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Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 449, 8 January 1869, Page 2

John Haydn, or " Dublin Jack," and James Nolan, who are said to have lately committed a serious assault at the Lyell, were brought down to town yesterday in charge of Constables Pringle and ' Hunter. They will be brought hetbre the Resident Magistrate to-day. It is sincerely to°be hoped that, if the parties are guilty, there will be no prevarication on the part of the witnesses, and, through that, a failure of justice, as too often happens in cases of a similar description.

A collection is at present being made towards a fund for the erection of an English church in Westport, and we believe that the subscriptions already amount to nearly £IOO. It is the intention to erect the proposed church on ground adjacent to the site of the Roman Catholic chapel. In stating the amount of gold transmitted by the last escort, the Charlestrn Herald remarks: —" We trust that our Westport contemporary will give us credit at least for this parcel the next time they speak of the precious metal for the quarter." We can assure the Herald that we would most willingly give Charleston and its own columns all the credit they deserve, but we have unfortunately been repeatedly and authoritatively, assured that our contemporary's figures relating to the escort are all a farce—that while pennyweights and "rams are stated with an apparent attention to details, the sum-total is usually some thousands of ounces wrong. We do not say they are, but we have certainly been told so, and on as good authority as the Herald quotes as the source from which it derives its figures. We give the paragraph, however, as it appears -•—" This escort is for four

weeks instead of two as usual, which I causes the parcel to be the heaviest yet forwarded to Westport for shipment: —Charleston, 10,0610zs 12dwtsllgrs; Brighton lOOOozs. Total 11,0610zs 12dwts 1 lgrs, together with 1200ozs that will he shipped this morning at Brighton, by the Bank of New Zealand, making a grand total of 12,2010zs 12dwts llgrs." There is evidently some seriouß malarrangement in the conveyance, or, at least, in the delivery of the "Westport and Nelson mails. We have repeated complaints from subscribers in Nelson that they do not receive half the m&mber of the copies of this paper which they ought to receive, yet we know that they are regularly posted. Another subscriber writes to us yesterday that, out of the few he receives, be had delivered to him this week papers which were posted as far back as the 9th of November last. It is the same with exchanges which we receive. The latest dates generally como first; and the oldest dates usually last. For instance we received yesterday papers from the 01 her provinces dated December sth, and we have long ago had, both by Nelson and Ilokitika, later dates of the same papers. It is impossible to say where the fault lies, but fault there certainly is, and in the • majority of instances it seems to rest between the Westport and the Nelson , offices, rather than between the Westport office and any other in the country. The implication is that the fault is at Nelson. We take it ! for granted that Mr Winstanley , is as attentive to the discharge of his internal duties, as he is in the external demonstration of duty in the case of I , ship-captains and others. A sharp single shock of earthquake was felt in Nelson at half-past ten on i Sunday morning, and others at four on Monday. On the 23rd December, whilst the schooner lieathcote was lying in Pelo- ' rus Sound, William Shearer, seaman, , fell over-hoard and was drowned. Al--1 though every effort was made to save . him, he never came to the surface. Mr N Edwards has been returned as member of the Nelson Provincial Council, without opposition. In returning thanks Mr Edwards said : On all matters of public interest —in encouraging education, in fostering our gold-fields, in opening up the country, in promoting a railroad if satisfied mineral resources of the province, particularly its coal-fields—he would always be found a warm advocate. Dr Irvine asked Mr Edwards if he had matured any plan for working the coal ? Mr Edwards said he had not. At one time he was prepared, if he could have found other gentlemen willing to join him, to work the Branner Mine. Some obstacles then presented themselves in the regulations to be imposed on the lessees, particularly as to the gauge ol the railway from the mine to tb.j port. This might now perhaps be got over, and he should like to see the working of the mine fairly undertaken.

Miss Knox has obtained a verdict in her favor for £1,300 and costs, against Mr Hunt (of Thames Goldfield celebrity) for breach of promise of marriage. The case was tried at Auckland, and lasted two days. The spectators gave the lady three cheers as she left the Court. As Mr Samuel Hawke, his son, and a Mr Fry, were crossing the Waikato river in a canoe a few days ago, the c ; inoe was upset, from some cause unknown, and the three men were drowned. The petition for winding up the Panama Company has been withdrawn from Chancery. Dunedin telegrams announce that the gold escort brought down 12,000 ounces, the product of the last fortnight. The heat in Sydney has been fearful, the thermometer standing at 110 in the shade. A correspondent in Auckland, writing on the 2nd inst. says : —" There was a Caledonian gathering yesterday, and the West Coast men ran off with every thing, young Towell, of Charleston, taking everything before him. The same happened at the Shortland gathering." The Customs Revenue at Westport for the last quarter of last year was £11,222 13s Bd. The revenue at Nelson was £8,201 9s 2d. Properties favourably situated in Charleston realize good prices. The Herald reports that a small frontage of twelve feet ad'oiain~ t 1 "- Caai *~ Venise was submitted to auction on Tuesday last by Messrs D Isaacs and Co., and after a lively competition was purchased by Mr Kenney for £lls. The Charleston Herald complains that the promised new court-house is not yet erected there, and that the public continue to be accommodated in "akenneL"

Madame k una Bishop, the celebrated vocalist, has given one entertainment in Nelson assisted by Mr Las•celles, a distinguished vocalist and pianist. She then proceeded to Wellington. It is stated by the Nelson Colonist that in Wellington there is a report that Mr Fitzherbert, who a year ago left New Zealand, will not return to the Colony for some years at least, but will remain in England as London agent for the General Government of New Zealand. Speaking of the Governor's visit to Canterbury, the Lyttelton Times says:—" We understand his Excellency the Governor has postponed his proposed visit until the middle of January, in order that he may be present at the Christchurch races. A letter has been received by his Honor the Superintendent, announcing that Sir George Bowen will come to Canterbury on the 10th of January. Lady Bowen being absent in the North, will not accompany the Governor, who will travel with only a small suite." A Mr liiehardson of Waihopai, near Invercargill, draws the attention of the Southland News to the prevalence of high tides in that neighborhood lately. The News says: —" For over three months, or since about the time of the great tidal wave, this has been noticeable, and would seem to indicate a subsidence of the coast line ■ of not less than from nine inches to a ' foot. The tides have always been : (locally) more or less effected by westerly gales; but even the late ; severe storms seem hardly to account for the present level of high water."