BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.

Evening Star, Issue 3256, 28 July 1873, Page 3

BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.

Queenstown, July 28. Astonishingly rich wash-dirt has been struck in the Shotover Company’s claim. A lead five feet thick, yielding a half-penny weight to the dishful, was struck on Saturday. Hokitika, July 28. The Rangitoto, Captain Mackie, arrived at 7 a.m., and was tendered at 1 p.m. She brings eighteen saloon and twenty steerage passengers ; for Dunedin, Rev. Mr and Mrs Kimnimond. 326 tons of cargo for all ports. She sailed for the North this afternoon. AUSTRALIAN SUMMARY. Melbourne, July 22. The Rip, pilot schooner at Queenscliff, was struck with a heavy sea, and the pilot, M'Kenzie, Heeks, a steward, and two sailors were drowned. The schooner was nearly wrecked, and the survivors were badly injured. Subscriptions in aid ®f the families of those drowned have reached .over LI,OOO already. Mrs Shannon, storekeeper at Hotsbam, poisoned her three children, and then cut her own throat. One child is dead, and the others are in a critical condition. The cause of the murder was fear of her husband discovering that she had had three illegitimate children during his absence. A girl at Sandhurst, who had been de livered of a newly-born infant, threw it to the pigs. The Norfolk, which sails to-day, takeb twenty tons of meat, preserved in ice ac : cording to Harrison’s process. ; There are twenty-four Victorian entriet for the Intercolonial Rifle Match, Coroners’ juries are to be abolished. The Brisbane Government offers reel procity re the Torres Straits and Suez ser vice, Mr Francis says that New Zealani : agrees to join Victoria in the Suez servict • but the terms are not settled. The Pres,' complains that $Mr Vogel’s despatches an always marked confidential. The Governor is shooting on the Murray,

Sydney. There has been fearful weather on the coast. The merchants petition for a twelve-knot ''labforniau contract. Mr Parkes says he intends offering all the Colonies the advantages of the Pacific Service without a shilling subsidy. A Naval Court at the Cape of Good Hope find that the steamer Fidelia was lost through the fault of the captain. Brisbane. Parliament is dissolved. The Government have resolved to give no subsidy to the Sydney Californian line, but to concentrate all their efforts in the Torres Straits service. Adelaide. The Ministry have resigned, and the now Ministry consists of Mr Blyth, Chief Secretary; Mr Glyde, Treasurer; Mr Mann, Attorney General; Mr Goerard, Lands ; Mr Bright, Works. The Port Darwin gold prospects are good. The fever is abating. A publican in Ballarat lately summoned a man for “ 662 pints of ale, at 4d, served to you and friends at your call, Lll Os Bd.” The item was struck out, as drink served over the counter cannot be sued for. The following neat thing in geography and mining is from the Montreal Weekly Herald : —“A very important discovery has been made in Queensland, That rare and moat useful metal, tin, has been found in quantities sufficient to warrant the expectation that New Zealand will henceforth became the rival of the Scilly Islands in regard to tin ore. ” At a lecture delivered the other day at Boston, by Dr Willett, the lecturer mentioned a disagreeable incident which occured to him respecting an owl. It seems that Dr Willett is a connoisseur in bird-stuffing, and is in the habit of criticising other people’s bird-stuffing severely. Walking one day with a gentleman, he stopped at a window where a gigantic owl was exhibited. “You see,” said the doctor to his friend, “that there is a magnificent bird utterly ruined by unskilful stuffing. Notice the mountingexecrable, isn’t it ? No living owl ever rested in that position; and the eyes are fully a third larger than any owl ever possessed,” At this moment the stuffed bird raised one foot and solemnly blinked at his critic, who said very little more respecting stuffed owls that afternoon. Pall Mall Gazette.