AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Evening Star, Issue 4081, 25 March 1876, Page 2 (Supplement)

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

It is stated in a contemporary that close upon a half-million of acres are in the possession of eighteen proprietors in the Ararat District, Victoria. And not one acre of this vast tract of country is under cultivation. Yelta, in A delaide, has the honor of inaugurating juvenile lodges in connection with the Grand United Order of Oddfellows. It is governed by officers chosen from the parent lodge, and when any member of the juvenile lodge has attained the age of eighteen he is to be transferred to the adult lodge, the juvenile branch paying the expense of his initiation. Scarlet fever is spreading rapidly all over the district of Maryborough, The State School and Roman Catholic schools have been closed, as nearly all the children attending the latter are suffering from the first symptoms of the disease, in consequence of contracting it from children sent there. Ellen Gordon and her daughter, in going to see a sick neighbor, lost themselves in the bush at Kooringa, South Australia, and perished from starvation. Some good reefs have been discovered about eight miles from Mount Ararat. Miss Margaret Lucas, of Launceston, niece of Captain Lucas, formerly of the * Southern Cross,* has taken the white veil. At Millchester, Queensland, a crushing of forty-two tons of quartz yielded 3340z. of gold. James Ryan, a man of color, has been committed for trial at Adelaide for highway robbery. The revenue of West Australia for the quarter ending December was L 43,686, and the expenditure L 65,230, Mr Langton has given notice that he will, in the Legislative Assembly, call the attention of the Premier to the circumstances attending the loss of the Strathmore on the Crozets Islands. Representations are made in the Assembly as to the advisability of the commanders of H.M. ships in this part of the world being instructed to visit periodi cally the several unfrequented islands which lie in the oi’dinary track of the ships making the Australian voyage. The Chairman of Committee in the Victorian Assembly declined to put a motion for opening the Public Library and Museums on Sunday, the question having been already decided. The Hospital Committee of Management have censured Mr Beaney for not visiting a patient. Some two tons and a half pure tin is on view at Messrs James M‘Ewan and Co.’s store. It came from the Stanhope Company’s mine, near Mount Bischoff, Tasmania, and is the product of the first smelting that has taken place on the claim. A woman paralysed by terror when crossing the North-Eastern Railway, was knocked down by the engine buffers. She lost three fingers, and was so severely injured about the bead, that she died two days afterwards. The prisoner Brady, who escaped from the Pentridge Stockade, has not been captured. The only possible means of escaping beyond the chain of sentries was by an underground drain, which passes under the stockade walls and leads into the Merri Creek.

A well-known Geelong bookmaker, J. F. Le Sueur, was arrested for drunkenness and disorderly conduct, and, on being searched at the watchhouse, two false dice has been found on his person. Mr Rankin, of New Zealand, has written another letter to the ‘ Herald ’ with reference to the commerce of that Colony, and especially with reference to the division of it between New South Wales and Victoria. He points out that though for years past Victoria

has had the lion’s share, the free trade tariff of Sydney gives it such advantages as an entrepdt that it has every chance of recovering its lost ground. The town of Murrurundi, in New South Wales, had a narrow escape from destruction on the Bth inst. About four o’clock on the morning of that day, relates the local paper, a wooden building used as a wine and spirit store by Mr Feriff, of the Com-

mercial Hotel, was discovered to be on fire, and the alarm was quickly given to the sleeping inmates of the house. By the aid of a ready supply of water the flames were quickly extinguished, when an examination into the origin of the fire was made, which revealed a determined and diabolical act on the part of an incendiary. Over the whole front of the building kerosene oil had been freely poured, and a box of matches found lying on the ground immediately at hand confirmed the revolting suspicion. The

building being an oia one, wen stocxea with wines and spirits, and attached to others equally ignitible, a delay of five minutes longer would have resulted in terrible consequences. So careful had been the completion of the dastardly plot that a gate connecting the building with the hotel had been saturated with kerosene to ensure the rapid passage of the fire. Bv travelline a few feet the

flames would have caught the enginehouse, sent a seething flood of ignited spirits into the neighboring premises, when nothing under heaven could have saved the entire street. It is confidently stated that Mr Way, j the Attorney-General, is to be the Chief Justice of South Australia. Nathaniel Hales, as the plaintiff, in the black mail scandal case, claims 84,000 from Mr James White, M.P., for a breach of the Frauds at Auctions Act.

Three well-known gamblers, named Robert Cooper, Frederick Draper, and John Harrison were caught gambling at the Melbourne racecourse, and were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment.

Scarlet fever (says the ‘ Star*) is now so prevalent in Ballarat that it is idle to attempt to report isolated cases. The disease has, in fact, spread over the whole town.

A project is on foot in Melbourne to build a large temperance hotel with a club attached, the whole to be conducted on the total abstinence principle. The cost is estimated at L 15,000. The charge 01 falsifying a Parliamentary return, preferred against Mr R. Brough Smyth, the Secretary of Mines, by the officers of his department, was •considered on the 7th by the Board of Inquiry. The case must on all sides be admitted to have completely broken down, and the board in unmistakeable terms expressed their opinion to that effect.

Two of the second-class passengers on board the R.M.S. Sumatra positively refused to allow themselves to be vaccinated, and thus rendered themselves liable to the penalties set forth in the 23rd section of the Vaccination Act, which sets forth that a penalty of not more than 10s, nor less than 6s shall be inflicted for every day after refusal. At one time on the Bth it seemed as if there would be blows in the Assembly. The Speaker ordered Mr M'Kean to retire while his conduct was being discussed. Mr M‘Kean at first obstinately refused, and there was a fear that force would have to be employed to remove him. The excitement became intense. Each time the Speaker ordered him to leave, Mr M‘Kean rose on his legs, and Sir Charles MacMahon as fiercely interrupted him. Seeing the determined attitude of Sir Charles MacMahon, Mr M‘Kean, with steps lingering and slow, at last retired from the chamber. Mr Munro’s conduct in the Assembly has been explained by his statement that there is something in the atmosphere of the House that irritates him, and causes him to do things from which he cannot defend himself afterwards.

A number of capitalists are making trial sinkings for coal in the vicinity of Sydney. At the Palmer a digger obtained 150 oz of gold in three weeks at Howley Creek.

Several incendiary fires have occurred in Tasmania.

Eight hundred Chinese have arrived at the Palmer from Hong Kong by the City of Exeter and Namoa,

' It has been intensely hot at Mayborovgh, the thermometer standing at 104deg. in the shade. There is no sign of rain.

Subscriptions have been opened for the family of the man Omant, who was murdered in the Emu Flat sticking-up case.

Mr Blunt, a surveyor, of Urana, took strychnine in mistake for Epsom salts, and died within two hours.

Commissioner Selherne reports that the new line of reef, about a mile from German Bar, near Edwards Town at the Palmer River, is showing an outcrop of half a mile. Prospectors during two days collected specimens containing Isoozs, and while the Commissioner’s orderly was laying off the side lines he picked up quartz specimens containing over a pound of gold. A seaman of the barque Gleam has been sentenced to twelve months’ imprisonment for assaulting the captain. A new lead of gold has been struck at Green-hills, between Buninyong and Durham Lead. The prospector, Young, obtained between 7oz and Boz to the tub of washdirt. Seven claims have been marked out.

A fracas took place on the Melbourne Racecourse between Joe Thompson, the wealthiest of all the bookmakers, and another bookmaker named James Wilson. Their conduct was considered by the committee of the Victoria Racing Club, and they were prohibited from being on any part of the racecourse fer the rest of the meeting, and warned that if a similar occurrence was repeated they would not be allowed on the course at all in future. The arguments on the order nisi for the sequestration of the estate of Mr Malcolm Morrison, formerly of Ballarat, bank manager, but now of New Zealand, were postponed for three months. In the meantime a commission was granted to examine Mr Morrison and other witnesses in New Zealand. Arrangements have been made for establishing an aquarium in Melbourne. An influential committee has been

formed to carry out the project. £90,000 have been received and promised towards the shipment of a cargo of frozen meat to England, and the Victorian contributions are expected to largely increase the total. Californian advices state that the

City of New York and City of Sydney had sailed to take up the line at San Francisco. : Tattersall’s committee in Sydney on the night of the 6th insfc., passed a rule that, in the event of any horse, jockey, or owner being disqualified on the ground that the horse was pulled or fraudulently prevented from wining, the committee may declare all bets made on the course to be off in respect to such horse, or on the race, as they may think advisable. Notice has been given in the Assembly of a bill for increasing the salaries of the Supreme Court judges in New i South Wales.

Collingwood has been promoted to the rank of a city. The event was celebrated by a treat to the children of the ratepayers. The rate ;of carriage to the Palmer diggings is falling, and provisions are plentiful. Many new claims have been taken up. The weather is splendid and the roads good. A verdict of wilful murder has been returned in the Emu-flat case, in which the sub-contractor Holman was killed. The Colima, owing to the time occupied in placing her new machinery, did not sail until 4 o’clock on the morning of the 12th inst. The Fitzroy Iron Company shipped fifty tons of ore by her for the American market. It is rumored that the Hon. T. D. Chapman, Colonial Secretary, will have to retire from the Tasmanian Ministry. The ‘ Argus’s * Sydney correspondent writes:—Mr H. H. Hall leaves Sydney to-day to return to San Francisco. He has, in fact, been recalled

by his employers, not from any dissatisfaction with him, but because the Government have intimated pretty plainly that they will not be friendly with him. Messrs Gilchrist, Watt, and Co. are to be the agents for the contractors, and they will find less difficulty in diplomatising with the Government. Mr Hall is one of those men who manage to put themselves in the way of being soundly abused, but in the matter of these contracts, so far as the public interests of the Colony are concerned, he has been more sinned against than sinning. His Sydney creditors filled the air with their lamentations when he last disappeared, but es on his return they have been running after him again for fresh orders, it would be a superfluous effort of charity to bestow very much commisseration on them. The men who have most reason to speak bitterly of him are Forbes and Be Bussche, both of whom were virtually ruined by being drawn into the contract. But so far as the Colony is concerned, it has little reason to reproach a man who has been the means of placing at its disposal for postal and passenger traffic such steamers as have been running from here to San Francisco for the last twelve months, and such steamers as are now being placed on the line. Whoever may have lost by Mr Hall, New South Wales has not lost, and he has precipitated the development of a mail service which once inaugurated is not likely now ever to be abandoned. The Government might have treated him with more consideration, but as every blow aimed at Hall is indirectly an attack on Parkes, this sort of triangular duel—aiming at one man because you want to have a shot at another—has a sort of political justification.

The bunyip once considered a creation of the blackfellow’s terror, has, says the ‘ Wanga Advertiser,’ of late years come out of the category of the fabulous, and is considered a reality. Mr Whitely informed the ‘ Standard ’ on a recent visit that one day, about six or seven months since, he and his son were close to the lake, when they saw what they took to be the “ old bull ” disporting himself in the water, but, as the boy said, if it was the bull, he had changed his shape and looked more like a horse. The animal, on perceiving the approach of visitors took a “header,” and shortly after rose some distance further away, and after taking a look round again, madesub-aqusen tracks and was seen no more until a fortnight ago when one of Mr Whitely’s daughters observed a strange object in a creek close to the house. The little girl was concealed from the animal’s gaze by a tea-tree scrub which here lines the creek, and she describes the animal as like a “ small island coming to the top,” and that its head was like that of a horse with the addition of two tusks six inches long proceeding from the upper jaw and overlapping the lower. It did not take her long to make this survey, when she left for home at a rapid pace, and her looks of terror and her description of the strange denizen of the waters have proved an effectual stopper to her brothers bathing in the lake again.