AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1543, 29 January 1879, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

[Via Auckland.] Sydney, January 21. Tlio steamboat arrived yesterday at Port Darwin with the Torres St'aits mail. A monsoon has taken place in China said to be the heaviest known for years. She b nigs seventy-eight Chinese, 1000 chests, G7OO half-chests,, and 4000 boxes of tea for Sydney. Melbourne, January 21. Nothing new is known concerning the Ivcllys. It is entirely uncertain where they now are. Opinion favors the belief that they have not crossed the New South Wales border, where their want of knowledge of the country would increase the risk of their capture. Great difficulty is experienced in secu-ing convictions against large numbers of persons charged and arrested for aiding them. A sticking up case occurred yesterday a mile outside Sandhurst. A man with a cnask and a revolver baled up a cab containing eight persons includinglndies.and demanded money under a threat of shooting the passengers. They were thoroughly frightened, and procured their spare cash, which amounted altogether to sixteen shillings. The police have made r ids on prands r.f Melbourne larrikins, who nightly enact Kelly's exploits in low parts of the city. An unhealthy sympathy prevails in favor of the Kellys throughout the district where the gang is located, seriously interfering with the success of the efforts of the police. I The failure of the police is nightly burlesqued j in the theatres in Melbourne. , The labor strikes in Victoria terminated mostly in favor of the men. < The preparations for the Sydney Exhibition are being pushed on day and night. i Howden's Mill, Carr's Creek, Grafton, was totally destroyed by fire. The loss is estimated J ' at .£IOOO. It wns uninsured. ]

'' heretirin* (revrnnr is universally popular* There ia great regret at bis departure. C'larles Bnnn.rraui, the well-known cricketpr, played a, single wicket match for .£lO a side, B tnncrmn f> Urn? with his left hand. Local mm won livetty twsily. Bannerman is engaged for two yeas* by the Melbourne Cricket Club. Ho, will teach tk<i local pi ,yers. A lire occurred at Oollingwood, resulting in tlie total destruction ■>£ three wooden tenements ami a 1-ss of three lives. The fire broke out in a house occupied by tbeßlake family. Blake, who is a warder keeper in tW, Lunatic Asylum was away on duty away at the time. There wcVJ 'seven children, five sleep in one of the back roo r 3 two young children with Mrs Blake having retire Ito rest. About midnight Mrs B ak3 was awakened by one of the children crying, and pot oat of bed, lit a candle, winch wa« left on a box near the window in the bedroom Mrs Blake attended to the child, and on retarnwg to her own room, noticed that the candle had set fire ti th<- curtains. The bedroom was soon on-v-lopea in flames. She awakened the fire children who were in the bedroom, with the exception of a boy aged &ix years. All succeeuei in escaping. The poor boy in his endeavours to escape from the house wis crushed in the burning bedroom where the other two children were lying- He was soon overpowered by the flames. The bed in which the two children, aged respectively four years and nine months, were lying was by this time enveloped in fire. All endeavours of th© mother to save the children were fruitless. Mrs Blike was severely burnt on the face and arms. The fire spread rapidly to two adjoining tenements. The houses were totally destroyed. The remains of the unfortunate children were found lying in the bedroom, frightfully burnt and charred. Mrs Blake received such injuries as necessitated her removal to the hospital. Queensland, January 21. The Ministerial crisis is expected to bo settled by the formation of a Ministry by Mr Mcllwraith.