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Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 467, 18 February 1869, Page 2

Our Wellington correspondent informs us> by telegraph, of a sad shipping disaster on the coast near that port. The well-known ship St. Vincent ha 3 been driven on to a reef between Wellington Heads and Palliser Bay, and has been wrecked, with the loss of all lives on board except two. The captain, nearly all the crew, and a passenger were drowned. A great cause of complaint exists amongst miners in reference to the delay they meet with in prosecuting the various applications incidental to their vocation. While fully acknowledging the readiness of the Warden and his officers to facilitate their business, they complain that disputed cases, and particularly those in which counsel are engaged, should be taken first. There seems some reason in this. It would save men's time if the undisputed cases, frequently involving a mere negative or affirmative, were taken first, then cases disputed between parties, and lastly cases in which counsel are retained. These last generally occupy most time, excepting when the parties are specially obtuse. We feel confident that Dr Giles will, if possible, remedy the inconvenience, if practicable, having regard to the general business of his Court. The report of a new rush at the Waimongoroa seems to be altogether unfounded. Those who proceeded in that direction could neither see nor hear of any new ground being opened. We understand that orders have been received from Nelson for the immediate repair and reconstruction of the track to the Lyell. It is unfortunate that, immediately the order was received, Mr Lowe, the District Surveyor, proceeded to the Grey district, where he is likely to be detained for some weeks. There has already been enough of delay in the undertaking of the work in question. On Thursday last a smart shock of earthquake was felt in Hokitika, Christchurch, Nelson, Wellington, and other places. I t

occurred about twenty minutes past ten in the morning. The same shock was felt by ] several people in Westport, but was not gene- i rally observed. < We understand that the Westport Church Committee have approved of the plans sub- ' mitted by Mr Lowe for the church proposed to be erected, and that tenders for its erection will be called for as soon as the specifications are prepared. The plans are now on view at the shop of Mr Baird, stationer. Mr John Packer Martin, who has for a considerable time held tho position of agent for the Union Bank at Westport, was entertained by a number of friends on Monday evening, in anticipation of his departure from Westport for Auckland by the steamer John Penn yesterday. The party met in Gilmer's Post-ofßce Hotel, and was presided over by Mr W. Pitt, solicitor, who, with the advantage of kindred spirits around him, discharged the duties of chairman with the effect of making the meeting altogether a most agreeable one. He appropriately expressed the feelings entertained by those present towards their guest; their regret at parting; and their good wishes for his success elsewhere. Mr Martin delicately acknowledged the expression of friendliness and good-fellowship, and for the rest of the evening the party amply illustrated how much these elements" prevail among them-

selves, and in Westport, whenever there is occasion for their existence being demonstrated. An express to the Lyell has been started by Mr C. Cohen. Letters, parcels, or orders left at Mr Bishop's, Gladstone street, will be promptly forwarded. Since Saturday, when there was a considerable fall of rain, the weather has again been hot and dry, and, for the sake of many mini ing parties, a further fall of rain is a consummation to be devoutly wished for. A misprint occurred in the notice which which we copied, in last number, from the ' Provincial Gazette, with regard to the con- ' struction of a tramway in Koniilly street. • The persons to whom leave to construct the l tramway is granted are Andrew Anderson I and Company. ; A landing-stage and gangway, which are likely to prove a considerable convenience to persons crossing the river, have been constructed by the watermen, closely contiguous 1 to Morey's National Hotel. > A large shark was seen a few days ago al- - most stranded on the beach. It had got into > such shallow water that those who noticed it £ might easily have captured it, if they had had with them either a rope or a boat-hook. By the arrival of the Wallabi yesterday, we have Wanganui papers of the 11th inst. The Times of that date says:—lt has now r ' been ascertained that the enemy occupies a v a strong position upon one of "the seven ,t hummocks," nearly in a direct line inland e from the Wereroa redoubt. Our head quarters are still at Nukumaru, but Colonel Lyon's , division has fallen back upon Woodall's red^bto_QoJteneL .No %t 2divi- : > tween Wereroa and Tito Kowaru's new rea doubt. e M'Kenzie, Alymer, and Sayers, charged at q Invercargill with conspiracy Bgainst the e Southland Government, have been discharge'!, the demurrer being sustained on the ground that the indictment was insufficient, but a fresh prosecution may be instituted. Q Bishop Jenner, in a letter in the Otago pa--1 pers, says : —" I am not here as Bishop of Dune--6 din. I have not assumed that title since I 9 landed in New Zealand. It has,l may also observe, been my fixed intention, ever since my arrival, not to officiato in any church in the colony until my position should be more 1 clearly defined than it has been since the dei cision of the General Synod." A double fatal accident took place on Monl day at the Hau Hau, by which two wellt known and much respected miners lost their lives. It appears from the West Coast Times that the party of men, who were three in number, were engaged as usual in tunnelling 1 out their claim, and everything had proceeeded favorably until about five o'clock in, the evening, when William Thompson, who , was engaged taking out the dirt to the mouth ( of the claim, was suddenly alarmed by i hearing a heavy fall of earth. On returning • up the drive he found no vestige of his two mates. Thompson at once gave an alarm, and when assistance arrived means were taken to extricate the unfortunate men. , After about twenty minutes of unrem iting labor the bodies were reached, but too late, as life was then found to be extinct. Their names are George Kearns and Eobert Jackson. The first is supposed to be a native of America, a half-caste Indian ; and the latter was a native of Glasgow. The interprovincial Cricket Match played at Christchurch last week resulted in a drawn game. Canterbury in one innings scored 211, the highest made in any of the interprovincial matches. Otago was out of luck, and though betting was three to one in its favor, only 104 was scored during the first day, and 127 closed the innings. Otago went in again and made 155, leaving Canterbury 72 to win. By the time 55 were added to the score, however, it was six o'clock. There were three wickets to go down, and it is said that efforts were made by the Canterbury men to have the game played out, but that the Captain of the Otago team refused, and the match was considered as drawn. Mr Fulton, Captain of the Otago team, however, writes to the Times denying the statement, and says that he was under the impression that the game was to be played out the next morning. Copper has been discovered near Auckland. It is said that the mines are expected to equal in richness the famous Burra Burra mines, and can be very easily worked. It is said that Professor Anderson, the well-known Wizard of the North, will visit New Zealand on the conclusion of his engagement at Birmingham. Oamaru limestone has been imported at Hofcitika for cemetery headstones and other purposes. j ■

Mr Vogel's solicitors have written to the f proprietor of the Wellington Advertiser, demanding an apology for the publication of a leading article on Jan. 20th, relative to the refusal by the Provincial Government of Otago to give advertisements for the sale of edncational reserves to the Times. The article, although considered damaging J to Mr Vogel as a politician, does not seem at all libellous. A young man, named Edward H. Tribe, a clerk in the Oamaru Post-office, has been , committed for trial on the charge of stealing several sums of money from the office. , At his examination before the Resident | Magistrate he confessed his guilt. Some • large sums of money have been missing, j and for the month of January there was a , deficiency of ,£57. He is about 18 years of I age, and his salary was £IOO per annum. A meeting of delegates from the County ; Council, the Literary Society, and the Masonic Body, has been held in Hokitika, when it was resolved, " That it was desirable that a building, suitable for the meetings of the County Council, the Borough Council, and to be used as a Masonic-hall, and for the Literary Society, be erected on the Camp Reserve." The sniall-pox patient at Wanganui—a colored man—has been removed from the vicinity of the race-course on board a boat, which is now anchored inside the heads. He is attended by a medical man who is not allowed to come to town, and by two men who have been engaged to remain with him, but all are in strict quarantine, and will remain so until released by the Health Officer. A report has reached Melbourne that a I party of Europeans have been murdered at Tanna, one of the New Hebrides group, by the natives. The party consisted of Messrs Stern, Smith, Bates, and Pritchard > Mrs Smith and child, Mrs Bates, and Miss Chapman. It is feared the report is true. The last cargo despatched from "Wellington to England included fifty-six packages of colonial-made leather. There are thirteen claimants for the reward of £SOOO offered for the discovery of a payable goldfield in Auckland Province. Mention is made of a fresh discovery of gold in Auckland province. Mr Thomas Craig, who with others had been prospectitg in the Wangapoa district, arrived at Auckland on January 28th, with the first parcel of gold from that locality. The parcel contained 104 ounces, 17 dwts. 17 grains. The report that Te Kooti had died, froir the reopening of his wounds received al Ngatepa, seems now to be generally believec as reliable. The special correspondent a 1 Tauranga of the IT. Z. Herald, sends th( following particulars of his death:—Tht officials at this place received informatioi to-day from the Uriwera country to th< effect that the notorious Te Kooti hae following his defeat at Ngatepa. Ho had three bullets in him, the one which sent him to his last account having passed through his lungs. There were thirty Uriweras engaged at Ngatepa, out of which number but one lives to detail the events of the catastrophe to his tribe, who are exasperated to that degree that had Te Kooti lived and fallen into their hands, he would have been flayed alive. As it was, an Arawa, who had been living among them, connected with the Uriweras by marriage ties, was sacrificed, having been cut up literally into pieces. Such is the savage state of barbarism to which the Hau-hau fanatics have returned." Mr Henry Driver has been elected to the House of Representatives for the Roslyn district, Otago, by a majority of 126 over his opponent, Mr Colin Allan. Mr George Hepburn was the retiring member. A fine arts exhibition was opened at Dune din on Friday la3t, Feb. 12th, by the Superintendent of the Province. There was a large number of spectators. There are about fourteen hundred pictures in the exhibition. There has been a fire in Durham street, Christchurch, by whi«h two buildings—a cabinet-maker's and shoe-maker's shopwere burnt. The first house was insured for £l5O.