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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 100, 27 April 1878, Page 2

: A perfect panic appears to have seized the • commercial, community of Hokitika, "and failures are following cacti other with alarming rapidity. The West Coast Times refers jto the latest .case of , an -hbtelkeeper who recently called his ; creditors together representing debts . of? jGi2,400. '. 16 , transpired that the debtor, had given two mortgages over his property, the proceeds of; the latest one 'having gone to pay, the winners of lucky tickets in a sweep. ( , , ! :, A rollicking widow lady wag persuaded a , short time since to accept the hand of her clear departed- husband's brother. The portrait of her first was left hanging in its old place in thej dining-room. One day a .visitor, remarking the paio',ing, asked, 'Is ,that a member ofyour family ? ' •' Oh, that's my brother4n : lavr,' was the ingenious reply. r : Almost daring -robbery took place in Dunedin last week at Mr Black's bakery and dwelling house. . On dressing himself Mr Black, to his astonishment, missed from his trousers pocket' his door keys, the key of his safe, and 18s in silver. He immediately examined the safe, which had been opened, and found that cash to the amount of £10Q, and papers of the value of £200 were missing. Notwithstanding a ;mosfc' complete search of the whole of the premises, nothing but the cash box, with a few useless papers left in the yard, at the rear of the bakery, could be' found. The bedroom iv which Black sleeps is above the' kitchen adjoining the shop, and it is supposed that the robber crawled through the window, and after possessing 'himself of the keys, proceeded to the shop and helped* himself to what was ia the safe } j I

The Temntia Leader is publishing "An essay on crime," by Kichard Garratt, a con* vicfc now undergoing a sentence of penal servitude for life in the Dunedin gaol. Mark Twaiu, the well known humourist, has become the responsible editor of a newspaper called the Covraut and inteuds to make it a semi-political^ semi-humorous journal. The Courant is a very old lidwspitpei', and, iv some respects, it has always been a funny one • but Mark Twain's plan is to make humour a more prominent feature of every department, even to the advertisements} which are to.be written by himself j and printed at twice the brdiiiary rates. The new editor wants to get out a daily paper unlike anything ever attempted in this country or Europe ; and his friends, relying upon the originality of his talents, anticipate immediate popularity for the Courant under his management. That humorous individual, the " Loafer in the Street," who writes for the Christchurch Press, says:— A paper man should not be surprised at anything, and yet the chief reporter of the Ngupotomiro Spectator got rather a start the other day. It appfears that the sub-editdr had* in. the course tif his paste and scisscifs labors, got going agaiiist "tithe, and absently kept putting the gum. brush, thick with the coagulatiou of years, between his lins. Presently, to him enters the lady of his heart. I don't know what the usual custom is when you meet your " fiancees," but anyhow this journalist kissed her. The gum Was real fair gum, and— the result was embarrassing. They ' did nofc realise this until the reporter came along, and then he saw what might be termed an adhesive tableau. And now, if I qiiote Byron's opinion about osculatiotl, * * * for a kiss's strength, I think it must be reckoned by its length, to that editor he will turn again and straightway rend me. The West Wanganui Coal Prospecting Company, (say the N, Z. Times) is the title \ of a small private company which was formed some months ago for the purpose of testing the coal deposits on a large lease at West Wanganui Inlet. The coal there was discovered by Captain -E. G. Moore when in command of the schooner Jewess about forty years ago ; and Captain Moore is now again on the ground, being a large shareholder in the venture, and manager. The difficulty of getting material conveyed to West Wanganui caused many delays ; and when the proprietors had struck coal in the shaft, and shipped a small engine and plant for baling aud winding, the whole was for a time lost by the wreck of the cutter i)ido. After many tedious delays the engine, &c, were taken to Nelson, overhauled, reshipped to West Wanganui, and landed safely at the mine. When steam was got up matters stood thus : — The shaft was down some 40ft. ; it had passed through a thin seam of coal, and had struck auother, which was supposed to be the sft. sin. seam that had been from time to time worked on the mud flat. When the water was baled out, and sinking resumed, this surmise proved to be correct, for the seam is sft. thick, aud the coal is of excellent quality. At present there are about 50 tons on the surface, aud it is intended to charter a vessel to bring 100 tous to this market. As the well has been sunk, and a drive opened out, it will not take long to secure this quantity, and there will soon be an opportunity of testing the coal for machinery and household purposes. The West Wanganui coal has always been in great favor in Nelson, where it is highly prized as a clean household coal, burning brilliantly, and throwing out a great heat. Trials on the railway proved that when a small quantity was mixed with Greymouth coal it euabled steam to be go up much quicker than when the Grey aloue was used. A report from the mine states that a vessel capable of carryiDg 78 tons can get within a quarter of a mile of the mouth of the shaft, and it will be an easy matter to ship coal by means of flat-bottomed barges, which will be able to be floated close to the pit. A vessel of several hundred tons can lie in the main channel at no great distance, and as the entrance to this port is the best on the West Coast there will be no difficulty in opening up a regular trade with Nelson, Wellington, and other places, so soon as the mine has been got into full •working order. There is no doubt that the mine bida fair to prove one of great value, and the shareholders are likely to reap a rich reward for their enterprize. Hitherto many Wellington people, have bought into coalmining ; companies which have not proved highly successful, and the prospectors of the West Wanganui mine, taking a lesson from the:errrors of others, set; to. work in a prudent and workmanlike manner, spending no money that was not necessary, and keeping down to a minimum all expenses away from the mine. Captain Moore hasably conducted operations on the claim, having brought a long Victorian mining experience to bear, and Mr J. F. E. Wright has been managing partner at this end. Should the mine prove the success the owners expect, it will be advantageous to Wellington to have the head-quarters here, and we "wish the proprietors all success.