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Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 480, 20 March 1869, Page 2

A meeting of the Board of Health was held at the Resident Magistrate's office, on Thursday afternoon. This Board has been recently appointed for the purpose of attending to the safety of the port in preventing the introduction of small-pox or other diseases from other ports in this or the adjoining colonies. It will be remembered that some weeks ago when the steamer Wallabi reached the offing at Greymouth from Wanganui, and when the report was in circulation that small-pox existed in the latter place, the authorities at Wellington were communicated with before the steamer received the signal to enter. After this occurrence the Harbor-master here addressed a letter to the Harbor-master at Nelson, enquiring what course should he adopted here under such circumstances. Dr. Giles at the same time communicated with the Chief-Secretary at Wellington, referring to a letter on the same subject addressed by the late Commissioner (Mr Kynnersley,) recommending certain gentlemen to be appointed as a Board of Health, in addition to the Resident Magistrate and Collector of Customs; the former being by the Act chairman, and the latter a member of the Board. The first meeting was held on Thursday, with the object of considering the selection of a suitable portion of ground as a quarantine ground, and a piece chosen on the south side of the river, some distance beyond White's gardens, is to be recommended to be set aside for that purpose. It i 3 also to be recommended that the entrance to the lagoon, leading to the ground, should be deepened. The Harbor-master will in future put the usual questions to the masters of vessels reaching this port, from Melbourne, as to any illness being on board, and should the replies be unsatisfactory, the medical officer will be called upon to hold an inspection before the vessel will be allowed to reach the wharf.

Noon, this day, and t ae Court-house, Westport, are the time and place appointed for the nomination of a member of the Nelson Provincial Council for the Buller district. Mr Seed, Secretary and Inspector of Customs, yesterday paid a visit to Westport. He has already been to Hokitika and Greymouth on a visit of inspection. At the Warden's Court, yesterday, a complaint was made by Thomas Chichester and party against John and Andrew Hayden, for neglecting to place a gauge on their water-race. The complainants had purchased a head of water from the defendants, who are working higher up the Lyell than the complainants, but the defendants refused to place a gauge-box on the race, although notice had been given to them to do so. An order for them to do so was issued by the Warden, and expenses assessed at JE3 lis. There were several civil cases for hearing in the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, bnt in the majority of instances the parties did not appear. The other cases were of no public interest. It is said that the Duke of Edinburgh is not to visit the Province of Marlborough. The town of Blenheim has been proclaimed a borough under the "Municipal Corporations Act." Mr Balfour, Marine Engineer, has proceeded by H.M.S. Blanche to the Auckland Islands to make observations for the information of the Government. Gold bearing quartz has been found at Wainamata Valley, near Wellington Heads. Mr Skey, the Government chemist, analysed specimens, and states that they contain 30dwt to the ton.

A " Country Settler," writing to the Nelson Examiner, pronounces this opinion—that "a hundred men employed in flaxdressing would do more to advance the prosperity of the Province than three times the number of diggers!" Notwithstanding Mr Dutton's philippic against the testimonial nuisance, the miners of Darkie's Terrace, North Beach, Greymouth, have determined to present him an address, recognising his merits as Warden and Besident Magistrate. The Marlborough Express has nothing favourable to Bay of the Wakamarina diggings. The people who had flocked there on the intelligence of gold being found in payable quantities, are fast abandoning the ground. Mr Dilke, in his book "Greater Britain," has another bit of romance or falsehood about New Zealand. to the excitement at Hokitika at the time of Sullivan's arrival there from Nelson, he says: —"lt was hard to say whether it. was for Thuggism or for turning Queen's evidence that Sullivan was to be lynched j crime is looked at here as leniently as it is in Texas. I once met a man who had been a Coroner at one of the digging towns, who, talking of ' old times,' said quietly enough—' Oh, yes—plenty;of work, we used to make a good deal of it. You see I was paid by fees, so I used generally to manage to hold four or five inquests on each body. Awful rogues my assistants were. I shouldn't like to have some of these men's sins to answer for.'"

Pamphlets have been issued in England " puffing" the South African goldfield, and large numbers are leaving for Natal. The pamphlets show that " on the emigrant's arrival he can decide whether to go diamond seeking or push his way on to the goldfield !" A Natal paper says:—" What distress there will be, unless the subsequent advices induce the hundreds leaving to change their minds J" We notice by the Grey Elver Argus that a company which was formed privately some time ago, have procured first-class machinery for working the Moonlight quartz-reef, and intend to commence operations immediately. Telegrams from Dunedin, dated the 16th inst., announce that John Jones, the wellknown merchant, and one of the earliest settlers in Otago, died that morning at 1 o'clock. He was 60 years of age, and has amassed a colossal fortune. He has been ill for a considerable time, but bis death was to a certain degree unexpected. He resided forty years in New Zealand, and had spent a most adventurous life. Every respect was shown both in town and elsewhere, and the shipping in port hoisted their flags half mast. A " grand national banquet" was held at M'Grath's hotel, Greenstone,on St. Patrick's Day.

The Thames race meeting promises to be a very attractive one. The Nelson Examiner states that Mr. Eedwood has entered Manuka and Peeress for the Galatea Cup (handicap) of 500 sovs., and Blackboy for the Shortland Purse of 150 sovs. For the second day, Peeress and Misfortune are entered for the Thames Plate (handicap) of 200 sovs. Mr. Stafford has also entered some of hi 3 horses for these races. The Gatette publishes the usual general banking returns. The Bank of New Zealand declared a dividend of 15 per cent., and had reserved profits amounting to .£196,054 16s 4d. The Union and Bank of New South Wales declared a similar dividend, the former having reserved profits amounting to .£492,883 16s 6d., and the latter £337,841 Is Bd. The Bank of Australasia declared a dividend of 6 per cent., and a bonus of 4 per cent., making it equal to 10 per cent., and its reserved profits were .£332,384 2s sd. The Bank of Otago declared a dividend of 6 per cent., the reserved profits being .£5058 18s 80d. The value of New Zealand notes in circulation was £591,989, the amount of bullion in their possession £228,366 13s 3d, and the value of their landed property, £138,561 0s lOd. Mrs Evans, housekeeper at the Christchurch Club, was found dead on Wednesday evening last. The Club had a narrow escape from being burned down next morning. The fire was discovered at 2 a.m. in the pantry, which was entirely consumed. The smoke awoke the servant, who was sleeping above the pantry. She afterwards became insensible from suffocation.

The General Government has given notice that from and after March 31, interest at 4 per cent will he given on every complete deposit of J6l in Post Office Savings Banks up to JS2OO; 3 per cent, above that sum to .£SOO. The Rev. Thos. Walsh will officiate tomorrow at the Catholic Chapel at 9 and 11 o'clock in the forenoon. We direct attention to an advertisement calling a meeting to beheld at the Little Grey Hotel, to prepare for a regatta on Easter Monday. We regret very much to notice that the New Zealand Sun newspaper has stopped, and that Mr W. Henningham, proprietor of the Evening Star, and also part proprietor of the Sun, has been compelled to call a meeting of his creditors. There was a spirit and " style " displayed in the editorial management of the Sun which were most worthy of imitation by the New Zealand Press, and, had there been at command sufficient "sinews of war " to maintain it for some time longer, and to establish a corps of district correspondents, whose contributions were the only features wanting, it could scarcely have failed to have proved a success. The report is that the paper will be re-commenced as a penny daily, and there should certainly be in Danedin, and at that price, room for one paper healthy and wholesome in its tone. A number of the inhabitants of Taranaki are getting up a petition to the Queen, asking her to suspend the Constitution Act, and take over the North Island.

Bishop Jenner has visited nearly all parts of Otago, and is now in Southland, delivering explanatory addresses to the members of the Church of England. His ritualistic tendencies are still, however, the subject of much discussion, and resolutions unfavourable to him continue to be passed. Two men named John Davis .and Henry NeehofF have been drowned in the Molyneux by the swamping of their boat. Davis was a native of London, unmarried, and 26 years of age ; and Neehoff was a native of Hanover, and 28 years of age. He leaves a wife and two children.

A somewhat ill-considered advertisement appears in the Hokitika Daily News under the heading of " Tidal Wave! Tidal Wave!" that a four-horse coach would leave South Eevell street every half-hour for the Cemetry Hill, conveying passengers, &c. Mr Hoos, the Westland County Chairman, has lately paid a visit to the Okarito and southern districts. The number of miners in the Okarito district is not very large, but those at work are doing very well indeed. Labor is very scarce, wages being £5 per week and no spare hands to be obtained even at that price. Mr Hoos thinks there is employment for a limited number of strong working men. He is now on a visit to the Greymouth district. A late issue of the Ballarat Star, summarising the New Zealand news brought by the last steamer, says that " the first snake found in Otago had been discovered on the Upper Waikato!"

Two batches of young trout hatched at the pond of the Acclimatisation Society, Otago, have been successfully liberated. Fifty-seven trout were put iuto the Waitati, at Blueskin, and fifty-three into the Silverstream. The offer of the £SO prize for the best essay on the settlement of the goldfields is said to have brought somewhere about three dozen literary competitors into the field. From the following, which appears in the Government " organ," it would appear that Mr Vogel has brought that journanl to terms:— " We have to express regret for an article which appeared in this paper on the 20th January ult., in which Mr "Vogel ims agines it was implied that his services tfi editor of the Daily Times were dispensed with on account of his improperly discharging the duties of an editor. We are aware that Mr Vogel's services were dispensed with because he declined to resign his seat in the General Assembly, and in the Provincial Council of Otago. Our apologies are therefore due to him if we have unintentionally misrepresented the cause of his retirement from the editorship of the Daily Times." Two prisoners who deserted from the Constabulary were recently captured, and tried by general court martial. The sentence was fifty lashes each, and 18 months' imprisonment with hard labor. Colonel Whitmore at once remitted the flogging. After about a fortnight's imprisonment the men managed to effect their escape, and have not since been recaptured. Another deserter who was recently caught was tried last week for a charge of desertion and theft of Government property. He was sentenced to fifty lashes and two years' imprisonment with hard labor. As in the former cases, the Colonel remitted the flogging, but every effort will be used to prevent the convict from escaping the rest of the sentence. The last mail brought news of the death in France of Major-General Gold, who at one time commanded the forces in New Zealand. The Melbourne correspondent of the Daylesford Mercury thus writes :—" There is a probability of the Eev. Mr Taylor, late of Collins street church, and now rusticating in Tasmania, resuming the functions of the ministry in this city at no very distant date. The majority of the congregation sent a call to the eloquent Dr Landals, of London, to become their pastor, and although no answer has as yet been received from that gentleman, it is expected that he will comply with the request. However, Mr Taylor has retained a good many friends and admirers among the members of his late flock, and they have expressed a wish to secure his services as their pastor, and form a small but separate congregation."

The river Molyneux has been very low this season, and some companies hare been actively engaged in dredging. At Alexandra there are three dredges named the Clyde, Alabama, and Galatea, each wrought upon the dip-spoon principle. Last year they had a very successful season, and this year they are to operate upon a bar of the river close to the Dunstan Hospital. Encouraged by past success, three new-machines have been erected down the river, in the vicinity of Teviot. These are ready for launching, and the keel of a fourth has been laid at a place known as the Fourteen mile Beach. Altogether, this branch of mining seems to be progressing rapidly. We are glad to think that there is a probability of the Westport Volunteer Eifles being resuscitated, and made more complete as a company than it has been at any time. There was a meeting of the company on Thursday evening, when thirty-four members gave in their names and pledged themselves to carry it on. Thirty-seven is the minimum number of an efficient company, and at next meeting that number should be exceeded. On Thursday evening those present were drilled, and marched through the streets, with fife and drum. There is to be another parade on Wednesday.