LATEST AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Evening Star, Issue 3471, 8 April 1874, Page 3

LATEST AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

ox av - - Melbourne, March 31. ; Startling intelligence was received On Friday*' evening last that six of the principal Communist prisoners had escaped from New Cale-> donia and landed at Newcastle. Their names ( are Henry Rochfort, ex-editor, of the ‘Lan-; teme’ ; Past:hall Grousset, ex-Minister of; Foreign Affairs ; M. Gourde, late Minister of Finance; OUivierPain, ex*Secretaryof Foreign: Affairs; M. Balliore,'* ' ex-kid e-de-camp to: General Rossell; and M. D’Hillien, ex-com-. mandant of the National Guard, all of whom: occupied... theirgeyeral ppaitions in the Government - of • the. 1 Cominime. They have. arrived at Sydney, but how they con-’ tnved to escape and all other particulars. present remain , a mystery. They are reserved, And' give for fear of implicating their friends who aided the escape. No doubt the whole affair was well planned. On British, soil they are safe as poll-, tical refugees; ’ ’ . The elections of the first batch of twenty-four members resulted in a majority against the Government on the constitutional question. Four new members'have been returned ; four others were previously in the House, the rest were re-elected. 1

' Judge \Villiaros has sent in his resignation, ■ and claims a pension' of L 1,500 a year, being half salary. It is believed that AttorneyGeneral Stephen will be elevated to the Bench, but there is some doubt as to his retirement at' the present time, so as not to complicate the Ministry. • Mr George Biitchart, the well-known stock, and station agent, has been admitted to the lunatic asylum as insane. ■ The German war steamer Arcona leaves to-! morrow era route for Fiji. a P overnor 'Hdcane: is a", passenger aboard the Alhambra, on a visit to Governor Fergusson. Mr E. F. Sichel, .merchant,,and a.member of the firm of Joshua 1 Brothers,- is opposing Mr Langton, the Colonial Treasurer, in West Mel-: bourne, as a staunph freetrader. H.M.B. Challenger leaves for Sydney to-day.' The English Eleven finally left for England in the Nubia* • Grace entered into arrange; ments and played a matdh in Adelaide, although he had given his word of honor not to break the agreement entered into with the Moonta Association. T his last act of Grace’s has disgusted even his closest friends and best admirers. The Baroda’, .having left GallA'punctually, will probably arrive here about Tuesday next. The heavy rains that have fell during the last few days will likely spoil the vintage; which is otherwise beneficial.

__ . • Sydney. I The Assembly passed the Estimates, but is not likely to prorogue before the end of April, to meet again in;<-September. The Legislative Council rejected the report of a Committee to make the Upper House elective. The Admiralty Court ordered the surrender of the Aurora as illegally seized. Fitz Yattendon is looked upon as almost certain to win the Leger/ ; > ■ ; Catholic Bishop Quinn, of Bathurst, leaves for Europe next month. A. barmaid namedDesihond^’committed suicide at Forbes by strychnine. A new Opera House is„to be built on the Joint Stock principle. ‘ T , ■ Adelaide. . „ 18 re P°rted that the- general; wheat average is 20,000 tbfis less than expected. A reception is to be given to Major Warburion ou his return here. -*. ; ,