VICTORIAN NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 3798, 27 April 1875, Page 2

VICTORIAN NOTES.

Robert Gordon, a young man engaged in one of the printing offices of Sandhurst, has received information from Home to the effect that an estate, the valne of which is said to he over L 50,000, is likely to oome into his hands through the death of a relative. The Minister of Education has eommissioned Mr Marcus Clarke—the author of His Natural Life** and other works—to write a history of Australia, for use in the btate schools of Victoria. Some merriment was created at a recent meeting of the Eaglehawk Borough Council (Victoria) on the town clerk reading a letter frotn an old man who has been resident in the borough fortnany years past, occupying the position of lamplighter, snl whe professes to have a distinct recollection of every incident connected with the battle of Waterloo* lefcter ran as follows :—“ To the Worshipful the Mayor and Borough Council of Eaglehawk.—Sirs,—As cold and wot wea* ther is coming on, 1 hope you will vote me a 1 rge cotton umbrella, as I can’t afford to buy one on tof my salary. My wife is afraid I shall oatoh co d, and she doesn’t want to lose me yet— Jam ns Allkt, borough lamplighter. Roars of laughter followed the reading of the letter j and when the councillors bad sufficiently recovered themselves it was decided to grant the request. * A claim for LSOO damages, arising out of the sale of a goose, was recently heard in the County Court, Melbourne, before Judge Cope and a jury of four. Mr Winkle, grocer, of Prahran, and his wife were the plaintiffs, and the defendant Mr Jdhn Hyland, resident in the same suburb. The damages were laid for fa’se imprisonment the defendant having charged Mrs Winkle with stealing the goose. She was arrested, imprisoned for some hours, and at onoe dii£ mitsed when the case came before the Prahran magistrates. It transpired that the goose in question was sold by Mrs Hyland to Mrs Winkle for 3s, and it was contended that Mr Hyland was informed of the transaction, bnt refused to recognise it The jury gave the plaintiff a verdict, with LIUO damages. The case was remitted to the Supreme Court.

lhe admirers o! Mdlo. Jenny Clans, in Melbourne, purpose (says the •'Ago’) presenting that lady violinist with a testimonial prior to her departure from the Colony. The Mayor of Melbourne has already received some substantial subscriptions. The Government of Victoria appear to have found more difficulty than they originally anticipated with the convict ullivatv The Me bourne correspondent of the * Bendigo Advertiser,’ writing on the 10th April, siys ; -‘‘l understand that the Government’ has definitely decided not to send the convict Sullivan back to New Zealand. Some correspondence which, has passed be ween the two Governments upon the subject has it seems, induced that of Victoria to adopt the above decision, as the communication from New Zealand showed that the murderer** transport thither would give great offence to public opinion in that country.” Another murderous attack on a warder at rentndge is reported. Un April 8, while the prisoners were attending school, a prisoner named O’Dea went up to Overseer btaok, who was doing warder’s duty, and before he had time to answer a question put to o las, O’ i. ea stabbed him in the face with a sharp instrument. O’Dea had evidently procured a prison knife, made out of a piece of . steel about 2in or 3in long, with a make* fhift handle. The wound indicted Was just beneath the eye, and it is evident, from the prisoner’s statements, bo premeditated an as: b* alt on some one or other of the officials, ks it is stated that he intended it for the visiting Catholic clergyman; but finding he was a weak man, he feared that fatal results might ensue, and so stabbed a robust main. The reason assigned for such conduct is that O’Dea fancies he is undergoing more imprisonment than he should do. 1