LATEST INTERCOLONIAL NEWS.

Grey River Argus, Volume VI, Issue 402, 11 August 1868, Page 3

LATEST INTERCOLONIAL NEWS.

(From the Otago Times correspondent.) Melbourne, July 28th. All the members of the new M'Culloch Ministry have, it seems, every prospect of being able to take their places in the Legislative Assembly when that body again meets for business. Of the eight gentlemen who had to appear before their constituents for re-election, owing to their having taken office, three — Messrs Grant, Sullivan, aud Casey — have been returned without opposition : while as two of the Ministers— Messrs Vale and Jones — represented the single district of Ballarat West, where only one opposition candidate comes forward, at least one of those two candidates must necessarily be returned ; but since their opponent is a man quite new to politics and of no great i'ifluence in any respect, his chances of success are almost infiniteshnally small. Mr Gillies, formerly member for Ballarat West, but who was rejected there at the last Ministerial elections when he took office under Mr Sladen, as Minister of Lands and Works, his opponent then being Mr Jones, the present Commissioner for Railways, will go to the poll this time against Mr M'Cnlloch (the present Chief Secretary) at the rural district of Mornington. But people here are quite at a loss to understand what could have induced the ex-Minister of Lands to make 80 foolish an experiment, seeing that the electors of Mornin^ton have for many years past sent their old representative into Parliament, either unopposed, or else by very large majorities against opponents, who have had far greater prospects of success than Mr Gillies now ha?. He will certainly be left a long way behind the Chief Secretary at the close < f the poll, on Saturday ; and as his case was hopeless from the first, few persons will be disposed t > pity him. The chances of the new Attorney-General, Mr G. P. Smith, at South Burke, where he is again opposed by Mr O'Grady, are thought to be very good, although certainly not equal to those of the Chief Secretary at Mornington ; and the same may be said with regard to the prospects of Mr G. V. Smith, the new Postmaster-General, at the Ovens. The Earl of Belmore, who appears to exercite the high office of Governor of the sister Colony of New South Wales with much satisfaction to the inhabitants, has been making a tour i'rnm the capital of his own Colony to the Murray, en route to this city. His Excellency crossed the Victorian border yesterday, and spent last night at Sandhurst. He proceeds to Ca3tlemaine to-day, and is to reach Melbourne to-morrow.. In his own territory^ His Excellency and the Premier, Mr Martin, met with a most flattering public reception everywhere ; but his visit to Victoria is, it seems to be regarded as a private affair, and so there is to be nothing in the Bhape of a public reception. His Excellency, after spending a few days with our own Governor, will leave for Sydney by steamer. Your readers may perhaps remember that a short time ago I furnished them with some particulars of a dreadful murder at the Bulloch Creek Diggings, in which the unfortunate victim was a miner named Martin Rooney, who had lately returned from Greymouth, New Zealand, where he had been so far successful as to accumulate L2OO as the. result of his trip from Victoria,. After lodging LIBO of that sum in a Melbourne Bank, Rooney proceeded to the Castlemaine district, where he became acquainted with one John Hogan, who, in colonial parlance, may be described as a " loafer ;" and as this wretch was in destitute circumstances, Rooney took him into his tent, and pro-

vided him with food and shelter. The j two men were seen in the neighborhood together for a few days subsequently, and on the 7th of June they both wont to make some purchases at a store, some 150 yards from Rooney's tent. This was the last time Rooney was seen alive, but for some days afterwards Hogan, Avho said that " his mate" had gone to Ballarat, was seen to visit various public-houses, and to spend money in drink and card playing. Ultimately suspicion was aroused, and Hogan was watched and followed into fie tent lately in the joint occupation of Rooney and himself, where the dead body of the former was discovered lying in the tent. Hog.m was of course arrested, and committed for trial. The case ctinie on at the Castlemaine Criminal Sessions yesterday, when the prisoner was found guilty, and sentenced to death, without the hope of mercy.