AUSTRALIAN NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 4127, 19 May 1876, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NOTES.

An extraordinary defence has been put in by Messrs Stevenso i and Sons relative to the package of hosiery alleged to have been surreptitiously passed by them in a case of wearing apparel. They state that the duty was paid on the hosiery on a previous occasion, some time ago. Such a mode of transacting business is at least irregular, and the authorities will insist of full and sufficient proof being given before they accept the explanation. Advices have been received from Noumea via Newcastle, giving further particulars of the survivors of the ship Isabella, who were taken off the Bramton reef by the ketch

'Laura Lind, The castaways lived on raw birds' egg 3 and turtles during the whole time they were on the reef, the blood of the turtles being used as a substitute for water. The three white men, when discovered, were quite naked, and much tanned by the sun. The master of the Laura Lind also found the signboards of the Australia and Maryborough. The differences between the executors of the late Alfred Anderson and his widow, lima de Murska, have been arranged to the satisfaction of Messrs Blake ancf Riggall, who hold a power of attorney from the lady empowering them to act on her behalf. Dr Norman, in a rifle shooting match at Adelaide, made 110 points out of a possible 112, at ranges varying from 200 to 600 yards.

A Jewish bazaar in Melbourne has been a great success.

The mutiny on board the immigration ship Strathearn was not very serious, the police Laving arrested eighteen of the crew without any resistance. Sydney telegrams state that, on May 10, Davis, the American pedestrian, ran Griffiths, of Windsor, 100 yards, the result being a tie, Hewitt challenges Watson to run their match over again for LSOO aside. A Stawell telegram in the ‘ Argus ’ says ; “A crushing was cleaned up to-day from the Oriental Company’s claim at the 1,060 ft. level. It yielded 48oz. sdwt. of gold from seven tons and a half of quartz, the average being Coz. Bd\vt. 16gr. per ton. The lode was only struck last Monday at the depth named, and this is only a trial crushing taken out in the meantime. The great depth and the richness of the yield render the crushing exceptionally important. The stone is unprecedently rich, even for this district. Nothirg in connection with deep mining has occurred here for years calculated to inspire so much confidence,”

A telegram was received from Parkea today, stating that numbers of miners are returning from the Burra Burra rush, which is pronounced to be a deception.

The ‘Queenslander’s’ special correspondent has visited the Hodgkinson rush, and corroborates the previous reports as to its failure. There is no naming warden on the goldfield and no police protection, and the want of rail communication is badly felt. The first case of lynch law took place on Wednesday, when a man was flogged, and his property confiscated, for stealing a digger’s horse. He was afterwards driven from the diggings. The proceedings were held before a jury of twelve men, and were quite regular, an appeal being made to sixty respectable miners. The example was considered necessary. One of those trifling, but at the same time amusing incidents, that occasionally relieve the dry monotony of the proceedings in a court of law, took place at Sandhurst the other day. The ‘ Independent ’ reports that Judge Bindon took his seat on the bench, and seemed a little surprised at the sounds of suppressed merriment among the persons present; but on becoming aware that he had donned a smoking-cap instead of the judicial horse-hair wig, his Honor appeared much amused, and effected an instant exchange by substituting the orthodox head-gear for the jaunty-looking article which had previously covered the official cranium.