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Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 663, 26 May 1870, Page 2

A man named James Coughlin was drowned in the Inangahua on Sunday, 15th inst. It appears that the unfortunate man (who was in the employ of Mr Williams of Fern Flat,) left the Inangahua landing, at about seven o'clock in the morning of the day named, for Redman's, riding one horse and driving two others loaded. Having reached his destination safely, he started on the return journey, a distance of about 12 miles, six of which is down the river. Nothing further was heard of him until the foiling Wednesday morning, when Mr D. M'Gaughey (Yankee Dave), being out looking for horses, discovered the horae ridden by deceased, lying dead on a beach about two and a half miles np from the landing. Mr Williams and four others immediately started to look for decease, but only succeeded in finding the two pack horses, both alive. The body has not yet been recovered. Deceased was a native of King's County, Ireland, about 5 feet 8 or 9 inches high, spare built, and light complexion, and is said to have been a very sober, steady man. There can be no doubt that had there been a track cut from the landing to Redman's the deceased would not have been drowned.

The whole country about the Inangahua and Upper Buller has been heavily flooded for the last fortnight, and for several days traffic has been entirely stopped. Two men were stuck up by the flood on an island in the Inangahua, and were only kept from starvation by potatoes being thrown to them in a boot with a line attached. Another man got stuck between the Blackwater and Little Ohiki for three days, during which he had nothing to eat. The whole of the road is in a frightful state, and it is now impossible for a horseman to get from Mickey French's to Lloyd's, in consequence of trees having fallen across the track, one of the bridges having been carried away, and one or two landslips having occurred. There are men employed in cutting down the bush on the road near Lloyd's, while the bridges and slips are left to look after themselves.

It would greatly convenience traffic if the owner of the premises adjoining the Kyeburn hotal, Wharf-st, were to remove the verandah now occupying half the strip of thoroughfare as yet unassailed by the river. At night time also the posts of the verandah greatly inconvenience foot-passen-gers.

A telegram has been forwarded to Mr O'Conor by residents interested in the river frontages, asking that gentleman to direct the attention of the Government to the serious damage already done to the river bank, and the incompetency of the contractors to fulfil the work of erecting a stone groin.

Two art unions for jewellery, amounting to ,£250, were thrown off on the evening of the Queen's Birth- day at the Empire and Post Office Hotels. It is astonishing in the dulness of times how such an amount can be raised in the shape of a lottery, and it must be taken as an evidence that there are considerable amounts of loose cash in the hands of the townspeople and diggers, who are so ready at times to speculate in su3h matters of chance. The prizes in both instances were good, and the drawing was managed by committees appointed by the subscribers. In Mr Brace's, the winner of the first prize, a gold watch, was Mr Pirie, and Mr Smyrk was the fortunate one to draw off £25 in cash in Mr Magner's. The numbers of the tickets drawing prizes may be seen in another column. Some copper plates with a considerable quantity of umalgatn, the property of various claimholders at Giles Terrace, were abstracted on Saturday night last No clue to the stolen property has been yet discovered.

The pigeon match which took place at Jones ground, at the Orawaiti, attracted a goodly number of spectators and competitors. One or two of our " crack shots," with others from the terraces knocked over their pigeons in sportsmanlike style, and the match was won by Mr Maguire, and Mr Blaxall of Addison's.

Thebilliard table belongingtoMessrsParer and Arenas was sold at auction yesterday by Mr John Munro, realising £95. The ptu chaser was Mr Shulhoff.

Yesterday being observed 03 a holiday there was no meeting of the Provincial Council.

The Treasurer of the "Westport Hospital acknowledges the receipt of £1 Is from Mr J. Magner. Upwards of 150 tickets, we are informed by the. committee, were disposed of in connection with the Miners' Ball, and the proceeds have enabled the promoters of the movement to pay off all outstanding liabilities, leaving a small balance in hand Upon theWestportOonimittee have devolved all the preliminary expenses, and the successful result already obtained is a fact highly creditable to their zeal and exertion. If the Charleston and Grey Committees but manifest a similar spirit in the matter, a small fund will be at once available for the piu'poses of the League. We published, on Tuesday last, an extra* containing summary of European Suez Mail, received per s.s. Omeo from Melbourne. She arrived at the Bluff on the night of the 21st. The extras were distributed to our town subscribers on Tuesday last and our country subscribers receive copies to-day together with the present issue of the Times.

Pour steamers may be expected to reach this port to-day ; the Wallabi and John Penn from Wanganui, and the Kennedy and Murray from Nelson. Advice was received yesterday from the General Government that in compliance with the majority of the newspapers in the colony, the present system of telegraphing the English Mail news will be discontinued and a circular has been forwarded to the various newspaper offices, we presume, offering the mail news at a reduced scale. A digger, named David Adam, from the West Coast, has been committed for trial by the Resident Magistrate at Timaru, for attempted rape on the person of an elderly woman named Clarke, at the Timaru Hotel.

The Lyttelton Times understands that it is proposed to extend the advantages of the Government scheme of assurances to the cases of doubtful and diseased lives. In this class of cases, instead of adding, as is usual with companies, a number of years to the actual age of the insured, it is proposed to charge the ordinary rates, and to endorse on the policy a sum equivalent to the risk which the Government incurs in the insurance of such lives. Should the insured die before the value of premiums paid by him amount to the sum assured, the amount endorsed on the policy will be deducted when paying the claim. In computing the value of the total premiums paid, the commissioner will take each payment as if it had been invested at compound interest, say at 4or 5 per cent. The advantages to the insured under this system is, that should he live to the average age, he will have been charged only the ordinary rates through life, and he will have escaped altogether the extra charge which under the ordinary arrangements would have been imposed on him.