AUSTRALIAN NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 4145, 9 June 1876, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN NOTES.

The South Australian Parliament was opened on the 26th nit. by Sir Anthony Musgravo with the customary ceremonies, Hon. members were congratulated on the satisfactory condition of the finances, the abundant harvest, and the extension of agricultural settlement in the Colony. It was proposed to make provision for the defences of the Colony, and also to ask for the grant of alatgesumfor immigration. Stamp and succession duties would be introduced, and a measure fc would be brought in for placing on property a fairer share of taxation. Bills 0 would also be submitted for a revision of the tariff, and to borrow money lor railways and other public works. A proposal would also be made to secure a gradual extinction of the bonded debt. Measures dealing with. the law of insolvency, real properly, the waste lands, and distillation, would also be introduced at an early date.

The Total Abstinence League have decided to. offer a prize of LIOO for an essay on the best nses other than alcoholic to which the fruit of the vine can be applied. The chess match between Victoria and New South Wales terminated very decisively in favor of Victoria. When play was concluded it was found that Victoria had won fiVe gaineeand lost only one. One game was drawn. The torchlight procession of the firemen last night, writes the Sydney ‘Echo’ of May 25, was very neatly be'ipg accompanied by a. Serious fatal acfcident ; as it wjis, an accident attended with soriops imijta did occur, and < two persona are m Consuefaenc now lyingintureu in A' aletlg Ges-r jaa es aiid childrra, wth thK barmaid and bpusemald of the Cnteri VJI got upon the top of a gdvapWid, won roof awning in front in the hotel & obtain, a good view of the fiienieu, and 04 were watching the crowd, the thfterror crosspieces of wood on which the galvanised iron was nailed suddenly crack©!, and gave way, and the shed collapsing,: the women and children were, precipitated into the gutter, or the street, with raneh violence.. The barmaid, whose name is AgnCa Hardy, had received a very* bad dot over the eye,-which appeared to be almost out of the socket, and she was bruised very much. The housemaid, named Margaret Snfuthj' had her jawbone broken and tv o teeth, knocked out, besides being otherwise injured. Mrs Tierney, the wife of the proprietor of the hotel, was very much bruised,’ and the others, though not seriously hurt, Were of course sftuiken. yery;basly-' .WitbiESpppe is |adly inteneifijjg With' shnfping business at Adelaide and with the wheat and copper markets, '•V

At a meeting bf the Fitzroy Town Council tenders! for'ligating t^ebuildings', and offices for threetfeafs 'were considered, and finally dealt with. ■ The tenders were : OqUingwood - Qaß;“Company, 7s 6d per LOQjftftj; -South'Melbourne, 6s Bd, and City of Melbourne, 6s 5d. v , .The ‘Bendigo Advertiser * says there is ;like the old times about the fact that last week the. dividend cheques ,of a well-kuiown wealthy quartz-reefer amounted to L25,D00. ; - A Bill to protect any person who* whether in prison' or hot at"the tiine for debt, files a declaration of insolvency, from ' imprisonment for debt, has been introduced into the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales.!

The {execution of the man Duffus, for criminally -assaulting his own children, was a dreadful affair. Through mismanagement on the {part of the hangman the unfortunate man’s nead struck a cross-beam as lie fell, the rope slipped 'round to the back of his. neck, arid he, was slowly strangled. , A shocking accident occurred at Camber“down, when . William Kirkwood -Allen, grandson of: ;Mr James Allen, proprietor of the Camberdown Chronicle;’ shot himself through the heart. . He was ont in a boat on Manifold’s Swamp, about two miles from Oambdrdown, shooting ducks, and whilst he was inj the act of puUiiig the gun towards him iti went off. Death was almost instantaneous. , He never spoke, but gave two groans 1 and then expired. Deceased .tipis, m .his eighteenth year. . ’ The: Queensland Government —in the Governor’s speech on opening Parliament - stated that they had made fresh arrangements to ensure a stream of immigration by means of properly constructed and efficiently equipped vessels. The demand for land was steadily increasing, and the areas Lately resumed, were to be totally inadequate to requirements. A Bill woiild be submitted for the amendment the Constitution of the Upper House, Government was negotiating with all • the Australian Colonies, with reference to intercolonial free trade.