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Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 682, 9 July 1870, Page 2

Mr Francis Harris is a passenger per Kennedy, from Nelson to Greymouth, where he proceeds as secretary to the Coramission appointed to consider the annexation of Greymouth and surrounding districts to this Province. Mr Hodgson, who, with Dr Giles, has been appointed to act on the Commission, has also arrived by the above steamer. The only business at the Resident Magistrate's Court, yesterday, was the hearing of a case, Bissett v. Harris, in which the plaintiff obtained judgment in the amount of his claim. In the Warden's Court, two registrations of tunnels were granted, a3 also an application for the amalgamation of three men's ground, situated at Wilson's Lead, Addison's. A Select Committee of the Provincial Council appointed to consider a petition from Mr Isaac Chapman, Giles Ten-ace, have reported as follows :—" That it is necessary for the fair consideration of the petitioner's claim for compensation that the Committee should be in possession of evidence as to whether a track at Welshman's Terrace, Brighton, was in a passsable state of repair at the time at which the petitioner's protection for the track in question was terminated, either by an order of the Commissioner for the Goldfields, or by the track being taken possession of by the Government. That the Committee have not had an opportunity of procuring, during the session of the Council, sufficient evidence as to the facts. That the Committee are therefore unable to decide as to the justice of the petitioner's claim." We are requested, by the Post-master, to state that mails for the southern ports, per Kennedy, close to day at 3.30. p.m. Among the list of passengers per Kennedy from Nelson, we notice the n itne of Mr E. O'Conor, M.P.C. We understand that Mr Salomon, who has been moderately successful during his short stay in Westport, proceeds to Charleston on Tuesday next. An inspection of his jewellery is well worth a visit. From Nelson, where the Christy's minstrels are giving a series of entertainments, they will proceed here. Not having heard this troupe, wo cannot express an opinion of their capabilities, grounded on personal experience. They have, however, been very well received wherever they have appeared in New Zealand, and are made mention of favorably by the public press throughout the Colony. We understand that G. S. Sale, Esq., who in the early settlement of Westland represented the Canterbury Government, has entered as a candidate for the classical professorship of the Otago University. Mr Sale graduated at Tiinity College, Cam-bridgetakingafirst-elassjin classics in 1854 In 1858 he was appointed classical lecturer and tutor, having obtained a fellowship. An assault, says the Times, attended with revolting brutality, was committed in Dnnedin, on the 19th ult, in a brothel off Manor Place, on a man named Ryan. He was found by the police lying outside, and apparently dead. Hia face and head had been dreadfully battered by kicks, and the fingers of his right hand had actually been partly eaten by the inhuman wretch who had assaulted him. A hailstorm occurred recently in Wellington, the stones being as large as marbles. Brown paper, manufactured in Melbourne fron New Zealand flax is far stronger than the paper manufactured from ordinary materials. The poor box, in the ftoman Catholic Chapel, Wyndham-street, Auckland, was carried off on the night of the 22nd June.

A correspondent to the Otago Daily Times writing from Japan under date Jan. 0, says:—"During the last two seasons the cultivation of rice has been a failure, and during the last twelve months there has been imported no less than 10,000 tons, which has been a great drain on the country and causes money to be scarce. The export of silk, silkworms, and tea have fallen off during the last season, and this also tends to make business dull; in fact, there are a great many here from the colonics, most of whom would be glad to get back, as there is no chance of doing anything here. The Japanese are so numerous that they enter into all kinds of trade and undersell Europeans, buying most of their goods by auction. Immense quantities of European goods are shipped out.here, and finding no market, are sold off for what they will bring. My advice to any one in Now Zealand or the Australian colonies, is, not to think of coming here, as there is nothing to be done, nor is there likely to be anything until the country is under different laws and regulations to the present. The distress among the lower class is very severe. Many die of starvation, and their bodies may be seen lying by the roadside, and dogs eating the flesh off their bones. Small-pox and typhus are very bad here, carrying off many Europeans as well as Japanese. The weather has been during the month, cold and wet, except a few days when it was very warm. Trade is stagnant, being the end of the season. Exports are trifling, Deficit in Japanese budget for 1869, ,£2,000,000, or half the Imperial revenue. Total imports for 1869, 12,617,174 dollars ; total exports for 1864, 9,083,302 dollars, showing a decrease on 1868 of 12,615,304 dollars. An Invercargill paper states that several thousand acres of land on the banks of the New River have been completely taken possession of by rabbits. The Mauritius correspoudent of the Sydney Herald states that a swindler, named Gilbert, many years resident in Australia, has succeeded in victimising to a large amount the commercial community of that Colony. Gilbert, it appears was engaged in business as a wholesale grain dealer in Port Louis and owing to the regularity of his settlements, had obtained very liberal credit. He recently, it appears, obtained a large quantity of rice (in round numbers, 30,000 bags) on credit from different firms, and immediately proceeded to get heavy advances on it from the Mauritius Commercial Bank. In the meantime he had chartered a small schooner of 40 tons to wait for him outside the harbor until the money should have been obtained. As soon as this latter purpose had been effected, he immediately went on board, and the schooner sailed for the neighboring French Island of Bourbon, where, it has since been ascertained, Gilbert is quietly changing his bank notes for sovereigns. Unfortunately he is out of the reach of the law. This arch-scamp has creditors in the place for about £40,000. The writer of " Notes from the Gallery" in the Nelson Mail thus refers to the closing scene in the Council: —" The Speaker did something the Councillors did not like and they went at him tooth and nail. Mr Donne was the first to begin, and ho made a most terrific speech, and got into a frightfully excited state, and when he had had his say he seemed quite proud of it, and told us all that ho hadn't prepared his speech a bit, but that it all came promiscuous like, and that if he had exploded it was from spontaneous combustion and not malice aforethought. And then Mr Reid went in and had his turn, but although he was very quiet and unimpassioned, I could not help thinking that I would far rather have half a hundrjd taps from the tin-tack driver of the impetuous Mr Donne, than a single blow from the ponderous sledge hammer of the imperturbable Mr Reid. When they had finished up the session in this pleasant manner they adjourned until the afternoon for the purpose of being prorogued by the Superintendent." The Examiner, writing upon the Wangapeka reefs says :—The stone from another claim at Wangapeka has been tested, and with such a remarkable uniformity of result as goes to prove the exceeding richness of the district. Blake's party, the holders of eight men's ground, known as No. 1, south of Culliford's claim, have been for some time engaged in proving the claim Gold-bearing stone was obtained from the outcrop of the reef, again at a depth of twenty-seven feet, and lastly, at a depth of ninety feet, reached by a drive of 125 feet. Hero the reef was found four feet thick, and a sample of the stone gave at the rate of 2 ozs 16idwts. to the ton. The owners of the ground are desirous of associating themselves with a few persons possessed of the requisite capital to erect six or eight head of stampers, so as to turn the stone to account. The reef is a continuation of the one discovered by Culliford and party, and is testimony to the value of the original claim. A trial of the Collingwood coal took place on Saturday last, on board the Lady Barkly. The coal, says a Nelson paper, burns freely, and gets up steam more readily than almost any coal we are acquainted with; it has a tendency to slag, but does not adhere to the bars, which are easily kept clean. We may fairly congratulate the enterprising men who have worked so zealously at opening the mine, at the success they have achieved, although, before any large trade can be carried on, a drive will have to be made at a lower level, at an estimated cost of £3,000. Meantime, the domestic wants of Nelson will be supplied by this really very superior fuel. It is proposed to present the Rev. A. Stock with a suitable testimonial for his strenuous and long continued efforts on behalf of Walter Tricker. " Observer," who writes to the Nelson Mail from the gallery of the I'rovincial Council thus concludes his valedictory address to the members:— Farewell the rowdy nights 1 farewell the fights! Farewell the loud professions, and the tall talk That strive to make ambition virtue ! Farewell the gentle Shephard, and the fiery Donne, The solemn Luckie, and the chaffing Reid, The etiquette, and all the flummery, Sham, slang, and stupidness of Parliamentary talk! And you, O Boanerges! whose rude throat The immortal Jove's dread clamors counterfeits, Farewell! Obskkvee's occupation's gone!