AUSTRALIAN NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 3414, 30 January 1874, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NOTES.

A peculiar relationship between husband and wife w& disclosed during the hearing of a case at the County' 1 Court lately. \ A Bungareeite sued another inhabitant'of that classic locality, for the Value of a horse which had been lost from a paddock into which he had been taken to graze. The defendant put in a plea of noh-liability, on the’ ground that it was his wife who took in the one, and ho had no control over her actions. He said he was a servant on the farm, earning Issa week, when the owner of- the farm died; and the widow, taking a fancy to him (defendant) untried him, and raised his wages from 15s to LI per week. He still continued to occupy the position of farm laborer on the farm<after bis marriage, and his wife allow him to have a voice in fyer affairs. He tried to.assert bis rights, apd told her that she should not take in any flWre horses to graze, hut on this subject and Others they and were now sepi rated-—he haying received from- hia wife a -‘retiring allowance.” . Judge. .Rogers, in non-suiting the plaintiff without costs (as he cpuld seek his remedy.; against the wife), paid the defendant -. - ought to : have been »s)iapaed to fill so degrading a position, arid b® was deceiving the public uule a s he past d the fact on his bapk that; be had nd- control Wbat®vejr over hip wife’s actions. Mr Hill, the Queensland botanist, who has, been engaged in the work of explo ration hi North Queensland, lately, sent the following telegraphic report of his discoveries Since the, 20ch November we have examined the banks of the Mulgrave,Bussell, Mossman. Daintree, and Hill rivers, ana'have been more or less successful in finding, suit able land for the growth of.sugar and other tropical and semi-tropical productions. Theiascedt to the' summit of the Bellenden andrKbtt watfSuccessfully made by Mr John l dnd' eight troopers. ' At ,tb®y tree with crftwou

flowers, which excels Poinciana Regia, Coll* villia Racemosa. Lageratioma Regia, and Jacaranda mimoßifoiia. At 4,500 ft. a* tree fern was discovered which excels in grandeur all others of the albpreous class, and palm<rees of the same height will rival any British India species in gracefulness. On the, banks of the Daintree we saw a palm-tree (cocoa) which far exceeds the unique specimens ol the same genera from Brazil in grandenr and gracefulness. Whilst cutting a line on the banks of the River Johnstone, for the purpose of examining the lahd, an enormous figtree stood in the way, far exceeding in stout-; ness and grandeur the renowned forest giants of California and Victoria. Three feet irom the ground it measures 150 ft in circumference ; at, 55ft, where it sends'forth giant branches, the stem is enormously thick. Ihe River Johnstone, within alimikd distance of the coast, offers the first and best inducements for sugar cultivation.” ■ V 1 *® i 8 how young lady domestics keep thtir engagements in Melbourne ‘ * A housekeeper in St. Kilda hired a.young lady l for general domestic service the other week. »f enter on her duties at eleven o clock in the forenoon, and punctual to the hour up drove a hansom cab, in which tvasseated Bridget with a bonuet-box and a-few parcels, She got . out, but, instead.of going to the house, walked to the other side of the road, and had a good look at it. she then went round and had a quiet survey of the back premises, after which she returned- to herseat in the cab, 'and gave the qhlet order to-the driver—■' Hoine !’•■•■••••

• -Sydney does not appear ! t6 be. the most moral of cities. The annual report of, the Regiitrarof Births, Deaths, add Marriages ?■ Wales’has recently been published, and from it we hear- that during the last ten years there has been an average of bU illegitimate births' in each 10ULI. But if individual years are examined, it will be seen chat this immorality is increasing at a very rapid rate. In 1809 the number of illeeitii«ia e births in each IOuO was 55 : in 1870. 64 *iu 18/1, 69; and in 1872, 63. While tui» is taking place the.humber of marriages is-decreasing. In 186* there were B'l9 marriages to each 1000 persons living in JSew aouth-.Wales, but year by year this pi opor-tion’-bas dwindled 'down to 7.44' iu' 1872. Ims - certaiqiy does hot present a bright prospect for the future. °