West Coast Times. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1867.

West Coast Times, Issue 633, 4 October 1867, Page 2

West Coast Times. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1867.

Mk. MooEnousn appears to h.ive pleaded for East Canterbury in forma paupcns. "Westland being lost to it the province will be ruined! The " Lyttelton Times'' — Mr Moorhouse's organ — speaks in the same strain. A more doleful article than the one we extracted yesterday it has seldom been our lot to read. We are gravely told that EastlancVs Separation from Westland involves and means Eastland's bankruptcy. "Mr YVynn Williams will be saved the trouble of organising a Provincial Financial Reform League," because " there will soon be no Finance to reform." The figures we published are well worth perusal. They show conclusively that Eastland, in throwing Westland away, is committing an act of suicide. It is well to have the confession under the hand of an influential Christchurch journal. When the merits of the question raised by Mr Moorhouso, and the equity of the course he has now succeeded in inducing the House of Representatives to take, come to be reviewed, as they must be at a very early sitting of tho Assem-

bly, we cannot doubt that the present decision will be reversed, or very greatly modified. The public are right in accepting; the Bill as it stands. No price would be too heavy to pay for tho boon of emancipation from a Government with Mr Moorhouse at its head, and with Christchurch influence for its inspiration. It will remain for us to fight for the redress of the grievance that is left us. We shall see whether Mr Moorhouse is strong enough to impose upon us in perpetuity a penalty of L 36,000 a year for the offence of casting off his rule. For the present he has had his way ; has wreaked his full vengeauce upon Westland ; has shown how bitter and relentless is his hostility towards the district of which forsootli he is the representative ! and bow much the thought occupies him of conciliating East Canterbury's favor, aud removing any impression he may havo created there ol an undue favoritism towards this side. If he should finally succeed in fleecing us to tho extent of two-thirds of Eastland's tlebfc, he may save a bankrupt province, rendered so by his own extravagant schemes ; but ho will certainly render his political connection with this district, as its " representative," one of the farces of which satirists may make ample use. Mr Moorhouse lias proved himself towards Westland a most false and revengeful man.

A large quantity of stock was driven overland from East Canterbury to Westland during the week ending October 2nd, as we sco by thg returns that during that period 180 cattle and 1281 sheep were driven past the Rangiriri Station. In his report for the month of September, Mr Warden' Kcogh, addressing the Government, on the 28th nit., saj's : — " Nothing fresh worth recording has occurred since my former report was compiled. Tho present drought seriously affects the upper portion of this district, where nearly all the water-race parties are at a standstill. Tho fact is tho ordinary water supply is very limited indeed, and until a well-organised and systematic plan of artificial reservoirs has been set on foot, periodical stoppages of work must ensue. But to enterprises of this kind, the natural features of the country offer great facilities for construction at a moderate cost, whilst tho largo amount of auriferous ground capable of being brought under command, gives fair promise of remuneration for the judicious expenditure of capital." Ifc has been our unpleasant duty on too many occasions to record the loss of life by drowning in many of the dangerous rivorjj that intersect this coast, but avo have never yet had occasion to chronicle a more tragievenl than that occurred on Wednesday evening, whbn two gentlemen, of long standing in the; province, met with an untimely end in tho Wainini, a tributary stream of the River Tercmakau. Wo havo gleaned the following facts relative to the occiuTenco from ono or two gentlemen in town, and Constable Bennett, who yesterday arrived at tho Police-camp from the Rangiriri station with news of the sad occurrence. It appears that Messrs. Taylor, M'Farlano and M'Lcod, three Canterbury station-holders, left Hoki. tika on Wednesday morning on their return to the Christchurch side of the dividing range. They were well mounted, and reached tho Rangiriri station that evening. From what wo can gather, ifc seems that Mr M'Farlano was a mile or two in advance of his friends as ho passed tho station half-an-hour boforo them. They left ifc between seven and eight o'clock, and after a tlu-ee-mile rido arrived afc tho Wainini, which appeared to bo greatly swollen, but as MrM'Farlanowasnotinsight, ifc was presumed that ho had crossed tho river, and, therefore, without hesitation, tho two plunged in atthefording-place,MrM'Leod be ing slightly in advance. His horse immediately began to swim, and, on reaching mid-stream, sunk from under tho rider, who, after a desperato etragglo for life, gained tho opposito bank of tho river. Safe on shore, his first impulse was to look round for his companion, who was no where to bo seen, and fearing the worst, Mr M'Leod hurried down tho river in search of him, but could find no trace of either | horse or man. Ho continued his search for several hours, and at last arrived afc a place wero somo peoplo wore camped, and there met Mr Groville, of the Taipo. Being quite oshaustcd, Mr M'Lcod staid thcro during tho remainder of tho night, and yesterday morning resumed the search, accompanied by Mr Groville. They proceeded up the river again, and in an eddy of tho stream not moro than one hundred yards below the ford that was crossed on the previous night, tho body of poor Mr Taylor was discovered — life, of course, being quite extinct. Assistance having been procured, it was conveyed to tho Rangiriri station, and will, we understand, be brought into town today for rites of sepulture and tho usual inquest. The horse of tho unfortunate gentleman Avas afterwards found a short distance in tho bush, and, subsequently, a traveller arrived afc fcho Rangiriri and staled that a riderless horso and another with a pack-saddle on had been picked up on tho Christ church road. A description of the horses corresponded exactly with tho appearance of those ridden and led by Mr M'Farlino, and hence ifc was inferred fchafc he also had lost his life on the Wednesday evening when attempting to ford tho same river. A search was at once instituted for tho body by Mr M'Leod (the missing man's partner) and several other persons, but up to fcho timo of Constable Bennett's departure from the Rangiriri, without success. His fate, however, is considered as sealed. Wo understand that Mr Taylor was amongst tho earliest settlers of tho province, and held a station on tlio Hurunui rivor. Ho will be mourned by a, largo circlcv of friends, whilst, hundreds of diggers on this coast will long revore hia memory, as his hand was ever

open to tho many necessitous and starving creatures who passed his door in tho early days of tho West Coast goldfields. Mr Taylor was of middle age, and leaves a widow, but no family.