SOCIAL AND DOMESTIC.

West Coast Times, Issue 331, 15 October 1866, Page 5

SOCIAL AND DOMESTIC.

;- - • The Social history of the month is of considerable interest. In political matters there has been an unusual stir, and the successful launching of thefirst- Municipal government on the West Coast, is a:i incident of Special note. These matters Ayill be found fully referred to elsewhere. The population since our last summary has been augmented by upwards of 1500 persons, chiefly miners. There • - have been about 1900 arrivals and about 400 departures. At the present moment two steamers are in the roadstead, with which communication cannot be effected owing to the state of the bar- but the 3othenburg, from . Melbourne, *is "known to have two* hundred x and tern passengers . for this port on board. f The gold returns for the past five weeks are of a most satisfactory character. Since the, 3rd September the quantity of gold cleared for shipment at the port of Hokitika amounted to 41,16-1 oz3. From the port of Greymouth, since the beginning, of September '32^0051 ozs. have been % exported, making a* "total of 73,215 ozs. from the two ports. There are now lying in tha Banks, waiting shipment by the Gothenburg, upwards of 4000 ozs., and a. further parcel of 2000 ozs'. is expected to arrive from Okarita, for despatch by " the same boat. These figures give, a total of about eighty OUNCES. We now turn to a less pleasant aspect of West Coast history. Our r,ea.ders will have become familiar by this time with the details of, the Maungatapu tragedies. ' We furnish in a special .supplement a' full report of the trial, conviction, and sentence ,of the murderers at Nelson. In another place wo give the particulars received by telegraph of the execution of the three men against whom Sullivan informed, and of the eommuta-* - tion of the sentence of death passed upon Sullivan himself to imprisonment for life. This wretched criminal is supposed to be now outsMe the. bar, in the steamer Egmont, being brought down to give evidence against a pri-; soner charged with ths murder of the late Mr George Dobsbn, at the Grey.

Our local criminal annals have been marked by few special incidents. One case, however, that has been brought before the Resident Magistrate 1 ? Cbnrt is of' a very, painful character. The chief clerk of the Post has been arrested on a charge of embezzlement, and committed to take his /rial on '' what appears to be very clear evicleuce.

nOu the civil side, the Magistrate has had to deal with the usual average of cases involving important principles of commercial law ; and on the whole the Court has had a busy time of it.

The weather for the, greater part of the month has been of a most delightful character — clear^gkies, warm sunshine, and balmy and iuvigoratiug breezes prevailing — whilst'the siibw-clnd summits of the New Zealand Alps, standing out in bold and-' distinctly defined relief , against the azure background, have presented a scene of beauty such- as can bu l equalled in a few parts of -the globe only. Within the lust few dnys a change has corny over the scene, aiu! the fitful a«d boisterous humor of opening 1 Spring is venting itself in rains-and gales that almost make 'us for the moment ungratefully forget how beautiful Nature, that occasion-ally wears a frown, is in her more customary aspect*;. Certainly, there is no finer — no moiV sydtematicaUy fine — climate than th.it of the much and most ignorantly abused West . Coast

A movement lias been initiated, with every prospect of success, for the establishment of a Savings Bank in Hokitika, under the provision's of the Savings Bank Act,' which ha* been for some years' in force in the colony, with the most beneficial results wherever it has been applied. - Mr Archibald Bonar, a merchaut of lona; standing in the colonies, and an old and warm friend of Savings Banks, has taken the matter in hand. Pie recently delivered a most interesting and impressive lecture at the Fire Brigade Hail, on tue advantages to be derived from these institutions, and referred to facts iv illustration connected not only with the history of Savings Banks- in Scotland and England, bulf " with his long ex- ,~ perience as of the Ba:ik some time since foundedimlnvereargill, where its success during a time of very great - and general depression amongst all classes was surprising. The chair was occupied by Mr Bright, M.P.C., and a most corfUil vote oT thanks was accorded to Mr Bonar, on the hiotion of Mr Commissioner Sale; seconded by Mr Shaw. A further resolution was subsequently carried, proposed by Mr S. M. South, and seconded by Mr Abbot, ap-^ pointing a committee to co-operate with Mr Bonar on the 'subject. The committee met at an curly day afterwards, and forwarded the necessary application to - his Excellency the Governor, for the appointment of trustees under the Act. This being done, the institution " will ' ut once commence operations. -

The members of the Church of England have" at last taken effective measures for the erection of a large and handsome Church in Hokitika, which is b-jing so rapidly proceeded with tlrat wo may anticipate its being opened for public worship id the course of a few weeks. It will be decide-ily the most ecclediastieal-looking building in town. On the Church reserve a handsome and commodious parsonage house has also been erected. The Vcn. Archdeacon Harper (a son of the Bishop* of the diocese), who is appointed to preside over the district, is weekly expected to arrive in Hokitika, having reached Ohristchurch from England via Melbourne. In the meantime the Rev. Mr "Bitgshaw continues to officiate" at the Supreme Court House.

The « Roman Catholic having erected a substantial and hand«ouie church and residence for their pastor, the Rev. Mr. M'Girr, towards defraying the cost of which very liberal contributions have been made, both by the members of that communion and others, a grand sacred and secular concert, in aid of the lund for liquidating the outstanding debt on the buildings, was given last week, at the Prince of Wales' .Opera House, at which Miss Julia Mathews (Mrs*. Mumford) rendered her valuable assistance. The rest of the programme was sustained by amateurs. The concert was in every inspect a great success, ' the house being densely crowded in every . part, and the receipts, amounting to a sum' of about L l6O. , The Presbyterians continue to hold service every Sunday fn the Fire Brigade Hall* the Rev" J. Hall officiating, pending the erection of their proposed new church. Large congregations also continue to assemble every Sunday in the Wesleyan Church, where the services are conducted by the Rev. , Mr Cannell, the resident minister. * \

We have to chronicle the opening of _one new place of worship since our last summary, viz/, the Jewish Synagogue, in* Tancred-street. We gave a full account t»f the opening services at the time. The following is a brief de- , scription of thp building, which is externally a very unpretentious one. The- inner arrangements are appropriate and convenient,. aud the decorations when _ completed s will afford evidence of great taste. The structure is erected upon a block of land in Tancyed street, measuring 200 feet by 100, granted to the congregation by Jhe Government, in accordance with

the' policy by which all the religious denominations have had free sites accorded to them The dimensions of

the building are thirty-five feet by twenty, the walls being twelve feet in the roof ascending to a height

of about twenty feet from the floor. On either side are four windows, consisting each of a large single plate of frosted glass, with an upper pane in a semicircular frame opening inwards for purposes of ventilation. Above the door of the synagogue is also a ventilator of colored glass, fixed in a ciitular frame. The lobby occupies a considerable space, as is lequired by seme of tiie specialities of the Jewish ceremony. On one side of it, in the interior, is the ladies' compartment — females not being allowed to join with the males engaged in the service. On cither side of the building are ranged two rows of benches for the accommodation of the congregation. The pulpit or reading-desk is, as usual, in the ceTitre of the synagogue. Its dimensions are nine feet by seven, and it contains the desk on which tiie " scrolls "» are placed when removed from the Aik, and a seat for the use of the officers of the congregation. Immediately in front of the pulpit is the enclosed pew reserved for the President 'and Treasurer of the congregation. At the upper end of the building facino- this new, is the Ark, holding the place "f win at is called the altar in places of Christian worship. It consists of a compartment closed by handsomely paneled cedar doors, containing the two scrolls of " the" Law," wrapped in rich dressings of embroidered silk. The Ark proper is flanked on /either side by fluted pilasters, and other, architectural accom- - paniments, surmounted by the two tables of the Law, the Ten Commandments, which are in beautifully executed Hebrew characters in gold, upon a white surface. The whole framework of the Ark is, we believe, to he finished in white and gold, aud the effect will be exceedingly chaste. In % front of it is hung a massive, purple velvet screen or curtain, lined with white satin, and embroidered in gold, with the " Shield of David" worked in gold lact, in its centre, and suspended by rings from a pole of polished Huon pine, with brass mountings. The Ark is approached by two carpeted steps. The synagogue is well lighted, two handsome bronze gaseliers depending from the roof, aud

other lamps being ranged round the walls, which, with six puipit candles, make the total numb.er of lights within the building twenty-seven. We need only add that the floors are well matted, and the ventilation complete : and that when the painting of the interior is finished according to design, the effect of the whole arrangements will be at once elegant and imposing. The entire plans have been prepared by, and the works carried out under the immediate superintendence of, Mr Henry Cohen, to whom great credit is due for the -taste he has displayed.

We have to record with satisfaction -the progress of several works of public utility during the month, projected and carried on purely by private enterprise. It has been found that the system of light tramways is admirably adapted for the transit of goods and passengers ,in directions where no very considerable engineering difficulties have to be encountered. Light wooden rails have for a longtime past been laid down into the bush, for the purpose of bringing timber to the saw-mills aud other uses, the practice being to extend them as the track gradually becomes cleared by the felling of trees and the removal of the thick uudergrowth of vegetation. Works of a similar, but, of course, of much more substantial character, are now being constructed in various directions, and the level beach *" along Which much of the communication between the town and the, various diggings is carried on, presents admirable • facilities for the laying down of rails", well secured on trausverse sleepers of a massive chsiracter. The abundance of timber affords an ample supply of necessary material, whilst there is plenty of sand and shingle available for substantial hallastiug. To the Hokitika and Kanieri Tramway Company, belongs the credit of having set the example ,of constructing these works on the scale we speak of. A portion of ,J;l|£Jr line is already open to traffic, and the remainder is being progressed with.'

A much larger scheme is now beiiw t-'ken in hand by a few individuals .whose enterprise imd public spirit cannot bo too highly appreciated,, and who have given the best guarantee, of their buna Jides. This is the construction of a substantial tramway to connect the two important towns of llokitika and Greymouth, distant from each other some twenty-seven miles. The Hue would easily connect by. branches with the mosj. important goldfields of the district. It is proposed to complete one portion of the work in the first instance,-and- the whole of the capital requisite for this purpose has already been paid up and is now available. The first portion of the line is expected to be open for traffic within, the next two months, and a further portion within probably about the same period after. Where the ground is level, and timber and ballast plentiful, these works can be pushed on with amazing rapidity. We trust to see the wide extension of this system of roadmaking. The Government, through Mr Moorhouse, have promised, to , encourage them by the cession of land, and by the guarantee of interest on capital invested, and we' believe they will prove a great boon to the whole district. ' The principle of associated enterprise in mining operations is coining into extenssive^application. Several new mining companies are being formed under the provisions of the Limited Liability Act, aud constituted on a somewhat different basis from/those previously existingvjiere, which were rather companies of workiug miners associated to-

gether. The new feature is the formation'of companies of shareholders who. may or may not be otherwise identified with mining pursuits. If the movement is kept within judicious bounds— and by that we mean if the calculations of the promoters of mining companies are based on ascertained and well considered data," and if no capital is rashly diverted from the ordinary transactions of trade ! — there is every reaso.i to anticipate t that; the result witt be satisfactory, in promoting a wider and more vapid development of the mineral resources of the district. As interesting items of news, .ye may mention the reported discovery of rich grass-lands to the south, and the extension of it certain form of agricultural industry in the immediate vicinity of our towns, viz., that of market gardening. The present season promises to ' furnish a large supply of all table vegetables grown within the distance of a short and pleasant walk from town. It is understood that the Government propose to submit to the Provincial Council a measure for the sale of lands on the West Coast fur agrieultuial settlement, under regulations that will sufficiently* secure the interest of the miner in any land that may prove auriferous. 'Much might be written in the way of chronicling the local improvements made in the town, in the slmpe of new and enlarged hotels and business premises, during the month. In our next summary, when many fine buildings now going up will have been completed, we propose to devote a special article to the recent architectural progress of llokitika. It .will suffice now to say, in general terms, that in all directions hotels of great pretensions to chasteness and elegance of design of large size, and furnished with all the accessories of comfort, may be found in the principal streets : that the banks are an imposing set of buildings; and that fine handsome stores, aud plate-glass .-shop frontages, lend an appearance to the capital of Westland, that presents a singular coutrast to the look of the town in its more . primitive days. ' For amusements we have had to depend only on the Prince' of v Wales Opera House. v The engagement <>f Miss Julia Mathews at this bouse terminated some weeks back, and she has since been on a very successful A'isit to the Grey. Having returned to Hokitika, on her way to Melbourne, to fulfil an engagement ~ there, Miss Mathews Jeut her assistance to a Catholic Church

concert on Thursday night last, anil on Saturday night she appeared on the occasion of a benefit given to Mr Bartlett. .On both occasions the house was very well filled.