The Westport Times AND CHARLESTON ARGUS. TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1869.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 446, 5 January 1869, Page 2

The Westport Times AND CHARLESTON ARGUS. TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1869.

The Gourlay Family concluded their entertainments in "Westport last evening, at the Masonic Hall, Empire Hotel. The entertainment was avowedly for the benefit of Little Johnny and Minnie, and, in the numbers present, there was a good recognition of the natural talents and acquired accomplishments of the young couple. If the pecuniary results of their sojourn in Westport have not equalled their expectation, the Gourlay Family will, at least, leave "Westport with the moral satisfaction that they have given the best entertainments which have ever been given in this locality. An assault of a very aggravated character is reported to have taken place at the Lyell township on Christmas day. A young lad, seventeen years of age, named "William Dellow, had been working with some mates of bis near the Lyell. A little time since he taped off the claim of a party who were working near him, consisting of " Dublin Jack," Michael Cruise, and " Dublin Jim." The taping of the claim led to a case in the "Warden's Court, in which Dellow and his party were successful, much to the chagrin ef " Dublin Jack," who threatened if be evefr got a chance he would be even wita Dellow. On Christmas-day Deflow's mates had all come to towii, and he was standing alone in a fcfcofre at the Lyell when " Dublin Jack" and his party came in and assaulted the lad to such an

extent that he waß insensible for two hours. Subsequent to this, they attacked a woman in a neighboring store, and maltreated her, besides damaging the place to some extent. Constables Priugle and Hunter have been sent up to arrest the parties, and, if the circumstances are as they are represented, there will, no doubt, be inflicted upon the aggressors a punishment sufficiently severe to prove a warning to the parties concerned, and to prevent the recurrence of similar outrages in the district. An inquest was held yesterday by the Coroner, Dr Giles, as to the death of Mrs Warmoll, who had died in the Hospital on Sunday evening from injuries received some weeks ago at Oiles Terrace. The injuries were received by her clothes catching fire, and burning her so severely as to render her removal to the Hospital necessary. The husband of the deceased, Mr Warmoll, butcher, Dr Thorpe, and the nurse by whom she had been attended, gave their evidence, and the jury returned a verdict of " Accidental death." The funeral will take place, not as announced yesterday, but at three o'clock in the afternoon, and will start from the Occidental Hotel. A fire, resulting in the entire demolition of a tenement and the destruction of the furniture and effects of its occupants, occurred at Charleston on Thursday morning shortly after four o'clock. The building, says the Herald, was occupied by Mr John Coughlan, and the fire, it appears, was occasioned by Mrs Coughlan having left a candle burning at the bedside of one of the children, who was suffering from sickness. By some means the roof, which was constructed of calico, caught fire, and quickly reduced the building to ashes. The occupants did not succeed in saving anything from the flames, and Messrs Eeardnu and Keenan kindly interested themselves in the matter, and succeeked in obtaining a tolerable amount towards recompensing the loss, we believe close upon £4O. ? Thewant of silver, says the Charleston Herald, has been most inconveniently felt during the present holidays, and the nuisance has been increased by business people, owing to the scarcity, hoarding up all the change they could get hold of. We think the banks should each issue an increased silver currency so as to remedy the evil. A Southern recruit, by the Omeo, named Colley, cut his throat, while in a state of delirium, and has been removed to the Wellington Hospital. Jenkins, master of the Kate, and Davidson, master of the Euby, have been fined at Wellington £IOO each for smuggling. The West Coast Times mentions that a prospecting claim of double ground has been granted to five miners, for ground situated on the south side of M'lntyre's Creek, about a qarter of a mile above the line of the Ho Ho Lead. The washdirt is composed of hard Igravel, three feet thick, and prospects five pennyweights to the load.

The case of Isaac v. Kempthorne, which we referred to yesterday, was concluded at the Supreme Court, Dunedin, on the 23rd ult. The plaintiff sought to recover £SOOO from the defendant, on a charge of slander. The jury, after an hour's deliberation, returned a verdict for the plaintiff, damages £IOO, the foreman intimating that " his character was eutirely unstained." Colonel Lyons, the new commander in the Wanganui district, is said to have served in the regulars in the Crimea, also in India and the Cape. He lost one of his arms, by an accident while returning from a* shooting excursion. According to the Auckland papers, he did good service during: the Maori war, especially on the West Coast, where the natives called him " one-armed Eangatira," and " Taipo " (the Devil), in consequence of the wholesome fear in which they stood ox him.

The golden days of squatting in Victoria appear to hav passed away. The Argits of the 2th inat. says : A very large number of runs are advertised in the G-azzette of last night as liable to forfeiture, if the rents due respecting them for the past halfyear, are not paid before that date. One of the largest nuggets that has been exhibited in Melbourne for some time was shown in the window of Messrs W. H. Croppe aud Co., of Collins street west, on the 28th ult. The nugget was flat, weighed two hundred and eighty-six ounces, and is valued at £llOO. It was purchased by the agent of the Bank of New South Wales, at the new rush at Berlin, Victoria, ten miles from Kingower, and was obtained in five feet sinking one morning before breakfast, by a man said to be a shepherd. One of Nelson's Trafalgar ' heroes died in the Picton hospital on the 12 ih

inst., at the age of 83. During the latter years of his life he had been engaged in the whale and seal fisheries on the coasts of Australia and New Zealand. When he became too infirm for active occupation, he managed until within a few days of his death to maintain himself by gardening.