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Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1261, 14 August 1872, Page 2

We learn that a telegram was received in town yesterday stating that the first crushing in Paddy Hunt's claim, the Golden Fleece, on Shiels's line has been completed, giving the handsome return of 25000z of amalgam from about 400 tons of stone. The sensational six-act play " The Streets of London" is to be performed this evening at the Voluteer Hall, by the dramatic comI pany who have now become oiie of our established local institutions. Special preI parations have been made to render the performance a success, as regards either acting or scenic effect, aud it is almost certain to be witnessed by as many spectators as the hall can conveniently accommodate. A man named Marra has been drowned in the Three-Mile Creek, Okarito. The particulars are not yet known. The annual general meeting of the Greymouth Rifle Volunteers is appointed to be held to-morrow evening, after the usual inspection parade ; the business of the meeting being the election of a committee and other matters of importance. During the sitting of the District Court yesterday the attention of the Judge was drawn to the fact that the papers in the case of Daniel Gilmour were in the handwriting of a person who had once been a solicitor's clerk, but was not so now. The bankrupt was then asked who prepared his papers, when he mentioned the names of two persons who had either written them or given him the copies. The Judge said that, as he had noticed elsewhere, this practice was becoming very prevalent indeed, and it was necessary not only for the protection of the profession, but also for the protection of the public, that it should be put a stop to. It was a contempt of Court for a person to attempt to act as a solicitor who was not duly qualified, an act which he had the power to punish by committal to gaol, and which he intended to put in force in the very first case that was brought before him. He wishdd this to be distinctly understood in order that it might put a stop to the practice. At the Resident Magistrate's Court at No Town, on Monday, 12th instant, a notorious character named Mary Rice was brought up and convicted on three separate charges under the provisions of the Vagrant Act. She was sentenced to pay a fine of LlO, or in default three months' imprisonment on each charge, tho sentences to be cumulative, making altogether nine months' imprisonment. There was another charge against the same defendant of stealing money from Edward Tudor. This case was dismissed. Edward Tudor was sentenced to one month's imprisonment with hard labor for assaulting Mary Rice. — In the Warden's Court, an important point in mining law, with reference to the marking out of claims, was decided. Both Courts were adjourned to the 12th September. George Henry Chamberlain was again brought before the Resident Magistrate at Hokitika on Monday last, when some more evidence was taken. Inspector James applied for a further remand, as an important witness was unable to attend in consequence of severe illness. Prisoner was remanded to the ICth instant, with the understanding that should the witness be able to attend before, the prisoner would be brought up.

At the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, before W. H. Revell, Esq. R.M, the civil case, adjourned from the Ahaura— Young v. Mirfin— was called on. It was a claim of L 4, the price of two ladders, L 5 for detention of the same, and LlO for special damages. Mr Newton appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr Perkins for the defendant. The evidence of the plaintiff and his v itnesses was taken at the Ahaura, and was now read, with the exception of Mr W. C. Sheppard, who gave evidencb for the plaintiff, and Mr Warden Whitefoord for the defence. The defence was simply that the ladders were made of timber belonging to

the Nelson Government, and believing this to be the fact, Mr Mirh'n took possession of them two or three days, when he offered to give them up on plaintiff giving his assurance that the material was not Government property. This the plaintiff refused to do, as the matter had then been handed over to his solicitor. The carpenter who made the ladders swore positively that there was not a single inch of Government timber in them. A. long legal argument ensued, after which the Magistrate ordered the two ladders to be returned to the plaintiff, and LI damages, each party to pay their own costs.

The public meeting called by the Arahura Road Board to consider the Greymouth Memorial and proposals for water supply to the^ Waimea district, has been postponed until this (Wednesday) evening, at the Oddfellows' Hall, Stafford Town.

The Masonic ball at Melbourne, on July 19 was attended by about 900 persons. An adjourned sitting of the Waste Lands Board was held at Hokitika on Monday, when Mr Dennis Hannan completed his purchase of land in the Arahura district*. There was no other business. Among the papers presented to Parliament, and copies of which have been forwarded to us, are several series of papers relating to the construction of roads in the Gold Fields of Nelson and Westland, and relating to the Greymouth protective works. These papers contain some statistics which we shall take an early opportunity of quoting. The regular Resident Magistrate's and Warden's Courts were held at No Town on Monday. The Courts were not opened until several hours after the usual time. The delay was "occasioned by the non-arrival of the Magistrate from the -Ahaura. Mr Whitefoord, and thoae who were with him, had literally to make new tracks in several places, as the ordinary tracks were blocked up with fallen timber, blown down during the storm on Saturday night and Snnday morning. There is* a very dangerous byewash or overflow about two miles from the Ahaura river, on the Nelson Creak side, and parties fording it will require to be very cautious to enter at the right place. The rider of the telegraph express had a narrow escape here on Saturday. Mr W. Todd sold, in his rooms, Wharf street, Hokitika, on Monday, the machinery and plant of the United Steam Drainage Company, Ross. The auction room, says the Times, was crowded during the sale, but it is more than likely that intending purchasers were limited to a very small number. The first bid was L9OO, made by Mr Graham of Ross, in the interest of the creditors. Thence the bids were run up to L 1650, Mr Cassius being, apparently, the only opponent of Mr Graham, and at that sum the whole affair was knocked down to Mr Cassius. The last bid of Mr Graham was LI6OO, the amount which the creditors had previously offered. Immediately on the conclusion of the sale Mr Cassius paid LIOOO in accordance with the terms of sale.

Mr Hau "h ton, in his report upon the Gold Fields, and in regard to the subject of water supply, says :— "Up to the present date, so far as I am officially informed, applications for aid by way of subsidy under the regulations have been lodged with the gold fields Wardens' to the amount of L 21,850 ; but I have been made aware that further applications to the amount of L 24,000 are in course of preparation, and will, in all probability, be sent in within the present month. Only one advance has, at present, been sanctioned by tte Government, viz., L 1533 to the Greenstone and Hohonu Water-Race Company. " He adds — " From my own personal knowledge of our gold fields, L unhesitatin ly assert that the sum of L 3,000,000, instead of the L 300.000, judiciously expended upon water supply, would prove an expenditure directly remunerative, and indirectly productive of such an increase to the population of the Colony as would confirm us iv a position of unexampled prosperity."

An accident occurred in the. Morning Star Company's claim, Ross, which might have been attended with serious results. As it is, a man named Thomas Lewis has been considerably injured. It appears that the cage, when being lowered,, stuck in the guides, which not being observed soon enough by the engine-driver, a quantity of slack rope was paid out, the weight of which released the cage, and caused it to drop suddenly some 20ft. Lewis, who was in it at the time, clung fast to the cross-bar, and escaped without further injury than a severe shaking, and a badly-sprained wrist. The shock to his system was, however, very great, and it will, probably, take him some days to recover. It is worthy the consideration of miners whether they might not procure the assistance of the spirit world in prospecting for gold. The spirits appear to be some authority on the subject, for in a recent speech on tho gold duty, Mr Macandrew, M.H.R, said :—" He quite concurred with what had fallen from the Hon the Premier as to the amount of gold in the country. He believed they were merely scratching it ; he had the authority of a gentleman who had had communication with the spiritual world. Hon. members might laugh, but he was told very seriously that that gentleman had been informed by the spirits that there was more gold in New Zealand than iron." A very distressing occurrence took place in Moorhouse street, lioss, about four o'clock on Sunday afternoon, and caused considerable excitement in the locality. A poor little child, about six years of age, daughter of a person named Dettler, was sitting by the fire in the house where her family reside, when a spark flew out and ignited the front of her frock. The little thing did not appear to notice it until the whole of her upper clothing was on fire, when she ran screaming into the street. Her father was at some little distance down the road, speaking to a friend, but, hearing her cries, he at once rushed to the spot, and catching the child in his arms, rolled her on the ground, and succeeded in extinguishing ihe flames, but not before the chest, throat, and arms of the little sufferer were frightfully burnt. She was immediately wrapped up in linen saturated in kerosene, and put into bed. It is to be hoped that no serious result will ensue. The seaman Hunt, who was nearly suffocated to death on board the Blackwall, at Kaiapoi, is still at Burnip's Hotel. Visiting him yesterday, says the reporter of the Canterbury Press, we found Drs Trevor and Dudley in attendance, and learn from them that there are very favorable signa of his ultimate recovery. He is now quite conscious, but as his blood is thoroughly impregnated with carbonic acid, it will take time to remove the poison out of his system. Great praise is due to Mr Burnip and the people at the hotel, and to Mr' Piuching, for their unwearied attention to him. A subscription list has been opened to defray all expenses, and has been very liberally responded to.

Some time back an enterprising Auckland resident discovered, near to the city, an earth which, under a simple and inexpensive treatment, is for polishing purposes quite equal to the finest tnpoli of commerce. Upon making the discovery, this person sent over to Melbourne for twelve gross of empty boxes in which to pack the polishing powder for sale. In due course they came to hand, and when on the wharf the Customs authorities assessed them At L 2 13s Gd duty, which, by the way, is nearly the invoice value of the boxes. But before the duty could bo levied, tho greatest ingenuity had. to be exercised iv deciding what head those empty boxes had come under. They wer 0

not eatables and drinkables. They were not weaving materials, raw or manufactured. The list of the whole 6leven hundred dutiable articles was carefully perused from beginning to end, and no conclusion could be arrived at, when— lucky thought— a Custom House official, after long and intense meditation, struck his forehead and exclaimed, " I've got it — chemists' sundries !" and under this head the boxes were made dutiable ; but the revenue is in no way enlarged by the amount imposed, as, at this figure, the importer refuses to clear them.

A contemporary says : — "A patent for a new mode of manufacturing gas has been taken out by an ingenious Getman resident in London. _ The gas, which has one-third more illuminating power than that at present in use, can be produced at less than onefifth of the present cost, and in such a form that it can be carried about in a pocket-flask. It has been thoroughly tested by Professor Tyndall, and has for some time been experimentally in use in several of the Metropolitan Railway carriages. Not long ago the directors of the London and North-western Railway met for the purpose of having the new gas exhibited to them, and it is understood that they were eminently satisfied with the result. The use of the patent for one country has, it is said, been already sold for L 70.000.