LATEST AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 631, 3 February 1870, Page 2

LATEST AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

A silver mine lias been discovered in the Cooma district. A nugget of 118oa has been found at Sofala. The^ Paramatta town clerk is charged with defalcations. • • • • '•••••■ Several diamonds have been found near Dnbbo. ;"■■■ " ..' ; Tenders ire •t»ilea i -to erect an Exhibition building at Sydney. A new rush has taken place to a locality nine miles beyond Devil's Den, Tasmania. : Martin' Long has been remanded on a charge of murdering a man, named Mulj6ahy v at' the Pish Raver. . : . Iv consequence of the price of flour having risen, bread from Monday,'2<4th ult. j was retailed to the public in Melbourne at 7d per 4-lb loaf. : The foundationstone of the new town hall, Ballarat, wa3 laid on the 14th ult., at noon, by the mayor of the borough. Mr William Poole, of Melbourne, ha* determined to come forward for. West Geelong, in opposition to Mr Berry.' The prolonged absence of Mr Burt, theauctioneer, is exciting considerable comment. His liabilities do not much exceed L 30,000. A rioh. vein ,of cobalt has been discovered in Dorriffs claim, Crooked River, and a parcel has been sent to the Mining Department for assay. .; V .••■• The American shipGabalra, from Boston to Melbourne, is reported to have been at Bermuda, in a damaged condition, on the 15th of October. Gale, the aeroaant, descended safely with his balloon, after floating several miles to the eastward of Sydney. " Mr Moffat's wellrknowa iaax6 My Dream is dead.' The poor Chinese lepers of Ballarat East have not, it seems, had their condition much improved. At the police court, Larmceston, MUlan and Ellia were further remanded in connexion with the alleged Great Tasmania Reef, fraud. : ; ;.; : . The coasting steamer Percy was totally wrecked near the Mersey. Mr Pare's racer Huntsman broke his back whilst training on the Launceston course. James Calder, formerly a bank clerk at Sydney, has been remanded on a charge of being an accomplice in the fraud on the English, Scottish, and Australian Bank, for which Greig and Salisbury have been committed for trial. A telegram was received iii Melbourne to the effect that the Australian Diamond Company had washed out 99 diamonds daring the last week* making a total of 149 diamonds for the last 10 days. > On Sunday; 23rd ult., a drunken maniac, at Broadford, while in his cups, threw a piece of stone into the face of a man named Robert Holden, residing at that place, completely knocking out one of his eyes, and inflicting other serious injuries to his face. .•-.... T'w body of the man who was found in the Yuri on Friday, 21st ult., near Richmond, has been identified as that of Charles Henry Brown, of Cariton, clerk in i Solicitor's office in Melbourne. Tlie decease of another notable Australian gentleman is announced. Mr John Stephen Hampton, late Governor of Western Australia, died at St. Leonard's on the Sea, England, : on Ist December. " The black beetle pest has again made its appearance," says Ararat Advertisei\ " and", myriads of these insects may be daily discovered devouring the youngbluegnms which have been planted around the reserves of the town, and also thosein the Botanic-garden." "We (Ballarat Star) regret having to reorJ the death of a worthy citizen, at the early age of 37 years. We refer to Mr John Symons, of the farm of Symon* Brothers, of Ssurt street, Ballarat, and formerly of dunes and Daylesford. A miner named Patrick Carrick, at Eldorado, was killed on Tuesday, 18th ult. He was attempting to get into the cagefrom one of the chambers while the cagewas -going np. He missed his jump, and was caught between the cage and the shaft. ■Death was instantaneous. ; Every now and then some policeman is severely battered in his efforts to clear the streets of Melbourne of the ruffians, consisting of men, boys, and youths, who. infest the thoroughfares after dark ; but the efforts of the, constables are in general very inadequately backed up by the magistrates. At about half-past 3 cm the afternoon of the 241h a fire broke out in one of threo houses in course of erection in Lygon street, Cariton, belonging., to" Mr C. C. Fewster. The centre house £ was completely gutted, and the upper portions and . woodwork of the other two were also des- 1 troyed.> : \ .j A determined attempt at suicide was \ made on the 24th by a woman, name un- 4, known, who, so( n a"ter 3 o'clock, jumped off the FaU's-bridge into the Tarn, and in the fall broke her arm and sustained a • j few bruises. She was taken to the hospital, | but was insensible, and consequently unable to give her name. : Mr; Crisp, the jeweller, has received by the incoming mail the parcel of diamonds, - 115 in number, which formed the first batch transmitted by the Australian Dia- 1 mond Company to Europe to be cut and 1 polished. No one who inspects these ] gems now cata have any remaining doubts J of their value. Mr Crisp's correspondenta write of them in the tightest terms, at being uusurpassed in. brilliancy by any j diamonds in the world. ' ■■" There is a vast amount of sickness in ' the town and neighborhood," says the Clunes Gazettes "There have been several severe cases of English "cholera, and a number of children are suffering. We leamithai at Castjemaine i diphtheria ia raging in a very malignant form— as many as 14 children have died out of one school, and in one family thiere were seven of them prostrated with it, scarcely knowing .which would be the first victim." It will be in the recollection of our readers that in July 1 last the certificate of Captain Trumble, of the ship Explorer, J| was swapended for sis. months by the Steam |i Navigation Board; for atieged want of . || judgment in not sending a second boat to « the wreok of the Bretagne, with which the 1 Explorer wa3 unfortunately in collision, " I By the mail, we understand, advices have I been received to the effect that the Board I of Trade have expressed their non-concur- 1 rence in the sentence on Captain Trumble, m so. that his certificate will doubtless be re- M turned to. him in, its integrity.. ;■ Messrs 'Cummin's and Co., agents for -■

the Atlantic and Pacific Mail Company, have sent a communication to the New . South Wales Government, by the Avoca, offering to carry mails from Sydney to England in 40 days, at LIOOO per trip. They state thfey have every arrangement 1 completed, and will engage to deliver the mails at Milford Haven, in 40 days, or forfeit a penalty of LSO for every day exceeding that period. They also offer to carry first-class passengers (including railway fares) for L6O, and second class ai li3o. The contract to be for a term of 10 years. From "information received" the Melbourne Customs authorities have lately examined a consignment of drapery, ex Loch Katrine, from Glasgow. The consignment was a large one, and only 12 cases have as yet been opened, but they have all been found to be filled with very little drapery aud a great deal of saw-dust, and it is feared that the whole shipment will be found to be of the same composite character. The canny Scotch house which exported the goods has drawn against them to their full legitimate value ; so either the bank or the consignees will be heavy losers. ■ ** About half-past nine on Thursday, 20th alt. , three Celestials rejoicing in the names of Han Guy, Ah Key, and Wa Lum commenced . quarrelling in Little Bourke street, respecting some gambling transaction, which the two former alleged Wa Lum had lost. He, lipwever, refused to pay the amount, and, words not being hard enough, blows were resorted to ; but before they had quarrelled many minutes, Han Goy and Ah Key drew their knives, and severely cut their opponent about the head. The police soon after arrived upon the spot., and the wounded man was taken to the hospital to have his wounds dressed, while his assailants were lodged in the watch-house for the night. The result of the recent Intercolonial Conference, at which the Hon. John Robertson represented New South Wales, the Hon. Mr Yogel represented New Zealand, and the Hon. Mr Lilley represented Queensland, has transpired. They agreed to recommend their respective Governments to establish telegraphic communication with England via Java, according to Mr Fraser's scheme, and a postal service via Torres Straits and Batavia. They also agreed to recommend the payment of a subsidy to the proposed . line of steamers between Sydney, Auckland, Honolulu, and San Francisco. They also agreed that their respective Governments Bhoulil remonstrate with the Imperial Government on the disadvantages under which the colonies labor in their endeavor to mutually arrange for the free interchange of commodities, as also in conventions with foreign countries. A remarkably bold aud audaciously planned robbery was attempted in Swanston street, Melbourne, on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 22. A man named Morrison observing a dray standing opposite the shop of Messrs Broadbent . and Kitchin- ■■>- man's, loaded with cases of brandy, conceived the idea of appropriating one of them to Ilia own use. He hailed a cab ...from the rank, and watching his opportunity, while the. drayniah was 1 carrying part of the load into the shop, took a case from the dray, placed it in the cab, and was driven off. v ■ A passer-bye saw the affair, and thinking all was not right, ga ve notice to the persons in the shop. The >cab *as followed, and the thief arrested in: Elizabeth street, and lodged in the .lock-up.' , A melancholy accident took place at the Pleasant Creek reefs on the 13th inst., to : a miner named James Banliam, ; who was ascending the shaft of . the South Scotchman's claim in a bucket. When about seventy feet from the bottom he fell, striking one of his mates who happened to be standing below and knocking him down, but not hurting him severely. ...Bjenham never moved or spoke afterwards, death being almost instantaneous. ■ A very sudden death occurred -on the , 25th nit, at the Bull and Month- Hotel, Bourke street. A young .man/about 23 years old, walked into the hotel, at about 9 o'clock somewhat rapidly, though with a phaky step, and weiit out; at, 4fce back, after having almost fallen several times. "He was seen to lean against a door, and was made to sit down^ Imt in a few minutes'he was missed, and \\. was surmised that he had gone to the ; closet. This vas found to be the case, and after about ten minutes, it was suspected that something had gone wrong, and a constable was sent for. The deceased was then found dead in the closet. His brother, who is said to reside at Kew, afterwards arrived, and stated that deceased had been suffering from disease of the liver. The unfortunate man's name was Holmer, and we understand he was a solicitor's clerk. Speaking of the weather at Deniliquin last week, the Pastoral Times says :- "Tuesday was very hot, and Wednesday was hotter — the hottest day of the year. The thermometer was up to 117deg. in the shade. We had hot nights on Monday night and Tuesday. AH kinds of devices were tried by our townspeople to get an hour's sleep. Some tried the pipe and cold .water baths, others went down into ; their cellars, but all to no purposes-sleep wrff impossible. Infants cried for water, while men contented themselves with something stronger. Chief Justice Sir Alfred Stephen once said that there was only a sheet of brown paper between. Deniliquin and the lower regions — had the learned judge been here on Wednesday, his Honor would probably have ccn sidered that the brown paper was reduced to the finest tissue paper. Even in our deepest cellars the thermometer registered OOdeg. early in the'day." The Bendigo Evening News states that " a fire occurred on Monday, 24th ult., at the Criterion Hotel, which would have consumed the whole of this large building but for the prompt exertion*, of the servants and the public. It appears that the fire originated in the fowl-house and at once communicated with the hotel, but the flames were subdued before much damage was done. Between nine and ten T o'clock on the same evening, the premises of Mr Garden, draper, Lower Hiintley, were discovered to be on fire. An ialarxn was immediately raised, but ! although several persons hastened to the scene, and did everything possible to extinguish the flames, the whole building was destroyed in about an hour. So rapid was the progress of the flames that it was found impossible to save any part of the goods. It was only last week that Mr Carden received a large consignment of drapery goods, and his loss must be heavy, as we understand the premises were only partially insured. The fire is supposed to have originated through, the explosion of l»feer<wne lamp."