LATEST AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2149, 26 March 1870, Page 2

LATEST AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

In the Supreme Court, Ade’aide, in the case of Solomon v. Danie's, for kbel, after a lengthened hearing, his Honor expressed an opinion that the evidence showed no grounds for libel, and the defendant withdrew the charges made against the plaintiff. Thg cgse was then withdrawn, I Msastt ms floods have occurred in North Qufens'iand. Property to the amount of LI 0,000 has been destroyed, and 12 lives lost. An interesting specimen of photographic art was on view at Messrs Batchelder and O’Neil’s, Melbourne, lately. It is a portrait of the Princess of Wales with one of her children riding piek-a-back; the attitude and expression rf the mother being full of natural grace and winsome beauty. The original was sent out by Mr Justice Chapman to Messrs Batchelder and O’Neill, by whom it has been raised and artistically colored so as to resemble a carefully oxe r outed water-color drawing. Of the many agreeable portraits of the popular Princess, this is probably the most agreeable. The annual assembly of the Annual Move* able Committee of the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows in Victoria, was hchl in the hall of the Mechanics’ Institute, Castlemaine, on the Sth in-tant, when the retiring grand master, Mr E. L. Zox, delivered the customary address. The election of officers for the ensuing year resulted as follows ;—Geo F. Lovitt, D.G. M. of the Ballarat district, Avas elected grand master, and Joseph M‘Lcan, P. P.G.M., deputy grand master; and Jacob S. Hart, of the Port Phillip District, was elected corresponding secretary of the Manchester Unity in Victoria for the ensuing year. The services rendered to the cause of OddfelloAA T ship by the Hon. A. F. A. Grooves, P.G.M., have been ackumvlcdgc I by the numbers of the Order, avlio have subscribed a sum of 1 500 for the endoAvment of the Gpeeves M.U, Scholarship in the Melbourne University, The tes imonial Avaa presented to MrGreeA r es by the grand master of the Order (Mr Zox), in the shape of a cheque for LSOO for the purpose of founding a scholarship. The‘total value of the lodge funds for the year 1869 ■w as L 105,375 12s 9d, being an increase of L 9,330 19s 3d on the previous year.