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Westport Times, Volume VI, Issue 999, 27 August 1872, Page 2

The residents in Lyttelton street, who contribute some .£3OO annually to the public revenues in the shape of License Fees, have applied to the Superintendent to authorise the formation of footpaths and the metaling of the street, offering to contribute £125 themselves if the Government will expend an equal amount thereon. The reply received has been that the Provincial Engineer will be directed to report thereon, but the Superintendent fears that all moneys voted for public works in Westport have been already expended or appropriated.

Professor Haselmayer gave two mora magical seances on Friday and Saturday evenings at Sheahan's Theatre Koyal, attracting good audiences an. each occasion; especially on Saturday, when the upper portion of the house was crowded to overflowing. He performed at Charleston last night, and will again to-night, and it is just possible tbat he may, on his return to We3tport give one more entertainment here. A suggestion has been made that a Hospital Benefit performance would prove a success, but the Professor is already advertised to appear South, and the uncertainty attendant on the arrival and despatch of coasting steamers prevents any definite arrangements bein? concluded.

.We have received from .the Secretary to the Nelson Artisans Institute a letter, acknowledging, with thanks, the receipt of a regular file of the " Westport Times." Some, telegraph correspondence has taken place Mr George Donne, M.P.C. for Charleston, and the Superintendent of the Province. The former urged upon his Honor's attention the necessity existing for an amendment or adaptation of the law with respect to beach claims, and the increasing importance of this particular industry. The telegraphic reply of the Superintendent is as follows • —"I hive not forgotten the promise made by meat Charleston respecting, beach, claims. I consider legislation nee3S3ary, and shall endeavor to introduce provisions in the new Goldfields Act now before Parliament. In any ease, the new Act is so different in most of its provisions from the existing law, that entirely new regulations will have to be framed should it pass. Either in the Act, or in.regulations under it, and probably in both. 4 will endeavor to meet the views of the miuers respecting beach claims." A telegram has been received stating that excellent stone has been struck in the Energetic claim, Adam Smith's line of reef.

The friendly raffle got up by the Westport Lodge of Oddfellows for the benefit of Bro. A. Brown, resulted in the prize falling to the holder of ticket No. 24, who has not yet made application for his property. What will he do with it ? Mr Stafford moved that the House receive the report exonerating Mr O'Conor, with great satisfaction. Mr Fox seconded the motion, Query—Who now gets the- honorable members' vote.? Hasalmayer and his magical feats will be a nine days wonder, but he was decidedly posed the other morning by one of our redoubtable draymen. His mystery boxes were ready for carriage to the wharf, but the professor's and drayman's ideas as to cartage rates did not coincide. The knight of the whip cut the argument short by saying '* well conjure them away if you can, but wizard or devil, or what you are, I thirik you'll want my dray, and the price is so much." The professor subsided gracefully. A miner in one of the Auckland mines, lost £2 in a most singular manner; he was desired by one of the men below to send down some paper to serve as wad. Putting his hand in his pocket he sent down all the 10030 paper he he had. The shot was duly fired. The men left the mine, and when searching for the £2 conld not find it; singular to say on going over the quartz, the next day, he discovered thorn all safe, only a little smoked. They had been used as a wad. The Stafford Town correspondent of the ' West Coast Times' says that as a proof of the faith which miners have in ground in Callaghan's Gully, Waimea, may be mentioned the case of the Enterprise Company (HamHton and party), who commenced operations in tunnelling in October 1870, and continued until April, 1872, by which time they bad driven their tunnel 2300 ft. They then struck payable washdirt on a rise 30ft above the drive, but owing to the want of funds they had to suspend operations. They have now made a call of £ls a share, and intend importing iron rails and trucks from Victoria, when, with the aid of a horse, they will be able to work with despatch. They have succeeded in securing a special claim of sis acres, the most of which they believe will be payable, as the prospects obtained are quite satisfactorv. There is no doubt that succ ess is, at all events, well deserved by the Enterprise Company. Ruefton is likely to be well supplied with coal, so says the • Herald.' two valuable seams have been opened, one to the north and trie other to south of the township. Applications for leases have been forwarded to the Superintendent, but no reply has been yet received as to whether or not they will be granted. The return applied for in the House of Representatives shows the amount of money paid -to newspapers for Government advertisements as follows :— Thames Guardian, £B3 3s 6d; 'Advertiser,' £7 17s 6d ; Independent, £731 ; ' Post,' £4OB ; Eawkes' Hay Mertdd, £136; * Telegraph.' .£SB; Colonist, £482 15s 8d; * Examiner,' £SB; Lyttelton Times, £415; 'Press,' L 28 4; Boss News, L6l; • Guardian' L 3; Grey River Argus, L 351 ; -Grey Star.' Lls.[We Italicise the Government supporters.] The totals show to Government supporters L 2264 19s 2d ; to the independent, or opposition press, L 833 17s 6donly. We learn that a crushing, at the Government battery, Rattray street, Dunedin, of two tons of quartz from the Shamrock claim (Doyle and Co.'s), Dunback district, yielded loz 17dwt 19gr of gold, or very near 19dwt per ton. The reef from which this stone was taken is three and a-half feet thick. A shaft is intended to be sunk to the depth of fiOft, at which depth the reef will be worked.

The Thames ' Star' in apologising for a report of the Thames Scottish Volunteers Anniversary Ball Baysi—"The above report we have been compelled to compile from what we could gather from those who attended the ball. Wo sent our reporter there, and expected something good from hira, but on waiting upou bim this morn*

ing in his bedroom, we found him in a state of sleep from which it was hopeless to wake him. Prom the position of various articles about his room we were able to perceive that on his return home ho had hung his clothes up on the floor, endeavoured to extinguish the candle with a bouquet holder, which he had procured the Lord knows where, and which now lies at this office for identification, and finally had taken an imaginary and most refreshing drink of water from his left boot. Under these circumstances we were compelled to act as stated above.

The ' Foresters Monthly Journal' states that the hall recently erected by the London United District, at a cost of some £16,000, will be required for the Mid-Lon-don Railway. It also mentions that the Ancient Order of Foresters have increased their numbers by 19,589 during the past year, while the sum of £96,000 bus been added to the reserve fund of Courts and Districts. Taking into account Juvenile Societies and the Second Degree (the Ancien.t Order of Shepherds), the members now number more than half a million, having funds invested to the extent of £1.527,939 as a provision against sickness and death.

From the Gape papers, by the barque Birchgrove, which arrived on the 23rd ult., at Melbourne, matters at the diamo.id fields are represented as feecomieg every day more disorderly. Bobberies were frequent and daring, and calls on the Government for protection were urgently advanced. Business was said to be overdone, the briskest trade that was carried on being in guns, which realised from six to seven pounds apiece. From fifty to sixty were bjing sold daily, but as a, parcel of three thousand was expected to arrive hourly, it was believed that the price would soon fall. In the Resident Magistrate's Court, at Hokitika on the 23rd instant, George Henry Chamberlain, charged, on a second count, with having feloniously and burglariously entered a store, and stolen certain articles therefrom, was brought up on remand. Inspector James stated that he was willing that the information should be withdrawn, as it would be competent to bring the ease before the Supreme Court should sueh a course be deemed necessary. The information was then withdrawn. The prisoner on the previous day having, in addressing the Court, said that the property mentioned in the information, had already been alluded to in the evidence of witnesses in other cases which had been heard befo-e the Court, consequently a new oha-ge could not be entertained.