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

There Las not been the happiest agreement in Greymouth as to observing the Prince of Wales birth-day. The principal business places in town close to-day ; the Banks close on Saturday ; and it is understood that the Government offices will be closed on Monday. A loyal people we are, but not unanimous. The performance at the Volunteer Hall this evening is to be given by the company as a complimentary benefit to Mr Burfori, and it is anticipated that the good intention will be extensively shared in by the public, whom the beneficiare has done his best to please during his stay in Greymouth. The play is "Othello," the company having the assistance of Mr Waters in the character of fago. Next week, we believe, Mr Burford aud Miss Stephenson contemplate a visit to some of the mining centres in the Grey Valley. Some difficulty has arisen in connection with the formation of the Greymouth and Omotumotu Creek fdad, through the interference of one of the settlers through whose land the road is constructed. He has ventured, it appears, to obstruct the thoroughfare, in consequence of some claims of his not being' satisfied, and the gang of men who have been actively at work lately in the final formation of the road had, yesterday, to cease operations. No doubt the Government have alieady been communicated with, and will at once take such steps to remove the obstruction as the law or the justice of the case may enable them to take. Latterly the work has been proceeded with much more energetically than at first, and it would be a pity if it should now be interfered with, either through any neglect on the part of the Government or through any proceedings on the part of a settler possessing a grievance or a taste for litigation. Except Mr Acton Adams, of Nelson, no gentleman has been mentioned as likely to become a candidate for election as representative of the Inangahua district in the Nelson Council: During the hearing of a case at the Warden's Court at Ahaura, at the last sitting, it transpired that a "hatter " at Nelson Creek , had earned on an average L3O per week whenever he had water to wash with. His claim ia situated on the top pi thg r^nggs, near the proposed terminus of the race intended to be brought from Lake Hochstetter by the Government to Nelson Creek. A lad named David Mackay, in the employment of Messrs Stewart and Burrows, butchers, Ahaura, picked up a bundle of papers on Tuesday, between the tilth and sixth telegraph posts from Pothan's Hotel, on the track from Ahaura to To tar a Fiat. On examination the parcel contained, among other valuable documents, a bank depositreceipt for L 485, The property was given in to the police. A miner named Frank Gonedick, a Frenchman, from No Town, subsequently claimed the property, and at the same time reported the loss of LI 6 in caßh, and also a horse. The man said he was on his way home to No Town after visiting Beef ton, and he stayed at a publichouse near Ahaura- on Sunday night. He turned his horse out in the paddock attached to the premises. He: missed his money in the morning, and ho also found that his horso

had broken away from tie paddock. It was -while looking for his h>rse he lost the £ depoßit-receipt and rther pipers. There is t no reason to supposeanyom connected with the hotel had anything to to with the lo«s £ of the money, but thj polio are isaking en- f quiries into the mattir. A angular circum- T stance occurred in connection with the j. search for this man\ missing papers. A t friend of Gonedick'styas assisting in the ( search, when he picked HP a cheque for a { considerable amount wm«y lad been paid to \ Mr James Kittelty, and yhich- was lost a \ fortnight ago. It may be marked that, in \ Gonedick's case, the boy Jackay has been ] rewarded for his honestj by the largehearted and generous ower of so much money by being presentd with exactly nothing. This is very drerent liberality from that of a rather god-looking young lady who dashed through tb town on horseback the other day on her iay from Keef ton to Greymouth. During herapid transit she dropped her portmonnaie, was picked up and found to be well filkV with " bluebacks." On reaching GougPs punt she dis- 1 covered her loss, and retuned to Ahaura, \ when her purse, with the contents intact, were restored to her. Thehappy finder in ( this instance refused the pro'erred pecuniary ! recompense, but he was anply rewarded , with the bestowal of a swefct and "bright smile" which "haunts him still." ; The value of the breadsjmffs imported at West Coast poris during tiie year ending 30 ,h June was as folbws :— Hokitika, L17i465; Greymouth/ L1G.044; Westport, . L 6193; Even Nelson imported to the value of L 14.640. Auckland was the largest importer—tq tha-atttotmt- of L 85.555- The East Coast porfcs of the "Middle Island, on the other haud, aU exporftlirgely. The adjourned meeting of those interested iv getting up Christmas sptrts for this ye&r was held* last night in the Albion Hotel, when a very fair number assembled. The principal item was the election of 'a Committee, to consist of twelve in number. After a ballot was taken, the following names were found -to bi chosen: — Messrs Revell, Maclean, Middleton, Woolcock, Walton, Strike, Harley, Haxwell. Cameron, M'Millan, Kerr, aud Hdder. It was also resolved that an early meeting of these gentlemen should be called tqconsider about the necessary arrangements for carrying out the proposed object, as well as other matters that were discursively spken of during the evening. A. meeting of gentlemen interested in the formation of the Grey District Poultry Society was held at Kilgour's Hotel, on Wednesday night. There was a pretty fair attendance, and it was' resolved that the Society should be established. After confirmation,of the previous minutes, Mr Prince, who, in the absence of the Prasident, occupied the chair, explained the object of the Society to be to encourage the importation and rearing of a superior kind of domestic and other birds, and alludsd to the probability of getting up a poultry show at the close of the season. The rales of the Victorian Poultry Society were then adopted in tolo, and the subscriptions fixed at 10s each member annually, the members to be allowed certain privileges, at the coming show. Mr H. H. Wolters consented to act as secretary and to collect the subscriptions, and the meeting adjourned to next Wednesday night. Mr Adam fiurnes, who is appointed Manager for the National Bank of New Zealand, at a salary second in amount we believe to that of the Governor of the Colony, is a native of Montrose, Scotland. He is about forty years of ago ; is the son of a solicitor of the same name ; has had considerable experience in ban kiug, and while Manager of the Colonial Bank in Melbourne, was honored by ["ib jwaaUeil — lxv w»ot-ciianfcs *Vid other, banners for departing from what were deerasd old-established banking principles, and introducing new practices in regard to dealings with wool-growers and their produce. Lengthened controversies took place in the newspapers, but Mr Burnes adhered to his plans, and now he is made the chief of new bank in this colony. On the proposal being made to subsidise a mail service to the Fiji Islands, Mr Harrison wished to point out an extraordinary inconsistency on the part of the PostmasterGeneral, who found it impossible to subsidise a service lo connect the West Coast district with the San Francisco line, so as to obtain the delivery of the mail in that part of the country within a reasonable period, and yet asked the House to vote v sum of money for n service the benefits of which were certainly problematical, although perhaps they would eventually be obtained. Mr White was in favor of the vote, as he believed that no money they could vote would be likely to 2>rove more advantageous to the Colony ultimately, if not immediately. He saw the Colony grow under the subsidised steam service, and he was quite certain that, but for the establishment of this' steam" service, they would have been isolated from the other colonies, and instead of now having a population of 300,000 it would have been 100,000, and the revenue resources would be comparatively small. He bglieved jl was wise and statesmanlike to endeavor to establish communication with those islands, and therefore he would gladly support the vote. The item, Ll5OO, was agreed to. George Seymour, aged 20, son of Captain Seymour, Auckland, struck himself with the lash of a whip whilst driving stock. The wound gradually got worse, and symptoms of tetanus set in. Shortly afterwards his jaw set as firm as a vice,, and he died. At the last meeting iof tfye Hos3 Fire Brigade, it was resolved by tlje meinbersrr "That, unless better support be given to them during the sports tb be held during the Christmas holidays, the Brigade should resign in a body." '...:.. The Japanese troupe of jugglers, gymnasts, and contortionists.' make their first appear-., ance at the Duke' of Edinburgh ' Theatre^ Hokitika, ou Saturday evening. Tenders are invited for cutting and clearing bush on the telegraph line from Kauieri to Eoss. Tenders are also invited for the supply and delivery of three hundred tele, graph poles. By "The New Zealand Post Office Apt Amendment Act, "which will come into operation on the Ist January next, the rate of postage on all newspapers posted and delivered in the Colony is reduced to one halfpenny. The residence of Mr Samuel Reed, blacksmith, near Templeton'sj Awatere, has been, with its contents, destroyed by fire. One little baby was so severely scorched that notwithstanding pvery means taken to alleviate its sufferings, it succumbed. News was received from Port Darwin last week which confirms Wescott's information that no alluvial deposits have been discovered. Nearly seventy children suffering from whooping-cough were taken to the Christchurch gas-works in one day. C. E. Haughton has 'been gazetted Under Secretary for Crown Lands and Immigration. ; . Wo notico by the Canterbury papers that Mr Drake, lately residing in Greymouth, challenges any man in that Province to run him a sprint race. 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 i^t Wellington on tho 18th November. 0 ;

By the Nevada on her last trip, Mr.W. L. Simson, Warden at Clyde, returned after twelve months' leave of absence. At tho Eeef ton .Warden's Court, on Monday, W»tson Braithwaite and party applied for a gold-mining lease of 14 acres 2 roods 20 nerches of land situate west of the Royal Standard on Anderson's line. It was stated that a leader had been struck and work done on the ground. The applicants were twelve in number. The. Warden expressed his intention to recommend six acres being granted, the Provincial having decided to grant as a rule half an acre per man under lease.