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Cromwell Argus, Volume III, Issue 122, 12 March 1872, Page 5

We understand that arrangements have leen made with the Rev. ,1. Jones to hold service in Cromwell every alternate Sunday, comhiencing on the 7th of April. Thccrushingof 108 tons of stone from the 'f'aledonian claim was finished at the Standard lattery on Wednesday last, with a result of 47 •ozs. of gold,—showing an average of about 9i "dwts. to the ton. Atrial crushing of 12 tons from the I>uke of Cumberland claim was put through the (Standard battery last Thursday, and gave the iplendid result of 4o ozs., representing an averse of 3 ozs. 15 dwts. per ton. The -long-expected additional battery for he Royal Standard machine arrived at Quartzrille last week, and will be placed in position vithout delay. The Mount Pisa Races are advertised to take place on Saturday next, 10th inst. A good ■muster of local horses is expected, and there is reason to believe that a very successful meeting -fwill result. \ While on his official monthly visit to ■the Nevis yesterday, Mr B. R, Baird, Receiver |m Revenue, was credibly informed that a nugget I .weighing 22 ozs. had been found in that locality lone day lasl week. It was taken out of the same claim, (Green and party's, formerly M'Donald and party) as the 17 oz. piece found some months ago, and within a couple of feet of the same spot. A number of small nuggets, weighing from half an ounce to 14 oz., were also found in close proximity to the larger one. The claim is situated in the bed of the Nevis River, about four miles above the township. At Wanganui, on the morning of the Sthitst., a young man named Patrick M'Laughlin, formerly a clerk in the Militia Office, shot himself a revolver. He was found in a closet, with the weapon in his hand.

We deeply regret to have to chronicle the death of Mrs Boulton, w if e 0 f Mr Joel Boulton, formerly of Tuapeka. For many weeks past the Whole'family, .consisting of the father, mother, and four boys, were laid prostrate by a kind of slow fever, superinduced, it is believed, and certainly aggravated, by the family bein<* U.. .1.-11 „.l i. il • 11 • 1 i um.i.iiic<j. vugomci in <v Diuaii single-roomed house at Pipeclay Gully, Bannockburn. About ten days ago Mrs Boulton was removed to Clyde, in order to have the advantage of proper medical attendance; but although every possible means that oare and skill could devise were adopted to bring about her recovery, the malady proved fatal, and she died on Saturday morning. The funeral took place on the afternoon of Sunday, and was numerously and respectably attended. The feeling of sympathy for the bereaved husand his four motherless boys is general throughout this district, and we are glad to state that substantial tokens of that sympathy have not been wanting. The children, who have been for many days tended with true womanly care by Mrs Peake and Mrs Chadwick, were yesterday driven to the Dunstan Hospital by Mr Nelson, in a two-horse buggy kindly lent by Mr Harding. We hope soon to hear of their recovery, as well as of Mr Bolton's restoration to health.

The Nokomai correspondent of the Daily Times records the occurrence at that place of an explosion of firedamp. In breaking through into an old shaft in Shaw and party's claim, one of the workmen named Hughes, took a candle to look through the opening. A loud explosion took place, and a body of flame rushed by the man, singeing his hair and face. The man behind was knocked down, and Hughes would have been more severe burnt had he not had the presence of mind to throw himself on his face. The flame ran along the drive and mounted half way up the shaft.

Tn our last issue there appeared a " local" to the effect that operations at Iversen's reef, Conroy's Gully, had been suspended, and that the workmen had been paid off. It was also stated that several hundred tons of stone had given an average yield of about an ounce to the ton, but that latterly the returns had not been sufficient to cover working expenses. Some Illnatured individual (evidently a shareholder in the company) has thought proper to write to the Vurstan Times complaining that "the insignificant and perverted notcie of Iversen's reef in your Cromwell contemporary is likely to create a wrong impression and mislead the public," and in the same communication ho proceeds to give " as indensed an account of the facts as possible." The writer does not challenge the correctness of a single statement made by us in the "local" referred to : the facts, however unpalatable to himself, he cannot deny. But this newly-fledged champion of Truth evidently entertains sanguine hopes as to the reef proving payable at some future time ; for he tells us (in effect) that if there were less mullock mixed with

the stone, and if the workings were not Hooded with water, and if the reef (which he says is now very thin) " widens as it deepens, of which there is every hope, and maintains its present richness, a sure fortune [?] awai'.s the shareholders.." Under all the circumstances, it seems to us that the prospects <d a " sure fortune" are somewhat remote ; and we should imagine that after perusing the information given by the sapient correspondent of the Dunstan Times, the public are not likely to be " misled" as to the prcserit value of the claim.

We are requested by the Secretary of the Church of England Committee, to intimate that, owing to the school-house being engaged for use as a night-school, service on Thursday evening next will be held in the Hall adjoining the Cromwell Hotel, (Mr Kidd having kindly placed that building at the use of the Committee), instead of in the school-room as advertised.

A telegram from Auckland in the Daily Tims* of the Oth inst., says that a teller in the Bank of Xew Zealand there missed £IOO immediately after paying a cheque of the same amount to a storekeeper named Boyle. He suspected that he had overpaid Boyle, and informed the police. Boyle denied that such was the case, but he has been arrested on suspicion. Another telegram, two days later, says that although there is no evidence against Boyle, lie has been been remanded, on bail, for a week. The case is creating a good deal of interest in Auckland.

The movement in Dunedin for the purpose of giving the employes in business places a half-holiday on Saturday appears to be progres* sing. To this end the " Saturday Half-Holiday Association" has been formed ; and at a late meet' ing of the members, "it was leportedthat the signatures of ."5,350 persons, who pledge themselves not to m.ike nurehascs after one o'clock on Saturdays, h?.:l been obtained; that the Committee had waited upon business men employing 475 persons, and that employers of 407 of that number had shewn their willingness to further the object of the Association, by paying wages at an early period of the week." The Cromwell business people some time since agreed to close at half-past eight every evening in the week except Saturday ; but du ing the summer the rule lias been, with one or J wo exceptions, to keep open until ten or eleven. We hope that during the coming winter the half-past eight movement will be resuscitated ; but no attempt in this direction can be successful unless united action is one of its features.

A complimentary dinner was given to 5Fr Warden Simpson, at Lawrence, on the Ist inst., when that gentleman was presented with a handsome go'd wateh as a token of esteem from the people of Tuapeka. Mr Simpson was also presented with au address hy the members of the legal profession, and with an illumined adreso and a diamond pin by the Chinese residents.

In our telegraphic news from Dimedin last week, it Was mentioned that a painter named James Galbraith had died suddenly. We take the following particulars of the inquest from the Dally Times of the 6th :—" An inquest was held at the Oriental Hotel yesterday, before Jas. Murison, Esq., on the body of Mr James Galbraith, who died suddenly on the previous day. It appeared that Thomas Robinson, a fellow-workman of the deceased, and who was engaged with him in painting the Oriental Hotel, went with him about ten o'clock that morning to bring trestles from the premises of Messrs Scanlan. On leaning them against the wall of the Oriental, the deceased turned away and ran across Dowling-street. A boy remarked to Robinson, ' Your mate is sick,' and on going to his assistance he found him stooping, and blood oozing from his mouth and nostrils, hobinson asked him what was wrong with him. He appeared to be conscious, but did not reply. Constable Coftey was soon on the spot, and believed deceased to be then dead. Ho got water and washed his face, and removed him into the Hotel. Dr Eeimer, on being examined, gave it as his opinion that the cause of death was the rupture of a blood vessel in the chest. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical testimony. The deceased, it appeared, had been living in this province for at least six or seven years, was a native of Scotland, was about 28 or 29 years old, unmarried, and generally seemed to enjoy good health. He has relatives in Ballarat, Victoria."

A writer in the Daihj Times lately has been discoursing pleasantly, and instructively too, about the early days of the settlement,—the days of old, long, long before the days of gold. In one of his articles, he made mention of a barrel brought from Scotland by the Rev. Dr Burns, which was believed by many to contain sermons for future use ; and which was the subject of many jokes among the " old identities." This has "brought out" Mr A. J. Burns, the son of the Rev. Dr, who writes thus to the Times of the sth inst. :—" The Doctor certainly had a good stock of MS. sermons, all genuine, and he usei to deliver an old one once every Sunday, and composed a new one every week, which he also delivered when he preached. This practice he kept up all the time of his ministry here, and never departed from it unless when very hard pushed by out-door work, such as visiting, &c. His stock of sermons was kept in a little trunk, covered with brown and white cow's skin, the key of which was and is to this day labelled ' Key of Sermon Kist." The trunk also contained a book in which was a record of every sermon delivered, with its number, day, date, place of delivery, and other remarks. Now with regard to the barrel. There was one particularly neat little barrel, well finished and securely hooped, among the Doctor's luggage, and looked somewhat to contain ' strong waters,' although its contents were harrow tines or teeth, and weighed a hundredweight or two. It did lie on the beach for some time, and afterwards for some very considerable time lay in front of the old Manse amongst the rest of the luggage, under a tarpaulin. I opened the cask for the purpose of getting out a set of tires for a new pair of harrows just made, and I discovered over a hundred spile holes, either left open or plugged up. that had been made by the curious to test the contents of the old Doctor's cask."

Mr W. J. T. Clarke's landed property (as we learn from the Melbourne Leader) consists of 120,000 acres in Victoria, 50,000 in Tasmania, 75,000 in South Australia, and 45,000 in Otago,—besides valuable town properties in Melbourne and its suburbs. The whole of Mr Clarke's possessions will be inherited by his three sons—William Clarke, of Snnbury ; Thomas Biggs Clarke, of Quom Hall, Tasmania ; and Joseph Clarke, of Norton Mandeville.