The Westport Times. SATURDAY, MAY 21, 1870.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 661, 21 May 1870, Page 2

The Westport Times. SATURDAY, MAY 21, 1870.

At a meeting held in Greymouth on Monday evening for the establishment of a Trade Protection Society, a committee was appointed to ascertain what support.would he accorded to the movement, and also to draw up a code of rules for the direction and government of the association. The principal merchants in tbe town took no active part in the proposed measure. Professor Bavan, the somatic conjurer, arrived, per Murray from Greymouth, yesterday, and purposes giving a few entertainments at the Masonic Hall, Westport, prior to visiting Hokitika. The first performance takes place this evening. According to Saxby, bad weather may be expected on Monday week, the 30th instant, when unfortunately spring tides will also fall. Residents on the beach should take timely notice. As an illustration of rich quartz, 107 ounces of picked stone from a Coromandel reef yielded 30 ounces of gold. The metal was extracted at the melting-house of the Union Bank, Greymouth. A brutal assault was committed on Saturday last at Christchurch, by a man named Bennett on his wife. She was found nearly dead through loss of blood and wounds, and. her condition is dangerous. The man has been arrested.

Among the items of news per Wonga Wonga is the following:—" It is reported that an additional J2200,000 per annum has been granted to the Prince of Wales, in consideration of the evidence given in the Mordaunt case." The rumor, to say the least is very ridiculous both in respect to the alleged amount of additional income, as also the ground for its being granted.

The criminal business of the Circuit Court, held at Ilokitika, was concluded on Tuesday. Francis Hubert Alorphew, a bailiff, who had been found guilty of embezzlement, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment with hard labor; James Conneran to eighteen months, for an indecent assault; and Mary Bullock, three months, for assault.

It is reported that a main road from Greymouth to the Ahaura will be shortly constructed at the joint cost of Nelson and Westland.

Property of nearly the value of £IOO, consisting principally of cash and jewellery, and forming part of the private effects of one of the police officers in charge of the station, was stolen from the Police Camp, Napoleon Hill on Saturday last. The Argus states that Mr John White, at the next meeting of the County Council, will move for a committee to draw up a memorial for presentation to the General Assembly, asking for increased representation for the County of Westland in the Colonial Legislature. A volunteer review and sham fight is to be held at the Hutt, Wellington, on the Queen's Birthday.

Goods to the value of £3OO have been stolen from Mr Warmoll's premises at Grahamstown.

The gross returns on the Lyttelton and Christchurch Eailway for February were £2263 3s 9d, and for March £5039 13s lid; the returns for the corresponding' months in 1869 being £2266 19s 2d, and £2072 7s 3d respectively. The gross returns on the Great Southern Line for February were £1345 Os Id, and for March £3132 0s 3d; the returns for the corresponding month in 1869 being £1424 8s 9d and £2515 7s 8d respectively. During the early part of the month twenty seven tons preserved meat anrived in Lyttelton from the Meat Preserving Company's factory for shipment. The miners who had been prospecting in the hills at Ohinemuri are once more in the camp at Cashel's, in consequence of Te Hira and a number of Hauhau followers having scoured the country for diggers. From one party Te Hira took a revolver, some money, and some gold. A correspondent of a Wanganui paper estimates the number of laywers in that town at one to every hundred of the adult population. In one of the electoral districts of Auckland, out of 230 claims sent into the Returning officer, 150 were made by Maoris. The Herald takes alarm at this and suggests that some one should object to them seriatim.

During the performance of Bird's circus at Lawrence, Otago, the wind blew over the large circular tent within which about 150 persons were seated at the time. In the darkness and confusion a number of persons rushing outside suddenly found themselves immersed in an adjoining creek, but otherwise no injury was sustained.

Bartine, the well-known acrobat has arrived, per Isabella Brown, at Melbourne. He had been arrested at Calcutta on suspicion of being a Fenian, and his return passage to Melbourne was defrayed by the Indian Government. The Neto Zealand Gazette of the 12th inst., among other interesting statistics, gives a return of Customs Revenue, collected at the several ports of the colony during the quarter ended 31st March 187 . Of twenty-seven ports at which dutyis collected, Westport, in point of amount, is tenth on the list. The duty collected here during the period referred to amounted to £4083 against £5319 collected during the corresponding quarter of 1869. Four other ports in New Zealand also exhibit a decrease in the Customs Revenue Wanganui, £677; Okarita, £3O; Akaroa, £l9. and Hokitika, £5466. The total revenue for the past quarter amounted to £199,664 against £lB9, 589 collected during the corresponding period of the previous year. The four gold-producing provinces exported during the quarter just ended 157,326 ozs; Otago, 46,3860z5, showing an increase of 10,487 ozs over the first quarter of 1869; Nelson, 41,106 ozs being a decrease of 4,152 ozs ; Westland, 38,893 ozs being a decrease of 4,365 ozs; Auckland, 30,008 ozs showing a decrease of 11,666 ozs. The two provinces of Southland and Marlborough contributed 933 oz. The returns exhibit a falling off throughout the colony when compared with the corresponding quarter of 1869 of 8,838 oz.

The absence of two native witnesses against a man, named Cochrane, charged with arson and whose trial was to have taken place at Napier on the 11th instant, before his Honor Justice Johnston, gave rise to the following remarks from his Honor: — This is the most disgraceful case that has ever come under my notice. I believe if such a thing were to happen in the old country, and the police showed themselves incompetent to act, a roar of indignation would be heard from one end of the country to the other. This is practically an admission that two half-savage people can set all our machinery at defiance. This cannot be accident; they must have been bought off, otherwise curiosity, if nothing else, would have brought them here. If so, it is a most dangerous precedent.