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Grey River Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 1638, 4 November 1873, Page 2

Mr Warden Whitefoord announces that Monday next will be observed as a holiday, and that the Government Offices on the Nelson South-West Gold Fields will be closed. The occasion is the anniversary of the birthday of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales.

A meeting of all persons who take an interest in promoting the annual Christmas sports is called for Wednesday evening, at the Albion Hotel, at 8 o'clock.

The regular monthly meeting of the Greymouth Cricket Club will be held this evening, at 7.30, at Gilmer's Hotel.

The nomination papers for the election of a member for the vacant seat in the Borough Council foi-the East Ward were lodged with the Town Clerk yesterday. Francis Hamilton was nominated by Messrs Joseph Kilgour, James Middleton, and D. Maclean ; and Charles Woolcock by Messrs Alexander Tait, P. M. Griffen, and James Howie. The election takes place at the Volunteer HalJ, on Thursday, the 13fch instant. ■

Contemplating contractors should remember that, according to the advertisement in our issue of Saturday, the plans and specifications for sixteen miles of the Nelson Creek Water-race will be on view in Greymouth'on the arrival of the first mail from Wellington after the 10th instant, and that tenders' will be received till the 10th December.

.The Greymouth Jockey Club have announced their annual meeting for the 17 th, 18th, and 19tb March. The three principal events are the Club Handicap, of 175sovs, the Westland Hurdle Handicap of 15 soys, and the Gold-fields Handicap of 125 soys. Mr Hustler is the handicapper.

• The usual monthly meeting of the Volunteer Fire Brigade was held at the Hall last night. Present, the officers and 22 members. The Treasurer's report showed that the balance remaining to the Members' Subscription Fund was L21 19s ; and to the General Fund LI 13s 6d. A letter --was read from the Town Surveyor stating that the last stand-pipe to he fixed by the Government had been placed on Mawhera Quay, and requesting the. Brigade to test it as soon as possible. Resolved that the Brigade would do 30, and report to the Borough Council. Accounts amounting to Ll2 10s for repairs to the Brigade station, and sundry small ones, were passed for payment. The Secretary was instructed to write to. the County Chairman, asking payment of the L 25 voted to the Brigade lasb session of the Council. After a discussion the Brigade came to the cdnclusion to abolish No. 2 Hose Company, in order to re-construct the company. A cbmmittee was appointed to devise the beat means of celebrating the anniversary of the Brigade, and to report in a fortnight.

There will be a total eclipse of the moon to-night, or to-morrow morning, for the eclipse begins at 12.36 a m on November 5. The first contract with the dark shadow will be at 1.36. The moon will be totally eclipsed at 2.38, and the middle of the eclipse will be at 3.20. This eclipse will be worth watch - ing, as from the increasing daylight the moon will be invisible before she sets. Mr John White, M.H.R., arranged to address his constituents at Hokitika last evening. The Hokitika Borough Council meet specially to-day to appoint a successor to Mr Lazar as Town Clerk. An accident of a very serious nature occurred on Friday afternoon last, at Oxford, Canterbury, to a man named Jacob, an employee of Messrs Gamman and Davis, sawmill proprietors. He was employed feeding the saw, when by Borne means the log slipped., and the left hand coming in contact with the : machinery, was severed by the wrist, He was taken to Rangiora and attended to by Dr Downes, who recommended his immediate removal to the hospital. Mr' John Burt, coach proprietor, took the saiferer to Christchurch. /

. A'learfully sudden death occurred on Friday, at Liverpool Bill's Gully, Waimea district. A man named Henry Marth, a : German, called at the hut of one G. Matthews, where two abandoned females are also living, and had tea there, about 4 p.m. On leaving, he had scarcely got a couple of hundred yards before he staggered, and fell as though in a fit. He did not recover consciousness, and the matter was reported to the police at 6 p.m., when the officer in charge at once called on Dr Caro to a company him to see the sufferer. On arriving at the spot, Marth was found to be quite dead.— On Saturday, an inquest was hqld by Mr Tabart. From the evidence of Mary Sweeny, who lived with the deceased, and of G. F. Matthews, his employer, it appeared that on Fridayjafternpou Marth, in company with Mrs Sweeny, visited Matthews, at Liverpool Bill's Gully, about two miles from

Stafford. He stayed there about one hour' and a-half, partaking of tea during the time. He then left and when about ten yards from the house, and while in the act of opening a gate, he fell on his face. He never spoke afterwards, and died in a few minutes. Dr Caro, who made a post mortem examination of the body, considered that in the diseased state of the heart, lungs, and liver, a sudden fall would be likely to cause a Jstoppage of the heart's action. A verdict was returned that the deceased died from natural causes. At. Charleston the nomination of a Provincial Councillor takes place on the 20bh inst., and the polling on the 26th. At Westport the nomination is fixed for the 17th, and the polling for the 24th. The local paper states that the Charleston cricketers parpose to play a match with the Greymouth Club during the Christmas I holidays. The following applications were granted at the Warden's Court, Ahaura, on Friday, the 31st ulfc ; — Malcolm Graham, an . area of i 170 ft x 80ft of auriferous ground at Brown's [ Terrace, Noble's Creek ; Thomas Findlay, 1 a double area at Lagoon Terrace, Nelson Creek; Henry Chesteiman and Soloman Kittelty, permission to amalgamate their claims at Callaghau Creek ; Denis Noonan, a tunnel claim at Maxwell's Creek, a tributary of Orwell Creek ; William Laurie, a head-race at Try- A gain Terrace, Nelson Creek ; Guiseppa Pedretti, a head water-race at Noble's Creek ; and Thomas Crowe, an extended claim at Back Creek, Orwell Creek. On Thursday, week the squadron in Wellington harbor were gratified by the edifying \ spectacle of a marine receiving 48 lashes for striking his superior officer. The 15th ult. was a field day with the Invercargill Inspector of Nuisances, ,as on that date he made a raid on the goats of the town, and the " Southland Times " says that he succeeded in driving in no less than 48, which were mercilessly slaughtered and denuded of their skins.

In spite of the remarks of the Melbourne "Lender" correspondent, Lady Fergusson, says the Wellington correspondent of the Dunedin " Guardian," has made herself extremely popular, and he has no doubt will make an equally favorable impression elsewhere.

Mr J. G. Harris, the champion pedestrian, and Mr S. Collins, his trainer, are in Wellington. Their intention is to make a tour through the North Island, otganising sports as may seem desirable ; and, Mr Harris being desirous of testing his powers against American pedestrians, they will afterwards sail for San Francisco.

The s.s. Phosbe, which arrived in the Manukau from Sydney lasb week, brought a large acquisition to the public amusements in New Zealand, consisting of Mr Bachelder's panorama of American travel, with accompanying attractions, and the Gourlay family. The Gourlay Family have opened in Auckland. Mr Bachelder, who, since he left New Zealand, has enlarged and very much improved his panorama, is in Wellington, with other members of his company, including Mr Bent, an artist whose comicalities have rendered him popular in all parts of New Zealand, The President of the Geographical Society of Italy has written to the papers to say that the Conservator of the Bibliothque Roy ale of Belgium has discovered a Mb in twelve chapters, containing the original autograph account of the discovery of Australia by Manuel Godinho, a Portugese navigator, who touched there in 1001, and whose priority to the Dutch sailors, who arrived three or four years later, has been unduly neglected. Mr Ruelens vouches for the authenticity of the MS, which was brought to light at the Antwerp Exhibition, though it passed unnoticed in the crowd at that time. The Canterbury Jockey Club are at variance with their secretary. At a recent meeting in Warner's Hotel, they passed this resolution : — "That in consequence of the disgraceful behavior of Mr Pearse, late clerk to the Canterbury Jockey Club, and as Messrs Bird and Bennett cannot at present dispense with his services, and as it is not advisable that letters and other documents connected with the C. J.C. should at any time be submitted j to hia scrutiny, no future meetings of the | club shall be held at Tattersall's." Messrs Bird and Bennett write that the words "cannot dispense" should have been i ''would not," and Mr Pearse challenges proof.

We have received the second number of the Hokitika "Exhibition News," from which we gather the following items in reference to the coming show. A number of additional special prizes have been volunteered, including no less than five medals given by Mr Tabart, for rolled dried salt beef, for the best sample of butter, for, new potatoes, for ale, and fancy workmanship, all to be the produce of the West Coast. Mrs Dowling gives, a guinea for the best fancy work by girls under fourteen years of age. Mr G. O. Preshaw, a workbox for the best hemmed pocket-handkerchiefs by girls under fifteen, and a writing-desk for the best small hand writing by boys under four^ teen. The Museum Committee give L 5 5s for the best case of New Zealand stuffed birds, collected on the West Coast, and Mr F. J. Barker, LI for the best collection 'of twelve vanefces of vegetables. Many more special prizes will be offered shortly, and the list already contains twenty-four.

The Brighton correspondent of the Charleston Herald urges the Local Board, when they commence their duties, to endeavor to get the track south of Brighton extended to the ilazorback, and thus open up the country for the miners. This, he says, is a highly important work, for it would, also shorten the road to Greymouth by ten miles and avoid the necessity of crossing rivers. The road up Fox's river is getting much out of repair, and some of the culverts are completely useless for the purpose required. If the money Bpent on this track was used in extending the south track it would soon carry it to Kazorback, and thus, instead of keeping twenty-three miles of useless track in repair, we should have one (urgently needed) track of ten miles that, when cut, would quickly double the present population.

The remains of the unfortunate young man Richards, who lost his life at Cook's River, some little time ago, whilst travelling from Ross to Okarito, were washed up on the beach near Gillespie's Beach. The father of deceased attempted to go down to bring the body up for interment at Ross, but could not do so, owing to the Bluffs being impassable. An inquiry was held, and a verdict of accidentally drowned returned.