The Westport Times. THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 1870.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 699, 18 August 1870, Page 2

The Westport Times. THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 1870.

His Honor notified on Tuesday that the future sittings of the District Court would commence at ton o'clock in the forenoon in placo of eleven. The creditors of Myrick Jones, publican, Charleston, have accepted a composition of five shillings in the pound payable in two months. On Thursday last, James Wilkie, jun., ■was charged before tho Resident Magistrate at Groymoitth with having committed wilful and corrupt perjury before Judge "Ward in the District Court, on the 27th July, during tho healing of a bankruptcy case, in which James M'Cune applied for his discharge. On that occasion Mr Wilkio stated that on Friday, the 22nd July, ho was

on the bankrupt's claim, and wont on to tho paddock where the washdirt was stacked, and estimated tho quantity of washdirt ready for washing at 40 loads, which ho valued at £\ a load. The evidence of all the witnesses went to show that these parties had nothing like that quantity on the ground at the time; that they had washed up on the 18th, and all tho washdirt on tho ground on the day Mr Wilkie went there was two barrow loads. The Resident Magistrate said it had been attempted to be sot up that Mr Wilkie might have mistaken the licading3 or tailings, or a heap of mullock, for washdirt, but that could scarcely bo possible, when it was considered that he had beon owner of the same claim for three months. There was clearly a case for a committal. It was no business of his to enquire whether a jury would convict on the evidence ; he had only to consider whether a prima facie case had been made out, and he thought it had. Tho defendant would be committed to the Supreme Court for trial. Bail was taken, defendant in ,£IOO and two sureties of each.

George Thompson and Walter Lavette were severally fined 40s on Tuesday, being absent when their names were called to serve as jurors. Subsequently his Honor reduced the fine to the nominal sum of five shillings, and expressed a hope that it would bo tho means of ensuring punctuality in the future.

The Disqualification Resolutions proposed by Mr Gillies, for debarring members of tho House from holding Government appointments for a period of twelve months after they had ceased to be members, was thrown out by a majority of 4. Tho reason of this was because Mr Ludlam's addition proposed likewise to disqualify Provincial officers. The Government purpose bringing ina bill upon the subject. Tho petition of the inhabitants of the Grey and Teremakau districts, praying for annexation to Nelson, was on Thursday referred to a Select Committee, consisting of Mr Hall, Mr Richmond, Mr Vogel, Mr Curtis, Mr Kynnersley, Mr Stevens, Mr Collins, Mr Edwards, Barff, and Mr W. H. Harrison.

Tho Wellington correspondent of the Grey Argus writes:—During the debate Mr Vogel received a very neat and effective snubbing from Mr Kynnersley which is worth repeating. In commenting on Mr Kynnersley's remarks Mr Vogel said that " the member for Westland North was one of the most inconsistent young gentlemen he had met with." The words were said somewhat offensively and in a patronising tone, anil Mr Kynnersley got up and said he "was not going to bandy personalities with tho Colonial Treasurer, he (Mr Kynnersley) confessed to being young, and confessed to being a gentleman"—a retort courteous, and yet cutting, which took universally with the House, and made Mr Vogel apologise. The Payment to Provinces Bill has passed through Committee, with some amendments, one of which is that all muniei!)alitios are excluded from participating in the £50,000 grant to Road Boards. A race has taken place between the steamers John Penn and Charles Edward, from Nelson to Wanganui. The Penn left one hour and ten minutes after tho Charles Edward, which had a hundred tons of cargo on board, and arrived at tho Wanganui bar, a distance of a hundred and eight miles, ten minutes before her rival, thus beating her by an hour and twenty minutes. Hathaway's flax mill with fifteen tons of flax and machinery was destroyed by fire on the 10th inst. The property was uninsured. The cause of the fire is not yet known, but is supposed to have been the work of an incendiary.

The Timaru paper of August 3rd says : The preliminary works for the construction of the Rangitata Bridge are to be commenced immediately. The timber required —some 170,000 feet, will be supplied by the Raukapuka steam saw mills, and tho felling of the trees to supply this timber is to be taken in hand this week.

On Friday, says the Grey Argus, ;the Resident Magistrate's Court was'enga'ged with closed doors, in investigating the adjourned charge of rape, brought by Winifred Honou of Clifton against Michael Wyan. The details are too disgusting for publication. At 4 p.m. the case was concluded, by the Magistrate dismissing it. The Nelson Mail learns that the diggings at Motueka are turning out favorably, there being some six or seven parties at work, at a distance from the village of Motueka ranging from 12 to 22 miles. The gold is found in the river beaches at a depth of from eighteen inches to three feet, and the men are most of them making good wages, one of the parties consisting of two men taking out about half an ounce a day. A water race of about a mile in length, which has taken some three months in construction, has just been completed by a party of two men who have admitted a third partner on the payment of £IOO. We are informed by a gentleman who has just returned from there, that he tried the beaches in one or two places and succeeded in obtaining about half a grain to tho dish. Unfortunately there is not room for any large number of men, but the more fact of the gold being found in payable quantities in the river bed shows that there must be a rich store of it in the surrounding country.