Untitled

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1198, 31 May 1872, Page 2

The Westland Waste Lands Board has reserved from sale 375 acres of land in block 1, Grey District, in order that it may be granted in payment for public works. Mr Lahman has granted to Mr W. Evans and party a special claim of 10 acres, at the east of the railway reserve at the rear of the Greymouth Cemetery. The SVcst Coast portion of the San Francisco mail will be brought round by the s.s 1 Murray, which was to leave Nelson at five o'clock on Wednesday evening, and will be here at daylight on Saturday morning. A quantity of machinery for the Energetic Company, Inangahua, was landed to-day from the Charles Edward; We hear that it is the intention of Mr Thompson, Mr Langland's agent, to forward it by boat to Ahaura, and wait a few weeks, if necessary, till the Mia Mia and Reefton road is opeu, when it will be sent on to its destination. The balance of the Company's machinery will be here, as we are informed, in a week. The Kennedy will also bring machinery here for companies at Reefton, the manufaturers preferriug to send by this route rather than longer submit to the inefficient portage and consequent delay on goods landed at West--1 port. That port is full of goods ready for transport, but tha boat service is insufficient to meet the demand. Those of our residents who have not yet received their Crown Grants would do well to take a look at the last issued County ofWestland Gazette, as it contains a very long list of persons in whose names these grants have been made out, but which are still lying nt the Crown Lands Office, Hokitika. That list is a curious study, as owing to the delay that has taken place in the issue of the Crown (.-rants, many of the grantees are dead, others scattered all over the face of the earth, while njauy of the sections have long since beeu washed to sea.

To-morrow evening the Stephenson-Bur-ford Troupe play .it the Volunteer Hall, for the benefit of Mr and Mrs Drake. The pieces selected are the sensational riiamn of "Aurora Floyd," and a farce. A Government. Gazette announces that the designation of the orKce of Controller of the Money Order and Sayings Bank Department of General Post Office has been altered to Accountant of the Chief Money Order and

Savings Bank Office ; that James Kenimis Wiirburton, Esq., has been appointed to the accountantship vice William Pagau, controller deceased ; and that William Gray, jun., Esq., has been promoted to be Chief Clerk of the General Post Office, vice J. K. Warburton, promoted. The meeting of the General Assembly is further prorogued until Tuesday, the 16th July. Mr James Bickerton Fisher has been appointed Crown Prosecutor for the district . of .Westland. North. The final deposits of L6O a-sidein the footrace between Drake and Twohill were made last night, and we now hold the full stakes. Unless the weather is very good it will be almost impossible fc spectators to reach the course od foot, as the track is in a very bad state. As we have already stated, the races take place to-morrow at two o'clock. Last night the competitors agreed to toss for the choice of the order in which the races should be run. Mr Drake won, and arranged that the first event should be the 150 yards race. In the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, R. S. Brown was summoned for having unlicensed dogs in his possession. His defence was that he had given them away when first warned, but they returned to his house, and on being summoned he destroyed them. The Magistrate held the offence proved, and defendant was fined Ll and costs. James Middleton was summoned by the Paroa Road Board for the sum of Ll ss, rates alleged to be due by him on assessment 124. Mr Perkins appeared for the defendant. A clerical error, whereby 174 was set down as the number of the assessment, and another mistake whereby the summons was taken out by the Paroa Road Board instead of the Road Board District and ratepayers, were waived by Mr Perkins, who admitted the assessment and also that the property belonged to the defendant, It seemed, however, that it was in the occupation of a Mr Scholtoff, and Mr Perkins quoted the 100 th clause of the Act to show that the Board should first have levied on ! the occupier, as it was thereby provided that he should be first called on. The owner was not liable till three months had elapsed froth the striking of the rate, which was on the 6th April last, as provided in the 111 th clause. The Magistrate, in reference to the clauses quoted, said the objection was evidently valid, and nonsuited the plaiutiffs with costs of Court and professional costs. Another sutnjaons had been. issued by the Board, but the amount had been paid in. The Magistrate remarked that if any objection had been taken to the form of the summons which had been waived by Mr Perkins, he must have held it fatal and pointed it out in order that similar blunders might be avoided in future. 'This was all the business and the Court then adjourned. The Wellington Independent says : — "The Government have received the gratifying news through the Bank of New Zealand that the whole of the second instalment of the Immigration and Public Works Loan, amounting to a million, had been taken up at 1004- This is a satisfactory proof of the confidence reposed in the policy of the Colonial Government and in the resources of the colony. A statement appeared in our commercial telegrams yesterday that the first effect of throwing the additional million into the market was to depress the price of New Zealand securities generally. It is not at all improbable that this would be the case, but the price realised for the fresh instalment would speedily restore the position of debentures. The money market is as sensitive as a barometer, and a slight thing will disturb it- The depression would not in all probability exceed the advance which had recently occurred."

We (Independent) informed our readers a few clays ago that the negotiations with Mr Brogden were so far advanced that it was expected contracts would be arranged in a day or two. We have now authority for stating that arrangements have been made for the construction of the Hcton and Blenheim railway ; that in a day or two the Invercargill and Mataura railway will be also contracted for, and that two or three of the other most important lines will be tendered for and their construction decided on as soon as Mr Brogden has completed his calculations. The Queen's Birthday races at Christcaurch were a great success — large fields and good contests being the order of the day. The Handicap Hurdle Race, of 50 soys, was won by a three-year-old, Tainbourini, beating Medora, Ivanhoe, and Camel. The Butchers' Purse, of 15 soys, was won by Bismarck beating four others. The Victoria Handicap, of 75 soys, a mile and a-half, was won by Tambourini, the same colt that had previously won the Hurdle Race, This performance stands him as a star of no common order, for he defeated a field of nine, including Slander, who was second, Hatred, Economy, Gossip, and others of le3ser note. In a private sweepstake King beat Commodore. The Cavalry Purse, of 25 soys, was won by Ranelagh beating four others. The Flying Stakes, of 35 soys, were won by Slander, beating four others, and the Consolation fell to Miss Flat, who ran away from six. We learn from the local papers that the settling was most satisfactory, and altogether that this almost impromptu meeting equalled the best days of the regular races. The Southern Cross thus speaks of a wonderful individual who has recently been fooling the Aucklanders :•— " On Saturday night, perched on a box, illuminated by an oil lamp, and in the presence of an admiring multitude, he announced in florid language how the finest brandy, whiskey, hollauds, gin, and rum could be made for less than 33 a gallon. The brandy should smell just I like brandy, taste like brandy, exhilirate like brandy, and intoxicate like brandy. And so with whiskey, and hollands, and gin, and rum. "Here," said the phenomenon, "is a tumbler of water. Now, I pour a few drops from this bottle, and add a pinch from this box, and here (handing it round upon trial and proof) you have a glass of good brandy and water, which will revive the cheer the heart, send a glow through the body, clear the brains and cause a decided tightness if anything in quantity." And so the phenomenon in turn converted water into all the known sorts of wines, spjrits, and potent liquors retailed out by publicans to their customers. Then he commenced an onslaught on the cordial manufacturers. He made lemon syrup at the rate of three quart $ i for a shilling ; lime-juice at 4d a gallon ; peppermint at 3d per pint, which he averred was a fine stomachic, and a cure for flatulency, cholic, griping pains, and indigestion. Now, the next thing for the phenomenon was to explain how all these wonderful changes f cm pure water into potent liquors, or swc'r'l -.v.vcd aromatic-smelling cordials, was t> no brought about. Well, that was his secret ; but he would, divulge the modus operandl by handiug any person a book containing the whole of the recipes for the insignificant sum of two shillings. The Government had unwisely refused to buy his discoveries from him, and if through their short-sighted policy they dared him to attack the revenue, and do away for once and for ovor with all bonded stores, the fault be on their own heads. For two shillings every m a h and woman ought to be their own brewers, of beer at almost nothiug a hogshead ; their own distillers of liquor at three shillings per gallon ; and cordial all round at a few pence per quart. In the course of about half an hour forty people became enlightened at the figure mentioned, when the 'phenomenon doused his lamp, jumped from his packing-

case pedestal, and disappeared from the public gaze? A man named Robert Pollock Carter dropped dewn dead in Auckland on the 28th inst, ■ . ' ' ' i ' :; v...- ., At the meeting of the directors of the Ross Drainage Company on Monday night last, it was agreed to take the sum of Ll4O pei j week — LIOO as the weekly subsidy, and the balance to go towards reducing the old asset of LI4OO, owing by the Drainage Board to. \ the Company, The Thames correspondent of the Southern' " Cross says:— "The Justices of the Peace question is being ventilated here, and various suggestions have been made with -the view of improving the quality of the arjbicle that is so frequently retailed under the name of justice. A humorous writer in the Star advocated the drowning of all the J.P.s, and that when the Resident Magistrate is 'absent the duties of bhe Bench should be discharged by the newspaper reporters. Another writer in the Advertiser, more thorough and common sense in his remarks, calls attention to the fact of no fewer lhan five of the Thames J.P.s being paid Government officials. He recommends the revision of the J.P. roll, and the excision of the names of such persons. That there is room for improvement is most certain, for with scarcely an exception the J.P.s who usually officiate on the Bench here discover a lamentable ignorance of even the rudiments of justice, to say nothing about that Protean creature termed law." The Colonial Government are endeavoring to obtain a collection of native timbers for the purpose of investigating their properties, and as it is very desirable that the fullest assistance should be „a fforded them, and there are no doubt many who might wish to contribute varieties of the native timber of the colony, we may mention that the District Engineer, Mr Blair, will receive specimens and forward them to the proper quarter. The following particulars for sending specimens of native timber to the District Engineer, Dunedin, will prove of interest to those who may have the means at hand of complying with the conditions :— " Ordinary specimens of new timber to show an average section of a full-sized tree, not less •than two feet long, and of the following thickness : Trees under 18 inches diameter, full section; from 18 inches to three feet, half section; and above three feet, quarter section, the bark being left on in all cases. Samples of sawn timber of each tree should also be sent, showing the ordinary form in which it is found in the market, say a piece of four-inch by three-inch scantling, four feet long; and a nine-inch by one-inch board, four feet long. The whole to be accompanied by specimens of the leaves, and I (if possible) of the flowers or berries, and a note of the locality, and the soil in which the timber was grown, the season in which it was felled, and such other particulars as may be useful in arriving at a correct knowledge of its properties. Specimens ; of old timber may be of any convenient size or shape; and in addition to those required with the new timber, each specimen should be accompanied by detailed particulars of .the amount of seasoning it has received, the situation it has occupied, and the exposure to which it has been subjected, together with a note of the time it has been in use. Each specimen to be labelled and distinctly numbered," the matter being referred" to in the description that accompanies it." The Eaglan correspondent of the Southern Cross says :— "The monotony of Raglan has recently been disturbed by two or three cases of robbery and burglary, in which the natives have exhibited an amount of daring and contrivance equal to any of their white«skinned brethren. A short time ago Mr Gavin had his store robbed during the night by the natives getting down the chimney, and unfastening the door to let themselves out. In a more recent case the natives ( Hauhaus f rom Kawhia) effected an entrance into Mr Powell's store during the night time by cutting out a pane of glass from the shop window, and helped theajselves to goods and money to the amount of L 35 before they became satisfied. The thieves were traced to Aotea, but the Hauhaus refused to give them up, so that the law is quite powerless with respect to these rebel Hauhau offenders. Thehon. D. M'Lean, Defence Minister, has been communicated withion the subject, and most likely he will see the necessity of restricting the freedom of ingress to these rebel natives, more particularly when they positively refuse to allow - Europeans to' enter their territory, or give up any offenders to our constables when requested to do so." ■;.' :