that no side of the House was likely to vote for it. Much less could the Gold Fields members, and Mr Kynnersley drew, up a motion of exactly the opposite effect, to which all the Gold Fields members agreed. They knew they would not carry it against the blinded members of Blind Bay, but they adhered by a unanimous vote to the assertion that the expenditure on the Reefton roads was the most judicious manner of expending the Railway Fund, and that it met with entire approba-

tion on the Coast, Against Collins's motior. Mr Luckie had another, milder and meaning less, but for which all sides, might safely vote. It was finally put and/carried, and a long discussion ended in a decision as utterly valueless as the discussion itself. The discussion had just one value. It showed the utter ignorance of the position on the part cL Blind Bay members, and it showed a perversity on thY p'art[ of the Government in' view of which the«i&^nulation of the West C.oasb.^itay.welL.tiii^ r .ji^eir.,si<s^3j<]ia^thei < , expenditure of the, Railway Fund was not left to Provincial authorities. The Fiji Gazette says that the emigration, from Fiji is becoming alarming, and adds :— ;, " The Meteor flashed away for Sydney the other day bearing with her twenty-three of the white population, many of whom we can ill spare, especially in these times. It is expected that the Norman, now : on the berth for Sydney, will carry away an equal number of our friends. This is disheartening; but what else can be expected when, of late, disorder, disunion, and dissension have ruled paramount in Levuka." An American exchange tells :— " For the observation of the transit of the planet Venus across the sun's disc in the year 1874, . the Astronomer-Royal of England proposes to send expeditions to the following stations : - Oahu, Sandwich Islands ; "Kerguelen's Island, in the Souih Pacific ; Rodrigue, an island in the Indian Ocean ; Auckland, New Zealand ; and Alexandria. As the longitude of the first three of these localities is not definitely known, it will be necessary for a scientific corps ''to reside at each of them for at least a year previous to the transit, in order to make the requisite observations." We notice that some very plain-speaking communications from correspondents appear from time to time in the columns of our Northern contemporaries.: As- a sample, we give the following, addressed to the editor of the Wangamd Herald, from one signing himself " Legal ":—" Sir- It is very currently reported, in town that a gentleman with a large hump on his back has lent a magistrate a large sum of money, payable on. demand. As such a circumstance might tend to thwart the ends of justice, I write to know if either you or any of your readers can throw any light on the subject." One can fancy tbe amazement of the parties interested— more especially the money-lender— on reading the above. As a matter of course, the editor of the Herald adds that he can throw no light upon the subject, but is ready to receive the fullest information relating to a matter that so closely, affects the proper administration of justice! During the past three weeks the North Star Company, 1 : Inangahua, have been engaged putting in a tunnel at the 200 ft level, and have driven about SOffc. Tn something under 100 ft they expect to get the reef at this level, and if the driving presents no greater difficulty than hitherto, they will intersect the reef within eight weeks. The following extraordinary advertisement appears in a recent Nelson paper :— v I beg to apologise to Messrs — • for saying that I had been robbed of four L 5 notes on the first day of the races, having afterwards found the notes in my boots." The New Zealand Real Property and Goldmining Investment Society, -with a capital of L 50,000, has been started at home, and proposes to acquire land for mining and other purposes in New Zealand. Among the original shareholders is the name of Mr George Edmonds, of Auckland. : " Australian colonists, more especially those resident in Australia," says "AngloAustralian" in the European Mail, " will be gratified at learning that the poet-laureate has presented to the Prime Minister a memorial, in which are set forth the claims of Mr R, H; Home to be allowed to participate la the pensions awarded from the civil list in recognition of literary, scientific, and other public services. Among Mr Tennyson's cosignatories are Mr Browning, Mr Swinburne, Mr Rosetti, Mr Morris, Mr Matthew Arnold, Mr Carlyle, Lord Lytton, Sir Henry Taylor, Mr Buskin", Professor Owen, and Miss Harriet Martineau." ; Speaking of the late Mr W. C. >7entworth, of Vsucluse, Sydney, who died on the 20th March at Meriey, near Weinhorne, " Anglo- Australian, writing in the European Mail, says :— " As one of the oldest. Australians, and as a leading man among the mercantile community, and in the political arena, he for many years. occupied a foremost position in Australia ; and . although his health and advanced years have for some time prevented him from taking part in public matters, his memory is still cherished with the greatest regard by all— without distinction as to party— who have passed iheir lives in the Australian colonies. He was one of those pioneers who have' helped to make Australia what it is. The body of a boy who was drowned whilst fishing in Auckiand harbor was lately discovered, and the Herald, after notifying the inquest, nas the following remarks, which we thoroughly endorse and are quite as applicable to Greymouth as to Auckland. Our contemporary says, referring to a rider on the verdict expressing a hope that a byelaw to prevent boys fishing in dangerous places would be passed by the Borough Council: — "Such a bye-law would be valu- 1 ablej no doubt, but still it would' fall far short of removing either all the danger or nuisance that is caused by this mode which is resorted to by some ■to while away an idle hour. It. is not the children under 10 years of age. who habitually ire'quent the wharf, and endanger others by whirling round a yard and a-half of line, weighted at the end, for the purpose of throwing it into the stream, and with whom, when" remonstrated with on the dangerous practice, the answer is that if anyone gets struck it will : teach them to look out for themselves; If for no other reason than this, it would be no small boon to have fishing , from off the Queen-street wharf totally prohibited. This is the measure that will have to be taken at some not very distant period, and there is sufficient traffic on the wharf to warrant the enforcement of such a bye law at once, which will be the only way of effectually removing the evil. Referring to New Zealand manufactures recently exhibited in the Adelaide Exhibitioh, a correspondent writing to the Qtarjo Daily Times sends l^he following :— " Adelaide, 12th December, 1872. The quality of the ale is considered very good, and. no doubt if there was no duty on the produce of each colony, we should use plenty of such ale here ; the same with the cheese. 1 could not get an offer of more than S^i per lb for the small cheese (Canterbury) : the large cheese (Ot:igo cheddar), I got lid per ,1b for." " Adelaide, 9bh January, 1872. the awards for wine and beer will be out on- Thursday. I do not think the New Zealand ale has got a prize, but I hear it is highly commended, and think it first rate, but I fear it was rather out of condition, and so missed the prize." "Adelaide, 23rd January, 1872. The New Zealand ale in cask, did not get a prize, but after the judging the weather set in hob, and the store in which it was, being above ground, it soon had a marked effect on the. exhibit?, nearly all of pur beers going sour— including those that obtained the prizes— while the New Zealand ale continued to improve, getting brighter every day 1 ; and on removing the exhibits, or what was left of them, on last, there was only one of our Adelaide ales .sound. Almost every one agrees that the' New Zealand ale ought to have had the prize. I tasted the Geneva from Howden and Co, land thought it the best colonial spirit I have met with."