LATE AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Evening Star, Issue 4116, 6 May 1876, Page 2

LATE AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

(Per Ringarooma at the Bluff.) Governor Bowen, accompanied by four Ministers, has been paying a visit to the Western district, for the purpose of turning the first sod of theGippslandßailway He met with a most enthusiastic reception. Political matters still remain in abeyance, but there are signs of the coming storm -when Parliament meets on June 20. The Agent Generalahip has been decided b y *he re-appointment of Mr Michie. The Stevenson embroglio has only for ft time been settled. The Government after detaining the letters of the firm for three weeks, returned them unopened, -but ac companied by a letter stating that the refusal of the Steveusons to allow their letters to be opened in the presence of witnesses was prima facie evidence of their guilt as they must have something to conceal, and at the same time threatening to examine every package of theirs imported, with the view of personally verifying the correctness of their entries.

It is expected that the result of the I ? Sn J^ h . en S uir y wiU be the abolim, * Mining Department altogether There has been great dispute. over the will of David Nesbitt, better known as Scotch. Jack, and after some Equity proceedings the matter then went to a jury for decision. A daring robbery of a bank in broad daylight has taken place at Seymour, when the branch of the Bank of Victoria was stuck up by an armed burglar in the temporary absence of the manager. The clerk in chariw was bound and gagged, and the thief decamped with L 570. When Sullivan, the murderer, waß brouffhft up he stated on affidavit that he was possessed of one acre of town and twenty acres of country lands at Wedderburn, and that he had been domiciled in Victoria from 1845 He states that for private reasons he does not intend to reside in Victoria. Cable communication with Australia is completely cut off by the breaking of no less than two of the cables forming the submarine lice, and as the repairing steamer is at present at Penang, there is no vessel available for tha Tort Darwin and Java section. It may perhaps be two or three weeks, or more, before through communication will be restored The wheat market still continues firm, but the absence of English telegrams stops

Mr Audley Coote has made an offer to the Queensland Government to duplicate all the cable east of Singapore, and also the land lines. This will probably have to be done, and at no very distant date.