AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Evening Star, Issue 2944, 26 July 1872, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

The magnitude of mining fluctuations in Melbourne was vividly illustrated a few days ago, when the oscillation in a valuable and favourite stock showed variation to the extent of L 84,000 in about 48 hours.

Twenty-four telegrams for Europe and tha East were received at the Victorian telegfaph offices on the 11th inst, for transmission via Adelaide and Port Darwin, Tho total amount received on account of the message was L 251 17s 9d. A man named James Moore, seventy years of age, has been killed at Whipstick, Bendigo, by a falling tree. Deceased cut several, and stood aside to let the last one fall, but it bounded off another tree and struck deceased a terrible blow on the back of the neck and killed him.

It has been said in Sydney that Alfred Arthur O’Connor, formerly member of the Victorian Legislature, is a brother of the O’Connor who lately presented a pistol at Her Majesty the Queen, In consequence of the presumed relationship he was removed the other day from the gallery of the Sydney Parliament-house. Mr O’Connor is paying the penalty of patricianising his surname—which used to be Alfred Connor when he was a runner for a Liverpool emigration office, some 20 years ago. From what is stated in the papers there are grounds for believing that there wiUJnothing'more be heard of what promised to be the second edition of Clarson v. Blair. It will be remembered that both plaintiff and defendant were curiously forgetful of the day of trial. In all innocence, and probably to spare the public particular's which might not have been either amusing or edifying, Miss Clampitt was furnished with a passage to England and L 220. And as the young lady gave her generous benefactor a full release, there is some guarantee that this unpleasantness has been finally and successlully warded off. A member of the Sydney Defence Force has repudiated his civil liabilities on the ground that they are only bound by the Act under which they enlisted. This person, it seems, has had proceedings taken against him for the maintenance of his wife. He raises the legal objection that he is, by the Act, placed beyond civil control. He is a soldier, and by his side wears steel, and he is subject only to the military authorities and the articles of war. These say nothing about the obligation of keeping his wife, which is purely a civil regulation, and not binding on a military gentleman. The principle on which he relies is one that might be much more widely developed, and is capable of a much broader application than he has at the present stage given to it. Our most genial humorists occasionally affect the advertising columns. For if the following, duly paid for and inserted, be not humor, what is it?—“Notice.—The undersigned deems it expedient, after long trial and experience, to finally alter the name of the Albion-cottage Reefs, Pleasant Creek, of the Colony of Victoria, to ‘ Moray-house ’ Reefs, as Albion is unworthy of commemorative mention to hand down to posterity. Most of her rulers, statesmen, and administrators of the law (if any) are so muck degraded in the nineteenth. century as they may be compared unto weathercocks. Therefore it is publicly notified that the domicile, and all lands at present possessed by me shall be named and styled ‘Moiay House’ Reefs, Pleasant Creek, of the Colony of Victoria, in honor of faint us memory. —David Constable, As witness thereof dated 25th, 1872.” There is only one thing left for David Constable to do. Let him telegraph his resolve to Messrs Gladstone and Disraeli, and make them thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

That so few mistakes occur through errors in telegraphy is, on the whole, creditable to sender, operators, and receivers. Messages are occasionally obscure, but, somehow, the intention of the sender can generally be discerned. In casos of remittance by wire to strangers it would be desirable to have messages repeated. A case showing the necessity of this precaution arose lately. A bank in Sydney received a message dirccting the payment of LOGO to a person named. A gentlemanly stranger called and availed himself of his credit to the extent of L2SO. So fell denying wa? he that he determined to leave Sydney by the mail steamer without further drawing upon his bank balance. Unfortunately (for him) he got drunk and missed its passage. Meantime the Sydney bank received its letter of advice per mail, and discovered with dismay that the amount it was directed to pay was L 6 and not LOGO. The accommodating stranger was found with a few pounds in his possession, which were duly impounded, and the hank has the solace of having on its hands, as representtng the dissipated balance, a gentleman in an exciting state of delirium tremens.

Spiritualism still creates some stir in M elbourne. The public discussion of spiritualism by Mr Blair, late M.L. A., who docs not believe in it, and Mr Tycrman, late clergyman, who believes in it considerably, attracted an audience of 40G or oGG ladies and gentlemen. The debate was not animated, and but for the occasional use of some strong expressions by Mr Blair, would not have been interesting. In Mr Blair’s language spiritualism was a “ mare’s nest,” the gospel of the deadened bi’aiu had been “prigged” apparently from the “infernal dictionary,” and the communications were like the ravings of a savage. The fact was, that although Mr Blair opened the debate, and the speakers had each two half hour turns, they did not get beyond the threshold of the subject. At one moment it seemed as if the combatants meant to be done with the sparring, and begin to hit in earnest, but Mr Blair’s “Now I shall commence,” was leally no commencement of the sort the audience expected. There are to be three meetings, and Mr Tyerman is to begin on the next occasion, and open the case for the spiritualists. On the lirst occasion he seemed simply to have come to meet the facts of his opponent, but Mr Blair bad decided in bis own mind that the onus of proof rested upon Mr Tycrman. The audience cheered both, and only once ventuied to disapprove. Mr Tyerman stated that spiritualists did not believe in eternal punishment, upon which there were loud exclamations of dissent. The speaker hoped that the persons who 1 iked the doctrine would never become Ulus[.rations of it; and he thus turned hisses into laughter.