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Westport Times, Volume VII, Issue 1107, 16 September 1873, Page 2

The very tempestuous weather prevailing for the last few days has stopped all steamers from showing up, and the Nelson boats will hardly keep during the present week to their advertised dates of arrival and departure. The Wanganui boats need not be expected until the bad weather abates, and, meanwhile, housekeepers who find the butchers stores bare of beef, must be thankful for small mercies in the shape of mutton, of which a good supply is still at command.

In the absence of Mr W. S. Munday fvom the Customs Department, Mr LeNauze has been appointed Deputy Registrar of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, for the Westport district. There was a good attendance at Dr Carr's phrenological and mesmeric seance on Friday evening last, and the audience evidently went home gratified. The lecture on Man v. Gorilla, clearly yet succinctly set forth the diverse theories of Huxley and Darwin on the origin of man, and then branching off into the collateral subject of phrenology, elucidated with familiar illustrations and apt remarks the theories of Gall, Spurzheiui, Combe, and others as to the function of the brain, the lecturer introducing some special remarks upon the recent scientific discoveries made by Perrier. Thereafter a dozen or so of willing subjects presented themselves on the stage to have their " bumps felt," and were astonished, if not gratified, to find their peculiarities hit ofF with wonderful fidelity. The concluding part of the entertainment consisted of mesmeric manifestations, and the eccentricities of the two subjects called at willfromtho audience were highly diverting. On Friday next Dr Carr gives his final lecture previous to leaving for Nelson ; the subject being Love, Courtship, and Matrimony. Blenheim has been visite 1 with another flood, more severe and of longer duration than that recently experienced, and causing greater damage. It has been suggested that as the only means to prevent future inundations the whole site of Blenheim should be raised some few feet, as very much more substantially-built towns have been in America.

Messrs Churches, Cassius, Evanj, Bailie, and Pollock have been elected directors of the Caledonian Mining Company and the office of the company has been removed to Hokitika.

The progress of public works has made loose cash somewhat plentiful in Greymouth, which fact, combined with the opening of several new public houses, has had the effect of increasing drunk and disorderly Ecferring to the fact that a batch of eight were had up on one morning, the Argus says : —There was no reason adduced in the evidence for this unusual number of charges, and people are left to the presumption that some of the laboring class are affluent in means and indigent in sense, or that there was some free shouting, or—what is far more probable—that tkero is sold in the town some of tho most abominable liquor with which a human being can poison himself.

We have been furnished with a printed statement of public accounts for the laat

financial year. There is a large number of "fancy" expenditures, which throw considerable light as to how tho money goesAmong these over .£22,000 has been expended for "general expensos" in the Legislative departments. For passages of members, £1692 j expenses of members, £9753; reporters, .£1450; printing of Hansard, £2375; library, .£3Ol ; contingencies, £1234. In almost every instance, and all the departments, expenditure is in excess of appropriation, and this excess is supplied from sources not stated. Protection has been granted to Louis Pensini, for five years for a tramway, to be constructed from the junction of the Buller and the Lyell, to the Lyell township. An attempt is about to be made in Wanganui to cultivate the sorghum saccharatum, a nutritious and profitable green todder for cattle, grown with success in Australia.

The air-pipe of the diving apparatus bursting nearly caused the death by suffocation of Watson the diver, while exploring h mining claim at Ross. Mr Malfroy who fortunately understood the full extent of the danger, gave prompt instructions for the diver to be brought to the surface, and when arriving there and the helmet being unscrewed, he was found to be insensible, and very nearly suffocated. He has now nearly recovered. A bold attempt at infringement upon the banking monoply of gold buying has been made in the Totara District. The loca 1 banks having reduced the price of gold from £3 17s 9d to £3 16s 6d, a Mr Lopas, storekeeper at Donoghues, offers ,£3 16s (id for as much gold as ever miners choose to bring him. The possible chances of other trade across the counter may possibly compensate the speculator for any risk of loss by his gold transactions.. At the Resident Magistrate's Court, Ahaura, recently, an inebriate who had disregarded the majesty of the law, dis turbing the solemnity of the Court the previous day by falling asleep, snoring, and vociferating to the policeman who awoke him, that he " had paid for all his drinks, missus," was fined ten shillings, or twentyfour hours' imprisonment. The fine was paid, with a donation from the defendant to the poor box.

Mv Frederick Brandt, storekeeper, at the Lauding, has now taken the management of the punt at the junction of the Inangahua river. Owing to the traffic having so greatly fallen off on the Buller road within the past few months, the former proprietor (Mr Langdon), -who had been at great expense in constructing the punt, anticipating nothing less than a success was obliged to succumb to circumstances. This is the more to be regretted from the fact that he has been singularly unfortunate of late, having not long since, in quick succession, met with heavy losses in connection with punts on other rivers. The Inangahua Herald says:—The Buller road is now in thorough condition as far as Christy's, and workmen are engaged at different stations along the line keeping it repair. A branch road to Boatmans is very much needed, as the present bush track is in a most deplorable state of mud and slush ; so much so, as to be dangerous for horse traffic. Some time since a petition was forwarded to his Honor the Superintendent, signed by most of the inhabitants, urging the immediate construction of a permanent road or pack track; but as yet no reply has been received in respect to this important work.

A preliminary meeting have been held at Greymouth to organise a cricket club. Experts with the willow wand in Westport might follow the example. The annual ploughing match under the auspices of the Grey Valley Agricultural Association will come off to-morrow, weather permitting, at Totara Flat. The owners of quite a respectable number of teams have signified their intention to compete, and the contest is looked forward to with keen expectation by the local farmers.

The police at Greymouth have been striking out anew line of self-huposed d :ty, and brought upon themselves well deserved censure. A woman made complaint that a person named Muirhead had shown her an obscene print; whereupon the police, although a month had elapsed between the alleged commission of the offence and the complaint, made a domiciliary visit at the home of accused, searched his boxes, taking therefrom an album with some harmless picture of Lady Godiva therein, and taking the owner in custody. The Magistrates dismissed the charge A correspondent of the Southern Cross says : —" Cut your soiled paper collars into strips for tapers. They burn slowly, and are not easily extinguished." An auctioneering mania, the Herald reports, prevails at Wanganui. There are now seven auctioneers in that town, besides two in neighbouring districts.