AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 926, 13 June 1877, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

[Per Wakatipu, via Wellington.]

Melbourne. Colonel Ward retires on the expiration of his leave of absence, and Colonel Scratchley remains here permanently as Deputy-Master of the Mint.

Dr. Macartney will be petitioned against on the grounds that he is ineligible, being a minister of religion. A conference of vignerons has resolved that Government be petitioned to use its best endeavors to obtain a repeal of the duties on native wines between Victoria and the other colonies.

The Bank forger has been committed for trial. Pierson made a full confession showing a regular system of forgery. Simonsen's Opera Company opened on the 4th inst. in St. George's Hall to a good house.

The following entries hare been made for the Victoria Racing Club Spring, Meeting. Melbourne Cup—ll 4 Melbourne'horses, 26 from Sydney. Champion Stakes —53 from Melbourne and eight from Sydney. There are seventy- eight nominations for the Victorian Derby and Oaks; for the Metro - polital Stakes forty-nine entries. The G-overnment has not yet appointed its representative in the Legislative Council. The population of the colony of Victoria is 843,877, of Melbourne 244,608,

Adelaide.

Twenty justices of the peace have sent in then- joint resignation because of recent appointments for political purposes. The Government declines to accept them. A young bank clerk named Poole died from the effects of injuries received in a football match.

Sydney. Sir Wm. Jervois and Colonel Scratchley left for Melbourne on the 6th inst.

BiasBANE.

Eight hundred and forty tons of quartz from Milchester on being crushed yielded 2470 ounces of gold. The Warden states that the reefs at Normanby are "rank duffers." The secretary of the Rifle Association has suggested to the Rifle Association of England to send a team to Australia every second year. Further forgeries to a large extent are reported. ADDITIONAL AUSTRALIAN NEWS. Sydney. The Sydney Herald says that it had the cablegram re Gortsehakoff accompanying the Emperor of Russia to Ployesti repeated, when it was found that it should read " has given rise to peace rumors." A severe cyclone and waterspout passed over a station near Hamilton, tearing large trees of 4ft and sft diameter up by the roots. A sheet of roofing iron was lifted and carried

half a mile. Large limbs of trees were carried over the tops of houses. A resolution has been carried by the Sydney Assembly increasing the salaries of the District Court Judges to £ISOO, with retiring allowances of £750 per annum. The Herald has a leading article on Major Atkinson's speech at Taranaki. It says, in reference to his remark that " they must carry on Government at a moderate rate, as a prudent man would manage his own estate," that a popular Government is not in the position of a landed proprietor. It cannot always do what it thinks best. A prudent man, managing New Zealand as his private estate and constructing railways with borrowed money, would uot have encumbered himself in course of a few years with the payment of interest upon three or four millions lying unproductive in works begun but not finished. He would have concentrated his resources and his efforts. He would have completed with speed the line that gave best promise of yielding profit, and by following the same policy with others he would have kept down his annual expenditure in interest to the lowest point possible. In New Zealand the opposite course has been taken. A number of separate lines have been under construction simultaneously, and consequently the proportion of capital lying unproductive, and the amount payable as interest, have been raised to the highest point. The private manager would have had before him the comparatively simple question to decide, how to expend the money to the best advantage. The Government has had the more complex problem to solve, how to meet competing local claims, and balance local interests. If Government had not been willing to distribute the expenditure, the money would not have been granted. The demands of localism have been satisfied, but the price is being paid in the shape of interest, £IBO,OOO a year, upon unproductive outlay. Referrirg to what Major Atkinson said about arrangements with the Colonial Banks, the Herald remarks:—" It was understood that when the last loan was negotiated in England with Rothschild, there was something like an engagement or understanding that the colony would not appear in the market again for two years. Are not these borrowings in the colonies a violation of the spirit of that understanding ? A letter in the Times by the last mail shows that by some at least they are so regarded. Sir J. Vogel has answered this by saying that the understanding was that no fresh loan would be negotiated in London. This, however, lias not been accepted by the complainants as a satisfactory answer. The meaning of the understanding was that the public debt of New Zealand had been increased so largely and so rapidly that the value of its securities would be likely to suffer by any immediate addition to it, but if the colony was supposed to have approached a safe limit of its borrowing powers, it mattered little or nothing whether any new loans that might be contracted were raised in London or the colonies. If the advance in the value of New Zealand bonds, of which Major Atkinson speaks, was the result of the belief that the debt was not to be increased, whilst it was being increased by an arrangement in the colonies, the present Government may lead to future loss in the shape of harder terms when the London market is next tested."

The thorough-bred horse Feve, from New Zealand, arrived safely in Sydney, and is now on view there, highly spoken of. The report that a student was bastinadoed to death at Constantinople, is officially denied by the Turkish ambassador at London. Sir W. Jervois, in a memo, to the Governor of New South Wales, says it is only in the improbable event of Great Britain ceasing to hold command of the seas that there is a likelihood of foreign aggression on the Australian Colonies. It is obvious that any attack on New South Wales would only be made on the seaboard, the eastern boundary of the colony, and Sydney and Newcastle are the only places likely to" be attacked in any case, and, therefore, these are the only places where special and local defence is required. With well-constructed, well-armed, and properly manned batteries of a few heavy guns at the Middle Head, George Head, and South Head, acting in conjunction' with torpedoes laid across the entrance of the harbour, there would be no necessity for inner defence. As regards the possibility of any passing at night, the channel and approaches may be so illuminated by magnetic light as to prevent a vessel attempting to remove obstructions between batteries without being seen therefrom. He bears testimony to the ingenuity displayed in the design, and good work performed in the construction, of the batteries already provided for the defence of the harbour. 1 He recommends the purchase of an ironclad for coast service. Torpedo stores for the defence of Port Jackson should at once be ordered from England. Hostile vessels might throw shells into the town from outside the entrance of the harbour, and rifled guns can attain a range of upwards of five miles. Steps, therefore, should be taken for the general defence of the "coast. At Newcastle, the fort should be constructed on the signal hill at a height of about 105 feet above the sea level for three 9 inch and four 80 pounder guns. The force at present at the command of the colony is 2810, but in some respects it is defective in organisation. He proposes that the number of gunners in the permanent artillery force should be increased from 240 to 300, or 100 per battery. To assist the permanent artillery in time of war there should be a body of garrison militia artillery 200 strong. A torpedo corps should be under the command of the Superintendent of Telegraphs, and consist of about 100 officers and men, 50 employees in the Telegraph Department, and the remainder a naval brigade. Two battalions of militia infantry, each of 500 rank and file, to be increased to 800 in time of war. Two batteries of militia field artillery, of four guns each, and a company of Engineers. About 100 mounted police could be available as cavalry scouts. The cost of the proposed defences'(including an ironclad, £50,000) would be £325,000, the annual cost £89,760. Melboukxk, June 6. A man named Young committed suicide by taking laudanum, after excessive drinking. James Cleary committed suicide at Kyneton to-day by hanging. The wreck of the Young Australian, at Warrnambool, was sold to-day for £350 ; and the wreck of the Bravo, at Waratah Bay, for £sl. A young man named Thomas Tindall has been committed for trial for embezzlement from the Mutual Assurance Society.

A complimentary dinner was given to-night to the Hon. John Young, Canadian Commissioner. The principal speakers were Sir Chas. Gavan Huffy, J. G. Francis, and Hon. J. Young, who "made a good speech and counfree trade policy. Sir C. G. Duffy said before he introduced, the tariff he con-

suited John Bright, Carlyle, and John Stuart Mill, who were all in favor of protection in a new country. The appeal to the Privy Council in the case of Langton v Syme will not be prosecuted. Sir Redmond Barry will not return until the September mail. A quarrel between two newly elected members of Assembly resulted in each making, through the columns of the evening paper, serious charges, one against the other. The matter is likely to be further ventilated in the Law Courts.

H.M.S. Nymph is expected at Melbourne about 18th June.

A London telegram quotes Hennessy's brandy at 8s 6d, shipments being very light. Referring to the growth of Melbourne, the Age states that in 1843 there were 1095 tenements. The total valuation on £66.847 at the rate of sixpence in the pound was equal to £1521. In year 1877 there are 13,027 tenements, value of which is £875,713; the town rates £43,785.

Brisbane. A man has been fined £lO for carrying dynamite in a railway carriage. Captain Laigie, of the ship Woodlark, bound from Brisbane to Hong Kong,»reports having on April 6th sighted a vessel ashore at the south-west end of Packington reef. She had nothing standing but the mizzen mast and bowsprit. She had evidently been on the reef for some time. No signals were visible. The wind being light, the Woodlark was unable to stand to the windward of the island, but a good look-out was kept for signs of life.

Thirty Chinamen travelling along the Palmer road, stuck up, robbed, and assaulted ten of their own countrymen.

The South Esk, ship, from London, ran 2037 miles in seven days. She made from Cape Otway to Cape Moreton in four days and nine hours.