THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1572.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1311, 11 October 1872, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1572.

The thoroughly nautical drama " The Ship on Fire" is to be produced at the Theatre this evening, witb Miss Stephenson, of course, as tbe heroine or, more properly, i hero, the part which she takes being that of Edwin Gage, an engaging character, as h« (being she) is a midshipman and- what is at preseut fashionable— the claimant of estates. There has been some activity among miners on the North Beach lately, a supposed lead of gold parallel with the line of telegraph wire having been taken up as far down as a ?oint opposite the flagstaff. Near Darkies errace, also, we hear of some heavy gold being got in considerable quantity on a limited patch of ground. All efforts to discover the Rev. R. H. i Gaskin, dead or alive, have proved fruitless. We have to acknowledge receipt of a copy of the sixth half-yearly report of the Committee of Management of the Hokitika Hospital. The unusual occurrence of house-breaking and robbery in Weatport, occurred on Sunday evening last, some thievish individuals j having broken into Mr Powell's store in Kennedy street, and forcibly opened and ransacked the boxes of Mr Graham, com* mercial traveller for the firm of Bank Bros. ; and helped themselves to a variety of clothing and other articles therefrom,} Mr William Pitt has been appointed Crown Prosecutor at the lnangabua. It is stated that Mr Graham Greenwood has been appointed Inspector of Leases in the Reefton district. Mr E. Keiling, War den's clerk at Charleston, will take the place of Mr Greenwood, as Warden's clerk at the Ahaura, and Mr Wakefield, Warden's clerk at Reefton, will rill Mr Kelling's place a* Charleston. In Otago, tbe newspapers despatched Bhowed an increase last year of 247,530 ; Auckland, a decrease of 40,000 ; Westland, an increase of 40,000; Canterbury, of 11,000; Nelson and Hawke's Bay, 10,000; while Taranaki and Wellington remain about the samo. MrW. Hairison, storekeeper and miner, Giles Terrace, Westport, while working in his claim, had. his leg broken by the sudden falling of a large stone from the face under which he was working. Mr Chambers, from Melbourne, has arrived at Westport, for the pnrpose of inspecting the Ngakawhau coal mine, and on Monday, accompanied by some of the shareholders, went thither. By the Hokitika coach yesterday, Weiliagton mails up to tho Gth instant were received, with still later dates from Christ* church and Dunedin ; and, by the Kennedy in the afternoon, Nelson and Auckland mails came to hand. _ Notwithstanding the dullness of present times, the drapers of Greymouth seem to have great faith in the future. Yesterday the Albion's cargo for this port, which was necessarily landed at Nelson, -was brought hither by the Kennedy, and it consists almost exclusively of additions to tho drapers' stocks, represented by some 200 cases and packages. A sample of black sand, found within six miles of the Bluff, and forwarded to Profossor Black for analysis, yielded 58 per cent, of metallic platinum. It is said that legal proceedings are to be commenced against Mr V. Pyke, R.M., by Mr R. £. Field, clerk to the Court at Naseby, for some severe aspersions made upon his character lately at Tuapeka. The honorable membor for Christchurch, Mr Wakefield, took a month to make his appearance within the precincts of the House after the want of confidence motion. A carpenters' and joiners' society has been formed in Chriatchurch. A correspondent writing to the Southern Cross says that if an apparently drowned person, stripped of his clothes and covered all over with dry salt, be exposed to the fine weather, life will recover if not long in the water. The application of dry salt is certainly snperior to other methods, and rarely fails in restoring animation. At Home a plan is. now followed of compelling each bank clerk to have his photograph taken, and to lodge it with the bank officials in a regular bank album. Sir George Verdon (says the Age) has brought witb him the English rule, and has issued an order that each olerk in the English, Scot, tiah, and Australian Chartered Bank should

present his carte de visitt to the Bank manager for utilisation if certain contingencies should transpire. A comparative return of wool exports from New Zealand shows a grand total for the year ending 30th June last, valued at L 2.374.312. The writer of Parliamentary gossip in the Wanganui Herald gravely speaks of Mr Donald Reid as "a practical mathematician," and of Mr Bathgate as "a high churchman!" . It is suggested that the proposed Canterbury Deep Sea Fishing Company should consist of 200 shares at L 5 each. In crossing one of the river crossings in the Gorge track, last week, the vehicle of Mr Coulam, of Nokomai, was upset, and a valise, containing 120oz of gold, was lost. On the evening of Thursday, the 26th September, Mr Horace Bastings, ex -Mayor, was entertained at a public dinner by the citizens of Lawrence, in the Commercial Hotel. The Lyttelton Times thinks it may possibly turn out that Mr Yogel will form a Ministry without the assistance of Mr Waterhouse. The Hooper's Inlet (3 old Mining Company, Dunedin Peninsula, have decided that one of the shareholders should be sent to Melbourne with a quantity of Btone, to get it crushed. Christchurch will be the headquarters of the new Registrar of Lands. Mr Yogel, in his speech on the Stafford Ministry, describe* them as hajing simply "groped in the footsteps of their predecessors." Tbe Wellington Independent thus concludes an article on the defeat of the Stafford Ministry :—"Hic jacct the Stafford Superintendental Ministry; aged 28 days 20 hours." The celebrated horse Knottingley has changed owners, Mr Studholme having disposed of him to Mr Pitman. The subscriptions in Canterbury in aid of the widow and family of the late Captain Wbite amount to L 375. The English pheasants which have been introduced into Canterbury are rapidly inceasing and spreading over the province. The Governor, as President of the New Zealand Institute, in speaking of the zoological papers, directed attention to DrHaast's discovery of an enormous eagle, rivaling the fabulous roc in proportions, which was co.existent with the rnoa. He suggested that, as the small hawk now preys on little birds and lizards, its huge ancestor followed the flocks of moas, feeding either upon the carcases of the dead birds, or killing the young and disabled ones. A correspondent of the Wellington Independent says the country desires a coalition Ministry, and would be satisfied with something like the following : — Mr Waterhouse, : Premier ; Mr Stafford, Colonial Secretary ; Mr M'Lean, Native and Defence ; Mr Yogel, Treasurer ; Mr Hall, Postmaster-General ; Mr Ormond, Public Works. I Tho Dunedin Star is now included in the Press Association, and the Auckland Star again attacks the partial telegrams sent by Greville and Co. It says that Greville's agent gives his impression of the position of parties and of certain results of motions, but appears to have attached himself as a species of whip-touter in Bellamy's to Stafford, so that although his telegams are reliable when speaking of horrid murders and sudden deaths, his political predictions are merely his personal wishes. A woman named Bowers, who was being examined in a case heard at the Civil Sittings of tbe Supreme Court, in Hobarfc Town, on the 24th ult., made a touching appeal to the domestic sympathies of the Solicitor-General. "Speak up, my good woman," said Mr Adams, and Mrs Bowers replied. "I'm not a strong woman ; you know what it is to have twins, and I've had twins myself." This reply completely upset the gravity of bench, counsel, jury, and spectators, and the Soli-citor-General seemed to enjoy it us much as i any .one. Regarding a telegram from Hokitika, announcing the receipt of information from the Deputy-Superintendent of Otago " that the Provincial Government hid decided not to send a steamer to the relief of the distressed settlers at Martin's Bay," we (Otago Daily Times) understand that Mr Boetbam, of Queenstown, recently informed the Government that a man, who travelled overland from Martin's Bay, had reported that the settlers were in distress, and that thereupon the Government endeavored to arrange for the despatch of a steamer at once, but were unable to do so at a reasonable rate. Also, that having since ascertained that there is no immediate risk of actual distress, and as a vessel from Dunedin and another from Invercargill, will proceed to Martin's Bay in the course of a week, further steps for immediately communicating with the settlers were not taken. Had there been reason to believe that the settlers were in distress, the Government would not have been deterred by any pecuniary consideration from making further efforts to afford them immediate relief.