West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser. Friday 5th December, 1851. APPOINTMENT OF CAPTAIN DAVIES, R. N. - We understand that Captain Davies, R.N., late inspecting commander of the coast guard, Penzance, has just received the appointment of chief constable of the Cambridgeshire rural police. The appointment took place at an adjourned county sessions held a few days ago for the purpose, when Captain Davies was proposed by the Earl of Hardwicke, and seconded by Mr. ALEXANDER COTTON. There were, we understand, thirty-five candidates for the appointment; which is one of considerable responsibility, and of a lucrative character. ARBITRATION - ELLIOTT v. ROBERTS - In this case Mr. W. ELLIOTT of March, in the parish of Landulph, was the plaintiff, and Mr. R. ROBERTS also of Landulph, the defendant. The estates of those two gentlemen are immediately adjoining each other, and the principal subject in dispute is the right to a watercourse which passes through the defendant's land and enters that of the plaintiff. The case was to have been heard at the assizes, but by the consent of both parties was referred to the arbitration of Messrs. B. SNELL, (Wayton), W. SNELL, (Ashton), and J. WIDDICOMBE, (Ugborough), and those gentlemen fixed Friday last for hearing the evidence and examining the locus in quo. Mr. W. LAVERS was engaged as attorney for Mr. Elliott, and Mr. JOHN BEER on behalf of Mr. Roberts. Mr. Lavers in consequence of sudden illness on Thursday night, was unable to attend or procure a substitute. Mr. Beer, however, as well as the witnesses on both sides were in attendance. After some discussion between Mr. Elliott and Mr. Roberts, they agreed to go into the case before the arbitrators without an attorney on either side, so that neither party might be in that respect in a more advantageous position than the other, and the parties accordingly adjourned, after inspecting the premises in dispute, to the inn, kept by Mr. PRIDEAUX, at Cargreen for that purpose, but a misunderstanding arising as to the arrangement which had been made - Mr. Elliott believing that it was not intended he should be compelled to examine the witnesses himself - which he said, his age and slight knowledge of the matter would prevent his doing - but that his son, Mr. EUSTACE ELLIOTT, would be permitted to do it for him; Mr. Roberts on the contrary expressing his belief that the principals alone in the absence of professional assistance on either side should be allowed to act as advocates, the hearing was postponed until Monday the 22nd of December instant, to enable both parties to be professionally assisted. By arrangement between Mr. Elliott and Mr. Roberts, a dinner was provided for the arbitrators, witnesses, &c., of which about twenty-five partook, Lieut. E. Elliott, in the absence of Mr. W. Elliott, his father, occupied the chair, and Mr. R. Roberts, the vice-chair. The dinner was served up in very good style by Mr. and Mrs. Prideaux. Shortly after the removal of the cloth, Mr. Elliott, sen., made his appearance, and all appeared unanimous in a desire to make the evening one of conviviality and harmony. COURT OF BANKRUPTCY - On Thursday, JOHN LUSCOMBE, miller, Higher Salter Mill, Landulph, came up for his last examination at the Bankruptcy Court, Plymouth. Some bill transactions were referred to, and his Honor said he saw no reason why he should not pass his last examination. His certificate is to be filed on December 18th. ST AUSTELL PETTY SESSIONS - These sessions took place in the Town-Hall, St. Austell, on Tuesday last, when there was only three cases for trial. JOHN VERRAN, and SAMUEL CUNDY, of St. Stephens, were charged by the police with leaving their wagons in the road. Cundy's being the first offence, he was fined 1s. and costs; and Verran was fined 5s. and costs. JOHN STEPHENS, of Mouth Charles, was charged by Mr. C. B. G. SAWLE, with riding on the shafts of his waggon, and was fined 10s. and costs. TRURO POLICE - On Thursday evening, the 27th ult., JANE CHYNOWETH, an inmate of the Probus workhouse, was seen by another inmate to go into the bedroom of Mr. NICHOLLS, the master of the house. She asked her on her return what she had been doing in the bed-room to which Chynoweth made no reply. On the following morning she absconded from the house, and the circumstance of her having been in the bed-room being spoken of, Mr. Nicholls went to examine, and on searching found that three sovereigns had been taken from a box in the room. He went in pursuit of her to Truro, and gave information at the police station, and with the assistance of police constable HARE she was found at Mrs. PASCOE's second-hand clothes shop in Kenwyn-street, where for a sovereign she had purchased a complete suit of clothes for herself. The policeman took possession of the clothes, and had the sovereign returned to him by Mrs. Pascoe, and on asking the prisoner what she had done with the rest of the money she took from her pocket two sovereigns. On Friday last she was charged with the robbery before the Mayor, and was committed for trial at the next quarter sessions. ST. AUSTELL POLICE - On Saturday last, ELLEN CUNDY and MARY ANN TREMAIN, were charged, before Mr. E. COODE, jun., with stealing 9s. from a corporal of the Scotch Fusilier Guards, engaged in recruiting at St. Austell. The charge being fully proved, they were committed for trial at the ensuing sessions. CORONERS' INQUESTS - The following inquest was held on Tuesday last, at Newquay, before Mr. JOHN CARLYON, county coroner, on the body of Mrs. LLEWELLYN, THE WIFE OF Mr. DAVID LLEWELLYN, chief boatman in the Preventive Service, at Newquay, who dropped down and died in a most sudden and unexpected manner on Monday last. Verdict apoplexy. The following inquests have been held before Mr. GILBERT HAMLEY, deputy county coroner:- On the 26th ult., at St. Austell, on view of the body of FRANCIS GEACH, a child six months old, who was found dead in bed. It appeared that deceased went to bed with his mother about eight o'clock on the previous evening apparently well; it sucked several times during the night, but at five in the morning, the mother awaking, found the child dead. A woman, called BARRETT, who occupied the adjoining room, stated that she had heard the child cry in the night, and that the mother suckled it, and it went to sleep again. The mother called her as soon as she found the child was dead. One of the jury would not, for a long time, consent to come to a verdict unless the body was examined by a medical man, but the coroner and the rest of the jury did not think it necessary to put the county to that expense. The witnesses who had been examined not having varied in their statements, and there being no external marks on the body, eventually a verdict of "found dead" was returned. It transpired at the inquest that no less than fifteen men, women, and children slept in the room in which the child died, and the adjoining one. On the following day at Quethiock, on the body of ELIZABETH RICKARD, who came down stairs on the preceding morning about ten o'clock, complaining of great difficulty in breathing. She sat down near the fire and took up the bellows to blow the fire, when she fell back and died instantly. The poor woman had been subject to asthma for some time. Verdict, "visitation of God." EXTRACT FROM THE HOME COMPANION - A Weekly Magazine of the amusing and the useful; - At the present time when the discoveries of gold in California and Australia are exciting so much attention, the above "Notes on the gold districts" will doubtless be read with great interest. Considering the size of the work, which is printed in a pamphlet form, a great amount of information is condensed into it, relative to the gold regions of California, New Holland, Russia, Virginia, and South America; and the localities of the gold deposits are shown on Maps, whereon the auriferous districts in the countries of the world where they occur, are coloured yellow. It appears from the information given, that in California mining for gold is expected to be more productive than it has been in any other part of the world, as many of the quartz veins in that country are found to be rich in the metal. The geological formation of the country belongs to the primary series, and the chief rocks are granite and quartz. In so far the resemblance in general between California and the other gold-yielding countries is complete; but whereas, in most other cases gold mining is unproductive, the veins when found, however widely spread about, and however much they may hold as a whole, being unproductive for working in detail, yet, in California the rocks are ascertained to be a fertile source of metal. It is peculiar to California, that the process of quartz-crushing has been introduced and carried out on a large scale; and it has this advantage, that as it requires large and expensive machinery, capitalists can take part in it, though the limit of their profits is necessarily the tribute or portion at which the miner will supply the quartz rock, unless as in the case of the great companies, the quartz belong to the proprietors, when the profits made are enormous, and almost beyond belief. The success of these quartz operations has turned the attention of gold-finders in another direction, and now, where gold-stream works are discovered, researches are likewise made for gold-bearing rocks in the neighbourhood. Some of the chief quartz workings are in Nevada and Mariposa counties, but the best known are on the rancho or large estate bought by Colonel FREMONT from Alvarado, the Mexican governor. They are those of Mariposa, Agua Fria, Nonveau Monde, West Mariposa, and Ave Maria; the first leased by an American company, the third by a French, and the others by English companies. Some of the quartz has been assayed for GBP7,000 in the ton of rock. A Mariposa specimen was in the Great Exhibition. The Agua Fria mine, the lease of which was granted by the Hon. Colonel Fremont to Messrs. PALMER, COOK, and CO., bankers, of San Francisco, is held by an English Company. This property is situated on the small river of that name, which is a branch of the Mariposa, and is about eighty-five miles from the city of Stockton, to which place vessels of 400 tons can navigate, and between which and San Francisco there is almost daily communication by steam-packets. This mine was surveyed and examined by Captain W. A. JACKSON, the well known engineer, of Virginia, U.S., in October last, for which purpose openings were made by a cross-cut, of sufficient depth to test the size of the vein and richness of the ore. The vein appears to be of nearly uniform thickness of from three and a half to four and a half feet, and its direction a few points to the north of east, the inclination of the vein being about forty-five degrees. Of the ore, some specimens were transmitted to the United States Mint in January 1851, and the report of the assays then made showed that 277 lbs. of ore produced 353ozs.[?] gold, value 3,222 dollars, or upwards of GBP650 sterling. In the month of May, a quantity of the quartz was brought over to this country and submitted to the inspection of the Governor of the Bank of England, under whose orders it was assayed at the Bullion Office; and the result was that the different specimens, which were of three classes, and weighed in the aggregate 24 lbs. 2 oz. 2 dwts., yielded gold to the value of GBP272. 2s. 7d. A further assay was made of a quantity of the quartz from the Agua Fria mine so recently as September, 1851, by Messrs. JOHNSON and MATTBEY, of Hatton Garden, which their certificate shows to have been of specimens of the quartz "selected as being below the average richness of the whole mass," was this a weight of rock of 5lbs. 4oz. 18 dwts., yielded 4[...?] 4 oz. 12 dwts. Of gold, or a value of GBP63. 1s. 10d., less the expenses of separation. STEAM COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ENGLAND, INDIA AND AUSTRALIA - A government advertisement for tenders for conveying mails between Singapore and Australia every alternate month, has appeared in the London papers. The difficulties which the Australian colonists will have to encounter, the sudden changes which will arise in their circumstances, and the fluctuations which will take place in their markets owing to the gold discoveries in New South Wales and the consequent influx of population, will render a rapid communication between England and Australia more than ever necessary. It is most important to notice that the government had decided on the southern route to Australia from Singapore. A mail route through Torres Straits will, therefore, not be adopted; and the whole of South-Western and Southern Australia will be materially benefited by this arrangement. According to the terms of the advertisement the parties tendering to convey the mails between Singapore and Australia must also undertake to establish a fortnightly communication between this country and the Mediterranean, India, and China. It appears, then, that at length the highly important scheme of an overland communication with India and China twice a month is about to be established. It will be seen that this mail scheme contemplated by the government is almost identical with the one which the Peninsular and Oriental Company offered some time since to carry out without any expense to the country, and which they were prevented from doing by the East India Company insisting on conveying in their own ships the Bombay mails. As Bombay is not mentioned in the advertisement, it would appear that the East India Company have not given way to the government on the Bombay mail question. Of course when the fortnightly communication with India and China is established the East India Company's line of mail steamers on the Red Sea will no longer be necessary, and the government mail steamers between Malta and Alexandria will be removed. To carry out the mail scheme contemplated in the advertisement, viz., a fortnightly communication with India and China and a communication every other month with Australia, will require a fleet of twenty steamers of the largest class.