AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 1954, 10 August 1869, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

By the Freetrader, which arrived from Mobartown yesterday, we have files to the 31st nit. We make the following extracts VICTORIA. According to the Portland Guardian, “ sounds of disaffection are now heard on all sides. The Portland electors are beginning to understand the meaning of the terms, ‘practically disfranchised,’ and both Mr Butters and those who conspired for his return are apostrophised in a manner the opposite of complimentary. There is an ol 1 prove- b which says, ' where there is smoke there is lire,’ and probably tbe fire will show in time when the smoke clears away. It is certainly full time some steps were taken to convince Mr Butters that he will not be allowed further to sacrifice the interests of the constituency to his own aims and objects. If his private duties are so enormous as to de!-ar attendance in tbe Assembly, let Mr Butters resign the trust he now abuses, and mak- way for some person that will take his fair share ; n the. duties of legislation. And steps iu this matter should be taken publicly ” A handsome presentation was made to the Rev. W. H. Cooper, late incumbent of Bacchus Marsh, at the local Mechanics’ Institute, on Wednesd -y last. In the course of his reply, Mr Cooper remarked that “he had been accused of trying to cause dissension in the Church, but so far from that being the case, be would lay down his life to secure the union of Ins beloved Church. He was one of a small baud of men who had incurred opprobrium by seeking to promote the union of tbe Greek, Roman, and Anglican Churches. The first spark, which was afterwards fanned into charges of ritualism against him, appeared in the Guardian newspaper. The paragraph he al-tided to contained two most atrocious fa'seluods. The first was, that at a certain service in Hallau Church there was a crucifix upon the altar. There was not. A crucifix, as they were aware, was not a cross, and there was only a cross of green leaves on the wall behind the altar. The second falsehood was, that lighted candles were placed on the altar, leaving a person to infer that they were placed there iu the daytime. The truth was, that two candles were used at night to illuminate a very dark chancel. From that time they had any amount of leading articles and paragraphs, which actually bristled with "falsehoods. He believed they had not '■ -ecu written for the good of the Church, but simply from personal enmity to him ” The cry on Balias at—the velocipede cry—is still they come. Tne Courier has been shown by Mr Oakcy of Eyre-street, a very neatly put together bicycle which he has just completed. The vehicle is constructed on the self-balancing principle for which a patent I

has just been granted. It has this very material advantage that it will not capsize, anrt can be so constructed as to admit of ladies driving it with perfect safety. The wheels are fixed one on each side, and a small box is placed between, with the propellers, which are turned with the hand, on the outside of each side of the box. The movement is easy, and can be arranged so that even the most delicate female can force it up-hill without much exertion. One of _a different kind Mas gyr ding last ni-ht in front of this office. It, too, was an improvement, in that it has a new style o’’ spring, which renders the riding more comfortable to the driver, while the motion is not in the least impeded. On Friday night Mr Hugh Kirk of Sebastopol, camo into Ballarat wi-h a friend on bicycles. These were manufactured by Mr Kirk, and seem light in construction. and are, we were informed, on an average not more than 431b weight. They’ are very swift in motion, and were most gracefully managed by their riders Mr Herbert Henty has b en elected to represent Lonsdale Ward in the City Corporation. Mr Orant has moved for a committee of enquiry into the working of the Land Office. The motion was carried. His colleagues have prevailed upon him to retain office. NEW SOUTH WALES. The Clarence Examiner narrates the death of the aboriginal king, “Old Mackenzie,” who was the oldest blackfellow of the Grafton tribe. The deceased was abandoned, by the blacks in the early part of the week, as being dying or dead, and was found in that state by Mr Smith, who humanely’ took him in. Deceased was a middle-aged man when the Clarence was first settled, and for many years possessed great influence with his tribe, was one of the first blacks who tho oughly fraternised with the whites, and exerted all his influence to prevent outrages by the aborigines upon the persons or property of th first settlers. He is believed to have been the last survivor of a numerous tribe who were living when the settlers took possession of the district in 1840.

A requisition is in course of signature in the city of Newcastle, and will be presented to his Worship the Mayor as soon as a sufficient number of signatures has been obtained, expressing feelings of regard for Ur. Steel as an eminent Christian minister, and of sympathy for him in the late undeserved aspersions cast upon him by the Judges of the Supreme Court, considering that he only did hi- duty to the public in the cause of humanity iii exposing the practices of certain British subjects, who are disgracing their country and their Christianity by befouling themselves with slavery in disguise, and that no contempt of court was committ d, as alleged, considering too that the language used by Mr Justice Hare reave towards Ur. Steel was, to say the least, undignified and unworthy of his position as a Judge of the Supreme Court. The document concludes with a request to the Mayor to convene a public meeting of the citizens of Newcastle to take the above matter into consideration, and to afford an opportunity of publicly testifying sympathy for Dr. Steel in the trying scene in which he was recently placed, and admiration of his conduct and of the praiseworthy motives which actuated him in the matter in which his conduct has thus been called in question, the said meeting to take place in the court-house. There is stopping in Newcastle just now a man of extraordinary strength, and who, for several nights past, has been performing some wonderful feats at the City Wine Vaults. Among other performances he dances a hornpipe with fifty-six pounds weight attached to each of his feet. Before his departure he proposes doing several other extraordinary things. On the afternoon i f Friday last the athlete, Thomas Griffiths, who performs under the name of Young Samson, commenced his undertaking to walk one hundred miles in twenty-four hours. The course was from the Victoria Hotel, along Hunter terrace, round St. Alban’s Church, to Bridge street, by the Royal Hotel, and thence along Bridge street, past Eaton’s Hotel to the toll-har beyond Sandy Creek, and back again to the starting point. The distance is said by some to he as near as possible five miles, although others make it at least a quarter of a mile more. At ten minutes t) six o’clock Griffiths made his start at a swinging pace, and completed bis first journey in fifty-seven minutes. The three next journeys were finished in fiftyfive mmutes each, and the fifth in fifty-nine minutes. The sixth occupied one hour and one minute. After the first distance had been walked, a young man called William Hodges joined Samson, and after the first two "journeys had been finished, Williaq; Fuz also started in company with the others, Hodges completed his twenty-live miles and Fuz his twenty, wa king side by side with Samson the whole time, when they gave in, and on the seventh round Samson again started alone at forty-eight minutes past eleven p.ra. All night Samson kept walking, and by noon on Saturday he had completed his eightieth ini e. Aec rding to advertisement, he then turned aside to Mr Murphy’s smithy, where, lying down, he bad a board placed on his body on which rested an anvil of 4201bs weiuht. On this a pair of horseshoes were made, Samson all the while keeping his body in the form of .'g arch, resting on the ground only by his feet and hands, while a cloth was thrown over his face to keep off the sparks from the anvil. This part of the performance having been finished to the satisfaction of the assembled crowd, Samson started again towards the toll-bar, apparently as brisk as ever, and completed four journeys more (or a hmv<red miles altogether) by twelve minutes past five o’clock, or forty-eight minutes under the specified time. The actual walking time, including the delay at Mr Murphy’s shop and occasional brief stoppages at Eaton’s and elsewhere, was only 21 hours 29 minutes. Samson appeared to be no more distressed with the long journey walked over at the rate of five miles an hour, than many of our young men would he with a journey of five miles at the same pace ; and within two hours and a-half of the finish he was able to go through, in his usual style, with all those heavy feats which have so much astonished his audience in the Vic f oria Assembly Rooms. The powers of endurance of this man are tremendous, especially when it is considered that ho is fifty-three years of age, and has been loading a life of uncommon exposure and hardship in these colonies for many years past. He has not got the knack, possessed to such perfection bv other performers of much greater pretensions, but of much inferior powers, of making money by has performances. What he does appears to be done as much for the sake of doing it aa for the sake of profit, ;.nd the public in such cases is generally inclined to take the actor

at his word and spare his pocket. It is as much as some men can do to lift two sfilb. weights —one in each hand—and hold them up for a few seconds. It cannot fail to strike one with surprise to see a man strap a pair of such ponderous weights on to his feet, and walk about with them with as Sreat ease as if they were only a pair of ironeeled boots. —Newcastle Chronicle. Tie Assembly has pas-ed a motion for a survey of a line of railway to the Murray Kiver to be commenced. TASMANIA. The Government have received from Mr j Gould a report upon the Waterhouse Goldfield, under date 26th July, in which that gentleman expresses himself very favorably upon the indications of the loca'ity. He says “the indications of the existence of quartz reefs are numerous, and if any proportion of them prove on trial at all equal to the tested reef in richness, profitable gold mining in Tasmania will soon be an established fact, and this become a great reefing district.”