THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1572.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1295, 23 September 1872, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1572.

The West Coast portion of tho English mail by way of San Francisco was to be despatched from Nelson yesterday by the steamer Charles Edward. The outward mail -will be despatched from the Coast by the same vessel, Monday next being the date of departure from Nelson. Professor Haselroayer was, on Saturday, such a great source of attraction that the Volunteer Hall was more crowded by the youth of Greymouth than it has ever been, and the youth of Greymouth were apparently more satisfied with the entertainment than with any that had previously been presented to them. In the evening of tho same day the Professor gave a second entertainment, and it was also largely attended by people of ordinary age, sense, and size. This evening the Professor promises his fourth entertainment, and promises, further, that it shall abound with novelties. According to the S)gramme, he will "execute" the "Aerial 11," (which is a very wrong thing to do to Bell, whoever she is) and he will also execute •' The Garden of Roses" (on which occasion " every lady will receive a bouquet.") New "dancing plates," a new "omelette for ladies," new " egg ching," new " hot coffee," a new " arithmetician," and a new " dream of a miser" constitute the remainderof the bill of fare, and, according to the bill, the aforesaid illusions are "all original." Mr Girdwood, of Greymouth, agent for Messrs M'Meckan, Black wood, and Co., last week visited the Inangahua reefing district, and has brought to town auriferous specimens of quartz which, to put it in the very mildest form, are not unworthy of inspection. Application has been made by the Government to have polling-places appointed at tbe Lyell, Christy's, and Black's Point. During Professor Haselmayer's stay-in Greymouth. Miss Sfcephenson, Mr Burford," and other members of the dramatic company who have for months past entertained the inhabitants of Greymouth, have proceeded to Hokitika and Ross, promising themselves and the public the pleasure ot re-appearing in Greymouth at the earliest convenient- opportunity. The new Court House at Reefton is expected to be ready for occupation early in October. An accident occurred on the river yesterday, which fortunately ended without fatal consequences, although the escape was a very narrow one. A cargo boat was returning from an up-country trip, with some passengers, one of them being a female — Mrs Clarke. While running Snag Falls, the boat struck a snag, and went to pieces, parting amidships. The crew and passengers were of.course immersed; others were rescued by a boat which was coming down the ri v er at the time. We are requested to draw attention to an alteration in the advertisement calling for tenders for the. conveyance of machinery from Black's Point to the Energetic machine site. It appears that the waggon will deliver the machinery at a point about 20 chains up the creek, so that the distance will be reduced for its transport thence to the machine site. The crushing of fifty tons of quartz from the Inglewood and United Band of Hope Companies is to be proceeded with this week at the Westland Company's batteries, Reefton. A private telegram, received from Wellington on Friday, stated that the petition from Hokitika for the union of the County with the Nelson South- West Gold Fields had ' been found in the wharfinger's office, Wellington. It appears that the parcel, containing the petition and papers in connection > with it, was sent by one of the Anchor Line boats to Nelson, and was thence forwarded to Wellington. It has been decided to increase the Anderson's Creek Quartz Mining Company to 35.000 shares of LI each. Mr. Henderson, Mr Brogden's engineer, has left Dunedin for Ohristchurch. He will, we understand, probably visit Greymouth soon, in connection with railway matters and mines. i An entertainment, successful in character and results, has been given at Black's Point in aid of the Reefton Hospital. The new road from the Inangahua Landing to Reefton is now open. It is reported to be in good condition. The Rev. I). Meiklejohn, a Presbyterian clergyman of Kilmore, who broke his leg recently while on his way from Bradford to conduct evening service at his own church, has had the limb amputated in consequence. This so far prevented him from discharging the active duties of the colonial ministry that he was advised by his friends to return to the mother country. Before embarking he was presented with an address by Messrs Gordon and Taylor, from the session and managers of his congregation, and a purse of sovereigns subscribed by his numerous friends in the colony. Mr Meiklejohn was formerly in Dunedin, where he had charge of St. Andrew's church, Walker street. This is how one of the Maori members described the direction in which he would Tote at the end of the debate on the policy and practice of the past Ministry :— " I have not made up my mind yet as to which, way I shall vote— l shall wait. I think I shall vote with the honorable member for Timaru. If the Government of which the Native Minister is a member stands again, I shall go back to them. I understand it is the custom of opposite persons to try and turn the Government out. I understand you intend to increase the time during which Maoris can hold seats in this House. I shall vote whichever way I think fit when the time arrives for the division." At the Hokitika Police Court, on Wednesday morning, two lads, named James Park , and William Park, were charged with maliciously wounding two horses, the property of James Rae. Mr Rae deposed that the • animals were both baily wounded by shot of three different sizes. John Taylor said that the horses had been found by him on Sunday morning, near the Woodlands farm, where the defendants lived ; but, as they had been rolling in the sand, he did not notice the wounds until he got them home to the Btable. Dr Maunsell deposed as to the nature and extent of the injuries. Detective Browne gave evidence as to arrest;.

ing the prisoners, and finding a gun, recently discharged, in their possession, and a shotbelt, containing shot of three different sizes, mixed together, similar to that found in the horses. A Chinaman who was called as a witness deposed to having heard shots fired, but he did not know who fired them. The Magistrate (Mr Fitzgerald) discharged the prisoner James Park, and remanded William d Park until Monday, but admitted him to g bail in the sum of LSO, and two sureties of L 24 each. ( g . ' ' An accid ent of an unusual kind occured ," " the Geclonjf Advertiser say s, "at the fire on p Thursday evening. While Mr Kingsbury, one of the members of the brigade, was directing the jet of water from the No. 1 I engine the supply was suddenly interrupted, fo the firemen were in great consternation at the sudden collapse of their hitherto efficient apparatus, but at the same moment the tail j! of an eel was observed protruding through s the main. Of course, the main was imme* . diately detached, and an eel was then discovered about 15in in length, and as lively as could be expected, considering that it had travelled nearly half a mile in pipe? frona its native tank at. the top of Moorabool street."

What a great thing, in many cases, is the man who is elected as a member of the House of Representativss in New Zealand. Sucii men are sometimes noticed in thu Home papers. For instance, " The Anglo-Austra-lian," who contributes half-Home and halfColonial articles to the European Mail writes recently :—" My friends at Nelson will be glad to hear that their late representative in the House of Assembly, Mr Martin Lightband, has arrived safe in the old country. He came overland from San JbYancisco to New\ork, and, from what 1 can hear, he is not very well pleased with the unsatisfac-. Tory manner in which the service between Honolulu is conducted. He is now on a tour in the manufacturing districts, and he tells me that he intends to have an eye to any novelty which may be of use in advancing New. Zealand industries. There are many such in the country, and I doubt not that Mr Lightband will shortly have something to say about them." , A somewhat alarming occurrence happened at the Ngakawau coal mine on Saturday week. A man named Patiick Haclon, in the absence of the lessees of the mine, entered the tunnel, and, taking up a candle he found lyins; therein, he lit it with the intention of satisfying his curiosity by inspecting the vork. But an almost immediate explosion took place ; the man's.hands, face, whiskers, and hair were scorched and burnt, and in dire alarm he beat an instant retreat to the open air. His first impression was that a trick had been played him— that the candle had been plugged with powder to scare any uninvited visitors ; but that is not at all likely. Mr Chambers, who was in tOM .1 at the time, states that slight symptoms of fire damp have pervaded a certain break in the tunnel since August last,' and that the strongest probabilities are that Hanlon, unaware of this, held the candle close to the walls or roof, and thus caused the explosion. A notice has now been posted at the mine warning persons not to enter without permission. Mr Gisborne, in his speech during the noconfidence debate, said :— " We have borne for three years the heat and burden of the day, and the honorable member for Timaru, after three years' rest, comes here fresh as a bridegroom and says, 'I will take your place.' That honorable gentleman, with the skill and practice of a master of the ceremonies, parnded us individually and collectively before the country, and I think he dwelt rather too much upon our defects. He used courtly language, but I could not gather from his observations that these defects, either individually or collectively, were very serious. I very much wished to know my own defects, in older to profit by his example and advice, but I coul I not quite gather WilCUilCl X VYCW — 1/UU UOjJcll'liUieilliUl "OTTiOIJ" political, or too much of both or too little ; and then I hoped he was going to object that I resided too much in Wellington ; as I am sure, in that respect, I can easily promise amendment." A. correspondent of the Bendigo Advertiser writes: — Hearing, a scream in front of the Black Swan Hotel this morning, I fouud that it proceeded from " poor Schafer," the great German traveller. He told me that he had been assaulted by a Polish Jew, who had been his partner, and now had left the poor cripple without the means of obtaining legal advice, aye, and without a meal. Indeed, he Beems to have been wandering about the streets for two whole nights, too independent to ask for shelter, and without even his accustomed walking-stick to support his infirm body. The poor fellow was thrown put of his own house into the rain, every stick having literally been taken from him. I think if some few features of his case were made known to the general public, at least enough would be spontaneously subscribed to obtain a legal adviser at the assault case .on Friday, aud perhaps something might be done to put Schafer on his legs again. * Mr O'Neill has re-introduced into the House of Representatives his very useful measureforregulating the plans of towns, and it has already passed its second reading in the Lower House, with every prospect of becoming law this session. It enacts that, after tho passing of the Bill, the streets shall not be less than 150 links from building line to building line, and that there shall be not less than two principal streets, in each town of not less than 200 links in width. In all new towns provision will have to be made for recreation grounds ; and it also provides that there shall be set apart a town belt of not less than one-fifth of the town in area, onehalf of which is to be appropriated only as ornamental grounds. Every tenth section is to be reserved from sale, as the nucleus of municipal property. Then the plans of all towns are to be approved of by the Governor prior to sale ; and there is also an important clause providing that the level of the streets shall be distinctly marked on the plans, showing the level of the ground as it was and as it" would be when altered. As already stated in our columns by telegraph, a bullock was roasted whole in Invercargill on the occasion of the turning of the first sod of the Mataura railway. The Southland News describes the performance as follows : — "The process began, wo may mention^ on the previous evening, when, the requisite mechanism having been arranged, the chef de cuinine gave the order to ' fire up.' Perhaps before proceeding further it may be as well to explain the mode by which so unwieldy an object as the carcase of a good fat bullock was subjected to' the influence of caloric. We shall begin with the kitchen . This was an impromptu edifice of the simplest possible construction — in fact, it consisted of nothing more than a sod wall, hastily thrown up with a few sheets of iron surmounting it — the whole forming a shelter for the long 'ranges,' or fire-places, of which there were two, filled with glowing coke, dispossd on either side of the 'spit,' an iron bar, perhaps a couple of inches in diameter, resting at each end on firmly-fixed bearers. The bullock, duly trussed and skewered, being impaled on this, and secured so as not to slip while revolving, ws^s lifted into position, and a winch handle fitted on one end of the spit enabled an attendant to turn the bulky roast as required. The heavy north wind, unfortunately, defeated to a certeitf: extent the skill of the cook ; but although tho exterior was somewhat scorched in places, full justice was done to the beef at luncheon time."