AUSTRALIAN NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 4040, 7 February 1876, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NOTES

Mr Richardson, schoolmaster, at Quandongs, Victoria, met with his death recently by mistaking laudanum for dark brandy. He is said to have been drinking during the holidays. The receipts for the Melbourne Hospital for the past year amounted to L 21,000. Major Heath to establish in Melbourne a maimg aquarium similar to the great Brighton aquarium. Colliugwood, hitherto a suburb of Melbourne, has been proclaimed a city. The course of true love did not run smoothly in St. Mary’s Church, Geelong, the other day, when a young lady who was about to be married was served with a summons in the church, while the preliminaries to the marriage contract were being arranged in the vestry. The demand was made for part of the trousseau of the bride. The bridegroom was earnestly requested by, the process server to give his I O TJ for the amount, which offer was politely but firmly declined. The marriage was then proceeded with, and duly celebrated without further interruption.

A proposal is on foot at Adelaide to fix the standard for good wheat at 641b, and on all weighing less one penny per lb. should be allowed the buyer. A painful accident occurred atWahguuyah on the 34th. Two children were play: ing at the river side, when they both fell into the water and were drowned.

The Australian Agricultural Company have found a bore-hole seam of coal within three miles of Newcastle, at a depth of 277 ft. The seam is 13ft thick.

The libel action, Dr Crowther, M.L.A., against the ‘ Hobart Town Mercury,’ after occupying nearly two days, resulted in a ▼erdict for defendants.

A public luncheon has been given at Sydney to Mr Farnell, late Minister of Lands from Adelaide, at which a presentation of 1,500 sovereigns was made to him. The Bank of Adelaide balance-sheet shows a net profit for the year of L 50,000, FATAL RESULTS OF PRACTICAL JOKING, A man named Thomas Greer, employed at the meat-preserving works at Haslem Creek, Parramatta, was committed for trial, on January 7, for causing the death of a lad named John M'Cosker, aged fifteen years. Greer was considered rather “ soft,” and was made a butt of by the boys employed at the works. The evidence elicited at the inquest showed, says the ‘ Sydney Morning Herald,’ “that on January 6 the deceased took a piece of wood, and made as if he would strike Greer with it. ,The latter picked up a butcher’s knife, with a blade six inches long, which M'Cosker had dropped, and ran away with it. He slipped ana fell over a drain, and while he was rising, the deceased struck him three or four times with a whip. Directly Greer regained his feet, he threw the knife at M'Cosker, who was then about six feet from him. The knife inflicted a punctured wound beneath the lower angle of the left' shoulder-blade bone, and penetrated the lungs, causing death in a very short time.” The evidence also showed that Greer had asked the deceased to “stop larking,” and that, immediately after he saw the injury he had done by throwing the knife, he exclaimed, “ I did not mean to do it.” l A verdict of manslaughter, committed under circumstances of great provocation, was returned.

Hew tlrey Love One Another.—Each had low? Viewed the other as a rival, and when they met at a picnic the other day, Jane took occasion to say, very frankly“ Mary, Har y told me • last week that he didn’t really love you.” “Indeed, Jane,” replied Mary, with great dignity, “and he also told me that tbe mest you could expect, if ypqgver married, would bo to make some man a copdor):ahle widower,'’ Woiam are only a little lower than the angels