fflfask €omt fees, AND WESTLAND OBSERVER. TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1869.

West Coast Times, Issue 1026, 5 January 1869, Page 2

fflfask €omt fees, AND WESTLAND OBSERVER. TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1869.

As the time for the meeting of the new Council is rapidly approaching, it will be wise to consider carefully the main questions which will have to be decided by that body. It is to be hoped that the members will not be infected by that extraordinary desire for pomp and authority which distinguished some of the members of tho late Council. They are not, nor were they ever intended to be a legislative assembly ; they are simply a central board, whose duty if is to economise to the utmost, and lo spend as fairly as possible the means at their command. And however desirable it may be for that body to pass resolutions upon general topics, such as their own Constitution, the changes that may be desirable in the Act under which they arc constituted, and other kindred topics, we sincerely hope that they will not spend more time than is absolutely required on such subjects, but will set themselves to do their real duty, that of acting as a lai'ge central Road Board. The most, important part of the duties of the Council will be to decide first how those means can, if possible, be increased, and, secondly, how they can be spent to the best advantage. Now with regard to increasing' our means ; there is no probability of any very considerable accession to our income, until we get relieved from part of the burden imposed upon us by tho Assembly as our share of the Canterbury debts. How far the settlement of thi:( question by arbitration will reliove us remains yet to be seen. But

the other question— how to spend the nieanH at our disposal to the best advantage, is one which should be settled without delay.

There has been, wo believe, no new

schemo brought forward for doing more thau has been done up to the present time in making roads into the interior. One only of the candidates for the Council had a definite suggestion to make, and that was that the Council should undertake all the more important works, and after carrying them out, should hand them over to the Road Board to be maintained. Concentration — massing our forces, instead of weakening them by too-widely scattering them, is the course suggested, and there is no doubt that there is a great deal to be said for it. There are, no doubt, some pratical difficulties which will have to be provided for, which we will allude to presently. But there can be hardly any doubt that there are at the present time certain urgent works, waiting to be executed, which will require all the means at the disposal of the County to be expended upon them.

The first and most urgent is the road to the Greenstone. Our readers will see from the news which we publish from that district that there is every probability that there will be room for a very considerable population. To provide a proper road to this field ought certainly to be the first business of the Council. No doubt the County Engineer's advice will be forthcoming" as to the proper route to be adopted. We believe that at present he is in favor of continuing the Chesterfield road eastward for about four miles, and then turning northward to the Teremakau, immediately opposite the mouth of the Hohonu.

It is a great pity that this work was not decided upon at tbe last meeting of the Council. Is is true that tha* meeting was intended more as a formal opeuiug of the Council under the new Act thau as a meeting for despatching business; but considering the urgency of the cage, it certainly would have been better if authority had been given to the Cbairmau to spend all the available funds of the County in the construction of the Greenstone road until that work was finished. Other unimportant matters were debated, the Council sat for a week, but this matter which Jvyas jijsfc

as important, then as now, was never brought forward at all.

One of the greatest improvements which is effected in the Act of 1868 is that of enabling 1 the Council to declare certain roads main roads, anil to undertake them itself. Acting under this provision the Council ought to be able within two months to make a good substantial dray road as far as the Teremakau crossing. The Greenstone river itself supplies a very fair track in ordinary weather, and one which with but a moderate amount of expenditure, could easily be made out into a fair dray track. The crossing of the Teremakau ought to present no difficulty. The river at that point is sufficiently deep to make it a suitable place for establishing a punt. And no doubt if sufficiently liberal terms were offered there would be no lack of persons ready to construct such a punt as would be available at all seasons, excepting on the occasion of unusually high floods. There are other works of less urgency than this, which ought to be undertaken without delay. But, in the case of the Greenstone-road, we certainly think that the Council should not allow a single day to pass before they empower the Chairman, or other proper person, to enter into a contract for its construction. And this brings us to the point w r e alluded to — namely, the practical difficulties in the way of the execution of works by tho Council itself. When the Council is out of session, it will be necessary that some person or persons should have authority in all such cases to enter into contracts; pass the work when executed, and authorise the payment of money due. It would be hardly fair to throw so serious a responsibility as this upon the shoulders of the Chairman only. No doubt wo have had, and probably we shall again have, a Chairman upon whom the utmost reliance can bo placed. But it is a more onerous duty than, one man ought to be required to take — to carry out, in detail, works of which scarcely anything but the merest outline can be determined by the Council. It will, probably, be found desirable that at least one member of that body, in addition to the Chairman, should be charged with the duty of looking' after any particular contract ; and avc would suggest that, for several reasons, the most proper person to act with the Chairman would be the member for the particular district within which tin. 1 work has to be executed. Of course, in all case?, the Chairman and bis colleague would have the advice of the County Eugiueer ; but, we think it probable that the advice of the member for Che district, .and his local knowledge, would be found not less useful thau_ the professional opinion of the Engineer.

The monthly meeting of the Fire Brigade took place last evening, at their room, Kevellstrcet. Lieut. Hudson was in the chair. The minutes of the previous meeting haviugbcou read and confirmed, a letter Avas read from Mr Dalrymple, resigning the office of foreman of the fire c»mpany, whereupon it Avas unanimously resolved that the same be notreceived. The resignation of Mr Fiudlater> as member of the brigade, Avas accepted with regret. The treasurer stated that the balance in hand to the credit of the general fund Avas i'lß ; members' fund, £58. Account? to the amount of £18 10s Arere passed, on the motion of Messrs Buxton and Gamble. The officers of the Brigade reported that all the various apparatus avch in perfect order. The nomination of members to fill the various offices for the ensuing yeai then took place. Tho number of nominations Avas rather numerous, and some interest will attach to the election, which -will take place on Monday, the Ist of February next. Two iicav working members, Mr Poavcll and Mr Forster, Avere proposed. The roll was called, and 173 6d collected toAvards the Members' Fund. The meeting closed with a vote rf thanks to the chairman.

Dr Carr's mesmeric seance -will not take place this evening, having been postponed until to-morrow evening, in consequence of la petite Marion's benefit at the Duke of Edinburgh Theatre.

The entertainment at the Duke of Edinburgh Theatre last evening passed oft most successfully. This evening La Petite. Marion takes her Benefit, the pieces selected being "The Irish Emigrant," in which Marion Arilj appear as Pat O'Brien. This -will be folloAred by the " Irish Tutor," La Petite sustaining the character of Dr O'Toole ; and the entertainment will conclude with a Musical Burletta, composed by Mr Salamon, entitled " The Sentinel." We knoAv that there will be a croAvdcd hoiiße this evening, and no wonder, considering the marvellous versa I illity of talent displayed by the child be.neficiare.. The people of Hokitika have always been ready to recognise genius, and Are believe that on this occasion an overfloAriug audience will testify the public ■ appreciation of La Petite Marion.

We would remind the devotees of Terpsichore that a select ball and supper Avill be given at J. Q. Walker's Assembly Rooms, Princess Theatre, this evening. The price of admission is 10s 6d for gentlemen ; ladies by imitation.

We have received the folloAving jutelligcuce, from a reliable source, respecting the Greenstone Diggings. Our informant says :

— " There arc now about 1500 people located iv this district, and their number is daily increasiug. The places that are at present attracting the attention of miners arc the Shed Flat and the terrace on the north side ef it, and Avhich has been named the Duke

of Edinburgh Terrace. There are about three hundred persons engaged at work on this, and all appear to be highly satisfied with the prospects ; some are earning from .£lO to £15 per man per week. Gold was first ! struck on the face of his terrace, immediately I above tho Shed Flat, and the lead has now j been traced for upwards of a mile and a half ! into the bush, towards the Eight-Mile, on the j New River ; and it is confidently expected that it -will be found to join the workings there, a distance of about five or six miles. The scarcity of water on this terrace is a great drawback to mining operations, there being nothing but surface water available for washing purposes. The sinking on this terrace is from ten to twenty feet, with three aud four feet of wash-dirt in some placesOn the Shed Flat, where the gold was found that unused the™ late rush, there arcstill a good number of miners at work, and some of the claims are turning out very well; but those working at the upper end of the Flat have a great deal of trouble in getting into their ,'claims, having to cut deep tail races from the creek at the lower end of the Flat to drain their claims. There is very little doing on Maori Point, there being only one store, and about fifty or sixty miners in that locality ; but from the junction of tho Greenstone with the Teremakau, up to Maori Poiut, a distance of about ten miles, there are people working in nearly all the gullies and terraces ou the banks of the Greenstone river. There are now ten hotels on the Greenstone,, all of them doing a very fair business, and two of them having dancing-rooms and billiard-rooms-The place is very orderly and quiet, and the district is wholly free from crime. Five new ! stores have lately been erected on the Duke of Edinburgh terrace ; it is, however, still a very difficult matter to get provisions to the Greenstone owing to the liability of the creek to sudden floods. The carriage of goods from the Teremakau to the Greenstone is about iClo per ton. Another gentleman who has jusfc come down from the G.icenstone, an;l who has considerable experience in mining matters on this Coast, has furnished, us with some particulars of his visit to that locality. He states that there are now over a thousand miners on the ground, and they all seem satisfied with their prospects. The sluicing claims on the flat are all in good working order, and ou the terrace, where by far the greater number of miners are located, all the claims are now commencing to produce gold in quantity sufficiently remunerative to render the work satisfactory to those engaged in it. The want of water races is very much felt on the terrace, as at present the mode of obtaining the gold is restricted to the primitive process of " cradling." A company is, however, about being formed to supply the . desideratum of a copious supply of that element — water, — so necessary to mining opera" tions. On tho flat there is already a township springing up which bids fair to outvie many of those older established on the coast. Amongst the hotels already opened are Dean's Criterion Hotel and Billiard Saloon, M'Grath's Hotel, Stephenson's, Rogers', Webb and Murdoch'R Hotel and store, Stanley's (on the other side of the river), and many other hotels and stores in course of erection. Considering that everything has to bo carried to the place ou pack-horsey, these enterprising men of business deserve great praise for their energy and industry. The consideration of \ a track from the beach to the Greenstone would be a great boon conferred on the large number of miners now located at that place. At present the means of access are in a most deplorable condition. Indeed, it is wonderfull how those who scc-k to reach tho Green, stone accomplish the journey at a]l. The I tracks from the beach to the junction are in a fearful state, and when the river is high the unfortunate traveller has to make his way through the bush and find his way to the junction as he best cauFrom the junction to the present township there is the same old track and the Greenstone River has to be crossed about thirty times, in a distance of about five miles, before the destination is reached, and if there be a fresh in the river there is no getting one way or the other. On one occasion Mr Stanley, a well-known storekeeper, in j endeavoring to cross one of the fords, near (he Black Creek, Aras swept off his horse by the current, and was nearly drowned ; indeed it was only by ilia merest accident that his life was saved. On another occasion a packer, '.n the employ of Messrs Webb and Murdock, lost his life Arhile crossing the river. Our j nformant mentions that Don de las Careraa | md Mr Hurst Avent from the Greenstone to the Eight-Mile in a few hours, by a uoav track, and as the same journey avouUl take two days by the present roundabout route — a mode of proceeding from place to place which seems peculiar to Westland— it may be of importance to diggers coming that Avay to let them knoAv that there is a plan of the track, and information respecting it, to be obtained at Hamilton's store at the EightMile.

From tho Kanieri district we learn that there has been a small increase in the population at Woodstock. At Tucker's Flat there is also an increase of population, good gold being now obtained on one of the terraces. Many of the sluicers on the terrace claims at the Kanieri have been averaging from £15 to £20 per Aveek per week, and the miners working on the right-hand branch of the Kauieri express themselves A\-ell satisfied with their claims.

The District Court will sit in Bankruptcy this morniug, at 1 1 o'clock.

A curious locality for vegetation may now bo seen at the wharf, viz., a young cherrytree growing out of the cable-chain on board the Jane Ann . Tin's tender young plant ha* sprung from a cherry-stone which had accidentally lodged iv the chain, and there being nourished by the frequent rains, has germinated and struck its roots into a little soil adhering to tho chain, uutil now it has attained a growth of some inches. It would really be worth while to remove the young tree to a more congenial soil.

About six o'clock on Saturday evening Andrew M'Ginn, a laborer employed on the racecourse, whilst in the act of descending from the roof of one of the booths on tho course, lost his hold, and fell to the ground, landing on his feet. On attempting to walk he found he could not, on account of some injury sustained to his right ankle. He was conveyed to the hospital on Sunday morning, and, on examination, the snrgeon-superin-

tendent discovered the ankle to be dislocated inwards, and also a fracture of fibula.

A little child named Lockhart has died at Nelson from the effects of suustroke.

The Government geologist, Dr. Hector, has delivered a lecture to a large audience in Nelson, on "The Geology of New Zealand."

Yesterday morning Sergeant Wilson, of the Mounted Police, discovered the dead body of a, man in an advanced state of decompo" fiition, lying on the beach north of the Three Mile Creek. The body was removed to the felhnongcry, which is near at hand, awaiting the inquest, which will be held to-day at Last's Miners' Rest, Hotel, 110-110 Creek.

According to the Christchurch papers, his Excellency the Governor is expected to arrive in that city about the 10th inst.

Telegraphic communication with Christchurcii was suspended until 10 o'clock yes tcrday morning when it was resumed, but it was only workable at intervals during the day, in consequence of several men having been engaged in effecting repairs. Commuuical ion with Greymouth and the Northern Ports was uninterrupted.

The adjourned meeting of the Borough Council, which was to have been held last evening, lapsed for want of a quorum. At 8 o'clock there were present only the Mayor aud Councillors White and Boyle. The meeting was adjourned pro forma to Thursday evening, at 7.30, with the understanding that the meeting for despatch of business will be "then further adjourned to the next Friday evening, at tho same hour.

The Australian aboriginal cricketers having completed their programme (which included no less than 47 matches, extending over a season of unprecedented length, viz., from May 25 to October 17), the aboriginals left London on .Sunday, October 18, for Plymouth, where they joined the ship Dunbar Castle, direct for Sydney. During their stay in England, the demeanour of the blacks has been most becoming, and all their engagements have been fulfilled (frequently three matches per week) with undeviating punctuality. This is the more commendable when the fact is stated that they frequently had to travel immense distances ; for instance, from Rochdale to Swansea, between Saturday night and morning, and from Swansea to Bradford (Yorkshire) between the cessation of play on Wednesday evening and Thursday at noon. The expenses of the expedition have been so heavy as to leave but a very small margin of profit to the enterprising gentlemen, Messrs Hayman, 6r». ham, and George Smith, who, however, are hoping to recoup themselves in the colonies on the arrival of the blacks, who have now earned, and deservedly so, a European reputation.

In France a rifle has been invented to be fired by electricity. The stock of the gun encloses a battery, from whence wires pass to the breech, and into connection with a platinum wire passing through the cartridges. The pull of the trigger closes the electric circuit, and in an instant the platinum wire becomes red-hot, and ignites the powder. The cartridge carries no fulminate, so it is it very safe one. Thus, we find ingenuity exercised to kill by electricity ; and, strange to remark, we have, at the very same time, an invention to cure, by electricity, the wound iuflietod by tho riflo referred to. A new probe invented is mn.de with two poiuts, from each of which a wire passes ; and in the circuit in placed a battery aud a signal bell. So loug as the two points are not metallically counected uo current passes> and the bell is silent ; but when they are joiucd by any piece of metal it rings. When, then, the surgeon thrusts the probe against the bone or muscles there is no effect ; but when the points come against the metal bullet the bell announces the fact ; the forceps, in extracting the lead, behave in the same manner. Thuy, we find electricity au active agent in throwing bullets into the human body, and taking them out again.

His Honor Mr Justice Johnston, at a recent sitting of the Supreme Court in Bankruptcy, at Wellington, strongly condemned the present Bankruptcy Act. According to the Independent, His Honor characterised it as one of the most complex, unworkable, and vexatious measures which the ingenuity of the Legislature could inflict upon the profession and the public. It contained a system of Procrustean rules which could not be carried out, and which were totally inapplicable to a country like New Zealand. It was like the application of a complicated steam-engine to break a stone on the road, which might be more expeditiously accomplished by a more simple process.

A novel method of raising money for acclimatisation purposes has been introduced by Sir J. W. Graves, of Hobart Town. Fkding that considerable difficulty existed in raising money to pay the expenses of Franklin Island, a recent gift from Lady Franklyn to the colony of Tasmania, he hit upon the idea, says the Tasmanian Times, of asking from the inhabitants of the city gifts in kind, according to their several avocations, setting an example himself by presenting a number of valuable specimens of the canine breed, Bee. The call was warmly responded to, and all the friends of acclimatisation, and the citizens generally, sent in a large and heterogeneous assemblage of goods, ranging from a gross of paper collars to a cask of Wilson's ale, and from a sixpenny spy-glass to a mahogany sideboard. Hairdressers, chemists, publicans, tobacconists, merehauts, and, in fact, all classes contributed, and the sale not only represented many of the descendants of the contents of Noah's Ark, but also most of the articles of provision used in common life, and many of the luxuries consequent on the advance of science. Among other things sold were an Angora goat, which fetched £i; four pups, which fetched from £2 10s to £2 15s each; a ton of coal and a ton of oak wood, tho two last being sold for about 15 per cent, more than they would have brought on the wharf. The sale appeared to afford great amusement to all present, and it is satisfactory to state that on a rough estimate being taken of the amount realised, it was found to bo sufficient to pay the salary of the keeper of the island, and all incidental expenses, for the next two years.

M. Kinilo Andreoli, Avko took part in the late Polish insurrection, and on being cap. turcil by the Russian*, """as sentenced to twelve years' imprisonment in Siberia, ha 3 just published in the Kcvuc Moderno the first part of his prison recollections, some of which arc certainly curious. " I was told/g

he remarks, " that on two or three occasions an electric battery has been made use of by the Russian police to loosen the tongues of the prisoners who refused to answer the questions put to them, which shows that the Russian Government is one of progress, and kuows how to turn the discoveries of science to account. After all, tliis was not more cruel than the torture of the herring. I knew several who underwent the latter, and they told me that nothing could compare with the sufferings which they endured They were confined in a well-warmed apartment, salted herrings with bread and water for the first few days being their only food. If they refused to answer the questions of the examining commissioners, the bread was the first of all withdrawn, and then the water, whereupon tho torture of intense thirst commenced, depriving the sufferer of all moral strength, and even making him abandon the resolution which he had formed to die. Very rarely did anyone remain mute when brought before the commissioners a second time. The sittings were usually at j night, in a splendidly lighted apartment, with refreshments of all kinds temptingly displayed on the side tables. The president would usually he most gracious. ' By-and-by,' he would say, ' we will, if you like, ask you to have something to drink with us.' The fever and the vertigo caused the prisoners to lose their reason, and they generally yielded. Hunger would not have brought about the same result as thirst, which loosens the tongue even far more readily than drunkenness does. To Professor Casterani of Turin, belongs whatever honor may attach to the most ghastly and horrible discovery of this or any other age. He has found out a mode of killing animals, by forcing air into their eyes, within the space of a few seconds, and, it is thought, almost without causing them any painExperiments have proved the truth of his assertions, hut what, I would ask, is the value of such a discovery ? It may enable a butcher to slay a bullock in an easier and more comfortable way than he now adopts, by propelling a small hurricane into its eyes instead of felling it ; but that is about the extent of the benefit accruing from this "killing made easy." The most remarkable thing, but the most unfortunate thing, is the fact that it loaves absolutely no outward trace, and it can be as easily applied to men as to animals of the lower order.

Intelligence of considerable interest continues to reach us from M.idagasca. A religious crisis seems likely to occur, as the Protestant missionaries are making great progress, a strong native party at present representing that profession of faith even among the heads of the government. The people are in expectation of a measure which, according to them, is imminent — viz., a con" version, en musse, to the above-mentioned creed.

The All -England Eleven whipped the Philadelphians on their own ground, on Cth October, with two wickets to spare. The match is said to have been the best contested in the aunals of cricket in America.

A prospectus has been issued, in England, of the South African Goldfields Exploration Company (limited), with a capital of £25,000, in shares of 5s each, for the purpose of ascertaining the practicability of working the recent discovered goldfields in South Africa, and, if fouud desirable, of acquiring and securing, in freehold or otherwise, ;t portion of the territory upon which these goldfields exist, and of obtainiug mining grants and concessions. The board comprises members long connected with Natal, aud it is stated that " competent and trust" worthy persona will be despatched forthwith to tho colony, who will act in conjunction with influential parties there in carrying out the proposed objects."

Mr N. Chevalier, the distinguished artist whose celebrated sketches of Australian and New Zealand scenery arc now widely known, left Wellington by the Alhambra, en route- to join the Duke of Edinburgh's ship, the Galatea, which left England some time ago on a cruise round the world. At the express desire of the Prince, this talented gentleman is now on his way to join the Galatea, and will accompany his Royal Highness in his tour through India, the Indian Archipelago, Australasia, and lastly New Zealand.

The " Peripatetic Philosopher," in the Australasian, expresses himself thus forcibly: — " I like humbug! There is something so refreshing in a good, full, wholesome draught of humbug. Of all humbugs, I think that the humbug of dinner-giving is the greatest; aud it becomes intensified when the dinner is given by employees — as servants are called now-a-days —to their masters. I remember that when I was at school, one of the masters was about to leave. Of course we all hated him, not because he was a ' master' and a 'natural enemy,' but because he'was exceptionally unpleasant. Some sixth form boy got up a ' testimonial," and, miserable little dogs, wo all subscribed and presented an inkstand to a man whom we hated, and who knew it, with many expressions of tearful regard and esteem. This sort of thing is not confined to boys. Men do it every day. There have been many such absurdities perpetrated lately, and the papers have been full of fulsome paragraphs, clammy with doublydistilled oil of rankest humbug. I will not particularise, but if, among the many employees, there was one man honest enough to refrain from participation in the business, let me figuratively clasp his hand in these pages."