The Westport Times AND CHARLESTON ARGUS. WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 1868.

Westport Times, Volume II, Issue 286, 1 July 1868, Page 2

The Westport Times AND CHARLESTON ARGUS. WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 1868.

The road between here and Addison's is being slowly" repaired by a gang of three men. Some places are so bad that horses and pedestrians have to leave it altogether It is a pity that more men are not put on, and the whole done at once ; it would not only be a groat boon to tbe public, but much more economical to the Government. As will be seen in another column the Caledonians have been profuse in their nominations, no less than twentyfour having been duly nominated. Out of this largo number however, many we expect will decline to act, and thercare also a tolerably large number of Westport names. We draw the attention of candidates at all the places to the condition whereby each must forward this day, Wednesday, his written consent to act to Dr G-iles, or rather the gentleman acting in his absence as deputy Returning Officer. Tailing this the nomination will be void.

Instances of success are we are glad to say at last crowding into the Butler, and our lately depressed condition will soon bo exchanged for a happier state of things. In another place the Caledonian's future looms up brightly and from Addison's we are glad to say equally good accounts are to hand. The "Shamrock lead is still the fortune giver of this part, and every day proves its vahie in golden returns. Yesterday Linehan and party from the Shamrock came in with thirty seven pounds of amalgam, as the result of their party's exertions for the past fortnight. As each ounce of amalgam is roughly estimated as worth a guinea it is clear that n, very tidy raise has been made by them in that time. Their claim is situated at the head of the claims nearly applied for. The case of Pollock v. Johnston for the recovery of £IOO. and about which a considerable amount of interest is felt, was postponed yesterday by Mr Kynnersley till this day at 10 o'clock. It gives us no little satisfaction to find that the alleged charge against P. O'Toole, of Addison's flat, was yesterday so completely disproved on the evidence for the prosecution alone that the magistrate did not even call for any defence. It was apparent from the begining of the case that the evidence was trumped up, for it is monstrous to suppose that such an offence could have been committed, in place where the children present could have summoned assistance in a one minute, and where a single scream would have brought in scores of neighbours, inhabitated buildings being distant as little as twenty feet. It is fortunate for the accused that such was the case, for had the hut been in a solitary position no matter how innocent he was, the results might have been more than serious. A meeting of the Athenaeum Committee was held yesterday afternoon, for the purpose of considering a letter received by the chairman from the Provincial Secretary, as follows :

" Superintendent's Office, Nelson, June 26th, IS6S.—Sir,—l have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letters of the dates quoted in the margin hereof, wherein you apply for a grant towards the erection of a building for a public library at Westport. In reply, I have to inform you that as the Council voted £2OO only for all the districts on the South-West Goldfields, until the requirements of other districts have been enquired into, the Government are not prepared to state how much will be paid to the Westport Library. I have the honor, &c, A. Greenfield, Provincial Secretary. P.S. —No public money can be given unless the building is erected on G-overnment land, and is vested in trustees for the purpose of a public lihrary." The italics are Mr Greenfield's, so, as far as Government are concerned, the Athenjeum may thank them for nothing. The conditions are impossible in the first place, the red tape in the second I will extend over another year, and the Government may pride themselves on having choked at the outset a most useful and beneficial institution. Whether Pr Giles' visit may alter the present unpromising aspect of affairs remains to be seen. The committee now await his return.

In our Caledonian correspondent's letter our readers will see reference made to the discovery ot'a main bottom on tho Caledonian lead. If the information we have to hand is correct, the find is deserving of far more notice than our correspondent gives it. It appears that the owners, Marshall and party, have worked, for several months without reward, and have even been ridiculed for their perseverance. They have tunnelled six hundred feet, and now have eotne on gravelly wash-dirt, said to bo six feet in depth and also astonishingly rich. We cannot say whether the sample was salted or not, but an informant in whom we place most perfect reliance, tolls ns that he saw less than half-a-dishfull of dirt taken from the heap, which on being washed returned a pennyweight of comparative!v coarse gold, the pieces being about the size of a piu's head. If the whole yields a tenth part of that amount, the lucky share-holders have an actual homeward bounder, and their success will stimulate thousands to go and we hope, do likewise. This is at the extreme northern end of the Caledonian, on the G-erinan Terrace side.