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Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 707, 6 September 1870, Page 2

A melanchoy accident occurred at the by oil on Friday last, resulting in serious injury to a miner, named William Beattie. The latter, with others, was working alluvial ground at Irishman's creek when a slip dislodged a mass of earth which fell upon Beattie. When extracted it was discovered that he had received serious injury, his arm was much lacerated, in addition to an ugly scalp wound, and his right leg was completely shattered from the foot to the knee. Portions of the bono had protruded his clothes and a leather legging he wore, and fragments were actually left at the scene of the occurrence. He was immediately conveyed to Westport by boat, and arrived here at noon on Saturday, and was at once taken to the Hospital, where it was found he had sustained such injuries that little hope was entertained of his recovery. On examination, Dr Thorpe found that amputation of the shattered limb would be necessary as soon as the patient had sufficiently recovered from the shock of the accident. Beattie, however, appeared to be gradually sinking, and it was decided to lose no timo in performing the operation. The leg was amputated above the knee on Sunday, and the operation is stated by a friend of the sufferer to have been most satisfactorily performed. Very slight hope is entertained, however, of his recovery. Beattie is a native of Arbroath, Scotland, and is well known in this district, whore he has resided for the past nine years. Letters from Westport. and Charleston, intended for the San Francisco mail, were despatched by th'e s.s. Kennedy to Nelson, where the mail closed on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Kennedy arrived at that port at 10 a.m., in ample time for the transhipment of thj mail, the Airedale not leaving until 4 p.m. on the same day. Mr Leslie, Agent of the Bank of New Zealand, Westport, will proceed to Nelson by first steamer to give evidence in the case O' Mr Francis Harris.

An assault case, Sykes v. Cato, came before the Bench yesterday in which the defendant was charged with beating the complainant on Saturday last. Sykes stated that he was walking past Cato's house that day, when the defendant accosted him, and desired to know why he should ha re insulted his (defendant's; wife. Complainant replied that he neither knew defendant nor his wife, but, on the latter coming to the door, ho admitted Laving previously seen her, and desired to explain the circumstances under which they had formed an acquaintance. Cato thereupon struck him violently in the mouth. For the defence, Mrs Cato was called, who proved that the complainant walked into her dwelling on Thursday last and sat himself on the sofa without the slightest ceremony and, being asked what he wanted, said "You know what I want." He was ordered from the premises, and, in consequence of bad language, was finally ejected. The complain-

ant cross-examined but failed to weaken the testimony for the defence, and the Bench dismissed the information with costs.

The latest new enterprise in gold mining in Victoria is the diversion of the river Yarra through a hill of solid rock, whereby about two miles of the river-bed will be laid dry, and an interesting problem with regard to the supposed auriferous character of the Yarra's bed will be solved.

The reports of the mining surveyors and registrars of Victoria for the quarter ended Juno 30, 1870, have been issued from the Government printing office. The total quantities of gold obtained respectively from alluvial and quartz reefs for the quarter was 308,8720zs lodwts, and the quantity exported 309,4150zs lldwts, fully one million sterling in value for the quarter. The number of miners at work is set down at G0.2G7. Telegrams are stated to have been received in Westland, intimating that the annexation of the Terernal au district will not take effect until January Ist, 1871. In the interval the Nelson Council will probably be called together. An elephant, obtained at the Island of Cuylon, has been brought by the Galatea to Wellington. Barlow, of " Blue Tail Fly" celebrity, has returned to his old quarters, after some years spent in sugar planting in Queensland. He purposes making a tour through Victoria.

The Japan correspondent of the Otago Daily Times reports unfavorably of matters in that country. He writes : —" Things are going to the bad fast. I hear many colonials—especially Dunedin ones—say they would like to set foot on shore there once more amongst civilised beings, never to enter a heathen country again. The s.s. Albion is in port, but her destination at present is uncertain. The s.s. Otago is still in the harbor with little chance of doing anything in this quarter, the place being over-stocked with steamers."

Mr Barbour, Receiver of Land Revenue, Hokitika, has received the office of Postmaster there. Mr Stevenson, who recently performed the duties has proceeded to Wellington. The Duke of Edinburgh arrived in the Galatea at Wellington on the 27th ult. He was to leave Wellington on the 29th.

Captain Beveridge, formerly harbormaster at Charleston, and who was instrumental in saving several lives there, has had his services recognised by the Humane Society. In consequence of recommendations made, a bronze clasp and blue ribbon have been sent out by the Society to the Provincial Secretary, at Auckland, where Captain Beveridge now resides. The Greymouth Star, referring to the arrest of Mr Francis Harris, charged with embezzlement says : —" We have since learned, with extreme surprise, that some one very highin office atNelson is likely to be implicated. In the case of Harris there is no room for doubt, and it is earnestly hoped his defalcations will be confined to himself." The airy confidence with which the writer at once settles the guilt of the accused is certainly unique. As a rule journalists carefully avoid the impropriety of expressing an opinion upon these matters, still there is no rule without an exception, and the editor of the Star appears to enjoy the privilege of forming that exception. A young man named William Hall, who ->va.ti in. tli.o oiaploymout o£ MoswO Eao and Wickes, of Greymouth, as wharf clerk, fell from the wharf and was drowned before any assistance could be rendered him.though people were quickly on the spot. His body was recovered an hour afterwards by the Harbor-master.

Mr Barff has brought a charge against the officers of the Nelson Government who are now in charge of the Brunner coal-mine, of selling coal at the pit-mouth from two to four hundred weight to the ton short weight. The above statement was made durinf the debate on a proposition for the amendment of the Weights and Measures Act. Similar complaints have been made by importers of coal to Hokitika. The Grey River Argus, on good authority, denies the charge, and states: —" Full allowance is made for screening the coal at the mine, but in certain conditions of the river the bargemen often leave more than a ton behind them in Ihe shoots, and it has been reported to us that in coming down the falls and bars in the river they often throw a ton overboard to lighten the boat, and when the cargo is put on board the steamer or sailing craft they say nothing about it, but simply present the way-bill obtained at the mine. Wheroever the fault lies the subject requires further investigation, in order to remedy what is at present a crying evil." Rosstown has been in a state of excitement for some days in consequence of a dispute as to substitution of the ten hours' system for eight-hows' shifts. A number of men have engaged under the new system, at £3 10s a week.

Mr John Page, a member of the Oamaru Town Council, and who accompanied the recent expedition to Martin's Bay as reporter for the Oamaru Times, has been found dead in a field near that town. He was found lying, in a natural and easy posture, with his hat over his eyes; the body being quite warm. We noticed by the Grey papers that Mr Whitefoord, while on a visit to the recently discovered cement lease at Murray Creek, washed out some precious stones from a dish of dirt. Two of them were sent to Melbourne, and were returned by the last steamer cut and polished beautifully. The lapidaries pronounce the one to be a sapphire and the other a zircon, the latter exhibiting prisms of brown and gray colors, occasionally red, and often nearly transparent. No doubt a close search would lead to the discovery of many other specimens.

Of the gold got by a party at what is known as the Karamea Bend, the Nelson Colonist says:—-We learn that a miner who had been at work on the Karamea, near Salisbury's Open, returned after five weeks' sojourn with £l5O worth of gold obtained during that time. The snow in the region referred to has fallen very heavily, and there is said to bo much need of roadmaking. It is expected that the Karamea district will attract a large number of people during the summer. At present the weather is cold, and the snow is so prevalent that work cannot be undertaken."

The farmers of the Grey Valley district have formed themselves into an Agricultural Association, of which Mr Eob.rt Alcorn, formerly of Westport, is a prominent member.

The following is rather neat in insolvencies:—Max Marckwald, of East Melbourne, gentleman. Causos of insolvency: Want of employment, and insufficient remittances from insolvent's relations in Germany to support insolvent. Liabilities, £3B 19s ; assets, £2j deficiency, ,£37 19s, Mr Shaw, official assignee.

In explanation of the reasons for the Bank of New Zealand increasing its capital by half a million, the Southern Cross re-marks:—-"The main reason for the in-

crfiase is that it has been found necessary to augment the power of the one Bank in existence in New Zealand which is really under local management. The other banks doing business in the Colony are subject to foreign control, and are of course not conducted entirely with a view to the interests of this Colony. Moreover, the instructions which they receive are necessarily frequently issued under a misapprehension of existing circumstances, and are quite incapable to the state of affairs existing at the time when these instructions are carried into effect. Another reason for tho step is t'lat, in view of the great increase which lias recently taken place in the amount of the deposits, it is advisable to give the public an additional guarantee—an object which is effected by the issue of these shares."

A " portable smoke-consuming oven " has been invented by Mr Herbert, of Auckland. The Thames Mining Board, in a report to the Superintendent of Auckland, make the following recommendations :—'«ln the by-laws now submitted to you, your Honor will find mention made of an officer—a Field Warden—who does not now exist upon this goldfield. We should be most unwilling to recommend the creation of any office that would increase the cost of administration of the goldfield; but in this, and in another case to which we shall shortly refer, it appears to us that the good government of the field absolutely requires that disputes, such as encroachments by the holders of one claim upon the ground of another, should be settled upon the ground; and we know by long experience of the system as carried out in Victoria that it is the most economical, the most speedy, and the most satisfactory to the miner. The other case to which we would refer is the appointment of an officer to see to the enforcement of such portion of the regulations as regards due precaution being taken for the safety of life and limb. In many cases within our knowledge life has been lost, and is constantly being endangered, by reckless neglect of even reasonable precautions; and we see no way of avoiding this, or of checking an evil which is daily becoming of greater magnitude, save by the appointment of an officer, a part of whose duty it shall be to see that due care and precaution is taken on behalf of the public." A bill simplifying the conveyance of real property has passed the Upper House, was read a second time in the Lower House, and there is every probability that it will become law on an early day. The measure ij similar to Torrens' Act that has worked so satisfactorily in the Australian Colonies, and was introduced into the Upper House by the hon. Mr Waterhouse, who, in South Australia, had ample opportunity to form an opinion as to the working of the Act. A capture of au illicit still has been effected in the Grey district near the township of Marsden. About two o'clock in the morning Mr Andrews, Collector of Customs, Sub-Inspector Hickson, Sergeant White, and three troopers quietly left town, and rode as far as Marsden. Here they dismounted, and leaving their horses in charge of two troopers, the party proceeded on foot for about a mile and a-half up the New River, till they came upon a tent, in which they found a man named Robert Simpson, an old offender in this line. At first he denied all knowledge of the existence of a still, but after some pressure he showed where the st'll-house was. In the hut all the appliances for carrying on distillation were found, including the mashtub and seven casks of wash, so far prepared that during the week nearly 200 gallons of spirits could have been run off from them. At first the still could not be found, but after a close search, the copper boiler was discovered by sergeant White. Samples were taken, and the wash- casks, hut, &c, destroyed by order, and Eobert Simpson was taken in charge by the police. The party then proceeded to the townships of Clifton, Nemona, and Marsden, and at threo stores detained a quantity of spirits and left an officer in charge. Prosecutions arising out of these proceedings have since taken place, when Simpson was sentenced to twelve months' hard labor. The prisoner was previously arrested, on the loth September, 186S, for a similar offence, and was then fined £IOO, or six months' imprisonment. He served the term of imprisonment.