AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1630, 8 August 1887, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Melboukne, August 3. I Mr Deakin, Chief Secretary, has received a communication from London informing him that the applications for the space at the Melbourne Centennial Exhibition are rapidly coming m, the applications being from various parts of England and the Continent. The Armstrong Company, of Eirwlck, Maxim, inventor of the rapid filing gun, and Nordenfeldt. the Swedish inventor, will be represented by exhibits of the latest inventions of weapons of warfare. At the annual meeting of the Victorian Bacing Club, held on Monday last, it i wat resolved, by c 6 voteß to 32— "That the minimum weight to be carried by any horse "m any handioap flit race should be 63t 7lb, instead of 6at, as formerly." Mr Phil Robinson, the well-known war correspondent, who has successfully lectured here, and who had arranged to make a tour through New Zealand, has been recalled to London, and will leave by the next mall steamer. The warrant for the arrest of T. E. Mellen, on a charge of forgery and defrauding the United. Mercantile Society of Australasia, has not yet been executed its issue being delayed m order that suspicions as to the gui t of the accused dhou'a? be confirmed ; bat every effort is now being made to discover Btellen. Tbe amount of money embezzled by Mellen has been refunded to the Society by Mr R. Shawn, the manager, who holds the forged receipts. It has since been discovered, apart from the Buma whioh Mellen is oharged with having misappropriated by forged receipts, there are other deficiencies to the extent of between £600 and £7CO m Jus accounts. . Sydney, August 4, Owing to the sadden departure of the German fleet for Samoa, it is believed that a step towards the annexation cf one or more of the islands of the Group is contemplated. The flaet had intended staying hero until the arrival of the new raptain and crew of tin Olga, who are now at Adelaide, but it la supposed the fleet received orders from .Berlin, arising out of the decisions of the Washington Conference.. Though tbe destination was not divulged it was not denied that the vessels were hastening to Samoa. The officers were taken by surprise.