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Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 556, 18 September 1869, Page 2

To say that the Westport Dramatic Amateurs give another performance on Monday evening will be sufficient to satisfy overy one that there will be, on that evening, an excellent ent. •.•tainment. To say that they are to have the assistance of Miss Kate Grant of the Caledonian Terrace, and of Mr Percival Bear. Manager of the Charleston Histrionic Club, is to imply that the enter) ainment will be unusually excellent; and that, we imagine, implies, irrespective of small prices, a large attendance. The enterprise of prospecting the terraces north of the Waimongaroa has been taken warmly and practically in hand by Mr Richard Nicholl. So has it been by the inhabitants, who have subscribed £BO. A committee of the subscribers will be appointed, and an early start by the working party will be made. For the appointment of a committee, the subscribers are invited to meet at the Masonic Hall this evening, at B', and subscriptions will be collected on Monday.

The sea embankment on the north beach, commenced by a few residents at the west end of Molesworth-street, is now being earned on by the Government for a considerable distance further north. We understand that the District Engineer has received authority to expend £IOO on protective works of that description. From a correspondent in Charleston, in re Superin tendency, we leam that Mr Bamicoat was the " coming man " referred to in a letter which appeared in the Herald. Our correspondent adds:—"Your leader has, however, damped our spirits, if not blasted our hopes, as we fully expected Mr Bamicoat would stand, and, if the Buller were for him, we purposed going in with a long pull, and a strong one, with you in the matter."

In the Resident Magistrate's Court, yesterday, there was a civil case iu whichthe plaintiff was Alfred Smith and the defendant John Harris. The claim was one of £i> odd, for butcher's meat. The defendant put in a set-off of £8 3s, for board, " refreshments," and billiards due to him by James Franck, whom the defendant described as a partner of the plaintiff. Mr Pitt appeared for the plaintiff, who, after proving the debt, was elaborately cross-ex-amined by the defendant, with the object of showing the partnership which he contended had existed. The defendant also called Franck, who gave his version of his relationships with Smith, and he put in a receipt for the amount signed by Franck. Mr Pitt, as rebutting evidence to some of the transactions referred to, caUed Mr Freeth. The Magistrate, in "•ivin" h'"= <w;_ sion, said the set-off must be disu issed, because it related to a private account, and could not be set up against a partnership debt, even if sued for as partners. Still less could it be set off against a debt claimed by Smith individually. The only issue in the case was whether Franck had been partner with Smith during the period in which the defendant's debt had been incurred. From the evidence on both sides he had no doubt that there had been a partnership—not an inchoate partnership, but a partnership existing as the firm of Smith and Franck. As to the question whether Smith coidd not sue alone, which question had been raised, although it was admitted that if he occupied the position of a defendant he woidd be liable for any partnership debt, he did not think that point could be made good. The case was not one of fictitious partnership ; and, there having been a partnership, the name of Franck should have been inserted in the plaint with that of the present plaintiff, who v.-as accordingly non-suited. Miners should remember that this evening a meeting is to hold at Brennan's, Caledonian Terrace, to " ventilate" the Government and the subject of tracks. The Treasurer of the Westport Hospital acknowledges the receipt of £4 4s, collections made by Mr Robert M'Farlane, Caledonian Terrace. Preparations are being made by the Wesleyans of Charleston for a tea-meeting to be held on the 22nd of this month. The members of this body are usually indefatigable and enthusiastic in what they undertake, and the meeting will, no doubt, be a success. Writing to us of the condition of Charleston harbor, a visitor to that place says : On having a -walk round the beach a few days ago I could plainly observe the great change in the way of the harbor getting filled up with sand. There must be hundreds of tons coming down those races every week, and, if the practice be continued Mr Dobson's words will come true, about the rock in the bay being soon covered with sand. The " draw-back " on the beach is much heavier than it used to be, caused, I have no doubt, be the steepness of the beach. A body of a man, much decomposed, has been found in the bush near Hampden, Otago. In the pockets of the deceased, there were found a card case containing two visiting cards, bearing the name of *' Leond. Murray," a hair comb, a nail brush, and an envelope addressed to a Mr Fulton in Canterbury. At the Resident Magistrate's Court, Greymouth on Monday, before vV. H. Re veil, Esq., John M'Mynn, was charged with embezzling £23, while Clerk to the Warden's Court at Rutherglen. He was remanded for eight days. For the office of Surgeon-Superintendent to the Hokitika Hospital there were twentyone applications, ten of which were from Victoria, and the others from various places in New Zealand. The number of candidates was reduced by ballot, first to four and then to two, and eventually the election fell to Dr Maunsell of the Mel-boiu-ne Hospital. A child two years of age, named Anne Ready, has died suddenly at Hokitika from eating some vegetable poisonous matter which it picked up. A body has been found near Point Elisabeth, and has been recognised as the body of "Long Jack," who was mate of the ketch Pearl, wrecked at Greymouth. Another body was afterwards found on the Seven Mile Beach, and was buried by some diggers, without an inquest. The first number of the New Zealand Masonic Magazine was published on the Ist inst. in Duuedin. It is a highly creditable production, containing 48 pages of letter press, demy octavo, filled with information of great interest to Freemasons, among whom it is intended to circulate. It reflects considerable credit on the conductor, Mr C. de L. Graham. John Wardens, alias Gallagher, accused of having committed a violent assault upon James Craig, a storekeeper at the Marewhenua diggings, Otago, with intent to commit murder, has been sentenced to fifteen years' penal servitude. Mr D. F. Main is reported to be the "whip" of the present Government. Onr latest files from Melbourne report Manuka first favorite for the Melbourne Cup. The London correspondent of the leading journal in Wellington says there is some talk of Mr Sewell shortly returning to New Zealand—" to put your affairs to rights." Mr Branigan has been gazetted Commissioner of Constabulary. The telegraph line between Wellington and Wanganui will be completed in a month's time. A nijnster public meeting has been held at Napoleon's, for the purpose of giving an expression of public disapprobation ofttie Cobden Magistrate's and Warden's Courts being held at so great a distance from the centra of the district. The diving apparatus was brought into use last week at Port Chalmers for the recovery of a gold watch and chain lost overboard outside the graving dock coffer dam, by Mr M'Kay, one of the'eontractors. The diver, W. Black, who was for Some time engaged at the wreck of the Taranaki, went down two or three times, and ultimately succeeded in recovering the lost articles. During the first day's proceedings in the Supreme Court at nunedin, the unusual

circumstance happened of the Court running out of jurymen. At the time two separate juries were in different rooms deliberating on their verdicts, and there were not enough jurors left to furnish a third, so the Judge ordered the doors to be closed, and then the Sheriff proceeded to select the number required from among the audience, a proceeding which caused no little consternation for a time. However, the case only occupied a very short time, and then the extempore jurors were at liberty again. The Otago Presbytery have agreed to adopt a hymn-book for use in public worship. The collection known as the English Presbyterian Hymn Book has been taken as the model. Actions for breach of promise of marriage appear to be plentiful at the Thames. Another action of this kind is reported by the Shortland papers as about to be brought by an es-barmaid against a solicitor in that town. The "injured fair one" appears to be in earnest, inasmuch as she has retained "an eminent legal gentleman " to conduct her case. Mr Vogel does not appear to be popula in Auckland. We learn by a contemporary that the Colonial Treasurer, who was a passenger to Auckland, by the Airedale, on landing at the wharf was recognised by the loungers who are generally in attendance on the arrival of a steamer, and was greeted with as strong a demonstration of dislike as it was possible for some twenty throats to give utterance to. What was most resented in Mr Vogel's conduct was the attempt to raise iaa cost of the first necessary of life by imposing a duty on imported grain and flour. We have no doubt that Mr Vogel and the Aucklanders will yet be better friends. It is said that Mr Fitzherbert is to succeed him as Treasurer.