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Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1318, 19 October 1872, Page 2

All who are interested in establishing a Horticultural and Poultry Show in Greymouth are asked to meet at Kilgour's Hotel, at eight o'clock this evening.

The steam saw-mill, erected by Messrs Kilgour and Perotti, on the land recently held by Mr W. H. Harrison, at Sawyer's Creek, will be put in motion for the first time this morning.

Mr W. S. Smith has been appointed a Commissioner of the Waste Lands Board of Westland, in the room of Mr Masters, who resigned.

The merits of the dramatic company's performance of "The Marble Heart," and the readiness with which the Volunteer Band have aided the company throughout the season, were recognised last night by the presence of a large audience in the Volunteer Hall. The "statues," the scenery, and the acting were all equally admired and applauded, and as a whole the performance was the most successful that the company have yet undertaken. Miss Stephenson and Mr Burfcrd exhibited a correct conception of the characters they represent, and their example in attention to details was imitated by all the other members of the company. One of the heaviest parts in the play is ■ustained by Mr Herman, and there is due to him the credit of having closely Btudied his part, and of succeeding in acting it better than any part with which he has yet been entrusted. For a young actor, he exhibits extraordinary facility in study, and the attention which he bestows upon the preliminary work of the actor by acquiring a thorough knowledge of the text has only to be extended equally to his acting to ensure his success in hit recently adopted profession. Mr Wilson also, in this play, sustains very well the Dundreary character for which he had' been cast. This evening, the stage is to be occupied by Mr Bromley and those with whom he has been recently giving entertainments in Hokitika.

Yesterday the Chairman of the Acclimatisation Society (Mr J. Kilgour), accompanied by the Ranger (Mr Fitzgerald), Mr Barley, and a few others, proceeded to the grounds of the Society (Kilgour's paddock) for the purpose of liberating three Californian quail, brought down to the Society's order from Nelson by Mr Joseph Harley. The birds were not more than a few moments loose before a number of the same species of birds, which have been on the ground for some time, were about them. The pheasants are getting on well, as also the rabbits ; but the domestic cats pro re very destructive to the young of the latter. The grounds are looking well, and could not have been better chosen. Several consignments of birds are shortly expected.

We notice that Messrs Nancarrow, Henderson and Co. have been appointed the local agents for the South British Marine and Insurance Com pan j, and that they are now prepared to receive proposals.

We ( West Coast Times) learn from a private telegram that the Government have promised to grant L3OO to aid in developing the Kanieri coal mine.

It may interest some readers to know that the next sitting of the Supreme Court of New Zealand to hear and determine petitions for the dissolution of marriage, will be held at Wellington on the 18th November next.

The insurance agents in Wellington have commissioned the City Surveyor of that place to order on their behalf, in connection with the local water works plant, fire brigade necessaries to the amount of L6OO.

Thomas Poole, a stockman in the employ of Mr Bell, Waimate, while crossing the Mataura river near Kerr's Hotel, was drowned, with his horse.

Mr H. Redwood arrived at Lyttelton by the Taranaki with his string of horses for the Metropolitan meeting. These are six in number, and comprise Peeress, Mystery, Awatea, Mai vena, Reliance, and Rapu.

The Wairarapa Standard mentions the death of an old settler. It says that intelligence was received at Greytown, on Thursday, of the death, at his residence, Glen Morvin, of Hugh Morrison, Esq, one of tho earliest colonists of New Zealand, he having arrived in 1840. He was also one of the first settlers in the district, coming here in 1846, where he has ever since resided.

la Mb opening address to the Synod of the Diocese of Nelson on the lOfch instant, the Bishop, while referring to the manner in which money was collected for Church purposes, said:— "l feel that we ought to

appeal more clearly to religious motives in making our collections and in asking for help ; it is for the work, as it is a spiritual work, that we crave help. If this be so, this will still allow us a very wide range in taking advantage of means whereby wo may pass funds for necessary purposes, but I do not think we ought to approve of means which, in themselves, contain elements of evil, or even have tendencies in'vn'at direction. The raising of money by sales of work, by music and lectures, by bazaars and gift-auctions, if properly conducted, cannot, as far as I can see, be objected to, fer the performers and workers are the real contributors, and tbey maty, as in the case of work, music, and lectures, be made highly instructive and useful; but lotteries, raffles, and art-unions, falsely so-called, and such like, ought, I think, to to be unanimously disapproved, and repuI diated by us as illegitimate, improper, and .unworthy mean) of raising money. The I spirit of gambling is so rife in all classes in this Colony that this is a sufficient reason why the Church should set itself against everything which encourages gambling, and certainly decline and disapprove any proposition for raising funds by such a means.

In addition to the list already published, the Canterbury Jockey Club havo accepted the nomination of Mr W. Walters's bay mare Yatterina for the Canterbury Cup and the C. J.C. Handicap.

The prospectus of the Ifew Zealand Tablet Company has been issued. The object of the company is the issue of a weekly paper called the New Zealand Tablet, in which the events of the Catholic world are to be placed in their true colors, the current news of the day faithfully reported, &c. The capital proposed is LISOO, in 1500 shares of LI each.

A series of elementary school books, edited by T. A. Bowden, 8.A., late Inspector of Government Schools in Wellington, has just been published. Besides Mr Bowden, Dr Hector, F.R.S., W. Hughes, F.R.G.S., Mr Morris, and others, are among the contributors.

The rates of discount and exchange have been reduced at the Branches of the Bank of New Zealand in Canterbury.

It is said that Mr Reynolds will probably succeed Mr O'Rorke as Chairman of Committees in the House of Representatives. Mr Reynolds was for a number of years Speaker of the Otago Provincial Council.

During the last few days two stations in the Province of Canterbury have changed hands- One is Messrs Mathias and Ensor's run in the Timaru district, consisting of 20,000 acres of country, which, with 12,000 sheep, has been sold for L 11.500. The other is Benmore, on the West Coast road, 10,000 acres, which, with 2500 sheep, has been sold for LIBSO. In both cases the buyers get delivery before shearing.

On the late trip of the Claud Hamilton, much rough weather was experienced soon after leaving the Victorian coast, and in consequence, several of the horses — and there were a large number number on board — sickened and died. Among those thrown overboard, there was a valuable Clydesdale entire, the property of Mr Martin, of the Otaio, Canterbury.

The prospects of the miners at the Aylmer Lead North are said by the Rost News to be satisfactory. Those located there have had much trouble in proving the ground, owing principally to the large amount of water they had to contend with. This, unfortunately, will still remain, to a certain extent, a detriment to the speedy working of the ground ; but, when the head-races now in course of progress are brought in, the operation of pumping the water will be considerably simplified. Tie Old Lead South still continues to yield fairly ; but, as a matter of course, it is now nearly worked out.

The HawMs Bay Herald gives the following paragraph :— The portion of Karaitiana's letter to the Evening Post, on which the action for libel taken against that journal by Mr Ormond and Mr M'Lean will, we hear, be based, is the following sentence :— "These Government men (Messrs Ormond and M'Lean) said to the storekeepers, ' Be strong to give spirits and goods to the Maoris, so that they may get into debt, and be compelled to sell their lands.'" The AttorneyGeneral and Mr Allan, we learn, are retained by the prosecutors.

One of thej first acts of Mr Curtis, in his capacity of Commissioner of Customs, was to suspend Mr Larauze in his capacity as Collector of Customs at the Chatham Islands, for abandoning his post without leave to bring the news of the threatened outbreak of the colored population. The number of white people on the islands is 133, including about 62 males capable of bearing arms. The colored population consists of — Maoris, but few; Morioris, 113; Half-castes, 20; Kanakas, 4 ; total, less than 200 ; of whom about 95 may be capable of bearing arms.

A case is reported in the Warwick Argus of a singular nature. A man named Hawker brought a claim of L 5 against the Government for damage done to a crop of lucerne by the erection of a telegraph post in a corner of his paddock, combined with the poisonous effect of the dew that fell from the telegraphic wire. The Commissioner to whom the claim was made referred the claimant to the local Bench for a certificate of damage, and the local Bench referred him to appraisers. The latter estimated the damage at L 25. We would advise the Commissioner to come to some compromise at once (says the journal), for should the estimate of the damage to Hawker's lucerne keep increasing at that rate, we shall soon require a new loan to meet it.

The reason for the change which was made a short time ago in the colors of the various New Zealand postage stamps was a puzzle to many people. The report on the postal service recently presented to both Houses of. Parliament enlightens us on the subject, and states :— "lt having been discovered that the colors in which certain of the denominations of the postage stamps were printed were liable, by chemical process, to fee so altered as to resemble the colors of stamps of a higher value : in order for the protection of the revenue it was deemed advisable to alter the color of such stamps. These are now so arranged that the effect of any change in the colors will be to assimilate them to those of postage stamps of lower value."

The Auckland correspondent of a southern paper, writing under date 19th September, says :— "The lovely serene day has brought out Mr Gillies' 'black elephant,' alias the road engine ; hear it comes crawling along at a snail's pace, children soreaming, horses shying, in all directions. The hideous useless thing, whilst making a pretence of earning its salt, belches forth suffocating volumes of dark clouds, which roll over the harbor, and tinge its blue waves with myriad black specks. Phew, the intolerable nuisance is 'here, down with the windows !"

Speaking of the general state of the Nelson Diocese, the Bishop, in his opening address to the Synod, made the following remarks: — " Our present wants are additional clergy for Reefton, Ahaura, and the Lyell; Collingwood and Takaka ; the Wairau and Pelorus; the Amuri ; and the suburbs of Nelson ; these are pressing, and some of them are of long standing ; they are not all in a position to support their clergyman at first, but a moderate subsidy from central funds would enable them to da so. Ido not despair ere long of seeing them filled up. In the meantime, we must fall back upon occasional services, and the assistance of the laity, which in many parts of the diocese has been

most valuable during the past year. Reefton was visited by myself twice, by the Rev. Mr Soutar twice, and by the Revs. G. H. Johnstone, Thorpe, and Flavell once, at a season when travelling was difficult and dangerous, and I regret very much that we have not heard of anyone willing to undertake the work there as yet. I have visited the Weßt Coast fully this year, and proceeded overland by the Buller, where our people had never before been visited. I was much gratified by what I saw of our work on the West Coast.

The formation of the Canterbury Deep S3a Fishery Company has already been noticed. The capital is LIOOO, in 50 shares of L2O each, and 35 have already been taken up by 27 influential residents of Christchurch. The object of the company is to bring a greater supply of fish, and of greater variety, into the Christchurch market. It is proposed to purchase a cutter, boat, and all fishing nets and lines that may be required, the fish to be Bont up daily to the Christchurch railway station, and to be sold at once, by auction, at the station, in small lots. It is propoied that the hands required should be paid by a per centage on the profits. It is also proposed to purchase an old boat, to be kept in Lyttelton, for the purpose of keeping any extra fish, so as not to glut the market. The project is one which ought to commend itself to public support, as a regular supply of fish is a great desideratum in Christchurch, as it is in all other parts of the Colony.

Referring to an inquest which had been held on the body of a man named Patrick Egan, who had been killed by falling from his horse while in a state of intoxication, the Warrnambool Advertiser says: — "More deaths by suicide and by accidents arising from drink, we firmly believe, have occurred within a radius of a mile from Dennington bridge than in any other space of similar size in the colony. In to-day's issue is recorded another to add to the frightful catalogue. The drink which led to the fatal result was bought at several publichouses on Sunday, and the vendors are to be brought up before the Bench to be fined — and cautioned. Of the 12 jurymen at the inquest only three could sign their names— rather a strong illustration of the want of compulsory education somewhere ; and to a mild suggestion by the coroner that their verdict should say something about intoxication, they turned a deaf ear."