THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 1873.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1455, 2 April 1873, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 1873.

The Provisional Committee of the Greymouth Coal-mining Company have not yet had an opportunity of thoroughly testing the amount of support likely to be given to the Company, the half-yearly balance at the Banks being an occasion of importance paramount to anything else that is mundane, but, so far aa they have gone with; the work of ascertaining the number of applicants for shares, they, have been very successful Already two thousand shares have been applied for. The inhabitants of Cobden, it is said, have been amusing themselves by presenting to a local resident a requisition more satirical than sincere to one of their " village politicians," inviting him to become a candidate for election to the vacant seat in the Nelson Council. Others aro treating the matter seriously, and have requested Mr James Middleton, of the Wharf Hotel, to allow himself to be nominated. Mr Middleton in a freeholder in Nelson Province, and, if his requisition is as complete as his qualification, he will probably be one of the gentlemen proposed on the day of nomination. Mr Middleton is one of the earliest residents in the district, and is also one of the most respected; If his name is on the roll, and if he consent to become a candidate, his chances of election are superior to those of any who have yet been mentioned, or for whom a poll may be invited. Yesterday was the annual holiday of All Fools. It was indifferently observed in Greymouth, and, when observed, those who endeavored to make fools of others found themselves befooled. The intelligence of the community seemed to be superior to the successful perpetration of practical jokes. Only one resident— an eminent, practical joker— observed tfee.Sy^g^"^^ flag's in his possession, but there is no record of the number of those who became the " subjects" of his exuberant wit. It is complimentary to the good-nature of the community that when jokes were successfully perpetrated, they were taken in good part, and that, when a " gowk " was found, there was no disposition to hunt him beyond the proverbial mile. A late telegram from Dunedin stated that a livemoa had been seen in the rough country west of the river Waiau. The report is considered reliable, and is vouched for by Mr Atken, a runholder, who describes the bird as being rather larger than an Emu. The proprietors of the Illustrated London Newt announce amongst the special arrangements which will be made during 1873 for obtaining sketches for that paper, that " Australia and New Zealand will be visited by a correspondent who has already set forth on his voyage to the Antipodes, and who will procure fresh illustrations of whatever may have recently occurred of local importance in the several provinces of those remote British colonies." A discovery has been made by Dr Grant, of the American mission to Cairo, in the shape of & Hebrew MS. of portions of the Bible. It was found in a synagogue in the vicinity of Cairo, reported to have been built 45 years before the Second Temple was destroyed. It was carefully deposited in a niche in the wall, 10ft above the ground, and had to be secured by means of a ladder. Portions at least of this MS., which still awaits proper examination, are supposed to be very old. The Volunteer representatives performed a very graceful act before leaving Nelson, They subscribed L4l, which was handed over to the reception committee for distribution among the various charitable institutions of the City of Nelson. A sample of white metal has been left with C. Beeby, jeweler, Queenstown, for his opinion, which he, after several tests, states to be silver, in nearly a pure state. The miner who left the sample remarked he had thrown away a large number of pieces under the impression that they were worthless. The locality was not divulged, but is probably in the - Moonlight or Upper Shotover district. f A public meeting is appointed : to be held in Hokitika on Thursday next, "to take into consideration the necessity of urging the General Government to proceed with the construction of the Waimea water-race." Dr Hector returned to Hokitika from the Kanieri coal-mine on Monday evening. He met the directors of the Association last night. An interesting discovery has been made by an Italian. He has hit upon a method by which nerves may be tuned like harpstrings, and brought into harmony with each other. His theory is that nervous systems, like musical instruments, are all liable to chaugft of tone, and this change is of little importance if all the nerves change together, as by attending to diet and temperature the evil may be corrected en masse, but when, owing to accident or uneven wear, the 'general harmony of. the fieryes is destroyed, a disconnected action is the result, : and a special mode of treatment is required, of which he professes to possess the key. ■ He calls himself a "nerve-tuner," and contracts to keep nerves in order by the month or year. There seems to be no reason why . people should not take lessons in "nerve* ]

tuning," and, like violin performers, acquire themselves the tuning art. Some nerves, like fiddles, want tuning each time they are used, and if every man and woman could scr^w up his or her nerve fibres as they become relaxed, the world would be saved a vast amount of trouble, for it cannot be denied that the principal sufferers from nervous disorders are not those who immediately labor under them, but their friends and acquaintances. SfeWe learn from the Wanganui Herald that Major Heaphy,. Commissioner under the TTStlveTDahas "Frauds Prevention Act, ar« rived in Wanganui'-for. tlfe purpose of investigating transactions which have taken place .between Europeans and'N%tive». It is considered necessary to ascertain whether in every instance of land sales there has been value received, and that no illicit article of cqmmerce thas,been pact^of:the price, such as firearms, gunpowder, or spirits. The Commissioner has power to institute inquiry on Path, and thus satisfy himself as to the hona fides of every transaction. ' A very sudden deatk took place at Hillingdon, Akatore, Otago, on Tuesday morning. While engaged in family worship immediately after breakfast;, Mr John Noble, sen., aged 51, during the singing of the: 9lst , Psalm, fell off his chair and almost immediately expired. The deceased had been apparently in good health, and did not complain of any illness; in fact, he had always been a particularly strong, vigorous man. Dr Fergusson was sent for, and from his examination of the body and the history of the seizure, his opinion was that death Was the result of an apoplectic fit. A distressing accident, already reported by telegraph, occurred on Saturday week at the Meat Preserving Company's Works, at Woodlands, Southland. ■ A man named Salter, who had been employed in the establishment for about three years, and who, by his own statement after the accident, had been before time cautioned, lost his life by accidentally falling into the bath at a time when there were about two feet of boiling water therein. By the statement of the fellowworkmen of the sufferer, Salter was perfectly sober, and the accident is attributed to /the greasy state of the floor causing deceased to slip while he was attempting to hook out of the bath an empty case. There was not the least particle of evidence to show that the deceased could have been accidentally pushed into the bath, and indeed it is certain that such was not the case. He was rescued almost as soon as he fell in, but, his head and shoulders having been immersed, his injuries were very great. Linseed oil was at once applied, and he was forwarded to the Invercargill Hospital, and died there early on Sunday morning. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death, accompanied by a rider declaring the necessity of preventing recurrence of similar accidents by better securing the bath. The deceased is said to have been a sober and steady man, and to have left behind some money in the savings bank, and other personal property, leaving a family in Victoria able to shift for itself. Mr Ned Devine, a well-known coachdriver and sportsman, lost a valuable horse at the Dunedin races. The horse, Captain Scott, was taking a canter in the running course. It had gone nearly round, aud, when within about two hundred yards of the Grand Stand, it stepped into a hole, whereupon the tendons at the back of the fetlocks of the forefeet gave way. The horse is thus rendered incapable for racing, and will only be useful for stud purposes. The animal had risen in public estimation on the previous night, and. was, with his engagements, worth about L2OO. It has already been reported that the arrangements for the purchase by the General Government of the Port Chalmers and Dunedin railway have been completed, the price being L 175,000. The company asked for L220,000-that is to say, that the Government should take up all its stock at par, and also assume the liability upon the LIOO,OOO of debentures issued by the comP2/IYa, s£a Ifesrlfesri IBe""n6"minallße""n6"minal value of which was LlO each, but the Government have purchased them at L 6 5a each, and taken up the LIOO.OOO worth of debentures. The bargain is considered by the Wellington Imlel>endent to be an eminently favorable one to the colony, as it includes all rolling stock, plant, and stations, and a railway which will be directly and largely profitable. This purchase will also preclude the necessity for the Government building a station in Dunedin for the terminus of the Clutha railway, a work which would have been expensive. The Hokitika Star states that about 300 applications to be placed on the electoral roll have been made in that district. The body which dignifies itself by using the name of the Westland Racing Club is complimented by the Hokitika Star on the energy and enterprise they have displayed in clearing and forming the new course off Hampden street. It is now, says the Star, in excellent condition, despite the heavy rain which fell the last day or two. The grand staod is being rapidly proceeded with by Mr George Connon, who has the contract for its erection, and it will bo, when completed, by far the best structure of the kind on the Coast, as well as superior to a great many stands elsewhere, in more settled and pretentious places. The course is so good that the most infirm animals may venture a gallop on it without hurting their "poor feet." The forthcoming meeting promises to he most successful, for pretty nearly all the animals that competed at Greymouth will be there, and others in addition, Harlequin, Mozel, Defamation, and Eonald, either at or before the Grey meeting, joined the holy army of cripples, but others have come in their stead. Septimus, Yatterina, Priraa Donna, Gossip, Royalty, and Commodore are in the district. Slander and Turpin will come from Nelson, and Sir Tatton and Misfortune haye started overland from Christchurch, The County Chairman has awarded to Andrew Souter the sum of LSO for giving information which led to the capture of Chamberlain and Levy. Souter writes as tollows to the Westland Register :-^'« At the time of my giving the information, Mr James stated that if I would take the police to where the prisoners were concealed, he would promise me the sum of L 75, I took the party to the hut as promised, but arrived before the prisoners did. I then stationed myself oh an adjoining terrace, and on seeing the prisoners coming to the hut, gave the alarm, and through that thej wera easily arrested. On my, applying for the sum, as promised, I was coolly offered L 25. This I refused, and finally the matter was referred to the County Chairman ; so rather than have any further 'badgering' about the matter, 1 accepted his offer of LSO, which sum I would not have taken had it not been that I could delay no longer here, my business requiring me to proceed at once to the East Coast."