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Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 788, 14 March 1871, Page 2

Up to the late hour of going to press no intimation of tho arrival af tho San Francisco Mail had boon telegraphed. The Bank of New Zealand, Westport, shipped 937 ozs 12dwts of gold by the steamer Charles Edward to Hokitika, tho export duty upon which amounted to €ll7 4s, At a mooting of tho Westport Fire Brigade, held yesterday evening, Mr Pagg was appointed night watchman and engine keeper, under the control of the officers of the Brigade ; io was also decided to place the members' monthly subscriptions in tho Savings Bank, there to form a Members' Emergency Fund. Mr Warden Giles left town for the Inangahua yesterday morning. Ho would hold a Court at Fern Flat to-day, and at Christy's on Thursday. It will bo soon by an advertisement in another column that tenders are called by the Postmaster, for a weekly and fortnightly service between Westport and Reefton (Inangahua), Tenders may be sent in until tho end of tho month. The Ecv. Mr Soutar held divine service on the afternoon of Sunday last at Addison's Flat, in Msssrs Cochrane's store. There was a very good attendance, and, at tho close of the service Mr Soutar, after conferring with the residents present, stated his intention to hold service there on tho second Sunday of every month. A treat, in tho shapo of a picnic, is in contemplation for the Sunday-school children, Tho Government schooner Mary has been repaired, tho damage having been found to consist of a small holo in her port quarter. Since the accident she has been used in removing a snag recently deposited in tho fairway of the channel. Tho mooring anchor and fifteen fathoms of chain still remain to bo removed from tho bed of the river, having been recently discovered after two years' submersion. The steamer Murray loft Nelson at noon on Saturday but bad not arrived up to a late hour last night. Strong North-west-erly weather and a heavy sea are supposed to have been the causes of her lengthened passage to this port, The topsail schooner Maid of Erin, from Blelbourno bound for this port, hove in sight yesterday evening. Weather permitting she will be towed in by tho steamers Murray or Kennedy to-day. The s.s. Kennedy, we loam by telegram, loft Nelson yesterday, shortly before noon, but we are unaware whether she would call at Motneka. She is announced to carry passengers to Greymouth for tho race mooting, leaving Westport this evening Mr Salamon loft Westport yesterday morning on a short visit to Charleston, where he will exhibit his really elegant stock of jewelry and bijouterie. We have previously had occasion to refer to tho many articles of chaste and graceful design comprised in his largo and choice collection of jewelry, but the display on the pi-esent occasion eclipses in point of variety and excellence, any assortment previously offered. Previously on the occasions of Mr Salaihon's visits, the Melbourne Hotel has been literally thronged with visitors, and, in spite of dull times and tho general depression incident to tho season, the scene during Mr Salamon's limited stay in Charleston will doubtless be a repetition of former experiences. In another column we make room for a few verses warmly eulogistic of some fair charmer on the Northern Terraces. It is to be regretted that the scene of her enchantments wa3 not more propitious to the Muses. The title of Doadman's Creek would, one might imagine, have been sufficient to extinguish tho flame of tho most ardent rhymer, but this is not tho caso with our post whose enraptured gaze rests upon tho flower of his devotion with an ardor unalloyed by tho reflection that it blooms in Deadman's Creok. Perhaps tho rose would not suffer by transplanting, under the tender cave of Itomeo, to some spot more suggestivo of earthly bliss.

It w announced by advertisement that tho Addison's branch of tho Hibernian Society purposo celebrating St. Patrick's Day by a ball and supper. It is announced that in consequence of a temporary interruption of tho mail service between Tauvanga and the Thames, no telegrams for Auckland, will be forwarded via Taurauga until furthor notice. Duo notice of mails closing for Auckland at Nelson, Wanganui, Napier, and Taurauga by stoamor, will bo posted at the various telegraph offices throughout the colony. Tho " Otago Daily Times," of last week, says :— *' Mr J. T. Thomson's model of a machine for utilising the currents of rivers to tho purpose of raising water on the river banks, in order to carry on sluicing, supply towns, and provide mill power, was tried at the water of Leith on Saturday, in the presence of members of the Otago Institute, and worked well." Tho Governor has been pleased to consent to a commutation of sentence in the case of David Souter, who was seuteuced to death at the recent session of the Supreme Court, Hokitika, but who was recommended to mercy by the jury before whom ho was tried. Ilia punishment has been reduced to penal servitude for life. A considerable number of the inhabitants of Auckland have petitioned tho Governor to have the city constituted a borough under tho Municipal Corporations Act. His Hon. the Superintendent has signified to the Governor that ho does not dissent from the prayer of the petition. In the Westlaad County Council, on tho 13th ultimo, in connection with the construction and maintenance of roads, the Chairman referred to a proposition which had been made to him by the Engineer with a view to economising the prison labor. The proposal was to construct a van capable of conveying eighteen prisoners to the scone of their work—say at the Arahura or Kanieri. By this means the prisoners could be brought speedily to the scene of work, with less fatigue calculated to interfere with their proper work, and the van might be used as a place for them taking their meals, instead of a tent. The cost was calculated at £IOO, and the saving likely to be effected by tho use of such an appliance at £4OO. We learn from the southern pajicrs that the Galatea dredge, at Alexandra, Otago, has been very successful, having in one week obtained 158 ounces of gold, and during two days in the following week, ninety-eight ounces. A dredge at Mount Benger washed over 100 ounces of gold in a week. Could not a dredge, asks the " Nelson Examiner," be used with success in the Aorere, where Maoris arc now successfully engaged in getting gold from the bottom of the river with shovels ? Joseph Trimble, landlord of tho Oriental Hotel, Shortland, and recently resident in Westport, was convicted a few days back by the justices at Shortland, of a breach of the "Licensing Act. 1871." He was charged with unnecessary delay in giving access to the police to his licensed house, and was fined £~i for the offence. Anne Trimble, wife of the abovo, wasalso charged with assaulting Sergeant Egau, of the Thames police, but the case was dismissed. A Melbourne paper says that the number of prisoners confined in tho gaol is at present so largo that it has been considered advisable to utilise tho local military force by setting some of them on guard at the prison, as under the present circumstances, the number of warders there is deemed insufficient for the due security of their charges. The £>osition of affairs is reversed in Westport, there being but throe inmates of tho gaol with an equal number of officers to insure their security. Some might infer from this a very favorable opinion of the morality of Westport, but we would not venture to affirm that the above number includes all who should bo there.

The fact of an old regulation having recently been put in force at the General Post-office, in London, may account for many persona not receiving their files of English papers so perfect as formerly. The regulation is in effect as follows:—"All papers for abroad must bo posted within todays after the date of publication, or they will be thrown aside, and, if not bearing the address of the sender, will be destroyed (it is even proposed to reduce this time now to seven days, but at present the fortnight is allowed), so that if a friend makes up a monthly file—say of four copies of any paper—for regular despatch by the Southampton mail, the whole would be lost, as, two of the dates being beyond the limit, the packet would be kept back. I had occasion, writes a correspondent, to visit the Dead Letter office a few days after the despatch of the last 'heavy' Australian mail, and there found nine sacks of detained newspapers from that mail—most of them evidently from relatives and friends here to those they loved in the antipodes—papers that would interest, instruct, and delight the recipients, had they reached them, but which are now converted into pulp at one of our paper-mills, because of their being a fortnight old." Many here, in England, are unaware of this regulation, as it has only been enforced a few months; and, therefore, colonial friends would do well to mention the fact to their correspondents in the old country in their next letters. The race meeting at Greymouth is expected to be a great success. A large number of good horses will be present at the meeting, and the entries were to have been made last night. On Saturday Messrs D. Maclean and Co. sold by auction the right to six sites for booths, and one for a refreshment stall, on the race-course during the meeting. At Timaru Hospital, a man named John Adie died a few days ago, who represented himself to be extremely poor. A day or two after his death, an old pair of trousers, belonging to deceased, were being thrown away, when something bulky was found sown up in the waistband, which, on being ripped open, disclosed securities, bank deposits, a cheque, &c., to the amount of over £QoO. IV.e demand for the Bay of Islands coal continues to increase, and the company working the mines have quite enough to do to keep pace with it. A company has also been formed to work the coal deposits in the Waikato. The New Zealand Meat Preserving Company has 1 had to send some of its tinsmiths at Longbush to prison for one month, for leaving their work without notice, they having struck for higher wnges thau £3 per week. The Company has establishment at Longbush (Southland), Kakanui, and Timaru, and employ a number of men. They announce that they are opon to receive as apprentices, young men, not over twenty-ouo, for one year, to leara the tinsmith business, an offer which will, no doubt be responded to by many who may be ambitious of earning good wages. Wo exciso for the benefit of whom it may concern, the following paragraph from the Wairarapo correspondent of a Wellington paper : —lt is said tho fee charged by Wellington lawyers to attend tho Eesident Magistrate's Court at Feathorstone is some twenty guineas, which, of course, includes travelling

expenses. If so large a sum is required, the question suggests itself whether it would not pay a lawyer to take up his residence in the district. Grcytown lias five members of tho medical profession, also two resident clergymen, but not a single solicitor. The following telegram is dated Tauranga, March 3rd :—" A boat accident occurred at the Thames—an upset. One man has turned up who hold on for fourteen hours ; the other man, Henry Kent, was drowned after holding oa nine hours ; his body has been found."