THE INANGAHUA DISTRICT.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1335, 8 November 1872, Page 2

THE INANGAHUA DISTRICT.

(from our own correspondent.) Reefton, Nov. 5. The promised election of a member: for this district to sit in the Provincial Council still hangs fire, though, as I said in my last, there are several gentlemen able and anxious to fill up the gap and sacrifice themselves for the country. Up to the hour of writing I have not been able to gather anything indicating that the writ had been issued, and "when it will be forthcoming remains yet to be seen. The stamps for stamping the miners' rights after their holders have voted on them have arrived however, and may be considered as the advanced guard of any •other necessary electoral apparatus. Heavy bodies move slowly, and one of the most sluggish of the sluggish is the Nelson Provincial Government, as unfortunately the South-West Gold Fields too well know. Possibly the ex-Minister has not yet got over his expulsion from office, after having,for so short a time tasted its 1 sweets. Whatever the reason be, however, the election is procrastinated strangely. - - As previously announced, his Honor Judge Harvey opened the first Reefton District Court to-day, in the new Court House, but the only business consisted of some unimportant bankrupt business originated in the Court at Westport, butrelegated here.' It is to be hoped that the sittings will always be as light, but I much fear that on his Honor's .next visit he will find a good deal more to do, especially in his insolvency jurisdiction. The Judge goes down to the Ahaura tomorrow, and from there proceeds to his Hokitika headquarters. In the Resident Magistrate's and Warden's Courts nothing of importance has transpired, but the dullness will probably be to-morrow somewhat enlivened by a case that is referred to below. Mr P. Wakefield is still discharging the duties of clerk, but will shortly give up the position, and Mr Graham Greenwood take his place. . It is satisfactory to find that the old follies which were once wont to characterise this day,' the sth November, in connection with the escape of Parliament in years gone by, have dwindled down to nearly nothing. In Reefton the Gunpowder Plot anniversary was scarcely noticed, the only exhibition in connection with it being a pigmy bonfire lit by, a few juveniles for their own special edification. ' ' ,; The condition of the cemetery here, unfenced and improtected, has been long a disgrace to the authorities, and it is satisfactory to be able to state that, though tardily, ■ measures have at last been taken whereby " God's Acre" will be preserved, and the last resting places of the dead respected. A contract for enclosing the ground has been taken by Mr .. A jo.bn M'Lean, and the work will be proceeded with forthwith. Up to the present time animals of all kinds have strayed unchecked over the graves of the dead, but thia will be happily avoided in the future. ' .••".. The Hospital Committee met this evening for their first monthly sitting. Till recently their meetings were weekly, but by a resolution of the. lately elected committee this was changed *to once in four weeks. At to-night'c gathering the chief business was to consider an offer from the medical officer in reference to dispensing his own medicines instead of through a chemist, as heretofore. Dr Bulmer undertook to supply physic gratis, but the committee declined tne .offer,"prer ferring to adhere to the old system. In connection with hospital matters, I may say that the lately appointed medical officer- has been somewhat distinguishing himself recently. The old adage says that two of a trade can never agrea, and though the art of healing is a profession,' it would seem that professional men are not exempt from the petty jealousies of trades. For some time past the two rival Esculapian practitioners located here have looked daggers at each other, and have nursed their wrath to keep it warm, but on Saturday last it culminated in a rough and tumble collision of such a nature as to have attracted the attention of the police, and the belligerents, or alleged belligerents, have both been summoned to the Resident Magistrate's Court for creating a disturbance in. a. public places and will make their bow to the Bench to-morrow (Wednesday) to account for, to say the least of it, their eccentricity, It would be obviously improper at thiq sta<?e of the proceedings, to say.more, but at least we can boast of novelty in the fact of the whole medical talent of the town being summoned for brawling in a public street. , r " Whilst on the subject of good manners, I may remark that in the last issue of the local paper, the Inangahua Herald, a correspondent writing under the initials of W. W., takes me to task for statipg the plain truth in reference to the late fes? tivity in ponneetion with Anderson's opening. He evidently is as ignorant of press usage in complaining to one paper respecting matter appearing in another as the gentlemen to whom I referred in tfie obnoxious epistle were of the ordinary usages of civilised society, and ; I should not have referred to the majbter had W. W. not insinuated that your correspondentwas remunerated for stating actual facts. I need hardly say that" he is laboring under, a strange hallucination, possibly induced through his haying engage a scribe to achieve the letter in question. Should this be so, it would be well if, hi any future communications, the somewhat singular term ' ' pedestrian digits " were omitted. Attempts to introduce "muscular Christianity " in the shape . of cricket and Christmas sports are being made, and ihore is every probability that they will 1)9 successful. Bats, balls, and wickets are coming up from Weatport very shortly 1 and some of our leading sharebrak,ers. arq going to take prominent action in the cricket arena| probably because they have, nothing else to do, and think 'the noble' game an excellent mode of wiling awayspare time till broking looks up again. A meeting was called to-night for the. purpose of taking measures for Christmas sports, but was adjourned,, owing to other meetings and matters engrossing a large number of influential persons, who wish well to the. cause. There is every prospect of some L3OO orL4OO being collected for the purpose, and should such be the case, prizes to attract the best up-country men can be given. There is no doubt under any circumstances, that a meeting worthy of the district will be inaugurated. ' . The new Wesleyan chapel here is fast approaohing completion, ; and though no^

large will be a neat and pretty building amply sufficient to meet all present wants The Catholics set an example of churcl building, the Wesleyans followed, but th< Episcopalians, like the oft-quoted little boats, will persist in being astern. Then is ample provision in the shape of re serves for all denominations, bat the Church of England and the Presbyterians are the last to take advantage of them. A rather sudden death occurred at Boatman's yesterday. A miner named Dennis Quinlan, who has been working some alluvial ground in that district for some little time, had complained of feeling unwell on Sunday last, grew rapidly worse, and died on Monday evening. As no medical man had attended deceased, an inquiry was held this evening before C. Broad, Esq., R.M., at Williams's Hotel. The medical evidence showed that death was occasioned through internal disease, and a verdict to that effect was returned. Deceased was 36 years of age, a native of Tipperary, and was unmarried. The gardens in Reefton and its neighborhood are looking splendid, thanks to the fine growing weather that has recently prevailed. Warm rains with occasional bursts of sunshine have brought on vegetation of all kinds apace, and it is surprising how well the soil newly reclaimed, heavily timbered and swampy bush, yields a harvest of all kinds. A large quantity of potatoes are being planted in various parts round, and it is by no means likely that the late starvation prices of this vegetable sheet anchor will be known again in this district. The mining news is dull, or rather there is nothing fresh to report. The same steady plodding that is now characteristic of the district is beir.g persevered in, and will bring forth good fruit in due season, but there ore no exceptional leads to chronicle, neither have any startling discoveries been made. At Anderson's, orushing continues with very good prospects indeed, and shares are firmer than ever been. There can be no doubt apparently that the yield from the stone now being passed through the stamperboxes ia a fair sample, and that the yield will be equal to the most sanguine expectations. The Golden Hill Company are •till busy with their crushing, but it is probable that instead of sending their original quantity, 600 tons, they will stop short at about 360 tons, and, if so, will have that put through about the end of this week. The yild will be quite as and no paius has been taken in taking the stone. The Victoria company will avail themselves of the services of the same mill, that of the Westland Crashing Company, but their stone is very superior, and should, if appearances can be believed, run from l£oz to 2oz per ton. There are no other mining mems of interest to report.