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Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 790, 18 March 1871, Page 2

Mr Greenfield, Provincial oeeretary, accompanied by Mr Dobson, Distrct Engineer, arrived at Christy's, Inangalma Junction, on Tuesday evening where they met Dr Giles. The two former gentlemen proceeded to Fern Fiat the following morningfor the purpose of ascertaining the requirements to the Inangalma and Grey Valleys. Dr Giles arrived at the Inangalma Junction on Monday evening, and proceeded tho following morning to Fern Fiat, and held a Warden's Court at 11 a.m. Owing to the disorderly conduct of some of tho men present, the court was adjourned to Christy's, where the Court was held on Thursday. There were two cases heard in each of which the complainant was a miner named Murphy and the defendant Anderson, who holds a reefing claim. Murphy laid claim to a portion of the defendant's ground, but accepted a non-suit in each case, owing to the absence of witnesses. The men were present to give evidence at Fern Flat but they had failed to proceed to Christy s. We understand that the police will take action against the parties who interfered with the administration of the Court. Dr Giles arrived in Westport on Thursday evening.

The anniversary of St Patrick's Day passed off very quietly in West-port. There were no races nor sports of any kind inaugurated for the occasion, and although a few miners and others from the neighborhood visited town, there was an entire absence of anything approaching a celebration of the great Irish national festival. The banks in Westport held holiday, but none of the stores were closed; and the shipping, as also some of the hotels were decorated with flags. At Charleston and Addison's the elements of cheerfulness were more abundant, although the general depression, resulting from the extraordinary dry weather since the New Year, was the cause of the festival not being celebrated at either place after the spirited manner of former years. The s.s. Wonga Wonga, with the inward English Mails via San Francisco, was due in Nelson on Saturday last, and after a week's grace being accorded we are still without any intimation of her arrival. She will bring telegraphic dates from Europe to about February loth, being 23 days later than the latest telegraphic date via Suez. According to the terms of the alleged new postal contract, the Nebraska steamer, belonging to Mr Webb, was to leave San Francisco for Auckland, on February 16th, and if she accomplished the trip in the time specified for its performance, under the contract, she would be due there on the 12th instant. The owners, with the view of making a good impression, would probably have used every effort to make the passage witin the contract time, and the non-appearance of the Nebraska may, therefore, be considered confirmatory of the rumour that 'Webb has broken off negotiations for a special service to New Zealand, repudiating the contract entered into by Mr Nielson on his behalf with the New Zealand Government, It is very certain that if the Nebraska is what she has been represented, she onght to have beaten the Wonga Wonga even though the latter had a day's start. The Murray arrived in Westport on Thursday afternoon and returned the same tide to Greymouth. She afforded an opportunity to those who might, at the last moment, avail themselves of it to be present at the Greymouth races; and a few of our residents proceeded by her to Greymouth, the majority, however, went overland or preceded by earlier steamers, being in doubt as to whether the Murray would return to Greymouth or proceed direct to Nelson. Had the notice of her departure been greater, several parties from the terraces would also have paid a visit to Greymouth. The manager of the Murray Creek Gold Mining Company writes that he expects a good return from the crushing of cement taken from the tunnel. He adds that by the appearance of the dip he thinks they are on the gutter, and that should it rise on the opposite side, it is expected that gold will be struck that will pay. A contract has been let for shifting the wheel and for additional fluming. A very handsome model of a full rigged ship, the handiwork of Mr Sloan, a miner at the Northern Terraces, was disponed of by art-union last night. The estimated value of the work is £25. In the R.M. Court, yesterday, the case of Tottenham v. Tottenham, in which a wife had laid an information against her husband for the use of abusivo language, was struck out, neither complainant nor defendant .appearing. Renewals of publicans' licenses .were granted to T. Sheahau and Alfred Smithy Judgment for the plaintiff was recorded' in the following cases: M'Phadden v. Donlan j Byrne v. Donlan •

Powell v. Dillon;. In tho Warden's Court, an action was brought by Donlan, a iniuer at Addison's Flat, against P. Byrne, storekeeper, charging him with illegally takiug possession of a horse and some plush used by the complainant in working his claim. Donlan was nonsuited, the Warden deciding that the case had been improperly laid in the Warden's Court. His remedy would be an action for detinue, laid in the Resident Magistrate's Court. In tho E M. Court, Charleston, on Thursday, there was only one civil action disposed of, Nahr v. W. Russell, in which the plaintiff sought to recover the sum of ,£6 5s upon an IO U. The defendant did Snot appear, and the plaintiff obtained judgment by default. An inebriate, charged with drunkenness and disorderly conduct, was admonished and discharged. Some time ago a ton of quartz from Kelly's claim, No. 1 north, Murray reefs, was sent to Melbourne to be thoroughly tested. The result has been anxiously waited for, and there has boon a considerable amount of dissatisfaction expressed in certain quarters, particularly at Westport, at what appeared to be the unnecessary delay which has taken place. The result is now to hand, and is highly satisfactory, viz., 3oz sdwts to the ton. This is given in a letter from Mr Paterson, Asayer to the Bank of Australasia in Melbourne, to Mr Lapham, Manager of the Bank of New Zealand, and the explanation of the delay is that the crushing machine was dismantled when the quartz arrived. We are informed by Mr Kelly that the ton of stone which was sent to Melbourne to be tested was not picked, but was taken out of the body of the reef, and that his party have now between 300 and 400 tons of stone, which they expect will turn out even better than the sample. "Kelly," says the "Argus," "is now in town making arrangements for the purchase of crushing machinery. Now that it has been proved that the Murray reefs are highly auriferous, and are sure to attract a large population, •will anything be done either by the people or the Government with regard to the formation of the long-talked-of road to the Saddle.? The road is now so bad that all traffic must go via the Buller, as by that route the cargo boats can reach within four miles of the reefs, and if something is not done speedily the whole of the Inangahua trade will leave this port." The Press Association, started by Mr Barton, late editor of the " Otago Daily Times," is likely to become defunct. Mr ' C. O. Montrose, Greville's New Zealand Agent, is on a visit to the Southern Provinces, for the purpose of arranging to take over the engagements of the Press Association. The following telegram, dated London, 21st January, has been received by his Excellency, the Governor.—"The French armies in the provinces have been repulsed. The bombardment of the forts of Pari3 is in progress. A sortie in force has taken place, but without any lasting success. The Black Sea question causes no apprehension."

A Southern paper gives the following particulai-3 of the Governor's visit:—" His Excellency, accompanied by his Honor the Superintendent and Captain Pitt, A.D.C., arrived in Dunedin on Friday evening, having been driven from Tokomairiro, a distance of thirty-six miles, in a phaeton and six, supplied by Messrs J. Chaplin and Co., the journey was accomplished in four hours. His Excellency stopped at Pern Hill, the residence of Mr C. T. Biss, which was kindly placed at the disposal of a Committee of the Council by that gentleman. There was no public reception, as his Excellency was unable to fix tho hour of his arrival, and had requested that any public reception might be postponed to Monday afternoon next. Fiji advices to the Ist ult. report that the schooner Marion Tionny visited Cherry Island seeking labor. Mr Rae (the owner) and a boat's crew went ashore. Two canoes put off to the ship, and after boarding it, attacked the crew, and killed Mr Dirk (the mate) and two seamen. The steward and the remainder of the crew then drove them off, Mr Eae and the boat's crew were killed ashore. One of the schooner's crew, who was wounded aboard, became delirious, and afterwards shot- the steward dead. The crew was thus reduced to four Fijians, and they took the vessel back to Lcvuka. The " G-lobe " says :—"Our Manchester correspondent sends us a rumor that a recently appointed bishop is about to marry the daughter of a millionaire manufacturer, who will bring to the right rev. prelate a dowry of a quarter of a million sterling." Tho marriage of even a right rev. prelate to a lady with such an immense sum as a dowry is, doubtless, worthy of passing reference, but the incident sinks into insignificance beside the fact that the bride's father is a manufacturer of millions. With what ectasy would our Colonial Treasurer embrace his friendship ? The prospectors of the recently discovered reef at the Big River wore to have made formal application to the Warden, at the Ahaura, on Thursday, the 16th instant, for a prospecting area, to which they are entitled as the discoverers of a new quartz reef.

A painful accident occurred recently at the Provincial Sale Yards, Dunedin, to Mr Pritehard, who while examining a horse, was kicked in the abdomen. Mr Pritehard was formerly resident in Greymouth. Tho authorities of the Nelson Southwest Goldfields ought really to accede to tho wish of the residents at Half-ounce Creek with regard to the appointment of an officer at that place to issue miner's rights and registrations. It i.i no answer to the applicants that there is a full staff of officials at the Ahanra; for it is the dutv of the Government to follow up the population, rather than expect the population to go to unnecessary inconvenience and expense in travelling a considerable distance for the observance of ordinary and formal business. The least that the Nelson Government could do would be to station a constable or other officer at Halfounce, with authority to issue miner's rights and do other routine work.—" Grey River Argus." The "Thames Advertiser" has the following :—" We have been informed of an occurrence (we ore assured it is not the only one of the kind that has transpired within the last few days) which illustrates how somo of tho Auckland gentlemen dealt with their mining property at the Thames, and also shows the peculiar risks attending that procsdurc. During the time when everybody was anathematising the Thames, it was a common practice in Auckland to transfer scrips in companies to ' dummies ' to avoid calls, and with an understanding that the property would be re-transferred if it should ever be of value enough to make that operation worth while. As this was general!y done by large holders, and the wealthiest men in the company, the effect was frequently to burst up the companies, which had to be wound up at great loss to the creditors. A good many companies, however, managed to keep alive, and in some of these now

the scrip is of considerable valuefln conse r quence of better prospects. In the instance we havo been informed of, the gentleman went the other day to his 'dummy ' and requested that the scrip be re-transfei-red, as now, instead of carrying with it a heavy liability, it was worth several hundred pounds. To his astonishment and disgust, however, the 'dummy' refused, saying that he had taken the risk and responsibility, and would now take the profit." Judge Gresson, in his charge to the Grand Jury at Christchurch. said. —When it appears that within this singlo province according to its original boundary before the 'formation of the County of Westland, there are within the short period of three months seven cases of murder and two of wounding with intent to murder; and when it appears also, as-it does from the returns already referred to, that in the year 1869 the expense incurred by the C >lony in the punishment and repression of crime, amounted in round numbers to about £ -o,ooo—it is surely high timo for all persons who are interested hi the welfare of the Colony to consider anxiously what are the causes of so much crime in a country so much favored by nature, and which undoubtedly offers to colonists, in climate and natural productions, advantages such as very few, if any other, countries possess. A London paper thus describes the process of road-making now generally adopted in the larger places of both England and France : '■ The road is first prepared by being loosened with pickaxes, then covered with ordinary granite; above this, a dressing of sand is laid ; the wholrt is then watered. An immense roller, propelled by steam, is then moved slowly over the prepared surface. It exerts a ; pressure of twenty-eight tons, and the result is, that in an unusually short time a firm and compact macadamised road is formed, so smo >th that the lightest vehicle may bo immediately driven over it. A miner named Thomas Lynch had his right leg broken below the knee while work ing in his claim, above the middle township, at Moonlight, on Monday, 13th inst. A tunnel was about being entered from a pad dock which had been sunk in the claim, when a large boulder slipped out, and catchinf Lyuch's leg caused the injury. He was removed to Greymouth for surgical treatmenl in the evening. If any Government ever had cause foi exclaiming, " Save us from our friends,' the Government now holding oflice in Nev Zealand is the one. It is but a few week ago that an over-zealous supporter drew fron Dr Featherston an admission, which was thei made public, that he had obtained an offe: for his colleagues of ,£450,000 free of all de ductions, at 3$ per cent., which they refusei to accept; while three or four months later they found it necessary to raise the sani amount of money, causing thereby, under tin most favorable circumstances, according to D Featherston, a loss to the Colony of Lloo,ooi in the difference of price paid for it. The following item of European intelli gence is from the letter of a correspondent :- The Russian Ambassador at Constantinopl made strenuous efforts to effect a private ar raugoment with Turkey before the Conference He promised Russian assistance to recover fo Turkey the sovereignty of Tunis. Englan supports the Porte in resisting. Prince Charles, ot Routnania, also complains of the Treaty of Paris as restricting the development of his country, and claims sovereign powers. Great excitement is produced in Vienna by this step, which is believed to have been instigated by Russia and Prussia. The Presse considers, this a life and death question to Austria. There are twenty candidates for election as members for Dunedin City in the Provincial Council. Their names are—Barnes, Barton, Bathgate, Birch, Cargill, Cutten, Duncan, Fish, Jun., Graham, Howorth, Isaac, Jago, M'lndoe, Mason, Reeves, Reynolds, Smy thies, Tnrnbull, Turton, and Walter. The notorions John Hayden, alias "Dublin Jack," haa been maintaining his old character at Wangapeka by committing a series of assaults. It appears that, the parties were attending the funeral of the late Paul Doran, and the defendant Hayden being very noisy and abusive, one Lynch ventured to suggest ho should keep quiet, and chose some other day for making a disturbance, whereupon "Jack" hit him a violent blow in the eye. His Worship gave " Jack" a sharp lecture, and ordered him to find sureties to keep* tho peace for six months. '• Jack" was further charged with assaulting John Caldwell, by attempting to strike Lira with a knife. The complainant said that hearing the noise going on between Hayden and Lynch, he wont out of the house just as defendant struck Lynch, aud he told Jack that if he did not keep himself quiet and behave with decency on such an occasion, tho diggers would have to rope him down. Defendant used horrible language, snatched a. knife from the dining-room table, and made a blow at him, but District-constable Flowers timely caught his arm. The Magistrate held that suflicient had been proved to constitute an assault, and ho fined defendant £5 and costs, or, in default, a month's imprisonment with hard labor.