VICTORIAN ITEMS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 657, 20 November 1874, Page 3

VICTORIAN ITEMS.

—o— A severe shock of earthquake was felt at Hobart Town on the 13th ultimo, which shook the houses, ami was distinctly’felt ou the vessels at some distance from the shore. A fatal case of snakebite lately occurred at Ararat. A girl named Ellen Healey, daughter of Mounted-constable Healey, ct Elmhurst, five years old, was bitten about two o’clock in the afternoon, while playing in the bush, when apprised of tno circumstance, the mother found the dtild sleepy and vomiting, but she recovered sufficiently to make herself understood. She said she had been bitten by a snake. Two punctures were found on her leg. The wo"nd was roughly cauterised and bound up, and the poor child brought a distance of 14 miles to the hospital. Messrs Law and Sharp (the latter the resident surgeon) administered and injected ammonia, but the child was moribund, and died at about six o’clock in the evening. The injection restored the pulse for a moment, but the case was hopeless. It is not known what species of snake inflicted the injury. At Echucha lately a fearful cluststorm passed over the town, doing much damage, carrying away the pontoon bridge over the Murray. A young woman who was crossing at the time narrowly escaped with her life. Had she not made a successful jump she would have been blown into the river. A fire recently took place at Inglewood, at which a young woman named Weston was burned to death.

On a day named the Police brought into Ararat a shearer named Thomas Ditchfield, late of New Zaaland, with his throat frightfully cut. He inflicted the wouuda himself with a pair of shears. iEgles in the Australasian has the followiug : —“ A gentleman wh6 earns his bread by the sweat of his brain was asked by an editor to undertake a job that would have necessitated his working on Thursday. “Are you aware that to-morrow will be Cup day?” asked the man of letters. “Well, what then?” replied the editor. “ You work mors on Sunday than any other day.” **l may break the Sabbath, my friend,” was the answer, “ but no one overheard of my desecrating the Cup day." Cakobau, the ex-King of Fiji, and one of his sons are expected at Sydney, on a visit to Sir Hercules Robinson.

Tiie first appearance of Blondin in Melbourne attracted a very large concourse of people to witness his performance, there were upwards of 3,000 present. The Governor ami other people of note were amongst their number.

Forty-one persons were recently summoned to the Williamstown Police Court for non-compliance with the compulsory clauses of the Education Act, in having neglected to send their children to school the required number of days during the first half of the present year. In a number of the oases the defendants were ordered to pay small penalties, varying from Is to ss, with the cost of the summons, 2s 6d. The Police at the late Melbourne Races made a raid on the “ three-card men,” and lodged a number of them in the lock-up.