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Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1150, 13 February 1874, Page 2

The Rev. Joseph White, pastor of the Methodist Free Church, after a residence of eight years on the West Coast, will leave h«rH in a few days, we believe, to exchange with the Rev. Mr Taylor, of Waipawa, Ilawkes Bay. On Sunday evening next he preaches a farewell sermon, and we doubt not that very many besides the members of his congregation, who a Imire and respect the reverend gentleman for his thorough earnestness in his holy vocation and sterling worth of character, will attend the service as a slight expression of their esteem. He has had many difficulties to contend with while labomintrin this mission, and in persevering has won success, and now, in departing to a more extended sphere of usefulness, may rest assured that many outside the circle of his immediate acquaintance will fervently wish him God speed. A "Wellington telegram gives the following as an outline of the special settlement scheme now being discussed by Mr Vogel and the Superintendent of Westland : —A special settlement of 100,000 acres, 50,000 to be set apart for 250 families, equal to 1000 adults. The balance is to be made a forest reserve, and retained by the Government. Each adult to purchase 21 acres in seven years. Government to had employment for not more than 200 adults at one time. No adult to be employed for more than one year. The Government is only to cut. down timber, and in the proper season. They offer sites to persons to erect sawmills, on condition that they purchase timber at certain prices, The cost of placing immigrants on land is to bo defrayed by the Government, the Provincial Government to guarantee a refund in seven years, unless the land be taken under the Immigration and Public Works Act.

A ludicrous circumstance (says tha Westland Register of the 4th) occurred in the District Court, just after the jury had been empannelled in the case of the Queen v. Egan. The learned Crown Prosecutor, who had risen from his seat for some purpose, accidentally moved his chair, and coming back, he gravely sat down where hi 3 chair ought to have been, the result of which operation was that his heels Hew into the air, his hew off, and his body disappeared froin the astonished g'aze of the twelve good men and true in the box opposite him. This contretemps excited the laughter of the Court, which the evidently forced look of indifference assumed by the learned gentleman did not allay. The Greyrnouth Mail says : —Of late an exodus of swag'smen has been taking place from the West to the East Coast, and scarcely a day passes without drawing some of our population away. This is by no means a healthy sign.

The West Coast Times states that an important gold discovery has been made in the vicinity of the Eanieri Lake Race. The prospector states that there are eight feet of dirt, which will average two pennyweights to the load. To parents possessing a redundancy of oiive branches the following advertisement, clipped from the Hokitika Star, may be interesting :—"A lady would be willing to adopt a boy from four to live years old—if the parents will legally renounce alt future care or claim to the child. Mutual silence must be observed. Address 0.Z., Mr Hawkins' office, Hokitika.

A preliminary meeting of a few Vestport residents was held at the Post Office Hotel last evening to decide on arrangements for some public testimony of respent to the memory of the late Mr Kyimersley. It has been decided to call a public meeting for Tuesday evening next to discuss the subject. The present idea is that a working committee should be appointed, and subscriptions obtained throughout the province to defray the cost of erecting a memorial structure.

Full shares in the Halcyon Company are still saleable at £3 % 20, but present holders show little inclination to part with their interest therein.

On Monday evening next the annual b'll of the Westport Volunteer Fire Brigade will be held at the Masonic Hall, and from the preparations already being made the event is likely to come off with great eclat. Previous to the ball the members of the Brigade purpose forming a torch-light procession, parading in full uniform, with engine, hose apparatus, band of music, and customary paraphernalia. Mr Walton Pell who was deputed some two or three months ago to blaze a line of route along the north bank of the Bullar from the end of the Nine Mile road to opposite Granger's Point, preparatory to a survey being made to decide whether a line of road would be best constructed on the north or on the south bank, reports very favorably on the latter. The gradients, cuttings, and crossings at streams he says may be all easily made, and the road, besides being a mile or two shorter than along the south bank, will also open up some extent of good agricultural country. It is the iutention of the District Engineer to get the line as blazed, by Mr Pell, chained off to decide the question of relative distances, and ho will also personally inspect the proposed route. The final decision as to which side of the river the road will bo ultimately made will not affect the contracts just now out for seven and a half miles of dray road between Christies and Old Hughes, nor will it prevent the completion of the present contract for improvements at Ohika Hill. It will be found that in a comparatively short time roads will bo needed as much on one side of the river as on the other, and present improvement of the existing track on the south bank should not interfere with new works on the north bank, if it can be clearly shown that such additional works are necessary and can be came 1 out with comparative cheapnsss. Mr Pell's flying survey has been the first step to prove this, and it may be presumed little delay will now occur in obtaining more technical and minute details.

A very great public convenience will be shortly supplied by Messrs Boyle and Green. They intend opening a livery stable, and will be ready at all times to furnish intending travellers with decent horseflesh eiti er for saddle or harness. The stables will be in Paimerston street, and the advantage of getting a steed to mount at a few minutes notice, will no doubt soon lead to a flow of custom.

The Charleston Herald says that some scoundrels, on the evening of the 3rd inst., committed a most disgraceful act, of a description rarely indulged in on the goldfields. On the evening of the 4th, about 6 o'clock, there came a rush of water into the claim of Mr O'Rourke, completely flooding it out and carrying away the proceeds of the day's washing, and the cloths from the tables, besides doing serious damage to the claim. There must have been a hundred

heads of water discharged into the claim when the rush of water occurred. On going up to the dam Mr O'Rourko found by its appearance, that the dam had been cut over the guage, and that the water mu t have been percolating through the dam wall until it had formed a hole large enough to cause the bursting of the dam. The same paper of-,the 7th inst. says:— We regret to hear that Mr William Sexton of Haines and party, met with a serious accident yestords.jmorning. It appears that the unfortunate man was engaged diving two loaded trucks, and the horse shying. Sexton made a rush to get to the brake, and the place where the trucks were at the time being narrow, one of the truck wheels caught him by the back of the leg, throwing him down, and, it is believed, breaking the leg. The sufferer was conveyed to the hospital where he was at once attended t ■ by Dr Henry.

The late news from the Lyell has caused a demand for Monte Christo's—now nominally quoted at 5s to 5s 6d. Very few sellers.

By private advices received a few days ago from the Lyell it appears that the Monte Christo Company, in their new tunnel, have struck exceedingly rich stone supposed to be a continuation of the Manna leader. The event has caused some excitement at the Lyell, and active speculation in shares has resulted.

Complaints are made daily that at German Terrace :fost Office inconvenience is occasioned by the too precise stickling at rules, and absurd affectation of authority indulged in by the newly appointed Postmaster. There is no doubt much to be said on both sides, but as many residents on the Terrace have signed a memorial to the Postmaster- General on the subject, there seems little doubt that some reason exists for their fault finding.

The telegraph line from Reefton to the Lyell is now nearly completed, the contractors having pushed on well with the work. They expect to have it ready for transmission of messages n«ct week. The road works at Ohika Hill are progressing, and it is just possible that if the weather proves favorable, the contractor will finish his work before the stipulated time.

Mining matters are improving in the the Brighton district, and all hands are now at work and anticipating good washings soon.

Messrs Sutton and Co. last week sold the claim known as M'Murohiri and party's for the sum of .£BS. The purchasers were Matheson and party, who now have the entire water rights of Limestone creek, which commands an extensive area of ground. The Charleston people are not alone in their complaints as to the inefficiency of the present mail service. The Brighton correspondent of the Charleston Herald says : It is time some change was made in our mail arrangements. Last Tuesday the mail was delivered here at half-past eleven o'clock; and thus only allowing half an hour in the week to answer our letters, surely there could be some arrangements made so that we could have our letters the night before, and thus give us time to answer them without having to wait a week to do so. The West Coast Times understands that in :11 probability Hokitika will be. supplied with gas within three months, and but for the delay which has occurred in forwarding a portion of the plant from Melbourne gas would have been turned into the mains within six weeks from the present time. The company have erected an extensive range of offices, which are well fitted up. The Inangahua Hei'ald says : That Messrs Shephard, Pitt, Shapter, (members of the Executive; and Lowther Broad, R.M., of Nelson, will take an early opportunity of visiting the Inangahua district. A very desirable regulation, which heretofore has been held in abeyance, as regards telegrams, has now been put in force. Receivers of messane3 on signing the receipts are expected to fill in the exact time at which such messages come to hand. An efficient check is thus ensured as to the prompt movements of the messengers.

The last issue of the Hokitika Exhibition News has come to hand. It contains a list of the prizes awarded. The only one coming to Westport is a free copy of the West Coatt Times for twelve months, given by Mr J. P. Klein, for best collection of ferns. Mr A. J. Green is the recipient. A young woman, named Eo?e Powell, has been committed for trial at the next sitting of the Supreme Court at Greymouth for attempting self destruction in the Grey River.

A correspondent of the Mail, writing from Ahaura, says that a dairyman at that place had his only stack of hay burnt, and a valuable cow crippled the same day last week. The unfortunate animal's leg had been broken with an axe or some similar weapon. The perpetrators of this outrage are not yet discovered, although the police are on the alert.

The Grey Argus of the 9th says* that an Saturday a telegram was received by his AVorsbip the Mayor from Mr Moriarty, stating that he intended to leave Auckland for Greymouth on the 16th instant. This information is most satisfactory, and wo have no doubt whatever that Mr Moriarty's visit will be of the greatest value to this place.

Speaking of the collapse of the New Zealand Coal Company, started in Wellington some months since, the Evening Post says : " The Company was justly expected to do great things in the way of developing our coal resources, but seems likely to die a natural dea'h, solely in consequence of the want of support and unanimity among its own members,, some of whom may possibly prefer to direct the anticipated profits into their own private pockets by carrying out personally the undertaking projected by the company, which thus shares the fate which seems the inevitable destined portion of all similar schemes initiated in this city." Remarks, by the way, applicable elsewhere than in the Empire city. The Greymouth Star says:—The dog crusade has been the means of ridding Greymouth of a horde of mongrels and causing the sudden and violent death of large numbers of vagrant animals. A wellknown character in the town has undertaken the role of canine executioner, and on one day during this week drowned no less than fourteen dogs of differeent degrees, stuffed as thickly as possible in bags weighted with heavy stones.