LATEST AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 1971, 30 August 1869, Page 2

LATEST AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

We have Sydney papers to the 19th inst, The Herald of that date states that a parcel of diamonds had been brought to the office of that paper. “ procured on the land of the Australian Diamond Company, at the Two-mile-llat, and are 108 in number, the largest being one of two and a half carats. Mr T. T. Jones, the well-known jeweller of George street, who favored us with a sight of the gems, pronounces them to be stones of the first water. We are informed that the whole of the land in which there is any probability of diamonds being found has been taken up by lease under the mining regulations. On the day previous the Herald mentions having been shown a variety of sapphires, rubies, and diamonds, more or less perfect in oharacter, which have been found on and in the neighborhood of land at Burrandoug, on the Macquarie, This is well-known as a diamond locality, and is mentioned as such by the Kev. W. B. Clarke in sundry of his wo ks on the mineralogical resources of New South Wales.” The Eev. W. B. Clarke’s letter on the Armidale “ diamond,” contains only one paragraph which calls for extracts He says:—“ The statement Mr Townsend gave of the size of the alleged diamond—how'ever truthful it might be—showed the improbability of its identity with that mineral. f or, if not more than one in ten thousand diamonds in a diamond district is, as is said, worth much consideration, how many million chances must there be against one, that a diamond larger than any hitherto known should be picked up from the surface of what is certainly not a diamond area !” Among the passengers from Sydney by the last steamer was Mr Hunt, the manager of the Australian Diamond Mining Company who has brought with him 107 stones, of the aggregate weight of twenty-three carats and one-fourth, while forty-four others have been left in Sydney, weighing eight carats and a quarter, making a total of thirty-one carats and a half.

The diamond reported to have been discovered at Richmond, turns out to be a jiebble. The following is extracted from the Rev. W. B. Clarke’s letter, addressed to the Sydney Morning Herald “l had to attend a meeting of a committee of trustees of tlie Australian Museum, and at its close, whilst Dr. Thomson (of the University)> Mr Kreft, and Dr. Bennett were present, Mr Hall came into the room, and produced to us the stone, the identity of which I could cerlify by again feeling it, though out of the bag, which was not unsealed nor untied, but ripped up on one side. I scratched it with corundum, which proved it not even white saphire. I also scratched it with 'opaz, which proved it not white topaz. Other indications proved it cmld not be white zircon. There remained, therefore, only to prove it to be silica. Taking it into a dark passage, I rubbed it with a piece of quartz, and showed to Mr Hall the so-called phosphorescence, which is the result of such violent contact of two pieces of quartz ; and as this was accompanied by the peculiar odour which Mr Hall recognised as familiar to himself, he was satisfied that there is no mistake in asserting that the ‘ big diamond is nothing but a waterworn, long-expo ied pebble of rock crystal or quartz.” 1 he history of the Whittlesea outrage is thus narrated by the Argus : —On Monday morning about daylight, Edward Jones, an ex-couvict, who had been allowed to sleep in an outhouse belonging to Mr Edwards, came to the house, and finding the doors locked demanded admittance. This was refused, and taking up a claw hammer he commenced to beat in the slabs. Having effected an entrance, he ordered the girl Cord, a niece of Mrs Edwards’s, to go to bed, first sti iking her a violent blow on her head with the hammer. He also struck Mrs Edwards on her head, and forced her into the bed. After effecting his purpose, he fastened up the house, and getting some bark and light wqxl together, deliberately set to work to burn down the house with the unfortunate inmates. At th; time he was engaged at this work lie told Mrs Edwards that he intended to do for her husband and a small farmer living in the neighbourhood, named Popple. Mrs Edwards and the girl managed to get out of a window, and .ran to her father-in-law’s house, about a mile and a half off. While she was escaping, the ruffian struck her repeatedly with the handle of a flail. Jones then took to the scrub, and appears to have been watching about the farm of Mr Edwards, senior, ever since, it is supposed with the intention of doing some injury to him or his son. About noon on Wednesday a man looking for cattle caught sight, of him, and gave information to the detectives. They went to the spot, and tracked him through the scrub until darkness obliged them to leave off, having then come to ■within two miles of where he was secreted. About seven o’clock the same evening, Mr Edwards, sen., hearing the dogs barking, and suspecting Jones might be about, went out and searched the barn. Jones was found in the barn. He got out of an opening and ran across the paddock. Edwards fired at him when about thirty yards off, but owing to the excited state be

was in, missed his aim. Picking up a sapling he gave chase, and as he neared him, Jones turned round as if to strike him. A well-directed blow with the wattle sapling stretched him on the ground, and he was then secured. Not long after this took place, Christie and Hudson, who had gone to the hotel at Whittlesea for a few hours’ rest, heard of the man being seen near Edward’s place, and at once started as fast as horse could go. As they neared the place, Christie, making a short cut, ran for it, and arrived first on the scene, and arrested the prisoner. He was then in the place where he was knocked down, the persons about the farm, in a most excited state, keeping guard over him. On the arrival of Hudson, the prisoner was conveyed to the house, when it was discovered that he was wounded. In reply to a question from Hudson, the prisoner said, “I stabbed myself twice this morning, and twice in the hayloft. I planted in the scrub, and came back to die.” He had also cut his arm across, as if with the intention of Weeding himself to death. The weapon used was the small blade of a pocket-knife. All four wounds were in the abdomen, the knife being apparently driven as deep as he could possibly put it. He was questioned with reference to the crime, but resolutely declined to say a word about it. He died at half-past three o’clock yesterday morning. It is seldom that even the most hardened ruffians run through such a list of crimes in a lifetime as this man did in less than three days. He committed arson, robbery, rape, attempted to committ a most diabolical murder by burning three helpless fellow-creatures, and ended the fearful list of crimes by suicide.