AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2157, 5 April 1870, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Mr Charles Mathews has been warmly welcomed in Melbourne literary and dramatic circles. He is to be entertained at dinner by the Yorick Club, tbe members of which Sire all more or less connected with literature, science, or art. Notwithstanding the large reduction that was made at the beginning of the year in the charges for telegraphic messages delivered within the colony—equivalent to upwards 1()0 per cent.—the revenue from that source for February exceeded that for the corresponding month of last year. The Government are also now in communication witli the other Australian Governments with the view of reducing the intercolonial postage fee on letters from 0d to 3d. The liabilities of Mr Eobertson, late premier of New South Wales, were over L 250.000, and his assets are set down at a little over L 210,000According to Chief Justice Sir Alexander Stephens, nine-tenths of the crime committed in New South Wales is traceable to indulgence in intoxicating drinks. The Acclimatisation Society of Victoria intends to exhibit some Victorian grown Angora wool at the forthcoming Exhibition of 1871. It is very currently reported in Melbourne that an understanding has been arrived at between the late Chief Secretary, Mr M ‘Culloch, and some of the leading members of the Constitutional party, and that the next Government will be the result of a powerful coalition. Self-destruction, judging from the many suicides which have taken place during the past month, would appear to be epidemic in Victoria. Something like a dozen have occurred in and about Melbourne within the last four weeks, some of them under somewhat remarkable circumstances. Mr C. T. Mselachian, for example, once the principal partner iu a lirm doing a large import business in Melbourne, poisoned himself at Scott’s Hotel, in consequence, it is said, of a love disappointment. The most singular case was that of a chemist’s assistant, named

George Thomson, who destroyed himself by taking prussic acid. The only reason his friends could give for his desire to put an end to his life was that his mind had become affected in consequence of his having joined the ranks of the “ Spiritualists.” The coroners jury adopted the same view, declaring in their verdict their opinion that the deceased was of unsound mind, “ brought on through reading books on spiritualism.” In another case, Thos Lamb, a person living on his means, stabbed himself in several places with a pocket-knife, and then took a dose of strychnine. The wounds were slight, but the poison proved effectual for the purpose for which it was taken. Mr Frank Buckland in Land ami Jfaler of January 1, comments upon the salmon discovery of last year. It will be remembered that it was stated that two men fishing in the Derwent had caught, with a seine, a salmon ten inches long and five inches in girth, and a second nine inches long. Mr Buckland makes the following remarks :—“These fish can hardly be called salmon; if anything, they are small grilse. I .should bo exceedingly anxious to examine the specimens. If our Australian friends wish to know if their experiments —to which we must all wish the greatest success—have succeeded, they should examine the upper waters and tributaries. The breeding salmon will show themselves there readily enough if they are really in the river. ” A society for the promotion of morality has been established in Melbourne, under the auspices of the Protestant bishop and the Chief Justice. It proposes to employ the press, the pulpit, and the platform for the creation of a healthy and influential public opinion on social questions, in order to arrest the alarming progress of immorality. Messrs Wright and Edwards, engineers, of Mrlbourne, have just completed the boilers, centrifugal pumps, and other machinery for pumping water, at the rate of 17,500 gallons per minute, from the Lachlan River in time of flood into the Willandra Creek. We are now enjoying the abundance succeeding a good harvest, although rain has been much wanted of late. Bread is cheap, and meat is still plentiful enough to allow of some 20,000 sheep or so being boiled-down or prepared for the home market every week. The plan most usual is to cut off the legs for preserving, and to boil down the remainder of the carcase for tallow.

Tho summer having been so dry, vegetables, and milk and butter are becoming rather scarce, but there is plenty of fruit to be had at a low price, and that is a great luxury in such a climate. Apples were almost a failure here, owing to some peculiarity of the weather at the flowering time. The neighboring Colonies have plenty, however, and these they send us freely. The trade in fruit is rather a large one now, specimens of all sorts coming to Melbourne. Thus the street barrows are full one day of pears from Tasmania or grapes from South Australia at a penny a pound, and the next of pineapples from Queensland, at three for sixpence, or seven for a shilling. But the supply of Victorian-grown fruit is fast increasing. The vintage is now commencing, and although the yield of grapes is not very heavy, the wine promises to be of superior quality aftej the long hot and dry summer we have had. Fears have been expressed that we shall be making more wine soon than there will be a ready sale for, but at the price of a shilling a bottle the consumption is large, and stocks do not seem to accumulate. This price ought to pay both the wine merchant and vine-grower well enough for wine of ordinary quality, and in time a character will be established for the produce of certain vineyards, bringing with it a proportionately higher value. In the meanwhile the consumption of pure Colonial wine is steadily increasing, to the great gain of the country in every way. Barlow, of bluetail fly celebrity, is now a sugar planter in Queensland. A resident in Nepean points out that the original colony was planted on the Point Nepean side of the bay, at a place called “the Sisters,” about two miles from Sorrento ; which is still locally' known as “the old settlement.” He adds : —Nearly every vestige of Captain Collin’s party has been destroyed by old edax rerun, but the partly-lilled-up wells or water-holes, and the remains of a trench which probably once surrounded some palisade or rude fortification against the blacks, are still visible. Now and then, too, a child in search of mushrooms or berries finds a lump of lead, or a canister of bullets marked with the broad arrow, which one conjectures to have been a “plant” of some convict intending to escape. I have never discovered any graves, but I suppose the unfortunate convicts who died, or were executed, were not treated to. any very pompous sepulchres. Worse still, there are no ghosts about the place. One would think that, as the oldest settled part of Victoria, it could afford the luxury of being haunted. It is generally known that Captain Collins abandoned Port Phillip and went and established himself in Van Diemen’s Land. But I believe it is not generally known that he was actually promised by the Government a bonus of LSOO in case he should find it necessary to shift from his first settlement. Had this fact anything to do with the removal of the colony to Tasmania ? However, we have reason to be grateful, as Victoria thus escaped the taint of a convict origin. And so Jit came to pass that it was reserved for a boy, who in those summer months of 1804 played beneath the sheoaks, or wandered along the strand of Port Phillip Bay, all unesnsoious of his future fame, to found this flourishing colony : Johnny Fawkner having been a passenger in the Calcutta. Mr and Mrs Charles Mathews make their first appearance in Melbourne on April 9. Tho Australasian, noticing the complaints of the scarcity of agricultural laborers in this province, asks why do not the unemployed of Adelaide migrate to Otago.

There have been fearful floods in Queensland, and New South Wales. In the Maryborough district the rains have been heavier than any one can remember to have seen before. The floods have risen to an alarming extent, and the water is four feet above the highest point ever known to have been previously reached. Large numbers have been compelled to abandon their homes. The mayor has been most active in relieving the most pressing cases. At Gympie there have been six days’ successive rain, and the whole district has been visited by the severest floods ever known there. One-half of the town, extending for about a mile, is completely submerged, and the damage to property is very great. The churches, schools, local court, and other public buildings, have been thrown open to the public, who have been compelled to leave their usual places of abode. All communication by mail and

telegraph has been suspended for days. The superintendent of police, Mr Lloyd, and his force, have made extraordinary exertions, and have succeeded in doing much good. For miles around the country is underwater. The leading reefs are flooded, and there is no knowing what may be the issue, as the rain is still falling. An illustration of the lack which some people show of a capacity for making use of the apportunities of advancement thrown in their way by fortune, was afforded at the City Court, Melbourne, on Saturday, when a man with a wooden leg, named Alexander Munroe, was fined for drunkenness. This man many years ago discovered a goldfield, which was called “Pegleg Gully,”in memory of the finder’s wooden limb, and out of a hole which he sunk he obtained Lll,ooo worth of gold. The money, however, was long in disappearing, for he failed to invest it profitably, as he bright have done, and is poorer than ever, not being able to pay the fine of a few shillings. It is said that when all his money had gone his wife left him, and having succeeded in amassing some property, obtained a protection order to prevent her husband from spending her savings as he had his own earnings. In the Victorian Assembly, Mr Fellows proposed an annuity of LI,OOO to Lady Darling. It is, however, likely that the suggestion of Mr Francis, that a sum of LIO.OOO should be vested in trustees, the widow getting the interest for her lifetime, and the principal to go the children afterwards, will bo carried into effect. Mr Dawson, the eminent barrister, is dead. Higgins and Bird have been matched to run three distances, vie., half a mile, one mile, and 10 miles ; Bird giving the following olds : —2O yards in the half mile, 100 yards in the mile, and one mile in 10 miles. The first race, the half mile, to be run four weeks from the first Saturday after Bird’s present engagement terminates. The second race to be run on the same day at 4 p.m. The 10 miles to be run the following Saturday. In this race Higgins to run a mile by himself, and to be al'owed eight minutes to do it in. The stakes to be LSO a-side in each match. With regard to the question whether the referee has power to give an independent opinion of his own respecting the resulte of a race in the event of the umpires disagreing, as happened in the 100 yards race, between Hewitt and Harris, it has been submitted to the Hon. Mr Fellows, who is of opinion that the opin’on of the referee in each cage was proper, and must be considered final. The protest of Mr Harris with regard to the 100 yards race has been withdrawn, and the stakes in the 150 yards, the 200 yards, the 440 yards, and the 100 yards have been paid over. The Hon. Mr Grant should have been born a Yankee. He is always startling people with some wondrous proposition. Having shown his capacity for driving a coach and six through acts of Parliament, he now wants to drive a railway train from Melbourne to London, via the Gulf of Carpentaria, the trip being pleasantly varied by a sea excursion of some 750 miles across the Straits. We only hope the hou. member will live long enough to do it. He lately gave notice that on Tuesday, he would ask the Chief Secretary whether he will take into his consideration the desirability of placing himself in communication with the Governments of the other Australian"colonies, with the view of ascertaining the feasibility of establishing railway communication between the capitals of the Australian colonies and Europe via the Gulf of Carpentaria, the, Dutch and English Straits settlements, and India—there being only 750 miles of navigation on this route ! The intercolonial cricket match between Victoria and Tasmania was commenced on ahe 15th inst. The weather was fine. Victoria went first to the wickets, and made 238 runs. The Tasmanians then commenced their innings. Six wickets went down for 76 runs. The play on both sides was good. The betting was two to one against Tasmania, The match was resumed the next day. The Tasmanians finished their first innings for 117 runs. Their second innings had reached 81 runs when the game ended by W. Collins being disabled by a ball from Wills. Cosstick and Wills bowled. The fielding and bowling of the Victorians were acknowledged by all to be first-rate. The play of the Tasmanians was very indifferent. Some dissatisfaction was expressed at Wills’ style of bowling, which was denominated as pitching.