Untitled

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 677, 28 June 1870, Page 2

The ketch Constant, respecting which so much anxiety has heen felt, and especially previous to her heing reported by th.3 Kennedy, arrived at Charleston yesterday. To-day again is set down as one of Saxby's days, and although at the time we write there is every outward indication of moderate weather, the violent storms experienced during the last six weeks almost forbids the hope of a temporary cessation of wind and rain even for twentj-"our hours. The tides being now at the full they will in the event of stormy weather again inflict serious damage. It appears reasonably probable that the body discovered upon tho beach at the North Spit, on Sunday morning, is that of the deceased James Coughlin, who was drowned in the Inangahua on Sunday, May

15th, and which was reported in our issue of May 2Gth. Coughlin was in the employ of Mr Williams, of Fern Flat, and when last Been was in charge of three horses, one of which, the horse ridden by Coughlin, was found dead on a beach about two and a half miles from the Inangahua landing.

An accident, resulting seriously, occurred at Charleston on Sunday last. It appears that Mr Nolan, miner, of Ballarat Terrace was in a butcher's shop in Princess street, and hurriedly went out for the purpose of turning some horses down a right of way. In doing so the gentleman slipped at the step in front of the premises and fell heavily, fracturing his leg in two places. The sufferer was removed to the Hospital, and the limb was promptly set by Dr Bruen, medical officer to the institution.

A slight and decidedly novel breakwater has been recently placed on the beach contiguous to Dr Thorpe's residence. It consists of saplings, bedded a few inches apart in the sand, and chopped nearly through so as to admit of the smaller branches resting on the sand, and to offer little or no resistance to the breakers. By this means it is hoped that the sand will be collected, and an embankment gradually formed. On Saturday last, the Warden gave judgment at the Court, Westport, in the case of M'Shane v. Moir, heard the previous day. He considered the summons held against the whole of the defendants, and had inserted accordingly the names of all who appeared on the certificate as claimholders. It would have been desirable that the complainant had sued some particular person as being in illegal possession of a share, that it might have been shown which share was illegally held. This had not been done, but it had been shown that complainant had been on the ground previous to the names of the shareholders being registered, and had claimed a share in the claim by virtue of his miner's right. His claim must be deemed superior to that of Milne or Greenfield, neither of whom had been on the ground at all, and the latter had been engaged working other ground, and apparently only held one miner's right. He should not, however, attempt to say which share should be transferred to the complainant, but should leave that to be decided by the shareholders themselves, or to be made the ground of another action, but should allow complainant's claijn to one full sixth share in the ground, and costs. A correspondent, from Charleston, calls attention to the zeal and efficiency displayed by the police on a recent occasion in connection with the arrest of the parties charged with complicity in blowing up by gunpowder the engine and shed of the Southern Cross Gold Mining Co. But for the boldness and determination exhibited by Mr Warden Broad and the police, we are given to understand that, Curtayn would have been rescued. He was arrested near the lock-up and immediately a crowd collected, and police and prisoner were forced into the street a distance of about forty yards, the former eventually succeeding in lodging Curtayn in custody. In the Eesident Magistrate's Court, yesterday, two adjourned cases, Munday v. Lloyd and Munday v. Hay, in which the defendants were charged with breach of the Customs Regulations, were again brought on for hearing. In the first case Lloyd applied for a further adjournment pending a reply from the Commissioner of Customs as to whether he would assent to the charge being withdrawn. The case was adjourned for fourteen days. In the case of Munday v. Hay, judgment had been deferred pending the result of case against Lloyd. His Worship decided to give judgment in the matter against Hay. He was of opinion that the charge must be dismissed. The Act was certainly string en b but still from the wording he considered that the consignee might not be liable if rebutting evidence were brought. The defendant had shown conclusively that there had been no act nor omission on his part to lead to a false declaration or entry. The evidence had altogether shown that. He could not find against Hay unless he concluded that the Act gave no option, but intended that in every case wherein a false declaration or entry had been made by an agent, the consignee should be liable to a penalty, whatever his action may have been. He could not think such was the intention of the Act otherwise it would have been expressed. The evidence, therefore brought by the defendant having completely rebutted the charge, the information must be dismissed.

A woman was recently brought up at the police court, Wellington, charged with drunkenness, whose appearance is described as follows:—Not a rag of her raiment would a chiffbnnier have pnt bis hook into. She did not seem to have on a thread of linen or woman's apparel, and the ragged garniture of man was almost less than scanty. Standing in a pair of unmatched " Wellingtons," with coat and trousers above that could only be deemed so by courtesy, tousled hair, a half-crazy-looking eye, and a something that would neutralise a flood of " Rimmels," —she looked a sad disguise of what wat once no doubt a comely and intelligent-looking woman. At a recent gathering of the notables of Auckland, the Chief Justice said:—" Ladies and gentlemen, it would ill become me, upon this occasion, and in the presence of his Excellency, to lavish a studied panegyric upon the Governor who is ruling over us; but I think I may, and know that you will, congratulate his Excellency upon the condition in which the Colony is now placed under his beneficent rule. When he came to this Colony, he found it in a state of some distraction and much alarmed. He has already lived to see it brought into a state of peace and renewed prosperity j and I feel assured that he will yet live to hand over the government of this country to his successor, who will find a Colony as remarkable for its prosperity as it is for its various resources, —for its admirable climate and surprising beauty. Gentlemen, to you I will say likewise, that if the Colony owes much to his Excellency the Governor, &c, &c." The Wellington Post thus comments on this: —Now, what in the name of all that is wonderful has Sir George Bowen done to merit such a panegyric as this ? If he has displayed the negative virtue of not interfering with matters he did not understand, he has certainly been of no more positive use to the Colony than a fifth wheel would be to a coach, ana it must be an insult to his common sense to ask him to swallow such a dose of flattery. A baby show has been held at the Thames Theatre Eoyal. When tho curtain rose, there were 21 mothers or nurses seated on the stage, each with a child in her arms. Drs Croft and Sam officiated as judges, and awarded the first three prizes. Everything being prepared, the curtain was raised, exposing the interesting scene, and we were pleased to remark that the children bad the good taste not to squall. Thoy appeared to bo a fine lot of hpalthy, clean children, and were neatly dressed. Mr Hydes, before presenting the prizes, made a neat and amusing speech in defence of such shows. The first prize, consisting of a beautiful plated silver teapot, sugar basin, and toast rack, was awarded to Mrs Thompson's little boy, aged six months.

The following singular announcement is made by the European Mail: —" Sir George Grey has joined the Ladies' National Association for the repeal of the ' Contagious Diseases Act.'"

In the course of the debate on the reply to the address, Mr Stafford said:—He would now refer to the system of colonisation which was shadowed forth in the speech. If it were a comprehensive scheme of colonisation it would have the support of himself, and he believed he might say of all thinking men in New Zealand, but if it was intended—as he had no reason to suppose it was—to push on those parts of the colony which had already had a large amount expended on them to the exclusion of those other portions of the colony which were in a state of depression, then nothing would be found to result but disappointment. He had, however 1 , hopes that the Government would at the proper time come down with a measure dealing with this question upon a broad and comprehensive basis.