The Westport Times, FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 1876.

Westport Times, Volume X, Issue 1367, 31 March 1876, Page 2

The Westport Times, FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 1876.

Mails will close for Nelson, per Wallace, to-morrow morning, at 9 a.m. Mails will close for the United Kingdom, Continent of Europe, Asia, Africa, America, the West Indies via San Francisco, also the Sandwich Islands, and the Northern Provinces of New Zealand and Nelson, on Wednesday, the sth' April, at 2.30 p.m. Money orders may be obtained and letters registered till 1 p.m. Press of local subjects and divergence from usual routine incident to the ra<'e week, compels omission of the usual quota of leading matter. Several truck loads of timber, brought down by rail, illustrate one among the many uses that will be made of the line when open for regular traffic. Firewood appears to bo getting scarce in town, as draymen now carefully collect driftwood alouj; tho beach, travelling even as far as the Orawaiti for loads. We have received a copy of Sir Julius Vogel's speech as delivered to his Wanganui constituents. It is too long for entire publication, but such portions as are of general interest we shall publish as space permits. From the Grey River Argus we learn that on Friday the reward, £50, for the discovery of the lieefton mail, was paid to the Chinamen, Ah Leo and Ah Young, whose faces beamed with satisfaction as the money was handed them. " Welly good the mail-bag," said they, and further informed the Postmaster that they intended to have a good " soloe" on the strength oi their lucky find. The Grey Argus of Saturday understands that at the payment of stakes by tho Greymouth Jockey Club the owner of Nero declined to accept his money for any of tho events won by his horse until he had made further inquiries hi re thw decision oE the Stewards iu upholding the protest of the owner ot : L;aac Walton against Nero.

The. rt3ult of the operations of the Wealth of Nations Gold-mining Company for the week ending 25th March was 301ozs lOdwts of amalgam off the plate 3. The Nelson race meeting has been fixed for the llth and 12*h of April, instead of early in May as at first intended. The Keefton Sport* Committee after paying all demands, have a credit balance of £:.'0 1")S, which will probably form the nucleus of a £ > <>i> handicap to be run during the Christmas holidays. Messrs Carruthers and C. Y. O'Conor arrived from Ileefton on Tuesday evening, to perfect arrangements for the active progress of Public Works. Mr Carruthers leaves again to-day for the north. Mr jdartin Powell made his first appearance before a Westport audience on Tuesday evening, and gave very general satisfaction. He is really clever, having an extraordinary faculty for ventriloquism. His dialogues with his lay figures sparkle with fun, and are free from any approach to vulgarity. Though the ventriloquist appealed to labor under a cold, and one of the figures—Mr Pat O'Neil — had suffered damage on the trip down river, the entertainment given was enjo\ed by all present, and will be repeated this evening. Mr George Ferguson, who, established in business near the junction of Cobdeh and Paltnerstton street, is getting well established in custom and confidence, notifies that he has imported direct from London a consignment of West of England tweeds, does, coating?, &c, all seasonable goods for the fast approaching winter. A Government land sale will be held at the Court House, Westport, on the 11th May next. The sale will comprise suburban allotments round Westport and sections as yet unsold within the town boundaries. The Kev. A. F. Douglas, lately of Christchurch, having receired from the Presby - terian Church, Greymouth, a unanimous call to become their Minister, has accepted the call, and has been iudnctud.as.pastor to that congregation.

•An improvement, or at least a novelty, gays the West Coast Times, has been introduced in the painting of signs by tho artist who has painted on tho walls of the Telegraph Office staircase an object pointing the way to the receiving room. The figure of an arrow or of the human hand is usually employed for the purpose, but tho artist in this instance has substituted what is probably a representation of a moa's claw. At least, if it is not that, it may be anything else except the liKenoss of a man's hand. With a view to "improving tho occasion" the Bishop of Nelson, during the visit of the cable steamers, preached a sermon, taking for his text the 35th verse of the 35th chapter of the Book of Job— " Oausfc thou send lightnings that thoy may go and say unto thee, hero we are?" On Thursday week the National Bank, Keefton, seat per escort 19920z5., lGdwts., of gold to Greymouth. Referring to this the Star says :—"Mr Kirton brought down a magnificent specimen of about twelve or fifteen pounds of quartz which was got out of the Hopeful Quartz mine. We had an opportunity of inspecting this stono, and should say the claim was a most ' Hopeful' one for dividends, for richer stone we never saw, the gold not only being seen right throughout the specimen,s but in some places the quartz seems to be hung together with the precious metal. With stone liko this Hopeful scrip ought to worth something considerable." Mr Wilson, of the Marine Department, was a passenger by the Kennedy yesterday. He will superintend the disembarkation and transit to Capo Foul wind of the whole of the apparatus for the new lighthouse, and which has been transhipped from ihe Luna to the Murray at Nelson. The latter steamer will also bring the English mail. A correspondent sends to the Nelsou Mail the following extract f.'om the Birmingham Po»t of Ist January, with a request that it might be published, as probably many of the young people now growing up in Nelson know nothing of the officer after whom Hardy street is named : — " A suite of apartments in Hampton Court Palace has become vacant through the death of Miss Hardy, at the age of 87. Miss Hardy w»3 the eldest daughter of Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy, Q.C.8., to whom Lord Nelson exclaimed when dying, " Anchor, Hardy, anchor," and in whose

arms the hero died. The bullet with which Nelson was killed, and which, on extraction, was found to have a portion of his gold epaulette attached to it, was for many years in the possession of Captain Hardy, who caused it to be mounted in silver' and chrystal as a locket. It is now in the possession of the Queen."

We learn from the West Coast Times that his Honor the Superintendent has lately received from Switzerland a letter from a gentleman residing in that country who is desirous of emigrating to Westland and bringing with him a number of Swiss immigrants, with the intention of settling iu tho southern part of the Province. The writer, who appears to have acquainted himself with the nature of the country in these parts, seems to consider that Westland would be eminently suitable as a place of settlement for natives of Switzerland, accustomed as they are to the exigencies of life in a mountainous country. The Inangahua Times learns upon good authority that the provisions of the Debtors' and Creditors' Act of last session has been found so unworkable that it has been necessary to frame additional rules to carry the measure over until next session. The law officers of the General Government are now engaged upon tho Bill, and as soon as the supplementary regulations have been assented to, they will be published. It is very probable, however, that the whole Act will bo remodelled at the next sitting of tho House. The Times says :—lt seems probable that quite a harvest of private ni.itclics will spring out of tho recent running for the Reefto-i Grand Handicap. Many of the competitors are under tho belief that they have been hardly treated by the handicappers, while others attribute their defeat solely to tho state of the course oa the day of the event. Be this as it may, several matches are now pending, which, if they do come off, will excite a good deal of interest" Referring to the death of Mr Hugh Griffiths Hughes, well-known in Hokitika, Wcstport, and throughout the West Coast of the Middle Island, who expired at M'Gaffin's Hotel on Sunday last, the Inangahua Herald says : —'lo had been suffering for some years from disease of the lungs, and for some time past the diseuse had acquired such a hold upon tho system as to render it matter for surprise that, he should have been enabled to continue the discharge of his duties. Whatever he lacked in physical power was more thati made up by indomitable resolution and extraordinary mental energy, and to the last lie exercised with customary vigour that ability which, a3 a chemist, had placed him in the highest rank of his profession in this colony. Socially he possessed every quality which would endear him to his fellow citizens. Outspoken to a degree, straightforward and humane he gained the respect of all, and his departure from our midst loaves a void which will not easily be filled. Holloway's Ointment and Pills.—Disease in some shape is over rife amongst mankind; impurity of tho blood, or irregularity of function, is constantly giving rise to despondeucf, debility, or distempers. In the above-named remedies the community can .have, at a little cost, the cafe and certain means of preventing or checking, and curing, both outward ailments aud inward maladies. Ample, plainly printed, and very intelligihlo directions accompany every package of both Ontment nnd fills, which only require attentive study to enable any invalid to be his or her own medical adviser, Tho earlier theso powerful remedies are employed after discovery of tho di-ease, the more rapid will be their action in expelling from the system' ail noxious matter, and restoring health.— A DVT.