The Westport Times. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1870.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 717, 29 September 1870, Page 2

The Westport Times. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1870.

Dr Giles proceeded to the Lyell yesterday morning, and will be absent from Westport about four days. He will be met at the Inangahua by Mr Dobson, who has already proceeded from Greymouth. The next sitting of the R.M. and Warden's Court takes place on Tuesday. There was only one case tried in the Warden's Court on Tuesday last, Gardner v. Sloan, in which the complainant claimed £l6 16s, being defendant's share of expenses in working a claim in which he was a mate with Gardner. Judgment was given for complainant for £7 10s, being half the amount of wages paid, and costs of Court.

A large number of passengers arrived by the Charles Edward from Auckland, consisting chiefly of old West Coast residents who gladly return to their old quarters. They give deplorable accounts of the state of things on the northern goldfields. The labor market is terribly overdone; the yield of gold has fallen off nearly one half, and no new mining enterprises are being attempted. Even the kauri gum diggers, owing to the reduced value of that product and the large numbers engaged in the pursuit, with difficulty gain a miserable and precarious livelihood, and yet their number is being daily augmented.

The tender of John Clarke has been accepted for the erection of the Government Receivine Shed at tho foot of Bright-st. With few exceptions the mining claims at Charleston have been idle during the past week owing to -the continued dry weather. M'Carthy's race is now exhausted, and the only supplies of water available are the Nile and Cosmopolitan races and Haines's dam at Deep Creek, which latter supplies fourteen heads of water. Rain is anxiously looked for throughout the district, and both miners and business people complain loudly of the prevailing dulness.

The Nelson Mail states that Mr Blackett has received from the General Government an offer of the temporary appointment of chief engineer of the colony. On the receipt of a telegram to that effect from Mr Vogel, Mr Blackett proceeded to Wellington in the Phcobe on Wednesday last. The City of Wellington has been gazetted a borough under the " Municipal Corporations Act, 1867." Messrs C. H. W. Bowen and E. Bullen are also gazetted to the appointment of Clerk to the R.M. Court at Westport and Ahaura, and to be receiver of gold revenue in their respective districts. Mr G. C. Kelling is appointed receiver at Charleston.

Many in this district will regret to hear of the sad death of Mr Casset, of the firm of Casset and Forceau, until recently storekeeping at Addison's Flat. It is stated in a telegram from Auckland that Mr Casset, who was residing at Shortland, ■ has been found dead in bed, shot with a revolver through the mouth. It is added that it is supposed that he committed suicide, through depression of spirits in consequence of business embarrassments. Mr Casset and his former partner, Mr Forceau, were carrying on business as brokers at Shortland, and it is understood that in some of their investments they have been rather unfortunate. Mr Forceau only left this district a few months ago, but Mr Casset had left Addison's Flat at an earlier period, and settled in the Thames district. Interesting extracts from letters of his, with regard to the Auckland goldfields, have frequently appeared in these columns. Messrs Harrison and Barff, M's.H.R., have returned to the West Coast. Mr Kynnersley, we believe, is at present on a visit to the Province of Marlborough.

An association, of which Dr Haast is president, has been formed in Ohristchurch for the collection of funds for wounded and bereaved Germans. It is proposed to hold a concert in aid of the fund. The drapery establishment of Messrs Thomas and M'Beath, Mawhera Quay, Greymouth, was broken open between Saturday night and Sunday morning, and goods to the value of jEIO stolen. The thieves must have been scared during their operations, else the probabilities are that they would have made a much larger haul.

Mr W. S. Moorhouse has accepted tho appointment of Chief Registrar of Titles under the Land Transfer Act. This, we believe, will render it necessary for Mr Moorehouse to reside permanently in Wellington.

Vincent, the colored man who escaped from custody at Hokitika, has been captured. After being nearly starved in the bush, he returned into town, and visited some old acquaintances, but they raised a hue and cry, and, in escaping from them, ho ran into the arms of a policeman. Mr and Mrs Darrell f Mrs Robert Heir) are shortly expected to visit the West Coast.

Messrs Rae and Wickes, Greymouth, propose to erect a bridge over the river Grey, near the town ferry. The latest state of the odds for the Melbourne Cup is—Warrior, 8 to 1; Glencoe, 9to 1; Manuka, 16 to 1 ; Sir William, 16 to 1; Duke of Montrose, 25 to 1 ; Croydon, 7to 1; Milesian, 20 to 1; Sir John, 20 to 1 ; Florence, 15 to 1; Trump Card, 100 to 8; Strop, 30 to 1; Praetor, 25 to 1; and Palmerston, 33 to 1.

The following is the verbatim copy of a communication which was found slipped under the door of the Pleasant Creek News office: —" Pleasant Cr Stawell East Sir will you oblige buy finding room in your paper for those few lines two friends are desirorus of forming ah acqueintance with two young gentleman one is tall and dark the other is tall and fan- any gentleman thinking this worthy of notice, must be tall age from 20 to 26 miners or business men are preferred will meet on the stawell road on Sunday, at two o'clock. Please to insert this as net as possible." The steamer Hero has sailed from Auckland with ninety passengers for Queensland. Harris, charge with embezzling £6OO, the property of the Bulla Shire Council, Victoria, has been cleverly captured by Detective Murphy in tho act of boarding the Santon, off Tahiri, for New York, andjwas, after being brought before the Auckland bench, remanded to Victoria. Griffiths and Ellis are charged with taking .£6O from Ihe prisoner Harris to let him escape. They called themselves detectives.

The Native meeting, about which some fears were entertained, is said to be over, and all is quiet. Mrßranigan and a member of the Constabulary have returned from Taranaki to Wellington. So also has the Blanche.

Miss Eosa Cooper, the well-known actress, while acting the part of Borneo, and falling on the stage floor as if dying from the effects of poison, struck the boards in such a manner that she ruptured two small arteries in her head. She was completely stunned, and suffered great loss of blood, but is recovering. The occurrence took p.'ace at Sydney. The Ladybird, converted from a steamer into a three-masted schooner has made a remarkably fast passage from Wellington to Manakau and back. She was absent from Wellington twenty-eight days, and on her return trip, made the passage from land to land in five days. In the international yacht race, the American yacht Dauntless, lost two men overboard while furling the flying jib. The vessel was hove-to for two hours and a boat lowered, but the men could not be rescued. The Cambria during the passage lost her foretopmast and foretopsail and jib topsail; and her foretopmast a second time. Advices from Mauritius state that gold has been discovered at Madagascar, but the Government prohibit further search lest the rush of white miners should swamp the natives. The promoters of the Sutherland GoldMining Company, in Marlborough, have amended then- prospectus, and now offer one-half of the interest in the mine to capitalists who will undertake to work it, instead of about one-quarter, as in their former prospectus. A ton of the stone crushed at the battery of the Perseverance Company, gave loz sgrs of melted gold.