AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

Evening Star, Issue 4098, 15 April 1876, Page 2 (Supplement)

AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

The Kew Asylum Bon'd of Inquiry held its thirty-first sittiity on the 4th, and waded stiil further info the s-'h of difficulties by which the management of the institution is surrounded.

Mr Smyth continues Ins defence at the Board on the Mining Departm nt. It is expected that,generally speaking, Mr Smyth will have to rely on outside testimony. The officers of the depart’ ment have been kept hard at work during over hours of late, preparing returns which Mr Smyth has called for. The Ballarat Woollen Factory has just turned out an excellent quality of green billiard cloth, to be forwarded with samples of shawls, tweeds, &c., for exhibition to Philadelphia. Further particulars of the wreck of the steamship Banshee appear in the * Sydney Morning Herald,’ of 25th March : “ The steamship Banshee struck ou Cape Sandwich, Hinchinbrook Island, on Tuesday afternoon, and went to pieces five minutes after striking, The sea was running mountains high, and the wind blowing a perfect hurricane from the south-east. The land was not visible, owing to the thick weather, until the rocks were seen fifty yards ahead. Of the passengers and crew thirty-three have been saved, and nineteen are lost. A new chemical fire-engine has been tried at Sydney. The test took place at the rear of the Town Hall, and in the presence of a large company, among whom were the Mayor and Aldermen of the city. The effect of the engine on the fire is said to be suffocation and not inundation. Many of the spectators expressed themselves as both surprised and gratified at the results. On an average only one passenger per day travels by the main line of railway company’s express train, going at the rate of 23 miles an hour. The public evidently doubt its safety. Mr Boucaut, bead of the South Australian Ministry, recently assured a deputation that extended public works and increased population would be . the policy of the Ministry, who would probably borrow four millions rather than two millions.

A woman named Matilda Gaffey has been committed for trial at Heathcote for a charge of being accessory to a criminal assault on her own daughter by a Chinaman, who is also waiting his trial for the offence. A fire occurred at the house of Constable Kettle at Kildare, near Geelong, from a dog chasing a goat into the house, and causing the goat to upset a table on which a kerosene lamp was standing lighted. The Committee of the Melbourne Athenaeum have agreed to recommend that the institution shall be open on Sunday afternoons. Specimens of 98 different kinds of very fine apples grown near Melbourne have been forwarded via Sydney to the Philadelphia Exhibition. Mr L. J. Sherrard, the managing partner of the groat soft goods firm, McArthur, Sherrard, and Copeland, is dead. His funeral was very well attended.

In the Legislative Council of Victoria the Mining on Private Property Bill was lost by the easting vote ol the President, the votes being 10 for and 10 against. Quite an unseemly dispute took place at the residence of the late Mr David Nesbitt, known by the subriqmt of u Scotch Jock,” over the reading of his will. Deceased, it seems, left two wills, both of which were read at the house where he died. The first, leaving the whole of his property to his wife, was read by Mr M‘Kean, Mr Read, solicitor, then read the second will, in which Mr Nesbitt has bequeathed all his horses, valued at L 12,000, to Mr, Morley, and all his other property to a person with whom he had been living. A quarrel arose between the wife and rival, which was only terminated by the interference of the police. While the wife and the other person, in whose favor the second will was made, were having their quarrel, Mr Morley, who was also present, took the horse-feed away from Mr Nesbiit’s stables. The costs in the ease of Learmonth v. Bailey are variously reported at from L 9,000 to LI 2,000. A girl named Eliza Robinson, while . looking for cows at Carlton, N.S.W., suddenly lost her sight, and wandered about for five days and nights without knowing where she was. She was found in a helpless condition, and subsequently regained her sight. Referring to the great scandal which is the common talk of Melbourne at present, the ‘ Echo/ while admitting it is a story of gross immorality, says the whole matter is likely to be hushed up. The Cooktown Herald publishes a strong caution to men who are now leaving for the new goldfield to wait for reports as to the character of the yield. There are no provisions there, and if the rush be large there may be starvation. The blacks, also, are troublesome. Mr Mulligan opens a large store on the field, and hia drays have started. He has already started to make the road. A forest of sandalwood has been discovered on the banks of the Endeavour

Elver. The revenue of South Australia for the quarter ending March 31 amounted *o .£342,97 4, being the largest ever raised there. The customs, land, postages, telegraphs, and railways show *n increase. At Port Pine, South Australia, last ’week, the thermometer ranged as high I22deg. in the shade.

A letter from the Barrier Ranges, Queensland, reports that 40,000 sheep died on one station for want of water.

Advices to Brisbane state that six steamers were on the berth at Hong Kong for Cooktown, loading Chinese pts-engers, opium, and tea.

A - Sydney a deputation waited on the Colonial Secretary to ask his aid in passing a bill through the Legislature to close public houses on Sundays. Mr Robertson declined to support the bill as it stood, but promised to aid in passing any alteration to enable publicans who wished to close all day on Sunday. News received from the Far North states that sin. of rain have fallen at Kanyaka, and nearly double that quantity at Roonoka, were six waggons were swept away, and LI,OOO worth of stores destroyed.

In the New South Wales Assembly, the terras ‘ liar ’ and ‘ blackguard ’ were exchanged between Mr «l‘i£lhone and Mr Forster, and the former also accused the latter of being drunk. The revenue of the » olony of Tasmania last year was L 327,163 being an increase of LI 0,512. The body of a fireman and a female passenger have been removed from the wreck of the Banshee.

Advices from Fiji, received at Sydney, state that the planters are desirous of relinquishing their plantations, owing to the policy of the Governor in discountenancing the employment of South Sea labor.

A tragical occurrence took place at Spring Creek, Toowoomba, on the 30th ult. The police went out to institute an inquiry relative to a charge of rape against Moses Peters on his own daughter, and while doing so Peters committed suicide by hanging himself. °

The wet season has set in at the Palmer. Hundreds of miners are waiting to proceed with Mulligan and party to the new rush. The latest reports of the crushing of stone from the Palmer reefs state that 460 tons yielded 5,4430z. of gold.