LATEST INTERCOLONIAL NEWS.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 604, 30 November 1869, Page 3

LATEST INTERCOLONIAL NEWS.

Intelligence from Fiji states that Mr Feez, a Sydney merchant, died there suddenly towards the end of October last. Mason, charged with the murder of a woman in Brougham -place, Syduey, who was found tied up in a sack, has been convicted of manslaughter. The case of Dr Paterson, for procuring abortion in Sydney, is finished — sentence, seven years. The jury, in the case of Clarke of the Varieties, Sydney, have brought in a verdict of manslaughter against him. Sentence has been deferred. \ Two young boys, the sons of Mr Keys, magistrate, Sydney, were out shooting yesterday, when one accidentally shot the other dead. Extensive seams of coal and iron have been found near Kiama, and about ninety wiles south of Sydney, Since the opening nf the Victorinn Mineralogical Museum specimens and contributions have been pouring in, and should the gifts continue to be received at the present ratio, the building will soon be far too small to contain them all. The wreck of the schooner Crjole, bound from Launceston to Invercargill, supposed to have been lost off Waterhouse five years ago, is being washed up on the north coast, between Waterhouse and Bridport. Two men got in two days an ounce and a quarter ot gold at the Mangana alluvial diggings, Tasmania. Several more nuggets have been brought in from Tyler's rush, Victoria. The largest one weighed 960z., and is wcrth nearly L4OO. James Smith, convicted of the murder of his wife Elizabeth Whilihan or Smith, suffered the extreme penalty of the law at the Beeohworth gaol, on Thursday, 11th November. A woman named Harrison, with her daughter, has been arrested on a charge of murdering a child which was found on the Parramatta Railway Hue a short time a^o, under circumstances leading to the belief that it had been strangled, and thrown out of the train. Both women were remanded. The death of Mr Henry Joseph Grantham, a farmer, who was found drowned near the Moorabool, parish of Kerrit Bareet, is reported in the Ballarat papers. It appears that Mr Grantham had some angry words with his wife, whom he struck withhis hand. On this the wife left the farm, and went to her sister's residence, where she remained over the night. On returning again in the morning she found that her husband was not there. On Wednesday morning, while lifting a bucket of water from the well, which had been ooyered with a stone on thte top of it, she observ ed a hat. This led to her informing her husband's brother of the circumstances, and by him the body of her husband was brought up out of the well. Some have pooh-poohed the idea of any necessity for land defences ; but without being an alarmist, I think that there are indications of operations quasi offensive in their character, which may yet lead to trouble in the southern hemisphere. I allude to New Caledonia as a French military colony, and the-proposed annexation of the Fijis to America. 1 expect Downing street will begin : t6 make some sign before we are completely hemmed in. There was a large gathering at Kirk's yesterday, of the "horsey" people attracted by the announcement of the : sale of the New Zealand cracks, Manuka, Peeress, and Misfortune. Nearly, all t|ie principal owners and bookmen were present. Manuka, certainly a beautiful creature, was first submitted, and his pedigree and performances recited most eloquently by the auctioneer, who conoluded with an assertion that he was a horse it did one good to look at. He was started at 300 guineas, and bona jidß bidding went up to 730, when Mr Redwood's (his owner) bid of 740 guineas bought him in, Saqni, the owner of 1 Warrior, went to about 850 guineas. /Peeress, the winner of the Royal Park Stakes, was then put up and was passed. in at- "460 guineas. Misfortune was also bought in at 80 guineas. "• It is reported that the owner of Warrior netted Lll,ooo. Mr Montgomery's tour in Tasmania must have been a most successful one. Hia four nights in Hobart Town, it is said, netted L3OO, while in Launceston and in the townships which he visited, his audiences were correspondingly large. The schooner Daphne, 48 tons, which was captured some time since on suspicion of being engaged in conveying South Sea Islanders to Fiji and Queensland, to be employed as slaves, arrived in Corio Bay on Thursday, with a cargo of make and spokes. She was an object of considerable interest, the wonder being how, in a vessel of such small tonnage, more than a hundred natives could have been stowed in, addition to the space required for cargo and crew. The Macpherson Ministry have promised a very desirable reform in the Telegraph department. At the end of the year we are to have Is telegrams everywhere. For this sum we shall be able to send ten words to Echuca, 160 miles from Melbourne. It is, I believe, expected that the same rate will extend over the whole of Australasia shortly, and that we shall be able to communicate with New South Wales for the same rate. Walter Montgomery has gone at last, and I believe he really means New Zealand, this time. He was last seen dis- i tributing an attack on the Age and Leader amongst the passengers of the Rangatira for Auckland. He advertises in this morning's Argus for engagements in your principal towns. Some touching circumstances are mentioned by the Star, in connection with the funeral of Mr Robert Hannah, one of the residents of Climes, which took place at Climes on the 12th instant : — "Mr Hannah during his residence at Clunes met with many reverses. Like many others, he came there a poor, laboring man, and subsequently, having obtained a share in the once celebrated Yankee Company, which for several years yielded large dividends, he became a man of note, a member of {he Clunes Borough Council, and was all but elected mayor. Men were then proud to be acknowledged by him, and called his friends ; but another change came ; the Yankee Company ceased to pay, and Mr Hannah, although he had received about L7OOO in dividends, having neglected to provide for the future, found himself left again poor and almost friendJess. Falling into ill-health, he was removed to the Oreswick district hospital, lind next to the Ballarat hospital, where

ho died ; and but for the liberality of his father-in-law, Mr John Black, Clunes, the man who once drove his carriage would have tilled a pauper's grave." The spring athlectic sports meeting of i the Melbourne Cricket Club came off on Saturday afternoon, 20th inst. The weather was everything that could have been desired, and the 5000 people who witnessed the sports no doubt thoroughly enjoyed the outing, for the surroundings were of the pleasantest description, though there is nothing particularly in-' teresting to casual observers in a long list of pedestrian events. The sports were patronised by Lady and Miss Manners Sutton, with other members of his Excel lewcy's famity. The following are the results : — IOO yards Maiden Plate, S. Annear, 1 ; W. Morgan, 2 ; time, 11| sec. 100 yards /flat race for Challenge Cup-T. W. Macleod, 1 ; F. Carr, 2 ; M. Mahony, 3 ; time, 10£ sec, Macleod winning as he liked. 120 yards, over 10 hurdles— P. S. Hocking, 1 ; T. Evans, 2 ; time, 18^ s »c. 150 yards Handicap Flat I Race — I\ Cut, 1 ; S. Annear, 2 ; Price, 3 ; time, 16 sec. Quarter-mile Flat Eace for Challenge Cup— T. W. M'Leod, 1; M. Mahony, 2 ; time, 52 sec. Quartermile Handicap Flat Race— F. Carr, Byd 3, 1 ; Oldham, 16 yds, 2 ; Houlahan, scratch, 3 ; time, 54 sec. Two miles Handicap Walking Mateh — F. Woodhouse, scratch, 1; W. Lyall, scratch, 2 ; time, 15 ruin. 37 sec. Half-mile Flat Race for Challenge Cup— M. Mahony, 1; A. Dennis, 2 ; T. W. M'Leod, 3 ; time, 2 mm. 7i sec. Two mile Handicap Bicycle Pace — J. Finlay, scratch, 1 ; J. Ward, 70 yds, 2 ; J. Chapman, 70 yds, 3 ; time, 9 mm. 37 sec. One mile Handicap Flat Race — E. Ford, 40 yds, I ; J. Poynting, 60 yds, 2 ; N. J. Maude, 60 yds, 3 ; time, 4 mm. 42 sec. Quarter-mile Handicap Steeplechase — J. Collie, scratch, 1; T. Evans, scratch, 2 ; time, 1 mm. 15 sec. The survey to determine the boundary line between Victoria and New South Wales is progressing as rapidly as Mr Ellery, the Government Astronomer, can push the work forward, and it is expected that in about a fortnight the instruments will have been erected. When this work is finished the simultaneous observation between Melbourne and the boundary station will be commenced, and the line of demarcation between the two colonies will be speedily and accurately determined. Considerable delay has been caused, however, through the action of the New South Wales Government in refusing to allow the gratuitous use of the telegraph to the survey party to enable them to keep up a close and rapid communication with the Melbourne station. More defalcations in the Queensland Government service are being brought to light, and Queensland is becoming notorious for the serious charges against civil servants filling prominent positions. Mr Billiard has been arrested for embezzlement. He was sub-collector at Gladstone, and Mr Horsman, inspector of public accounts, having discovered a deficiency, Hilliard preferred a charge against the inspector for stealing the money. On the matter being reported to head-quarters, the sub-collector was arrested on a charge of embezzling the amount he accused the inspector of stealing. Mr Hackett, gold commissioner at the Gilbert, has been dismissed the public service. From information received from the Superintendent of Police, at Glenorchy, we (Hobart Town Mercury) learn that there is very strong reason to suspeot that a murder has been committed at Glenorchy. From information received by the Superintendent, he visited the house of Mr Joseph Fisher Perkins, known by the name of Hestercombe, on Saturday morning at half-past eleven o'clock, and there found the body of Mvs Emma Perkins lying on her bed, dressed. The body appeared to have been dead two days. The Superintendent communicated with the coroner, Henry Bilton, Esq., and that gentleman communicated with Dr Butler, and a post-mortem examination was niade, and it was then ascertained that death had resulted from blows on the back of the head, and Mr Perkins was taken into custody on the charge of wilful murder. Subsequent investigation on. the part of the police tends to confirm the impression that the unfortunate woman cahie to her death by unfair means. The Perkins were both aged people, Mr Perkins being about 68 years and the deceased about 73 years. They were old colonists, and formerly kept the Royal Standard - Hotel, on the New Town Road. A later telegram states that the inquest on the body of Mrs Perkins has resulted in a verdict of manslaughter agaiust the husband, who has been committed for trial on the coronei's warrant,

(For continuation of news see fourth page J