AUSTALIAN NEWS.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2246, 19 July 1870, Page 2

AUSTALIAN NEWS.

A gentleman in New South Wales has advanced the sum of L 250 for the purpose of sending home Kush, the Australian sculler, to compete with the English champions. The conditions are, if Rush wins he is t« lefund the money advanced; if not, the gentleman loses his money. A match, in which John Wheeler, a young A ustralian, is to meet A. E. Bird, the English champion mile runner, has been arranged at Sydney. Wheeler is to receive a start of 100 yards in the mile. The match is for LIOO a side. The race was to come off on the 9th of July. A new term, derived from the lingo of Yankee-land, has been added to the descriptive slang of the loafing classes of Melbourne. Vagrants are now denominated “scalawags,” an American word which may need some explanation. There is a class of loafers in that favored country known as “carpetbaggers,” who wander about the land armed with nothing more than a carpet-bag, which they generally contrive to fill when no one is looking, and another class has sprung up, whose members are said to be so mean that they will rob a carpetbagger of his sole piece of furniture, and then give him in charge for having no lawful visible means of support. The Melbourne vagrants being of too improvident a disposition to supply themselves in a legal manner with any property whatever, and being also entirely destitute of honorable feelings in regard to the appropriation of the goods of more diligent persons, are reckoned to belong to the genus “scalawag.” No less than five of this class were taken before the magistrates at the City Court lately together, and four others were brought up in couples. In the case of the first five, two being young men, all the prisoners were given bad characters, And were given in charge by a ship carpenter named Peter Kerr, who hail given one qf them, a female, 10s, which she had at once made off with under the protection of her “bullies,” the two male prisoners. The Bench lectured them all, and let them off with a caution. The four others were sent to gaol for six months each. One of these, a woman, appeared to be dying from exposure and starvation.

We recently beard a story, says the Ballarat Star, winch is said to be quite true, illustrative of the smartness of a “managing woman.” Some time ago the heroine, whose husband is a lack}’ mining speculator, seeing that bad times were coming fast upon Ballarat, and afraid of allowing her other half to drink the proceeds of a certain mining dividend, set her wits to work to get the money into her own possession. On the night before the date of the dividend being due and payable, she came very indulgent to the proposed victim of ber scheme, ami gave him as much as he could drink of the strongest liquor in the house. Being exceedingly fond of the medicine, he reduced himself before the hour of retiring to rest to a state of helpless drunkenness, and was carried to his night couch by a sturdy servant. The gentleman once out of sight amid the blankets and curtains, his better half carefully cleared away to beyond his roach all his boots, and also every specimen of that garments which all “ white men,” except High-

landers, patronise, and which is rendered absolutely necessary by the Police Offences Statute, The mining speculator rose from his bed in the morning with a severe headache, and soon discovered his want of the articles stowed away ; but suspecting a trick lie refrained from asking a single question. On the contrary, he went to work on his own account. He is jn the habit of alway wearing spectacles when he walks abroad, and with these on, in addition to a hat and topcoat, he made his way fearlessly to an hotel at some distance from his house, where he was well known as a valuable customer. Herehe was supplied witha pair of unmentionables and a pair of boots, and determining to have his dividend cheque from tho distant mining company’s office before his wife could get it, he sent for a cab. While he was waiting for it, however, he saw a female from another cab that he attempted to hail vulgarly “taking a lunar” at him, and discovered to his dismay that it was his wife on her way to tho mine. He posted after her as soon as possible, but found that she and the cheque had both gone. The next best thing he could do, he then thought, was to go with all haste and stop payment of the cheque at the bank. He did so, but overpowered by his “ little feeling,” stopped at two or three hotels on the way to take a drink himself, and “ wet cabby’s whistle,” and by so doing arrived just too late The managing woman, guessing shrewdly at his game, hod gone to the bank without any delay, aud carried off tho value of the cheque in coin of the realm. The trial of the curious will case, Rogers v. Espio, is now being proceeded with in the Ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Supreme Court in Hobart Town. Rogers, an old man, a potato dealer residing in Hobart Town, was taken ill iu July, 1868. He consulted Dr Crowther, who, from the first, viewed the case as a serious one. Tho doctor having to leave town, his partner, Dr. Brooke, took his place. Visiting him for the first time, he found him in the afternoon feebly leaning against his bed ; from an examination, Dr Brooke satisfied himself that Rovers labored under grey hepitisation, and that he was sinking. His mind was then clouded, and his perceptive faculties very much obscured. The doctor called again at 8 in the evening ; tho disease was approaching a fatal termination, Saw him again at 8 o’clock on the following morning; he was then breathing with difficulty ; he was dying, and death took place shortly after. Rogers was known to be worth a considerable sum, about L4OOO. Between the doetbr’s seeing him at 8 o’clock in the evening and the following miming the marriage ceremony had been performed between Rogers and his housekeeper, instructions for a will given, the will made and executed, a liberal provision being made in it for the newly-married wife as well as for her church, the Roman Catholic. The legality of this will is questioned, and henoe the present inquiry. Dr Crowther, who saw Rogers on the loth, agreed with his partner. He then tried to rouse him ; this must have been but a few hours after the marriage, but could not. he was in a coimtose state. The patient died in ninety-four hours after Dr Crowther had first been consulted. Dr Butler had heard the evidence of Drs Brooke and Crowther, and was of opinion that Rogers was not in possession of his faculties on the night preceding his death. Dr Coverdale had also heard the evidence of the medical attendants. He agreed with Dr Butler, and to the interrogatory, “Would be believe it to be correct were a credible person to tell him that he had heard Rogers give instructions for his will,” &c., answered, “I would tell him he was lying,” a reply which made the Chief Justice observe', “That is right; there is nothing like plain English.” Dr Atherton formed the same opinion as the medical gentleman who had preceded him, while Dr Bright differed. He thought Rogers could have made a short will between the visits of Dr Brooke. Other medical witnesses will follow. The case excites great interest in Hobart Town. The defendants are the executors.

The .300 yards race for the championsh’p between Harris aud Hewitt was run in Melbourne on June 28. The men on coming to the starting post, both appeared to be in excellent condition, and the friends of each were apparently equally confident qf the success of their man, The race, however, though particularly unsatisfactory to the backers of Harris, was disappointing to all. An excellent start was obtained, and both men went off together at a rattling pace. For nearly a third of the distance they were on pretty even terms, when Harris made an effort and went slightly to the front. He continued to lead until about 200 yards had been run, when Hewitt increased his pace, passed him, and won easily. When Hewitt breasted the ribbon he was only about a couple of yards in advance of Harris, but if he had liked he could have increased the distance considerably. Towards the close of the)race he perceptibly slackened his pace, glancing over hia shoulder from time to time observing the progress Harris * was making, and keeping all the time well within his stiength. He was quite fresh at the close of the race, but Harris appeared to be a good dead distressed. If the time taken by Mr H. C. A. Harrison be correct—viz., Olisocs. —the trial must have been a severe one ; but the accuracy of Mr Harrison’s calculation is questioned. The course was rather heavy, and the race was practically over kfter it had been two-thirds run, and yet the time given by Mr Harrison is more than three seconds less than the time occupied iu runnini' the dead heat on tho Melfyourqe Cricket Ground, which was 33|s. The disappointment at the easy way in which the race was won was general, and Harris, notwithstanding his apparent distress at the close of the race, was charged by some with not having done his best.