BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.

West Coast Times, Issue 588, 13 August 1867, Page 2

BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.

( fbom otje own cobeespondent.) ! Chkistohtjrch, Monday, 3 p.m. Advices from Wellington tell us that the Local Government Bill was thrown out on the second reading by a majority of seven. Government had announced that they did not intend to make it a measure involving the fate of the Ministry. Meeting of the unemployed here passed oft' quietly . Government is to give work. Arrived— The Johanna, from |llokitika. The Qenoral Government telegraph lines civo still (town.

A meeting of the members of the Westland Separation League, which the general public were specially invited to attend, took pluce last evening, at the Empire Hotel. The Chair was taken by Mr South, the President of the League, who stated that the meeting had been called for the purposo of receiving the report of the Council and electing by ballot five additional members of the Council. The President made a statement as to past session. Mr Prosser addressed the meeting at some length, and after dwelling upon the desirability of ascertaining the viewsof the general public as to what kind of separation should be adopted, and pointing out that in order to give force to the movement it was necessary to obtain the views of the people of Greymouth and other centres of population, moved that the meeting do adjourn to Saturday evening, for the further discussion of the subject. At the same time he stated, that he had never read the Petition which had been issued by the Council of the League. Mr M'Beth seconded the motion, and complained that the petition had not been fully discussed at the meeting of the Council. That is, that it had not been discussed clause by clause ; and he stated that he dissented from the prayer of the petition being adverse to Provincial Institutions, and in favor of Westland being under the control of the General Government. Mr Brown supported the motion, complaining that the petition was too berbose — in fact, the whole of it might have been comprised in a nutshell, and it was this— that as Westland had not had justice done it in the Provincial Council, some remedy must bo sought for— and the people ought to bo consulted on the matter. He slated also, that the Council was self-con-stituted, and this he did not think to be right. Mr Shaw saw no rpasou why the meeting should deviate from the course originally proposed, as he could not' see why they should again enter on the rediscussion of subject which had already been discussed and determined on at a previous meeting. He contended that the petition, which he had no hand in preparing, was most exhaustive of the subjsct, and at the same time he would inform the meeting that it was necessary that certain grounds for Separation should be fully set out before the petition would be entertained. Mr Bright complained that the petition, which had been the result of great labor, had ever since its appearance, with those who had propared it, been subject to an incessant battery of ridicule, misrepresentation, and abuse. He denied that the Council of the League was self-constituted, but on the contrary, with the exception of the five members of the Provincial Council, each member of the Council of the League was appointed by ballot at a meeting of the members of tlte League, publicly called. A lengthened and warm discussion took place, when Mr. Shaw moved as an amendment that the meeting do proceed to the business of the evening, which was put and carried. The meeting then proceeded to the election of six additional members of the Council, viz., five extra recommended by the Council, and one in the place of Mr M'Beth, who resigned. The names of several geutlemen were proposed, and it was ultimately determined that the ballot should take place on Wednesday i next. The meeting terminated with a vote of thanks to the President. A full report of the procedings, which terminated at a late hour, will be published to-morrow. Messrs Cobb and Co.'s coach started for Christchurch this morning. Amongst the passengers was his Worship the Mayor, Mr J. A. Bonar, who, .we presume, is proceeding to Christchurch to receive instructions prior to his assumption of office as Goldfields Secretary. The following is the return of H.M. Gaol, Hokitika, for the week ended 10th August, 1867 — Remaining last .W'-ek : Males — penal servitude, 5; hard labor, 29; for trial, 11; imprisonment, 1 ;, debtors, 6 ; default of bail, 4 ; default of fine, G ; remand, 1 ; total, 63. Females — hard labor, 3. Grand total, 66. — Eeceived during the week : Males — debtors, 2. Females— hard labor, 1. Total, 3. — Discharged : Males— debtors, 1 ; default of fine, 1 ; remand, 1 ; total, 3. Females — nil. — Eemaining : Males— penal servitude, 5 ; hard labor, 29; for trial, 11; imprisonment, 1; debtors, 7 ; default of bail, 4 ; default of fine, 5; total, 62. Females — 4 to hard luboiv Grand total, 66.— 0f the 29 males for hard labor 10 are at the Police Camp. A lecture upon Electricity will be given this evening by Mr C. E. Button, in aid of the Building Fund of the Presbyterian Church. From the interesting character of the subject, as well as the ability of the lecturer, a very full attendance may be anticipated. The following iB the return of .Revell street Gaol for the week ended August 10th, 1867 :—: — Admitted, nil; discharged, l'j remaining, 22 males, sentenced to hard labor. A splendid specimen of the sparrow-hawk was shot on Saturday, at Mr Clapcott's farm, on the opposite side of the river. The hawk, when shot, was engaged in devouring a small bird that it had captured. Mr G. W. Binney wielded the hammer on Saturday last to some purpose, and we should imagine to no slight profit, as he disposed of a great deal of valuable property, including Messrs Levi and Raphael's Store in North Rovell- street, for LllO ; a three-roomed cottage in the same thoroughfare for L7B ; and the Ho Ho Tramway Company's horses, six in number, at prices varying between L 36 and L7B per head. We are informed that a mob of cattle are on the other side of Porter's Pass, en route for Hokitika. There was also a flock of about 200 sheep at the Bealey, comuig on to Westland. Mr Crawley also states Enat in passing Alexander's, when bringing the mail, on Sunday morning, four or five sheep dogs rushed out at the horses, and that he saw smoke rising from the bush, as if from a camp fire. Mr Colin, the agent for the firm of Messrs Pctersen and Co., of Christchurch, working silversmiths and jewellers, arrived yesterday from Greymouth by the coach, for the purpose of exhibiting at the Empire Hotel specimens of art in silver and gold, manufactured at the establishment in Christchurch. We have had the pleasure of inspecting Messrs Petersen and Co.'s workshops in Christchurch, which are very complete, and have seen some of the articles manufactured there, which are very elegant and chaste in design and finished in execution, combining artistic efleet with elaborate workmanship. A visit to the Empire Hotel to inspect the specimens which Mr Colin has brought with him will well repay itself. Our Okarifca contemporary, under elate of fcho Brd instant, gives the following items of fining wwi i~-"Bqbw of the Mttoifrfl Mm

on the Three-mile Beach are turning out very •well. Doble and party, on Monday last, sold seven ounces of fine gold from their acre of abandoned ground. The lake lately discovered in close vicinity to the Fire-mile Beach is at last attracting some attention, and a soheme is on foot lo make it of some practicable benefit. A party of eight miners, headed by Timothy Hallahen, iodged an application at the Warden's office, on Tuesday last, for the right to cut a water-race from the lake to the Five-mile BeaSh. The length of the raco will be about seven miles, and ia calculated to supply four heads of water, and will give an impetus to sluicing operations that has never before been offered on this beach. The projectors of the scheme have lately come overland from the Haast. It is said to be their intention, should the speculation prove a payable one, to apply for a lease of a considerable area of abandoned ground. Mining mattera on the Fire-mile are decidedly assuming a more cheerful tendency, and a continuance of dry weather will have the effect of still more accelerating the working of the -claims in the deep ground. Nearly all the gold go ton the beach at present is in deep ground, and water is very troublesome. Sullivan's claim has still the credit of being the best on the Five-mile. Its yield is as munificent as ever, and there is six month's work yet to bo done in it. ,Maloney, who long ago confessed, ' It's a mighty fine thing to have a claim on the Five-mile,' says his claim ia yielding whips of the yellow metal. The Sandfly Beach — as the rush between the Waikukupu and Q-illespie's has been improperly called — has been rechristened, and will henceforth be known as ' Monlight' Beach. None of the outside claims have yet succeeded in striking the lead. MacJonald and party, who have sunk a large paddock, at a depth of ten feet came upon a foot of splendid-looking washdirt — black sand; but unfortunately were not able to raiso more than a color in it. Nothing daunted however, they .intend sinking eight feet deeper, which "will be considerably below high-water mark, and jvc hope their perseverance will command success. Several new parties have set in on Q-illespie's Beach. Kirwan and party have taken up some now ground to the north of Byrne's store. Mr Byrne brought a parcol of eight ounces of coarse gold into town on Tuesday. It was got up Cook's River, and is the product of four men's work for about ton days. Groat disappointment has been caused down south by tho stoppage of the tracks, as numbers of men purposed going inland as soon as they were at all practicable. Degreave's and party, at Abbott Head, have washed about sixty loads of dirt ; but as, by last advices, the gold had not been cleaned, we cannot state what the yield was. » The " Melbourne Argus" says :—": — " We regret to have to announce the death of a very old colonist — Mr Dalinahoy Campbell — -which took place at his residence, St. Kilda, on Saturday. Mr Campbell was one of the first pioneers of the Western district. He came overland from Sydney with stock in 1839, and was for many years actively engaged iv squatting pursuits in this colony. In the early days of Melbourne he was in business with Mr W. M. Harper as a general auctioneer, and he afterwards establbhed tho well-known firm of D. Campbell and Co., stock salesmen and commission agents, which has done business on a large scale for many years past. Mr Campbell was a warm patron of all athletic sports, and was accounted a- good cricketer ton years ago. In 1859, however, .his health failed him, and he became a martyr to rheumatic gout. 11l health from that time obliged him to retire, to a great extent, from active pursuits, and some time before his death he had grown so feeble as to leave little hope of his recovery. Mr Campbell, who was much respected by all classes of the community, died at tho comparatively early age, of fifty-six." A strange rumor, say 3 a Melbourne paper, is afloat round Cranbourne, which appears to have some foundation in fact. Mr J. Q-. Jenuings, who has lately been living at the Clyde, nnd who followed the occupation of a bricklayer, is stated to be the eldest { son of the claimant in the great Jennings will case, which has been so long in dispute in Chancery. He has received a lawyer's letter to hold himself iv readiness to proceed home in three months.