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Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1220, 18 June 1872, Page 2

A man named James M'Gaffiri was found lead in his paddock on Sunday, at Brown'sSully, between German Gully and Maori ' 3ully, Arnold. He was working as a natter,

and it is not known when the fall of earth which killed him took place. He was found by some miners who were out shooting. He has a brother at Robs, a storekeeper, and another at Reef ton. The accident was reported by a miner named Patrick O'Brien at the Police Station, Maori Gully, at 2 p.m. on the 16th inst, and that from appearances i he thought that the accident must havo taken place on the 10th inst., as he last saw the deceased on Sunday, the 9th. Yesterday the Sergeant in charge of the Station had the body removed to Hill's old store, Maori Gully. He had no property, except one shilling and a nugget scarf-pin. He was a native of County Armagh, Ireland. Mr Kevell, the District Coroner, will proceed to Maori Gully this morning to hold the inquest. There were only three trifling charges of breaches of the Municipal and Licensing Ordinances before the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday morning. The District Court meets again this morning, at ten o'clock, when the appeal case, Kenrick v. Joyce, will be proceeded with. ' In our report of the appeal case, Kenrick v^ Joyce, published yesterday, a misprint occurred which completely altered one of its moat material sentences. The word never was substituted for below. What Mr Joyce stated under Mr Guinness's examination was that Mr Kenrick swore in the Court below that he was willing to give Ll6O, the amount of purchase of the share, LIOO on Joyce's bargain, and would undertake to pay all calls for the future, if the share was given back to him. We are informed that the County Chairman has interdicted the contemplated construction, by theParoa Road Board, of the road from Paroa to the Town Boundary. As considerable expense has already been incurred in surveying the line of road, general indignation is expressed in the district at the jrfbitiary conduct of the Chairman. With regard to the drowning on Sunday of John Butler, a boatman on the Grey River, we are informed by eye-witnesses that the deceased swam for about ten minutes, and at last was swimming on his back when he disappeared. During the struggle which ensued with the drifting boat and the recovery of the horses, no assistance could be rendered, and he disappeared. Owing to the weather only one half-day's work has been done on the Grey Valley road during the past week. Signor Donato, the one-legged dancer, has been well received in Hokitika. MissCassy Matthews and Miss Jenny Nye, two favorite actresses, are also playing there at present. Mr James Milne, who is well known in Greymouth, andona of the road overseers on the Grey Valley main road, had a very narrow escape of losing his life. It appears that on returning on Friday morning after spending the night in Reefton, he found that a tree had fallen during the nightime across his tent. Had he slept at home as usual that night he must inevitably have been crushed to death. An accident which has its moral occurred last week to Mr Robertson, who formerly kept the hotel at the Arahura Crossing. Mr Robertson, who is over sixty years of age, was wrestling, and, making a false step, he fell and broke his leg, thus proving the folly of engaging in such contests generally, and more particularly when the competitors are advanced in years. Mr Robertson was brought down to the Hokitika hospital, where he has been attended to, we understand, successfully. The seat in tbe County Council vacated by the resignation of Mr Scanlan, has been filled by the election of Mr Ralfe, who had a majority of 33 votes. Mr Richard Griffiths, formerly chief enginee of H.M.!N.S. Victoria, died suddenly at his residence. Bank street west, Emerald HilL He was, during the New Zealand war, on one occasion the means of saving Captain Normon's life, when that officer was beset by the Maoris. He also accompanied the Victoria when she was sent to the Gulf of Carpentaria, with the view of affording relief to the Burke and Wills exploration expedition. For some time past, he was in illhealth. An Otago correspondent says :— " No more wrenching of the gums — no more toothache, for we have discovered a sovereign remedy. Tortured by this painful disease, and almost bordering upon frenzy, a man working in the fields, lay down close to some bush. In his agony he seized the leaves of the tutu plant and pressed the juice into the aperture. Strange to relate, tbe cure was instantaneous, and he has since frequently applied the same remedy with equal success. Whether the juice of the plant will prove effectual in all cases, I am not aware, but a knowledge of the circumstances is well worthy of being niched in our Colonial Vademecum. ' The latest accounts of the South African diamond fields are not so favorable. The Cape Argus, in its issue of March 5, says : — "The finds of diamonds arc sensibly decreasing, and it is considered that the discovery of any more rich fields is improbable. The reported discovery of a diamond weighing 1100 carats is now found to be a hoax. Accidents are frequent at the Fields, and in several instances lives have been lost." The same journal^ says that ." the-reports of the gold discoveries at Marabastadt arc said to be much exaggerated Another new rush, called James's Kopje, has turned out a complete failure." . The usual monthly meeting of the Committee of tbe Arrow District (Otago) Miners' Association was held at their offices, Arrowtown, on the Ist instant. Resolutions to the following effect were carried : — " That it be suggested tothe General Government to alter the clause in the Gold Fields Act requiring 500 signatures to a petition for the formation of a Mining Board ; to make 250 signatures sufficient for the purpose; and also to provide that members of a Mining Board may receive payment for their services ; and also that a clause be inserted under Svhich the owners of water-races may become entitled to compensation in cases where two sluice heads of water are ordered to be returned to the original channel for' general use." - The other day it was mentioned by telegiam from Auckland that the Seagull had arrived there from Fiji, and reported the arrival of Her Majesty's chip Cossack at Lovuka. The following are further items brought by her :— Thurston has joined the Fiji Ministry. There was another narrow escape of a collision with the Government. A man named Blair, who was imprisoned for debt, being allowed to refresh himself daily at an adjoining hotel, quickly walked to Key's Hotel, the head-quarters of the British Settlers Protective Society. The Government sent to arrest him, but the arrest was resisted by a large body of armed members of tbe Society who had assembled. A large armed Fijian Government force was brought out, and also four pieces of cannon, loaded with grape. The Cossack marines landed to protect the Consulate if necessary. The Government recalled its force, which had been turned out without authority by the officer in command. Next day a public meeting was held, and a deputation waited upon Captain Douglas on board the Cossack. They expressed an anxiety to have the present dangerous state of affairs put an end to; and said they were quite willing to obey -a Government recognised by England, asking him to carry out their wishes. Captain Douglas replied that he was very well pleased the settlers bad waited cm him, and promised 1

he would do all he could to put an end to the present difficulties. The cotton crop is very heavy, and it is anticipated that there will be an excess of L 40,000 or L 50,000 over last year's yield. The Parliament was about to meet. Every district is now represented, all the chiefs having given their submission to the Government. Erank, a Cuban Creole, and cook on board the Marion Renny, was found guilty of murdering Cartain Muir, of the cutter Alert, in a quarrel in Levuka harbor, and sentenced to death. Mr Erank Buckland writes in a recent issue of Land and Water as follows:— "I beg to report that on the 28th November, 1871, 1 shipped for Australia and New Zealand, on board the Star of Peace, under the care of the surgeon, a large case containing salmon eggs, kindly taken from fish in the Wye, by my friend John Hotchkis, Esq., of Llanwysk, Crickhowel. The epgs were pub in bottles containing moss at the riverside. 1 then packed the bottles with cotton wool, and sawdust. Having retained one bottle of eggs, packed in a similar way at home, 1 examined them to-day, March 1, 1872, as the ship is now 93 days out, and should be near her destination. The temperature of the air was 59 ; the sawdust, 56 ; inside the bottle, 48. To my astonishment I did not find a single white egg, but on examining them I found in no case had a fish been developed. In fact though perfectly clear and transparent they were all 'blind' eggs. Upon putting them into water at the temperature of '50, they turned white in two minutes. Pfirhaps those in the Star of Peace will have had better luck. The experiment has not been altogether useless, as certain facts have come out to lead me to hope that on another occasion I shall be able to send salmon eggs to Australia without ice. I willg ive further particulais in my next."