AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

Evening Star, Issue 4129, 22 May 1876, Page 4

AUSTR A LIAN ITEMS.

It is.thought unlikely that the M'Cuffoch Ministry will last long. Their policy is approved of by Parliament, but the Ministers of Education and of Customs are charged with being incapable. The latter (Mr Anderson) appears to have acted in a hasty and violent'mannerin the seizure of Messrs Stevenson and Sons’ goods. Summonses have,, however, ■ been taken out, and it was expected that the cases would be heard about the 20th inst.

After a very long discussion in the Presbyterian General Assembly, the (Joinmissioh appointed .to tiy the case of the Rev. R. TC. Ewing decided, on the motion of the Rey. J. G. Stobbs, by a majority of 33 to 30 iii favor of acknowledging him as a member of the General Assembly. A.previous motion had decided in favor of his being recognized as minister of the Beechworth and Stanley churches. The ■* Argus,’ in an able and very temperate article, decidedly approves of the result.

Mr Stuart, the Treasurer of, New South Wales, and Mr Ihnes, the Treasurer of Tasmania, have waited on Sir James M'Gulloch to urge the desirableness of intercolonial free trade. Sir James M'Cullpch promised that thp, question should receive due consideration from the Government. The Bishop of Ballarat has written to England to state that earnest, educated graduates for orders in the Church are much needed, but that there is no demand for uneducated men.

The Agent-General writes that Mr Tallerman has virtually admitted the charge of supplying inferior preserved meats as Australian, but pleads that the large order he had from France could not be executed unless he supplemented the Australian meats with Texan.

A charge of neglect is raised in Melbourne against the Queensland Government for allowing the shipwrecked crew of the Isabella to remain on the Burton Reefs, to the westward of New Caledonia, for some months, whilst knowing that they were there. The proposal by a sub-committee to commence a series of “social evenings,” at which dancing would be allowed in the Melbourne Athenaeum, was rejected by the Committee of management. Gold has again been obtained from reefs at great depths. From the Oriental Company’s claim at Stawell at the 1,060 ft level, the yield was 48oz sdwts from 7% tons of guartz. At Clunes, from the Port Phillip lo.’s claim, between the 900 ft and I,oooft levels, a crushing of 20 tons yielded 220z. A laborer named John Conder and his employer, Michael Queim, have been arrested on the charge pf being the men concerned in the daring sticking up of the Bank of Victoria at Seymour. Mi- Berry has lately declared at Buninyong that female suffrage must be .“ a new plank” in the platform of the National Reform League. The East Melbourne Cricket Club won the final Cup match of the season, and are therefore the holders of the Cup for the present year. # - The Victorian Premier is taking steps towards retrenchment in the Civil Service. All persons over sixty years are to retire on superannuation allowances, it is undertand that a team of English cricketers, embracing the names of tiiose previously mentioned, with the exception of Jiaft and Lilly white, will be likely to come out to the Colonies under the cattail, oy o ’ Mr G. F; Grace. Mr Pickersgill, of Melbourne, has been in Sydney several days, making arrangements. In order to alleviate distress, the Government have a:tinged with the A.S.N. Com pany to bring down to Sydney any mini ri wishing to leave Queensland, at low rates. Bundles of blank invoices of leading English.firms, found in a package of solt goods at Sydney, leadto the inference that they wefe fdr the puipoab of defrauilibg the piutoms.

Advices have been received of the safe arrival of the JNew South Wales, South Australian, and New Zealand, exhibits for the Philadelphia Exhibition, at New York. The space allotted to New South Wales in the main building is considered as a very good position, being near the main entrance. The front block is. bounded on one side by South Australia, and on the other by New Zealand. A portion of the Victorian court abuts on the back block on one side, and that of New ( Zealand on the other. The Victorian exhibits, for which a large space has been reserved, have not yet arrived. The Queensland court is being fitted up, the'exhibits" haying been sent*, from London. All* the buildings connected with the Exhibition are being rapidly proceeded with, and everything is expected to be in perfect readiness by the opening day. Mr Parkes has given notice of motion condemning the existence of a large- cash surplus at the credit of the Government as being-unsound in principle and policy, and affirming that it ought to be expended with-, out delay. Not less than L 150,000, he thought, should be devoted to immigration purposes,’the balance to be expended in the carrying out of public works and other improvements. An atrocious murder has been committed at Western River. A man named M'Fetterage, who was in company with a black boy on the way to Mount Cornish, while asleep was struck with an axe on the head by the aboriginal, causing instantaneous death.

At Launceston, Henry Styles, an overseer of a farm at the White Hills, has died from injuries received to his mouth, windpipe, and lungs whilst blowing down the muzzle of a gun. The weapon only contained a small charge of gunpowder, which ignited accidentally.