AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 1916, 26 June 1869, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

(From the, Argus.) Writing on the subject of immigration, the Sydney Morning Herald remarks : —“We have spent more in bringing people from home than England in sending soldiers. We have spent millions for immigrants, and thus relieved the surplus population, and aided their settlement in a new country ; the account isthns balanced. If England is not in our debt, we are not much her debtors. We should prefer to wait for action at home. Let them send their people. They have ships laid up in the harbors that would bring out all we could absord. In the present state of our finances, an extensive outlay would be imprudent. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has a surplus of four millions. England, at the same time, has a starving population. Let them apply the surplus money to aid the surplus people, and if they get rid of the first, they will not be troubled with the last. Four millions would give substantial relief, but we cannot afford to pay them.” An unusually interesting trial of preserved meat took place yesterday at the Criterion Hotel. A small consignment of beef, prepared for preservation by Mr B. Hayes, at his works on the Saltwater river, was shipped by him per s.s. Somersetshire, for London, in August last, and subsequently re-shipped to Melbourne per ship Philosopher, which arrived here in April last. All this was done for the purpose of testing the process of which the experience of yesterday was ample proof. One tin of the beef was opened yesterday morning, and placed on the side-table of the luncheon-room of the hotel in question of visitors to taste as they chose, and it immediately became so popular that iu a very short time the dish was almost Cleared. There Was a scarcely perceptible flavour of salt iu the meat, which was found to possess an extraordinarily fine flavour. The lean was solid without being hard, and like the fat, delicious, the whole being immersed in a rich jelly. Such beef we are informed can be sold at a very good profit in Loudon for 5d per pound. It should be mentioned that Mr Hayes was one of the pioneers in meat preserving in Melbourne, but the reverses consequent upon an unfortunate attempt to establish a kerosene manufactory iu Footscray, iu the face of falling prices, compelled him to give up. It is probable, however, that his meat-preserving works will fall into the hands of a company, to be formed for the purpose. Some geological discoveries of considerable interest have been recently made at El Dorado, in the Ovens district, by Messrs Dunn, consisting of masses of brown sandstone filled right through with casts of shells, the shells themselves having disappeared. The shells, says the Spectator, seem to belong almost entirely to three kind—a small cockle, generally about three-quarters of an inch in diameter ; a thin shell, with very numerous convolutions, from one to two inches in length ; and a very small shell having a round base, with a depression in the mid lie. The general appearance of all these boulders is that of lumps of mud thrown up from the bottom of a lake, and exposed to interne heat. One hill at El Dorado is completely covered with them, at the top. Some of the specimens will be forwarded to Professor M'Coy, for identification. From the neighbourhood above referred to, also, we were shown a very large number of very beautiful specimens of crystallised amethyst, in the usual form of six-sided pyramids, of all shades of colour, from a pale violet to a deep purple. Occasionally these occur of very large size, and one of them, found some months back, is described to us as being perfectly crystallised, seven inches long and thick in proportion. This was picked up by one of Mr Reid’s shepherds, and broken to pieces in the ignorant belief that it would be found to contain gold. The shepherd referred to, on more than one occasion, mentioned to Mr Held that at one part of the run he had seen on the surface of the ground numerous large lumps of coal.” The trial of Hugo Levinger for the alleged murder of three Polynesian natives at the island of Paama, in October last, was resumed on the 18th, at the Supreme Court. Three or four natives of the South Sea Islands were examined for the prosecution. They seemed extremely intelligent, one of them speaking the English language very correctly, and all of them being able to read, Mr Justice Williams summed up the evidence in a manner somewhat favorable to the prisoner. He stated that manslaughter was out of the question, and that the jury would have to decide as to whether the prisoner was guilty or otherwise of murder. As the Attorney-Genera', however, took exception to this ruling, his honor left the question of manslaughter to the jury, reserving the question as to whether there was evidence to go to the jury either of manslaughter or murder. The jury retired about six o’clock, and shortly before ten o’clock returned with a verdict of manslaughter. His honor stated that ho would not pronounce sentence until the full Court had decided if the jury could give a verdict of manslaughter on the evidence. He would grant bail in two sureties of I J.OOU each, and the prisoner himself in L 2.000. At the last civil service examination two young ladies presented themselves, and both passed. The names of the courageous damsels are Sarah Clarke and Anna Maria D’Arcy.