The Westport Times. THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 1870.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 702, 25 August 1870, Page 2

The Westport Times. THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 1870.

The mail per City of Melbourne for England, via San Francisco, will be despatched from Nelson on the 4th pros., leaving Auckland on the 7th. A draft code of signals has been received by the Harbor-master, Capt. Leech, from the Marine Department, Wellington, which it is considered will be suitable for all ports in the colony where signals are required. The code was designed by Captain Johnson, and was arranged for use at the Manakau. The Harbor-master is requested to state whether the signals can be advantageously adopted at Wostport, and, at the same time to furnish any suggestions with a view to render the code as effective and complete as possible.

In the Resident Magistrate's Court, yesterday, there were no police cases, and only one civil case was disposed of, Neil v. Fox, in which the plaintiff obtained judgment in amount claimed and costs. An eighth share in the water-right known as Overhagen and party's, was disposed of yesterday for the sum of ,£lO. Asecondpunt,for thopurposeof conveying stone for the groin, is in course of construction by the contractor, and will be completed in about a fortnight. Its carrying capacity will be twenty-five tons. The block of buildings extending from tho National Hotel to the Waterman's Arms has been purchased by Messrs Falla and Tonks and Hughes. The buildings in their present situation are not available for busipurposes, the river encroachment having checked traffic in this portion of the town. Some of the structures are, however, of a substantial kind, and, where consisting of galvanised iron, readily admit of being moved to sites more conveniently situated. The prejnises recently in the temporary occupation of Messrs Smith &M'Dowellwere sold at auction, on Tuesday, by Mr Muuro, as also the lease of tho section, situated at the corner of Gladstone and Freeman streets. The property was purchased by Mr Robert M'Farlane, Caledonia Terrace. The report of the Inspector in Bankruptcy for the year ended Nov. 30th, 1869, reveals the startling fact that this Colony, with a population of under 250,000 has "a larger number of bankruptcies annually than there is in Scotland with a population of over 3,000,000. The last aunual return from the Accountant in Bankruptcy, Scotland, shows that 452 estates were sequestrated, while in the Colony for the past year there were 520 persons adjudicated bankrupts. The following is a note of the adjudications made during the year classified according to the districts :—Auckland, 71; Cantibury, 134; Nelson and Marlborough, 20; Otago and Southland, 120; Taranaki and Hawke's Bay, 9; Wellington and Wanganui, 48 ; North and South Westland, 118. On the 10th, a meeting of the manufacturers, merchants, and traders of Auckland was held, who protested against the power given by the Reciprocity Bill to lower the duties on articles manufactured in Australia. A public meeting has been held at the Thames, which protested against the corn duty. A traveller from New Plymouth to Opunake, writes totheTaranaki journal:—" The flax leaves are so high in some places that you are not able to see your companion on horseback, although he may bo within half a dozen yards of yon. These flax plains are miles in extent, and have thousands of pounds worth of valuable material waving in the air."

Mr Kynnersley's motion, in the General Assembly, in favor of completing the marine survey of the West Coast, has been negatived by 29 to 19. A man named Kennie, a shoemaker of Arrowtown, has confessed to being alone in the gold robery at Clyde, and has shown the police where the treasure was planted. It was secreted in four different places, extending over a distance of forty miles. All has been recovered except £6OO in gold, which Ronnio states he lost on the journey. A policeman at Clyde is suspected. The man Elvis was discharged at Oamaru on the 15th inst., consequent upon Kennie's confession. A Dunedin telegram, dated August 15th, states that Eennie confessed that his shipmate, Malcolm Maclennon, now policeman, concocted the Escort robbery. He found a false key for the outer door, and kept watch while the theft was committed. They both arrived in March 1869, from home.

In the debate on Mr Creighton's motion regarding the waste lands of the Colony, the Province of Wellington was thus described by Mr Stafford •—■ The Province was a by-word throughout the Colony for being unable to meet its daily engagements. It could afford no assistance to local boards; it could not contribute anything towards the education of its people ; while the place in which its lunatics were confined was a disgrace to humanity. A Special commission has been appointed by the Otago Provincial Goverement, consisting of Messrs Duncan, Provincial Treas-tu-er; Webb, accountant; and Young, auctioneer, to report on the best means for effecting a retrenchment in the provincial expenditure. A very durable and inexpensive article suitable for matting and made from New Zealand flax, is being manufactured at various places in the colony. The article is intended for general purposes of floor covering, and is almost equal in quality to that which is imported, is more durable and may be obtained at a much lower price. Light iron tram-rails are replacing the ordinai-y wooden rails, hitherto in general use on the principal mining claims of the Thames. The Government, in compliance with Mr Kynnersley's motion, is going to introduce a Bill to enable adhesive stamps to be used in all cases of transfer of mining property. A passenger by the Wonga Wonga, named John Hohnes, was recently found drowned in a sheet of water known as the Intake, Breakwater road, Auckland. Losses in California appear to have had a depressing influence upon the deceased. A Coroner's jury found a verdict of " Found Drowned."

An Inspector of Miner's Eights has been appointed in the Province of Auckland, who appears to have immediately put the law in motion against a number of leaseholders on the Thames. Informations have also been laid against a number of men employed by the leaseholders without holding miner's rights, and also against the companies for employing them though not possessed of miner's rights. At the Auckland Police Court, on the 27th ult., one John Kenneally was bound over to keep the peace for three months. The Southern Cross adds :—" The Bench in this case allowed the prisoner to go into the witness box to give his version of the matter, a step, we believe, taken by our local magistrate for the first time in Auckland. This precedent will no doubt be frequently followed in the future, and from it we hope for a great diminution in the hard swearing which has often been witnessed in this Court, when applications have been made for getting some neighbor or acquaintance bound over to keep the peace. The Argyleshire, which arrived recently at Auckland from Glasgow, brings intelligence of two deaths and a suicide during her passage. The following incident, very nearly attended with fatal consequences, is quoted from the mate's report:—On the 29th April, a boy named James Henderson, an apprentice, was in the act of going aloft to overhaul the main buntlines. He was in the lee main rigging, and the ship was moving at the rate of three and a half knots, when he lost his cap overboard. The foolish lad, without hesitation, jumped into the water after it. A life-buoy was thrown to him from the ship's quarter, and this he hung on to, having previously seized his cap. No boats were hung on to the davits at the time, but all hands being on deck, a boat was launched from the skids witliin fifteen minutes and quickly manned. The vessel had distanced the boy about threequarters of a mile, but by keeping a hand aloft he could still bo seen, and the boat reached him in time, although when lifted in he was much exhausted. When rescued he still held his cap between his teeth. The boy stated that the reason he followed the cap was that it was a parting present from his father, and thus he valued it highly. A miner named John M'Mahon, resident at the Thames, has been committed to take his trial at the next sittings of the Supreme Court, charged with assaulting the police. There have been not fewer than twelve similar cases within the last two months, and it was therefore determined to treat the above as an indictable offence.

The high price of meat is the subject of complaint at the Thames. The Star says there are many men unemployed, many but in partial work, and. much poverty and destitution ; under such circumstances good reason should be shown before auy advance is made in tho prices of the necessaries of existence. The following exquisite sample of " bosh " is too good to bo allowed to die out. The Boss Guardian of Monday last, refers to a ball, given at the Commercial Hotel in that town, and after saying that "the inspiring strains of a first-rate band would have caused even the most prejudiced enemy against dancing to relent," concludes thus—" There was a very capital attendance of Nature's most beautiful work—lovely women—and tho bright eyes and sylph-like forms gliding through the graceful quadrille or whirling in the mazy circle of the waltz, gave the scene almost an appearance of fairyland." A decision given by Judge Macoboy at Sandhurst, on Juno 2nd, has caused, says the Argus, no little excitement amongst the managers and directors of mining companies in that district. The Bendigo Great Central Company occupied the position of plaintiff in four cases for the recovery of calls, and in each instance judgment was given for the defendant. Tho point upon which tho prosecution failed is one which has lately been quite lost sight of. It was argued for the defendants that, on the authority of Moore v. Hammond, no call could bo enforced unless all the directors had first met and mutually agreed upon a time and place for transacting business. It was shown that only two out ot the five directors had met together for the purpose, and that the other directors had remained in ignoranco of what had bcon done. It was proved, moreover, that tho calls in question had been made by the two directors at a subsequent meeting without tho knowledgo or co-operation of the others. Ji.dge Macoboy held, on tho authority of Moore v. Hammond, that tho call had been improperly mado, and ho thereforo nonsuited the plaintiffs with costs. It is said that calls have been mado in

a similarly questionable manner by the directors of many other mining companies in the Sandhurst district, and no little consternation has been excitod amongst them by Mr Macoboy's decision.