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West Coast Times, Issue 315, 26 September 1866, Page 2

(The meeting of the Provincial Council has been postponed until Friday, the 19th October. Wo learn the fact by electric telegraphA " G-azctte " \Vill probably be issued at Christchurch (his afternoon.

1 We take the following latest particulars of [the Bruce Bay diggings from tho " Okarita Observer": — "Mounted Constable Charles, of tho polico forco stationed here, proceeded to Bruce Bay last week for the purpose of issuing miners' rights to parties mining, or those about to mine , on native reserves within ten miles of the Mahitahi River. He reports that he issued forty-three rights, the greater portion to parties upon the reserves, and all, with | the exception of two whose claims had not paid them, took them out willingly. The natives appeared to bo on vory good terms with

tho diggers, who seemed content and very orderly. The niining is prinoipa^gjjoon fined (o Ilio bush within a short distance from,highwater niiirk. Tho sinking varies from 15 to l'J feut, aud the yield is ill most cases payable. Thoro aro at present four stores, three on tho south sido of tho river (two of which are* 'closed, and tho other carrying on business) and ono on tho native reserve oir the north sjdo of tho river, also carrying ou busiuess. The w'holo population is estimated to be about seventy. Ho was informed by some of theminers that they had -lately received letters from mates mining in the direction of Jackson's Bay, and that the news from that quarter was encouraging. At Hunt's Beach thoro aro from fifty j:o_sixty jjeoplo. Thore are two stores carrying on business. » The mining is similar to that of Bruco Bay, but 'one of its peculiarities is that each N.W. wind brings in on tho boach a quantity of black sand, whioh 1 ia collected by the miners after each tide, and is found to be, in. some cases very rich. The conduct of the miners was highly spoken of by tho storekeepers. At Cook's River there were eight miners getting payable gold, and it was said that others were -about to proceed to tho aamo place. At Gillespie's Beach the population is decreasing as the claims become worked - out. There aro now less than two hundred people on the ground. There are ten stores carrying on business, nine closed, and three converted into private dwellings, and tho greater number carrying on business are about to close."

Mr Dale, the gaoler, has supplied us with tho following district gaol returns, for tho week ending Saturday, September 22 ;—Admitted on committal, 2 males ; under sentence of hard labor, 1 male. Discharged, 1 debtor. Tho number and classification of the confinees at the above Bate were : Committed for trial, 6 m,ales ; under sentence of hard labor 25 males ; imprisonment * only, 2 males ; debtors, 5 males.' Total, 37.

The "Westland Observer," of Saturday last, reports " tho proceedings of a very foolish or roguish fellow, a Dutchman named Robinson, who has been guilty of spreading false repoi-ts of gold discoveries below" Bruce Bay, and who, as one of the /liscoverers, applied for a prospecting claim. When the report alluded to was written, he had disappeared, having made a rather sudden escape -towards the Five-mile. On" Thursday, however, ho was scon by some miners walking along tho blufj', and, being reoognised, he was brought by them to the Warden. While" walking in their company ho repeated Ijis statement as to having discovered a rich goldfield, but when admitted into tho Warden's presence, he confessed that all that ho said was false, and alleg3d that he had been drinking. He desjred tho protection of Jho police, or to be taken to the lockup, but the Warden refused to order any special protection, and expressed his regret that, under the circumstances, there was no possibility of having him severely punished, as he deserved. It appears that, if a Vagrant" Act for Canterbury has been passed, no copy of the Act has been received, and tho circumstances under which he borrowed some small sums of monoy did not warrant him being charged with obtaining the same under false pretences. On being dismissed from the Court he skulked away down by the beach, whore he had apparently passod tho previovis night in the bush, the presence of the police probably preventing interference from^ono or two whose fingers were tingling jlo^impVess upon him some conceptiou of their opinion of his conduqt." From the telegram received from JLr Moorhouge, dated Saturday la9t, it will have been seen that ho entertained at that time vorv

• -•»- littlo hope of passing tho Westland Representation Increase Bill. It was understood that , tho second reading .of the .bill stoqd for an order of tho clay on Monday last. But if the House had taken any action in the bill on that day, in the shape euher of passing it, of rejecting it, or of postponing it, Mr Moorhouse would scarcely have failed to telegraph j the fact to the Hokitika committee. There is t therefore, reasonable room for hoping that the Westland petition may have reached Wellington in time to exe'rcise.soiuc influence oy its decision.

- A very successful amateur concert in aid of the funds of tho Hospital Committee has been given at Greymouth, many of the pieces being described as exquisitely well rendered. Mies Julia Mathews has commenced a scries of concerts at Kilgour'b Hotel, the opening one of which appears /to have thrown the Greymouth people into ecstacies. 'We are glad to notice that the now structure for theuse r of the Church of Eugland m a place of divine worship i 3 progressing rapidly. Its completion will be a great accommodation to the members" of the church, to whom the Supreme Court House has for some months pnst furnished a very inconvenient substitute for a proper ecclesiastical building, with the customary interior fittings. It will be scon ahq that the Presbyterian body advertise far tenders for the erection of a new church. Tho wants of the various religious denominations will soon be adequately met by the rapid extension, of cliuroli building in 110-

kitika. , , . With reference to a notice pf motion in the House of Representatives, for " leave to bring in a Bill, intituled ' An Act to alter the existing boundaries- of tho Province of Canterbury, and^to include within the Province of Nelson that portion of the territory of the present Province ol Canterbury wln'cb lies to the north o tho River Teremakau, and of aline' drawn from the source of that river due east to Lake Brunuer."' The "Argus," of yesterday says : — "Mr Bradshaw'B motion is of importance to tiffs district. It is not at all probable that ho will carry it, but he will at leust break the ice and prepare the way for future action in the matter should annexation to Nelson be considered desirable hereafter. For ourselves we are glad the question has bgbn mooted in the House, for although we are in favor at present of giving the new administration at Christchurch a fair trial, wo shall be ready should our. expectations not be realised to take up arms again iii favor of annexation toNelson." Our correspondent writes — " We are told thct the people at G-reymouth desire annexation to Nelson, but nothing can bo dono this session, and if they desire it next session it can be brought about by means o/ily of a numerously signed potition. " % Amongst the local industries which are slowly, but surely, establishing themselves in Westland, the occupation of brickmaking has found several followers, who, after many months of persistent labor and experimentalising, linvo at last succeeded in producing a

Tory creditable article, that will boar favorable comparison with the best kind of imported bricks, and surpasses iv excellence one or two sorts which have hitherto been eagerly sought; after, and, bought up at a high figure iv this market. The earliest brick--maker on the coast is Mr Clayton, whose yard is situated abi>ut two milo3 from town, on the 'north bank of the Hokitiku' river. His establishment is not very extensive ; yefc he can in any weather turn out 3000 bricks a week, having an enclosed and covered-in drying space — furnished \vith~a heating apparatus— of sufllcient size to contain that number. As tho kiln is also coverod in, and immediately adjoining it, no^ time is lost through rainy weather. Material, in tho shape of excellent clay beds, is found in the low terraces which surround the yard, and Mr Clayton confidently asserts thafr lip will turn out a bettor brick than can be suppliod from either tho Sydney or Manukau yards, and at a price less by nearly fifty per cent, than is now paid for their produce, Ho challenges a frrial, either by flro, weather, ov pressufe, and if the bricks which he submitted to our inspection are a fair average sample, we have no doubt he would como off victorious. In fine weather Mr Clayton can turn out 8000 bricks pery week. y The "Argus" of the 23rd' ultimo relates tho following :—": — " A shocking case of a woman, being burned to death formed tho subject of an inquest held yesterday by Dr Youl, at Emerald Hill, upon the\body of Charlotte t Heid Brown, aged sixty years/ Deceased lived as housekeeper to a man named Reuben Sherwin, a nightman, who went out to his work at ten o'clock on Monday night, .leaving her at home, quite sober. -At about half-past two o'clock Law Iliinan, the person living next door, to deceased, hearing her scream, and also remarking the smell of fire, went to her house and broke open the N door. He then y found the unfortunate woman sitting in a chair at the corner of the room, with her clothos all in a blaze. Tho s table, near w.hich she was sitting, was also burning. There was a fire burning on the hearth, and gaa was alight in the room. He extinguished the fire around deceased by throwing water upon her, and after hajing dono so found that she was dead. Tho only sign of life which she had given while ho was there was a long deep breath, which she drew when, ho threw tho water upon her. It seemesl that deceasod was in tho habit of drinking, and from tho fact that some ono while passing tho place about midnight heard her singing in a strange manner, it appeared probable that she was under the influonco of liquor -when tho accident occurred. The actual manner in which tho fire originated could not bo clearly shown. The jury found that deceased was accidentally burned t to. death." The "Otago Daily Times'," of tho 20th instant, says: — "It is with regret that we have to notice the death yesterday morning of Charles Logic, Esq., the Collector of Customs. Mr Logio's health ha* been failing for Borne time past, but he attended to business until about four weeks since, when he was attacked by severe illnes3, from whiqh he never rallied. He received his appointmpnt as Collector of Custonrs in Dunedin at the close of 1853, and entered upon the duties of office in January, 185-4, succeeding Mr A. W. Shand, who was removed to tho Chatham Islands. Mr Logic was deservedly respected by tho merchants and inhabitants of Duuedin, and by all the officers-undor him. He was fifty-six years of age." . •'