Untitled

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 555, 16 September 1869, Page 2

Little has lately been heard of what was once, and, for all that we know to the contrary, should yet be the most promising discovery on the West Coast—the Waimongoroa quartz-reef. Except some change's in the proprietorship there has been nothing to report as to its development or as to the discovery of other reefs in the same district. The exertions of the owners and their representative seem latterly to have been expended solely in " shepherding " the claim. There is now, however, some hope of some decided and definite steps being taken to make the reef a subject of local and general interest, by the institution of a company and the sale of scrip. At least, we are given to understand so, and until it is done we do not expect to hear anything satisfactory of the Waimongoroa. As examples of what may be done by management, see the past and present history of the Auckland and Grey Siver reef 3. And, compared with the reef in the Grey district —the Moonlight—which is at present bein" "floated," the specimens taken from the Waimongoroa are infinitely superior. Of the reefs in the Grey district we learn from the local Press that they are at present attracting a considerable amount of attention, and a number of additional companies are being formed. On a recent morning, before eight o'clock, applicants for three mining leases of 1G acres each in the Moonlight district were waiting at the Warden's Offfc?, Cobden, and ,£OO was paid down for preliminary surveys. A similar amount of ground is already held by the lessees at the Waimongoroa. Since these lines were written, we learn that the public will shortly have before them the prospectus of the Waimongoroa Quartz Mining Company, under the Limited Liability Act. The capital proposed for the company is ,£5250, in 1000 shares of £5 53, the original proprietors retaining 500 shares in the company. The balance of the shares to be put in the market, will be paid for, 10s on application, 20s on allotment, and 20s two months after allotment. It is expected that no further call will be necessary, but should there be further calls required, no one call shall exceed 10s, and it shall not bo called up under two months' notice. The names of the Provisional Directors are not yet announce !, but we hope to hear of them being such as will give the public full faith that the enterprise will ba taken up, and afterwards conducted on the best principle to ensure a valuable scrip. The acreage leased is situated on the West Branch of the Waimongoroa, abont ten miles from the town of Westport. Upon the matter being fairly brought before (he public, we propose furnishing a description of the reef and machinery as they now stand, with such other information, after an inspection of the ground and works, as may assist the public in forming their conclusions as to the feasibility of the speculation. Another nugget, about half-a-pound weight, was brought in on Tuesday last from the Lyell river. Similar occurrences, sufficient to cause a rush of enormous magnitude in other parts of the Colony, are here only the subject of an afternoon's talk, a local paragraph, and probably a hotel raffle, and no further stir is caused, or prospecting undertaken, though such events are now becoming of fortnightly record.

Mr Freeth corrects the paragraph in our issue of 14th instant, which quoted prices realised for the last lot of cattle ex Wallabi from Wanganui at 47s 6d per hundred. The average price realised was 37s Gel per hundred. The Charleston butchers, we notice, have raised the price of beef and mutton to lOd and Is. The Amateur Dramatic Club already announce another performance—the drama " The Bent Day," and the farce " Grinishaw, Bagshaw, and Bradshaw." "In the matter of" the Superintendency the Examiner says :—Mr Curtis will, it is understood, offer himself for re-election, and at one time an opposing candidate was expected in the person of Mr N. Edwards. That gentleman, however, has determined on not becoming a candidate for the Superintendency. The following arc the criminal cases set down for trial at the Supreme Court now sitting at liokitika:—Embezzlement, Alexander Johnstone (three charges); Daniel M'Kenzie (three charges). Assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, Joseph Moore. Larceny, George Winter. Larceny from a dwelling, James Bush. Perjury, Joseph Kittson. Attempted suicide, Fanny Tapscott, Ellen Hartridge, and Elizabeth Bastings. Misdemeanor under the Intestates Act, E. W. Jones (three charges). Attempt to commit an unnatural offence, J. P. Barke. Cutting and wounding, Ann Haines. Phillip M'lntyre, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. Win. Gledliill, fraudulent insolvency.

Messrs Harrison, Bavff, and Rees have returned to Hokitika fron Wellington, and succeeded to some extent in upsetting the arrangements which had been made for bringing the session of the County Council to_ a close. Mr Harrison managed to obtain an adjournment of the Council for three weeks, and there are likely to be some warm discussions before the session closes. A man named Wilhem Kooh, working on the South Beach, Greymouth, was found dead in his tent last week. The medical evidence was that he had died of apoplexy. He was a native of Altona, Holstein, and was 49 years of age. The Nelson Examiner records the following suggestive facts: —Mr Fitzherbert. has, by a majority of twenty-nine to three, had the sum of .£3,000 voted to him in recognition of his services as agent for the consolidation of the loans. While engaged in the work he drew his £I,OOO a-year as a Minister; iie had a free passage to and from England, and £4 4s a day from'his depa tuie to his return. Says the Oamaru Times; — Who ever heard of "sublime clothing and boots?" and yet we find the representative of a Hokitika firm advertising in the eveninojournal that the proprietors having sus° tained a "very serious and lamentable loss " by fire and removal of stock, he considers himself " in duty bound to lose no time in submitting to the public the whole of their sublime and magnificent stock." A miner named Pat Kelly has been killed at the first right-hand branch of Noble's Gully, better known as Speck's rush, in the Grey district. It appears that when driving ho chanced to strike one of the top

plates, and three sets of timber gave way. In less than half-an-hour, over forty men were on the ground, but ten hours elapsed before the body was recovered. Sergeant James Browne, overseer of works at the Hokitika gaol, died very suddenly last week. The sergeant had been at his usual duty, but feeling unwell he obtained leave of absence and left the <jaol to go into the town about half-past 11 o'clock. On reaching the Montezuma Hotel he felt so unwell that he went inside and laid himself down on the sofa. As he seemed to get suddenly worse, a messenger was sent to the gaol and Dr Dermott, who was at the upper gaol at the time, was immediately in attendance together with Mr Cleary, but the man was then dying, and he expired in a very few minutes of his first entry into the hotel. The deceased was about 37 years of age, and leaves a wife and child totally unprovided for. A miner named Delorado Jesopo, a native of Italy, and better known as "Garibaldi," has been killed by a fall of earth in his claim at Italian Gully, Hokitika. He was buried some hours before his body was extricated. Attention was called to the accident by the touching faithfulness of Ids dog. The animal, conscious that something had happened, endeavored to release his master, and had scratched away the earth almost to the body.