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Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1114, 22 February 1872, Page 2

The Premier remained at Ahaura over Sunday, and on Monday, in company with the Warden and other gentlemen, he Waited everything worth visiting in the locality, and took several pencil sketches of the stfenery around the town. On Monday morning Mr Fox, accompanied by Mr Whitefcord, Inspector Shallcrass, and others, left Ahaura for Beefton. On arriving at the Old Man's Clearing, where the new tracks to Reefton branch from the present road, the party forwarded the horses to Reefton in charge of Constable Jeffries, and started over the new track on foot. Mr Fox will thus persona'ty test the practicability of the new route. The south-east gale which was blowing for tho last three days broke yesterday morning, and some slight showers fell, to the -m»^»v~A>i;gU<p *>C «.. ..^Juoto-tur^cUe live of Tainui street, who for two days and nights were surrounded by fire. The fire gradually died out during Tuesday night, and yesterday tho most of the houses were quite' safe, but many of them had. very narrow escapes during the two previous days and nights. On Tuesday another large bush fire broke out on the flat aboyo Coal Creek in the vicinity of the Victoria Saw-mill, caused by one of the adjacent settlers very thoughtlessly or selfishly setting fire to a section of fallen timber with a gale of wind blowing. The result was that between 40 and 50 chains of .tramway were burned, and the mill was only saved after a. severe struggle on tho part of the men employed there. At the JRcaident Magistrate's Court yesterday, a complaint for assault was made against George Glenn by Robert Kattle, but the case was dismissed, as was also an information for abusive language between the same parties. At Invercargill, a public meeting has been held, and a committee formed, for the purpose of obtaining subscriptions towards tho Flood Belief Fund, Greymouth. At Boss some gentlemen are preparing for a concert in aid of the same object. In Greyjaonth itself, a dramatic performance in aid of tho fund )B to be given on Friday, the Ist proximo. The Flood Relief Committee met last night at Gilraer's Hotel. Mr F. Hamilton in the chair. A number of applications for relief were received, considered, and disposed of, the sum of LSO having been voted amongst the several applicants. The Committee meet to-morrow evening, atthesame time and place, for the purpose . of considering a number of applications that have been deferred from previous meetings. A very excellent muster again rewarded Murray's troupe at their performances last night, and each part of the programme elicited frequent bursts of applause. The walking of young Master Murray, who went a fair heel and toe walk round thn ring in less than ten minute?, was well worth seeing. All, however, was very good. We see the company performs to-night, and would strongly advise all who have not yet seen them to pay them a visit. A fatal accident is reported by the West Cooml Times to have occurred on Tuesday afternoon at the Cassius claim at Ross, to a man named Vann, brother of the manager. Vann was in the cage at the bottom of the shaft, and was leaning out of it pulling the signal rope for hauling up the cage. IJefore he could recover himself the cage was pulled up, and his head coming in contact *fith the cap piece of the drive, he was doubled up with his he-id downwards, and in that position he was jammed up between the ca«e and the wall of the abaft, until tbe cage had proceeded some fifty or Bixty feet, when he fell to the bottom. He lived for about an hour, and died in great agony. At the summer meeting of the pedestrians of Melbourne, which, took place on the Melbourne Cricket Ground recently, exceedinglygood time was made in all tbe races. The 100 yards was run in lOsec ; the quarter •mile was done in 4min 40sec, the winner having 55 yards start. A walking match between the Melbourne champion, Lyall, and a man from New Zealand named Sullivan, resulted .in Lyall being declared the winner ; Sullivan, although he passed the post first, being disqualified for breaking into a run during ihe contest. The matchT was for L2O, but tbe: distance was not stated. The half-mile race was run in 2min 63ec; the 150 yards in 15sec; and the 300 yards in 32jsec; the: winner having 10 yards start. A late telegram reported the result of a < crushing of quartz at a place called Porto- : bello. This Portobello is the beautiful settle- j ment situated on the shores of Port Otago, ' a few miles within the Heads. No suspicion ■■ of this being an auriferous piece of country ■ seems to have been entertained, but those who were residents of Dunedin or Port

Chalmers some years ago may remember that, at a point not far distant from Portobello, Captain Toogood, of the/wrecked steamer "Victory, imagined that he^h/aid discovered' a reef.^* This discovery Was made oh* the rising ground to the eastward of Wickcliffe Bay, but was never followed up by any further examination of the country. Of the present discovery, the Portobello correspondent of the Daily Tivies says:— "l nave heard, from ono of the shareholders, that the company formed some time since to prospect a iuartz reef discovered in this district, is meeting with very decided success. Something fiko a ton of stone was taken from a shaft sunk 15ft into the reef, and sent to Melbourne to bo crushed. The result was 22dwt to the ton, which was much in excess of the anticipations entertained." A recent Thames Guardian contains the following interesting disclosures : — "Some interesting passengers have taken their departure by the Hero. Two ladies have been sent off to avoid their evidence in a divorce case pending. There is one runaway lady j and two ladies claiming to be, or passing as, the wives of one mar, accompany him nolens volens. In each case . the shipment was effected with true woman's tact." The Iliverfcon correspondent of the SoiUhland News, in one of his recent letters, says :— Some six years ago I was prospecting the West Coast from Jackson's Bay to Preservation Inlet, and in one of the sounds met with a small seam of a green mineral which I took to be copper. On showing some specimens to Professor Black and Mr Bruuton, both gentlemen at once pronounced them to be tin ore, and subsequently proved them so by conclusive tests. I mention the fact simply as proving the necessity for a scientific examination of the mineral indications so often met -with on the West Coast of New Zealanc 1 Three pealing boats belonging to Eiverton returned from the West Coast on the 2nd instant, after an absence of five months, during which time 745 skins were taken. They report having experienced most of the time. a succession of gales from the N.W. andW., and that they were only able to work the caves at the Cascade for-two days. They had to haul their boats up at Harmony Cove and walk to the place ; in fact, the principal resorts of the seals could not be reached except by walking along the beach. In returning, some diggers' tents were seen near Bell Point, south of Martin's Bay. There is no news as yet from Messrs Brown and Seymour, who left Eiverton some weeks since with a party for the Snares, on a sealing cuise, provisioned for nine months.