The Westport Times AND CHARLESTON ARGUS. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1868.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 424, 9 December 1868, Page 2

The Westport Times AND CHARLESTON ARGUS. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1868.

The rules of racing which we published yesterday for the information of those interested in the forthcoming Christmas ".Races, were accidentally so transposed, as they appeared in our columns,that they were to a great extent unintelligible. To prevent mistakes we have thought it better to republish them with the errors of transposition corrected. The harmonium and bell, purchased by Mr P. Allen, for the Charleston Church, are on board the Sea Bird, now in the roadstead. Our Charleston correspondent mentions that the sports there are to be held in the street, but the Herald states that the site chosen is ground near the Cricket Ee-

serve. Two days' racing has been added to the previously published programme.

"We believe that Messrs N. Edwards and Co. are now having built, at Melbourne, a steamer intended to replace the ill-fated Nelson. It is unnecessary to say that, in her construction, every care will be taken to adapt her for the trade of the West Coast.

The difficulty which has been experienced by miners in curing copper plates, and preventing the verdigris rising, is said by the Charleston Herald to have been overcome by a gentleman residing there. Plates can now in a few hours be rendered perfectly fit to catch the gold, without the use lof acids or cyanide of potassium. The j Herald has seen small specimens of plate prepared by this new process, which have been placed for fifty-six hours under the tail water of a machine, and on which no verdigris was visible. The experiment is to be conducted on a large scale previous to laying it before the miners at large. Sunday and Monday nights were two of the wildest that have been experienced in "Westporfc for some months. On the former there "was a strong gale from N. W and on. the latter a violent and prolonged thurder-storm. There has been no extraordinary fresh in the river, but at sea there is a great turmoil, which is expending itself in a heavy surf on the beach. The brigantine Sea-Bird, which arrived off the port yesterday, has fortunately held to her moorings. South of Grreymouth there has been at least one disaster. The well-known old brig Clarendon has been driven ashore and wrecked.

The steamship Gothenburg arrived at Wellington from Lyttelton on Monday. It is probable that she brings with her the Westport portion of the Suez mail.

By the return of the number of scholars attending the Westport Public School, it appears that the total number of scholars on the roll during the month of October and November was 10-1. Of these 56 were boys, and 48 were girls. The daily average was 52, but the average for these two m mths was unusually low on account of the wet and stormy character of the weather. Por days the attendance was over SO, and, takiug the average of fine

weather days, the attendance was, at the lowest estimate, 70. The Press of the Colony is almost unanimous in its appeal for Imperial aid. The JVew Zealand Sun savs:—

'* General Chute and Imperial aid are the resources to which prudence directs the eyes of the Colonists—the so-called self-reliance is, at the present junctnrs, astartling risk." And the Nelson Qolo nist remarks : —" If England's sympathies are what they were of old, for her own flesh and blood, she will be not less prompt in affording frank assistance, such as she gave to her children in India, and her embassy in Abyssinia. The cost would be small as compared with either of these great enterprises ; but both physically and financially, as regards this Colony, the necessity is scarcely less urgent."

Amongst other measures of retrenchment which the Provincial Government have initiated, the Nelson papers notice the abolition of the offices of the two Scab Inspectors at Foxhill and Takaka, and also of Third Pilot at the Port. It is believed that, by the aid of telegraphic information stating when sheep from Marlborough may be expected to arrive at the dip-ping-tank, the duties lately devolving upon the Inspectors at Foxhill may be performed by the Chief Inspector, assisted, if need be, by the City Inspector. Great stress is placed upon this petty reduction. Is it equal to a tithe of the reductions which are being made where most of the Provincial revenue is received—the "West Coast ?

The Nathan troupe have returned to New Zealand. They are performing at Invercargill. Mr Tait, the owner of the horse G-lencoe, winner of the Melbourne Cup and other races, netted over £2OOO in stakes alone. Two fine horses owned by others—Ghilnare and Booyoolee were killed during the I'aces.

During the squally weather which prevailed at Greymouth last week, a number of waterspouts were observed to seaward travelling towards the shore. Fortunately none of these unusual visitors broke over the town, but one is said to have broken at the Arahura, without doing any damage. Dr Neild, the theatrical critic, know by the nom de plume " Jaques," has recently been exercising his pen under difficulties. Owing to some rather disparaging remarks which the theatrical critics had published upon the subject of the performances of Madame Duret, that lady's husband, Mr De Eoy, threatened to reply by inflicting

a horsewhipping upon the Doctor's shoulders; to which course the latter entertaining a very strong objection, sought the protection of the local magistracy, and succeeded in getting the threatener bound over to keep the peace. The Melbourne Argus notices that the gold-fields of New South Wales are increasing in productiveness. The quantity of gold brought down by the escort for the month of October was larger than that of any one of the preceeding ten months. The total for the month was 25,926£0z5. The principal increase was in the southern mines. For the first ten months in 1867 the receipts were 163,4080z5, and in the aame period of 18G8 they amounted to 193,1950z5. The gold received at the mint for coinage during the month was 54,6880z, and 223,000 sovereigns were minted.

A member of one of the learned professions, being Port Chalmers, en [route to Oamaru, by the "Wallace, on Tuesday week, in consequence of a heavy surf in the roadstead, telegraphed to another member of the same profession, enquiring if the Oamaru swell had fallen. The learned man at Oamaru thought it was a joke, more particularly as there is a gentleman in that locality known as "the Oamaru swell." The reply created no little amusement. It was as follows:—" The Swell was at a public dinner at the Star and Garter, on Thursday last. He is supposed to have fallen into the ditch, somewhere about midnight, and has not since been seen."

A man named Piall was lately accidentally drowned in the Rive? Murray, at Thologolong, and the Albany Banner gives the following curious account of what led to the discovery of his body:— " It appeared that some time after the man Piall had been drowned, a boundary rider on the station, named Greenwood, dreamt that he was fishing in the Murray, and that the deceased appeared to him on the bank of the river and asked what he was doing there. Greenwood, in his dream, replied, " Oh, lam fishing for your body, as I hear you are drowned.' 'You needn't look there,' said the shade of the drowned man, ' my body is lying on yon log,' at the same time pointing to the place where the body has been recovered. Greenwood told his dream to several persons some time before the body was found; the story was laughed at, but nevertheless a search was made round the spot indicated by Greenwood, and the body has been found there." By the next mail from England, copies of The Cruise of li. M. S. Galatea in 1867-8 are expected. It is to be edited by the Eev. John Milner, P.E.G.S., the chaplain of the vessel, and illustrated with numerous chromolithographs and graphotypes from sketches by Mr Brierly. The work is to be in one volume, and the price is not to exceed 16s. There will no doubt be a large demand for the woik. At "Wollongong, New South Wales, lately, five persons were committed to take their trial at the quarter sessions for " tin-kettling" a newly-married couple. According to the evidence they amused themselves for upwards of two hours in close proximity to the house, occupied by a widow, the mother of the bride, where the wedding was held, and kept up a continued noise with tin dishes, horns, and a bell.