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Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 670, 11 June 1870, Page 2

Mr Munro announces the following sales this day: —Store and cottage, Gladstone street, at 12 noon; two cottages and section, Bright street, at 1.30 p.m. ; ani at 2 p.m. milch goats at mart.

A party just arrived from the Lyell, furnishes the following mining items: — The prospectors at the Lyell, we hear, have decided to work their claim by means of a private company, and are about to make a start in the erection of machinery. Nos. 1 and 2 South have amalgamated their claim, with a view of forming a public company, and we hear the prospectus will bo issued in a few days. In No. 1 the reef is found cropping out on the surface, and in

a tunnel put in by them 40 feet, they struck the reef 6 feet thick with a layer of washdirt 10 feet. On the easterly side they also sunk a shaft 22 feet deep in the reef, and drove along the reef 25 feet, as a means of prospecting it, and found the reef becoming thicker as they went deeper. No. 1 North has also struck the same reef, of a total width of 16 feet, which coes to prove that it is regular. No. 3 North Hunter and party, are pushing on with their tunnel with 3 shifts, and are in about 240 feet; they expect to strike the reef in at least 50 feet more. Nos. 4 and 5 North, are erecting huts preparatory to making .a commencement. No. 4 and 5 South, are ready to commence work at an early date. The population has increased considerably within the past few weeks.

It is notified elsewhere that mass will be celebrated on Sunday next, at the lioman Catholic Church, Westport, and a sermon preached in aid of the church of the Immaculate Conception, Hawthorn, Victoria, by the Rev. G. Nolan, of Melbourne.

Mr Button, solicitor, of Hokitika arrived at Westport, per s.s. Kennedy, yesterday, for the purpose of appearing on behalf of the Bank of New Zealand in the action pending in the District Court, at Charleston with the Southern Cross Gold Mining Company.

The proceedings in the Resident Magistrate's and Warden's Court, yesterday, were unimportant. There were no police cases, and the civil cases contained nothing of special interest. Three mining applications were disposed of. The sale of stock ex Wallabi held by Messrs Robertson and Co., at Messrs Freeth. and Greig's yards, South Spit, yesterday, was well attended, and prices showed an advance on previous quotations.

In commenting upon the recent appointments to the Nelson Executive, the Grey River Argus says, " The news which we received yesterday morning from Nelson, by telegraph, of the appointment of Mr A. Reid, of Westport, as the responsible Minister in the Provincial Council for the Nelson South-West. Goldfields, has given great satisfaction in town, and will do so up the river when it becomes known. It is very likely the cry of ': Westport influence" will be raised against the appointment, but it would be quite out of place, for a better selection could not have been made among the West Coast members to occupy the responsible position than Mr Reid. He has a mind far above such littleness as local prejudices, and we feel confident that with his influence in the Executive equal justice will be done to all districts of the Goldfields ; and will form, what has long been wanting in the Nelson Government, a connecting link between the mining community and the Executive." On the same subject the Greymouth Star says " We have received intelligence that Mr A. Reid, editor of the Westport Times, and M.P.C., for Westport.has been appointed Goldfields' Secretary for the South-West Goldfields, an appointment we believe he is admirably fitted for, and one that few will dispute his right of being elected to. Particulars appear in our advertising columns of an extensive shipment of fancy goods, recently imported by Mr Munson, from Melbourne.

Mr Eranklyn writes a letter to the &rey River Argus, stating that the name of Mr James Johnston of the Melbourne Hotel, who seconded Mr Wilkie as a candidate for the Provincial Council, was not on the c^eq^u^ 1 SSasSlunf of Mr Wilkie was informal. There is a James Johnston on the Electoral 8011, but we understand it to be Mr Johnstone of Gladstone Street, Westport. Our Charleston contemporary states in its telegraph news from its " own correspondent" in Nelson, that Mr Donne has expressed in the Council his sense of the injustice done to him by the recent appointments in the Executive, and Mr Donne through the same channel is reported to have said "he preferred the tyranny of the Superintendent to that of Mr Luckie." We are informed by telegram from Nelson that this statement of our contemporary's correspondent is incorrect j that Mr Donne did not express any sense of injustice done to him by the appointments. Probably the correspondent desired that Mr Donne had expressed himself in the manner described. Mr D. Girdwood of Greymouth has handed to the Bank of New South Wales, some magnificent specimens of auriferous quartz, brought down from the Lyell Reefs a few weeks ago. The Star says that the quartz, after being .finely powdered in a mortar, showed numerous small pieces of gold from the size of a pin's head to that of a small pea, and if the reef only produces in bulk, anything like the samples brought from it, it will be richer than anything we have witnessed out of the Thames district. In fine, the Lyell will, if the specimens we have seen be an average sample, rank among the richest auriferous districts of the world. One piece of dark, slaty, quartz shown us was very richly studded with gold, and we should almost be afraid to say, if all be like it, how many ounces or pounds it would be likely to yield to the ton.

Mr Edmund Barff, member of the County Council, has been appointed Warden's Clerk at the Kanieri, and has, consequently, to resign his seat in the G-eneral Assembly for Westland South. Messrs Hoos, South, White, Button and a host of others are spoken of as likely candidates.

Wo hear from the Auckland papers that there has been a fearful gale at the Bay of Islands. Mr Batenian's house has been blown down, and two small yachts lying in the Bay broke from their anchors and were dashed to pieces. Fences have been everywhere blown down, and very considerable damage generally done in the district. Post Offices have been opened at Five Mile, Gillespie's Beach, and Hunt's Beach, to the south of Okarito, to which there will be a fortnightly service from Hokitika. The export of wool from Otago, for the past season has given 31,378 bales, being an increase of 3540 bales over that of the preceding year. The Grey Valley Times states that there is a likelihood of the speedy dissolution of the Moonlight Quartz Crushing Company. The affairs of the company have for some time past been in a languishing condition, and as, it is considered improbable that the requisite amount of capital can be raised for the prosecution of the works, it is proposed to submit the company to a windingup process.

At the Eesident Magistrate's Court, Hokitika, last week, Mr David Curie, publisher of the Ross Guardian and formerly of Westport surrendered to his bail on a charge of maliciously libelling the Chaiiman of the County Council, in an article that appeared on the 21st ultimo, in the above paper. The defence was reserved, and the accused was committed for trial at the next Circuit Court. The W. C. Times says:—The case excited the greatest interest, and the Court was crammed, but very little evidence was given, and public curiosity must, in a great measure, remain unsatisfied till the trial comes off. The Ross people are, we aro

informed, most enthusiastic on behalf of their journal, and a defence fund has already been initiated, which is expected to reach a large amount. Bail was taken, defendant in £SO, and two sureties in £25 each, and ten times that amount, we are informed, could have been procured. The Wanganui Chronicle gives a rumor amongst the Maori constituency that there will be a keenly-contested election for the seat in the House of Representatives for the Southern district. The present member, Mete Kingi, would never have been elected had the nomination taken place anywhere but at Wauganui. The more enlightened of the natives, particularly amongst the Ngatiapa and Ngatiraukawa tribes, are very much ashamed of their representative, more particularly on account of his begging habits amongst members of the House when attending his parliamentary duties. This peculiar propensity is a special failing of his. The seat is likely to be contested by Topia, Wi Tako, the present member, and, if solicited, Kepa Tako is most likely to be elected.

The Greenstone gold escort of the 3rd inst. brought down lOOOozs for the Bank of New South Wales, and 20090zs for the Bank of New Zealand.

The West Coast Times gives the following explanation and apology with respect to the erroneous announcement of the appointment of Mr Justice Ward:—On Monday last we received a telegram from our Dunedin correspondent stating that Judge Ward had been appointed District Judge of Westland. The authority, coming from the source it did, we considered undoubted, and published the telegram accordingly. A gentleman, belonging to the legal profession in Hokitika, sent a telegram yesterday morning to the Attorney-General, asking if the appointment was correct, and the following is the copy of the reply :—" Urgent —The telegram is entirely without foundation in fact.—J. Prendergast, AttorneyGeneral." We regret haviDg been misled, and hasten to rectify what must have been incorrect information.

The English runners are in New South Wales, but have not heen all successful, and have lost some few events. The proposed match between the Victorian Champion Harris and Hewitt is off, the latter not having completed his deposits, and the stakes already paid to the stakeholder have been handed to Harris. The race-horse Manuka, formerly the property of Mr Redwood, of Nelson, is reported as first favorite for the Melbourne Cup at 100 to 5 or 6. The Olago Daily Times recently stated: — " A woman named Catherine Cameron has been fined at the Queenstown Bench ,£SO or the alternative of three months' imprisonment, for sly-grog selling at Arthur's Point. The grog sold by her is described as perfectly vile, and his Worship at the request of a gentleman in Court, had a portion of it reserved' for analysis. The defendant said she purchased it from a well-known firm in Queenstown and Dunedin. It is utterly impossible to suppose the firm alluded to would vend such liquor. It was, no doubt, adulterated either with new raw spirits, spirits of wine or kerosene. And this is the way men get mad drunk, and commit either suicide or murder."

In the Otago Provincial Council, on the 2nd inst, a resolution affirming that Port Chalmers should be tbe last port of arrival, and first of departure, for the San Francisco route, and that the subsidy should not exttfd- fi2SJK)fI s».rmnoll,, ™ nr , ;„.} K,r 1Q

Major Kemp, Major Topia, Mete Kingi, and Colonel M'Donnell arrived at Wellington on the 3rd inst from Wanganui, to endeavor to obtain payment for the services of the Wanganui Natives in the late campaign. They claim about £15,000. Mr Fox recently telegraphed, offering them £SOO on account, and they refused to accept it. Topia is represented as being greatly dissatisfied.