AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Evening Star, Issue 3632, 13 October 1874, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Victoria must be the Paradise for the members of tbe legal fraternity, writes tbe Melbourne correspondent of the “Geelong Advertiser : “I think it may be safely asserted that iu few other countries of less than a million inhabitants could such a list be shown of - a single month’s doings iu the matter of law as that which has just been maae public here. It appears that duiiug last month no fewer than 368 actions were commenced in the Suprime Court by writs from the Prothouotnry office for damages amounting In the aggregate to upwards of L 104.000 ;of that sum total L 53.700 w r as for actions on jaertonal wrong; and 1 50.300 for actions on contract. During the same thort period judgments were signed for a total of LI6 742, and executions issued fir close on L3o,i 00.”

A case of brutal cruelty to a child living at Hotham is mentioned in the Victorian papers. The victim was a child named Mary M‘Given, only fourteen years of age, and the defendant was ’(homas M‘Given her father. She gave particulars of much heart less treatment jWhich she had received, the finale of which was a blow on the back with the bellows, which injured her spine so much as to cause hopeless derormit)-. The unfortunate child’s evidence having been corroborated by a younger sl-ter, the Bench sentenced the inhuman father to six months’ imprisonment.

ft is not often, writes “Att'cus” in the ‘ 1 earler,’ that one has to chronicle such a princely act of liberailty as that which was lateiy performed by the son of one of our Australian millionaires. In the division of the property one son found hinuelf richer by L2U0,0 0 than the other, and, contrary to the usual fitness of things, the younger bro ther was the more wealthy. He insisted upon giving the elder born a cheque for an amount which wbuld make bAh their for tunes equal, and after some negotiation, which was equally honorable to both gentlemen, the younger brother handed over to the elder the sum of L2u0,010. I wander whether any member of tbe proudest family in England has done so much. If he did, it is quite certain that the e must be a b'.ot some.where in the family escutcheon, for a proper regard for money is a distinguishing characteristic of the eupatrid.

Mudame Goddard is still drawing crowded houses in different parts of Victoria. At Ballarat she was offered LIOO to give one more concert, but she refused, iu order to keep her promise to play in Melbourne in aid of the Hospital Sunday turd. Tbe Kennedy family alto gave the entire proceeds of one entertainment to tbe same fund. Such deeds will not lose their’re ward.

Mr Sydney Qibbons, speaking before the Mictoscopical Society ot Victoria, the other day, with respect to tapeworms, said th t there could be no doubt that much disease dccurred as a consequence of the very c.miniou practice of dogs -icking the faces and hands of children and being kitged by them

The new constitution for Western Aus tralia is, says a Melbourne paper, principally remarkable for the very liberal a ;ale upon which the occupants of office are to be ■ ompensafced. The bill provides that the Upper Mouse shall be nominated by the Governor in Council, while the Lower House is t consist of twenty-five members. The onlj qualification proposed for a' member of the assembly is that he should be entitled to vote for the existing Council. Mr Barlee is to receive his full salary as retiring allow ance, while to the other members of the Executive Council two-thirds of their salary is to be given, and as a bonus L5,00l) is to be voted to Mr Barlee; L3.UootoMr Fraser, the ComralSMontr of Crown Lands, who was only appointed a few months ago ; and L2 500 to tee ex-Attorney-General and to the Colonial Treasurer. We can only hope that these gentlemen may get the very handsome self presented testimonial which they have taken so much trouble to frame.

There seems to be a Meagher of the pen in New South Wales, who was so affronted because Deniliquin district was not toasted at a banquet given to Mr Parkes, the Premier of that Colony, that he caused a disturbance, an account ot which is given as follows : - “ Mr Meagher, the editor .t£ the ‘ Deniiquia Chronicle,’ responding to the toast of * The Press, remarked thas a toast ‘ The Settlement of the District of Deniliquin,’ 1 ad been omitted from the programme. Mr Noes, the Mayor of the tewn, Mr Jones, editor of the ■ Pastoral Times’ and a squatter’s champion, joined in the dispute, and the utmost confusion ensued at the table. Mr i arkes rose to order, and Mr Meagher resumed with continual interruptions, followed by vociferous cries of ‘ chair, chair,’ and ‘put him out,’ Mr Parkes again rose? to order, but Mr Meagher could not bo list ned to on behalf of ‘ Ihc Settlement of the District if Deniliquin,’ and the uproar and confusion became so terrific that the hon the Premier of New South Wales rose and left the room, in company with the mayor. The schoolmaster is abroad in South Australia. He appears indeed to be “all abroad ” there as to certain historical faots with which his scholars ought to he w 11 acquainted For an enterprising people, the South Australians have bee'n somewhat behind the times in the matter of primary education. a n attempt was ma le a short time ago to carry an Education Bill framed upon the lines of the very thorough going measure lately pa-sed in Victoria. Although it failed, the agitation infused new life into the working oi*he existing system. One of tbe results has been the calling up of a number of the teachers for examination. Will it he believed that the following answers were given to the questions to which they are respectfully appended ’ Question : What changes were introduced at the Norman “.Answer: First, the introduction of Christianity ; second, the ringing of the Corfu bell Q, : VV hat was the cause of the Crm-ades, and which of our kings took part ID j ri? ' T : hound ary of Nova Scotia, and Charles I engaged in them. Q ;What were the chief evenis o p the Commonwealth ? (by no less than three candidates) : 1 he gunpowder plot.

t In romantic district of |Deniliquin, No v South Wales, a paper has been started in the merest of squatters and farmers’ wive-. It is entitled tbe ‘Pastoral Times ’ and edited by a countryman of Owen Glen dower, formerly a shepherd in the vale of Llangollen, bearing tbe appropriate name of

Taffy Jones. That is exactly the man for his verdant position the lollowing will shew : The grass is green, the flowers appear, The crimply leaves are on the boughs, The pleasant creeky streams are clear, And welcome to the thirsty cows ; The squatter’s son the breezes quaffs, The squatter’s wife the butter makes, The grand-dad reads our paragraphs, And Johnny brews, and Sally bakes.