West Coast Times. FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 1866.

West Coast Times, Issue 269, 3 August 1866, Page 2

West Coast Times. FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 1866.

The rapid progress of the Kanieri tramway is a fact of great public importance on man}' grounds In au almost incredibly sboi-t ppucc of time since this work was fairly begun, the wooden rails at this end of the line have' beeu laid down on substantial sleepers, along Gibson's Quay East, almost as fay as the Custom House, aud as tho line is daily exteuding yard by yard, it is made practical use of. Many heavy loads of materials, not connected with the progress of the work, have been carried on the Company's truck, both up and clown tho live, pushed easily along by a couple of iw,. The Qfrovtuwtwuie is n itriHing

illustration of the rapidity and cheap- ] ness with which available roads for the transport of goods and passengers, may be made in all parts of the district where no great engineering difficulties exist. Of course on the part of the line at present laid* nothing was required but to level the ground in readiness for the reeeptiou of the transverse beanls, upon which the wooden rails are placed. Between these ballast will have to bo deposited aud a foot way made by tbe use of shingle for the horses ; for we understand it is tbe intention of tbe Company in tbe first instance,' to employ horse traction, as tbe cheapest and most convenient. There is many a long stretch of miles where the' same easy engineering conditions exist, and where works of this kind might be prosecuted with equal rapidity, thus serving rapidly to open up the country, aud, by the cheap supply of stores, render many a gold field payable which it is at present found scarcely possible to work, in consequence of tbe enormous deductions to be made from the earnings of the miner, from the im> natural clearness of provisions and other supplies.

The tardiness with, which railway enterprise has been prosecuted in many of tbe younger settlements of New Zealand, where the rapid construction 6f available roads has been most called for, has been due to the extravagance of the scale on which these works • have "been elsewhere projected. In colonies like. New South Wales and Victoria, where the exigencies of a traffic corresponding in dimensions to that carried on on the English linos had to ba provided fov, works of the mo9l substantial construction were requisite : but in the case of these the heavy preliminary cost involved, and the magnitude of the engineering works to be effected, have not only retarded the development of. the railway system and deferred for many years the harvest to be reaped from it, but have rendered tbe lines actually opened a heavy charge pressing upon the Government. One result of this state of things, as affecting New Zealand, is, that the very name of railway enterprise has become almost a bugbear. It has associated with it all the grim and undefined terrors of heavy loans, sinking funds, depreciated stock, and consequent embarrassment. It is thus that Otago, wiiich -claims to be the richest province of New Zealand, has not yet turned the first sod of fits first railway. It has spent years in deliberation, anc has printed voluminous reports of commissioners, but it is only now that it seems to be about to take in hand a practical scheme. The unfortunate mistake committed by Southland in undertaking works utterly beyond its resources, and the extreme embarrassment which was the consequence, has doubtless operated most adversely to the prosecution elsewhere of works of this kind. For the convenience of the traffic between the Bluff and Invercargill a line was begun, and suspended only when on the eve of completion, which would have sufficed for the traffic between almost any two commercial towns of Groat Britain. The most substantial rails wore laid down, the heaviest and most powerful engiues constructed, aild the result was a coiInpse and the sale of the railway plant by the Sheriff in execution of a judgment debt to the contractors. A light iron rail, sufficient for light goods trains, to be drawn by light engines of mode-

rate power, might huve been rapidly constructed at a cost -which would have occasioned no embarrassment whatever. At the same time it must not be forgotten, to the credit of the small province of Southland, that it has set us another example which is well worthy to be studied, if not to be followed. It has constructed the wooden line of railway to the Make-rowan*, which will be shortly opened as far as Winton Bush, where, connecting with a good natural road to the Lake district, it will estab lish a system of communication between Invercargill and the Otago g'uVl-fields, which must tend greatly to revive the fortuues of Southland.

What is wanted here, is the rapid construction of cheap tramways or railways—the popular distinction between which is that the former are worked by horse, and the latter by steam traction. It is to the adoption of a cheap railway system, that the United States are so greatly indebted for- the uuexampled progress they have made in extending settlement and industry over a vast territory. Had they projected what are called "substantial and permanent" works through, the forests, and across the prairies of their unoccupied country, laying down rails calculated to meet the requirements of the next generation, and building bridges intended to last for scores of years, tbe work of advancing settlement would have been indefinitely retarded. But they acted on a principle of wise calculation, and the event has justified them. Cheap works in the first instance, to be replaced by more substantial ones, as soon as the traffic to be accommodated b)' the latter has been created, are patently the most economical and on every ground the wisest in policy. The accumulated interest on the money saved by' the adoption of inexpensive works in the first instance, will supply capital for the construction of more costly ones, when the necessity for them arises, whilst in the mean time the lines of cheap railway may be rapidly extended.

The subject is one of very great interest to Westlaud at this moment, and the actual beginning made by the Kanieri Company is full of *suggestiveness as to, what may be done here, rapidly and cheaply to meet a want that has been long, loudly, and in every direction* convplained of,

Tho escort from the Waimea reached town yesterday, having in charge between 1500 and 2000 ozs. of gold dust.

The civil sittings of the Supreme Court commence to-day at 11 o'clock. Thero are only five cases to be, disposed of. We have already given a list of the causes to be tried. Wo are" informed by Mr Harper that tho p.s. Bruce Was successfully launched yesterday, and now lies safely in tho river at Okarita.

We notice that tenders dre invited by the Church of England Building Committee for the erection of a church and parsonage. The plans are to be spen at the office of tho District tengineer, and the tenders are required to be sent in before four o'clock to-morrow afternoon.

"Wo reprint, hi exlenso, the proceedings in tho Supreme Court, Dunedin, in connection with tho " persecution, not prosecution," of Mr ' George Elliott Barton. In tho telegram we extracted yesterday from the <( Lytlelton Times," it was stated that the Court had issued a mandamus to tho Eesideiit Magistrate, the Hon. Mr Strode, for heaving the renewed charge against that gentleman. This was a false statement, the Court only having granted a rule m/.m, calling on the Resident Magistrate to shew cause why a mandamus should not issue, the judges at the same time giving very strong reasons for the belief that the Court would not feel itself called on to make the rule absdlute.

During the progress of the Districts Courts Bill in the deneral Assembly, the clause extendiug the criminal jurisdiction of the' Courts to all but the most serious class of felonies, and conferring on the district judges the power of passing sentences of .penal servitule 'up to twelve months has been negatived. Last night the Firo Brigade turned out for practice, and fro wore glad to fice so strong a musler of the force. Upwards of twenty membera were in attendance, who turned to their work with a will and promptly responded to tho commands, and paid due l'ced to the admonitions of their 1 captain. ReTcll-Btrtfet North was first chosen ! as tho nsciio of operations, atd there several imiiginai'j fire* were extinsui.--.hofl in good Blylc; after ■which the hook and ladder apparatus was ran to the lower end of Hovellstrcet, and a line being formed from tho river's edgo and tho buckets unmade, a sharp half-hours work, passing up water, ensued. The buckets were then made up and. the nights practice concluded with storming the Cleveland Ilotol. It is satisfactory to note the high state of efficiency which the brigade is attaining under the able tutelage of the. captain, and we believe, that should their services be really needed, every man will be found both ready and able to do his duty. The usual monthly meeting of the brigade will b<3 hold on Monday next, when we hear 1 that many new members will be enrolled. We have received the following communication from a gentleman at Rosstown, who was present at tho christening of the Totara Pioneer Race :—": — " The indomitable energy and pluck of the mining community was never better exemplified than in the carrying out of the work recassurp for 'the construction of the Totara- Pioneer Water Race, tho successful completion of which was celebrated to-day. The water for the supply of the race is diverted from Donnelly's Creek, about four miles from the township, and is conducted by means of flumin?, and cutting along the sidesof the range to the point of the spur immediately behind the old Cemetery -hill. Tho work was commenced about ten months ago, and was erpectcd to have been finished within three months ; but owing to the nature of the country through which it passed, and othei drawbacks, the Company have only been now able to complete the race.' Tuesday was the day fixed for the ceremony of christening the race, and the bellman having summoned all, the population within call, about 2 o'clock not lesa than a thousand people had assemblerf'on the ground immed'ately below tlje present termination of the cutting. At a quarter past 2 o'clock tli<» water was turned on, and soon appeared flowing from the end of a box placed for the purposo on the brow of tho hill, in a stream that gladdened the hoart3, not only of the shareholders, but of hundreds of miuers who have been compulsorily idle for some timo back through lack of water. On its appearance at the end of tho, box, the race was christened by Miss Ryan in tho usual manner, and enthusiastic cheers greeted the first sight of the indispensable element. The Company then adjourned to the marquee erected for tho purpose, wlnn'C a profusion of cdiblcß and drinkables had been provided by the shareholders : a brass band being in attendance. Several toasts were drunk — '• Success to the Company," " The health of the Manager," &c*., &c, and a presentation was made to tho Manager, Mr Moran, by his fellow shareholders; of a valuable gold watch and guard-, as a testimony of his services in conducting tho work. We have little doubt that this enterprise will not only be highly remunerative to the partners, but will lead the way to further operations of the same character, which, in a district where ground-sluicing possesses so many attractions, will tend to make the Tolara the moot important goldfield on the West Coast." » The second meeting of members of the Masonic graft, who hold Jheir diplomas under the Scotch Constitution, was held last night, at the Odd Fellows' Hotel, Revell street, for the purpose of forming another lodge in Hokitika. After a preliminary discussion it was resolved that an application should at once be made to Mr Viucent, Pyke, GLM., S.C., in New Zealand, for a dispensation. It is thorefore almost a certainty that Scotch Masonry will bo intoduced amongst us, aud a very good craft it is. At tho Soutldand Provincial Hospital, the seaman Antoino Barbier (who sustained a fracture of the skull on the occasion of the. wreck of the Calypso at Stewart's Island, and wa3 afterwards taken to the above institution and subjected to the operation of trephining) is rapidly recovering, and is now able to go about aud do light work. The miner, Henry Mayo, who was brought round from the West Coast some weeks since, suffering from a gunshot wound accidentally inflicted by one of his mates, is also progressing favorably. Tho " Otago Daily Times," of the 28th ult. says :—": — " We understand that only 113 letters for Otago were received by tho first Panama mail, which reached tho Post Office last evening ; and they were all, wo bolievo, specially addressed for the now route. But one mail, seems to hive been made up in London, and that was for Wellington; or, at'least, all the Otago letters wero received iv - tho Wellington bags. Tho homo authorities, in short, appear to have sent just what was addressed " via Panama," and no more. There were not more than 200 newspapers received. So far as could bo observed, thore are no letters or papers direct from the United States or America; and, altogether, while tho first mail by Panama has arrived -with, satisfactory punctuality, its contents were as limited as could welL be supposed possible. The latest dates are London, June 2nd ; and Panama, June 24th. The Rakaia was- jusfc a month on the voyago from Panama, as she started on the 24th June and reached Wellington on the 21th July. Punctual working will no doubt secure favor for the new service ; but cleai ¥ ly, folks at home are far from inclined to trust it until it has proved itself to be reliable.' 1

The effect, by anticipation, of the proposed tax on transmission of newspapers by post is illustrated by the following, from <he " Uruco Herald," tho proprietors of whjoh had signified their intention of publish* }n# twioe inite&d of on,oe a,week ;—," \^e ha^d.

very oldsely calculated tho additional dxpens'es which a socond weekly issue would entail upon us, and had resolved, in a liberal Bpirifc, to make our charge for subscriptions only a very little over what it ndw is, so as to place our readers in possession of the very important news which we may reaSdn&blV expect from AH parts of tho world, as speedily and as economically as possible ; but the increased expense and inconvonience from the postage rate has inducod us to postpone publishing twice a week. This accounts for not appeaving.in our' new fdrni yesterday .*' Wo take the following from the " Otago Daily Times "of the 25th ult. :— " During the sitting in Banco, yesterday, Mr Smythies mentioned to the Court something which ho had heard from a juror, or understood to be the opinion of a juror or jurors, in the late action, Bussell v. Howorth and Othorß. Mr Justice Eichmond said that it was a pity that some jurors did not understand the dignity of .their positions as judgea : if they did, they would certainly rcfttso to diSCuss the"ir Verdicts with parties to tho causes tried. Because some jurors were thus \mable proporly to estimate theirjudichil position, it unfortunately happened that they were constantly enabling solicitors to got un in Court, and f .o state that a juror 'did ndt mean ' this or ' did not understand' that. There had been considerably too mucli of this ; and ho wa? determined to set his face against it for tlie future:" I In its report of the new ground which was rushed" on Monday last, near the Greymouth Cemetery, yesterday's " Grey River Argus" aays:— "The rush is situated on a terrace about three hundred yards below the Cdmetery, and about a quarter of a mile back from tho beach. Sevqrnl trucks branch from the old lead on the beach, so that no difficulty whatever exists in the way of finding the place. The prospector's claim is situated at the north end of the rush, and tho ground has been marked off for about a mile south of them. The prospector.*, Knox and party, after bottoming a hole obtained such prospects as induced them to commence taking down a paddock about 25ft. 1 12 f t, which they expect to bottom at about twelve or fourteen feet depth. They doclined te state what their actual prospects were, but from information which we can rely upon, they had about l£dwt. to the bucket (or a idwt. to tho :lish). The siukiug is, of course, pretty much the same as on the old lead. The ground is covered with bushj Ibut after this and the.uiass df roots have been removed, tho work is easy and straightforward. Tho party next the prospectors, consisting of Jenkins and party, have bottomed three hole 3 which proved to be duffer 3; but, still having faith in the ground, they are sinking two fresh holes, which they expect to bottom to-day. Many other parties are waiting to see the result of the prospectors' paddock, and, should this be favorable, which the prospectors anticipate it is highly probable the rush will become an important one. Its . close proximity to the town, and the ease with which it lean be reached, offer many inducements to* miners, who, under such circumstances, can be content with moderate wages." The up-country districts in Otago have been visited by yery severe frosts, which have caused a great decrease in the yield of gold. The "Otago Daily Times" says: — "The fortnightly escort which arrived yesterday brought down but 4304. ozs. The smallness of tho quantity is due mainly to the continued severity of the frost, which Jias interfered mo6t extensively with all sluicing operations ; and -partly to tho damage done by the recent Hoods. We hear that several creeks, through which it has often been a difficulty to got the escort waggon owing to the rush of water, have this trip been found frozen so hard that the ice bore the horses and wagon without cracking in the slightest degree. In only one or two races was water seen flowing ; and the result of a sudden thaw would b» disastrous to races, and especially- to the flumed parts of them." A correspondent of the " Southern Cross " has furnished that journal with the following interesting account of a visit to White, or Sulphur Island, lying off the Bay of Plenty. This island, as bur readers probably know, is composed almost wholly of sulphur, which in •places being in a semi-liquid state, emits constantly a white vapor. The writer says :—: — " Fauces grabeoientto Averni (Virg., .3Sn.b. vi.). On our passage up to Auckland from Wellington, on the 6th July, in the steamer Lord Ashley, we were, by the kind permission of Captain Ponsonby, allowed to accompany him on a visit to White, Island. Some difficulty was experienced before a safe entrance and landing-place was discovered ; but as soon as the ship arrived opposite a small cove which the captain judged to be a fit place for debarkation, the starboard pinnace was lowered away, and those amongst the cabin passengers who wished to accompany the captain were by him permitted to "clo so. In consequence of there being a considerable swell- on at the time, we had some difficulty in landing, the coast line having been studed with small, but closely packed and jagged rocks. However, ,we got ashore safely, as also tho ladies, who fearlessly accompanied us ; and on commencing our explorations, Tire found the island to 'be perfectly barren, and entirely destitute of vegetation, with the exception of a small weed resembling ino3s. Proceeding further up the slope of a lull, we came to a small lake, covered, apparently, with tho substance above described, and from which thei'e emanated a large cloud of sulphureouß vapour. As we continued our course along the southern margin of this lake, we came to a pool which appeared to be of considerable magnitude ; but from the vast density of the vapour exhaled from it wo were unable to ascertain its dimensions. On our near approach to this pool Wo found that it has connection with the lake above by means of a small stream, tho water (or rather sulphuric acid) of which proved, upon tasting, to bo extremely disagreeable to our palates. Whilst engaged in vainly ondcavoring to satiato our thirst in the Stygian waters, the earth suddonly gave way under .our feet ,tmd we found, on pmerging, that from our knees to oi*r toes we were covered with hot and halfliquid sulphur. The further one of the two lakes above mentioned has, from the immense commotion of its sulphureous waters, all the appearance of a huge boiling caldron. In the immediate vicinity of the lakVthe stones were bo hot that wo found it impossible to take hold of them in our hands, aud'on removing a small piece of rock we distinctly observed a light sulphureous flame, accompanied with a very dense and suSlcating Binoke. Captain Ponsonby,' finding now that ho had no more time to spare, and thinking that our olfactory nerves had undergone sufficient punishment, ordered the boat to bo got ready ; so picking up some pieces of the purest sulphur we could find, wo embarked, and after a very pleasant excursion, arrived aboard the Lord Ashley in safety." On the second reading of the Criminal Law Procedure Bill being moved iv the House of Representatives, Mr Reynolds expressed a hope that tho G-overnmcnt would, in committee, In troAuce a. clause doing away with grand juries altogether. (Oh, oh, and hear, hear.) He could only say that in tho province from which he came (Otago) it was a perfect farce. Another member for the same province, Mr Wood, said that the grand 1 juries had been dispensed with in other colonies, and it was found a groat benefit in comparison with tho English sygtchi. The proposition did not find favor with the veprewot«ti. v ?B of % otnev proving, -.