THE MONTH.

West Coast Times, Issue 276, 11 August 1866, Page 2

THE MONTH.

Compared with the gold fielJs of Australia which abound with both quartz and ironstone, the Westland workings are singularly free from either, the latter especially being very rarely met with indeed. In nearly every instance, if an inspection of the auriferous drifts be made, they will be found to consist of slate, sandstone, and granite wash, intermixed with a very small proportion of quartz, and now aud then a stray ironstone is uncovered. We, however, have never until lately heard of gold being embedded iv ironstone; but now we are told on reliable authority that a gentleman of this town picked up, during his rambles in the vicinity, a piece of ironstone studded with gold. This is pleasing intelligence, as it proves the existence of gold other than alluvial in the district, and coupled with the reported find of a reef in the vicinity of the Arahura river, induces us to hope that ere long quartz mining will become one of the staple supports of Westland. A sad case of drowning, illustrative of the folly of leaving the mouth of wells and other open receptacles uncovered or unfenced, occurred on the 12th July at the back of ReveH-street. A fine little boy named N. J. Clarke, aged two years and a half, was playing about in the vicinity of his parents' residence, near to which is situated ti tidal well about ten .feet deep, which at high tide contains about six feet of water, and^ when the tide is out about two feet and a half. Presently the boy was missed by his mother, who receiving no answer to her call, ran outside the cottage to search for him, and found his hat lying on the edge of the well. This aroused her fears, and on looking down it she saw something in the water, the tide being 'then at its lpwest ebb. Assistance was summoned, when her worst fears were realised, as the body of the child was found on its head at the bottom. Life was of course extinct. An inquest has since been held by Dr Beswick the District coroner at the Lord Nelson Hotel, and a verdict of accidental death returned, . to which the following rider* was attached: — The Jury, would recommend that all owners of wells should be comI pelled by the police to properly protect j them. The ceremony of baptism by immersion, took place on the 14th July in the Ilokitika river opposite the Kanieri, upf>n four j persons, of whom two were females. A large number of people attended. The weather was beautifully fine, and the river clear and perfectly still ; indeed but for the sharp frost, which we should imagine must have made the water somewhat cold, a better day could not have been chosen. -*-—•—• , ' """Those who have only qnce patronised the well-spread and genteely conducted breakfast table at the Cafe de Paris may, perhaps, form a slight idea of the dismay and confusion which the sudden and unexpected irruption of a wild, pig in the room would create amongst the guests ; and the rage and astonishment of Phin. \ Solomon and his staff of waiters. "Yet we | can assure our readers that on the 18th ,ult. i a scene occurred at the Cafe which r requires the pen of a Lemon to describe, f and the pencil of a Leech to illus- | trate It seems that at an early hour 4 the Wallabi commenced discharging her , | cargo of pigs, (120 in number), some off ■t which were exceedingly wild, and refused' * when landed to herd with the rest. One) | of them was particularly intractable, and- '» dashed up Wharf street and round about Kevell street, followed of course by several .- individuals whose efforts to catch it were • quite unavailing. At last driven to des- ' peration and nearly exhausted, '' piggy" = when passing the Cafe suddenly turned ; and darted inside, evidently attracted by ' ; the savoury fumes proceeding from the I breakfast room, into which it dashed, to the consternation of all sitting there. ( What then transpired we are unable to say, but the babel of noises which greeted; the ear, made up of women's shrieks,'. men's cries and curses, the crashing of .crockery, and the maddened squeals of the unfortunate brute, was sufficiently , indicative that for a time at least the break- % fapt room was converted into a chamber of horrors. We are informed by a gentle- ' man who was an eye " witness, that after : prostrating most rudely . the lady of the house, the hog leaped upon the table and, proceeded in a most unceremonious manner to help it.«elf to coffee, scattering the dishes right v and left in its course. After much trouble — as it was. of considerable size — the brute was ejected, and the wonted order once more reigned. *""^~-A very singular accident occurreaTcfa boat, while the ps. Bruce was towing across the Okarita bar on the morning of the 16th June. For thepurposeof supplying the miners on Hunt's beach with provisions, otherwise than by the slow and expensive 'process of packing, some storekeepers at Oiarita chartered a small schooner named trie Caroline, and engaged the Bruce to tow her outside, and a large whaleboat wa9 also provided to land the schooner's cargo on the beach. This boat hung astern of the latter, and contained a Maori to steer her through the surf; but when in the worst part of the break, the jerks were so heavy that the boat's bow was torn completely out to a level with the keel. On perceiving this, those in the Bruce and schooner gave the unfortunate man up for lost, when to their astonishment, he slued the boat's head round for shore. It was then observed that his weight in the stern sheets kept her fore part sufficiently raised to prevent her swamping, and as fortunately the flood tide was still running strongly, he was swept irto the river and landed safely. A fatal mining accident happened at the Hau Hau on July 19, whereby one man lost his life, and another had a very narrow escape indeed. The two men were at work in a drive on the Deep Lead, and at the time were engaged ya. timbering the ground. One of them named John Hunter was driving home the laths — his mate ; being behind him — and by some mischance he missed the lath and struck the cappiece, knocking it off the props. This of course let the points of the latns down and forced out two of the back sets of timber, which, in their fall, brought down an immense quantity of drift, estimated at twenty tons. Hunter was crushed under the falling- debris and must have been instantly killed, but his mate was only caught by the timber and gravel and wedged-up in the drive, thereby being rendered helpless to assist his unfortunate fellow workman. His cries summoned assistance, and save a few bruises he wag extricated unhurt, but Hunter was found quite dsad, with his Piok and face ;

quite black. Uo had evidently died from suffocation. An extraordinary case of "smashing" occurred on the 19th July, which has ended so far in the self-conviction of the offender, who deliberately walked into the Police Camp on that day, and gavo himself into custody. It is needless to say that the poliooNvere utterly astonished at such a procedure, and at lir.-t imagined the man was mad, no ch-ir^e having been hid ayiinst him. lie mm- 1 , ho.v»-vi?i. detained, ami in the meantime the affair in•vestigated, when it tnm<pire>l that wit'iiu two days )\e hid v swashed " fur worthless cheques, amaiMtiujr iti the aggregate to L 205 1.3 -. II j gave ii hi* name as W. G. Warde.i, and stated that one for £200, drawn on ill.* Bank of New Zealand, he had paused to Mr Cairns, pro prietor of the Sydney Aocoiniii'ulatioii House, Tercraakau, in payment for the buildiug and premises, which he had purchased. In Hokitika, Mr Fitzsimmon-i of the Mechanics Hotel was victimised to the tune of £l, and Mr Colls of Tatt.-r-sall's Hotel also accepted a piecj of paper to the s*me amount, whilst an unfortunate blacksmith whose name we have not heard, is a sufferer to the extent of £3 15s. The only reason assigned by Warden for such insane acts was that ho had no employment and wa3 starving. The remains of another unfortun it • — dreadfully maugled — have been cast up by the sea on the Totara beach. On the 11th July, two parties named respectively, Cummins and M'Auliffe, were travelling overland from Okarita, when just as they were abreast of Donoaghue's Bluff they observed an advancing wave deposit a dead body on the beach. Upon examination it was found to he that of a man entirely divested of clothing save the remnant of a shirt round its neck, a belt round the waist, and one boot on. It was much mutilated and hardly recognisable. Assisted by some miners who were passing by they removed the body about high water mark, and on arriving in Hokitika, Cummins reported the circumstances to the police. A very unusual incident occurred on July 19 in the Supreme Court. On the Grand' Jury coming into Court with several true bills, the foreman stated to Ilig Honor, that he had been requested bj' the Grand Jury to bring under his notice the circumstance that in connection with an indictment for riot at Bruce Bay, several of the jurymen had been waited on by witnesses subpoenaed in' the case, with a view to their being; induced to throw out the bill. His Honor expressed great astonishment at the announcement, and said he had no doubt the Crown Prosecutor would look nto the matter, and take what steps might be necessary. Mr Duncan said he would certainly do so. His Honor asked Mr S-'i-ot to mention the names of the parties. The 'foreman said he. thought the Grand Jury jwere chiefly desirous of making the iraatter public, as a warning. His Honor {hoped it would operate as such. 5 At the Five Mile Beach, south of OkaJrita, there are about 1500 people assembled, and to supply the wants of such a 'community there are 7 hotels, 26 stores, 3 bakers, 2 butchers, 2 shoemakers, and a branch of the Bank of N"ew Zealand. The TJallarat Hush is certainly the most , flourishing part of the Waimea district, miners and business people alike doing well. A considerable township has sprung? up there at 'present, containing 2 hotels, 18 stores, 3 bakeries, 3 butcheries, 1 restaurant, 1 blacksmith, and 1 shoemaker.! At the Waimea township trade is dull,' < through excessive competition, for although "the population is light, there are 9 hotels,^ 7 stores, 3 bakers, 3 butchers, 2 blacksmiths, 2 shoemakers, and a large drapery, establishment. At the Three Mile there \ are 3 stores and 1 butcher, and 1 store at Fox's Gully. On the Waimea track there are 3 hotels, 3 stores, 1 butcher, 1 1 baker, 1 cordial manufacturer, and I shoe- 1 maker. Total for the district inclusive- of t 'j beach workings, 14 hotels, 34 stores, 6? bakers, 7 butchers, 4 shoemakers, 3 blacksmiths, a cordial manufactory, and a fdrapery establishment. £ The" prisoner WiNon, alias Murray, who Jmade known to the police tin conspiracy murder Mr E. B. Fox. a"d was aft< rarreste'l as hc-in:; nipMe«te<l in th«* jmatter, arrived from the Grey on the 1 lth puly at half-past fi\e o'clock. He has jbeen sent to Ilokitika for safp keeping. | fthe gaol at the Grey not bein^r so strongly I gniilt as the cells h^re. Amending to j confession, Wilson was a mem- ! |>er of the gang, and took an active part an the murder of Mr Dobson. tie is an slightly-built man. of sandy freckled complexion and bduill fen t lives, Jwith disagreeable, ferrety -looking eyes ever glancing downwards. From his '• tout ensemble " we pronounce him (teci '.cdlv insignificant, and should certainly not take him for such a desperado as the confession of Sullivan makes him out to be. On the 31st June, a miner, known only by the name of Kitto, was drowned in the Inangahua river, under very melancholy circumstances. He was crossing the river in company with his mate, when he missed his footing, and was swept off by the current. After being carried down thn river for some distance, he recovered himself, and seized hold of a branch of a tree. With this frail support he managed to get near shore, but just as he was stepping on to the bank, the branch snapped, and he was again carried off by the current and drowned. His body has not since been recovered. It is understood that he has a brother, a storekeeper, living at Kingower, Victoria. Another melancholy instance of drowning 1 has been brought under our notice. About, four o'clock in the afternoon of the Bth July, James Craig, a boatman on Wakanui' river, whilst in his tent, • heard shrieks for help in the direction of the stream, and on rushing outside saw a man struggling for his life in the water. The next moment he disappeared, and was not seen afterwards. No description of his w earance is given, save that he was " '> in digger's clothes, and carried a swag. The first Bal Masque ever introduced in Hokitika came off on July 19, at the Prince of Wales Opera House, and if we say that every part of the house was crowded we certainly shall not be guilty of exaggeration. By midnight the dress circle was thronged Vith spectators, who evidently expected that the boards below would he covered with motley groups of dancers, and that much fun and amusement would be the result. In this they were disappointed, and the contrast between *he upper and lower portions of the house- was ludicrous in the extreme, ol only some six or eight couples, dressed in fantastic' gQstu.me, pvomonade^ the ball

room or responded to the summons of tho M.C In fact, a slight mistake had been made through every body coming to see the performance of some body else, who, | unfortunately, happened to be a spectator also. Matters began to look serious, and it was feared tint the ball would be a fiilure, but shortly after the "witching hour," tho scone was changed by the sudden influx of a number of masquers of both sfxes, and the night's amusement then commenced in earnest. Dancing was viguiously kept tip, varied of course by ■ lulicrou* iucil-iK which, if we may jud^e by the appUu-sc awarded by the sightseers in the boxes', afforded them intense d light. M.uiy and varied were the costumes which met our view, which chaugeit theweartra f >r a time into French Vivn'lieres, Women in White, French Cio\v:n and Mu.keteerd, Crusaders and auci nt llomruis. Daurepit old women danced with a vigor truly marvellous, and a towering Me^ Merrities with a "wee body" for a parti.er, swept through the room with a inomctitu.u that ensured her a c'eNir p issage. We are h lpny in stating that the luJ was a micccss, and that the spirited proprietors of the Opera House were not losers in thus endeavoring to intro'luce a uew feature in the amuseine'its «f Ilokitika. PorhajH the most ill'iatriou? personage conveyed to England by the s.s Kaikora, the pioneer vessel of the Panama Steam Service, was Dr Hobiiouse, Bishop of Kelson, who, we uudci'sUiid, has finally left his diocese, aft; ; r spending a period of seven years in the Nelson province, during which period he has never drawn a penny of his stipend, the wliolo of which (£SOO a -year, £3,00g in all, has been devoted to the furtherance of the Church, besides which he has also been instrumental in procuring bequests for- the Church from England. He got the Nelson College built, emlowfd and established. In addition to all this, he spent L.10,000 out of his own private footune. Truly this is the right sort of Colonial Bishop for an infant citj' and community. When shall New Zealand see his like a^ain. An inquest was held on the 16th July, by Dr Beswick, the district coroner, on the body of a female child nanied Susan Fox, who died suddenly the previous day. From the evidence adduced it was evident she died from natural causes, and a verdict in accordance was giVen. On July 17th a party named James Craig called upon Mr Commissioner Sale to ascertain if the Government would grant a weekly subsidy for the maintenance of a ferry boat in the Mikanui river. A definite answer was, however, refused him, until it was ascertained whether the necessity of such a boat existed. In one or two cases we have seen reason to regret that prisoners at the bar during the present sitting of the Court, have not been defended by Counsel. In the instance of a German tried on July 19 on tho technical charge of " larceny by a bailee," it was painful to see tho -difficulty the prisoner had in conducting his defence, and in cross-examining the witnesses for the prosecution. , In such a case at home a counsel would have been " assigned " to the accused ; of course, the Judge protects — to the extent of his power — the interests of the prisoner under such circumstances. But a Judge's knowledge of the merits that lie behind " a case" as put by the prosecution, can never be such as to enable him to test the value and- truthfulness of a witness's evidence as a cross-examining counsel, fully possessed of the case of the client, can do. The work of boarding over the lower end of Gibson's Quay wharf is progressing apace, and will, we believe, be finished [within a fortnight. When completed, it (promises to be a substantial job, and a very valuable addition to tho already finished portion, of the wharf, and to a certain extent will prevent that crowding of vessels tier upon tier, whilst waiting for berths, which we have so often observed. |When this work is out of hand it is intended to construct a metalled roadway Hhout fifty feet wide from the end of Wharf street along the entire length of the oiiay. s > that drays will be enabled to feacb the shipping by that thoroughfare fom'all ps«rts of the town. This, whilst very materially improving Gibson's Quay. will yet leave it only half finished, ?}s there will be a wide space from the f.iotp-tth in front of the stores left unreclaimed, and the Government have intimated thtt it exn^cN t'le residents to sub-" scribe sufficient funds amongst themselves to make up and metal t>is space. They, however, very stnnirly object to this, as the filiitig- in required will be enormous, and from a rough estirrafe of the expense, will cost somewhere about Lls each section. Moreover, it will be a public thoroughfare iv the extre:nest sense of the f erm, and the advantages t'» be derived friMn ony improvements effected there will be -participated in by every inhabitant of the town, either directly or indirectly. The resident*, therefore, say that the unking up of Gibson's Quay should b > 1- ft to either the Government or the Municipal < 'ouncil when that body is formed. The householders in Wharf «treet have also a word •to say in the nntfer. and not without cause' complain of t.'ie enormous flow of traffic through their street, which is the only outlet to the wharf passable' to wheeled vehicles At their own cost they reclaimed this street from it's former unparalleled state of mud, and made it one of the best in the town. It is, however, rapidly returning to its original condition, and in a very short time will need metalling. Now they Very naturally object to keep this street in repair, which is used as a common right of way by every cart and waggon in town, and say that the town should contribute towai'ds it, or else that another outlet should be provided to relieve Wharf street of a part of its traffic. They point to Camp and Tancred streets as the most suitable, for at a moderate cost a road might be made through the first into the last, which leads at once on to the Quay. Were this work undertaken, it would prove beneficial in more ways than one, as that foul unsightly swamp between the two streets would be filled up, and one of the greatest nuisances in town — alike disgusting to the eye and smell, and detrimental to health — swept away. At a small cost, the ditch through Tancred street could be bridged over, and 'thence to the Quay, a very few loads of gravel would make a passable roadwa3\ Importers should take warning from the several seizures made lately by the Customs' authorities, that in one instance at least have resulted in the confiscation of the goods/ These goods consist of what are usually termed fancy articles, and aro very often packed In the same case witU undutiabla merchandise, which it thus

rendered liable to seizure as well. For instance, there is a very high spirit duty imposed upon 13au do Cologne, and a duty of four shillings per .hundredweight on scented soap ; whilst portmonnaies, meerschaum pipes, and toy nick-nacks arc duty free. The»e, however, are classed as fancy goods by dealers, who import them (or strive to do so), as free^of the legal Customs charges. The lynx-eyed officials, however, are not to be so easily deceived, and their suspicions having been aroused, cases were unceremoniously broken open on the wharf, when the secret was revealed, and the law permitted to take its course. In the majority of such instances we that no fraud was intended, and that *when the entry was passed for fancy goods, the neglect to classify the articles under j their respective heads, was caused more by ignorance of the conditions of the tariff than from any Idesire to evade the ■ duty. Such occurrences, however, multiplied, and it was considered advisable to make a few seizures as an example. It should also be borne in mind that not only are the dutiable articles liable to seizure, but the other goods contained in the case in which they are packed are according to the strict letter of the law also subject to confiscation, and the fine for smugglingmay be inflicted besides. A ludicrous scene occurred at the Prince of Wales Theatre on the 3 1st ult., which caused much laughter, and a certain amount of fright and confusion to the spectators, not to be surpassed by anything provided for their, entertainment before the foot-lights. The comedy of the' " Contested Election," was in the course of performance, when suddenly a mysterious gloom was diffused throughout the house, followed by a bright glare, which was instantansoiuly succeeded by total darkness. For a moment the silence was profound, as many imagined this rndden darkening wai ' part of tho performance, and that spiio thrilling sensational scene would follow : but when it was understood that by some mischance the flow of gas had been checked, and the light ss in - consequence, extinguished, vol!eys> of cheers and laughter resounded through the house. Of course there was a general rush, and some funny mistakes resulted ; but, as the lights were quickly re-lit, order was soon restored, and the play brought Co a conciusiou without any further contretemps to mar it. At the meeting of the Memorial Committee held on the 7th inst. at the Commissioner's Office, we regret to say that the only members present were Messrs Eaton, Iloohfort and Cooper, representing the civil service contributors to the fund, and Mr Bright representing the non-official element. Several subscription lists were handed in, the total amount being a few shillings under a hundred pounds. The Bank and hotel lists returned something under £5 in all. A few zealous canvassers, however, succ-.eded in making up the tolerably respectable sum we hays named. The following letter addressed to MiEaton, the Secretary of the committee, was read from Mr Edward Dobson: — Christchurch,- July 26. 1866, Dear Sir,— Will you kindly convey to the Memorial Committee, -the expression of my most sincere thanks for the mark of public sympathy 1 have just received through yourself, and the assurance that nothing has given so much comfort to my family and myself, under our sad bereavement, as this public tribute to the character of my sou from those in whose service he met his melancholy end. I remain, dear sir, with kindest thanks, sincerely yours, E. Doßdox." At a meeting of the Committee of the llokilikaandGrcymouthßailroad Company held on the 7th inst., at the Empire Hotel, the following resolutions were carried : That the name of the company be changed to the Ilokitika and Greymouth Tramway Company (limited), and that immediate steps be taken to lay tho line of tramway to tho Waimea Creek. That three additional Directors be admitted. That the Secretary be directed to alter the name of the Company in the prospectuses already printed in pursuance of the foregoing resolution. That one of the Directors proceed at once to the Waimea district with power to receive applications for shares and deposits on behalf of the company. A meeting was held on the 7th in&t. by the believers in total abstinence from intoxicating liquors at the Wesleyan Church. It was numerously attended. The Rev. W. Cannell took the chair, and in opening- the meeting alluded to the satisfactory progress made by the society, and the great blessings likely to arise from its formation, lie trusted that no effort would be spared by tho members to further its objects, which were universally recognised as beneficial iv the highest degree to the great mass of mankind. The meeting was afterwards addressed in the same strain by Messrs Scott, Alcorn, and J. B. Clarke, and concluded with the enrollment x>f several new members in the ranks of Father Mathew. On the 7th instant., whilst assisting to run out a warp to the spit, Captain Turnbull narrowly escaped being swept into the surf, which was running very high at the time. The boat had landed and the brew were running the warp up the bank, the Captain standing on the verge of the water hauling with the rest, when suddenly the shingle gave way from under him, and in an instant he was soused over head and ears in the rapid current. Fortunately Mr Virtue was standing close by, and seeing him go, made a frantic clutch at the worthy harbor-master, and happily succeeded in staying his further progress, although at no slight risk to himself, as the beach was " all alive," close to the deep water. Had he been a moment later, the chances are that Qaptain Turnbull would have been hurrieji into the surf and drowned, as the break was very close to the boat. We are glad to learn that a postroffice has been opened at the Ilau Han Creek, at the store of Mr Frederick Muller. The mails for the Hau Hau Creek will close each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, at 5 p.m., and arrive at Hokitika each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, at 5 p.m. We regret having to announce an accident which unfortunately terminated fatally on board the brig Clarendon, on her passage from Melbourne to this port. During a furious •gale on the sth inst., at 3 30 p.m., the vessel running at ten knots, and whilst about to _reef topsails, the deceased, Frederick Tinbury, one of the crew fell from the fore-yard-arm, and was drowned. The ship was rounded to with every possible despatch, the life-buoy hove overboard, and every possible effort used- to rescue the unfortunate young man, without avail; though swimming a short distance, .he speedily muk, and, wag g^n

no more. The deceased hailed from Richmond, near Melbourne, iv Victoria.

The new rush in the Waimea district is exciting considerable attention, and promises to be most important. On the 4th insfc. several shafts were bottomed at from 60 to 70 feet, and very excellent prospects obtained out of them. Over a thousand people visited the locality on the 6th. The road to it is along the beach and the Waimea track, which must be followed for two miles ; then turn into the bush on the left hand, and a mile further the workings are reached. After hope long deferred, much procrastination, and an unaccountable apparent unwillingness on the part of the government to preserve & very valuable portion of its Hokitika possessions, it has at last been definitely concluded to protect the lower end of Re veil-street from any further encroachment by the river. An agreement has been entered into between two great contracting parties, viz., the Government on the one side and Mr Matthew Edgar on the other, the latter having stipulated, for a certain consideration , to construct a protection from the end of the old wharf to a point opposite the western corner of Beach street— the said protection to consist of two rows of piles, with the usual quantity of waleing fascines, battens, girders, brushwood, &c. One row of piles will be driven close up to and level with the edge of the bank in front '■ of the buildings, and the other will be I driven fourteen feet nearer the river almost to a level with low-water mark. The outer row will be connected together by a double waleing, between which long saplings and brushwood will be laced, their lower points extending 1 far into the stream, which will thus be prevented from scour- ■ ing any further the already deep channel cut onfc on tins side thfe river. The two rows of piles will bo connected by stout transverse pieces of unhewn UirJjcr ten inches square, which will not Jay a* right angles v.ifch the piles, but slope with the bank side ; and underneath them, to prevent the sand from washing away during floods, fascines will be laid, and kept in their places by stout battens and crosspieces. When completed this work will present a strange appearance, for excepting at low tide the outer piles will be sub-merged,-so that from the river the inner row and a portion of the ties and fascines will alone ba seen. In fact the work is a protection and nothing more ; as, beyond relieving the present dilapidated appearance of the river bank, and preserving it from the inroads of future freshets, it will be of no practical utility. According to the terms of the contract it is to be finished in five weeks, but three weeks' g;race are added in the event of floods. A sad accideufc occurred on the- 4th ult. in Jones's Gnlly, Totara, -which resulted in the death- of a miner navned John Frazer. The unfortunate man was working in a tunnel which had been driven a considerable clistance into one of the 'terraces, when suddenly, without the slightest warning the roof gave way, crushing him under an immense fall of earth. Assistance was promptly on the spot and every effort made to save him, but it was not until six hours after the nccident that the body was recovered life then being quite extinct. On the afternoon of the Bth inst. the remains of Mr George Dobson were buried in the Cemetery, South Beach. Unfortunately the weather interfered sadly with the event, which was intended to be a public one, as the rain commenced to fall early in the day, and continned to pour down almost without intermission until night. Notwithstanding this, the inhabitants of Greymouth turned out in large numbers, and we were glad to observe that representatives of every class of the community and of nearly every business house in town were present. The chiej mourners were Mr Dobson, sen., the; father of the murdered man, and his two < sons-in-law, Dr Tlaast and Mr Todhunter. | They were followed by his Honor thej Superintendent of the Province, Mr Commissioner Sale, Mr Warden Revel], Mr Warden Kynnersley, and a number of the personal friends of the deceased. The melancholy procession, which was preceded by the Lord Bishop of Christchurch in his surplice, passed down Mawhera and Richmond Quays, then over the bridge at the Lagoon, anil down the South Beach for nearly three miles before the Cemetery was reached. The coffin was carried by a number of gentlemen who gladly rendered their services, and after crossing the Lagoon bridge a dray was in readiness to convey the coffin over the beach, but they refused to part with their melancholy burden, and carried it the whole distance. At the grave the very impressive funeral service of the English Church was read by the Lord Bishop of Christchurch, nnd was listened to with deep attention by the large crowd assembled round the grave. We must not omit to mention that during Sunday all the vessels in port displayed their ensign half-mast high. The police have been A.iaking a /c raid ' upon the publicans. A large number of the holders of licenses have, within the last few da)'s, been mulcted in damages, in the Warden's Court, for allowing their lights to go but at night, and for other breaches of the law in such cases made and pi-ovided. As a rule, it may, we think, be safely asserted that the h itel proprietors of Hokitika keep their houses in excellent ordpr, and strictly conform to the rules laid down for their guidance in the Public House Ordinance. The best of us, however, are at times caught tripping, which appears to have been the fate of some of our jovial " bonifaces," who have, according to the heinousness of their offences, suffered fines of from 10s to 40s. Mr Vincent Pyke, formerly a warden on Bendigo, and lately chief commissioner of the Otago gold-fields, New Zealand, has filed his schedule, at Dunedin, returning his liabilities at L 1519 7s 6d and his assets at L 925. The cause assigned for the insolvency is "pressure of Melbourne creditors." We hear that no slight excitement was caused at Rosstown, by the stirring commercial news from England, and especially by the report that the Commercial Bank, in Dunedin, had suspended payment, and that a run had been made upon the Bank of New Zealand. The latter item created a panic,, which occasioned quite a rush upon the branch of that bank, at Rosstown. The establishment was besieged by depositors, who clamorously demanded cash, but in their hurry forgot to discriminate between the relative value of gold and paper, very readily accepting notes in lieu of gold. So heavy were the demands, that the notes of the establishment ran out, and what might have happened, no one can tell, had not the New South Wales and Union Banks come to the rescue, by sending in a timely supply of their paper, Fortunately, this

was amply sufficient to meet all demands and the day closed neacably. By the next morning the panic had ceased, and in due time the bank again received its own : but we should imagine that the parties interasted must have felt quite chapfallen at their ludicrous mistake. Another specimen of tho genus Phocso lias I been captured in tho Okarita district. Our j southern contemporary writes as follows upon tho subject : — " We recently noticed the capture of a live seal at G-illespio's Beach. Ano- j ther, and a much larger, specimen of the same amphibious animal was caught on Monday night by two diggers near the Three Milo, and ' gavo them some trouble to do it.' Tho two men, John Sullivan and his mate, wore walk- j ing up along the Bluff, whon tha former ob- ! sorved what ho imagined to be a dog sitting upon a rock thirty or forty yards from the sea. Seeing the brute flounder awkwardly towards the water, he pursued it, and tried by a preliminary kick to stop its progress thither. The ! bruto growled and wont on ; so Mr Sullivan | attempted to seize it by the neck. It not only growled again, but bit its assailant in the arm, and, this making the latter more desperate, he ( threw himself upon the animal, rolling over with it, and latterly holding its "hind flappers until his mate killed it by a blow on the head with a stone. As a moonlight adventure it . was rather an exciting one while it lasted, but it was no joke, after the capture was effected, to carry the beast into town, as it proved rather a wet, heavy, and misshapen swag ; but it 3 captors succeeded in carrying it to Slessrs Hennelly and Foley's, and have since been attempting to save the valuable skin. Numerous other seals, we believe, have been seen along the shore during tho late fine weather." \ It appears that some of the Okarita Beaches i are inexhaustible, if we may give credence to ! tho following clip from the " Wostland ' Observer" :— •" Good accounts aro still received of the produce of such claims as continue to bo wrought afc Huttfc's Beach and its neighborhood Tha. peculiarity of the claims on that i beach are that after a north-wesfc wind, tho gold on the beach is constantly renewed. Thus, in one claim which has beon wrought sevoral limes, Ihirly-two ounces were rocently obtained. Afc ordinary seasons claimhoklers have to wait many weeks before being able to realise, but, after a nor'-wester a fresh ' crop' of the precious metal is produced, and diligently reaped." ' A return showing tho expenso incurred' in he Postal Department in allowances to sub - postmasters and licensed vendors, on the salo of postage stamps, for tho financial year ended t3oth Juno, 1866, has been laid upon the table of tho House of Repi'osentatives. The return shows the expense for the Province of Auckland was L 372 4s ; for Taranalci, L 32 ; for Wellington, L 125 2s 3d ; for Hawke's Bay, L 27 18s 3d ;,for Nelson, Lsl 2s 4d ; for Marlborough, Ll6 12s ; for Canterbury, L 295 153 GA ; for Otngo, L 292 ; for Southland, L 44 Bs. The Wellington " Advertiser," of Wednesday last, says : — " A summons has been issued against Sir Gtcorge Armstrong, the honorable member of the House of Representatives for the Akaroa (Canterbury Province) district, charging him with perjury in the case recently heard before his Honor Mr Justice Johnston and a special jury, in this city, andjn which Mr Armstrong recovered damages against Mr Watson, E.M. The alleged perjury lies in the statement sworn to by Mr Armstrong as to the language used by him m an assault case at Akaroa. Mr Armstrong is summoned to appear at the Resident Magistrate's Court, Christchurch, on the 16th August, to answer this chai'ge of perjury." . The good folk of Ko3stown were lately in la state of great excitement, through certain I facts in connection with the past career of Burgess, Sullivan, and Levy having been . brought forward. About three or four months ago, these villains were camped on O'Donoghue's diggings, and (as a blind doubtless) professed great anxiety to obtain a stand in the , street whereon to erect a " Johnny-all-sorts" i store, They made flue enquiries, and we have '■ no doubt kept an eye upon their nefarious business at the same time, and marked one poorwretchatleastfordcstrnction. Wcarecompellcd to draw this inference from the following information, supplied us by a gentleman who j arrived from Boss on tho 27th ult. Afc the time Burgess & Co. were at O'Donoghue's, a party of miners had their final washing-up, and divided the proceeds, which amounted to 100 ozs of gold each man. One of them stated that he should leave for Greymouth the following day, and cany his gold with him ; and in the morning accordingly he started for Rosstown across the dividing range, which is i densely timbered. He promised that, upon this arrival at Greymouth, he would communicate with his quondam mates ; but from that pour to this they have never seen or heard iiromiiim, and no trace of him could be disr j layered in Rosstown. On the day that he left, Burgess & Co. disappeared from O'Do;aoghuo's, which then excited no surprise'; v put the late horrible revelations made by Sulj ivan exoited suspicions amongst the missing jfnan's friends, who dotermincd to closely •/search the track between O'Donoghue's and 'Ross. They did so, and in a gully near Ithe summit of the dividing range, a red was discovered, very much flyblown. This at once gave ''rise to seri;ous apprehensions that he was one of those who had been foully murdered and hidden in tho bush. . We observe that G-overnmenfc has issued printed notices calling upon any miner who may have improvements to suggest in the present Groldfields Regulations to communicate by letter to the. Commissioner, under cover to the warden of the district in which the writer may bo at tho time residing. Such communication must be sent iv on or before the 18fch day of August inst. This is a very fair challenge on the part of the Government, and we trust the miners will show no disinclination to accept ; forjwe have heard many complaints that the present regulations are faulty and require re-constructing, or at least aclose revision. Sergeant Clements, the officer in chai'ge at Long Beach, Okarita, reports that the population of tho different beaches from the Three Milo, on tho north, to Bruce Bay, south, numbers about 2110 souls. It is, however, gradually decreasing, so much of the beach ground being worked and deserted — G-illespie's, especially, where miners can make but small wagos, is rapidly being deserted. Hunt's Beach and Bruce Bay are steadily on the decline. It is reported) says the above officer) that a rush is setting in to Jackson's Bay, but there is no certainty about it. ./ The rush between the Saltwater and Tereniakau is somewhat extensive, all the ground between the river and the lagoon creek (or New River) being marked out and closely shepherded. The lead or patch is situated on a terrace about three quarters of a mile from the beach ; the sinking at tho lower end, which was lately rushed, being from twentyfive to thirty-five feet, through a soft running sand, which requires close timbering. From somo holes bottomed, prospects whioh promise 20 ozs. to tho load were obtained. There I is a great deal of water to contend with in sinking ; but whon a tough clayey layer is got through, it disappears in the loose sand below it. The whole of the' ground is taken up, and in some places the lead is staked off to a width 9' three claims. On the evoning of the Ist July, Cobb's coach arrived from Christchurch, after a most protracted and dangerous journey, alj the streams being enormously swollen, and the a road' in many places blocked up with land- t slips and fallen thnbov. Mr Knox, the driver J nfWea iw. tl»t h,e toft Olmitohuroh on t

the, 26th Juuo, but upon reaching the Waimakariri found that river impassable, and was delayed there a',whole day waiting its subsidence, so that it vms not until the 28th that the Bealey was arrived at. After leav-ng that township and when in the Pass, the road was found in a frightful state, huge land-slips having come away from the hill sides, acro3a which, in ono instance, the coach had to be carried 'piecemeal. Several times- the driver and passengers were compelled to alight and remove by hand the rocks and boulders which obstructed the way, and in the Bealey pass alone, it is calculated that twenty tons of debris were"thus turned over. The Otira Pass was in a worse condition, and the services of the road gang had to be called into requisition ere the coach could proceed. Late afc nighton the 2Bth the Typo river was reached and an attempt made to cross it a little after midnight, but the loading horses no sooner entered than they were carried off their legs by the stream, so tho idea of then crossing was abandoned, and tho horses stabled at the accommodation hoiv^e. For thirty hours the coach remained afc the Typo, when the flood having somewhat abated a passage was effected afc 10 on the morning of the 30fch ; but about seven miles further on, the Wainini Greek (which in ordinary weather is a mere rivluet) presented a barrier there was no getting over in its then flooded state. This proved exceedingly awkward, as there was no accommodation house to res,ort to nearer than the Typo ; therefore, as the day waned, and the creek utill kept up, Mr Knox, was compelled to return to obtain food for the horses. But the passengers persistently refused to accompany him, not choosing to risk their lives in re-crossing that river. They 'accordingly crossed the Wainini on a large tree which had fallen across it, and performed the remainder of the journey on foot. The coach reached the Typo hostelry without miehap, and remained there until one p.m. on the Ist July, and once more Btarted, arriving in town as above stated. Mr Knoz assured us that tho weather throughout the journey was frightful, and that he never saw the rivers so high. The Tcremakau especially ■was in a fearful state, being three times its ordinary size, rolling onwards to the sea in immense waves, its sm-face covered with quantities of timber and brushwood, A meeting of members of the Hebrew faith was hold on the Ist July for the purpose of taking measures for the formation of a congregation and the erection of a synagogue. There was a. large and influential attendance; Resolufcions, in accordance with the objects of the meeting, were passed, and a committee appointed, with the following honorary officers : President, Mr F. W. Isaacs ; Treasurer, Mr H. Cohen ; and Secretary. Mr M. Harris. It will be remembered that; there is a Jewish reserve set apart for church purposes, and, considering the number and wealth of the community here, no doubt a substantial and handsome building will soon be erected. A rather hazardous experiment was tried on July 26 by Captain Randall, of the Otago, which, although resulting successfully,, was not unattended with risk, and we hope -will not be again repeated on' any future occasion. Induced by the fineness of the weather and an exceedingly light surf, Captain Eandall manned one of his boats, and, accompanied by the purser and several passengers, made for the shore, with an evident intention of landing on the beach. When this was perceived from the shore, a considerable crowd assembled, arid watched with great interest the progress of the tiny craft, which reached the shore safely, although its occupants received a gratuitous ; shower-bath ere they landed. After remaining on shore for about an hour, they prepared ito return, the surf in the meantime having slightly increased, . but by watching their chance between tho seas, the surf was crossed without accident. The Crest of the Wave, schooner, left Port Philip Heads _on the 30ch June, with S.W. jwinds and fine weather, which carried her through the Straits, and hence to the New Zealand Coast, KE. winds and a head sea were experienced. She made her first landfall off Milford Sound on the 9th July ; but fclrrough variable winds and a southerly set was kept outside until the 12th, -wlien she ran in and anchored off the bar, which she safely crossed the next morning, in tow of the Challense. > The schooner' Spray sailed from Port Cooper on tho 23rd ultimo, with light so.uth winds and fine weather.' On the> 25th was ibrasfc thoKaikoras, when the wind becoming Scant and very light she was delayed off the Peninsula two days, sighting in the meantime a schooner, supposed to be the J. B. Russell. On the 27th the'breeze again settled into the south, and the Spray continued her passage, passing Farewell Spit the next day. After rounding the Cape the wind hauled more to the eastward, and hence to Hokitika continued light but steady. The Spray reachedthe roadstead at high water on the 29fch, and Bras afc once fastened to bj' the Challenge •steam tug, and towed safely inside. Through- " jjoufc the passage the weather was delightful, vhot a stitch of canvass being taken off her Jduring the run. | The P.N.Z. and A.B.M. Company's s.s. Tararua, R. n. Ferguson, commander, left jSandridge Pier at 3.30 p.m. on the 11th ulfc.but a heavy S.E. gale blowing in the Straits, anchored her for the nighfc inside the Heads. The weather moderating, she proceeded on her voyage the next morning, and cleared the Heads afc 6 a m., but found it blowing hard outside from the eastward. On the 15th the wind increased to a hard gale, which raised a high and confused sea, tlirough winch the vessel was driven under slightly reduced steam until the 17th, at 9 a.m., when the tJolanders were sighted. The -weather coming in very thick, and the gale still blowing hard, she anchored for the night, at 5 p.m., under Stewart's Island. At 1 p.m. the next morning she got her ground tackle on board, and started for Harbor, where she arrived at 11 a.m. ' Left for Port Chalmers at 2.10 p,m., with strong N.E. weather, and brought up off the town at 8 a.in. on' the 19th, leaving for Lyttelton at 5 p.m. on the 20fch, arriving there at 10 a.m. the next day. She cleared out of Lyttelton afc 3.30 p.m, with strong easterly winds and thick weather, ,and arrived at Wellington at 8.30 a,m., on the 23rd. Discharged mails and passengers, and • left for Nelson.,tho next day, at"o p.m., under orders, if possible, to rescue the shipwrecked crew.-of'the schooner Deeso, from off Farewell Spit. This she accomplished, and reached Nelson at 1 p.m. on the 25th, and after a stay of forty-eight hours left at 8 a.m. on the 27th. A fatal but somewhat singular accident occurred to a miner at the Totara, whilst sinking in a shaft in front of the Jone»' Flat Hotel. As the grouad was both deep and wefc it was .worked by night as well as day, and at six p.m., on tho 26fch of July, the night-men commenced operations. One of their number, named August Zagelias, had the first spell bolow, and commenced sinking, but, to the amazement of his mates gave no signal for nearly an hour. 'Finding sometliing had happened, one of them was lowered down, and thore, in one corner of the shaft, found the unfortunate follow doubled up and bleeding profusely from a largo wound in the head. He was at once removed to tho surface and Dr. Hudson called in, who found him still alive but so exhausted through loss of -blood thafc there was no chance of saving him. and although everything was done that medical skill could suggest lie breathed his last shortly afterwards. • It is supposed that the wound wae caused by either a back stroke from the pick, or .the falling of a, 'stone from the side of « the fhaft,

Mr George Samuel Weg Home, lately of Victoria, and more recently of Hokitika, Avas on the 31st ult. admitted at Dunedin to practise as a Bamster of the Supremo Court of New Zealand. - During the progress of the Ditricts Courts Bill in the General Assembly, tho clause extending the criminal jurisdiction of the Courts to all but tho most serious class of felonies, and conferring on the district judges tho poAver of passing sentencos of penal servitude up to twelve months has been negatived. Annexed are the' District Gaol' returns for the week ending Saturday, August 4th, as' forAvarded to us by Mr Dale, the gaoler :-- Undergoing sentence with hai-d labop, 27 ; imprisonment only, 1 debtors, 5 ; total, 33. Discharged debtors, 2.' The criminal calendar for tho week ending Saturday, August 4, is light, 3 prisoners only being sentenced by Ms Worship to different terms of hard labor ; 4 sentenced men, havi ing completed their time, Avere discharged. The number and classification of prisoners in the old gaol, Revell street, at the above date, are as folloAV : — Hard labor men, 14 ; imprisonment only, 3; on remand, 8 ; total, 25. ' The Church of England Choir met for practice on Tuesday evening, at the Supremo Court House, and although ie is comparatively but a short time since tho choir Avas formed, tho progress mado is very satisfactory and most creditable to the diligence and attention of the members, and the excellent management of the leader, Mr Button. At present it consists of eight ladies and six gentlemen only, who meet twice every Aveek for instruction and practice. Mr Bowman, of the Bank of New South Wales, very ably presides afe the harmonium. Wo wish this movement Cvery success, and trust that other members will-enrol themselves, as the present number is hardly sufficient for an effective church, choir. - Mining matters at Woodstock are very dull indeed, and tho place looks almost deserted. On the terrace immediately above tho town there arc only tAvo or threo parties at work, whilst all hope of tracing tho deep ground upwards seems to have been abandoned. Some of the old stagers aflirin that there are many good patches in the old ground, but/ that the water is too heavy to be overcome, and the ground is so deep that tail races brought up on a dead level from tho river fail to drain it. In tho Maori Reserve there is only Royau and party at work, and they are merely woiking some outside ground in their claim, and expect to be altogether finished shortly. A great deal of ground is being cleared below them in the reserve, for agricultural purposes. We have received the folloAving 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 Avork necessary for the construction of the Totara Pioneer Water Race, the 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 fluming, and cutting along the sidesof the range to tho point of the spur immediately behind the old Cemetery-hill. The work was commenced about ten months ago, and wa3 expected to have bepn 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 a! le 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'b'clock not les3 than a thousand people had assembled on the pround immediately below the present termination of tho cutting. At a quarter past 2 o'clock tho water was turned on, and soon appeared flowing from the end- of a box placed for the purpose on the brow of the hill, in a stream that gladdc-neil the hearts, not only of the shareholders, but of hundreds miners •w\Lo have been compulsorily idle for some time back through lack of Avater. On its appearance at the cmi of the box. the race was chri3tened by Miss Ryan in the usual manner, and enthusiastic cheei'3 greeted tho first sight of'the indispensable element. The Company then adjourned to the marquee creetad for the purpose, where a profusion of edibles and drinkables had been provided by the shareholders : a brass band being in attendance. Several toasts wero drunk — ''Success to the Company," " The health of the Manager," &c, &c, and a presentation was mi de to tho Manager, Mr Moran, by his felloAV shareholders, of a valuable gold 'watch and guard, as a testimony of his services in conducting the work. AYe 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 Totara the most important goldfield on the West Coast." At the Ballarat rush a hole Avas bottomed on the 28th ult., near the Stafford Hotel, with splendid results, an ounce of gold being the return from a single bucket of washdirt. From Avhat Aye can gather it 1 is some distance from the old lead, as a rush set in, and the ground was staked off in all directions. The depth of sinking is seventy feet. At the Saltwater Creek rush three miles of ■ground are in hand, and the population is daily increasing. On the 31st ult., Mr Sun r eyor Bain marked out a township there, and commenced a track through the scrub, from tho lagoon to the workings. We believe it is intended to form a police-station there, for, although so far the place has been very orderly, the presence, lately, of several notorious characters, renders such a course advisable. The following is the paragraph from the report of the select committee on the Postal . Service just issued, recommending penny postal stamps on newspapers :—": — " An Order in Council was issued in December, 1861, im- , . posing a penny, postal rate upon all news-; papers conveyed by post. 'It was found expedient a"; a later date to revoke the order and abolish the rate. But as the system of charging a small postage on newspapers conveyed by post obtains in nearly every country where postal arrangements exist, it is proposed to re-establish it in Ncav Zealand) as it is found that the number and bulk of neAvspapers passing through the Post Office causes, to a considerable extent, the largo expenditure at present incurred on a2eount of tho transmission of mails inland. It is not considered that requiring prepayment by stamp of one penny upon each newspaper posted could be regarded either unreasonable or as likely to press with any degree of severity upon the population generally ; it Avould, however, considerably increase the revenue, and so far reduce the disparity complained of." A fine lad, named Joseph Greville, the sonMr Greville, of the Typo, met with an untimely death, on the 10th July, when attempting to cross tte river on horseback. In company with a man named Kennedy, one of Cobb and Co.'s grooms, he entered the stream at the fording-place, but when about halfway across the horse stumbled, and precipitated him into the stream. For a -few moments the poor boy clung desperately to the reins, and almost reached the bank, when, his strength failing, he relaxed his grasp, and was • swept aAvay by' the current and" drowned. Search was made for the body up to a late hour, but without success, ,f Mr. Warden Aylmer, in his report upon \\ the Totara district, dated July 7, 6tates, jl that " A small rush was ' reported in the U ranges nine miles from Ross. I have been informed since, by a miner who returned

from it, that there is nothing to induce men to go there. ,1 saw, to-day, a small piece ol quartz with fine gold in it, whinh avus found in this neighborhood. This convinces mo that I the country about here only requires prospecting to ensure tho discovery of a rich quartz reef. Estimated population of district, 3000 miners and 500 persons othorwiso employed." Mr Dalrymple, a gentleman lately resident in Jackson's Bay, bus supplied -us with the following interesting items from that locality and the country north and south of it ; and as lately our advices from thenco havo been exceedingly meagre, the intelligence obtained front him Avill be, doubtless, accoptablo to our readers. For a long timo previous to June 20th, Jacksbn's Bay held little communication ■ Avith the outer woi'ld, as no vessol had called there. On that dato <; ho\yever, tho cutter Fly J ing Scud ran in, and Avhon sho sailed for Invcrcargill carried aAvay Mr Cleve and a man named nenry Mayo, Avho for five Aveeks had been lying disabled from a gun-shot wound in the thigh. At Georgo's River, thirty-five miles south of Jackson's Bay, there aro about forty men at work mining, but, making little more than sufficient to supply themselves with provisions. They are entirely dependent upon a Avhale-boat to bring thorn food from Jackson's Bay. They vecro once reduced to a great etrait, as tho boat got upset and Avas stovo in, I and for some time was unable to make hor usual trip to the ri?er. A short time ago a boat Avas Washed ashore near Hadst's River. Sho was in good condition, with the name T. Pai-kiusoii, Port Chalmers, painted on her stern, and from the length of the barnacles^ which coA r ercd hor sho is supposed to 'have been in tho water six months. Three and a half days' journey "from Bruce Bay, on the left hand branch' of, the Perekia River, a party of diggers found s'omc crevieds containing heavy gold. The country, however,' is so rough and scrubby, and tho hardships to be encountered so severe, that they say not less than 2oz. per man^a, day Avould pay them ; and' as the actual returns^ Avero fat less, they refused to return. According- to their statements, they had 'scoured the ranges for some time before this place Avas hit upon, aud some ono had evidently been fhere before as they found a mia-mia'crecledaudtho remains of two" Maoi'i hens hanging to a pole outsido it ; Avhilst within, lying upon the ground, was that Avell known publication by Wilkie Collins, the " Woman in Whito." The appearance of tho birds and book indicated that they had lain there untouched for months. | From the quality of tho gold thefee men obtained there, and the look of the mia-mia, they felt convinced that one of those mysterious gullies reported by Arthur Hunt had been st umbled upon. At Bruce Bay new ground Avas ooened,'' close to the Maori Pah, but proved of very limited extent, two parties only obtaining gold in small quantities, with every prospect of its speedy exhaustion. Not more than fifteen persons aro at pres.ent 7osiding iv Bruce Bay, and not a single store is left there. Our informant sfated that through tho non- , arrival of supplies, the parties there liA'ed for three weeks upon mussels and damper alone. I On tho 12th July a digger, avliosc name ,has not" transpired, narroAvly escaped di-own- | ing whilst attempting to cross dook's River The stream was ndt tlo'dded at tho lime, but it [appears ho mistook the fording place, and the •current being very rapid and intensely cold, tho lost his footing and was swept- a considerable distance downward. " Fortunately he (managed to disentangle himself from a heavy , swag which ho carried, and, after a desperate {struggle, succeeded in reaching the shore. The >sw_ag was carried out to sea. ', On the Bth July a man was unfortunately {drowned m attempting to ci'oss the Mikanui, [an -\ the day after a tody was picked up on jtlie beach near tlie Waita River, which, by its (fresh' appearance', had evidently not been in jthe water longer than a day or two. There is |a probability, therefore, that it belonged to 'the party who Ava= drpwncd flic preceding day. boatman plying on tho Waila picked it up t and buried it. Ho describes it as that of a ifresh-complexioned^ young man Avith light ihair, denuded of all clothing s.vvo tho remains ■of a pair of navy duck troupers. As navy duc~k is not commonly worn iv Westland, this [fact riaay perhaps form a clue to its idcntificajtion. \ Some new ground hn* been opened on a terrace which bounds Commissioner's Flat (Kanieri) to the N.E., and excellent prospects obtained out of the first shaft bottomed, on July 14th. * -1 (hvt. 13 grs. of gold Avas washed out of the first dish of dirt, and we hear that the bottom of the shaft yielded 1 ozII dwts. It is supposed tliat this is a continuation of the lead'lat'ely struck on the terrace higher up the flat, as the deptlyof sinking is about the same, aud the Avashdirt similar in appearance. , ' ' • ' The Memorial Committee met at the Cafe on July 27, and the address of condolence, to tho father ol' Mr George Dobson AVas signed !for presentation, and "the Secretary instructed [to transmit it to Chris tchurch by. the first mail. It. Avas beautifully, written on vellum by Mr Browning.' and'- reflects great credit 'upon.the taste of that 'gentleman.- The document reads as folloAvs :—": — " Hokitika, July 14, 1866. — Dear Sir : Wo, the undersigned, members of a committee, chosen at a public meet iing^convenod hy thVi'es'idents of Hokitika ,for ,hat purpqse, beg to convey to you tho sincere sympathy ■which is felt with you in your late Dereavement. To the ;qualities of a u^f ul and :alenfced' public servant, honest and indefatigable in the discharge of his .arduous duties; Mr jreorge i Dobspn r tmited an amiable and unassuming disposition, which endeared him to all with Avhom he came into contact. By this expression of deep sorrow at the loss of your son, and by tho reflection that few public servants, so young as he, have earned an esteem at once so sincere and universal, avc trusts that [he grief of your family may in some measure be lightened, arid beg that you 1 will' accept tho heartfelt condolenco of the pcoplo of Westland.',' Wo are,' dear sir, yours verj' respectfully— Thos. L. Bright, M P.C., chairman, jno. S. Browfiing, "ET Pross'er, William Shaw, yV. M. Cooper, James Rochfort, Jas. Geo. -llawkes,"M.P.C., R. Mitchell, Thos. Turnbull, Gerhard Moellcr, Mark Sprot, John White, E. Winter, H. J. Jones, S. M. South, Edmund Barff, M.P.C., G. S. l Sale, treasurer, Fred. Eaton, lion, see." The criminal calendar for the week ending June lGth Avas not very heavy, although, a little iv excess of the one which proceeded it. At tho Resident Magistrate's Court Iman Avas committed ; and 10 males aud 1 female sentenced to different terms of hard labor. Against this number J here avci-o 7 sentenced men and 1 debtor discharged. Total number of confines in the old gaol at 'the above date, 12 males and 1 female, undor sentence, 2 prisoners on remand, and 10 debtors. In the new gaol 35 committed men. \ We are glad 1o hear that our German brethren at Kos^town are up and doing, having formed themselves into an association Avhich promises to be productive of much goo.l. In Victoria such societies were common, aud very largely supported by natives of the Fatherland, who are thus enabled to meet together nightly, and givo full play to their national characteristics. Tho utmost decorum usually presided over these meetings, the amusements consisting of music, cards, chessj and debating. Libraries aro also generally attached to these cluba, and mutual relief funds established in the event of any member being stricken down by accident or sickness,. Wo have known these societies work remarkably well on the Australian mines, and are glad that one is at

last formed here. The Rosstown association is the first instituted in Weslland, but we t yat it will bo followed by many others having the like ol jpcts in view. Wo are glad to hear that police protection is about to be extended to the Hau Hail, which, notwithstanding that a largo population has for some time been located there, is totally unprovided for in that respect. The attention of the police has, ~ however, been directed there lately to one or two gangs of notorious scoundrels, who haye mado their appearance in tho district ; so Inspector Broham' has determined to 'form a camp on the Thrco Mile Creek, close to to the Blue Spur lead, that being the most control position. A sergeant and two constables - Avill be stationed there, and their presenco, avo have no doubt, will go far to check the growth of rowdyism in that hitherto quiot locnlity. A rumor was current in town on tho Ist inst. that the notorious Sullivan Avas a passenger by the Auckland, and that he was here for the purpose of giving evidence against Murray and other parties implicated. After causing some little oxeitement, it Avas gonerally\indorstood to be a mere " canard," and so it proved, as oaly two passengers lauded from < the steamer, neither of whom Avas iv custody. On the 25th ult. one of the largo water races, Avhich have been for some mouths past in tho courso of construction at tho Totara, was completed and christened. A general invitation Avas issued by the hospitable proprietors, Avho provided a" bountiful sproad and an abundance of liquors, from champagne cloaviiwards. Their call Avas responded to by a large number of miners aud business pcoplo of Rosstown, and tho presenco of the fair sex Avas not wanting 1 to add a charm to tho scone. The ceremony of christening was performed ' by Miss Ryan, Avho named the race " Tho Totara Pioneer," amidst tho cheers of all assembled. There Avas the usual amount of speeches made, and toasts proposed, the principal ono being, " Success to the Totara Pioneer Raco Company,- and may success reward their enterprise." The health of Mr Aylmer, Warden of tho district (who was present), Avas also very heartily responded to. The race in, question ■ is about eight miles in longth, it 3 source being Donnelly's Creole, and it Avas cut to command tho high terraces Avlv'ch form tho left hand ranges bordering on Jonos' Gully. Its terminus is on tho Cemetery Terraeo, where there is some very good sluicing ground, which has for some time 'past bson hold bj miners, pending tho completion of this -race, which Avill enable thorn to profitably work it. Very groat difficulties were eucountored in cutting tho ditch, as the country is exceedingly rough. Many thousand feet of fluming had to be erected. It is however finished, and promises to bo a most profitable speculation ; for tho supply of Avater is not only nearly unlimited, but there are plenty of applicants for the use of it, as tho diggers avlio have payable 1 claims on tho Terrace aro compelled, iv dry • weather, to carry their washdirt somo distance to where there is^vater for washing purposes. For the present, the company intend letting it out where llio old creek is worked oul, and tliore can bo no reasonable objection raised to their running tailings into 1 it. They pjrp'ose ground-sluicing on a largo scale, and working the terrace back upon a face. Wo hear that very shortly another race, running parallel to this one^ from the same source, will bo completed. Much good will accrue to Ross from this timely supply of wator, as a large. area of ground," hithorto unworkable, w.ll be taken up and made to pay well. Tins will cause an increaso i" t.he population, and give a permanency to the district, Avhich is, avo believe, one of tho most important on the coast. We hear lliafc, besides the Scandinavian there are other two companies about to procure mn'-hinery for the deep lead. The Prince of Wales is on=), and Hood and Company t'le otha'. ■ ' ■ The P.N.Z. & A.R'.M. Co.'s a.s. Airedale Moilc'e mm. commander; left Dunedin on ui>23m uU. t nt 4 p.m., and arrived at>Bluff Harbor the next 'lay at 8-30 a.m. Left for Hokitika at 10 30 n.m., and anchored off the bar at 5 a.m. on the 26th. Throughout the trip, the Aiiv-lilo experienced beautiful weather. She raado a re narkably smart run of -12 hours, 30 minutes from the Bluff. After a long absence at the Grey, the p.s. Persevere has again returned to her old quarters, the agents having determined that, as tho Grey bi»v lies a great cl 1 depth of water than that of Hokitika, the Yarra, p.s. shall work the former, whilst the Persevere, being of lighter draught, is to attend to this port until the chanuel deepens, when tho two boats will again change places. ' ' Wo have much pleasure in noticing the ar-A-al of the p.s. Ljttclton, which entered the irer on July ' 26 from Greymduth. Twelve lonths ago, fihe was for a short time trading Nelson and Ilokitika, and afterwards m from Nelson to Greymouth. Sho Avas, aowever, taken off tho berth, and latterly has ■>9en engaged upon the trade between Blenheim, Motueka, and Nelson. For tho present, sho is placed upon the berth between this port and Okarita. The Lyttelton seems a handy, stronglybuilt boat, but rather too •VVjrt for bar work. >Sho is well found in every « aspect, and her engines, of 30-horse power, are in excellent coiiditidn and very compactly built. Although rather stumpy, avo judge the little steamer to be a lively boat in a sea-way, and most suitable for die trade sho is at present engaged in when the tiurf is not too heavy. The Tararua and Taranaki had a fair race between Dunedin aud Lyttelton, which resulted in a victory to the former boat. They left the Heads stem and stem, but very shortly tho Tararua 'drew ahead, and gradually dropping her antagonist arrived at Lyttelton two hours before her. Tho " "Wellington Independont" contains a paragraph', concerning this race, out of which avo ' Q(jwir s mako nothing; but our statement is. b&9§d"upon .information received directly iromJ.a gentleman avlio Avas ;i passenger from Dunedin in the Tararua. ••£ ; We remember some time ago publishing, on the authority of information derived from a traveller by the overland road, that the bridge over tho Typo Avas finished, aud avoulc! 6e open for traffic on a certain date, when passengers aud vehicles would no longer suffer detention fronfthe erratic motions of that river. It has now transpired that soon after the bridge was finished, the river deserted its channel and scoured out a new one beyond the bridge allogciher. This freak necessitated the construction of a dam, to re-divert the river into its original bed ; and as this work is completed, a freshet is alone needed to deepen f he old channel, and thus, by confining the water iti it, bring the bridgo to that use for which it was erected. The Pro -incial Government " Gazette" of the 23rd ultimo, informs us that the townships of Golrlsborough (Waimea), Kanieri, Ross, nnd Okarita, are withdrawn from tho operation of the Goldfields Act, and are now declared townships, to each of Avhidi has been extended (according to the same 'Crazotte') the Canterbury Police and Slaughterhouse Ordinances. Slaughterhouse Inspectors aro appointed to each: — Sergeants — Byrne, for GoLdsborough ; Blanc, .K-inicri; O'Dounel, Rosstown ; and M'Ennis, Okarita. From the Totara, we have received tho following items ■ of iioavs :— Determined, if possible, to keep pace Avith their neighbors, the good folk of Rosstown have- formod an Improvement Committee. Fifteen gentlemen have been lately elected, and the AVelfaro of the place formally entrusted to their keeping. We tru6t that this step Avill prove conducive to forwarding the interests of the Totara clistriot, for we presume that the Lnproyement

Committee will not coutinc their labova to the town alone. A petition to tho Government is iv the courso of signature, praying for tlit construction of a rond direct from Rosstown to the sea beach. Tho estimated cost is under L 10 0; and as it would avoid Donclly's Creek altogether, the advantago of such a Avork to the district is apparent, for as tho track ie situated at pr6"ont, coinmunicalion between Ross and Hokitika is suspended during heavy floods. A movement is on foot for the promotion of a Joint Stock Company, to construct a tramway from tho town to tho sen beach, but is regarded somewhat unfavorably by tho business people. Tho late tine Aveal ther has enabled the proprietors of the large hpad-races that are being brought iv from the head of Donelly's Creek to make good progress Avith tho Avork, which it is anticipated will be completed within tho month. When finished the races will command the range of high terraces, on Avhich is situated the old township and the cemetery. Tho s.s. Star of tho Evening sailed from Port Philip Heads at 1 a.m. July 1, the Aveather being fine with light northerly breezes. These continued for the first three days, when the wind hauled into the N.E. and blew strongly, at tendod' by a heavy -head sea, until the 7th, Avlien it chopped suddenly inter the S.W. and freshened to a hard gale. To economise fuel, steam Avas blown olf and tho propeller disconnected, and for ten hours the .Star Avas kept under canvas, and being hard pressed made an excellent run of it. She, however, sprung her foreyard and bleAv the raizzeu away, and as the wind once more shifted to the eastward she was again placed ■under steam. Mount Cook w«3 sightod on the evening of tho 10th, when her coals running very short aail was made, and tho screw ogam disconnected. A steady S.W. breezo during the night swept her up to tho bar by 9.30 a.m. the next morning, and tho,river was safely entered at 10 a.m. Tho JDunediu Steam Navigation Company's s.s, "William Miskiu left Dunodiu at 8 a.m. on tho Bth July, with strong head winds and heavy sea, and after a smart run of 23 hours ' arrived at Bluff Harbor the next day at 7 a.m. Sailed from tho Bluff at noon, and experienced oplondid weather during tho j/assago round to Hokitika, off which port she anchored at 11 p.m. on tho 11th, crossing tho bar safely next nlonling. Tho William Miskin reports that tho Alhambra, s.s., from Melbourne to Dunedin, fell in Avith a fearful gale of Avind when off the West Capo, on the Bth ult. Out of a deckload of thirty horses, twonty-nino Avore wa&hed overboard or droAvned, and tho total loss and damago sho 'sustained is estimated at £2000. A considerable period has olapsed since the William Miskin last visited this port, and her long'absenco was occasioned by the thorough overhaul she underwent in Dunedin. Very extensive alterations and repairs wero effected, all her bottom plates having. been removed and new ones substituted ; whilst hov machinery was closely inspected and placed in thorough working ordor. We welcoino with pleasure the return of this smart little boat, and trust that her visils to this port will, for the future, be as constant and remunerative as they wore of yore. , During the Superintendent'" stay m Hoki'ika, a dep'itntion from the Literary and Gymnastic Institution Committee waiter! upon him with the view of obtaining a grant, of land whoreon to erect a building. Hi* Honor onertaincd the request very favorably/ but advised an application to the government through Mr Commissioner Sale. We believ > a section in the old police reserve has been parti v promised, lip'on the condition that the building erected therpon, and at present used as the Land an 1 Works OJiee, be purchased by the members, of tho above institution. . Determined, if possible, to prevent any delay to plungers on the road, between this lown and GJreymdutb, Messr* Cobb and- Co. .isire put on an ex/ra c'oaeh between the A.rahaura nnd tho Teremakau, so that when the form r river is flooded passengers can be boated, tho horses swam across, and at on ;e transferred to the spare coach. In tine weather such a proceeding will be unnecessary, as tho river can then ho% forded, but when it is up, this arrangement will prove a very great convenience and. saving of time to travellers. We are glad to see -that the same energy, enterprise; arid shrewdness for which Cobb and Co. are so famed in other^ parts of the colonies, is displayed by the Westland branch, and we trust that a plentiful harvest will reward the good seeds they have sown hero. Tho P.N.Z. and A.R.M. Co.'s s.s. Earigitoto, Farcie, conimander,, left Hobson's Bay RdilAvay P^ier at 4.550, p.m. on the lst.uist, clearing the Heads and landing the pilot at 6.30 p.m. Light westerly Avinds and fine weather prevailed. At noon on tho 2nd 'cleared Bas/ Straits, hove-to off Greymouth at midnight on tho 6th, and tho next day at 11 30 a.m. came to anchor off Hokitika. During tho passage, light Avesterly Aviuds and hazy weather prevailed. . ♦ The s.s. South Australian, J. Paine, commander, left Hobson's Bay at 5 p.m, on tho 12th ult, and cleared Port Philip Heads at 8.30 p.m., with strong SE. winds and fine weather. The neit day, at 5 p.ni, she look her last departure from Swan Islnnd, the brae/o and sea in the meantime^ having considerably increased, whilst indications of heavier weather were not wanting. On the morrow these were verified by a heavy easterly gale, accompanied by a' high head sea. The steamer, however, made fair way until 4 a.m. on the 16th, Avhen, through the sovero strain upon her machinery, one of the eccentric rods broke, which mishap! compelled her to heave-to for twelve hours to repair the damage. This effected, she was kept away. "At 4 p.m., the galo still blowing with unabated force, and being compelled to ease her steam, it wa3 not until 8 a.m. on the 18th that she made the laud about Chalky Inlet. Tho gale, which, during the last two ' days had steadily increased, was now blowing a furious hurricane through the Straits, with a tremendous head sea, and against it she labored until 4 a.m. on the 19th, Avhen, being well up with the Bluff, she slowed her engines until daylight, and then ran into the harbor. Left again at 9 a.m., arriving at Port Chalmers at 11.30 p.m. tho same day. There she remained until the 23.-d, leaving for Lyttelton at 7 p.m., and arriving thei'e at 1.30 a.m. on the 25th. Left at 6 p.m. for Wellington, and reached her destination at 10 a.m. the day following, again leaving for Nelson at 5 p.m., where she arrived at daylight next morning, 7.45 am. on the tho 27th she i left for Hokitika, and brought up off the bar in 9 fathoms, at 3 a m. on tho 28th. The s.s. Thano, Francis, commander, left 1 Nelson on the 20th ultimo, at 10 p.m., and auchored olf the Buller next day at 3 am. Attempted t-> enter that river at 6 a.m., but , stuck hard and fast, turough being too late on ; tide. Reversed engines and cleared herself, 'i and on the afternoon's tide ran in and crossed j tho bar without further mishap. On the 23i\l i sho discharged 60 tons of cargo, 130 sh-iep, , and 6 bullocks, and loft for Hokitika at 5.30 . p.m., arriving in tho roadstead at 4 4 a.m. on the 24th, -and alongside, the wharf* at 7 a.m. The P.N.Z. & A,R.M. Co.'s s.s. Auckland, , from Melbourne, came-to in the roadstead at ? 2 a.m., July 24. She left Sandridge R-iihvay Pier at 2 p.m. on tho 17th, arid sighted the [ New Zealand coasti at 9 p.m. on the 23r I. During tho greater part of the passage sho f experienced strong E. and SE. winds and heavy head sea. ' The P.N.Z. &' A.R.M. Co.'s s.s. Ofcago, T. Randall, commander, cleared Sydney heads at '<■ 1 p.m. on the £Oth July, Paring the first

chrej days tho wind Avas Vv-ry unsteady, veer ing from S.W. to S.E , with frequent squalls accompanied with a heavy S.E. swell. On tin •veiling of the 24th, eased tho engines, and af 8.50 tho next morning came-to off Hokitika. Tho "Sydpey Empire" of ,July 16 slate? I hat the schooner Princess Alexandra, from Hokitika, arrivqd on the preceding day. She encountered tho full force of the late heavy gales, and during tho last fifty hour* of / her passage ran a distance of SOO miles. The " Nelson Colonist " reports the following auspicious occurren.ee on the road between Ilokitika and the Grey : — '' We have spoken moro than once about the numbed of men who haA r e been killed on the road between Hok^tika and the Grey ; and a remarkable fact is testified to by the person concerned Avhich may bo found worth investigating. About three months ago, a resident at Ilokitika, who passed through Nelson tlie other day, had an adventuro of a peculiar kind while travelling on foot between Ilokitika and tho Grey. As he was walking along towards the Grey, he came to a hole in thensand below high-water mark. The hole was from five to six feet long and not very deep, but apparently newly dug. He supposed that this was tho work of some persons who had just gone before him, and who had been prospecting tho beach by fossicking in the sand. A few yards further on ho came to a small creek, in crossing which he observed blood on ..tho stones at tho side. Not having the slightest suspicion of evil, he conjectured that some traveller may have cut himself or blod his noso by slipping in the water ; and ho pcisßcd on. Less than fifty yards further on, a man came abrrtptly out of the bush to the road in front of the gentleman, and, lighting his pipe at the time, he asked what neAvs there was from the diggings down there. Mr M. replied generally that thitig-e Avero going on well, and again passed on. About sixty yards further on another man stopped out from the bush a short distance in front of Mr M., avlio, ou this socoud appearance, ATas somewhat alarmed, a 9 he had some gold and notes Avith him, having been collecting, but his funds wore principally in drafts. Tho man scrutinised him as he camo up, passed tho compliments of tho day, and Mr M. walkod on, his doing so safely having set his mind at rost, and inducing him to believe that he had been uuuocessarily suspicious. Since heariug of tho revolatious mado by Sullivan, and particularly tho references to tho murders on tho West Coast and the reported burial of tho bodies in tho sand, Mr M. has formed the conviction that most probably ho had passed along the track just after the commission of a murder, that tho hole in tho sand Avas tho victim's grave, aud that the blood on tho stories in tho creek Avas his blood showing tho spot whero tho murder had been committed ; that the body had boon concealed in the bush not far from tho hole, that ono or two of tho meu Avoro with the body, and that the two others avlio appeared to como so purposolessly out of the bush on tho other side of the creek and accosted him. were ' keeping tho road,'v and thaf his own life was spared hecauao they thought he hal seen nothing, if tliore conjectures are right (and they of com'so aro only conjectures, but by no means unsound), knowing what every one now knows, it would bo well to make further enquiry. Tlio appeal/Mice of the men on tho road, if a crrne had been commille I in which they wero concerno'l, may bo easily, accounted for, by supposing tha' tlioy were prompted by their own suspicions of each i passer-by, and came out to be in rea lines* to act at once on receiving a signal from their mates on the other si le of the creek; that is, if they were there; and if the hole in tho san I .wns intended to be soirie prior fellow's ffrave. We give th'» story as it was toll to v*. Burkl in the san 'l within high w iter mark, leave* Hii> waves (o do tho rest, and -i boiy may b»either further covered by each tilo, or unearthed Hy a storM, carried o.i 1 ; to «ea >md seen no more. This we know AVaS tlie sjste'in of Imrinl followed by Burgess and his crew as (old by Sullivan." On the afternoon of the 3- 1 '! instant a man Avas observed walking in a listless manner upon the beach, near the flagstaff. It Avas remarked by the bystanders that he paid no heed to the surf, which ndw aud again rushed up and wetted him to the knees. Suddenly, ho was seen to turn, rush into the surf,\hrow himself forward, and in another moment would have been ewepHritd deep Ar.ite'r harl riot the onlookers rushed to the rescue, Arid a"t lio slight hazard to themselves, succeeded — notYithstauding that he desperately resisted them — in dragging him ashore. As his manner showed unmistakable Symptoms of insanity, he vvas giVen into cuatddj , After a poriod of great dulness and depression, tho Bruce Bay district again promises to create a slight stir amongst the miners, although, we trust, not to the 3amo extent as during tho late disastrous rush to that locality. ♦On July 30 a party arrived overland from Okarita, with the intelligence that a new beach Had jusd Keen Op'eridd between 1 Jacob's '(or the Makawaiau) and the Maliitahi riVers: Our informant stated that the gold Avas struck quite accidentally, by a party of men engaged in cutting a tail race through the beach to drain somo higher ground. They had reached to about tiigii-vra'ter rriark when a vein «f black sand Avas struck, Avhich, upon e'xrfvrthmtion, showed gold, and on being tested in tho usual manner yielded from £ dwt. ,to 1 dwt. to the shovel. Of course a paddock was at once opened, when ' it Avas found thit a A'ein of black sand about eighteen inches thick and twelve feet Avide, and highly auriferous, had been hit upon. Tho depth of sinking varies according ta the inequalities of the beach, in some places it is only three", iii others six feet. From the above it is evident that a neAv beach lias been opened which will, in all probability, pay tho3e atc'll who are first on tho ground to secure claims. It is, lidwever, cloubtiul, Avhcther the payable ground Avill be of any extent, as the beaches in that neighborhood have- all been pretty well tested. The number and classification of prisoners in the Westland District Gaol aud the old gaol, Rsvell street, on Saturday, the 28th ult., are a^ follow : — District Gaol : Under sentence from the Supreme Court, twenty-six ; imprisonment only, one ; on romand, two ; debtors, five i total, thirty-four. At tho old gaol : Under sentence from the Resident Magistrate's Court, twelve males and three females ; imprisonment only, (three ; on remand, four ; total, nineteen males and three females. Total number of prisoners in both gaols, fifty-six. During tho Aveek onding tho above date, thoro wore only four prisoners sontenccd in the Resident Magistrate's Court. i Tho new ground, lately opened between tho Three and SixMilo Creeks issituated on the other side of the Waimea River, a short distance only from the Auckland load. It is, however, of but little account, as the prospects did not exceed tAvo grains tp tho dish. Some six or eight hundred miners have A'isited the locality, but left it- disappointed. The' Ball given byour Rosstown friends, oii\ the evening of the 19th July, in aid of tho Totara Hospital fund", proved a preat success, upwards of LIOO being placed to the credit of that institution. We are given to understand that- tho assemblage was a gay one, and that dancing was kept up uutil 7 o'clock the next morning. Light refreshments^ only were provided, a supper being oondemned as too expensive, considering the object to be attained. Wo are glad to see the Totai'a public havo set such, an excellent example in this respect, and that the meeting resulted in oo entire a $ue<ws. • ' " '

The «.£. William Miskin left Dunedin at nidnight- on (he 28lh ult., witb fresh N.E. orcezes and fine weather, and sit 4 p.m. tliß ilay following, arrived at Bluff Harbor. Two hours afterwards she again left, but when fairly in the Straits was met by a strong S.W. gale, Avliieh, by tho time she fetched the We3t Cape, had so much increased as to compol her to run back to Cod Island for shelter, where sho anchored early on tho 30th. Remained thero all that day, and at 8 p.m., tho gale having abated, slie got underweigh, and henco to this port light S.JS. breezes prevailo '. Through her delay in tho Straits, the William Miskin ran short of coals, and Avas obliged to break up fittings, and use everything burndblo that could bo spared, for fuel. There was only a sufficiency to bring her to the roadstead, and a few bags of coal had to be borrowed from tke Lioness (which fortunately ran alongside) to take her to the wharf. The ketch Jane Elkin left Lyttelton on the 24th ult., with light N.E. winds and fine weather. This Aveathcr carried her to Cape Farewell, when, on the 29th, tho wind shifted to the N.W., and blew a smart gale, before which she ran down the coast and into the Grey, there discharging her cargo and loading up coals -for this port.- Left Greymouth on tho 3rd inst., and arrived at tho wharf the next day. The P.N.Z. and A.R.M". Co.'s s.s. Egmont, John Vine Hall, jun., commander, brought up in the roadstead at 9 p.m. on the 3rd instant. She left Wellington at 4 a.m. on the Ist, and arrived at Nelson the next day. Left for Hokitika on tlib 2nd, aud arrived as above. From Wellington to Nelson heavy S. W. Aveathcr was oxporiencod, but calms, variable Avinds, and fine weather from Nelson honce. The M.A. & N.Z. S.S. Company's s.s. Gotheuburg, Hugh Maokie, commander, loft Hobson's Bay at 3.30 p.m. on tho 28th ult., with a strong S.W. gale. Cleared tho Tasmanian coast at 1 p.m. tho next day, Avhen the wind hauled into tue S.E., and the weather camo in very thiok with frequent and heavy snow squalls. Towards oveniug tho wind increased to a heavy gale, and tho sea rose rapidly, aud for three days tho Gothcuburg was kept at half speed, contending against p strong stoady gale from E.S.E. to S.S.E., and a high head sea-. At midnight on the lat'inat. the Aveathm* moderated, and full steam was turned on, and honco to tho roadstead, which was reached at 11 a.m. on the -Ith instant," moderate S.E. Avoathov prevailed. Tho cutter Lapwing sailed from Dunedin on tho 20th ultimo, with strong N.E. Avinds and fine weather, Avhich carried her through Foveaux Straits to abreast tho West Capo, in thirty hours. Tho broezo then died away, and light variable weather prevailed until tho 2nd inst., when it bIeAV up from tho N.E., aud the cuftor Avas hovc-lo under closo-reofed mainsail, far several hours. At 4 a.m., on tho 4th, tho roadstoiid was reached, and' tho bar safely crossed at tide-tiuie' tho same d.xy< The s.s. Star of the Evening left Dunedin at 6 p.m. July 28, with N.E. winds and fine weather. Cleared the heads an hour later, an>l found that outsi-lo it was blowing a har.l gilr fromN.N.E , which stuck to her till the Peninsula was reache I. where the breeze died away, and henoo to Nelson, calms aud light airs prevailed. She ran into Ndlnon at 3 p.m on the Ist instant, and shippel a quantity of cargo and a deck load of live Btouk, and on tile 3rd irist.'at 230 p.m. left a^ain for Hokitikrt. Sho arrived in the roadsfeal at U3O a.m. on the 4tiv having experienced lijht/ easterly w.-athor during the rUrii ■/ T'ne'9ch'ioner Prince Co wo -t kft Lyttiilt »n on July 2,6 th, witii li^lit S. oy S.E. W.i is a.s i fine w'eathei'. Pissed Po-t Stevens nil trie 23Mi an I Oa^e Fur-well tlie lay iift^r, aid would hive rp-i.;h.s I tU<» -otUti'il iieU .i,u but wh--n abr ii^t. >f Uip ' F jauvi \\ h-br- - t'tile !h t and fof i'hw d,\,\'a 6 •<■ i.iy be i .ft -At north 1 rtit {\te :)r I tn*i. ss 1.-'1 .-' ■• i »-• ■<> '»<!' tio >ir and was tow.-d s-'lfoly to til: wh.t-f n«>: i.iy a tijetinv*. She brings a f'uil c.n'go. T..." i-ujj-tain reports that he started from LvtioHo-i on the"2ith, bat when -r->-Bi lg cue bur n pj?*«n^ ger nam-'j L'i'Ue Was tvitfo.l with a lit nirl fel' c ov.-rbn:it\l. He wtia </t<?ii' 1 fy> almost insfanllv n3 tho 3cho>>i}t»r'g oo.it avus uhvad taw* in-.; at the time, but through tho fright and exhaustion tho unfovtu;iate - man died tho same evening. "The vessel was brought-to outside the bar, and tho body sent on shore v who '6 a coroner's inquest was held tho next day, at which the captain^ and crow had to give evidence. This delayed the Prince Consort's filial departure until the 26th. The dtago 1 Steamship Company's s s. Albion, Edward Kidriej'j t'o'tmndnder* cleared Port Philip Heads and dischttr"gcd tho pilot at 6 p.m. on the 2nd inst., and after a pleasant passage of five days tAventy-oue hours, during which light variable winds and fine weather ' prevailed, Crime" to »n arichar off the bar at 3 p.m. on the 7th. , Tho cutter Sea Sholl left Lyttelton On the 2nd instant, with strong S.E. winds and rainy weather. Favored by this breeze, she ran lound the coast to Cape Farewell in twentyseven hours ; but thore the breeze failed her, and hence to Hokitika light S. and S.E. Aveather Drovailed. Tho Soa Shell arrived off the bar drl VVednesday morning, and was towed inside by the Challenge j Tho Sea Shell is a fine cutter of fifty tons burden, the 1 largest vessel of her class that has visited this pol't. - Wednesday morning at early tide the p.s. Lioness ran up to Greymouth, aud towed into tlie rirer. the schooner Highlander, returning to Hokitikfi la the afternoon in timo to take out passengers to-the Albion. She reports the Grey bar to be almost unworkable, as the channel still runs to the northward, and close into the beach. The Yarra p.s. Avorked thebar on Wednesday, toAving inside the schooner Florence. When the Lioness left Greymouth ,the Mary Stewart and Tiger were lying in the 'roadstead Avaiting for a steamer to take them across tho bar". ' The brig Claronddii left Hobson's Bay on tile 18th ult v but light battling winds kept her itlside 1 the Heads until the 2lst, on which day she landed he* pilot, and proceeded on her voyage On the 2itU,tlte l fost departure was taken from Cape Barwon, and up to the 27th sho experienced light Avesterly Avinds and fine weather. On that day, however, the wind veered into the S.E. and aoon increased to a wale. During the* e'tfs'uing Bix days the Clarendon contended with three heavy gales from the same quarter, that one Avlucli prevailed from the 31st ult. to the 2nd inst., being by far the heaviest, aud hovo tho brig to for thirty-six hours. During this blow the baroirieter" fell to 2915. On tho 3rd the wind veerod to the Avestward and steadily increased until tho sth, when it blew lieatily, compelling a reduction of canvas to closo-reefed topsails and reefed foresail, all the fore aud aft sails being furled. At 4 p.m., whilst the hands wore aloL tying in the close reef, one of their number, named Frederic Tinbury, unfortunately missed his hold and foil overboard. A life buoy Avas thrown at once but too late to reach him, and aa the ship was driving before a furious galo Avith her head yards traced byo for reefing, the poor fellow Avas soon lost sight of. As soon as possible the brig was rounded to, but as sho Avas running nine knots when the accident occurred, by this time the man Avas 60 far astern that it was impossible to save him ; and, moreover, neither of tho brig's boats Avould havo lived in the^sea which Avas running. At 8 p.m. the same day tho gale abated, and upon tho next, land was sighted and tho anchor let go iv the roadstead at 9.30 p.ni. Next morning, having accepted the servioes of the Lioness, tho Clarendon reached tho \vharf safely. She brings a full general cargo. "Frederic Tinbury was only eighteon j^&ra of age, a native of Ricliiaond, Victoria.

That tho ketch Caroline will netvv^gain be J seen or heard of seems to be tacitly-admitted on all sides, as it is now several weeks since i she left Okarita for Hunt's Beach, the distance '■ between the two being a few mileb oaly. Admitting, then, th-it she luw met with, a fatal mishap, the next question which naturally arises is, what occasioned it ? Did the unfor- : tunato vessel founder at sea daring the heavy' g.vles which blew homo upon the coast irame- i diatcly after her departure ? or did she strike ' upon some hidden shoal or rock unknown to mariners through its not being laid down upon any chart of this very imperfectly surveyed coast. Either of tho above contingencies "are probable enough, and although we incline to the former, we are still of opinion that the latter might have arisen, for it is ' well understood that rocks do exist upon the coast which, have never been surveyed, as witness that one in Chalky Inlet, Avhich brought the Star of the South up all standing, and had it not been for her water-tight compartments Avould have sunk her outright. Tho growing importance of the settlements ' on the western coast of New Zealand renders it imperative that a very careful surrey should be made, not only of the different bays and inlets, but the whole coast line as well, for although we are ready to allow that the proi fessional capabilities of Commander Stokes are of a high order, it must be admitted that the charts he compiled of this coast are exceedingly imperfect and lacking in detail. We are induced to again revert to this subject from very valuable information, derived from Captain BeA'eridge, concerning a rock or sand patch Avhich lie's just in the entrance to Hunt's Bay — the bay to Avhich the Caroline avos bound, but never reached. The captain only returned from the South on Tuesday tho 7th insf., in tho schooner lona, and he states that when in Hunt's Bay both himsolf and the gchooner's crow obsorvod the sea breaking furiousjy iv ono place situated about two miles from the shore, aud although ho did not proceod to the spot and sound rouud it, he is yet quite certain that tho brQak avus caused by shallow water, as it was intermittent, but neyer varied its position. Hunt's Bay or Beach, is next to the^. northward of Bruce Bay, the two being sepa- '■ rated by Makavin Point, from Avhich tho Buppo3od rock bears -N.E,, distant about two miles. It is also about tho same distance from tlie nearest point of Hunt's Bjjaeh. Captain Bevoridgo says that ho has pasod it several times before, and always observed the breaks but uovur saw the rock abovo water. Ho, therefore concludos that it is submerged atlow water. We publish the abovo facts as a warning to marinors, tho rock not being marked in tho admiralty chart, and trust it will not be in vain. Tho schooner lona, whioh had been away twelve days to tho Southward, returned, to port on the 7th inst. from Jackson's Bay. She reports that thoro are several parties of miner* in Big Bay, getting coarse gold and making fair wages. We hear that it is the intention of Mr W. S. Loekhart to place all hh vesaols In tho trado between this port and Sydney, during tho ensuing summer, and that he also purposos to send down the Elizabeth, a sixty tou cutter of light draught, to attend to the Wostlaud coasting tra-le. The brigantino Susannah Booth, which wastakon off the borth during the winter, may bo shortly expected to ,arrivo. At the head of our " oxpectod arrivals" 13 the name of tho Oamnru. a schooner which left Oam iru triauy Aveeks ago Avifli a cargo of .no hue for this port. She hns not since bjen nvnr.l of, an 'l if, is feared has foundered with il' hands. We have "been permitted to peruse i 1 ,-rtv r from her owm-r, in -which he expresses Cir thii' ha "has seen the last of liar," as * I >• i d ''a-. •' been nif Banks' Pan-nsula "' • i , ->•;■ h • iv y :m! »s of the 21sf an I 22nd >s' J In- 1 ; -t i I alihoa^li a goo.l sea-bo*t, her ' .iiinksr hkclv she may hnvemt been hovo-to-i.i hurfL.in !, in conse juence, brodehed-to a>id \-.;'i«i <tinvn. We" cannot help sharing his ' i)i--h')iing.-«, ivhi.-h we believe aro only too •.a iU f "uu.lo'l : for had she ran for, and gaineds i!-\ter, sho must havo been heard of long ere t iis\ The fortnightly escort from the Totara ecrived in town on the 9th inst., having in charge between 2000 and 3000 ozs. On tho wa^ up, a mishap occurred, which very nearly resulted in another mysterious disappearance of a bag . of gold, which, as in the former case, would perhaps have turned up again in the shape of a new rush to some hitherto undreamt of locality. Fortunately, however, the bag was seen to fall through the saddle-bag by Sergeant Wilson, who at once gave the alarm just as tho party riding the pack-horse discovered that something Avas Avroug, from feeling the saddle turn suddenly over, very nearly " spilling" him in consequence. The hole in the saddlo-bag being stopped, and the gold (500 ounces) replaced, the escort again started, and reached town without further accident. The bag of gold we have alluded to belonged to the Union Bank, and we feel much surprised that former experience has not taught the necessity of providing sound bags to - carry tho gold when under transmission from the out-districts to town. An attempt was made on Thursday morning •by tho» Perssvere, to tow- to sea the schooner Emma Jane, but on reaching the bar the surf was foitnd so heavy that it was deemed advisable to return inside' again. It was a ticklish undertaking to slue in such a sea with a towbehind her ; but the Persevere effected it, and , reached the wharf without mishap. The s.s. Kesraleft on July 19 for Wellington and Dunedin, touching at Greymouth for coal. There was no time lost -in despatching her for she only arrived on the 17th, and had since discharged a fall cargo of mixed goods, which was landed in good order, notwithstanding her long passage 'from Dunedin. It is the intention of the owners, Messrs Carey and Gj-illes, to place her permtßientlv in the trade between this port and Dunedin, and they purpose making very extensive alterations in the vessel to fit her more thoroughly for the trade. Although sho is but a small boat, the iteera is fitted .with a pair of thirty-horse power diagonal engines, built by the celebrated Robert Stepheflson in 1851, and better constructed machinery was never turned out of hand. Made of the very best material, substantial in all their parts and beautifully finished they have stood 'the test of fifteen years hard work and no sign of wear or tear can be discovered in them. Even the brasses hnve not been 'replaced, and considering the tiue they have been in use are in a wonderful state of preservation. We believe that these -' were the first pair of marine engines ever > fitted with link motion, for which Stephensou ,' obtained apatent, and theyweredeemed worthy " r of a place in the Great Exhibition of '51. ■ The Keora's machinery is on the multiplying -" principle of three to one power, and as the. "■ engines make forty revolutions a minute, tho screw shaft inaii;s one hundred and twßhtyto wh«i going at full speed ; but as tho power is ;j; j quite disproportionate to her size, more than bivlf-Bteam is seldom- used. With the view of remedying this defect it is intended 40/>| lengthon the Eoera thirty feet, andjbr this U she will be laid up. at buneiin in Octobers;^ next, whore the alteration will bo efl&ctod. W«s* b.elieve that by so dome tho do v sirod end wilt.^ be attained, and tho E>era enabled, to jnak^ia her passages hi any weather without the" vaxa-^l tious delays that yepsels of her ch>B? "TO .un&*. /- yoidably subjected to. The grosit deaidera* .. turn of a first' class constant ; steam trade*;.' between this port und Duijedlji will be thus. ,< supplied, and we trust t&at the Keem «%,-■ lbaj'y©i»ftia oa'tiie Iwth. ' ._.' „ -. . **f