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Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 855, 29 August 1871, Page 2

As far as ca,n be at present determined, the English mail via San Francisco will be despatched from Westport on Friday at noon. At Reofton, the fine weather having set in, things are beginning to have a more cheerful appearanco; mining operations are prosecuted with vigor ; town allotments are in considerable demand, and several cases were heard in court lately arising out of persons having jumped sections. A trial crushing of one ton of stone taken from Smith's prospecting claim gave a yield of 3oz 6dwt Bgr of gold as the result; and it is stated, by some of the most experienced miners, thad quartz taken indiscriminately from this cliiiin, will average 2ozs to the ton. It is said the shareholders intend to erect machinery on the ground very shortly. Cooney and party have exposed the reef on tho west side of Smith's prospecting, claim, and after scraping away the moss, found a face of gold-bearing quartz 12 feet in depth. A communication has been received by Sergeant Kiely from sergeant Goodall of Cobden, the latter, .writing under date Aug. 20th, in respect to an inquest held on the body of Joseph O'Neil, found on the Twelve Mile beach, Cobden, on tho 17th instant; He states that since the inquest'doubts have arisen as to whether the body really is. that of O'Neil. Some assert that it is and others maintain the contrary. ' Tho following is the description of the body found and the clothe ing:—Height, about sft lOin; age, about 45; stout build ; dark brown hair (rather long behind); beard, whiskers, and moustache—whiskers, slight—beard, rather short iind turning grey ; features disfigured. A t;ock and a Wellington boot comprised the only clothing found on the corpse. The boot ia a size 8 and has been soled with pegs ; there are twelve steel sprigs on the inside of the toe and no other nails except on the heel. The boot is on view at the police station, Cobden. The correspondent concludes by suggesting that the body might be that of some person known in the Buller district. A petition in favour of tho Permissive Bill, signed by 1650 inhabitonts of the electoral district of Hokitika, has been presented to the House of Repiesentatives by Mr White. The town of Hokitika contains 3500 inhabitants, of whom nearly 1000 are children, and it supports 98 licensed houses, besides a large number of sly grog shops. Westland, with a population of 15,000, supprrts 300 licensed houses, besides the sly grog shops.

The Premier was to introduce an Education Bill on Tuesday night last. The measure was to be a compulsory one. A committee has reported against the petition from the Kanieri, praying that mining machinery and claims be exempted from Road Board rates. A public meeting has been convened by the Rev. Messrs Flavell and White to bo held at the Institute, Charleston, on Wednesday evening next, for the purpose of considering a general educational scheme. On Saturday, the "Warden's Court was occupied until evening in tho hearing of an action for encroachment between Davidson and party, miners, complainants, and Stephen Watson and party defendants, all of Giles Terrace. The sum sought to be recovered was .£2OO, the alleged value of about 1000 feet of ground, tho area of the alleged encroachment. Mr Home conducted the case for the complainant, and Mr Pitt defended. A vast amount, of evidence was produced on each side. It was clearly proved that the ground had been worked out, and the evidence showed that it must have been worked by the defendants. Tho sole point, however, upon which the case rested was as to the prior pegging. Tho complainants took up the ground in November, 1870, marked it out, and erected tall corner pegs. At the time they pegged out tho defendants' pegs were not visible. They had not applied to the defendants for their pegs, nor did the latter object to their marking out the ground. A material witness for the complainants, John Watson, had sold out and left the district. For the defence, it was shown that the alleged encroachment formed a portion of the defondants' claim pegged by them in October, a month previous to the pegginc by the complainants. The circumstance of their pegs not being seen by the complainants at the time they pegged out was explained by their ground overlapping considerably the complainants boundary line, the pegs thus readily escaping the observation of the latter. After an extended .hearing, and the examination of numerous witnesses, the Warden gave judgment for the defendants with i>l3 18s costs.

In tho R.M. Court, Westport, on Saturday, last, judgment was'given in the interpleader case of Wardrop v. Braithwaite. His Worship did not consider that there was any circumstance in connection with tho transfer of the dam from Rodden to Wardrop which could lead him to set it aside ; the bailiff must, therefore, withdraw in favour of Wardrop, Braithwaite paying costs. He might add that had the sale been held invalid, the registration of the dam having been permitted by Rodden to lapse, and Wardrop having obtained a new registration for tho same it would have been a question for argument, whether Wardrop's clAiin could be overthrown.

The mercantile navy of Canada is now the fourth largest in the world, being exceeded only by those of Great Britain, tho United States, and France. Probably there are no two words which more disinctly point out cause and consequence than these—gin and bitters.

Every unmarried lady of 40 has passed the Cape of Good Hope. A liberal translation of " tcmpus fiiffit " is " few get time."