LATEST AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 656, 2 April 1870, Page 2

LATEST AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

♦■ Another strike has taken place at the Alfred Graving Dock, Williamstown. Mr M'Fadden, farmer, and Mr M'Lachlan, barber, have been drowned at Maitland. A clerk, named Evans, committed suicide at Sydney, owing, it is alleged, to the reductions made in his department. Mr John Guthrie, Inspector-General of Customs, Victoria, died at Panshtwiger, the residence of the Hon. Joseph Archer. Mr Gillies is virtually the member fb* * Maryborough. He was the only candidate nominated. ; General Tom Thumb andhisoorapanioDa made their last appearance in Melbourne for some time to come on Saturday, 19th ult., when they gave three entertainments. The bill, just passed by the Victorian Legislature, gives Ltidy Darling an annuity of LIOOO per annum, and settles LSOOO on hfci' four sons, to be divided equally between them on their attaining their majority. Most of the passages by the second steamer on the Californian line have been already secured. ■'...: A man, named Thomas Cook, late of H.M.S. Galatea, was drowned while attempting to Cross the Mihi Creek, a tributary of the Macleay River. His body has been recovered. Another body, that of a man, name mi- . [known, has been found floating in the Barwon (Upper Darling). - ' It is reported that four bodies of drowned persons have been discovered on I Redhead, about six miles south of the entrance to Newcastle. The Australia Felix Hotel, at the corner of Bourke and Russell streets, with the four shops adjoining, and fronting Bourke street, realised at auction L 16,000. ' Circumstances have come to light that have raised some doubts as to whetherthe man who was executed for the murder of Margaret Graham, at Dayletford, a few ' years ago, was not innocent. The circumstances at the time created a great sensation, and the verdict was much criticised. The evidence was entirely circumstantial, the police forming some of - the principal witnesses. Isaac Solomon, hop merchant, h<» called a meeting of his creditors. His liabilities amount to L 25,000. The Kyneton express train} conveying the Governor, killed a man who was crossing the rails. Studman, charged with the murder of his . wife at Talbot, has been committed for trial. Frank Nixon Halfey, the son of Mr John Halfey, merchant, and formerly M.L.A. for Sandhurst, was unfortunately drowned about midday on Friday 18t ulth, in the River Yarra, at Kew. A prospectus ha 3 been issued in Sydney, of a Great North and South Railway and Immigration Company, with capital of twenty millions sterling. A destructive tire broke out on -Friday night 18th nit. at Ascot street Ballarat,_ whereby the premises of Mr John Berry > grocer and draper, were destroyed. A boy six years of age, son of constable Boy lei was drowned in the Merrie River, at Woodford. He was playing with a dog on the banks of the river, and slipped in accidently. The case of Warren, one of the Christy Minstrels, arrested at Launceston on a. charge of criminal assault, was called on at the police court when the girl refused to give evidence. She was committed ta prison for 14 days for contempt of court, and Warren was released on entering into his own recognisances to appear when called on. The general impression now is that the charge has been trumped up. '' The floods at Maitland have been so. great as to wash the powder magazine: away. Several hundred families have beeu flooded out. Many narrow escapes from death. Great distress prevails in consequence of the large amount of property destroyed, and the numbers driven almost naked from their homes. From Sale we learn that on the 23rd tilt., the River Avon was heavily flooded. The rush of water came down this morning at daylight, and at half-past 1 p.m. the Stratford bridge was swept away. The water rose 14ft in a few hours. The Nunting Plain is flooded, and the back waters in the neighbourhood are rising rapidly. A general flood is expected. The rain is not very heavy, but ifc has. been continuous for the last 30 hours. A man named Legge is in custody at Adelaide on a charge of murdering hia wife. They had received some money from England by the mail, and had indulged rather too freely. When at Gason's labour office, a dispute arose between them, and the husband fatally stabbed his wife with a knife. ~" . ■ Captain Phillips, late master of IkeHenry Ellis has committed suicide at Adelaide by taking a dose of laudanum. Dixon, bootmaker, Hindley street, Adelaide, who was arrested on a charge of wilfully setting fire to his premises, in accordance with the verdict returned by a. coroner's jury, has been released by the authority of the police magistrate. : The first puddling-machine in Tasmania was started by the Back Creek Company, Pipers River, on Saturday, 19th ult. Ten loads yielded 3oz 15dwt. '* Great surprise has beeu expressed at the crushing of 100 tons of apparently richquartz at the Union Gompany!s .work's, Fingal, Tasmania, which yielded only a few ounces of amalgam. An. investigation into the circumstances is proceeding. There appears to be very small probability, from correspondence which appeara in the papers, of Hewitt and Harris running the dead-heat at 300 yards over again. Mr Harris is not contented with the result of the recent matches, and we (Leader) are authorised to state he is prepared to stake from L6OO to LIOOO onla series of matches to be run between himself and Hewitt at distances which shall range from 100 to 300 yards. The challenger stipulates for a straight course, and that the races shall be run within a month* He states that he was utterly unfit for work, having on the first day of the matches contracted a very severe cold, from wldch he is now evidently suffering acutely. This view of the case adds all ' the more to the brilliance of his fiuish in the hundred yards spin. We learn that a. number of his frieuds propose to present him with a substantial testimonial. . The English champion pedestrians are, it seems, to run once more in. Melbourne, prior to their departure for New South Wales. The days fixed for their appearance are Saturday and Monday, the 2nd and 4th of April. Some very tempting prizes are offered to those who feel inclined to take their chatics of a liberal handicap, but at a meeting of Victorisii

pedestrians held on the ,2Srd ult., at Grhnwood's Hotel, Elizabeth street — Mr R. C. Hiirraman in the chair- -it was explained that the meeting had been called for the. purpose of expressing the feelinj; of dissatisfaction that waa felt at the unfuir handicaps that hud been made of late, particularly in those races in which the All England pedestrians had contended. Mr N. J. Maude moved the following resolution :— " That the Victorian pedestrians do not compete in any events that may be advertised to come off under the present management or association that have the racing of the All England pedeptrians under control." Mr Mahoney seconded the resolution, which was supported by Messrs J. Collie and F. Smith. Some remarks were also made as to the unfair treatment the Victorian pedestrians received on the Melbourne Cricket Ground. One of the speakers drew the attention of the meeting to the fact that when the English pedestrians were beaten it was put down to their not being fit, and yet when they were admitted to bo in perfect training they received a much more favorable handicap. It was also remarked that the time allowed for amateurs who had their private business to attend to was far too short in which to get theniBelves fit to run such long distances as those . advertised. The resolution was signed by the following persons : — J. Collie, N. J. Maude, M. Mahoney, H. Wallace, J.< S. Dismore, J. Mahoney, F. Smith, W. Buck, N. Williams, and A. Drake. The meeting then separated.