West Coast Times. THURSDAY, SEPT. 13, 1866.

West Coast Times, Issue 304, 13 September 1866, Page 2

West Coast Times. THURSDAY, SEPT. 13, 1866.

A meeting of the promoters of the new Theatre will be held this evening, at the Criterion Hotel, Hevell-street, and from the favor with which the project has been received, we have no doubt that tho attendance will bo numerous. , The " Lytf clton Times " of Friday last states that his Honor the Superintendenkmight be/ expected to arrive in Christchurch on the following Sunday. Mr Donkin, the late secretary of the Dunedin Water Works Company, who was committed to take his trial on several charges of embezzlement, was, on the 6th instant, acquitted. Several other charges, besides the one on which he was tried, were withdrawn. " The Provincial Government Gazette ' of the Bth instant furnishes the return, for the month ' of August, of persons apappiying for relief \inder the Debtors and Creditors Act. The nominal list is as follows :— W. Slater,, contractor, Hokitika ; B. H. C. Moore, storekeeper, Hokitika ; H. B. Davis, carpenter, Greymouth; D. S. Phillips, tailor and draper, Hokitika ; I. Jackson (lately a storekeeper, now out of business), Hokitika ; Henry Linstrom, butcher, Hokitika ; G. C. Anderson, storekeeper, Nelson ; Alfred Singer, musician, Greymouth ; J. C. Brown, storekeeper, Greymouth ; and It. Reeves, auctioneer, Hokitika. .*ln every instance but the last the petitioner for relief was the debtor, himself.

Quite contrary to general expectation Cobb's Christchurch coach arrived in town

last night, at half-past five o'clock. The journey throughout *was a wet one, but the road is reported to be in good condition, and although the different rivers were high, no difficulty was experienced in crossing them. The Arahaura was forded in the very nick of time, for the coach had hai'dly gained th c southern bank when a small " bore" rushed down the river, raising it some three feet. The delivery in town of the Christchurch mail was thus saved by about five minutes only. The works lately constructed at the Typo, to confine that river in one channel, are most effective, as . the whole body of water now runs underneath the bridge, which ein be safely crossed in all weathers. Messrs Thompson, Carter,, and Ennys were passengers by the coach from Christchurch.

By way of Wellington and Christchurch we have later news from Sydney, viz., to the Ist inst. The Eakaia had arrived there on ,that" day. Several more dead bodies had been washed ashore at Newcastle, together with other mementos of the late wrecks. More bodies had been seen floating, but "had not been recovered for burial. Intense cold had prevailed throughout New South Wales.

From Wanganui wo hear of a renewal of hostilities with the natives. The Maoris had " refused point blank to come to terms" with Mr Parris, the Civil Commissioner, and his mission of pacification was fruitless. In a skirmish at Ketemarai, six Ilauliuus were killed, and Captain Eoss, of the Wanganui Hungers was wouuded severely in the forearm by a musket ball. Sergeant Coffee, Corporal Guthrie, aud Private Corbelt were also " wounded dangerously" by musket balls, the first in tho thigh and the other two in the right arm. A general engagement was avoided in consequence of Major M'Donnell's not wisliing to. bring into action a " tired force."

We take the following weather local from the " LytteHon Times" of Monday lust :— " By the Government telegram, published in another colu.mn> it will be ueeu that the interior

and western part of the province havo been visited by a very heavy storm from the northwest, which has beon productivo of 6ome damage to the West Coast telegraph. Tho line is injured beyond Bealey, and is temporarily stopped. Wo learn that tho second-rate rivers, which, are fed immediately by the snow, had been steadily rising from Wednesday last, and on Friday night torrents of rain began and continued without cessation till some time on Saturday night, filling tho rivers as high as at any time siu,ce lust flood. A violent gale of wind ushered in the rain, and is supposed to have blown some of the trees that line tho road across the telegraph. The Southern telegraph is also stopped, it is supposed, hy the same cause. On Friday night, brilliant flashes of lightning occurred almost momentarily, and thero were during the day visible indications that a heavy storm was taking place along the mountain ranges. On Saturday, the gale reached Christchurch, and tho dust was almost intolerable. Some damage was done to houses in the neighborhood ; ono'inthe courso ( f construction, near Avonside, being totally unroofed/

The fortnig]itly escort brought down to Dunedin on Friday last was G595 ozs,. 15 dwts. of gold. Tho gold escort for the Waimea leaves town this morning. The export of wool from Canterbury, for the year ending June 30 last, has increased from 20,384 bales, valued at L 143.260, in 1865, to 22,123 bales, valued at L 462.618, in 1866 ; this is exclusive of 2388 bales wool, ' valued at L 47,760, shipped from Timaru via Dunedin ; the total being 24,511 bales. At the same time, the yield of gold shows the astonishing increase of 308,108 ounces, valued at.L1,203,446 over last year's export. Nelson gold shipped at Greymouth, reached 71,600 ounces. The " Southern Cross," of the Ist instant, contains a paragraph stating that a report had reached them of the death of William Thompson. A gentleman who obtained the news from native sources brought it to Auckland. Tho " Cross" places greater reliance on the tiding 3, owing to Thompson having lately been in precarious health. The " Penny News Letter," published in Dunedin, states that an old woman, aged 77, is imprisoned in Dunedin gaol for debt, by a grocer in Princes street.