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Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 535, 27 July 1869, Page 2

No more news of anything like a reliable character lias been received with reference to the diggings described as having bsen recently discovered in the neighborhood of Vest Wanganui. It is simply stated that the ground is near a river named the Turamawiwi, which flows into the sea about sixteen miles to the southward of Wanganui Inlet, and, although there are contradictory reports as to the size of this river, the most authentic are to the effect that it is capable of admitting small sailing craft or steame'.s. The diggings are situated on a Native Reserve, and we believe that Mr Mackay, Native Commissioner, has recommended that it should be proclaimed as within the Collingwood Goldfield. The s.s. Murray is advertised to leave Westport for Wanganui Inlet, or the new rush, on Wednesdaynext, and, should she do so, we shall then have an opportunity of obtaining something like full and definite intelligence. Meantime, the first information is likely to reach us by way of Nslson, with which communication is at present mora easy and expeditious.

Messrs Bull and Bond are at present executing a contract in connection with the Westport gaol. The miserable apology for a gaol which has hitherto accommodated the prig »aers of the d : strict is being extended to about double its original size, and a house is being erected, or is about to bs erected, for Mr Maguire. The same firm have completed their contract for the erection of the English church, and, although it is not very magnificent in size, it is a tidy, proportionate, homely little church, and eminently more satisfactory as a place of worship than the present Court-house. If it only have the effect of inducing a spirit of church-going, it will have some good effect, for, as a rule, there is in Westport a lamentable lack of attention to that duty, privilege, or pleasure, whichever it ma}' be.

Cobb and Co.'s coach, when on its way to Charleston on Sunday evening, met with an accident which was fortunately unattended by injuries either to passengers or horses, but which, for the participators in it, must have been somewhat sensational. There is a steep descent and a rather narrow sidling, contiguous to a gully about a quarter of a mile beyond the Eace-course Hotel, near Charleston. We are not acquainted with the cause of the accident, but we know that it was rather a dark and boisterous evening; and, however it happened, tho coach, which was in charge of Mr Keiiey, got off the road, and descended the gully iu the " promiscous " manner in which coaches and horses usually do on such occasions. There were six passengers, including a gentleman who was returning to Charleston with his newly married wife, but all escaped from injuries by the upsetting of the coach or from the plunging of the horses. Fortunately the scene of the mishap is not far from Charleston, and the passengers had not a great distance to walk to their destination. Mr Keiiey was in rather narrow proximity to horses' hoofs for a few minutes, but, except to his clothes, he suffered no injury. The coach was extricated yesterday morning, and the usual daily mail from Charleston was forwarded to Westport on horse-baek. The Kcv. Mr Harvey, of Westport, delivered a lecture at Charleston on Thursday evening. Subject—the Holy Land. We believe that Mr Horne's resignation of his seat in the Provincial Council as member for Charleston was informal, having been made to the Speaker of the Council, audnot to the Superintendent; virtually, therefove, Mr Home is still a member of the Provincial Council, and no fresh writ will be issued until the general election in October.

At Charleston, on Friday evening, a meeting for the purpose of forming a Fire Brigade was held. The attendance was not so large as to be creditable to the interest taken in the subject, by mercantile men, but a series of resolutions were passed, with regard to canvassing for subscriptions and obtaining the Provincial Government subsidy of £IOO. As a committee, Messrs M'Beath, M'Coy, Graves, Hardy, Nahr, Jackson, Masters, and Denovan were appointed, with Mr Donne, M.P.C. Mr Home, M-P.C, was in the chair on the occasion. In the Resident Magistrate's Court, yesday, there were several civil cases called, but in none of them did the parties appear. The owners of rifles and fowling-pieces are in expectation of a day's sport in tho shape of a pigeon match next week. Mr Trimble has ordered forty pairs of pigeons from Nelson, which are expected by the steamer Murray, and our local "crack shots " are mustering their accoutrements in the hope of enjoying an afternoon's sport on the beach, to be followed by a pigeonpie supper.

Mid-winter is not the season for beerdrinking, and at present, to the dissatisfaction of our local brewer and hotel-keepers this beverage is too seldom inquired for.

Notice may be taken, however, of a local bottling brought under our observation from the Westport Brewery. Whether it be the superior brew, or the lack of demand for the article in bulk, that has caused bottling and labelling to be done on the premises, we do not know, but the sample warrants us in saying that, as a beer for general or family use, unless the purchasers bo such connoisevrs as to n lish only Tennant's or Ba-a's No. 4, it should bo in fair repute and demand.

The following paragraph, which appears in the Grey Eiver Argus, refers, we believe, to a party of miners who have been at work near the upper waters of the Buller:—" A party of miners came to town yesterday from over the Saddle, with a large parcel of gold, which was deposited in one of the banks. They have been working for some time nearly one hundred miles up the Grey, in the rough country at the foot of the dividing range, and have been successful in bringing in what is said to be several hundred ounces of gold, principally nuggets, weighing from 230z. down to pennyweight pieces." We art given to understand that, as we have said, the gold was got on the Buller side of the Saddle, and that the party obtained 400 ounces of such gold as that which is described by our contemporary. The party do not, however, purpose returning to the locality where they obtained such rich results.

Mr Johnston, of the Melbourne Hotel, Greymouth, whose house was destroyed by fire, has already erected on the old site a large commodious double-storey building. He opened house on Tuesday last by a supper to fifty guests, Mr Wylde occupying the chair, supported by His Honor Judge Clark. In Hokitika a number of the sufferers by the late fire are proceeding to reerect their buildings. Meetings have been held for the purpose of raising funds for the relief of those who suffered most, and the contributions are coming in liberally. Colonel M'Donnell arrived in "Wanganui by the s.s. Wanganui, from "Wellington. It is commonly reported, says the Herald, that he has received an appointment, but what the appointment is we are at present unable to say. We leam fro:£ Wanganui that a gentleman who had returned from Patea states that Tito Kowaru had returned to Te Ngutu o te Manu with 300 men.

Two convicts, Frederick Plummer and Robert Martin, have effected their escape from the Mount Eden Stockade, Auckland. Plummer is a notorious character, whose career in Auckland is too well known to require further comment. Kobert Martin was convicted at the last criminal sessions for larceny at the Alexandra Hotel, and was sentenced to three years' penal servitude.

The Wellington Tost reports that an exmilitary man, who has for a considerable period been figuring as a swell about town, has recently come to grief in a rather ludicrous manner. He has been living in lodg. ings for some time past, and utterly neglected to pay his score. The landlady after various unsuccessful efforts to obtain the settlement of her account, hit upon the ingenious method of incarcerating him for debt without the expense and trouble of legal proceedings. One evening after he had retired to rest, she slipped quietly into his room, and removed his garments, leaving him only his shirt for protection against the inclement weather we have recently experienced. He has since remained in his room, where he has been allowed only the usual prison fare.

Eighty-three barrels of oil, produced by whales caught, in Queen Charlotte Sound, were brought to Wellington, last week, by the s.s. Stormbird. As an average size whale is calculated to yield over £2OO worth of oil, an approximate total of £2,500 will about represeut the result of this season, so far, for the station in the Sound. Mr Button has given notice of the following motion in the West! and County Council: —" That this Council is of opinion that it is desirable that the Westland District of the Supreme Court be extended, so as to include that portion of the Nelson district south of the Mokihinui."

At the last meeting of the Wellington Philos phical Society, Mr Skey presented some silver ore from Stewart's Island, being the result of the analysis of a specimen of quartz gangue containing 6 ozs of silver to the ton, associated with pyrites, no gold being found. The vein is from the junction of fine grained granite with blue slate, and has been discovered by a prospecting party fitted out by Mr Daniels of Eiverton. A new use has been found for phormium tenax. A man named Sullivan has committed suicide at Mangarie, Auckland; he was found hanging to a tree by a piece of flax.

Election by ballot may now bo looted upon as an accomplished fact in New Zealand. It has passed through the House of Representatives and been read a second time in the Legislative Council. The Greymouth people seem to think that their Maori landlords should pay something towards municipal improvements. In the County Council, last week, Mr Lahman said that while the Maoris in Greymouth were in receipt of .£4OOO per annum they had only spent £250 during four years.

The inquiry into the origin of the late fire at Hokitika has terminated. There was a large amount of evidence given, but it was very conflicting and contradictory. The County Chairman gave evidence, and in the course of it passed some strictures on the efficiency of the Fire Brigade. The jury returned a verdict "that the fire originated in Levy's, but that the cause is not known; that the thanks of the community were due to the officers and members of the Fire Brigade ; and that the remarks of Mr Hoos, respecting the Brigade, were entirely uncalled for."

All the Banl s in Hokitika have agreed in future to observe Saturday as a halfholiday, from 12 o'clock noon, in place of Wednesday, commencing on Saturday, the 7th August next. We notice that the 41b loaf is selling in Dunedin at sd. Mr Can-eras has given notice of motion in the Westland County Council for a grant of .£2OO, to be disposed between the brigades of Hokitika and Greymouth, and devoted to the purchase of new engines. The Cafe de Paris, Revell street south, Hokitika, was sold on Thursday by Mr W. Todd, for £4OO, the purchaser being Mr Michael Cassius, who takes the billiardtable, fixtures, furniture, &c, at a valuation.

The result of the Derby races was not stated in the English papers by the Home mails, or in the telegraphic summary of English news, but we find the following in the Lyttelton Times, published in the shape of a telegram, and apparently received from Wellington:—For the Derby Stakes 22 started—Pretender 1, Pero Gomez 2, The Drummer 3. There were 247 subscriptions to the Oaks—Brigantine 1, Morna 2, Martinique 3. The French Derby was won by Legrange's Consul.

We notice by the reports of the Westland County Council proceedings that a committee has been appointed to enquire into the conduct of Mr Eochfort, County Engineer, in connection with certain eontracts on the Goldsborough and other roads. Mr Carreras, who brought forward the motion, said that he had received floods of letters of complaint from contractors and workmen employed, in which it was freely stated that Mr Eochfort had been guilty of the most tyrranical and unjust conduct towards them. One contractor, Mr Kellock, presented a petition, in which he stated that he had been ruined ia consequence of Mr Eochfort's action.

It is stated in the Hokitika journals that there is every probability of l)r Butherford Riley, surgeon-superintendent of the Hospital there, resigning his position, owing to some act on the part of the lately-elected Committee of Management. Mr Gawne, who met with so serious an accident at the Hokitika fire, is fast recovering. Mr Muir is also better, and Mr Buxton now feels but little of his accident,

On Friday, the 2nd July, there was a very solemn ceremony at Poverty Bay. On that day the bodies of all the settlers killed at the original massacre were exhumed and re-infc. rred in a piece of land set apart for the purpose of a cemetery, about three miles from Turanganui. The bodies, twenty-eight in number, were placed in twelve coffins, each family being buried by itself. The whole population, civil and military, were present on the mournful occasion.