The Westport Times. THURSDAY, JULY 22, 1869.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 533, 22 July 1869, Page 2

The Westport Times. THURSDAY, JULY 22, 1869.

At the la3t sitting of the Nelson Provincial Council, the smn of .£3OOO was voted for Duller Wharf Accommodation and River Protection, but, although nearly three months have elapsed since that time, no action has been taken, or seems likely to be taken, to carry out the object of the vote. With fair weather and no appearance of a flood in the river, the inhabitants may be comparatively contented with the present state of the river banks, not being so apprehensive of danger to their properties ; but thoy and the Government must be aware that the pre sent is the least dangerous season of the year, and if any action in the matter be intended, it had better be undertaken before the usual October floods. We should not be surprised to find that a total neglect of this vote will be the part taken by the Government, until it will bo our duty to record a serious loss of property, and the fate of the residents to wake up some morning finding Wharf street a thing of the past and Molesworth street the river frontage. The Superintendent has made no intimation as yet of his having appointed the three members of the Westport School Committee. In connection with the school there are several matters which at present require attention, and with which the existing half of the Committee do not, on their own responsibility, feel justified hi interfering, although they are of sufficient number to form a quorum. The Master's residence has been removed from its old site for the past two months, but has never had secured for it any new site or piles to rest upon. This is, no doubt, an injustice to Mr" Fraser, though that gentleman is not without a residence of his own. The Central Board also granted an annual allowance of .£SO for the services of an assistant teacher, commencing from the Ist of July, but no stops have been taken by the Committeotosecure such services. There are several minor matters in connection with the School-house which tho Committee, when a complete body, should strive to have executed, and it will doubtless be necessary for them to make application to the Central Board for a now grant of some funds with a view to their completion. At the Resident Magistrate's Court, yesterday, Thomas Braifchwaite was again brought up, oil remand, charged with bigamy. Sergeaut Kiely: In this case, your worship, 1 must ask tor a further remand to enable witnesses to come from Otago and Cliristchurch. I have received a certified copy of the marriage certificate from the Commissioner of Police at Christchurch, together with a letter.—The Magistrate: This is from the Registrar General of Victoria?— Sergeant Kiely: Yes, your Worship.—The Magistrate: I suppose no time has been lost in taking the necessary stops.—Sergeant Kiely: No time has been lost, your Worship. Subpoenas have been sent to Christchurch and Dunedin.—The Magistrate : Remanded for eight days. A track has been formed from the Lyell township, and for four miles tip the Lyell creek, by a party of nine miners working in the district. They commenced their work on the 4th inst., and had it completed on the 7th. If the Government were to continue it for an equal distance still further up the creek, it would bo the means of developing what is undoubtedly one of themost promising districts on the Coast. All those who are at present working up the Lyell speak well of the locality, and we are assured that one party are doing better than any party in this entire district. Wo hear that John Hayden, usually known as " Dublin Jack," who only lately was somewhat sever? ly injured by an accidental fall, has since been very much hurt by a tree falling upon liim when he was at work in the tail-race of his claim, and crushing Idm against the side of the race. The Hospital Committee should have met on Tuesday evening, but the fact must have escaped the memory of the recentlyappointed members, for, except the Secretary, few or none appeared, and the Socretray, after a brief exercise of patience, wisely disappeared. We regret to learn that Messrs N. Edwards and Co., of Nelson, are withdrawing their business and steamboat agencies on the West Coast. We understand that Mr Moore, the representative of the firm at Westport, has received instructions to close the business here, and it is said that similar instructions have been communicated to the company's agents at Greymouth and Hokitika. No doubt their steamers will continue to run on the Coast under some arrangements different from the present one of locally resident agencies. Mr Mackay, Native Commissioner, and Mr Nanearrow, Inspector of Steam Vessels, arrived in Westport on Tuesday by the s.s. Murray. We hear that a party are about to prospect the terrace to the northward of Christmas Terrace. From the character of the claims already opened on Christmas Terrace, there is every reason to suppose that the lead extends further north, and that it ia as payable as on the terraces already prospected. The Charleston Herald mentions that Charles Gasquoine, in consequence of bad health, is relinquishing business in that town, and that his business has been purchased by Messrs Kennedy Brothers.

By way of Nelson wo hear of some auriferous ground having been discovered at West Wanganui. The Examiner says:— " Some rich ground has been opened on a river about twenty mile 3 south of West Wanganui, and which has attracted about seventy miners. It is said that a party of four men obtained 140 ounces of rough gold in four days. This intelligence, when it reached Collingwood, caused so much excitement that something like a rush took plnoo to the now field, which could be reached by way of Pawakau and West Wanganui." And the Mail of Saturday states :—" Accounts were received late last night that more finds of gold have been made in the district of West Wanganui. We understand that a vessel has been chartered and despatched from Nelson with all the necessaries for setting up a store at the scene of action, by a gentleman who has full confidence in the payable nature of the new goldfield." Several persons intend starting from Westport for West Wanganui to-day. Among the parties already at work there, there are a few who were for some time at work in this neighbourhood, and who are understood to have done fairly on these new diggings. The locality is one of which Dr Hector expressed a highly favourable opinion. The death of Captain Andrew M'Farland, late of the firm of Girdwood and M'Farland, of Greyinouth, is recorded by the Argus with deep regret. News of his death has come from Sydney. Captain M'Farland was amongst the first settlers at Greymouth. In his social position no one was more respected on the West Coast, and the news of his death will be received with deep regret by all who knew him. The following extracts from a private letter will evince the high esteem in which he was held in the South See 3: —" In Sydney I met a Captain Kelly, who I remember once being at Greyinouth, and a friend of Captain M'Farland's, aud he told me of his death, which took place two days before the brig left the Navigators. I went on board, introduced myself to Captain Wilks, who commanded her, and he allowed me to copy the following from the log-book : ' Off Eoratonga, Monday, April 12, 1869 This morning at about eight o'clock Mr Andrew M'Farland, the acting head of the firm to which the brig Scotsman belongs, departed this life after a lingering illness of four weeks' duration. He was a kind, generous follow, and a man universally beloved by all who knew him. He died in the prime of life, aged about 34 years. Tuesday, April 13—The funeral of the late Mr Andrew M'Farland took place this morning, the British Consul, all the Foreign Consuls, merchants, ship-masters, and other inhabitants of the island following the remains of the deceased to their last resting-place. He was borne to the grave by the sorrowing Eoratonga men in the employ. As soon as he was buried, all the vessels in the employ were put in mnnmitig, a.c a token of rospect to tho memory of tho deceased.'" In the interests of book-readers, rather than of the bookseller, we think we are justified in so far departing from our general rule as to notice tho exceptionally largo and excellent stock of books which Mr J. L. Munsou has lately received. In a town like Wostport it is somewhat refreshing to find literature so amply represented as it is in Mr Munson's selection of historical, poetical, aud fictional works, and the circumstance deserves notice in a spirit different from that by which a mere " puff paragraph" may be dictated. With this exceptional stock, and with two other book repositories hi town, the humility of the Athenaeum library may be forgiven. Mr Reuben Waito's "Narrative of tho Discovery of the West Coast Goldfields" is among the smaller brochures in Mr Munson's stock, and as it costs but a shilling, there will no doubt be hundreds who will acquaint themselves with Mr Reuben Waite in his new character as a historian and commentator. We regret to notice the death of two well-known residents of Dunedin —Mr D'Arcy Haggitt, senior, solicitor, and Capt. Johnston, master of the harbor steamer Golden Age. Both deaths were somewhat sudden, though Mr Haggitt hail reached an advanced age. Previous to his settlement in Otago, he had resided in Victoria and Tasmania. Captain Johnston was quite a young man, but is understood to have suffered from disease of the heart. He was deservedly a favorite with the thousands who have travelled by the boat which he commanded, and with his many acquaintances in Dunedin and Port Chalmers. He was a native of Shetland. A son of the late Dr Bush, of Nelson, was drowned on Friday night last, whilst crossing the Ahaura river, at a locality known as Starvation point, about twelve miles above the township. Mr J. Godfrey has commenced meat curing, on a small scale, at Picton. Mr Godfrey (says the Press) intends to export a quantity to the West Coast and Thames diggings. The Marlbormtgh Express states that Mr Travers has been instructed by the Provincial Government to commence an action against the Bank of New Zealand, for the recovery of the overdraft agreed upon. Tito Kowaru is said to be again at the head of a party 700 strong. Preserved meat associations have been started at Oamaru, Clyde, and Bruce, in Otago Province. The residents of the Eastern District of Southland have had a meeting, and passed a resolution in favor of annexing that Province to Otago. Mr Alexander Cairns, of Dunedin, has constructed some models to show the working of a scheme he is about to patent for expediting the transit of goods and crossing of rivers. A public exhibition of them is shortly to take place.

Door mats of New Zealand flax are now an article of manufacture in Dunedin. Velocipedes, either bicycles or tricycles, have been seen in the streets of Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Invercargill, but their performances do not appear to hare been anything like an unmitigated success. The Rev. T. Flavell, Charleston, recently lectured there on " Examples of Successful Perseverance." A woman known as " Ked Fanny " made a second attempt at suicide at Greymouth, a few nights ago, by throwing herself into the river. A boat was manned, and she was rescued. Mr H. Whitmore, Greymouth, has been the first to introduce on the West Coast what is known as the Abyssinian tube pump. A tube was driven only twenty feet, when good water was obtained. The cost is not more than ,£6 or £7. Five whales have been caught this season in Queen Charlotte's Sound, and nine whales have been got off Port Underwood in two days. The Blenheim Borough Council propose to levy a rate of one shilling in the pound for the year ending the 30fch of November next. On Friday last, on the motion of Mr Rolleston, the House of Representatives appointed a select committee to consider what measure, if any, could be advantageously brought into operation in this Colony, for the prevention of contagious diseases and the control of houses of ill-fame. A youth named James Gilchrist was the other day fined 20s at the Dunedin Police Court for having thrown some sausages on the stage of the theatre on the preceding evening. One of the savory parcels concained a poetical address to Mr Samuel Howard, calling upon him to " try our splendid sausages, and tell us how they eat.'' Shares to the amount of .£16,000 have been taken in the new Greymouth Coal and Railway Company. A concert, at which some amateur Christy Minstrels appeared, has been given at Greymouth in aid of the funds of the Volunteer Fire Brigade. A Waxwork Exhibition is expected at Westport shortly. It is at present in Greymouth. In an essay on the Geology of the North Island, by the Hon. J. Coutts Crawford, F.E.S., it is stated that the severest shocks of earthquakes that have been felt in New Zealand, since the arrival of the settlers, took place in 1843, in October, IS4B, in January, 1855, and in February, 18G3. The three first were most severe in Cook Strait, the last at Napier. Wellington suffered severely from the earthquake of 184S, and that of 1855 raised the land in its vicinity to a height of from nine to four feet above its former level. The impression is that, during the earthquake of 1855, while the land at Wellington rose, that on the south side of the Strait was depressed, and of this there appears to be good evidence. A company is in course of formation for the erection of a second theatre in Dunedinn, the site of which is to be in the neighborhood of the Octagon. The following mysterious announcement was made in the West Coast Times of the 13th inst.:—" It is with regret that we have to record that defalcations on the part of a wellknown land and estate agent of this town have been brought to light. The criminal, against whom warrants upon charges of embezzlement hare been issued, has absconded." The mystery is explained by the following paragraph which appeared in the same paper of the 19th inst.:—" A telegram was received in town yesterday, stating that E. W. Jones, the Curator of Intestate Estates, had been arrested in Wellington, last night. It would appear that he went overland to the Kaikouras, in the Marlborough Province, closely followed by the police. From there he obtained a passage in a schooner called the Euby. Tho police telegraphed across the straits, and, notwithstanding tho disguise assumed by tho defaulter, arrested him immediately on landing." A man named Pitt, a carpenter, residing in Fitzherbcrt street, Hokitika, died suddenly on Saturday night. He went to the diorama now exhibiting at the Duke of Edinburgh Theatre, but feeling faint, had to be brought out by his friends. He went into the theatre but was agaiD compelled to come out. He went home, and shortly after his arrival some of the neighbors heard him crying for help. They went to him, found that he was lying near the door senseless, took him in, but in a very few minutes life was extinct.