West Coast Times. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1866.

West Coast Times, Issue 130, 16 February 1866, Page 2

West Coast Times. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1866.

Tiv>2 Coroner's Inquest is a great institution that has ftome down to us from time immemorial ; but like many other great institutions of corresponding antiquity, • it is somewhat worne and rusty at tho joints Instead of serving the purpose of a good old honest court of justice, aiming at the elucidation of facts, however hard they, may press home upon individuals inculpated, it has beeomo a sort of delicate investigation in which matters arc conveniently and politely wrapped up so as not to wound tho feelings of parties, or trot out awkward facts to the public gaze. Sometimes, indeed, a low vulgar person is suspected of murder, and the Coroner can be very severe upon him, and the jury sententious and emphatic in their verdict.' Sometimes a case that has largely 'excited public curiosity, is not allowed to be disposed of without an elaborate enquiry and a sensational finding. But taking the ordinary run of cases, how many domestic tragedies arc hushed up, how many awkward episodes of social life smoothly gloossed over, in the inquest room ! Tho English law imperatively requires that no man who has died suddenly, o under circumstances of suspicion, shall bo allowed to l)e consigned to his last resting place in the grave ; that no remains of a human being found under, circumstances indicating an exceptional cause of death shall be buried oui of sight ; until tho whole story of the mystery is unravelled, so far as human wisdom can lay hold of and pursuo its thread. But half tho verdicts given in the inquest room are fictions. And not tho.least notable fiction is that which assigns so many sudden, and so many accidental, deaths to. the visitation of God. Wo speak reverently wl.en we recognise the fact, that the issues of lifo are in His bauds. Deaths resulting from causes other than natural disease and decay, belong to the inscrutable mysteries of Providence. But it would be as wise nnd appropriate to find a verdict of "Died by the visitation of God" in thd case of a man wilfully murdered, as it is in one half of the cases in which that finding, or some - •thing tantamount to it, is recorded in the Coroner's book. " Died by the neglect, if not tho wilful act of man," would in many a Kcoro of instances be a moio truthful verdict than " Died by the Visitation of God."

If Coroners and their juries were honest nnd earnest ; if they felt Tinder the Siiine solemn obligation to search out and declare the truth and the whole truth that operates upon the judge nnd jury of a Court of criminal procedure, we should find a verdict of manslaughter returned with awkward frequency against the Provincial Government, or tho paitioular member of it charged with the oversight of public works on t>\\\& coast. When a man is, drowned whilst in the pursuit of his legitimate and necessary calling', owing to the absence of the proper facilities for crossing the dangerous rivers of the gold coast ; when a skeleton is fouud in the bush, evidently the remains of some adventurer who lias perished by the way because no tracks were cleared and no precaution taken to aid the explorer; the verdict of Accidental Death, or Death from the visitation of God. is an insult to providenco ; a miserable and cowardly fiction resorted to fov the puvposo of wrapping up t*

righteous in the eye of God and mnn would be " Death from the Wilful Neglect of Government." The indifference to human life, on the part of those in authority, is reaching ft revolting extreme. Is it a proof of n certain demoralisation of society? Is it true that murders are more frequent now than in past times, and that they are compassed with more devilish art ; that the frequency of slaughter on a gigantic" scale on the field of battle, and of deaths caused by a hundred forms of violence, is gradually benumbing sensitiveness on this point, and that the loss of life by accident or other exceptional causes, is coming to be regarded as a thing of course, calling for nothing more than a shrug of the shoulders and a pass on? It would seem very like it from the cool indifference with which tragedies of the most affecting character are accepted as amongst the veriest routina incidents of the day. A boat load of honestpurposed, sturdy adventurers, is upset in tho effort to cross some treacherous water course, and in a few moments tho beating of their strong hearts is over, and the story ot their lives is closed. A horseman is carried away by a rapid stream, nnd, after the lapse of days, his dead body is found washed up on the river banks. Sometimes the mutilated remains of a human being are seen brought down by some river flood; sometimes a mere member severed by violence from tho. trunk. Now, articles of clothing are stumbled on by exploring parties, suggestive of terrible stories of men who havo perished without help ; and now again, tho fleshlcss and blanched skeleton of some lost adventurer meets tho horrified gaze of the traveller, telling with mournful eloquence of the way lost, of starvation endured, of the final lyingdown to die amid haunting memories of a distant home. Tho case will be fresh in the recollection of all our readers of an unfortunate who was picked up in an extreme state of exhaustion, on the banks of the Kaniori river. His faint " coocy " was heard the day heforo by some boatmen, and on their renewing the search the next morning they came upon him. Ho was just able to articulate, lie was brought into town and tenderly cared for. He had plenty of money in his pocket, but ho had to be carried to tho grave, and his death figures in tho Hospital returns '' From starvation." The poor follow had lost his way. Our local columns this morning record the discovery of a skeleton on the edgo of the Totara lagoon. Nothing but the dry bones remained. Who was the unfortunate, and under what circumstances did he meet his solitary death ? There is tho story of one William Scott who was supposed to have lost himself in the Totara swamp so long ago as July last, and who hag not been heard of since ; and it is conjeelured that these hones may be tho remains of that ill fated adventurer. v Lost himself, and never heard of since." What an awful meaning there is in the§e words ! What terrible pictures of bewilderment, of despair, of starvation, of death-agony in tho dense solitude of tho bush, do they conjure up. And of how many William Scotts are the Tjones rotting in the swamp, or bleached by tho sun of Westland ? How many ghastly spectacles of tho remains of iost and starved men yet wait to shock the future traveller ? How many a ti'agedy 'whoso story ip never to be told ; how many a man dropped out of the world, about whose fate the cloud of an impenetrable mystery will hang for ever ; tho inhospitable bush could tell of ! And be it minded it is to the class to whom these hapless men belonged, that New Zealand owes tho discovery and development of its goklfields — the daring prospector and pioneer who boldly faces danger, and endures unnumbered hardships in tho prosecution of his task. What would West Canterbury have been without the services of such men ? Its rich auriferous resources would never have been tested, and its possession of the means of sustaining a largo industrial population novor known. Yet these men are left to dio like dogs, if they have not a superhuman sagacity in penetrating tho intricacy of tho bush, and the power of overcoming all the <obstacles offered to travel by impenetrable scrub and impassable watercourses. Whilst they have perished- -shall we say in scores or in hundreds? — in their heroic enterprise, for want of the most ordinary facilities for exploration, fens of thousands of pounds have been squandered on the Christchurch road. Yet we have no doubt that the jury who sit upon the skeleton supposed to be tho bones of the unfortunato prospector, will bo directed to retuni a verdict of "Visitation of God" or some 'such euphuistic expression, without even a rider imputing to the Government what is their real crime — manslaughter.

Tho now Prince of Wules Thealro is now ontiroly roofod in and tho internal arrangoriients of tho house nre progressing favorably.

Wo rogrot to learn thnt tho nrrnngcinont by whioh debtors wero separated from other inmatos of iho gaol has been discontinued and tho two classes of continues are again indiscirminatory mixed.

No timo should be lost in the ' appoint mem t of nn Inspector of Slaughtcryard*, and also a site fixod upon at a distance from the town whtioon such structures could be erected. At, present a great In j uslice is being perpetrated upon* the slaughtermen .and butchers, for although they are piohibitcd from killing cattle olo.se to llin Btreets,no provision is made for them to slaughter elsewhere, Now wo arc in tlm transition stato, and before another imperfect system is intvo-

duced, wo would recommend that tv public abattoir be erected by the Government, where tho slaughtering of nil nnimnls intended for tho

market should bo effoctod \indor the supervision of, tin Inspector, and a staff of slaughtermen provided who would be paid out of the fees charged to butchers who had stock to kill. This would (U once sweop away those filthy holes nnd oornors whioh at presont constitute tho ohiof nuis&iKWs of the town, tW«H the fltlggoatfon

The remains of one of the ninny unfortunates who have perished in tho inhospitable bush of West land was discovered on tho edge of Totara Lngoon, on Wednesday last, by a man named , John Alison, who at onco made known tho circumstanco to 'tho authorities. Identification, ho stated, was impossible, 'ns nothing remained but Iho bones nnd a portion of tho tcgiunont, not oven a phnxl of clothing being on qr noar them that might havo aubrdort a cluo to tho discovery ot tho name or country of him who once owned them. It is, howovor, supposed that they aro tho relics of that unfortunato man William Scott, who lost himsolf in tho Totara Swamp in July last, and lias not since been hoard of.' An inquest will not bo held, decomposition boing too far ndvanco'l, but a constablo was despatched lo tho scouo with instructions to at once bury tho remains.

It may not bo gonorally known that word it not for a narrow neck of land, about half a inilo wide, rfoarly tlio whole distance botwoon Kokitika and lioss town might bo traversed by wnlor. Such, howovcr, is tho paso, as the isthmus to which wo alluclo soparatos the lake out of which runs Lagoon Greek, from the Totara Lngoon itself. Wo hoar it is tho intention of ft party of miners to clear away a passage ' and construct a tramway across, so that goods landed on ono side • from boats might bo at onco transferred to tho other,' whoro boats would bo in l'oadinoss to rccoivo them. Ey this plan tho present tedious journey along tho beach on pack horsos would bo avoided, and much time saved. Wo hoar ai> plication was mado yesterday to tho Magis* trato for tho grant of a special sito and protection j and yvo trust such roasonablo oncouragemcut will bo given to this ontorprisiug party as will warrant thorn in at onco commencing llio work and pushing it vigorously forward. Wo boliovo it will prove a payablo speculation. Tho Wi/.ard Jacobs is announced to mako his first appoaranco at tho Corinthian Hall to^ morrow ovoni'ig instead of Monday as ori inallv advertised. '

The Qrey River Argus of tho 14th instani states that " On Saturday afternoon a sninll canoo containing Bix Maoris arrived in tho river, having coino from a placo about seventeen milos up tho bench. Thoro was a pvotty strong poa on tho bra 1 , but tho natives brought their tiny craft across in flno stylo, and enmo up the river singing merrily as thoy plied their puddles.

Tho reports in circulation during tho last clay or two concerning the death by drowning of Mr Martin, of the Union Bank at Groymouth, am without foundation. Tho Grey River Argus, of tho 14th inst., distinctly slalea Iho name of tho unfortunalo deceased is unknown. Wo, howovor, havo rocoivod certain information that his name is Pcpplewoll, and that tho body has not yet been recovered. Thfl Orei/ River Argus informs us that a fino nugget, weighing twenty sovon ounces was purchased by tho Bank of Now South Wales from Bomo minors, who stated that thoy bad found it at the Uppor Grey diggings. Tho nugget is of an oblong shapo nnd much worn. Our markets nre, wo aro thankful to say, in a most healthy stato, auotion sales being well attended, and fair prices realised on saleable parcels. At a salo of gonoral merchandise hold by Mr B. E coves at his rooms on Wodnosday last, tho competition was exceedingly brisk, nndquito £3,0i0 of goods was disposed of at. advanced prices. This is a suro sign tho " glut" is, decreasing 5 indeocl from all sides wo hear tho cry that stools aro getting lighter.

Tho Molbourno A»v,hs illustrates itsar^umont in favor of tho representation of minorities by citing Iho fact that wh Ist tho now Legislative Assembly contains fifty oight ministerial members as ng.unst eighteen opposition members, the gross vote at tho oleotion was as follows ; For Ministerial Candidates 17,629 : for Opposition Candidates 15 829.

Full particulars of the late fattl boat accident at tho Grey have been supplied us by Mr Scott, in tho employ of Henderson, Bonar nud Go, accompanied by the following testimonial from the rescued nion to Captain Maokie, of the s.s Gothenburg. At about 11 a m, on the 13th, tho nttontion of those on board the steamer wa3 directed to a boat pulling fromi the shore aoross tho Grey bar. Suddenly a heavy roller was observed to strike her, when she immediately filled and capsized, and iho crow were left struggling for their lives in tho surf. The Gothenburg's lit'eboab was immediately lowered and manned, by a willing crew of volunteers, hoadod by tho sncoiid officer. Her progress, as she pulled towards the unfortunates, was intensely watched from tho steamer, and great was the joy manifested as the poor follows were seen to be one after the ether extricated from their perilous position. Two of them were taken from' the bottom of the bo it, and three, picked up clinging lo the oars. These wereat once conveyed to the si tamer, ono of them boing in astato of insonsibility, bub rcsto.a'ives being^applied ho so far recovered ;is to b> ablo to converse and realiso his Providential escape fiom death. Tho rescued mon stated thoro were six persons in tho boat when she left tho rive, but one of tho number, named Matthew Poppelwell, had immediately on the boat swamping, struck out for tho shore. Signals were at onco made, and answered that ho had not succeeded in reaching tho beach, also that* his body had not been recovered. " We the undersigned boatmen providentially, savod from death at Cfroymoutli, Fob. 13th, 18G6, render to Captain Maekio our grateful thanks that his humane conduct has been, under Providonce, the means of saving our lives. Wo aro poor in everything but gralitudo, and in thus offering to him publicly our sinooro and grateful thanks, wo confidently trust that ho may nevor bo placed in tho porilous position, which, through his kindness and the interposition of a morciful Providenco, wo woro this day saved. Signod — William MoKonson, John Thomas, William MoQavin, John McLanghlin, Patterson."

I Tho enso (M'Nub v. M'Mookan and others) recently tried at tho Invorcnrgill sitting of tho Bupromo Court, waa of somo intoroat. Its naturo will bo gathered from tho following report of subscquont proceedings boforo tho Judge In bunco at Dunedin. Wo quote from tho Daity Times of the 7th instant : — " Mr Macasscy moved for a rulo nisi in this enso. Tho notion was tried at tho rncont sitting at Invorcargill. It was for failuro to have tho stenmor Omoo ready at JUluff Harbor to ttiko on board 1000 shcop for conveyance- to Holrilika, according to contract. Tho claim was for LIOOO and consequential damago j and tho jury found for LSOO, dividing it, under tho direction of Mr Justice Richmond, nnd assessing £230 for loss incurred in driving tho shoop to tho Bluff anrl keeping them thcro, and L7O for tho loss on ro-salo of fodder purchased for keeping them. Mr Macassoy now movod, on lenvo rcsorved, for a rulo nisi to reduce tho damages by L 230 j his 1 urgumout boing, that while the defendants might have boon liablo for deterioration at tho ISluu", thoy woro not liablo for what happened while tho shoop woro being driven from a romoto point. — Hulo granted ; Mi- Justico Richmond remarking that at presont his inclination wos against making tho rulo absolute, fooling, ns ho did, that il. would not do to incourago a enviouslycritical spirit, in assessing tho maisuro of damages in Hioh eases." The necessity of tho appointment by tho Government of some qualified person to daily find tho moan timo by observation, and make it known to tho inhabitants of Ilokitika by dropping a ball, is overy day making itsolf morofolt. Wo think wo may vonture to say tb ore aro hardly two clocks or watches in tho town corresponding in time, and tho consoquonco is, thnt appointments aro badly kept, muoh inoonvonicncQ and confusion being tho rosnll- thwof. Suoh n growth/ had this evil

ancos meot in the street, to compare thoir timokeepors, for tho purpose of ascertaining, not the correct timo, but tho difference oxistingbotweon them, and tho wider that may bo, tho greater is the amusomont caused. Gcntlomon visiting shipping in tho roadstead aro usually rushed on their return to shore by eager time seekers, in tho expectation thoy will bring back ship's timo, which is supposed to approximnto somowhat noar tho truth. Without wishing to unduly lax the port oflicor, Captain Turnbull, wo corlninly think he might move in tho mntlor. Upon hi 3 representation tho Government would, doubtless, " supply tho necessary instruments. Friday, tho 20th January, was colobratod in Sydney as tho seventy-eighth anniversary of tho colony. A grand regatta, and other out-of-door cntortainmonts wore tho moans employed to honour tho day. Tho /frgits givos the following estimato of tho lion. George Iliginbotham, onco tho editor of that journal, and now tho Attornoy-Gono-ral and chiof notability of tho M'Oullooh administration — " Hard as tho Att6rney-Gonoral is on tho calling ho onco followed, and to which ho owes much — foully as he deals with tho nest that onco sholtorod him — ovon his almost unoxamplod capacity for seeing plain things in falso lights will hardly tompt him.to dony that wo have given to tho public, his loading speochos with tho most literal exactness that highly-skillod reporting could socuro 5 and in truth thoy supply vory sad reading. Wo aro constantly impressed, ovon to astonishment, as wo road tbo3o orations,' with tho vigoi*, tho straightforwardness, tho earnestness of tho man, and with tho-fluont command that ho possesses over sound, unadornod, but rhythmical and correct English. It is scarcoly too much to say that no ono olao who has yofc come to tho surfaco of public affairs in Victoria is capablo of delivering speeches so masterly, in many respects, as those that Mr Iliginbotham has recently delivered at Brighton. And yet n3 we' read thoso speoches, wo aro every now and thon startled by indications of suoh narrow-mind-odnoss — such potty and warped concoptions — underlying this fino structure of oratory, and of honest oratory too, — as wo must believe, that tho total effect is most depressing. Mr Higinbotham seems to havo narrowly escaped being a really great man, who might havo loft Iho stamp' of his beneficial inliuonco upon this country for gonorations to come, and instead of this it almost seoins as if ho had adopted tho motto, " Evil, bo thou my good," and wero misdirecting the wholo energies of 1113 intellect to inflicting upon tho colony tho maximum of mißohiof that ho is capable of achieving. His csoapo from boing a really groat man has been vory narrow — but it lias boon very complete , lie quotes Dr Arnold to thn effect that ho desires to riso from his bod ovory morning, ready to chango all liis opinions boforo night, and yet probably his adamantine obstinncy loaves him about tho most hopoloss man to reason with ill all these dominions. Thoro is only ono way in which his opinions aro assailable Lot him sco that tho political purposo ho is driving at will bo furthered by tho advocacy of something that ho has hitherto opposed, and he will veer right round to it, and this not, wo boliovo, dishonestly, but bocauso tho iittainmont of his end— probably a disintorcstod ono — so monopolises his wholo miinl and soul, that reason and common sonso, and sunn. small matters, havo to skurry out of Iho way and to acconunodato themselves, as best thoy can, in the recesses, nnd, a? sailors would say, among the dunnage of his understanding. His cOnvorsion to the piinoiplo of paymontof members supplies a case in point worth tho attontion of anyone curious and competent to examine more at longth tho pscyhological anomalies that oivr Attorney-General exhibits." - Tho Ilokitika Correspondent of the Lytlelton Times writes as follows :—": — " Wo aro in trouble. The town of Ilokitika has boon withdrawn from tho goldfield. and publicans and would-be publicans are at a loss to know what is A to be done. Under what authority do the former exercise their function as tho disponsors of some of the good things of this lifo ; and to whom nro the latter to look for an equal privilege ? If our hotel-koepersaro not licensed under the provisions of the Qoldfiolds Acts, undor what Act are thoy licensed ? I am not personally intofestod in tho question, but there are many here who are, and when I said wo wero in troublo, I was referring more to tho complaints of my fellow-oitizona than to niy own. Would it not have been better to have settled this public-houso question 011 a satisfactory bas>is before withdrawing the town from tho goldfields ? In Ilokitika we live in a n.ot-work of 'hotels' and licensed houses of one sort and another 5 a considerable portion of \\\q revonuo is derivod directly and" indirectly •from thoso source* t and tho frcquontora of these houses — if not tho landlords themselves — givo more troublo to tho police than any section of tho community. Thoro aro, beside I},1 }, many who purposo taking out- lioonsos to soil " gi'ogi" " n d the law, as it at present stands, will atlbrd thorn no protection, and virtually forbids thorn legalising Hipir occupation until tho inon£h of April, when a quarterly mooting of tho Justices may bo called. Tho long and short of Jho mattor is, that this town, in which a ynst number of sly grog shops already o\ist, will bo oneumborod with above fifty per cent, more \mloss tho Provincial Government takesimmodiato stops to grapplo with tho cvil — an ovil tho magnitude of which tho quiot citizons of Oliristchuroli little know. This question should bo dealt with at once. Nor is the pub-lic-houso difficulty tho only 0110 which has arison through trto withdrawal of Ilokitika from tho gold-field. Tho wholo tonuro of landod property horo has lnthorto boon of that poouliar kind conferred by tho provisions of tho Gold-fields Acts. A fivo-pound yearly businoss licence has stood in tho place of tftle- ' deeds to every holder of lands within tho township. If wo could mako suro that no litigation would arise with refonco to soetions until it pleases tho Government to soil, wo might rest contoured ; but unfortunately experience has taught 113 to expect a vory different stato of aflTairs. A largo proportion of tho onsos which havo hitherto ocoupied tho timo of tlio Warden in this district has involved this question of ownorship or- right of occupation j, and at tho present moment thcro ia nothing to prevent an ondloss succession of "jumping" cases, in which those who havo laid out most money would certainly bo tho greatest losers." A writer in the Canterbury Presi says of Lord Palmorston :—": — " 110 was a consummate master.of that diQlcult art, how torccoivo doputations } for if ho refusod thoir petitions ho sent them away laughing. Tho writer can call to mind a scono in which ho was addressed by a large and unpolishod gonlloman who had boon tho head of a colonial government. Lord Palmerston askod his name, and on boing told by Iho gontloman his namo and titles, ' All I yes, you are tho same out thoro as I am.' Tho Jast timo tho writer saw his fuco was as a member of a deputation whioh waited on his lordship to bog that moro troops might bo sent to Now Zealand. Had ho lived a little longorho might havo reversed tho orror ho made in accoding to that request. 110 was always ono of the bebt dressed men in London, a fact which makes tho following anecdote tho moro amusing. At a deputation consisting of a number ofgentlomon from New Zealand, Lord Palmorston askod, ' How do thoso Maoris dross ? Do they wear English clothes ?' . A morabor of the deputation, who had been a settler in a northern town of tho colony, and who was attired in tho most unmistakeablo ' reach mo downs,' from a colonial warehouse, advanced to the tablo and said, ' Thoy nre dressed as well as you or I, my lord." Tho old poor was too polite to laugh, but tho twitching of tho wouth and tho twinkling oyo showod, tl^t tl}o powywliiw w «»r ta»t w hto} II 11I 1