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Grey River Argus, Volume XVI, Issue 2026, 4 February 1875, Page 2

The Grey mouth portion of the Francisco mail arrived by the s.s. Murray last night at 7 30. It ws promptly landed and Borted at the Post ' ffice. The usual monthly parade of the Greymouth Kifle Volunteers takes place this evening, after which there will be an election "f officers. A very serious accident occurred yesterday afternoon to a man named Michael Malloney, while at work in the blacksmith's shop <if Mr M'Gregor, Boundary street. While engaged in hammering out a piece of hot iron, a chip flew off and entered his left eye. causing him great suffering. He was taken to the Hoapi al and attended to by Dr Morice, but it is still doubtful whether he will ever recover the sight of the eye. A complimentary benefit is to be given to Mr W. A. Chapman, at the Volunteer Hall, tomorrow evening, at 8 o'clock. The General Government are calling for tenders for the formation of about three miles sixty chains of the Mount Rochforfc railway, called the Warman -aroa contract. Tendera are to close on the 10th February. Sir George Arney, Chief Justice of the Colony, arrived here last evening by the Murray from >elsoD, and proceeds by her to Hokitika. There was a considerable amount of business transacted al the meeting of the Waste Lands Board, Hokitika, on Tuesday, but none of it had any reference to this district w The Superintendent of the Grey River Hospital, on behalf of the patients, ackno«r« ledges receipt of the following presents :— Mr E. Wickep, parcel of papers ; Mrs Oreswell, books and periodicals ; Mr Parkinson, periodicals ; Mrs Marron, parcel of books ; Mrs Blackmore, parcel of books and old linen ; Jacob Cohen, 7 doz herrings. At the Resident Magistrate's Court yesteiday, before G. King and H H. Lahman, Esqrs, J. P, John Mitchell was brought up on two charges of being insane, and also of vagrancy. Ho was remanded until Friday for medical examination. No difficulty, says the "Lyell Argus," will now be experienced by pedestrians travelling al'>ng the new road from Nelson in crossing the Bailer near the Mangles, as Mr Rowe has been at the expense of fixing a wire rope and cradle, which will be at the service of those who need it entirely free of Gharge. The •• Otago Daily Times " of January 20 says : — •• At Green Island starlings are becoming very plentiful. The increase of these birds in the district is amazing. Large flocks sometimes take possession of the fields, feeding on the larvre so abundant at this season of the year. To the presence of the starlings is attributed the fact that grasshoppers are not so numerous as usual. The "Inangahua Herald "states that Mr Dol'son, the late Provincial Engineer of Nelson, did not resign because of any personal difference with Mr O'Conor, but because he had received a General Government .appointment at L7OO a year in Canterbury. At a largely-attended public meeting held at Hokitika on Tuesday evening, the following resolutions were carried: — "1 That in the opinion of t is meeting it is essentially necessary for the safety of the town that means should be at on?e taken for obtaining a sufficient supply of water. " "2 That this meeting would earnestly recommend to the Borough Council of Hokitika the consideration of the above-mentioned subject." "3. I hat in the opinion of this meeting a favorable means of providing the desired water supply is furnished by the waterworks now being constructed by the Kanieri Lake Water Race Company, aad this meeting respectfully suggests to the Borough Council the expediency of opening negotiations with the said Company on the subject of such water supply "4. That the <'hairman be requested to forward to the Borough Council a copy of the foregoing resolutions " The "West Coast Tiows" understands that a prospecting claim has been applied f r by a miner named Thomas Contains, for new ground discovered by him somewhere about three mites above the Blue Spar Township, along the line of Boy's and party's head-race. The ground is shallow, averaging 6, ft in depth, and from several holes sunk by Cousins a prospect of about sdwt to the load was obtained, which is considered payable. Four men who set in to work alongside the claim marked off by the prospector obtained even better prospects than he ; the ground is, however, believed to be of limited extent." A terrific thunderstorm passed over the Motupipi Valley, Nelson, a few days since. A correspondent of one of the local papers mentions that the lightning struck five of his sheep dead. They were found lying so as to form a circular ring about JO yards in diameter, all their heads being northward. Three out of the five dead sheep had a mark, 2ft long by lin wide, as though a red-hot j iron had been run along theit sides ; the wool was burned down on each side of the mark, and the skin was left quite bare. During th@ late thunderstorm at Tuapeka, Otogo, a flash of lightning struck a post at the rear of Miss M'Swiney's residence, at Wetherstone's, splitting the post in thousands of pieces, and scattering the fragments in all directions. The rails adjacent to the post were displaced several feet. Two eyewitnesses state that the earth around the post was driven upwards, as if by a whiU wind, thus testifying to the violence of the shock. A mare was feeding close by, but i foitunately she escaped with a friaht. Mr Titchener's house, at the Camp, Lawrence, had a very narrow escape. A flash of lightning struck close to the house, causing it to vibrate considerably. Mr Titchener, who was indoors at the time, says that the building shook as though about to fall, giving the occupants a great fright. Thunder followed the flash in about $08eo Commenting upon the immigrants arriving at Auckland, the "Eohb" says :— " rTe have nothing at present to say against the

moral character of the immigrants, of whom we have received so many last year, although we could say a good deal about some of them. But, on the other hand, we have a great deal to Bay against their business character. There are some very marked exceptions to the rule, we believe, but the rule has been that our- immmigrants have been an imposition. ; Thf laborers are generally innocent of all knowledge of useful laboring work The artizens are hardly ever worth their salt as mechanics. The servant girlß— well, the servant girls, when respectable (as some certaiuly are), are generally ludicrously ignorant and absurdly conceited, and when the reverse are no benefit to the community. This is the plain English about our immigration, and we had rather it was not so true as it is."

A correspondent of the " Southern Cross" in Mercury Bay, who signs himself " An Old Bushman." notices the great many deaths by misadventure, which have recently occurred in that district within the past two yea>s; Re points out that the first victim within the time mentioned was Duncan, a boatman, who left in a boat at night, with a bottle of rum, and was found in the Mangrove Swamp, a week atter, dead. The next was the skipper of a coasting craft, who after drinking; dancing, and card playing, had a fight early in the morning, during which he was knocked down, and was afterwards taken to his vessel where he died 24 houses after. Then one Maj&s left the puNic house about 10 o'clock aWfljmt, and was never again seen alive, hnt a fortnight afterwards his body was found on the rocks outside. Last July two men came ashore from their vessel, spent some, time at the public-house bar, and left in the boat about noon to reach their vessel, not more than twenty to thirty yards distant in; a smooth river They capsize*? the boat, and both were drowned, in each of thss*» cases of disaster and sudden death, drink was more or less directly concerned as a cause of the catastrophe. Five violent deaths in &\ small district thinly populated, and all within two years, and each death, consequence on indulgence in rum ! The three thousand five hundred employers of female servants in Sydney intend subscribing L 5 each towards a fund which wi'l be devoted to bringing out from England 1000 thoroughly domesticated young women. This step is necessary in consequence of the high notions of the Sydney servants. Several Berlin newspapers express great astonishment and displeasure that portraits of the Duke and Ducheßsof Edinburgh should be so extensively circulated among the inhabitants of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. They declare that it is a monstrous thing that an English Prince should be allowed to succeed to a German Duchy, and insinuate that if the reigning Duke of SaxeCoburg and Brunswick should die without direct issue, advantage should be taken of the circumstance to convert both these Duchies into Reichslander, or immediate dependencies of the Empire. At a recent municipal election, at Napier, the hot weather so demoralised the electors that votes were freely offered for a drink — but not of water. Professor Huxley in his recent lecture on "The Automata of Life" relates the remarkable case of a man who was injured by a bullet during the late Franco-Prussian war. This man suffered from nearly the same injury as an animal that has had its brain hemisphere very largely damaged. His brain seems to be, according to Huxley's account, just on the border between total and permanent disorganisation of this part of the br*in, and a condition which enables it to perform its functions satisfactorily, the result being that, while his general health is good, he is subject to partial and transient derangement of the functions of this part of the brain. For about 27 days in the month he is a respectable well-conducted man, and performs his duties as a warder in the hospital quite satisfactorily. Then for a day or two he passes into another life quite suddenly. He goes about just as usual, makes up bis cigarettes, eats and drinks, and performs the same sort of actions as he does when he is well. But he sees nothing, hears nothing, tas^c3 nothing. The only uni'tipared sense is that of feeling. He walks .straight on until he strikes against some thing, then he turns aside and repeats the operation. He smokes as usual, but shavings please him just as well as tobacco. He eats, but nothing comes amiss to him— aloes, asafcetida. all things arc the same to him. Besides thin, he is, while in this condition, an inveterate thief. Since the opening of the Paki Paki railway communication between Wellington and Napier has been much, expedited. The journey can now be done in two days and a half. The township of Oamaru, the population of which is about the size of Greymouth, pays the following salaries to its Corporaofficers : — The Town Clerk's salary reached about L 275, Ll5O of which were voted, the remainder being made up by commission on collection of rates. The City Surveyor received one guinea a day when actually employed, and he was employed during the first year one hundred days. There was also a Poundkeeper, whose pay of L 75 was paid out of the poundage fees, and the laborers, permanently employed, including the lamplighters, received in all L 350 in wages. All work was let out by contract;. The " Rosa Guardian " is prophetic about the future representation of the Totaca district in the General Assembly. It says :— •'ln matters political, Donnelly's Creek is not dormant, and it is likely at the next election fur the General Assembly a candidate from its wi'ds will come forth x o do battle for legislative honors." : They are hard up for wives down Ross way, particularly at Donnelly's Creek, for the local paper says : — " In matters conjugal, a splendid opportunity presents itself there for the Minister of Immigration to place a few of his female protogees in comfortab'e positions. The majority of the miners are single, and are most anxious to form them, selves into committees of two, with power to add to their number." The two lads who robbed a Chinaman, at Ballarat Hill, Stafford, a few dayß ago, were brought up before the Resident Magistrate, at Hokitika. The elder brother admitted the theft, and was committed for trial, the younger one being discharged. All the money and gold was found upon the person of the thief untouched. The Wellington '•' Tribune" of Monday last states:— "A determined attempt at murder was made last night by a man named Igoe. He entered the house of a laborer of the name of Woods, who was Bitting on the doorstep reading, and struck him on the head with a tomahawk. He then rushed into the house, saying he would kill everybody in it. A policeman heard the noise, and arrested him. Igoe ueolared he meant it.- The caße is remanded by the Resident Magistrate, Woods being too ill to attend the Court. Igoe's wife is said to be living with Woods." We learn from the " Times" that as Mrs Mullins, of the Lower Hutt, was returning in a trap from Wellington on Sunday evening week, the horse bolted, and Mrs Mullins and four children she had with her, were violently thrown out of the trap. The youngest child (Kate Beatrice) fell upon her head and was dead when picked up. The others were badly shaken.

It is proposed to construct a large steam wharf at Wellington by a public company. The subject of teaching swimming in

schools ha<» been mooted ia Canterbury, and it is probable that the numerous deaths from drowning that have lately occurred will cause attention to be given to it. The heat has been intense in Sydney and the neighborhood. Bush fires prevailed in all directions, and miles of country were on fire. A lady, whilst being driven by her husband in a buggy through the burning bush, was burnt to death through sparks falling upon her dress. A gentleman who has arrived at Brisbane from Cooktown describes the heat as almost unendurable. In an ordinary cool house the glass stood at 120 degrees the day previous to his departure. Sunstrokes abound, and the mortality on the field, arising chiefly from dysentry, is something terrible. " The men are dying like rotten sheep," said our informaut, says a Brisbane journal, and that he hoped the record of such fa°.ts will help to deter any further exodus until the proper Beason. The Resident Magistrate at Auckland during the hearing of a recent case said that he believed that morality among the lower orders of Auckland was worse than in any other part of New Zealand. The weather has been intensely hot at Auckland. A telegram of the 22d January to a Christchurch paper says: — "Theweather is intensely hot. The Resident Magistrate cleared the police court, which was oppressively crowdpd, by telling a constable to go round the spectators and collect the educational rate from defaulters. A general stamoede followed this intimation, only a few out of fifty remaining. This is taken as a good indication of the extent to which the rate is being evaded by one clsss of the community." ■•■■'•'•.-■ The Christchurch "Press" und*rbands that an official connected with one of the lodges of friendly s -cieties in the city has left suddenly, and that some complications it? the accounts have been discovered which are likely to result in a loss to the lodge in quesi tion of over L4OO. I Two lads at Batlarat Hill, Stafford, stole from a Chinaman two one-pound notes and 2oz of gold, and decamped. They were captured at the Kawhaka, and now await trial. Some samples of whisky recently sold in Dunedia were handed to Professor Black for analysis, and that gentlemen reports the presence of sulphate of zinc and coppor in marked quantities.