THE MONTH.

West Coast Times, Issue 1329, 25 December 1869, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE MONTH.

The c stomary monthly inspection parade Of the A fo«tlnnd Volunteers took place last Friday afternoon. The men mustered in strong numbers at the Drill Shed, and after felling in they were marched to the cricket ground, headed by the brass band; on arrival there th >y were drawn Tip into line, and the arms «r d accoutrements inspected by the Distric Adjutant, at the conclusion of which the me i were complimented on their efficiency ; after which they were exercised in a variety of field manoeuvres, battalion drill, file and volley firing, forming squares, and other field evolutions, the whole of which were performed with remarkable precisi;n. At five o'clock they were marched back to the Shed, and after a few congratulatory remaiks from Captain .Bonar and the Adjutant, they dispersed. As our readers will perceive by a telegram another column, a sad accident happened Saturday last at Timaru, whereby Mr alfour, Colonial Marine Engineer, and Mr ma] Iwood, lately teller in the Union Bank, Timaru, lost their lives. Timaru has long been known to be a dangerous place for landing passengers, and surf-boats have to be used for that purpose. Owing to the surfline of a boat g ing out to the Maori getting fouled, a boat from that vessel went to the rescue, but got up to windward instead of to leeward of the steamer, was dashed up against her, and capsized with the above sad result. The accident, in the .absence of further particulars, is most \inmtelligible, ,as Captain Malcolm and others of experience were in the boat at the time. It is supposed that the unfortunate gentlemen whu were drowned were stunned by being thrust against the vessel, and could make no effort to save themselves. Mr Balfour was a gentleman of great professional ability, and well known here as elsewhere in New Zealand. Mr Smallwond, we believe was also a valued officer of rhe bank. The weekly return of prisoners in the Hokitika gaol for the week ending December 18, is as follows : — For trial : males, 4 ; females, 0. Penal servitude : males, 13 ; female, 1. Hard labor : males, 13 ; females, 7. Imprisonment, 0. Def lult of bail : males, 2. Lunatics: males, 16 ; females, o. Debtors: male, 1; female, 1. Total— 49 males, 8 females. Yesterday week, an old man named Timothy Canty walked into the Hokitika river ]v iear the Islay Hotel. ' Some boys crossi <i a boat, saw him just as he was gettir. xtty well out of his depth, an . t^<?y ja, aged to keep his head out of waLcr until ie was got ashore. Canty is what is callec in the old country a "natural," but it was ver thought that he would attempt sclf-c" truction. He says he believed he could ord the river, but it was thought he was f blowing an uncontrollable impulse, and re ally did not know what he was doing. Tlv.tcher, the veteran songster, after an absence from Hokitika of many years, reappeared last Friday evening at the Duke of EdiuWgh Theatre; and,although the attendance vas somewhat slack, his reception was enthusiastic in the extreme. His appearance on th stage was the signal for a boisterous show r of applause, which was prolonged for some time, and only subsided after frequent acknowledgments from the recipients. Doubtless many of those present that night who were so demonstrative iv their expressions of approbation at the sight of that " old familiar face," were influenced by recollections of the rosy days of yore, and the glorious incidents that are associated with the name and fame of the celebrated Thatcher, at the sound of whose well modulated voice the memory reverts over a chaos of fifteen yeavs to the halcyon days of Forest Creek, Bendigo, and Ballarat, recalls the departed prestige and happy reminiscences of glories long departed. Thatcher has- lost nothing of that natural vivacity of manner which, iv years gone by, so remarkably characterised him, nor does it appear that the buffeting of fifteeD years of goldfields' life has caused the slightest alteration in the lineaments of his face, whilst his voice still retains all its freshness and vigor. Of his acknowledged fame and power of versification we need say little ; universal suffrage has long since made its award, by according the veteran a reputation that will last so long as the ear remains attuned to melody, and natural airs have charms for a free and enlightened people. The father members of Mr Thatcher's company have, we think, with one exception, been before the public before, and to whom an Hokitika audieuce has previously testified its sense of their worth. Mr Small, so long "and favorably known in connection with the Nathan troupe, and throughout the colonies, as a clever delineator of Irish characters, and author of several popular songs, and the only real " Unfortunate Mr.n." holds a prominent position in the company. Mr Salamon a gentleman who deservedly bears the reputation of being one of the best pianists in the Australias, and is not altogether unknown as a composer of music. Mr Daniels, though a stranger to an Hokitika audience, bears a reputation which has preceded him, and his generous reception by the audience fully justiS' the belief that he will hold a high je in their estimation. Each member i .. .!G company was frequently honoi c i *>y a t, ore, v liich was generously acceeded to. Vlr Daniels was accorded a very liberal shar of applause throughout, whilst Mr Smc 's "Unfortunate Man" held the audi .cc in raptures. Or Monday, a Kanaka named Miller,living with the Maoris up the river, had a narrow escape from drowning by the capsizing of his cance, Being an excellent swimmer he managed to reach one of the piles near the old wing dam, and succeeded in clinging to it until assistance came, and he was rescued. A meeting of the Benevolent Society was held on Monday, at the Supreme Court House. A c '.scussion on the subject of ladies coopei iting with the society took place, and aftei' various opinions as to the best way in which the ladies could advance the interests of the society, it was moved by the Rev. Mr. Sluiw, and seconded by Archdeacon Harper, " That the town be divided inio seven wards, and that two ladies be appointed to each ward, who shall investigate any case brought forward in tnat district, and report to the committee for decision." The financial state of the society was then entered into, and it was found, from the Treasurer's statement that there was then a liability of £80, which

Hie society were un-iblc to m»et, ::nd it wa« resolved that the Secretary be requested to iir'ng the wants of the society before the public, hy a statement in the newspapers, and also that the subscription-lists lately st irtci be carried out by means of certain forms which will be entrusted to various members of: the society's committee The meetinsr then adjo'irned. The yield of gold from the Victoria Cooperative Gold Mining Company's claim, Kanieri, for the past week was lOOozs. It is with extreme regret that we have had to record the untimely deaths of " ~ me? M. Balfour and Mr Thomas Pat» oth members of the Institute of Civil . ers. and intimately associated iv their sion as they were by ties of friendship, - rere . drowi cd within a week one from \in. either, the former in the roadstead at Timaru, and the JatteriD the Kakanui River, near Oamaru. The loss of Mr Balfour will be deplored throughout New Zealand, where he has been widely known for some years as the Colonial Marine Engineer ; aud Mr Paterson will be equally regretted in the scene of his professional practice— Otago and Southland— in which provinces he had held at different times the appointment of Engineer of "Railway and Roads Both genHemen arrived in Otago iv 1863, having been en :aged by the Government of thpt Province to take charge respectively of the Marine and Railway Engineering Departments, and continued to perform the duties of those offices to the satisfaction of the Government and the public till the expiration of three years the period of their engagements. At that time, the finances of the province being insufficient, for carrying out many important works which had been contemplated and designed. Mr B t'i >;>-a' * .J> >„\< aatment, under ilio General Go*, er uumt, which he s<"> ably filled to the time of his death ; and Mr Paterson became Engineer of Railways in South! md. In the early part of 1860, Mr Balfour visited Hokitika for the purpose of examining the river, with a view to the protection of ils banks ; and many of our readers will, no doubt, remember the valuable suggestions made by him at that time. His services were again called for in 1868, when the alteration of the course of the river threatened the destruction of the west* side of Revel Istrcet ; and this was the last occasion of his visiting the Coast. Tt is needless for us to speak of Mr Bal four's professional standing or of the energy and ability which he brought to all matters entrusted to him. These we r e us w.-U known and appreciated as was the kiii'U;nd genii nature which won for him the numerous friends in all parts of the colony avlio have to mourn his untimely end. The Grey River Argus of Tuesday says :—: — "Despite the eontiuous and wide-spread search for the body of Mr Jefford's missing child the result has been as yet nil. All the men belonging to the p.s. Dispatch have, when the time afforded them, spread out in all aivl every direction, and from the first day when the child was missed, done all that men could do to ensure a elenring-up of the mystery. On Sunday the beach to the north was patrolled from the Grey two miles beyond Point Elizabeth, while another party sought southwards beyond the Saltwater. It is now eleven days since the mysterious and, as yet, uuexplained disappearance of the child. Mining matters about "Woodstock are jus 1 " now in a most flourishing state ; and, among other matters, we may state that Willougby and party are bringing in a race from a creek about three miles above Woodstock, to command the terrace in the neighborhood at that tow ship. Very good progress has been made with the race, and it is expected it will be completed in about two months. The Arffiis says :—": — " Our readers will be glad to learn that the Grey River Coal Company will soon be in a position to make a fresh start with a capital of £25,000. Some difficulty and delay was caused through the doubts of one £6000 shareholder as to the value of the County Council's guarantee. Now, however, the matter will be arranged as soon as the paid-up capital of the company has been n duced from £50,000 to £25,000, which is more than can be expended on the railway and rolling stock. It ib the intention of Messrs Tonks and "Hughes, of Westport, during the Christmas week, to dispose, on the principle of an Art Union, of the largest nugget ever obtained in New Zealand. The nugget is value for £360. Tkc following account of a recent whirlwind at Ad<M-?on's Flat is givn hy the Westport Tito, s correspondent or" that place : ," The recent and most engrossing topic is the whirlwind of yesterday. The first intimation of the approach of this 'fierce courier ' was a noise as of continuing thunder, with intermittent peals as of heavy ordnance. Looking towards the sea, the whirlwind appeared like a water-spout in form, tearing its way through the bush, snapping nsuuder and uprooting trees and tossing them aloft. Soon the bush was passed, and it came hurrying on in the direction I stood. Mj r companions and myself sf»on evinced a detire to avoid this ugly customer, and the cry was raised ' Run to wind'ard.' Accordingly your humble servant with much celerity made tracks to windward, but, a'as^for human endeavor, we had run right m the enemy's wny. Having a slight conception of the irresistible force these strange visitors possess (from the perusal of sundry narratives of American torn idos) I laid down and got hold of a stu np. While the storm was'passing over, it . npeared a whirling eddy of sand, branches of lies.-, and other debris. I had a billy and. bucket I purposed filling with water. These were by me when the wind passed over. After its passage, l found myself bare-headed, without .either of my cooking-tools, .all of which have not been heard of since, except the bucket, picked . up about fifty yards away, .smashed, and scarce recognisable. Considering myself let off very reasonably, I did not grumble. Two huts that happened to be 'on the line of march ' were completely smashe ;. One weatherboard establishment belonging to W. Champion, who w;is luckily not inside, was lifted up bodily and turned over two or three times, aud smashed to pieces. Mr Cole and parly's hut was knocked to ' smithereens.' These ami many other such fnnt.islic tricks were indulged in by this strange phenomenon. The- width of the whirlwind, tornado, or other name more applicable, di I not appear -more than thirty or forty feet, aud it travelled from west to east, a strong southerly wind prevailing. A s.:tN factory explanation of the probable oui ■>• of this most unusual phenomenon. I am sure, wouU be well received by the many'wiln "-s&sof it." It is with sincere regret we notice an announcement of the death of Mr George A. llenninghani, formerly proprietor and editor of the Dunedin Evening Star, subsequently connected with the West Coast press, and latterly with that of Melbourne. He died on the sth of October, at Lauuceston, Tasmania, at the early age of thirty-one years.

Tho Hospila! Co.nmiltee have recently made some excellent arrangements on this side of the water Car the reception of casualty imsps. Formerly, under the old man igempnt, accident cases brought iuto town in order to not immediate attendance had to be taken across the river. This wns often impossible, owing to the flooded state of the river and other causes, such as the patient beiug brought down at night. The arrangements which have been made by the Committee will obviate all tin's delay. In South Revellstreet a suitnblo building has been taken, a portion of which it is intended to use as reception rooms, and one or two wards have been comfortably fitted up for the accommodation of patients under the circumstances above stated. Spring stretchers have been purchased, and all other etceteras required to make a patient comfortable, and here lie can remain, under the care of the Honorary Surgeon, until the arrival of the Surgeon Superintendent, or, in the case of a flood, until circumstances will permit of his being taken in safety and comfort to the Hospital. In addition to this, the rooms will be used as a place of consultation, the surgeon-superin-deut attending every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, between the hours of twelve and one o'clock for the purpose of examining and prescribing for patients. There is also the rooms where the committee meet every Monday evening at eight o'clock, which meeting those of the public who take an interest iv hospital matters can attend, seals having been provided for their accommodation If the committee had done no other good thing in connection with the Hospital management, the arrangements they have ■nade on this side of the river for the reception of accidents, deserve the thanks of the public. Several complaints have reached us of the danger to pedestrians caused by the velocipedists, who, now that these iron horses are plentiful, amuse themselves, at all hours of the day and night, to the discomfort of the passers by. No serious accident has, as yet, occurred from the use of the machines, but, taking into account the numbers of p. rains, principally tyros at the exercise, »r ..> ..re c. '.tintialiy, ..is" ni .:• •. ■v/.tif.y ii- ui»hl, in king attempts tv 1 1 ■ * -he by-cycles, we fnucy it will not be l.'i«_ Jei'ore some accident more or less serums", will be reported. A favorable place for exercising appears to 'ao the planking over the drain at Government House, and there, on the darkest nightn, ai c to be found these tyros at their exercise, gyrating about entirely oblivious of the fact that pedestrians are moving about. The ol her evening a lady was very nearly run over by one of these machines, a circumstance which only elicited a peal of laughter from the velocipedist and his companions. We think it is high time that some kind of regulations for the use of the " iron horse " were issued by the authorities. We have much pleasure in recording that Kennedy and party, who commenced to turn the south branch of the Kanieri lliver Avhere it commences, have succeeded in accomplishing the work. They have been just a year cngagd at it, and have laid bare twenty chains of ground. This p.irty deserves great credit for their industry and perseverance, and it is to be hoped that the result of their labor will be satisfactory. Our Greymouth morning contemporary has the following in reference to the racecourse at that place, which will no doubt be interesting to our sporting men and intending visitors during the ensuing races :—": — " The extension of the racecourse is being progressed -with rapidly, the late fine weather having given the coutractois ample opportunities of dashing ahead, and finishing the work withm the contract time. Of that part of the new course opposite the grand stand we cannot speak too highly. Id is well cut, well grubbed, and as pretty a piece of ground for racing purposes as could be desired. Here the timber was considerably lighter than on the other side, and consequently the men have been enabled to do their work more thoroughly and satisfactory than on that nearer the river. A small terrace alone breaks its perfect evenness, and although it is abrupt, though only about four feet high, it will have to be cut away. On this side of the railway cutting, the contractors have a remarkable liking tor angular work, and the course presents a series of straight lines,, curves, and crescents, decidedly objectionable to the eyes of a competent surveyor. A trip lo the course oughl to be indulged iv by all, as by taking a boat at the mouth of the Omolumotu Creek it can be reached iv onethird less time than formerly, and pedestrians are enabled to shun the hilly portions of the road beyond the bathing-house. If the weather continues fine, w e have no doubt all the clearing and levelling will be completed in another fortnight, and so enable Mr Bradley to have it all sown in permanent grass." The Grey River Argus reports that a serious accident arising from the incautious use of firearms, happened to a well-known resident of this town on the 29th ult, about 6.30 p.m. It appears that a young man named I". Semmes, a sailor on board the Black Hawk, schooner, was showing a needle gnu to some persons in front of the Cosmopolitan bar, and explaining the mode of loading at the breach; he also showed a cartridge, and was desired to explain further by inserting the cartridge into the chamber. As he did this, keeping the barrel pointed downwards, a man alongside of him foolishly lifted the stock of the guv, closing upon the barrel, and in a moment causing the charge to explode. Air 1J!1 J ! Crogan, the suffer, was standing reading a newspaper immrdijd ly in front, and the tilt of the stock raised the barrel slightly, caus- | ing the bullet to strike the lower part of his I right arm, completely shattering it. lie was immediately taken to the surgery of Dr Uorice, avlio attended to the wounded arm, after which Mr Crogau was conveyed to the hospital. The man who was the' cause of ;hc accident was taken to the lock-up. Late last uight Mr Crogan's arm was amputated by Dr Moriee above the elbow joint, and lie was progressing favorably. The trial of John Smyth, of Lyttelton, charged with the brumal murder of his wire, Oeorgina Renton Smyth, was concluded on Saturday night week, and resulted in the accused being found guilty of murder. The prisoner was most ably defended by Mr Wynn Williams ; hut the facts proved the most horrible treatment of the unfortunate deceased, without the least palliation whatever. Smyth was sentenced to be hanged, without the least hope of mercy, and the presiding judge (Mr Justic Gresson) in delivering judgment dwelt emphatically on the atrocious ctime of which prisoner had been guilty. We have already given some details of the cisc as proved at the inquest, and we must say that, judging from the evidence, t.o man more richly deserved his fate than the .convict in question. Messrs Marks, Uannan, Quinn anil Kelly, who are shareholders in the Star of the East Reef, or No. 1 east of the prospectors, Kelly's Hill, Taipo, after visiting the reef, lusve decided on applying for a lease. They found a quartz leader on an easterly linn from the prospectors and about 200 feet lower, on the face of the hill, where they intend to tunnel. The prospectors' stone intended to be crushed was in bags at Kelly's Creek, waiting a conveyance to town. Gold is visible in every stone. T'ue weekly meeting of the Prospecting Association was held last week at Hanson's Post-office Hotel. There were present — Messrs Clarke (chairman ), Hawkins, Barrcttt M'Beth, Proctor, Boyle, and White. The minutes of the previous meeting were road and confirme i. Messrs Tait and Johnston sent apologies for their non attendance. Mr Proctor Iv.ndcd in a number of maps of a recent survey held in the Taipo district, which were forwarded by Mr Fiuser. They were received, and, on the motion of Mr White, seconded by Mr Proctor, the\seerelary was in -,1 rue' ed to convey to Mr JiYazcr the thanks of the committee for his courtesy in forwarding the same so promptly. The balance in the Bank to the credit of the

Association was stated to be above £60. No | f res.l i news had been received from the prospep ing parties out. nor had any new applicatii ds Deen made to t!*e committee, but an opin .on was expressed that, after the Christmas holidays, applications would be sent in. Mr White raovei, and he was seconded by Mr Barrett— '• Tint this meeting be adjour aed to the second Wednesday in January, and it being necessary to husband the funds as rr uch as possible, the services of the secreta y be dispensed with in the meantime." Carried. The meeting then adjourned. Mining on the Coast generally bears a much bet'or aspect than has been the case for some tim i past, The much talked about Taipo reefs! engage a due amount of attention, and not inworthily so, as the many specimens broi ght into town warrant all that has been said, about the reefs, A piece of stone recently obtained from Blake's claim had "attached to it about two pennyweights of gold, and many other specimens were highly impregnated with the precious metal. Of com-se, the true worth of tHe reef cannot be asci rtained until some of the quartz has been crushed, which will doubtless be soon done. Frc :n the Greenstone, we hear a well known party has unearthed a nugget weighing 2G ounces. The locality of the find was about a mile and a half from the Greenstone township. This, it is to be hoped, is but the forerunner of numerous such discoveries. The formal declaration of the election of the Aucklaud Superintendency took place on Thursday, the 2nd instant, in Auckland. The following nve the cotrect returns ;—; — Gillies, 2531 ; Williamson* 2*479. Mr Gillies thus being returned by a majority of 52. The Gothenburg did not arrive at our port without a costly consignment to the County. It was a lamentable and pitiable sight to witness the conveyance of a corpse from the steam tender to the nearest hotel (Hansen's, Post-office). It appears the Gothenburg, from all we can learn, took on board at the Bluff a man who was senf by his friends to Melbourne. Afer the steamer hp'l been tendered at the Grey he was sudd. ily seized with v. •ii*"v>.'. whijb suited ir his bursting p, i>'(,<>fi •,■ qnl. A"l tb.:!, c(-'i : il be done was .J. m>j X >n • i 1 'i r, orrhijsrfi, but wßlvuit .tv.iil ; :>c puC. uil" .umk ami died, and this being u\e nwirott port where the body could bu lauded, Captain M'Lean wisely sent on shore the usual log depositions, which will enable our district coroner to hold an inquest. We are glad to learn that the whole of the works necessary ■to refit the Taranaki and put her in . good sea-going order are likely to be executed in this port, and by local tradesmen. Wellington will thus have had the credit of devising and carrying out the works necessary to raise and renovate what was at one time considered a hopeless wreck. Unfortunately, however, we have neither a patent slip nor a dock, and so the Tarauaki, when refitted, will probably have to be sent elsewhere to have her bottom divested of the various incrustations which have grown upon it. The LytieUon Times says : — A petition is being handed round for signature, praying for ihe commutation of the sentence of death | passed upon John Smyth. John Pcerybingle, writing in the Weekly Times, has the following remarks on the Squadron :—": — " Britannia,, the Pride of the Ocean's wearing out her old clothes. That's the meaning of the Elying Squadron. Now-a-days there's no more cutlass and hoarding pike business to be done. One fighting seadog hides behind several feet of iron, and blazes away at another sea-dog hidden behind several more feet of iron a mile away. The dodge is to keep away as far as possible, and to let fly when you get a slant. It's like going to sea in a floating water-tank, mil making war through the bung-hole. You don't tackle your enemy aboveboard. In fact, you. couldn't see the white of his eye with a 500-horse-power telescope. What you do is to try and bulge his wafertink, and he tries to bulge yours, without I'urting anybody more than "he can help. When you've bulged one another enough you leave off, and have refreshments, or gloriously s nk to the bottom and get drowned, as a litter of blind puppies might do if you started 'cm on a voyage down the river in an empty kerosene tin. Now, these Elying Squadron t hips are ships. A blood-thirsty chap might stand a chance of seeing a good deal of old f ishioned gore, and raw flesh, and battered heads and remains knocking about if he went into action in one of 'em ; but then he wouldn't be fighting according to the latest principles ; and if you dou't fight on principles you'd better go home, and turn the mangle. They're behind the times,- and Britannia wants to w-ear 'em out, so she sends 'cm to Australia. Presently they'll go down to New Zealand, in time probably to hear of a/few more massacres of colonists; but not to avenge 'em. Not a bit of it. They keep their powder dry, according to orders, and fire salutes with it, and make fireworks. If they wasted it on rebels they wouldn't have any left to make a noise with, when governors and other people with cocked hats come round at prog time ; and that would be a pity. It's just as well to remember that if this was war time the Flying Squadron wouldn't care about sailing the seas. Don't make any mistakes, the Squadron isn't a fighting Squ-ulron, because it can't fight on modern principles. Somehow, I r-an't help thinking that the Mayor and Corporation might fetch it up to the -cocker, and help it to defy all the w rt "' }. Lvt (he Mayor bottle off some of his fine old trusted knock-me-di)wn, thai, flows round his Town flail, and take it straight on board the Admiral's ship, with remarks such as these — hitching up his waistband to give 'em strength:—" This, my Heart of Oak, is about the primest bottled stench to be found south of the line. Use it rightly, and you'll find it better than your new-fangled armor plates, and such like. All you've got to do, when an enemy heaves in sight, is to keep your weather eye lifting, and to up stick to windward, 'i'he more you get to windward, the worse it'll be for the enemy . When once you've got to windward wait for a. breeze ; then beat to quarters, sing ' Rule Britannia,' and uncork this bottle. No fleet Ml ever stand it, for it's :i high old Melbourne smell, and it would kill anything from a Chinaman down to a buck gutter-rat, or a corrupt member of Parliament." The Wairampa Mercury records the death by drowning of an old settler in that district. It appears thai, on Thursday, the 25th Nov., Peter floles, of Okau, was on his way home from Flat Point, accompanied by his wife and son. On arriving at Whareama he found the river flooded, and in attempting to ford the river on horseback, he in some manner, lost Ms seal in the saddle, aud had to swim. Through being known to be a good swimmer, little uppichension was felt for his life, but he w;iR noticed to be unable to make headway against the stream and was carried down by the strong current. His son swam in (i) his nficue and got hold of him, but he nwli! but little effort, and his son was unable to swim with him, he was therefore compelled (,o lei. him go, to save himself, and did so only m time to escape getting into the surf. The ■ leceased was an old resident on the East ( !oasf, and leaves many relatives to mourn iiis loss. The following accidents — one of them fatal — are reported in the Greg River Argus of the 4th inst. : — " An accident occurred on the Ahaura river on Tuesday morning, about 10 o'clock, which was near terminating fatally with one of the parties concerned. Messrs Cook and Owens, who had just finished loading their large canoe at the Ahaura, Avere proceeding up the river to their store, air 1 when about half way the canoe fouled a snag and capsized. The canoe floated down lo one of the beaches with one of the men — Dan WU slier— clinging to it. When he reached the shallow water, by some means he got jammed under the bottom of the canoe, and besides being nearly drowned, he sustained seriou3 and dangerous .injuries. The

lower part, of his abdomen was completely torn to pioces, so that his intestines protruded. Every attention is being paid to the sufferer by Dr r Cooke. Besides losing the wlv>le of the valuable cargo, Messrs Cook and Owens sustaiued a severe money loss. Orte of the partners, who was in the canoe, took off his coat so that he could Use a paddle. The coat was lost, and a pocketbook, which was in one of the pockets, contained cash and cheques to the amount of £179. We regret to have to add another to the long list of cases of drowning in ihe Grey river. This time the victim is Peter Stewart, a boatman, who has been resident here for over three years. On Thursday he was on horseback tracking a cargo boat over a fall near the Twelve-mile, at a place he had crossed fifty times before in safety ; but the last fresh in the river must have caused a scour and deepened the crossing place. From the boat it was seen that the water was deep and the owner called on the deceased to stop and get into the boat, but he apparently did not hear, in consequence of the noise caused by the rush of. water over the fall, and continued tracking. Horse and man were seen to be out of their depth, and to be carried down by the stream. The deceased rose some yards away from the horse, but lie got into a sort of whirlpool aud sank. The horse swam ashore, and it was at first thought that the deceased would also have succeeded in reaching the shore. The boat, although in considerable danger, was brought over the spot where he was last seen within a few seconds of his sinking, and efforts made to find the body, but in vain. The water was very muddy, so that it could not be seen, and poles were used, but without effect. It is probable' the body will next be heard of on the North Beach." The Argus says :— " A running match of some interest came off on the :29th November, at Croxton-p:irk, between Boulton, a celebrated New Zealand runner, and Cummins, a well-known Victorian pedestrian. The distance was 150 yards, for a prize of £50. A considerable amount of betting took pl.vje on the event, Boulton having beaten Hi-agin* at t;ie same distance Avith five yards stirl, and aiso Cummins with seven yards si ivt. Bimltou lost five or six yards at the star! , and never after got up to his opponent, who won easily by about three yards. The, betting commenced at six to four on Boulton, and came down to even at the start. The Tauranga correspondent of the Southern Cross, writing under date November 26, says: — " There is no news from the "Front, but I saw a letter from Kaitcria, dated November 17, in which the writer says: — ' Hamahon, an or lerly at Orakcikorako, has just arrived from Major Roberts with a letter for Ciiptaia O'Hallorau, and says that Major Roberts is there with fifty men, for the purpose of escorting the packhorses on to Tapuaeharura, as Kereopa and Hakuraia sire in that district for the purpose of waylayiug the transport, in order to obtain the stores. These two worthies are on their way to join Tc Kooti.'" " There is nothing new at Taupo. Major Rober! s reached Rotorua on the 23rd, on his way to Tauranga, but meeting letters on the way, returned yesterday morniug to the Front. There is no news of the exact locality of Kereopa and Hakaraia, but they are thought to be lurking in the llorohora Ranges, where it is said there is plenty of provisions and sympathisers. If they should meet with To Kooti, he is to be escorted on to this quiet secluded spot, and when the crops in this neighborhood of Taurang.*, are ripe, will then visit I-lakaraia's settlements." Dr. Carr, of mesmeric memory in Hokitika, has had the credit or discredit attached to him of having driven a young man at the Thames, named Wetherall,insanp. Whether the cause was mesmerism or aught else, it is certain that it has been found necessary to confine the \mforlunate' subject in a Lunatic Asylum. ' The Doctor writes to a Thames paper on the subject as follows :—": — " I remember the young man well, of a strong robust but very excitable temperament. He told me he did not think I aould mesmerise him. For a long time I exerted all the power I could command, but it was of no avail. "T" failed to- mesmerise him. He-told his brother the next morning that Dr. Carr had tried to mesmerise him, but that it was all nonsense, he could not do it. This is his brother's statement. My essay with W. Weatherall was a conflict of will and antagonistic temperaments. He gave mis attention, but exercised every faculty of resistance. It was a concentrated effort on his part to defy me in spite of the powerful influences I brought to bear upon him ; and he lef fc the stage as convinced of the fallacy of mesmerism as any sceptic could wish to be. His triumph of resistance afforded the subject of his boasting the next day ; but the result of the extreme tension of the mind combined with all the concentrated forces of the nervous system was a headache. The disease may have been in an incipient state ; such conduct on the part of W. Weatherall was in every respect sufficient to develop it. I lament the result deeply ; indeed, everyone Avith an average share <>f humanity could not do otherwise. Meantime I reject the allegations, and siibmit that there has been nothing done by me to hold me responsible for a misfortune so painful. The history of mesmerism nowhere shows that it has induced insanity. My experience is great. < have mesmerised thousands. The patients have not experienced pain, and, although the most intense state of mesmeric | anuj-juiesia has been induced, there has been j no madness, insanity or aberration of any I kind. Had Weathemll's disease resulted from mesmerism it would have been without precedent. Not having been mesmerised, his disease may be the cerebral relaxation resulting from an almost superhuman tension of the faculties of the mind." The statements regarding the dullness of matters at the Thames, are corroborated by a letter published in the Wellington Independent. The writer, who is a working man, and who recently left Wellington to try his luck at the Than) s, says — "There are a great number of men out of employment, and wages very • low, say six shillings a day, aud work very difficult to get at that. Scrip is unsaleable at any figure, except in a few claims, and I believe there are some hundreds of men here who would leave if they had the means, for there is very' little chance without capital to speculate with, and then there is a great risk. If the Upper Thames don't open this summer, the times here will be very dull, for there is very little employment other than i>.ining. The business people of Auckland and the Thames, I think, are doing well, for there is a great number of strangers arriving every day, and they all spend money more or less. I should not advise any one to come down here, as I believe a working man is as well off in Wellington, if not better. I hear that there is a great deal of roguery carried on here, and that some claims f«r which the shareholders got several thousands are worth nothing to-day. There is a good number of people here walking about ; but everything is very cheap. I have not got much love for this place, and should never invest money in the Auckland province ; for, even with the gold no v, it is a poor place. Ifc is so many strangers coining and going that keeps the place brisk. I have not the same faith in the richness of the Upper Thames that some people have, and am inclined to fear that there, will be great disappointment ; for I believe there will be little go:d got, and should it be so, it will be a bad job for Auckland." Mr Redwood, of Nelson, has again beaten the Victorians in a pigeon • match. The Melbourne Weekly Times thus refers to the affair as follows — " Our local gunners do not feel inclined to let Mr Redwood return to town without repeated endeavors for the honor of conquering so redoubtable a pigeon shot. In two consecutive matches with Mr Grimwood, one of the best shots in Victoria, the results have been ties ; the last trial ending in 17 birds each being killed out of 28. In Thursday's candidature of skill, Mr Redwood was opposed

by a well-known amateur of the trigger, Mr ■ Ash. The conditions were 20 birds each, to be divided out in three separate styles as follow : — First 6 birds a side, 21 yards rise, : one barrel only ; secondly, 6 birds each, 25 ', yards rise, both barrels (in this item a bird : killed by the iirst barrel counts 2, und by the second 1) ; -thirdly, 8 birds each, placed two : together in the trap, 21 yards rise, 1 both barrels i Ist > event : Mr 1 -Redwood, 5 5 Mr Ash, 5. 2nd event : Mr Redwood, 8 ; Mr Ash, 5. 3rd event i Mr Ash, 7 ; Mr Redwood, 5. The total score, as above, is 1 8 to 17, leaving Mr Redwood the winner by a single point. The bounds fixed was' Bo yards, and there was no limit as to powder jtod, shot." It has long been considered the very acme of impossible things to " wash a blackamoor white;" but even that feat may yetbeaccomplished, to judge by an announcement which appears in the Wellington Independent. One Wiremu Mahupuku, who is not "a black nigger," but only "a copper-colored brother," residing in the stoney plains of the Wairarapa, has almost done the trick at last. He has "filed his schedule," "gone through the Court," and become " whitewashed !" Now " whitewashing " and " washing white/ whether performed by a Bankruptcy Com-, uiissioner or otherwise, are nearly S synonymous terms, so that Africau Sambo need not, beca.use of the dark color of his skin, get into a melancholy frame of mind. Decidedly the Maoris are advancing in the scale of civilisation. "We remember the time, not very long ago, when Maoris got rid of their pecuniary liabilities in a very different fashion. If a new chum storekeeper in a native district got a Maori on his books that would not pay up, the storekeeper might whistle for his money. True, he could sue for the amount in the local R.M. Court, but he took little by doing that. The Maori usually declined to recognise the jurisdiction of the Court, or if he attended, and judgment was given against him," well— he still didn't pay, and oftt-n the Magistrate declined to authorise an execution, if indeed there had been anything to levy upon. The reason for this was the critical state of relations existing between the two races, and the fear of disturbing the peace of the country. Times are changed now, aud we supp ise Maoris, finding thalTthey can be compelled to pay their debts, will in many cases avoid the disagreeable necessity by following Wiremu Mahupuku's example and " going through the Court." As a sanatory measure " whitewashing " ' will be most wholesome to them. A man named Samuel Brown, a butcher, residing on the Kanieri, was admitted into the Hospital on Saturday. He was suffering from an incised wound on the lug, inflicted by himself under the 1 following circumstances :— On Friday evening he was killing a sheep, and the animal having moved, the knife which Brown held in his hand, was accidentally thrust into his leg, inflicting a wound six inches long. He was brought down by the tramway on Saturday morning, and taken to the Hospital receiving rooms, in Revell street, where he was attended by Dr Garland, who pronounced the wound not daugerous. Dr Garland recommended him to be taken to the Hospital, We understand he is progressing favorably. "It is worth recording," says the Bendiyo Evening News, " that kerosene is efficacious in many instances of vermin poisou, and in this hot weather, when reptiles are usually lively the antidote should always be applied. The curing properties of kerosene were tested with complete success one day last week'bv a daughter of Mr Beresford, Bullock Creek, who happened to place her hand accidentally over a 'scopion, which immediately bit her on the palm. Feeling the puncture, Miss Beresford concluded that there was something there that ought not to be, and she unflinchingly crushed the vermin lifeless. The pain of the wound begeu to dart hither and thither, and kerosene was applicl, which gave instaut relief, and not a trace of the wound could be found on the following morning." A miner, whose, name is not known, has been seriously injured by an accident which happened in the Kurauui Gully, Thames, the other day. It was caused by a coil of rope that had beeu taken up the hill in the Kuranui to the Junction Gold Mining Company's ciaira, and was left f<r a minute or so, when from some cause or other it commenced rolling, knocking the man down. The coil of rope, in going down the hill, smashed iv the end of a cottage on the Shotover claim. A person standing in the cottage had a very narrow escape from heing struck. The unfortunate man was immediately taken to the hospital. Wire tramways are coming into use on the Moanalaiari Creek at the Thames. One of these stretches across the Mqauataiari Valley, and one of its wires was, according , to the Thames Times, stretched the other day. In order to test its efficiency, an adventurous digger slung himself to the traveller, and, bidding a cheery good-bye to his mates, who looked on admiringly, shot across the wide gulf it spans ai, a great rate, and landed safely on the other side. Both the wires of' the Shooting Star line are stretched and tightened, and we understand, upon the autho/:y of Mr. .Millet, that trucks are likely to be running on them iv the course of a week or ten clays. As an instance of the hardships endured by our forces during the Uto operations near Lake Rotoairi, a Napier correspondent of an Auckland journal states that a friend of his, on going early in the morning to look for his horse, found it buried to the neck in i the snow, which had drifted until it had nearly filled the gully where the anim.il was tied to a tree. About a fortnight ago (says the Otago Daily Times, of the Ist inst*.), a party of two left'Queoustown en route for Martin's Bay, via the Greenstone River, for the purpose of prospecting the ground in that neighborhood. They took away witn them, says a Cromwell paper, a natural curiosity in the shape of a jackiss, laden with implements, &c. The owners of the p.s. Antrim conveyed them free of charge to the mouth of the river. This, we believe, is the first attempt that has been made to reach the B.iy'from Lake, Wakatip since the survey party went over for the ostensible purpose of escorting his Honor the Superintendent' home fr.im the memorable West Coast, expedition. Referring to Mr Redwood's late campaign in Victoria, the Nekon Examiner says :-• " The return of Mr Redwood from Melbourne has enabled us to obtain some information' concerning recent sportiDg matters in Victoria, winch will be interesting to our readers. Manuka's chance for the Cup was destroyed by an accident which happened to him in Melbourne. ,A good deal of rain fell about a fortnight be tore the meetiug, and the training ground was so heavy the horses had to do their work on a tan gallop. Manuka iv taking a spin with Peeress one morning, got off the gallop into the heavy ground, and, cut his sound fore leg below the knee so severely as to render it a matter of doubt whether the leg will again ever be capable of standing severe training. From his trials with Peeress, Mr Redwood felt confident of winning the Cup did no accident happen, and the subsequent running at the meeting confirmed this opinion.' Mr Redwood has only parted with half his interest in the horse ; Mvl he will be kept specially for the Mcl bourne Cup next year, if he can stand the preparation, and sluuld he fail, he will at once be sent to the stud, where he will be certain to became a favorite, as it is universally believed the horse has not his equal in the Australian colonies. If Nelson did not succeed on the turf of Victoria at the late meeting, our representatives in other matters of sport were more successful. As a pigeon shot, Mr Redwood upheld the reputation he created in Melbourne, when he formerly paid a visit to A ustr.ilia. In public and in private matches, Mr Redwood met Avith no one among the acknowledged best shots of Victoria and the neighboring colonies who was his superior

with the gun, anil bafprtf leaving, a challengeto back him at 100 to SO aj>i*inst any competitor, met with no respniW, Iti footracing also, Nelson w.is well represented iv Melbourne, by Mr J. Bolton, a nephew of Mr Redwood, who beat all the "cracle"" that could be brought against him, and -\voafor his backers a hat-full of money.' Soy taken altogether, Nelson did not present a wholly insignificant figure in the Australian metropolis among sporting men." The Wanganm Herald says — " When Tauroa was sentenced to' hard labor he sufferd the pangs a high-caste Brahmin would if told- that he would be required to eatjdaily a certain amount of fat. Taunn felt that his dignity and Rangatiraship would depart if he had to wo?k like other people, and he accordingly represented his caße to the Government. His plaint was attentively listened to and request granted, and be id now ganger; and! overseer, in which capacity he is zealous and indefatigable in seemg 1 Ibat every man does his portion of labor properly. He saves I the prison authorities a great amount of trouble, as they have only to make their wishes known to the chief, and they are immediately complied with. We have herethe strange spectacle of a Maori chief andl his hapu doing hard labo ■, and preserving at • the aiune time their rank and authority. Tauroa probably feels himself a much greater chief than when he was at Patea ; for at present his sole will, exercised under constraint, is like the law of the Medea and Persians to his people. - ' The mild-looking Turkish figure which guards the entrance to the Waxworkf, in Bourke-street, appears to .have a great attraction for uneducated visitors' to Melbourne. Not long ago it was assaulted,' without-pro-vocation, by some fellow who "squared up" to it aa if it had been an^effigy of Tom'Sayers, and on the night of the 2nd inst. a marine, who must have taken an overdose jof Van Yean, was seen to kirdly offer it some foodSome one expelled the unforunate wpuld-be-nurse, who immediately picked up a piece of road metal with which to stone his assailant; but the fumes of the gas, or Van Yean, or something else, affected his sight, and He' only succeeded in smashing a valuable plate-glass window in the front of. an adjoining draper's shop. A crowd gathered, and in the lAelee some of the marine's comrades got him \ out of the way These "moral wax figgersy" as Artemus Ward would call them,., are & continual source of amusement to.ieyeryone but the owners when placed in the entrance hall, and the predecessor of thepresent.Turk — a native black — was all but annihilated by a drunken man, who left nothing 1 but the clothes and four sticks composing tn'elilnbs to tell their tale of woe. ; "■ ", - • '■ Vli A Maori named Pirikawu, _ who 'went home from Wellington to" bo' educated, was sued a few days ago, in the' Resident Magistrate's Court, Wellington,- for a tailor's bill. 1 *<His . -defence was that, he had been to England, and there no , l< gentleman " ever paid his tailor. . ' „ , „ •, The particulars of a fearful accident'are thus given hy thc'Mortlake. Dispatch':— "Two men, the worse for liquor, were returning home in a dray from this . neighborhood; via Shad well Park, when by some unfortunate mismanagement" the 'horse 1 'carried the dray foul of a log or post, causing it either to be capsized or the men to be thrown out:. One of the wheels, we are told, passed! over, the neck of one of the unfortunates, < thereby severing, his head from his body,,rwhi!e the leg of the other' unfortunate was broken by the other wheel passing over it. ( , .•: The law has been vindicated in reference to the murder of- Mr Haliigan. We learn by our exchanges that : - " The convicts Palmer aud Williams suffered the extreme penalty of the law at Roekhamplon on ,the 24th of November. They were tried 1 at' the 'last assizes, and found guilty of the murder of [ Mr Haliigan, the gold buyer, 'whom' 'they [ waylaid and robbed, as he was returning to town in his buggy, after making purchases of the precious metal to a considerable . amount. On being brought out of their cells, 1 Palmer handed the police magistrate a written confession of the diabolical crime and its attendant. atrocities, requesting that \ it might not be published in this' town. Wil- [ liams, who made a lengthened defence before \ the jury, gave Its sequel on the scaffold in a " most abusive speech, iv which he asserted \ his innocence, and denied that he had received • a fair trial. The caps were then .adjusted, the bolt drawn, aud the culprits died without " • a struggle." . " , . ' We have Wangauuui papers to the 9th. \ PVe make extracts from the papers to hand. ' On- the 7th Kemp received a letter .from ' Topia, informing him that Te' Kooti had 1 builtapah, and fortified himself atTaumafuni, where he expected to be reinforced by Kere- ' opa and others, but that Ilewi and the' Waif katos had prevented those parties joining ' him. Topia un>pd Kemp to push'upitiver, ' and join him with the least possible delay, to ' attack and capture Te Kooti. When Kemp ' communicated the intelligence to the Wan1 ganui natives, about soo of them insisted, upon [ starting the next day. , That day— Tuesday 1 —Kemp's men received pay (due for '(heir- . List expedition), and on Wednesday about ; 400 of them started up river to join Topia' ; and his men; who' are' anxious to 'push | forward. The first eanbes started 'aboi.t ; 10 am., and by. 12 o'clock Kemp with his entire force dotted the river iv their canoes for some miles upwards, a large one leading, flying the union jack. Unfortunately, Mr Booth, the evil genius of every expedition with which he was ever, connected, accompanies the present one, contrary to the very decidedly expressed opinions of Major Kemp aud hi- men. They insist that, at all events, ho shall not proceed further than Ohinemntu, and to that Mr Booth assents, provided that Topia should 1 " not invite him to accompany the expedition, which Kemp says he will . not,' that, if objected to by Topia at Ohinemutu, Mr Booth will return to Eanana, and iroin thence return to Wanganui with Meti Kingi. We now turn to the men who lead the expedition. Kemp, as \ he leading fighting chief of the loyal Wanganui ; -natives, and as the son of a Wangapui I . 'chief to whom all others during his ' lifetime bowed with respect, is now prepared -to 'lower- the ■ point of his sword to Topia; whilst uniting with him in carrying but the objects 'of{ the Government — the peace and prosperity of both natives and Europeans nwithin Yfheir respective boundaries throughout „thesj3f districts. „ ... l i, tnni v ; Another testimony to the value. of , Pr- V fesfor Halford's discovery is given by' the X Border JPost •• — " Whilst a, person 'named George liny wa» working among' sonaejuew hay, in a paddock at WodongT;' hawks' bjlten by a snake in the fore-finger', 1 a'nd^jiist'aJj lie had tied a ligature a little above the wound, Dr Ilutchinson called, and immediately; made an incision in the wound, and ordered- him to get into the buggy, whereupon hedroyeUiim into Albury, and as soon as possible.fjotfgpme spirits of iimmonia, which he iu jei;tefj into , wound; since that he has not felt anA'/purticular symptons. We may statQ.thfLtfltay, on reaching; the bridge, went ,'to "sleep? 'and his jaws Lecame quite rigid, so that it was evident the "poison was working its' Avay^nto thcsystem."_ - - ■ • vi ■ We 'gather from advertisements' in ; the Nem Zealand Mining Journal, of November .27,.pu1)1i.-lied at the Thames, that there are* no less than fifty-five firms in business t|iere as mining and commission agentsj : this fact, alone, shows to what a large and unwarrantable extent speculation in mining shares/ has been carried ou there. There is also, 'in the same paj-er, a list of Ihe registered mining companies, showing, in separate columns? the nominal < apital, number ' of shares, amount paid up, Lst dividend, and calls. The 'nW- v ber of companies is put down as 442. ''(The \ nominal capital would take too much time to tot up j but it varies from £224,000 to £800. The amount paid up varies from £219,000 to nil; but nothing whatever is stated as to how much of the total amount was put down as shares received for the supposed va'ue of claims thrown into companies. .Only n

eonipanies appear in the column headed last dividends, and, in the column headed calls, 128 appear. The number of batteries at work on the field is estimated as 55, having 680 stampers.