THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, JULY 1, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1224, 1 July 1872, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, JULY 1, 1872.

Mr Frank Guinness, one of the representatives of the Grey Valley in the Nelson Provincial Council, is expected to address his constituents this evening at the Ahaura. Mr Guinuess has the credit of having given close and intelligent attention to his duties as a member of the Council, and will, no doubt, be able to give a thoroughly satisfactory account of his stewardship. The other member for the district, Mr Kynnersley, though in feeble health, was as active in the discharge of his duties, and as attentive to the interests of his district, as any member of the Council, and to these circumstances, and to others of an exciting character intimately associated with the business and with the honor of the Council, is probably due his present serious illness. The inhabitants of Westport have, we understand, very delicately given expression to sympathy with Mr Kynnersley, and to their sense of the value of , his services in the Council, and, unable as he is to meet them personally, it would be a becoming act on the part of the inhabitants 'if the Grey Valley to intimate their satisfaction with his conduct as their representative, and their sympathy with him in a B'rious illncs-i which be acquired while attending to their interests, and while acting in their service. A portion of the outward San Francisco mail will be despatched to-day by coach for Lyttelton, from which port the mail steamer sails on the oth inst., and a supplementary mail will be torwafded by the Kennedy for Nelson, whence the steamer sails for One* hunga on the Bth. There seems to be a determination to gratify to the utmost the growing dramatic tastes of the people of Greymouth. Simultaneous with the close of a successful season by the Stephenson company, another and a more numerous company has arrived. Tt is to be hoped that" their contributions to the entertainment and amusement of the inhabitants will be as profitable to the performers as they are sure to be pleasant to the public. If the presence of this second company signifies a plethora of entertainment in excess of the popular demand, it should be remembered that it is only at rare intervals that thoroughly accomplished actors and artistes visit the West Coast, and the members of this company may most fairly be included in that designation. In deference to the sensitiveness of ladies as to the number of years which have pa -ed over their heads, omission may be made of any reference to the length of time during which Miss Cassy Matthews and Miss Jenny Nye have now been known to the New Zealand public as earnest, energetic, and able members of their profession, but it may at least bs said that during the years they have been-knowhto-the public, the more they have been known the more they have been liked, and it is the best test of this liking that acquaintance with them professionally has invariably secured them a host of personal friends. Among the inhabitants of Greymouth there are many who must rememberwell the pleasure they have derived from witnessing the performances of Miss Matthews and Miss Nye in the Princess Theatre, Dunedin, and there are othera who are equally well acquainted with the painntaking attention which they have always given to the arduous duties of their profession, in the study and on the stage. We anticipate for both a warm welcome from those by whom they are known, and a continued patronage of their performances on the nart - of those who see them at the Volunteer Hall, on Tuesday evening, for the first time. They are accompanied by Mr Wolfe, who, though no relation to one of the pioneers of the drama in New Zealand whose name will be well remembered, has merits of his own worthy of the name. He is described as an " eccentric actor," but there is another and a greater eccentricity included in the company in the person of Signer Donato. It has baen insinuated that a prominent element in the popnlar admiration of the burlesque "Ixion" has been the perfectly excusable and proper tasie which the human eye possesses for perfection of form in the feminine leer. As I compared with the performers in " Ixion," Signor Donato is at a considerable disadvantage. He has the misfortune of being the owner of only one leg, but what would be a disadvantage in most cases has, in his case, been turned to such'ad vantages by his cultivation of the use of that leg in t: tripping on the light fantastic toe," that he is recognised as a world-renowned dancer. The potency of the element " leg " Ins, in fact, seldom been more effectually illustrated than by his having made his one leg the prop of personal fame and fortune. The mere mention of such a fact will sufficiently explain the common admission that his performances are perfectly marvellous. If the intending spectator of his performances has a ta9te for the poetic in other matters than | tht^ mere poetry of motion, it may be some satisfaction to have to learn, as the papers state, that Signor Donato is an Italian by birth, and that he lost the leg which is conspicuous by its absence, "while fighting for the liberty of hiscountry. " There are other members of the company, especially " the Petite Amy." who can " tickle the straws with then heels," and tickle the senses of an audience by their voice and action. Information of another death by drowning was received in tow» last evening Full particulars are not yet to hand, bat the report is that a man named Harrison has been drowned while crossing M 'Gee's bridge, at Nelson Creek; The wife and family of the unfortunate man are said to be residing in Greymouth. Tn a Westland County Gazette of Saturday, it is notified by the County Chairman that he has, in pursuance of powers delegated to him, and in consequence of a petition signed by not less than than one-fourth of the number of persons on the burgess roll of Greymouth, divided the Borough into three wards, with the following boundaries : East Ward : bounded on the northward by tliO'Grcy River; on the eastward by the oast boundary of Native Reserve, No. 31, and by town belt east ; on the southward by town bolt south ; and on the westward by road and railway reserve, Shakespeare street and Tainui sbreet. Middle Ward : bounded on the northward by the Grey River; on the eastward by the western boundary of East Ward ; and on the westward by road and railway reserve, Chapel street, Herbert street, and Boundary street. West Ward : bounded on the northward by the Grey River; on the eastward by the

western boundary of Middle Ward, and by part of western boundary of East Ward ; on I the southward by Bouth town belt j and on i westward by the sea coast. The members of the Council are allocated thus :— East Ward : Martin Kennedy, George Simpson Smith, Charles Woolcock ; Middle Ward : Edmund Wickes, Peter Purcell, John M'Gregor; West Ward: William James Coates, Charles Joseph Moore, FrederickDupre. . Million prices and the merits of the performance again attracted to the Volunteer Hall, on Saturday evening, a considerable number of spectators of the drama and burlesque ' 'Behind the -Scenes" and "Ixion," lately so successfully put upon the stage by Miss Clara Ntophenson and her company of professionals and amateurs. In the afternoon, also, there was a special performance of the burlesque, which was witnessed by a large gathering of young folk. This evening there is to be, at the same place; and with the full strength of the same company, aided by other amateurs, a special performance as a complimentary benefit to Mr Geo. Bromley. In the play to be performed as the prime piece of the programme— the- drama "Lady Audley" — Miss Stephenson will take the principal part, and we understand that preparations have been made to make its performance as successful as possible. Mr Bromley has been pretty frequently before a Greymouth audience, before and during the time Miss Stephensqn's company have been performing here, and, apart from the attractions which he promises to present in the shape of new songs on local subjects, his general ability as a vscalist and comedian deserve recognition. In anticipation of the arrival of the Alhambra from Nelson, it was arranged last evening that the Despatch should cross the bar at six o'clock this morning, for the purEose of tendering her. The mail for Melourne, by the Alhambra, closed on Saturday evening, the expectation being that the Alhambra would arrive off this port yett vday, but we are informed that a special supplementary rniil will be- despatched to Hokitika at noon to-day for transference to the Alhambra in the Hokitika roadstead. A special trip was made by Cobb's coach .yesterday between Hokitika and Grey-' mouth, and advantage was taken of the opportunity by the Postmaster at Hokitika to forward hither the overland mail which arrived at that place on Saturday evening. We are thus in possession of Wellington, Canterbury, and Otago papers, twenty-four hours earlier than in the usual course of transmission. By the same coach Miss Cassy Matthews, Miss Jennie Nye, Signor Donato, Mr Wolfe, and other members of the Comedy and Burlesque Company, were passengers. We learn that the inhabitants of Westport have communicated by telegraph with the Provincial Government, urging on them the propriety of at once giving effect to such re'eommendations as were made by the Council regarding the removal of the town and the distribution of sections among those compelled or willing to remove, and that the Government has replied, promising the immediate appointment and visit of two commissioners for that purpose. An inquiry into the cause of the late fire at Davidson and Co's store, Ross, has been instituted. The evidence of several witnesses was taken on- Friday last, and the inquiry was then adjourned till Friday, the sth inst. It will ,be remembered that some of the outside boarding of the building was found to be on fire under circumstances which led to the suspicion of incendiarism. A reward of LlOO has been offered for the conviction of any person concerned. Mr George Martin, one of the proprietors of the Pier Hotel, a well-known and very worthy citizen of Wellington, died last week after a painful illness of twelve months' duration. The deceased was well known in New Zealand for many years', having been in business in Dunedin for some time ; but for the last seven years he was a resident- of Wellington. On Thursday a singular adventure happened to a dog at Hokitika. When th? Rangitoto arrived in the roadstead, the Waipara ran out to tender her, having m board, among other passengers, a gentleman who was accompanied by a favorite spaniel. The dog fell overboard when the Waipara was about two miles from the shore, and was supposed to be drowned. Such, however, was not the case, for the animal .succeeded in reachinc; the shore in safety, in spite of the heavy line of breakers which had to be crossed. The following telegram has been received by Warden Broad, of Reef ton, from the hon. the Premier :— " Mortin, June 15, 1872. Glad to hear of Messrs Mace's successful crushing;, and congratulate them and all concerned in the prosperity of the district." The Westport Times reports that the late heavy] fall of snow has rendered the traok from Christy's to the Lyell totally impassable, the trees and boughs being over it in every direction. Mr Thompson, the contractor for the maintenance of the road, is busily engaged in clearing it for traffic. The road from the Landing to Ch'istj's is also very bad from the same' reason. The Warden was ovjr two hours in walking two miles, to George Thompson's accommodation house. We are in receipt of a copy of the Inangahua Herald of Saturday, in which mention is made of the discovery of a valuable quartz reef near Larry's. The mining correspondent of the same paper refers to the recent discovery of a quartz reef on the surface in a claim adjoining the Golden Ledge Company's lease. According to the latest accounts the reef has been exposed to the deptb of a few feet, and been found to be abundantly gold bearing, well defined, and with a thickness of four feet of stone. There is now not the slightest doubt but that the main reef has been struck, and the base line struck according to the bearings cajrries the . reef into the centre of the Golden Ledge Company's lease. The latter, as also the Australian and Big Reef leases, were taken up on the supposed continuation of Shiels's line, and there is now every probability of a good reef being traced all the way through to the Golden Crovtn Company on Sbiels's. Among other items, mention is made of the Jnangahua "being made a sheriff's district of Mr Richard Reeves having commenced business there as an auctioneer ; 3pd of steady progress I>eing made in tlie construction of the Westport road. The conclusion of the great "conspiracy case" at Nelson is thus reported in the Colonist of Tuesday last : — Yesterday, before Lowther Broad, Esq., R.M., tlie defendants in the action raised by Eugene Joseph O'Conor, against Messrs Shephard. TAickie, Reid, Donne, and Guinness came to bs c^naMei-C'l on the question of defendants' no3ts Notices of withdrawal had been «ivcn trt Mr Adams, the Provincial Solicitor, who acted for^the first four named in the summons, ami who was instructed by Messrs Reid and Guinness to apply for expenses of detention. Mr Donne appeared for himself. There was no appearance for the plaintiff, who was called in the usual form. Mr Adams applied for bis clients' costs. Prior to notice of withdrawal being given, a good deal of trouble had been necessary with this case, which involved mere than ordinary research, making preparations for defence, and as the sum claimed amounted to LlOO, he would ask full costs, the case being of axt exceedingly vexatious and groundless nature. 1 The" Magistrate said that, under the circum- ;. stauces, he was empowered by the 48th sec-

tion, to award such coats as in bis "discretion he might think fit. Mr Adams said there were the costs of subpoenas for -witnesses, besides the fact that Mr Ueid and Mr Guinness had been detained in Nelson in consequence of the summons. Mr Donne also claimed costs of detention. He had, he said, received no notice of discontinuance of the action, and he was here to answer to the summons. For all practical purposes, the summons was as much a written accusation as a bill of indictment, and was not to bo lightly treated. There was a good and valid defence to the action, the entire statement being utterly false. He had staid in Nelson on purpose, baying beea summoned on Saturday, 15th June, and could not leave till Wednesday, at the earliest. Costs for defendants were awarded for Mr Adams's clients, Lll 17s ; for Mr Donne, LlO. Mr Donne applied for an order for immediate execution. Mr Broad said he would not issue such an order until notice of the decision as to costs had been given to the solicitors for the plaintiff, so as to allow them time and opportunity- if they thought fitto move for a writ of prohibition. If they did nob do so, he would then grant a distress warrant. • It has already been reported by telegraph that H. W. Barbor, Receiver of Revenue at ffokitika, had been committed for trial for applying to bis own uses moneys received by him in his official capacity. The committal was ordered on Friday, to which day the hearing of the charge had been remanded. The remand had been granted to procure the evidence of the County .. Chairman, priucipally in respect to the first of the two charges against the prisoaer, it being necessary to prove the identity of the receipb given by the prisoner to Mr Kilgour for the Ll7 8s received for rent of an agricultural lease. Henry Herman Lahinan deposed as follows :— On April 29th I received the receipt marked A 2 in a letter from -Messrs Kilgour sud Perotti, of Greymouth, of which firm Mr Joseph Kilgour is a partner. The receipt has been in my custody ever since, until it was produced in the police court. On the 'second charge the evidei cc of Ma Lahman was taken. . Tt was a repetition of that which we have already published, the only variation being in respect to the date of the receipt given by the prisoner. In reply to the usual question, prisoner said, "I say nothing." The Netson Mail regrets to lea. a that the College is about to lose the valuable services of Mr Joseph Mackay, who for many years has filled the post of Mathematical master with credit to himself, and to the very great advantage of his pupils. Mr Mackay leaves at the close of the current half year for the Napier Grammar School, of which he has been appointed Head Master. A new reef is reported to have been, discovered at Yorkey's Terrace, about two" miles from the Lyell township. A lease has been applied for by Geneki and others, and the adjoining claim has been taken up under miners' rights, by Mathew Long and party, who registered their claim wiLh Mr Warden Broad, at Christies, on Wednesday last. A very fine specimen of the red deer was found in the Maitai, near the Kent Brewery, Nelson, bearing evident marks o£ having been shot. The animal weighed, according to the estimation of Mr Pratt, butcher, who skinned and dressed it, quite 3001 b. The antlers, which were also very fine, were sawn off by the boy who found the animal, and have since been sold to Mr Gray, of the Wood. A reward of LlO is offered by the • Government, and a similar sum by the Acclimatisation Society, for such information as will lead to the. conviction of the person or persons who killed the stag. The arrest of Captain Hayes— commonly and very justifiably called the notorious Captain Hayes— is thus described by the Samoa correspondent o£ the New Zealand Herald :— lt may be in the recollection of •your readers that H.B.Ms Consul at Apia arrested Captain Hayes last year on a charge of unlawfully deporting certain natives of the Island of Pupapuka, with a view to their conveyance to Fiji, and that the greater part of them died during their detention at Samoa. There being no ahip of war at the time, and no secure place of confinement at Apia, the indomitable captain succeeded in effecting his escape, after having first left a nota to the Christian congregation at that port, apologising for bis absence on the following Sabbath, and begging an interest in their frequent prayers. A few>days a<jo he put in appearance at Apia, in command of a'J schooner armed and equipped like a privateer. The circumstance having been reported to the American , commander at , Tutuila (who had authority to procure Captain Hayes apprehension), the Naragansett lost no time in proceeding to Apia, entering the li&rbor under British colors. On perceiving this, Captain Hayes unsuspectingly hoisted the American ensign, upon which the Naragansett exchanged St George's Cross for the Stars and Stripes, and at the . same moment despatched a boat to effect the required object, the result being that Captain Hayes appeared on board as a prisoner ; charged with piracy, and together with the prizeship, is to be conveyed to San Francisco Another correspondent says he was released by the captain of the Naragansett, after a trial which lasted two days. Latest reports from the Karamea River state that at present about eighteen miners only are working on the beach claims iv that locality, but they all seem to be earning fair average wages, and probably something more if the real truth was known. The great need of the place is a proper vack track for the easier transit of provisions and mining tools, especially between the Mokinui and Little Wanganui Rivers, where travelling is not only difficult but positively dangerous, on account of land slips and other obstructions. The members of the little community, says the Nelson Mail, pine in single blessedness, nota female living within miles of the place. The first flutter of a petticoat, among the claims at the Karamea, will be hailed as an event worthy of unperishable record in the annals of diggerdom. Auckland City Council has resolved to ask the General Assembly to allow it to borrow L150.00C for providing a water supply for that'eity. • „ Wiremu Katene, member of the House of Representatives for the Norbhern District, is now dangerously ill from consumption, at the Bay of Islands. It is not expected by his friends that be will be able to attend the next session of the General Assembly. The native title over the Varae Karetu Block has been extinguished, and the land has passed into the hands of the Crovn. This block, which contains 46,970 acres of land, is an acquisition of considerable importance. It is situated between the upper part of the Turakina river and Pourewa stream, and lies inland from the Rangitikei district, which latter is one of the most prosperous settlements in the province of Wellington. As already stated in telegrams, the encroachment of the sea at Westpott has compelled the removal of the Bank of Now Zealand, the best finished and ornamented structure in Gladstone street. The work of dismantling the building, says the Tinids, was commenced none too soon, as the tide now washes over a portion of its site, and is rapidly sapping the foundations of the buildings at the rear. The Criterion Hotel has been also pulled down, and the buildings adjacent, and the Harp of Erin Hotel are in jeopardy. Mr Roche and his neighbors lately placed in position a wall of stroug fasciues weighted with bags. of sand, and for

a time tins barrier formed a good protection; but gradually as the surf cut away th« end of Gladstone street the snpporbs were weakened, and at Wednesday night's tide a la^ge wave that came sweeping right ever Kennedy street Wharf, carried away a_ large slice of these protective works, leaving an open^ space for the constant ebb and flow of the tide. It is truly lamentable to visit the scene of wasteful devastation; Foot by foot the waves are encroaching, houses are pulled down and old landmarks vanish. Gladstone street is blocked with the timbers and debris of dismantled building ; and as fast as sites can be prepared, other houses are being shifted on rollers up into streets above Blight street, and much consequent confusion and depression of business prevails. Under its present aspect Westporfc presents a most cheeiless scene, and men witnessing the ruin around them may well become despondent. The MarlborougJi Express of the 19th in stant reports:— "So far as the season has progressed yet, we hear but little as to the success of our whale fishers. Two whales have been caught—one at the . Kaikouras, and one in the Sound ; butneither fish was of sufficient size, to warrant any special mention. There is plenty of time yet for a good harvest to be secured by our adventurous fishermen, and it is quite possible that the season may be as good as any that has preceded it of late years. Men who follow the pursuit of fishermen, and are satisfied with smaller fry, have met with quite the usual amount of success, as the hauls of. herring have been numerous and large. The smoke-houses are pretty full, aud the quality of the fish is such as to lead to the belie! that the fame of tha ' Picton bloater' will not suffer this season. The Sound fishermen have s had very severe weather to contend with/ which has militated against their usual luck ; .but the quantities and varieties of fish they have obtained readily found purchasers, and taking the rough with the smooth, they appear te be quite satisfied with their prospects." The Marlborough Express says : — " With great regret we learn that diptheria has again made its appearance in a fatal form in Blenheim. It* is now some four years since this disease committed such ravages in the same locality, and under nearly the same conditions it has commenced with now. The year 1868, memorable for great floods, will be by many remembered as the year of death, so extensive were the ravages of diptheria. The present year also having _beennoted for high floods, the connection between these and the malady appears to be confirmed. It possibly happens that the receding waters leave behind a large quantity of vegetable and animal refuse, which decays and poisons the atmosphere, and the emanations, entering into the system by_ the circu« lation, predispose the person, subject to the deadly influence, to the deleterious action of the peculiar poison of diptheria. Recent investigations into the cause of this dire disease, in Victoria and elsewhere, appear to prove that strict attention to sanitary precautions has as much influence upon the Spread and development of this disease as it has upon other well known contagious epidemics. Decaying 'matter of every description ia fertile in promoting the growth of certain classes of disorders, and it behoves everyone to see that through negligence they do not assist to keep alive such a plague as diptheria has proved. One death is already recorded from this complaint in Blenheim, and several other children are said to be suffering from its attacks. When the disease appeared, before, its first victims were men ; but it quickly spread, until it appeared that neither age nor Bex afforded any protection against its power."