WESTLAND CENSUS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1808, 22 May 1874, Page 2

WESTLAND CENSUS.

The following returns were laid on the table of the Provincial Council by his -Honor the Superintendent on Wednesday last : — Population of the Province of Westland, March 1, 1874. - |i it . Hfi H 3 to Town of Hokitika 3391 1749 1642 Outlying Districts 4117 7508 2806 3311 Town of Grey mouth 2540 1418 1121 Outlying Districts 2422 4962 1978 444 Town of Ross and ) its immediate [ 1662 982 680 Vicinity ......... ) Outlying Districts 691 2353 527 166 14,823 9458 5365 Total Chinese (males), 898 ; Half-castes, 3. Total, 901. No. of houses and huts occupied 4638 „ „ unoccupied ... 326 „ „ building 10 Total 4974 Population in 1871, 15.357. Population 1874, 14,823. Decrease, 534. Males, 1871, 10,453.' Males, 1874, 9458. Decrease, 995 Females, , 1871, 4904. Females, 1874, .5365. Increase, 461. ■'..''•

We draw special attention to the announcement in another column of a special service to be held in the Volunteer Hall on Sunday

nfrcrnoon next, in aid of the funds of fie Hospital. Tlie music will be performed by the choirs of the different churches.

At' a meeting' of the Volunteer Rifle Rangers, l^st night, it was lesolved to hold the Queen's I " Birthday. Ball in the Volunteer Hall, on Thursday, next, 2Sth in&t.

There was a large 'muster of the Volunteers last night' at the Volunteer Hall, at the annual inspection of arms and accoutrements, there being between 50 and GO present After the inspection, the district prizes were presented by Captain Hamilton, in the first set Vol G. W. Moss being at the head o f the list, receiving the district medal and L 5 ; Vol. Thomas, L 4; Vol. Shepherd, L 2 10s ; Vol. Chamberlain, L 2 103 ; Vol. W. S Smith, L 2. In the second set, Vol. R. Heaphy, L 4; Vol. G. T.iylor, L 3 ; and Vol. J. H. A. Lyell, L 2 ; the Greymouth Rangers thus carrying off the district medal and L 25, out o£ L 32 alloted to the district of Westland.

A painful and pitiable scene was witnessed at Ahaura on Wednesday, when the downcountry mail coach was leaving for Greymouth. A man named Uairdson, a Swede, was brought down from Reefton under committal to the Nelson Lunatic Asylum as a lunatic. When it was attempted to place liitn in the coach, he resisted and struggled so violently thab he had to be forced into the box seat and there secured with straps, All the time the poor wretch was making piteous appeals to the bystanders for help, he being evidently under the delusion that he was about to be strangled. He was at length partially pacified, but he afterwards made a desperate, although luckily ineffectual, attempt to get away from Constable Jeffrey, who had N charge of him, as the coach was crossing on Goueli's

punt,

A feat in inland navigation was performed on the Grey River during the height oi the gale on Sunday last. One of Anderson and Rielly's cargo boats, while returning from Ahaura, got the full strength of the breeze when near the junction of the Grey and Arnold rivers. When passing Langdon's Ferry, all sails were set, and the ran to Snag Falls, off the Greymouth racecourse, a distance of nearly 11 miles, was done in less than half an hour by the watch. The " last rag of canvas" was carried away just as the falls were reached, and suuh was the force of the wind that all control over the boat was lost, and it WV3 eventually blown ashore at Cobden. A number of passengers, some of them females, and the boat horses were aboard during the spin. Considering the difficult navigation of the river, there must have been novelty and excitement in this adventur •, for it is not often the sensation of bowling along at the rate of over twenty miles an hour is experienced.

At the last sitting of the Ahaura Road Board, the Secretary was authorised to employ a man, if necessary, to assist him in laying off the course of a bridle track over the ranges, between Duffer Creek and Nobles Creek. One of the members of the Boa'd suggested that tl«e Secretary should retain the services of the man he hired, until after the route of a new track from Hatter's ferrace to Kangaroo Creek was explored, giving as a reason why it would require two to do the wojk that " one would have to be ready to pull the other out of the mud, to save him from being smothered in parts <>f the present track." During a discussion about what was considered an extortionate charge for horse hire, it was suggested that the Board had better purchase a horse, so as to have one of its own, but the motion was overruled. It was at length settled that the Secretary, being on " Board wages," should find his own horse, but that assistance towards feeding the animal might be asked for with propriety, and with a probability of an allowance being made for the purpose.

The following remarkable instance of defective recollection on the part of a bridegroom occurred in connection with au-inter-estiug ceremony recently performed at the Registrar's Office, Ahaura. A rather elderly couple arrived by the coach, and the gentleman, after seeing his lady love comfortably provided for at (iiltner's Hotel, went in search of the Registrar of Marriages. Having found that functionary the man state I that bis business was to get " spliced," and the preliminary proceedings were gone on with. It was necessary iv filling up a form that the lady's name should be inserted, but the would-be Benedict on being appealed to naively confessed that he didn't know the name of •' his old woman " that was to be, but he would soon find ont. He accordingly bolted across the street, and on inquiry of his future paitner he learned for the first time that the Christian naice of her who was to be his blushing, gushing bride, in a, few minutes, was " Sally," which was short for "Sairey."' The registration clerk put it; down "Sar>h," and the ceremony was shortly afterwards concluded.

We (Ross Guardian) learn from the Okarito mailman that a robbery took place at Okarito on Tuesday, and that the thief got off clear with the booty, amounting to L 62. It seems that Mrs Mayce, who keeps a public-house at Okarito, went to see a friend at Gillespies. Prior to leaving she locked the house, and on her return on Wednesday found that it had been broken open, and the money taken. The money, which amounted in all to L 76, was in a box — L 62 were iv notes, with the exception of two small cheques, and the balance in silver ; but, strange to say, the bundle, of notes were taken, while the silver remained untouched. It is supposed to be some one who knev the premises well that committei the robbery, as Mrs Mayce planted the keys, but the plant was sprung and the keys used to open the box. Willie, a carpenter, was arrested on suspicion, but was afterwards discharged. Up to the time of the mailman leaving Okarito no clue had been found to lead to the apprehension of the burglar.— -The bluffs are reported to be next to impassable.

The advantages of teaching the "English language according to Pitman's phonetic system was lately demonstrated to the Otago Education, Board in a pleasing and practical manner. Mr Diack, teacher of the Phonetic School, says the Daily Times, in.roduced to the members of the Board three of his pupils — two very small boys and a smaller girl. Giving the members a copy of the morning's newspaper, and placing in the hands of his pupils a piece of manuscript containing a phonographic copy of the leading arricle, Mr Diack directed them to lead in turn a passage hovo. the article in manuscript. This they did with wonderful ease and accuracy, even reading the phonographic characters backwards with as much readiness as in the ordinary way. The members of the Board expressed themselves as highly delighted with the exhibition of skill, and promised to take into consideration the advisability of teaching phonography in the schools.

The " Medical Home" has the following recipes:— "A tea made of chestnut leaves and drank in place of water will oure the most obstinate case of dropsy in a few days. A tea made of ripe or dried whortleberries, and drunk in place of water, is a sure and speedy cure for scrofulous difficulty, however bad. A tea made of peach leaves is a sure cure for kidney difficulty. A plaster made of fresh slaked lime and tar is a sure cure for a oancer, which, with its roots, will Boon come out,"

The Committee of the Caledonian Society at Nelson city have been endeavoring to maintain the reputation of their country. The Secretary of the Society was summoned the other day by one Askew. The claim was for the value of 18 bottles of Torment's

ale, 12 bottles of Colonial ale, 12 jugs of beer for a " Doch au D.irros" for 17:Committeemen and others, ■nd fot 23 glasses broken, as it was alleged, by the habit Scotchmen have of knocking their glasses together on festive occasions, the occasion in question having been the Caledonian Society's fete, Ist January, 1871. Mr Acton Adams appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr Maclean for the defendant, who said that. .although the Committee did not admit any portion of the debt, they had offered the plaintiff L 2 10s, believing that she had sustained some loss. For that amount their Worships gave judgment, each side to pay their own and half the Court costs.

During a lecture recently delivered at Ahaura by the Rev. T. Flarell on the " Origin and influence of personal name%" the lecturer gave the derivatives and structural significations of a number of female Christian names, among them that of " Dorothea." In alluding to this name, Mr Flavell said that the character of Dorothea in George Eliot's novel of " Mirldlemarch " was the most perfect pen-and-ink portrait of a true woman in the range of modern literature, and with respect to the novel itself it was entitled to a place in the foremost rank of works of fiction as a faithful and artistically drawn picture of life and manners.

By the order of the Hon. Colonial Treasurer officers holding advances of public money are required to pay to the public account, at the nearest branch of the Bauk of New Zealand, the total unexpeuded balances in their hands' on or before Saturday, the 30th day of May current, so as to close absolutely all advance accounts on that date, and forthwith to transmit the bank receipts for such repayments to the Treasury at Wellington. As respects disbursements which officers may require to make between the Ist and 27th June, special requisitions for the amount required are to be made on and after the Ist June by telegram, but such requisitions are not to include provisions for expenditure of the financial year 1874-75. Sums required for the service of that year are to be applied for by post, in the usual form.

The following episode is described as having occurred in the Port Chalmers Borough Council: — "At this stage of. the proceedings his Worship the Mayor made a few remarks regarding the manner in which leases of portions of the Town Belt were acting, and said they were 'pilfering' the Corporation property. Whereupon Councillor M'Kenzie rose from hh seat, and demanded of the Mayor if he meant thnt term to apply to him iv common with others He then marched up to the Mayoral chair in what appeared to be a pugilistic attitude, and again pressed his question, upon which Mr John M 'Derm id, the Mayor's son, stepped forward, and dared the Councillor to strike the Mayor, his father. The Clerk then requested M.r M'Dermid to take his seat in the hall, and remonstrated with Councillor M'Kenzie, who also retired to his proper position, and again pressed for an answer to his question ; and, the Mayor refusing to give the answer, he asked him, if he desired to retain the same meaning, to alter the words in which the idea was clothed. The Miyor still adhered to the word ' pilfering,' aiid more passied, in the height of which Councillor M/Kinnon rose, and sai'i, « This will not do ; I move that the Council adjourn.' Councillor M'Kenzie, 'I seconl it ;' and the motion was carried by these Councillors rising and leaving only two at the table."

The Auckland Provincial Council is now engaged in discussing a new Education Bill which, in its financial features is said by the Southern Cross to be a great failure, ft is calculated that L 20 ,000 per annum is the least amount with which an efficient scheme can be carried out. Under the existing Ordinance the uniform household rate of LI per annum, yielded L9OCO, but under the new Bill a sliding scale of rating is adopted, according to the annual value of households, and will only yield L 7500, and the school fe^s are expected to reach about L4OOO more — thus leaving a deficiency of LBSOO a year.

During the hearing of the case Macassey v. Bell, at Dunedin, the other day, Mr T. L. Shepherd, who was sitting on one of the seats usually occupied by witnesses after giving evidence, had the gratification of hearing a tribute paid to his well-known qualities by the Bench. Mr Macassey, in the course of his evidence, hapoened to say that, at the conclusion of the Wakatip election, M r Hallenatein, "spluttering like an egg in a frying-pan," addressed the electors ; and that he was followed by Mr Shepherd. His Honor innocently asked, "Is that the great Shepherd— the member?" to the great amusement of all in Court, which was heightened by the fruitless efforts of the M.H.R. for the Dunatan to appear unconcerned. Shortly before this some witness had stigmatised him as a "gold-fields agitator," so that the truth of the oil adage, "Listeners never hear any good of themselves," received a. fresh confirmation.

Australia is evidently now included in the grand tour. Our visitors (says the Argus) in addition to the Duke of Kdinburgh, have numbered two prinoes of the house of Orleans, two of tlie house of Saxe-Coburg, and one of Savoy. Mow we learn from our European telegram that Frince Frederick Charles of Germany is about to make the round voyage, and include Australia in his travels. It will be remembered that it was Prince Frederick (jharles who so signally distinguished himself in the late FrancoPrussian war when in command of the second grand army. He was in command at the siege of Metz, and also at Ko iggratz against the Austrians.

The Provincial Council of Otago are asked to reward the discoverers of the Orepuki gold-field. Mr Daniel has presented a petition from Mr Kirkland and others, setting forth that the Southland Government had offered a reward of LI OOO for the discovery of a payable gold-field within its borders ; and that, in 1866. the petitioners discovered the Orepuki gold-field, which bad proved payable, and supported, since its discovery, a population of 300 people.