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Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1759, 25 March 1874, Page 2

"An important sale of valuable freehold and leasehold property takes place to-day a,t noon by Messrs D. Maclean and Co. The properties belong to Mr A. Hosie, one of oar oldest residents, who, it is much to be regretted, is leaving Greymoutb, and consist of a new and substantially-built house in Hospital street, 10 acres of freehold laud fronting the Marsden road, and 102 acres of freehold land fronting the Arnold road. The Bale -will t»ke place on the premises, in Hospital street. At the inquest held upon the body of Mr Shephard, the late editor of the Westland Register, a verdict was returned that the deceased died from congestion of the brain. The funeral, which took place soon afterwards, was largely attended. The tender of Messrs Hasting and Mitchell has been accepted for the conveyance of the Kohinoor machinery from Ross to the Energetic Company's ground, at Reef ton, and the work will be undertaken immediately. 1 ho Suez mail will arrive from Chrischurcth by the coach, on Wednesday evening, at Hokitika, and will be delivered here on Thursday. The Okarito correspondent of the Westland Register says that mining matters' in tne districts are not extra brisk at present. On the Five-mile Beach the Ten-acre Company have their wheel in working order again, and have commenced sluicing. This company has been very unfortumte for the last ten months, and_ deserve the greater praise for the manly way in which they have persevered, facing every difficulty with genuine pluck. Hallahan and party have about: fairly' Opened out their new claim. This enterprising party, are now likely to meet with a substantial reward for their

labor. They arc the nearest party of any to i he si'a, and, consequently, exposed to the liiyh surf that so often rolls in this quarter. Queale and patty have abandoned their old claim and have taken up another next to Clohar Bros. There is likely to be some law case over it. Many miners here are of opinion that gold will yet be struck in the swamp at the back of the old workings. Mr Blackett, the Assistant Engineer inChief, has recently furnished a report upon the Wanganui river, to the effect that without certain works which he recommends there is great danger of the river becoming useless for navigation. He recommends the expenditure of L6UOO for protective works, L2OOO for removing suags, and L2OOO for other purposes. He dismisses the idea, of deepening the " bar," by saying plainly that to accomplish the object in a place the position of which extends so far to seawanl, the construction of the works required would be completely beyond the present means of the Province, or even of the Colony iiself. As showing what great results from little things arise, Mr Blackett, in his report on the Wangiiuui river, says that a cliff, known as Castlo Cliff, which is an important protection, is gradually disappearing, partly through the action ot ihc river, but mainly through the devastating operations of a marine boring insect, which honeycombs the clay between high and low water in such a way as rapidly to destroy large masses, which on inspection and fracture are found to be completely perforated iv every direction through with holes, about a quarter of an inch in diameter. The Timaru Herald of March 17 says : — 1 ' We regret to have to announce the death of Mr W. S. Wilkin, the manager of a sheep station on the east side of Mount Cook, it seems that on Monday, March 2, Mr Wilkin returned from riding, and wtiile tethering his horse out he slapped her on the back, when she immediately kicked him on the pic of the stomach. He was carried to the stibion at once, and it not being supposed that he was dangerously injured, a doctor was not sent for till Wednesday. A messenger was then despatched for l)r Kimbell, but before he returned Mr Wiiken had expired. Diptheria has made its appearance in the vicinity of Southbridge, Canterbury, where a farmer named Sloane has lost four children within about 14 days. The disease is confined to this particular family, The Bruce Herald says that several of the oldest and most successful of the Blue Spur gold miners have lately purchased large interests in claims upon the Maerewhenuagoldtields, after personally inspecting the locality of operations. LSUO is said to have been paid by them for au interest in one claim, and LSOO for a one-eighth share in another, which fact; speaks well for the probable furtune yet in store for this promising goldfield. Four thousand three hundred and fifty-six head of cattle and 11,322 sheep were preserved last season, at the Few Zealand Meat Preserving Company's works at Woodlands, Otago. We take the following items from the Bulkr News, of the 20th instant :•-" Great destruction of the river bank took place yesterday, several large slips occunecl between NelsoD oad Wakefield streets. — The Ino returned from the Ngakawhau yesterday with a ca'go of coal, which is now being transhipped into the Rose of Eden at LI per ton. It only remains for the Albion Company to show a littlo energy iv the working of their mine, and to make arrangements to secure tho calling of sailing craft at the Buller. The Ino will do the rest, and they will thus easily secure an outlet for their coal without any outlay on their part, althongh they signally failed in doing so under the administration of Mr Beetham, , even at a considerable outlay." The revenue received at the Provincial Treasury of Otago during the quarter ended December 31 last amounted to L 126.612. The Provincial heads of revenue were : — Crown lands, L 32.07 6; Hundreds assessment, L 51 ,559 ; General Government payments, Ll2 454 ; goM export, L433S ; goldfields revenue, LG4B2 ; incidental receipts, L 3979. Railways— Duuediu and Port Chalmers, L 3974; Southland, L 3071 Licenses, L 7045. The expenditure during the same period amounted to L 74,752. A Mr Vesey Stewart, who is described as " an Irish Magistrate of the County Tyrone," arrived at Wellington by the steamer Mongol, and after remaining there a few days, will proceed to Auckland. The object of his visit is to ascertain what special inducements New Zealand holds out for the formation of special settlements, to be colonised from the North of Ireland. Drummond, the defaulting bank manager of Melbourne, attempted to es^pe from the Wellington gaol, by secreting himself in the gaol yard, but was discovered. The Thames Advertiser tor the month of February reports the gold yield for the month of February as SOOOoz, being an increase of nearly 2000oz on the previous month. Messrs Carrubhcrs, Mackay, aud others, arc at Taupo, inspecting the best line for the main southern railway from Auckland to Wellington. A correspondent from Rotourua says that a Government telegram received there, appoints April 12 for a monster Native meeting at Ohinemutu. All tribes in the North Island will be represented, and 2000 Natives are expected to be present. Tfie City Council of Christchurch propose to borrow L 12.000 for drainasje purposes, the debentures being for LSO and having fifty years to run, the rate of interest being six per cent. It is reported iv Auckland that Mr V. A. Whitaker, barrister-at-law, Coromandel, is about to leave that district, and to proceed to Fiji, for the purpose of discharging some responsible duties in connection with the Government there. We are informed that the General Synod of the Church of England in New Zealand will meet this year at Wellington, on the sth of May, under the presidency of the bishop of Christchurch, Primate. The General Synod met last at Dunedin, in January, 1871. In thp Nelson Resident Magistrate's Court, a few days ago, Lowther Broad, Esq., R. M., delivered judgment as follows on the hearing of a charge brought by the police against a female named Wardrobe:— l have conieti the conclusion that prostitutes are not idle and disorderly persons within the meaning of this section, and that I ought not therefore to convict the defendant. The law has not declared such a mode of life unlawful, and therefore I am inclined to think it has tacitly acknowledged the existence of an incurable evil by providing means to keep it in as decent bounds as possible. For instance, prostitutes misconducting themselves in public places may be fined and imprisonel, and occupiers of places of public resort permitting these women to assemble in their premises raaj be punished. Keepers of houses of ill-fame may also be indicted ; but I do not know of any law which makes a < rostitute, as such, a criminal. This "Vagrant Act," under whieii the information is laid contains some of the provisions alluded to for the regulating as it were, the conduct of these unfortunates, and if it had been intended to include them under the category of "idle and disorderly persons," I tnink the Act would Lave said so in express terms. To convict the defendant under this section would then I think, be exercising a powe r

tlie Legislature never intended to give Magistrates. For my part I should like to see heavy penalties imposed upon persons who notoriously and deliberately let houses tn this class of women. I cannot help thinking, too, that they might bo confined to special parts of the t>wn or neighborhood, and bo under constant surveillance. It is only by some such regulations I think that we can hope to save respectable people from gross annoyance, and prevent a serious depreciation in the value of property contiguous to houses occupied by these persons.