Untitled

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 465, 13 February 1869, Page 2

The Warden's Court yesterday was occupied for a considerable time with the hearing of three mining cases, and there were five civil cases heard in the Resident Magistrate's Court, but nonß of the cases was of general or public interest.

The letters of "Majority," " R. W.," and " Scrutator," on the subject of Separation, will be published in next number. The letter of " Majority" happened to be mislaid, otherwise it would have been inserted sooner. We are also compelled to hold over our Charleston correspondence, and a letter on the Charleston meeting, signed " Reform." There was a report current in town yesterday as to a new rush at the Waimongoroa. We hear that gold ha 3 been struck by some parties who were working ner the Waimongoroa river, and that a number of men have proceeded to the locality. There has not, however, been reported anything calculated to cause a rush, and those who returned from the Waimongoroa yesterday evening had ■ heard nothing of any rush or fresh discovery. It is possible, however, from the alleged situation of the ground, that those visiting the old workings at the Waimongoroa would hear nothing of the news. In town there has been several exaggerated rumours, but we know that no prospecting claim has been granted, and that as yet no definite particulars have been received. Mr Munro, as Hon. Secretary to the Hospital Committee, and on behalf of the Treasurer, acknowledges receipt of the sum of ..£lO, per Dr Giles, as a donation to the Hospital, from the Shannon Race Company, Shamrock Lead. The Rev. Mr Walsh will officiate in the Roman Catholic church to-morrow morning a& 9 o'clock. Mr Armstrong, dentist, bo long known in Victoria and Dunedin, has paid Westport a visit, and has taken premises in Gladstone street, where he purposes remaining a week or or two. It is needless to say that sufferers from toothache need only afford Mr Armstrong a single visit to get at the root of the disease. The petition which was forwarded to his Excellency the Governor a few weeks ago, bearing the signatures of several of the resid nts in town and on Addison's Flat, and praying for the shortening of the sentence or release of the man Cullen, who was sentenced in the District Court here for an assau tsome months ago, has been returned to his Honor Judge Clarke for his remarks. The Shamrock Lead, at Addison's, appears to be turning out all that was expected. The present dry weather has enabled the adjoining ground to be tested, and three or four parties have come on a second run of gold, which appears to be equally as rich as the old run. The tunnel * hich has been constructed, will, in the event of wet weather, relieve the claims of water, so that the lead can be easily worked. We notice that Mr Price, photographer, has revisited Westport, after a stay of some length in Charleston, and is for a short season to resume the exercise of his art in Mr De Loree's photographic saloon in Molesworth street. To-morrow is St. Valentine's day. For further particulars, see stationers' shops. An inquiry is going on by a Committee of the Westland County Council into the past administration of the Westland police force. Some rather astonishing evidence, it is said, has been given of the tyranny that has b::en practised. A warm debate upon the subject is expected. Referring to the Grey District election, and the want of polling places, the Grey Uiver Argus soya : —" A stronger argument in favor of separation from Nelson could not bead vanced, than the fact that for years past the Nelson Government have disfranchised the great bulk of the population." A pneumatic cradle, specially adapted for goldtields where water is scarce, has been patented by Mr Battler of Bendigo. The Age describes it as follows : —The length of the cradle is five feet. It is provided with two inclined hoppers, both moving laterally with rapidity. Dry earth or matrix is supplied at the top of each hopper. Perforations of graduated dimensions are adopted in the hoppers, those at the top being the sm dlest. A fan, also graduated, revolvers with great rapidity between the hoppers, and the dust is blown away, leaving the fine and coarse gold in separate compartments partitioned at each side of the cradle. If skilfully used, the operation will be equally as effective as by washing, and much cheaper. The plan (the inventor states) has been tested in principle in California in quartx mining. The Omeo was to leave Melbourne on the 7th inst. The vessels to follow are the Tararua on the 15th, the Rangitoto on the 20th. and the Gothenburg on the 25th. The Hon. Mr Hall has resigned his offices of Postmaster-General and Electric Telegraph Commissioner, but remains a member of the Executive Council. The Grand Jury of Invercargill has brought in true bills against Mr M'Kenzie for conspiring to defraud the Southland Government. His counsel demurred to the indictment. The Greenstone township is now known as Pounamu. The County Council have resolved at once to proceed with a road from the Greenstone Creek to the township. Of the diggings the Hokitika correspondent of the Grey Uiver Argus gives the following account: —" Mining affairs in this district are very quiet indeed, and in fact one hears hardly of any di.gings being talked of except the Greenstone, which appears to be regarded as the salvation of the coast. I hope it may prove to be so, but I hear from a very good source that the capabilities of the Greenstone diggings have been very much exaggerated, and that there will soon be a great collapse unless better ground than any yet opened be found, jjiy informant is a person wh r - knows thoroughly every diggings on the coast, and he tells me that the only hope for the Greenstone district is getting a large supply or water for sluicing purposes. He came down by way of the New Hiver, and he is decidedly of the opinion that the New River district is much better than the Greenstone." A recent telegram from Sydney to Melbourne stated that the captain of the brig Derwent reported, on his arrival at Newcastle, that he had been shot at off Wellington by

the captain of the cutter Glimpse. The fol- ; lowing particulars appear in the Newcastle papers :—" When off Wellington Heads, and about eight miles from the land, the cutter Glimpse came up from the southward and approached within a hundred yards of the brig. There was a, light air from the southeast, and the ship was going at the rate of one knot an hour. As soon as the cutter got quite close to us, her master commenced cursing and swearing in a most violent manner, and declared, with repeated oaths, that he would shoot all hands on board the Derwent. Immediately after, Captain Trenear saw him take up a musket and load it, and then fire at the brig. The musket was loaded with swan shot, and about twenty shots were afterwards picked up on the deck. Seeing that the master of the cutter really meant mischief, Captain Trenear gave orders for the yards to be squared aud ran away. He at first thought of returninj to Wellington and reporting the circumstance to the authorities, but the wind coming suddenly fair, he altered his mind and proreeded on his voyage. No provocation whatever was given for the extraordinary conduct of the master of the Glimpse, who it is supposed mu3t either have been drunk or mad. The crew of the Derwent were, naturally enough, much incensed at the conduct of the master of the cutter, and requested Captain Trenear to allow them to board the Glimpse in a boat, in order to redress the gross outrage that her master had committed." An important addition to colonial literature is to issue in a few days from the Victorian Government press, in the shape of a volume bearing the following title—" The Goldfields and Mineral Districts of Victoria, witli notes on the mode of occurrence of gold, and other metals and minerals, by B. Brough Smyth, F.G.S., Assoc. Inst. C.E., hon. corresponding member of the Society of Arts and Sciences in Utrecht, and secretary for mines in Victoria." It is expected that the new work will be of an exhaustive character, for not only has its preparation occupied the leisure of its author for several years, but many of the subordinates of the Mining department have added the result of their observations. Two strange accidents have occcurred in Canterbury. A man fell in front of a reaping machine, and had his lower jaw cut off by the knives. Another was gored by a bull, whose horns went in at one side of the chest and came out at the other side.