THE GREY.

West Coast Times, Issue 352, 8 November 1866, Page 2

THE GREY.

(prom the gkey river abgus, nov. 6.) In acknowledging the letters of the Hony. Secretary of the Improvement Committee, dated the 17th September and 30th October, Mr Commissioner Sale writes : — " The question of pro ecting the river bank is under the consideration of the Government, and I am awaiting their instructions to commence protective works. As soou as the Fire Brigade building (shall have been completed, I shall be ready to pay half the ost of the erection, provided it does not exceed L'2sO, and also an annual contribution of LIOO, in two half-yearly instalments of LSO each ; the first payment to be made six months after the completion of the building. The approach to the wharf will be made good at the sanu time that the river bank is protected, iso reply has been received to ray* telegraphic communication, sent immediately on receipt of your letter respecting the Maori Reserve, and the town of Greymouth being made a Municipal District. The memorial, which accompanied your letter of the 30th ult., has been forwarded through the Pi"vincial Secretary tQ h i» Ifonor tbg S»p«riuteiiflent f "

The following reply was received from j Mr Sale on the subject of the Extended Jurisdiction of the Resident Magistrate's Court :— "I am directed by his Honor the Superintendent to acknowledge the receipt of your 1 tter of the 15th ultimo, requesting, on behalf of the Improvement Committee at Greymouth, thai immediate steps may be taken to have the extended Jurisdiction Act brought into operation at Greymouth ; and in reply to state that steps are being taken to give effect. to the wishes of the inhabitants of Greymouth in the matter." A rather clever coup was accomplished the other day by Mr Inspector James, during the hearing of one of the cases in the recent prosecutions for sly grog selling. A witness was being examined for the defence, when Mr Inspector James, who has a keen knowledge of the science of physi- gnomy, detected in the witness a strong resemblance to a " portrait of a gentleman '* which had been forwarded to him by the 1 police authorities at Wellington, which souvenir had be.n despatched for the pur\i> se of assisting in the apprehension of one Henry Burnt tt, who had embezzled monej from his employer and absconded. Sure enough the resemblance was complete, and the witness was reluctantly compelled to admit that the portrait —a carte de risiie, taken, no doubt, for a very different purposewas hi». " From the sub'ime to the ridiculous is but a step," said the great Napoleon ; and from the position of a " highly respectable witness, your worship," to that of a common prisoner was, on this occasion, only one step more, from the wit-ness-box to tiie floor of the Court. The unfortunate victim of misplaced confidence in the sicurify of Greymouth was sonsigned to the lock-up, and afterwards remanded on the warrant to Wellington. According to our correspondent's letter, mining affairs at Nelson Creek are rather dull, and the search for a deep lead has proved so far abortive. It is to be regrejtted that th> praiseworthy perseverance of the party who have devoted several months' hard work to (he task has not been rewarded. On the other side of the picture we have considerable activity in sluicing opeiations ; and the number of important races that have been and are being constructed, affords evidence that the miners still have confidence in the district. We are without di finite information respecting the recent disco\ cry of gold near the Tctara Flat, Upper Grey, but we have heard that it is not of much importance at present, although favorable prospects have been obtained in some purtb of the ten ace. That the rush, however, if such it can be atylcd, is not of special importance is tolerably clear from the fact that it has not as yet attracted much attention from the miners on (he adjacent diggings. The work of ensructing the tramway between Greymouth and Saltwater Creek has been commenced. The contractor has two gangs of men at work near the head of the Lagoon getting everything in readiness for a fair start, which is expected to be made to-day or to-morrow. New channel planking of a substantial kind is being laid along the side of the footpath in the main street. The old kerbihg is being taken up and replaced with Btrong 12 x 4in planks secured to heavy piles, as at Hokitika. One of ♦hose violent and sudden westerly " bursts*' which are frequently experienced on the Wcht Coast, visited this district on Friday, and continued with in creasing intensity until Sunday morning, when it blew itself out. A great deal of rain fell, and very vivid lightning and heavy thunder prevailed. We do not remember ever having heard a more violent crack of thunder than that which occurred at about six o'clock on Sunday morning. The flash of lightning and the peal of thunder were almost simultaneous, showing how close the electric storm was to the town. We have not heard of any damage being done by the storm, and the fresh in the river did not exceed the usual dimen sions. Some time ago the Government determined to erect a transit shed alongside the wharf which no vessel uses. Although is extremely doubtful that the transit shed will be of much practical utility in its present position, we notice it has ben commenced by the contractor. We should like to know by what right the persons who have recently carted some loads of manure and deposited it in the hollow of Mackay street, near the Universal Bond, thus deliberately add to the already abundant nuisances of that street. yVe trust the Inspector of Police will take steps to prevent this flagrant offence for the future, and to make the offenders amenable, to the law. It is abominable that all regard for public health and decency should be so openly violated. The new dray-road from Cobden to Coal Creek has been completed. The work of cutting and blasting away the rock at the point above the coal wharf has been heavy, but the contractors, Messrs Bicheno and Pell, have made a good job of it. The roadway has a rather steep incline over the rocky point, but not too much so for moderately hi den drays. The new road will be a <*reat convenience to the leaseholders of the agricultural sections on the flat above the creek, as well as to others beyond. The rush to the Pakihi ha*, we think, reached its highest point for the pre>ent, our last iepnrt, coupled with priyate information of the same tenor, having had the effect (f making the miners more cautious. Already a &liybt leaction has set in, about 100 men having returned during the last day or two. A deliberate case of attempt* d suicide occurred on Sunday. A man named. Henry Merton, employ* d on the survey staff under Mr R. P Bain, District Surveyor, and who, with the other men, lives near Mr Bain's, residence, was observed by the cook to rush out of the kitchen with a knife in i is hand, and his manner was so excited and strange that the ceok ■ followed and came up to him just as the man was in the act of drawing a knife across his throHt. He was immediately seized, and with gnat difficulty was held until assistance was sent for. He contrived, however, to burst away again, and snatch up another knife, evidently for the Bame purpose. Mr Inspector James, who resides in the adjoining house, hearing the alarm, went into the yard and secured the man before he could inflict any mischief on himself, and he was bound with ropes until the i olice arrived and took him in custody. He was yesterday brought up before the Resident Magistrate, and remanded for medical examination, it being evident that the prisoner was not then in a sound state of mind. He had been drinking heavily, and it is supposed he made the attempts on his own life whilst suffering under delirium iremens. Tom Oooke is repo-teil to have said, "However Demil contrives to keep t>oher through Manfred I cannot imagine." " Why should he be otherwise than sober in that especially ?" said some one. '* Why isn't he calling for spirits from the beginning tp Jhe pnd," said #p fovptprsta punster,