Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 1881.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 10, 12 January 1881, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 1881.

We would : direct attention to an order made by His. Hpndr the Chief Justice yes- : terday, in compliance with an application made by Mr Pitt that an allowance should be, made; to the executors of the late William Maffey by way of renumerating them for tbeir. trouble. His Honor said that the application was riew of its kind but he had no hesitation in granting it. It occasionally happens that persons find tbat they have been appointed executors in the estates of individuals to whom they have been comparative strangers, and it is satisfactory to find that in such cases the Court will be found williog to make an order for some renumeratkm for the trouble to which they have been put. Thb Stoke Volunteers will appear at this evening's parade in their new uniforms, which have just arrived from England. They have also been furnished with new rifles and sword-bayonets. The coats are ,• red and belts white enamel. This handsome dress taxes each, individual member of the Corps ratjier heavily, the capitation allowance having been reduced after the order had gone off to England. The officers of the Nelson Telegraph Office yesterday presented Mr Tucker, who t was lately in charge/ with a Very handsome silver-mounted escritoire as a mark of the esteem in which he is held by them. Mr Frank in presenting it spoke of the kind and forbearing manner in which Mr. Tucker had always treated his subordinates, and bow grateful they were to him for having done bo. Although they were going to lose him as their officer in charge, they sincerely hoped that the same sincere friendship which had always existed between tbem would only be increased by time. They wiahed him every prosperity in bis new undertaking, and felf sure tbat ifi a very short^tne hit genial

<md obliging manner would gain him as many friends as be had left in Nelson. Mr Tucker spoke feelingly, and said how pleased he was to receive such a token of friendship from his late officers, and aasured tbem of the pleasure he had always felt in their company, either- in bis official capacity or socially. Tnn Horticultural Society's Midsummer Show will be held in the Provincial Hall on Wednesday next the 19th inst., when a fine display of fruit may be looked for. This additional Show is an experiment on the part of tbe Society and we trust that the results will be satisfactory Tim official declaration of the poll in the Suburbs election will be made at the Provincial Hall at noon tomorrow. The Volunteer deception Committee will meet in the Council Chamber to-morrow evening, when a full attendance is requested. Messks Sbsrp and Pickering report the eale of Summerlanda run, Waihopai, Marlborough contaiaing about 8000 acres for £8000. At the Brightwater Court this morning, before F. Kelling, G. W. Lightband, and H, Martin, E?qa , J.J.P., Harry Taßker, butcher, j of Eichmond, was, on the information of Constable Levy, fined 8s and coats 18s for I slaughtering ono head of cattle and three sheep outside a licensed abattoir. Mr Percy Adams appeared for the defendant. Thomas I v. Brooks.— Action to recover £i ]i 3 aa f or goods supplied, Judgment for amount claimed and costs lis. YnsTHRDAT as the Buller coach Was proceeding through the Motupiko Valley tbe four horses took fright at a dead horße which was lying partly burned In the scrub near the road anil bolted. The driver, Henry Newman, at once used the break, but unfortunately it broke, and be wag thrown to the ground. However, behold on to the reins and phlled the horses round until they came i ngainsla.three railed f i nee, over whicb the two j leaders -jumped} smashing the pole of the; coach and then coming to a stand. The driver was a good deal injured, and had to be conveyed home in a private trap, but ia now progressing favorably, no bones having been broken. A new pole was at once procured, and the coach proceeded on its jour- J ney to Hampden, driven by Thomas Newman. The. following ia an extract from the report of Messrs Browne and Thornton who made tbe flying survey for a railway from Christchurch to the West Coast :— We shall now proceed to describe briefly what we saw of the minerals. In the vicinity of Reefton immense coal deposits exist; which have been traced for over twenty miles. Some of these seams we examined, and found to be 23ft thick, consisting of tho finest cannel, or what is popularly known as drawingroom coal, and which burns with. such a bright light as to make it a favorite all over the world. There are also seams of bituminous coal, one of which we examined, near the Oriental Quart a Mine, and which is very superior for smith's purposes. As there is no outlet for this coal, except for the small, population of Reefton, very little is known about it, and we have every reason to suppose that these coal measures are far greater than what ib known. As tbe only industry in this district is gold mining, naturally all the energies of the inhabitants are conpentrated on it, and as all aro doing remarkably well at it, it cannot be expected that the less interesting minerals should be sought after while gold was there. In this wonderful district, when a payable quarta reef is found', the next thing that is done is to run a tunnel into the hill adjacent, &ha* get coal for the crushing machinery. Whilst in Murray Creek near Reefton we witnessed the extraordinary instance in gold digging of a gold bearing stratum of wash dirt on a coal bottom. Antimony exists in large quantities in the quarft veins. Tbe difficulty of making ife an article of commerce could be easily got over by smelting, where BUperior fire clay and coal can be found everywhere in large quantities, Spetlmens ef galena, containing large quantities of silver, were given to us, having been just found in the district. That marble and granite exist is also a certainty ; cinnabar we have not been able to see, but were informed on good authority that several specimens had been brought to Reefton. It mutt be remembered that the. population of this district is small in comparison to its great extent, that difficulties unknown to all., except those who have had to contend with them crop up on every side in tbe way of exploration. First there ia the dense forest, and rugged nature of the country without roads ; secondly, the extremely Wet climate, and the almost constant floods in the rivers ; and thirdly, the Want of cheap labor,'provision*, and. machinery. We can confidently say tbat tho mineral wealth of tbe Inangahua district alone, if prbptrly developed, would in a few years clear the debt of the colony.