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Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 828, 22 June 1871, Page 2

We omitted to mention that the Eev. Mr Soutar was elected a member of the School Committee on Saturday, in place of the Rev. Mr Lewis, who had left the district.

On Tuesday forenoon the inhabitants of North Gladstone-street were startled by the cry of fire. The E. M. Court was sitting at the time, and was numerously attended, but instantaneously the building was vacated, with the exception of the presiding magistrate, the clerk, and the plaintiff and defendant in the suit before the Court. The alarm fortunately proved to have no more serious origin than the fact of a large brick chimney, attached to the Nelson Hotel, having become ignited. The fire was speedily extinguished without the slightest injury; but, we believe, that an information has been laid against the proprietor, charging him with neglecting to keep the chimney clean.

Mr Salomon returned to Westport from Charleston on Tuesday, and will proceed by the steamer Charles Edward to Hokitika and Greymouth. To-day is the last opportunity that will be presented for some time of selecting articles from such an extensive and tasteful assortment.

A telegraph station was opened on Tuesday at Naseby, in the Province of Otago, for the receipt and transmission of messages.

A man, named John Jackson, alias " Soldier Jack," was sentenced recently at Oamaru to four months' imprisonment, with hard babour, for having in his possession without lawful excuse, contrary to the Vagrant Act, 1866, a certain deleterious drug called atropide.

Applications are required by the Corporation of Auckland from persons eligible for the situation of Town Clerk The salary is three hundred pounds per annum. We observe that the General Government Agent at Napier calls for tenders for the construction of a small steamer to be built on Lake Taupo, and to ply on that lake.

A meeting of the Dunedin Committee of the French Patriotic Fund was held the other evening. Subscriptions to the amount of ,£253 \3s 6d were received, and it was mentioned that the subscriptions from the up-country districts would be to an equal amount. A Napier paper states that the Government offices were open on the Queen's birthday, and that the Provincial Council, being in session, sat as usual. It is also stated that several of the Provincial Councillors, who were on the parade ground when the feu, de joie was fired by the Volunteers, omitted to follow the example of most loyal people, and lift their hats when the National Anthem was played. Another interesting discovery of moa bones has been made in the Dunstan distriat, Mr Arthur the District Surveyor, and Dr A. T. Thompson, recently explored some of the spurs and gullies in the Old Man Eange, and discovered, or were shown, a long rift or chasm leading to a natural cavern about nine feet square. In this they found a quantity of full-sized moa bones, the skeletons of young moas, fragments of egg-shells, and also feathers some of the Tatter nearly all perfect, and closely resemble in size and color the feathers of the Australian emu. Among the bones and debris were also found pieces of wood and branches, mostly in a half charred condition; it being evident that the cave had been subjected to a strong fire. The gentlemen named intend to make a more thorough exploration of the cave and its vicinity.—" Otago Daily Times." June 8.

The Provincial Council of Hawkc's Bay passed a resolution the other day offering " £SOO to any firm which may cure and export trom Hawke's Bay the first 100 tons of meat preserved by the tinning process, and £SOO to any firm which may first produce 100 tons of marketable sugar, and 3000 gallons of proof spirits, manufactured from beet-root grown in the Province of Hawke's Bay. The fortnightly escort arrived at Dunedin on June 6th, with the following quantities of gold:—

ozs. dv/t. grs. Queen stown 2045 19 7 Arrow 1191 5 o Dunstan 862 12 0 Cromwell 2136 0 0 Alexandra 519 0 0 Teviot 637 0 0 Blacks 1077 0 0 Naseby 2423 0 0 Dunstan Creek ... 604 0 0 Lawrence 1883 6 0 Switzers 700 0 0 Waitahuna 449 18 0 Woolahed 424 2 0 14,953 2 7 A Church is being erected for the Christian Disciples, on ground fronting Great Kingstreet near its intersection with St. Andrewstreet, Dunedin. It will cost £BSO. The foundation stone of Holy Trinity Church, Port Chalmers, was solemnly laid on 7th day of June, by the Eight Keverend Samuel Tarratt Neville, M.A., Lord Bishop of the Diocese of Dunedin. A gale of blankets (by auction) took place at Wellington on June 2, when £I2OO was realised. The conduct of the notorious Plummer and others of the prisoner class confined in tho Mount Eden (Auckland) Stockade, has been so bad of late that it has been found necessary to increase the force of guards by three men. A number of Maoris have just returned to the Bay of Islands from a trip to Hokianga, whither they had gone to scrape the bones of Tamati Waka's brother. Bone scupinp must be hard work, for the Maoris drank 300 gallons of rum while engaged in it.

The Auckland papers state that the mental condition of Auckland in reference to shares is alarming, and that the orOA'd ut the corner

of Queen and Shortland streets is quite a spectacle, besides being a great nuisance not only to the shopkeepers but the public generally. At the Thames something of the same kind has occurred. The Bank of New Zealand corner is the focus of all the share dealing, and there or thereabout ia to be found any man that may be wanted who is afflicted with scrip on the brain. " Alburnias," " North Devons," " Central Italys," resound on all sides. During the day there are crowds at the offices of the different sharebrokers, an'l in the evening it is almost impossible to get near the telegraph office.