AUSTRALIAN NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 4015, 8 January 1876, Page 1 (Supplement)

AUSTRALIAN NOTES.

“Opera di Camera” is now a feature at the Melbourne Athenaeum. The productions —music and libretto—are from the pens of loaal amateurs.

An old Chinese prince died in Melbourne a few days ago. He had been living in that city in comparative poverty fora number of years. He seems, however, to have been very popular among his countrymen, for his remains were followed to the grave by hundreds; if not thousands, of Chinamen. The funeral procession was exactly a mile in length. The prince, who had been exiled from China, was seventy-five years of age when he died.

Mr De Courcey Ireland lias issued a writ against Captain Chapman, of H.M.S, Dido, claiming LIO,OOO damages for his detention on hoax'd that vessel in Fiji, in March, 1873. Mr Ireland was one of the Ba planters who took up arms against the de facto Fijian Government of the time, and he was detained on board the Dido for a fortnight, in company with one Colonel White, who was the chief instigator of what was called the Ba insurrection. His position was more that of a guest than a prisoner. Some twelve months ago, Captain Chapman was served with a similar writ in Sydney at the suit of Mr Ireland, but the proceedings were afterwards discontinued,' the Admiralty paying Captain Chapman’s liw costs. There can be no doubt that, whether Captain Chapman acted within the strict letter of the law or not, he was morally right, a d no one would more deeply regret the consequences which would have ensued but for his timely interference than Mr Ireland’s own friends. The acts of Captain Chapman on the occasion referred to received the approval of Commodore Stirling, and subsequently of the Admiralty. It is ridiculous to suppose that any jury would give damages in such a case. At Hobart Town in September last a man named Lloyd, while driving a valuable young mare in a dray, managed, through carelessness, to upset the cart. He was so severely injured that he died, and the mare was also so much hurt that it was thought she must be shot. Her owner, however, took great care of her, and she so far recovered that by the use of a boot with a wooden shoe she is now able to canter about with other horses, although she has only three feet, the fourth having been amputated to save her life ; it was the near fore foot at the joint.

In 1861 Mr H. Saloshin laid out about L6OO in town allotments in Deuiliquin and Hay. For a considerable period these allotments did not rise in value, and he left for New Zealand in 1869, without attempting to realise upon them ; but so greatly has land increased in price of late in those localities that Mr Saloshin now finds his property to be worth from LIO,OOO to L 12,000. The heir to half-a-million of money has just turned up in the person of a faimer at Green Hills (Victoi'ia). A mother’s uncle, or some other pleasant relative of that kind, had emigrated to South America, accumulated a large fortune, and died. Search had been made for the heir for many years, and the right man had been found in the person of the farmer of the Green Hills, through an advertisement in a Melbourne paper of August last. This is no Orton case, but simple fact.

“Dan Jung, a Chinaman, was brought up for sentence at the Bathurst Quarter Sessions, having been found guilty of false pretences. He had been convicted on three previous occasions. On his Honor stating he should inflict a sentence of eighteen months’ hard labor, the prisoner, exclaimed pleadingly, ‘ Oh, you Honee, that too muchee heavy.’ His Honor: ‘Well, I don’t think it is, considering you have been before me already more than once.’ The prisoner : Last time not so much. Me no come ’long you no more. Too muchee—too muchee heavy. You cuttee little bitoff? This address of John’s created much lyughter, and when the name of the next prisoner was called he resumed his seat with a rueful countenance.”

“About six motnhs ago,” relates the ‘ Ballarat Courier,’ “ a young girl about ten years of age, in the best of health physically and mentally, wa» attending Mr Martin’s state school. A boy who had played truant was caned in the presence of the pupils. The girl returned home to dinner, but scarcely had she entered the house when she was seized„with vomiting, and on her mother inquiring what was the matter -with her, the girl replied that she had been frightened by a boy having been caned at school. A fit of nervous trembling immediately followed, and the poor girl has been bedridden from that day to the present, and her death is now daily expected.”

A WINDFALL. A farmer named William Whittaker has succeeded, after years of litigation, in proving his title to inherit an estate worth L 20,000, in South Australia. The facts of the case, as reported by the ‘Register,’ are peculiar and interesting. A convict, named James Whittaker, was sent out to New South Wales many years ago for life. He was let out as an assigned servant to a Mr Tarlington, in favor of whose son he subsequently made an informal will. After eight years he obtained a conditional pardon, and came to South Australia. He acquired considerable property, principally in Kapunda, which now yields an income of about LBOO a-year. He was drowned at the wreck of the steamer Amelia in 1859. As he died intestate, his property passed into the hands of the Curator of Intestate Estates, but the personalty was distributed among his relations of the half-blood. To find an heir to the realty, recourse was had to the family of the brother of the deceased’s father, and in 1864 William Whittaker put in a claim as heir-at law, in virtue of being the second cousin of the intestate. Early in life he had emigrated to America, and became a naturalised citizen of the United States. Hearing he had a claim to the property in question, he realised his farm and property and came to Adelaide, During the past eleven years inquiries had failed to produce any other claimant. The case was heard recently before the South Australian Local Court of Appeals, which consisted of his Excellency Sir A, Musgrave, Sir R. D. Hanson, Chief Justice, and several members of tbs Govoamicni. The defendant in the

suit was, of course, the Curator of Intestat 6 Estates. A -witness named Cossins, who claimed to have been m ;nager for the deceased in 1853, stated he had heard James Whittaker say that he was married three times—first in London, then at the Cape of Good Hope, and lastly in Sydney—and that he had several e -ildren in Sydney and a grown-up son at the Cape. The Court decided to hand over the estate to William Whittaker on his giving security for L 5,000, and his undertaking to hand over the estate and accumulated property if a better title than his own is proved.

AN AMUSING CASE. Recently at the District Court, Sydney, before Judge Dowling, a claim was made relative to tbe payment for a sumptuous wedding breakfast and other nuptial arrangements. The plaintiff, the wife of a laboring man, related how the defendant, a seaman, lodged at her house for a month, how he then got married and had a wedding breakfast provided by her—this being made a very prominent feature in the case, and how he refused to pay for all this accommodation, though she was the wife of a poor man with a family of children to support. As the evidence was given in the most injured tone, it almost carried conviction; until the story of the defendant was heard. This was as follows:—“ You know I never slept for a month in the woman’s house. The day I was married I went to her house with my wife and a young woman who was bridesmaid. We had breakfast, and would you believe it, your Honor, the woman had only three eggs and half a a pound or a pound of bacon for us? (Laughter.) And there was some tea, but I did have not any. I bought a quarts or two of beer. (Laughter.) As there seemed to be no place to deep I said to the defendant I would go on board my ship.” His Honor : “ What,"on the day of your marriage ?” (Laughter.) “Yes, your Honor ; but the defendant said ‘ I will make a bed for you. You can go in that room and sleep there for the night. She gave us a sofa, but no bedclothes, and your Honor you must know how we spent the night.’ (Renewed laughter.) This account of the circumstances quite changed the aspect of affairs, and after hearing some further evidence, his Honor gave a verdict for the defei dant, who had such a _hard time of it on his wedding day.

A HEKOIC MINER. A sad accident, and (says the * Sydney Morning Herald’) one exhibiting more than the usual amount of suffering and manly endurance, occurred at Hill End a few days ago. Two miners named Brand and Fletcher were working together, sinking a winze from a tunnel put in on the course of the vein, and were tamping up a hole, using a steel tamping bar and a hammer, when probably by a spark from the bar the charge exploded. Brand was holding the bar and his partner the hammer, and both were blown up. Fletcher, who fortunately was not seriously injured, crawled up the winze and out to the mouth of the tunnel, where he found he was all but blind, and after repeatedly washing his eyes, returned to Brand to help him. He was asked if he was hurt, and answered “ I think my leg is broken,” He was then asked “If he would try and get up out of the winze,” and answered, “I think my thumb is off.” Fletcher went down to help poor Brand, and got him xip three rungs, but was obliged to put him down again. He then again went and washed his eyes, and, to his horror, as he was scrambling back, was told by Brand (who, in some utterly unaccountably way had crawled up the latter KJft.), to be careful or he would walk over him, Fletcher now went in search of help, but'was obliged to get Brand to put him on the track and then crawled on hands and knees feeling the path, which he could not see, to Peterson’s machine. Exhausted as he was by loss of blood, this took him over two hours, and it was seven o’clock before help came to poor Brand. He was found lying just outside the tunnel in the sun, about six inches of the bone of his leg protruding through his trousers, one aim shattered, and his face frightfully cut. He was quite conscious, and appeared to have laid his foot out somewhat in the same line as the rest of his leg. A stretcher was improvised, and four men raised him, a fifth carefully lifting the broken foot. Half way up the hill one of the cross-pieces gave way, and it was getting dark, and as the bearers were feeling for their waist-belts to secure it again he said, “ Take mine, boys.” Through all this only once did a groan escape him. The poor fellow died in a day or two.