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Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 765, 19 January 1871, Page 2

A Committee meeting of the Volunteer Fire Brigade took place on Monday evening. One tender was received for supplying members' uniform, at 21s each. The price was considered too high. The secretary reported having forwarded a couplingbelonging to the hose, as a sample, to Nelson, accompanied by an order to furnish six of similar make for the new hose. It was decided to hold a ball on Valentine's Day, Feby, 14th. The application of Campbell and party for a goldmining lease, comprising the quartz claims known as Nos. 1, 2 and 3, North, Irishman's Creek, Lyell, has been recommended by the Warden. Richard Lane, whose vagaries have been a town talk for the past few weeks, left for Nelson by the steamer Kennedy.. Since his release from gaol, some weeks ago, Lane has succeeded in getting rid of several hundred pounds in a most foolish manner, and it was with much difficulty he was induced to leave his too clever associates, and seek the protection of his relatives in Nelson.

Three hoat-doads of cargo, containing in all from twelve to thirteen tons, left Westport yesterday morning for the Inangahua Landing. Two additional boats for the up-river traffic, have been licensed during the present week. The boats are named " The Blue Jacket" and " The Inangahua Packet."

The first ordinary" general meeting of the share holders of the Muxray Creek Gold Mining Company .was held at Gilmer's Hotel, Greymouth, on Thursday last. It was resolved that the number of directors healtored from seven to five, and the ?following gentlemen were elected for the ensuing year : —Messrs Blaekmore, Kennedy, Gilmer, Levy, and Wickes. W. Hindmarsh was appointed auditor. The balance-sheet, made up to the 31st December, 1870, duly audited, was read by Mr Moss, the manager, and adopted. It showed as follows : —Capital and Liablities—Amount received from shareholders on 1200 shares, .£1479; call, due on 23rd inst., £300; arrears of calls, £2l ; capital not called up, £4200 total capital, .£6000; to wit! h must be added gold account, £9B 8s sd; transfer fees, £l2 12s; (debts) overdraft, £l5O 12s lOd—total, £6202 0s 3d. As against this was placed the property and asset, account as follows: —property held by the company, lease of 16$ acres land, plant, machinery and wages, £ 1550 15s sd; cutting track to the ground, ,£100; salaries, £47 10s ; advertising and printing, £l6 5s 6d ; stationery and office expenditure, £l6 2s4d; law costs, £lO 9s; capital not called uv>, £4200; call due on 23rd inst., £300; arrears of calls, £2l—total, £6262 0s 3d.

The first overland mail arrived safely at the Thames on the 10th inst. from Tauranga.

The Galatea Amateur's concert, held at Auckland, in aid of the sufferers by the loss of the steamer Captain, realised £9O; a moonlight promenade concert, by tho band of the Galatea, in aid of local charities, furnished £7O, and a concert for the same object, in which the Duke took part, £67. A bazaar, in aid of St. Paul's Church, realised £250.

The principal of the Canterbury elections for the Assembly take place during the third week of this month. The nominations for Christchurch, East, took place on the 11th, and the poll on the 18th ; Christchurch, West, nomination on the 12th, and the poll on the 19th; Avon, nomination on the 13th, Heathcote. on the 14th, Lyttclton, on the 16th. It is reported that a Christchurch gentleman will oppose Mr Stafibrd at Timaru, but his chance of is very remote indeed. Sir David Mnnro has been requested to stand for Motueka, and the "Examiner" says, -'lf the desire of the district to obtain Sir David for their representative be pretty clearly shown, there is no doubt of the invitation being accepted." A third candidate for Mataura appears in the person of a Mr Deiraiston. Mr George M'Lean has announced his intention to come forward as a candidate for the representation of Waikouaiti in the Assembly. He will be opposed by Mr Hutcheson.

Mr Hall has refused the Sydney agency of; the new line, and has gone to San Francisco to arrange a mail service (via Fiji for Sydney, Melbourne?, and Quofisland, being promised support! from tiWsn Governments. He denies the existence, of an exclusive postal convention in favor .'of New Zealand. The Greymouth Jocky Club have decided to erect a new Grand Stand, the dimensions of which are to be 100 ft by 24ft.

About 11 a.m. on Tuesday the town of Charleston narrowly escaped partial destruction from fire, and but for the really admirable display of promptitude and energy on the part of those first on the spot, and the fortunately close proximity of

M'Carthy's water-race, the greater part of the town would probably have been reduced to ashes. About the hour mentioned flames were observed to from a chimney of the Gridiron Hotel, a few doors from the corner of Camp and Princes streets. The fire engine, belonging to the brigade, was brought to the spot, but, though well manned, appeared inadequate to the requirements of occasions of this kind. The engine is altogether too heavy and cumbersome.

The greatest postal reform accomplished since the introduction of the penny postage system has come into successful operation. Newspapers not weighing more than 6 oz each can be sent to any part of Great Britain for Jd; and for the same coin 2 oz of printed or manuscript matter can be sent. Then there is the half-penny postal card—an idea borrowed from Germany. One of the latter has been received by a gentleman in this town, and shown to us. They are of very thin cream-colored card-board, the size of an ordinary letter, and impressed on one side with a .stamp and border in violet-colored ink. The address must be written on the stamped side the sender being at liberty to make what uso he pleases of the reverse side. Victoria thihks.of adopting both systems—at least the " Age " says the PostmasterGeneral has expressed himself favorable to their introduction .there. The uso of the cards in has been extraordinary- On the day they came into use in London no less than 800,000 passed through the metropolitan offices alone; and in one week between two and three million cards were posted in London. In Liverpool 240,t>00 were distributed in one day; and similar accounts of enormous sales come from other parts of the Kingdom. A miner named Robert Lyndon was accidentally killed at the Ballarat claim, Jones's Flat, on Friday last. Deceased was working in one of the faces, when two sets of timber together with a large body of earth gave way, completely burying him. Deceased was a native of Sweden.

Speakiug of the flax market, the " Otago Daily Times" says:—Our readers are aware that a large shipment of flax will shortly be sent from this port (Port Chalmers) to Boston, the barque Qusuri having been chartered for that purpose. We believe that about 200 tons will be seat, the flax having- been carefully selected in the different Provinces. It may reasonably be anticipated that a direct trade with America in this article will be established, and if so that the " flax problem will be speedily solved.

It appears, says the " Grey Valley Times" of the 12th inst., that a very cruel hoax has been either intentionally or unintentionally perpetrated upon ourselves and our Greymouth contemporary, in refert nee to the alleged mysterious disappearance from Half Ounce of two miners, which was reported last week. It has since transpired that both men are well, one residing at Half Oimce, and the other somewhere else in the district. The particulars of the case reached us in such a circumstantial form that, although not really authenticated, we had no hesitation in giving the matter publicity. We can only express our regret at being unwittingly made the vehicle for circulating such an unrounded statement, and seek the earliest opportunity of contradicting the malicious canard.

A Hobart Town telegram, published in a Melbourne paper, says : — " The large smolt caught in the Dervvent, in December, 1869, and sent to England in May last, has been pronounced by Br Gunther to be the true salmou. A large smolt, said to be a salmon, was caught near the Plenty, in a net, on Sunday night last, with three brown trout.

Advocates of the small farm system maybe interested to learn that, according to statistics recently published, farms in the United States, out of a total of 1,942,241, are of less than 100 acres in extent. The favorite size for farms appears to be between 50 acres and 100 acres, the numbers respectively being 612,245, and 607,CGS. There are also 52.G42 farms of between 3 and 10 acres in extent, while there are only 5,348 with an area of 1000 acres and upwards. Arival to Chang has appeared in America. The San Francisco papers mention the appearance in Cincinnati of a Norwegian giant 7 feet 10 inches in height. If this is true, Chang will be an inch short of being the tallest man in the world.

A correspondent writes a long letter to the " Cornwall Chronicle," proposing a T.lan by which he engages to raise the ironclad Captain, with all her ballast, coal, and guns, together with the crew. He remark.-, in reference to the fate of the latter after t.iie vessel turned over :—" It does not follow .that all her evew that went down in her are drowned, or that they arc even now in the witter. The probability is that many of them lived for days after the ship went down, and with their light burning, too, for in such a capacious body of air the vital principle of atmosphere would not be consumed in a day." He is willing, under certain conditions;, " to go home and undertake the wholo task, huge as it really is; and if he fails by these means to find and raise the ship, he will submit to lose his head." He concludes his letter, which is full of all the undoubting self-confidence of an inventor, with the words —" I feel sure you will give publicity to the above in your next summary, for the information of the British Government, the Admiralty, the friends of those in the submerged ship, and those who have faith in the practicability of seeing the ill-fated ship and her unfortunate crew again brought to light"