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Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 499, 4 May 1869, Page 2

The Separation petition lias been carefully and tastefully engrossed on parchment in Nelson, by Mr Curie, clerk to Mr Pitt, of Westport, and it is now in the hands of the Separation Committee. No time must now be lost in having all the signatures appended, and in forwarding the petition for presentation to the House of Eepresentatives.

The Provincial estimates for the current year appear in the Colonist of Friday. Space does not at present permit us to republish the figures relating to the West Coast, but we shall do so, and shall have occasion to refer to them, in our next number. There are several particulars—such as the reduction of the police—which deserve the close attention of the West Coast members of the Council.

We notice that tenders for the erection of the proposed English Church in Westport are now called for. The delay in doing so has been caused by the removal of Mr Lowe, who, in consequence of his recent appointment, was unable to complete the plans and specifications. The work has, however, since been undertaken and completed by his successor, Mr Dobson, and there is now no obstacle to the erection of the building being at once proceeded with. The names of the provisional directors of the proposed local steam-boat company were misprinted on Saturday. The Charleston and Brighton names should have been: —Charleston Messrs Bridson and Hunter; Brighton—Mr Thiele.

A meeting, presided oyer by Mr Simpson, was held in the Albion Hotel, last evening, ' for the purpose of organising a race-meet- ; iag for the Queen's Birthday. Subscriptions to the amount of £ls were received in the room, and a committee was appointed to canvass the town for subscriptions to the amount required. This evening there is to be a meeting at the Empire Hotel, to make arrangements for a regatta on the same holiday. A man named James Brown, a vendor of oysters, was found drowned near the steamer Charles Edward, at Nelson, last week. When last seen he was intoxicated. It is stated that the Governor is likely to visit "Westland immediately after the next session of the General Asembly The ship with the second importation of salmon ova for Otago has arrived at Port Chalmers. Coal of good quality has been discovered in the Oamaru district, which is destitute of timber.J We observe, by a paragraph in the Dunedin Evening Star, that Bishop Jenner is about to return to England. The Hokitika papers state that his Excellency Sir George Bowen in a conversation with the Chairman of the Westland

County Council desired that Mr Hoos should make public in Westland that he (the Governor) had received letters from the Governor of the Cape of Good Hope informing him that the African Goldflelds had proved a complete failure, and that ! the hardships and privations endured by J those who had upon unauthentic news and reports rushed to the goldfields discovered . there, were very great. The Hokitika Daily News states that, in anticipation of any difficulty which might be caused by the receipt of the circular ' letter respecting overdrafts, Mr Hoos prol ceedsbyfirststeamer to Wellington tohavean \ interview with the Colonial Secretary upon l the subject. His object is to show the loss that will accrue if the County is checked in the woi'k of opening up the country. ■* Mr D. M. Luckie has been elected mom- > ber of the Provincial Council for the city of ; Nelson, in the room of Mr Kingdon, re- . signed. Mr M. Lightband, seconded by Mr Henry, nominated Mr Luckie, who, in his speech, referred to the question of separation now being agitated on the West Coast, and said ho should aid in all endeavours for c allaying that agitation by doing full and 1, complete justice to all reasonable claims 0 and demands from that part of the Proh vince. The j>roposed bill for reducing the Council was a measure that tended greatly in that direction, and although the mere '" reduction it would effect in the expenditure '* was of small amount, yet it gave at least O proportionate preponderance to the in- • fluence of the West Coast members.