OUR WEST COAST LETTER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10306, 13 March 1895, Page 2

OUR WEST COAST LETTER.

(FnoM Ouk Own Corhkspondent.) Grkymouth, February 28,

" TUB TAMMANY RING." The blood coursing iv the veins of the lineal descendant of the illustrious soldiers who,ran at Vinegir Hill—Mr Richard Reeves, now a i leading member of the Westport Harbour | Board—rose up to boiling point last Tuesday, j the cause being that a certain expert officer of that marine corporation, and a popular citizen : of Wefltport (Mr James Jamie3on), had dared [ to air bin opinions by dubbing his lords and i masters (.'.ho W. H. B.) a " Tammany Riug," i and for this terribly heinous offence the mera- ! her aforesaid, calling up thi) heaviest, the ! blackest, and the most cheek-blanching frowns, thundered forth in Jove-like accents the almost still-born motion —"That Mr J. Jamicson ba dieehatged from thsempioyof the board." The seconder uprose in the perron of Mr Nahr, a popular brewer whoce ambers are highly , relished up and down the Coast, and whoso ox- j ■ cuse was that Mr Jamieson bad only equivo- , cated and shuffled by way of apology. Luckily j - for our friend, the offending Jamieson, the f . other members took nn opposits view of the ! I matter, considering ha had made suitable j ' reparation, and more especially as Mr J. him- j j self remarked at the meeting that he thought j : the matter might be allowed to drop. Finally j ; the old Biiller' lion, heaving up bis tawny sides, i j advised the board to take no further notice of j I the darned fhing, a happy thought which ] \ Battled the difficulty and made everybody, Mr J. in particular, almost besido themselves with joy. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS. The Tariff Cotnmissiouera are signalising themselves jr.st now by proposing to take a trip to the important city of Hokitika, for the express purpose of "'aking evidence",; whereat the natural inquiry arises, " From whom ara they going to take evidence ; aud on what ? " This puts me in mind of a certain coterie who once upon a time appointed themselves to go a distance of 20 odd miles to inquire into the serious charge made against one poor old indigent receiving cuaritaole aid from their board, and who had been guilty of eating kippered herring. The deputation only cost £12 10s, and the kippered rhh one colonial roborfc.

When at S:affordtown last wesb, the spot | where " Seddon euchred the bushrangers'' wag pointed out (o me. IS happened in this way : —One cloudy afternoon, when the sixties were in the youth of old age, fouud Dick Seddon, a jolly picker, on the downward track from Stßiford to Hokitika with pockets full of money, with saddle-bags empty, with heart light and strong, and armed with a little "barker." Just at this particular time men began to mysturiously disappear under unaccountable circumstances, which nnde travellers careful. " Well," Dick used to remark, "I always felt a bit queer, you know, on the dowa track, bocause everybody knew I carried tb,o gilt for the suppling I was supposed to bring back next day. I had just git to a lonely part of the pack track, where the buna grew particularly dense, the tall pine trees overhanging the track making a dull day yet more sombre. Mindful of 'possible contingencies' I kept a sharp lookout, and pressntly my vigilance was rewarded. At a sharp turn I suddenly saw a chain or so ahead, a man right in the track; he eyed me for a moment, and then disappeared behind a large pine tree to the right. Taking my revolver in hand, I proceeded on, and on reaching the tree I coolly eyed the stranger, and he mo. He bad a thick, bushy black beard, and ho answered not my salutation as I passed by—a course of procedure which made me auspicious. After gettiDg past a few yards, I beheld another man— a s&ndy-complexioned fellow—on the track ahead. He also eyed me, and like the firet eccentric also disappeared. It was then I felt I waa in a fix, for whilst my attention might be rivetted on the man in front I felt it would bo easy for the man behind to take a pot shot at me wero he so minded. However, halting not in my gait, I Boon came opposite Stranger No. 2, and, like his mate, ha did not reply to my time of doy, but he eyed my little barker, of which I made a free flourish, and I was allowed to puss on unmolested. I afterwards saw both men in the dock being tried for their lives ; one of them, the sandy-whiskered roan—Sull'ivhh —was tenderiog Queen's evidence, whilst the other shob poisoned arrows at him. He wes Burgess. I cannot understand why they did not stick me

up." The reef at the Pnparoa Range (Grey Valley) is looking well. The surveyor (Mr Houston, who had just returned from the locality) informed me last Saturday that the prospectors had driven od it for abaufc hall a chain; that tilers was a solid body of quartz 4-ffc thick which showed payable gold from wall to wall, and that this is tue first true reef yet met with at Langdon's. The surveyed line of rsef shows a direction ft f3w points off east tud wesb, and the underlie is to the north, in which last direction the P-iparoa Rinse rireo very abruptly for a height of over 1000 ft above the level of the rich outcrop ia the Victory mine orprospectors' lease. Since the recent crushing, which yielded 20oz of gold to the ton, the Greymouth folk aro all agog snd have taken to building golden castles in the air, hoping for great things from this quarter. So far there are six licensed holdings taken up under the following names:— The Victory, Julian, Joyce, Church, Feary, and Doering; and as active prospecting continues people anxiously await fresh developments. Is in said that in the event of the Julian striking the reef 40ft deeper than the present level, a large and permanent quartz field would result.

That very excellent divino (tbe Rev. Mr York, incumbent of St. Paul's Church, Greymouth) was made the victim of misplaced confidence the other day. Last week a youcg fellow, having a plessant countenance, goodtonod voice, and gentlemanly manners, plied a double knock on the entry door and in reply to the waiting maid's natural query he promptly announced himself as the son of Bishop Cowie. He was not orjly spaedily admitted, but as was most natural and proper, he wss made heartily welcams—in fact, he was treated right royally by tho Rev. Mr York, who introduced him to his own immediate set, by whom he was received with open arms, one leading light of the circle goiog the length of getting up a tea party for the benefit of the " eon of Bishop Cowie." But, alas !it was here that the serpent crept into the Eden of this touring scion of an illustrious house ; for whilst the highlyfavoured gueat sat at meat, the centre of attraction, behold ! there cams into the house, and even sat in the very nest room, a real live bishop—Bishop Wilson, of Melanesia. In course of conversation, therefore, what more natural thaa that thellev. Mr York should impart to that eminent e3ciesiastic the important information that he had " a son of Bishop Cowie's staying in tho house?"—"A son of Bishop Cowie's ? Why, I left thsm both in Auckland. Some mistake, surely."—" No mistake. Percy Cowie isiu the next room," smiled the reverend host.—" Come, doscribe him to me," incredulously replied tlie Bishop of Melanesia.—" Pair eotnplexioned, light moustache, height about sft 2in!" promptly answered Mr York.— "Ah," said the bishop, "well Percy Cowie happens ta be dark, with black moustache, and he mea3u?es 6ffi 2iu !" Result : Toe reverend host aud guest repair to the next room, and with profuse apologies for interrupting, the following conversation ensues : —Hostess (who had arranged the party for the bishop's son): "Dear me, Percy Cowie, do you know you have changed very little 6inco I last saw you ia your father's home in Auckland." —Percy: " My dearmadam, pray excuse me for remarking that you positively look younger since that remote period. I immediately recognised yon the moment I came the room!" — Hostess (sweetlysmiliDgall around on the expestant circle) : "'The dear boy! " Percy was then invited to step out one aiomenfc into the study vi'h the Bi'hop of Melanesia and the Rev. Mr York. Headless to say he never wenii back to the drawiug room, and the explanation tha expectant ladies obtained was the startling announcement made shortly by the Bis-hop of Melanesia that they had been entertaining—not Percy Cowie, son and heir of Bishop Cowie, of Auckland ; but a smart Gray Valley tailor ! who was at that particular moment getting out of town as speedily as bis active legs could take him ! Tableaux ! Since the lightning-like slide of this "Percy Cowie," the tailor, soma few fecta have come out about hi in showing that in his realistic personation of Percy Cowie, heir-at-law of all the worldly possessions of h!3 Lordship, the Bishop of Auckland, he has been having a high old time of it. For instance, bsforo his "advent " to the York circle, lliia " artist" is accredited with having visited a somewhat remote corner of the parish and "opened" a tennis club, held divine service in tho "chapel", "examined" a Sunday school, been cordially invited out to infinite teas by portly, fiatterable dames with elegible daughters on tip-toe of expectation, was driven in tbe bast drag all over the district by the nabob of the village, who was only too proud to t.s seen " along wi' to' young nobleman " ; in fact, he was toasted by the old meu, blessed by elderly matrons, ogled and caressed by all the youth, and beauty of Hatter's Terrace, and perpetually eyed with interest as some kind of bright b:'ing from the better world by the little ones. Then he " adwented" to Greymauth, and during his stay at the mausc was taken by the chairman of the locil echool committee all through the State school, whero he expresfed himself as "highly satisfied " with everything be saw. Now he U touring Westlnnd taking " Your measure, sir, for a suit," and introduces himself aa "a personal decorator."

The Kumara folk, having determined a week ago to gob np Easter races, find that their money would not allow them to comply with the strict lettsr of the law as laid down in tho rales of tha metropolitan club, but they got over the difficulty by seudiDg two very popular members (Messrs Pearn and Burger) to interview tha Gccymouth metropolitan club, the result being thnfc everything was satisfactorily arranged, and Kumara races take pl&ca on March. 22 and 23.

List Saturday the Hon. the Premier and party arrived at. Kumara. Mr Seddoti is to bs presented by the; residents with a substantial oak cabinet containing handsome cutlery and engraven silver plate, while Mre Seddou wiil be the recipient of several valuable r. ilver artielea suitably inscribed. The Hokitika folk have determined on handing Mr Seddon a purse of sovereigns about the 4-th proximo. Colonel Vox is again on the Coast terrifying tho volunteers and threatening heavy fines in case of a!>?e ces. Last Sunday a ('!. .iimin, getting tired oE this humdrum st'ifcu, juuipe.d off the Grey month . wharf into tho river, bat Sliding the water i " weily cold," ho swam under the planking and j sat shivering antride of a croastroa from 5 a.m. 1 till about 8 o'clock, when he was rescued by the j police nad lodged in the Hokitika Asylum. j News has jasb come to town of a fresh dis- j novery in quartz up at the Blackball. I have I ju>t seen atone said to come from the lode, which is Siu thick. The ttoae prospeois about 2oz of goid to ttw ton, and efforts aro now being made to thoroughly prospect the measure. There is t'oubla at the Blackball (Grey Valley), all the colliers and artisans having been, an it were, locked out, because the former struck for higher rates »nd the mineownets ace obdurate. What makes it harder for the htwers is that they have only been getting half time. Hokihinui rejoices over the move of the Railway department in taking over their railway, and the consequent settlement o£ the haulage difficulty. Brunnerton burns to go in for a loan to liquidate a certain liability on the " Waihend " suspension bridge, said structure being a span I over the Gioy river which divides BrunnerI ton from Taylorville, the same having baen "manufactured" by the Brunnertou city fathers at a cost cf something like £0000. Messrs Guinness and Kitchonham, an eminent legal firm, haviDg beeu approached on the subject, opine that the loan would be ultra ■virci. Mr Guinness, as member for the district, however, comes to tbe rescae, and suggests that Brunnerton should go in for a private bill, and I suppose that course will ba adopted.