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Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1313, 14 October 1872, Page 2

It is notified by the Manager of the Gas Company that shareholders holding proxies to vote at the meeting on Wednesday must lodge the same at the office of the company 48 hours previous to the meeting. The "Marble Heart," a play presenting some striking peculiarities in conception and in the form of producing it on the stage, is to be the next sensation at the Theatre — time, Wednasday evening. " Lady Audley's Secret" and " The Ship on Fire " were the plays on Saturday, Cecilia O'Gorinan Murray, who is at present on a visit to this district, describes herself in a letter to the West Coast Times, as ''a sister on a mission of charity — for the sake of suffering humanity and the public good." The object is to clear up what she calls " a case of conspiracy" which occurred three years ago in Victoria in connection with the wreck of the ship Hurricane, lost outside Melbourne Heads. She promises to place on record the whole circumstances in a book to be called " The Priest and Parson, or the Normingtou Conspiracy," and to bo printed, for no particularly apparent reason, in America. A lady named Miss Hunt has been killed in a tunnel on the Brighton Railway. At the inquest ib came oub that; she arrived in Rngland about two years since from New Zealand. How she came upon the line is unknown. The L4OO worth of gold lost by the overturning of Mr Coulan's buggy at Nokomai, Otago, has been recovered. The Dunedin Star says that Mr Macandrew, on the defeat of the Stafford Government, offered to re-instate Mr Reid in the provincial secretaryship. A Reef ton correspondent writes :— ' ' Things are very dull in town, but the reefs are looking up amazingly. The Lyell stone is extraordinary. I saw a specimen from the Alpine claim yesterday, with more gold than stone in it." George Robertson, of Melbourne, has purchased the sole right of republishing in Australia Mr Anthouy Trollope's forthcoming work on the Australian colonies, and the proprietors of the Australasian have purchased from Mr Robertson the right of republishing Mr Trollope's work in weekly portions in their newspaper. Wo have already indicated the general tenor of the Nelson Boundaries Bill introduced by Mr Shephard, and od Saturday we published the remarks by which he accompanied its introduction. One of the stipulations of the Bill, we have been informed, is that Nelson should pay to Westland LIOO,OOO, and that Nelson should also spend LIOO.OOO on the Nelson West Coast Gold Fields, including the newly acquired territory. The following further and somewhat different description of the design of ths Bill is contained in a telegram received by the We-it Coast Times:—" The principle of the Nelson Boundaries Bill, introduced by Mr Shephard, is to annex the territory north of" the Teremakau to Nelson. The latter borrows LIOO.OOO to pay to Westland to be expended there in public works, or L 50.000 in such work 3, and L 50.000 to go in reduction of the consolidated debt. The General Government is to construct the works on the recommondation of the County Council." The following items of Reefton news are from the Herald of Saturday :- Delay iii openiqg np the mine at Anderson's and preparing a sufficient quantity of stone to keep the batteries emplpyed, has postponed thp start of crushing operations, which will not be commenced before' Monday, the 2lst. About 79 tons of quartz from the Golden Hill claim have been passed through the Westland batteries, and the appearance of the plates indicates that the moderate yield anticipated by the shareholders will be fully realised. The washing-up will take place after 600 tons of gtonp have been crushed. — Tho larger portion of the intended tramway line between Reefton and Black's Point is cleared and formed to within a few chains of the township. The portion, however, offers physical difficulties which will delay the progress of the work, so that the entire line will not be completed ready for the reception of rails and sleepers in less than five weeks.— The amateur concert in aid of the building fund of the Roman Catholic Chapel, Reefton, took place on Friday evening in the new building. The attendance was very large, and the entire programme passed off most satisfactorily. The second part of Dr Buller's magnificent work on the Birds of New Zealand has just been published. It contains the same number of plates as the ioroaer oue, all of which are carefully colored by hand, and represent the birds in most life-like attitudes. Nature, in a review of four columns, accords the author much praise, and other competent authorities speak in high terms of the scientific ralue of the work. Mr Yogel recently introduced a Bill of considerable importance to such towns as Greymouth— namely, the Municipal Corporations Waterworks Bill. Ho Maid its object was to supply a want which had become particularly apparent during the present session. It was intended, when the Muni, cipal Corporations Act was passed, that power should be given to Corporations to construct waterworks ; but the Act, when passed, did not confer sufficient powers, and tho consequence was that many Bills, which might be characterised as hybrid Bills, were brought forward to enable waterworks to be constructed. These Bills were not allowed to pass as public Bills, and had to pass through the ordeal of private Bills, so that

it was a matter of groat doubt whether some of them would pass at all or not. The Bill which he now asked leave to introduce was a general empowering Bill, and contained a clause by which ratepayers could exercise a power of veto as to whether waterworks should be erectsd in their town or not. If the Bill passed, Municipalities could construct waterworks without coming to the Assembly. ; Writing of the rush to Charters Towers, the Sydney coerespondent of the Argus says :— The inward rush of diggers from Victoria and New Zealand ought to be checked by the telegrams received from Townsville. There is but little gold to be found, and little water to wash it if it were found. Men are returning by- scores, disappointed, and, as usual under such circumstances, a little disposed to be riotous, and to blame anybody and everybody but themselves. It is due to the Queensland journals to say that they are guiltless of any attempt to foster this rush. They have incessantly warned the diggers of the precarious character of the gold field at Charters Towers. The number of men rushing north has been so out of proportion to any public inducement held out that the general presumption was that they were acting on information privately received by letter from trusty comrades, but from what we now hear this can hardly be the case. With respect to emigration to New Zealand, it may safely be affirmed that a steady stream haa now set in. In the months of April, May, and June twelve ships were despatched by the Agent-General, carrying altogether 2588 emigrants of all classes. In deference to the prejudice against foreigners which appears to exist in some parts pf the Colony, a very small proportion of this number was drawn from the Continent. The majority of them cdnsists of farm servants and Agricultural laborers. It should be mentioned that of the above 552 were emigrants selected by the Agent-General, but under engagement to Messrs Brogden and Sons, the railway contractors. During the month of July four more ships were sent out, carrying altogether 657 emigrants. This gives a gross total of 3245 souls ; and there is every reason to believe that during the ensuing half-year the numbers will be very considerably augmented. The Bishop of Nelson, who at once went over to Collingwood on the receipt of the sad news of the supposed drowning of the .Rev. Mr Gaskin, writes as follows : — " I grieve to say that there is no hop ; e of poor Mr Gaskin's being alive. All think here that the evidence points to his being drowned in the Taniwha, which leads into the Aorere. He 'left Mr Ledger's at 6.15 p.m., and would be at the river at 7 p.m., about half an hour too soon. It is thought he must havo ventured in, and been thrown. The bridle, when the horse was found, was on the off side under the saddle flap, but not, as some said, fastened to the stirrup. All here have made for a week and more every exertion to find the body, but without success, there being no clue or trace whatever. It is a sad loss, and felt to be so by everyone, as all had attached themselves to him most warmly, and he really was doing his work well and with great labor and perseverance. All in the neighborhood have taken a deep interest in the matter. The Perseverance men knocked off work and came down to search'; sonic even came from Takaka and devoted several days to endeavoring to find the body, and the Maoris also helped and showed great sympathy." One of tho members of the Victorian House of Representatives recently read the following as a-few samples of the entries made by school coraaiittee-men : — "Visted this school and found present 25$ things in a ordlcy manner and to the satesfaction of all with whom I here converst with." — " I on of the local comtee visted this school and found pascnt 27 children and to all appiereuce everything goiniing on all wright and Mr . given all satesf action to all partis." (The reading of the entries, which the hon. member spelled for the information of the House, created much laughter.)— "l have this day visted this sclioll. Found the children grately improved both in disciplen and education."—"! have this day vistied the school, well concercted, great improvement." — "Viseted tho school, roods verey hevvey, small attendance." (Laughter.)— " Viseted the school, found all in good oarder, and gcting on weel." — "Visited the school, which I found In verry effecient state."— "Made a visit to school, every? thing in good order, but a terable storm raging out Side." — (Much laughter.)— "Visited! the school, orrganicasion very indiferent pensills to shoit." . (Laughter.)