AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Evening Star, Issue 3640, 22 October 1874, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

The eight men sentenced by the CastTemaine bench of magistrates to seven days’ imprisonment, for leaving the service of Mr Gunnack before their term of engagement had expired, were released from gaol°on the iu -‘ Jieir sympathisers gave them something like an ovation. A crowd of persons, numbering between 250 and 300, headed by a brass band, assembl'd at the door of the ga 1. When the men had been released, and welcomed by their wives and families, a procession was formed, and paraded through the streets of Castlmnaine. An address, signed by the committee of the Eight Hours Association, S;. mpathising with the ex prisowas presented. It stated inter alia thiifc the dccisi: n of the magistrates in your case, if legal, is a disgrace to our laws ; if illegal, a disgrace to the magi trates who misinterpreted the law tbiouch ignorance, or perverted it through partiality. We also believe that if the law '-oes countenance such an injustice, namely that a master may break a contract with impunity, but a servant only at the peri f imprisonment, such law should be altered and amended without, delay ;f>r no law sh> be suffered to exist amongst Eng isbrnen . sanctions a manif* sb injustice.” Ike i ev. G. t.'lnr vill probably continue bis services in -manection with the B-ptist Church, Me!L; ;me, up till the ea i .of the year. He will ■ ben proceed tp New ZnH i’.int on a lecturing nd preaching tour, h-- > i:l extend over s-ime three months, ?iOei which be w’ll rct.i: n to Melbourne. ; ‘ Newcastle Pil:-; ’gives the following incident in conuectiox. with the escape of bo-.-In-fort ami his '■• V: ipani-ous from New Laltdjnia :—“ When ..no escaped Commuarrived first at xiewcastle per the d. 1 .A, barque, they were accompanied by a Herman, who was sent to have aided the escape. The German left a lady-love benunl him, and retur ’ to New Caledonia put round the lady ro . md. This drove the .’orsakeu lover aliuosi mad, He threatened the ■ happy pair,’ the m-nernent being that the wife informed tin- Kvouch authorities of ohe complicity of her mer lover in assisting vl. Bochefort to escap", and Captain Aruol<i saw tiie unfortunate, heavily ironed, and closely guarded, hew.. taken to the convict station on the island or ,cu. ’ It may be of intern t to the members of the Masonic fraternity united under the Irish Constitution to iearn mays the ‘Talbot Leader ') that certain amendments have been made in the constitution by the Grand Lodge at Dublin, These provide, among other things, for curiam alterations in the .-'ystein of the Grand Lodge at present a dopted. The officers of lodges from the 'late of next election will be install d for twelve months instead of six as hitherto. A very curious and melancholy case will shortly crop jap in of the Viciorian law courts, the parties-cm rned being husband and wife, not to sp- . c of the children, of whom there are at h-t half a score. The moit remarkable th ; -r .about the affair is she tact that neither .*■ guess at the immediate cause of the c, but they are perfectly unanimous as to the incompatibility. There has never been any unseemly bickerin. g, and not even a much as a shadow of violence ; but there has sprung up between the n a coolness which neither cans to con ceal. The result is iHt each is pretty well heartbroken without at all knowing* why. The only difference of any note which ever arose between them was occasioned by an unhappy knack which she has of hiding his shippers, whmh he never can find when be requires them.

I he Australian Mutual Provident now heads the entire list of insurances in one particular. Out of thirby-two leading companies, but seven issued over 1,000 new policies each in _1873. The Australian Muuial issued 3 205, being 547 ahead of the company which heads theiist of all British life companies. Iu the amount assured it stands fourth, and in the coivespon dng yearly premium it ranks second. “ rifles ” thus discourseth :—“Without any brag, this is something of which ' ustralians may justly pride themselves. For it not only reflects credit on this society’s management, but shows that iu the i erish rush for wea’th there is a healthy undercurrent cf prudent and kindly forethought for dependent survivors.” A f umdling ho?pi-cal has lately been established by some of the leading Sydney ladies, and has secured the countenance of Lady Robinson. , The ho mrity secretary, Mrs B has been mn. , nergetic in soliciting subscriptions lor this fashionable charity, and was naiutally ceii hted the other day to rec >ve a sympath-tio letter and a cheque f ’t LISO. A meel '. of the ladies’ committee was convene- 1, and the munificent donation duly ann-m ■ cd. A little laL.-r it was discovered that *• ■-> -rat'dation was premature. The s',,-;.-- .., Which had been taken for that of oa the firm of Young and Lr.ik, prove.; i- ’ r- 1 What a Lark,” and, not having bi-cn .reoly scrutinised, the f hoax was for a, tnor ■ fcected. T ' ,p QUESTION, tin- .tahnaih que-e still rages in MelI qournc, meetings’ against Mr Wood’s : ® ! ;‘' uu ” f* J ld nigiitly. The meeting of I to sunsmbers ot. tb-- -.eibonrne athenaeum was attended by ■ y COO persona. The motion lor opening to ■ • rubiigrooms on Sundays was oppose*Sr by Mr J. B. Hughes, because it was the intrc.'r-.tien of the thin end of a wedge of a dav... ecus description, and by the Rev. Dr Backhouse, who said the expcriuieirt failed in Dunedin. Dr Qillibee ■ saw no barm m openi ■ the reading-room on Sundays to provide , csort on wet Sundays, i when out door exercise could not be taken, Ike Kev. W. E, plefccher considered the

question should not be looked at from a religious point of view, but commercially. If the motion was carried, it would alienate a large number of subscribers. Mr Charles Bright supported the motion, and stated that two years’ trial at Boston in'connection with a s.milar iustitu mu to the Atherueum showed that the change sought worked well. Mr Templeton opposed the motion, and Mr J. T yarman supported it Mr J. Moffat urged that the strong religious views of many members should be respected. Mr James said a number of members desired to use the reading room on Sundays, and merely wished others to stand out of their light. -Judge Cope opposed the motion, on the ground that it would not pay. Tne motion, was negatived by about two thirds of the members present. The same evening a large meeting ot the supporters was held at fct. George’s Hall, when resolutions approving of Mr Wood’s motion was unanimously carried. One of the speakers was the Kev. Or Bleasdale, who said if. there were more freedom aud fresh air there would be less iarrikinism and that the Archbishop of Melbourne, Ur Gold, was iu favor of the movement.