"INTERCOLONIAL NEWS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1089, 24 January 1872, Page 2

"INTERCOLONIAL NEWS.

~Tli6 p Fiji Times of December 9°says :— / "On the occasion of the King's visit to the Parliament House, on Wednesday last, he was escorted by a small number of his 'own'^bodyguard and a guard of honor composed 5 of , about 40 of Maafu's men, under the 'command of his Excellency's son. These latter marched to beat of: x dfunTitt"a very soldier-like manner," keeping good 1 step and time, and in -white shirts and fringed sulus looked well. On arriving at Parliament House the' King's soldiers accompanied him to the building, but Maafu's men piled arms secundem artem, and remained in the roadway. On H.B.M. consul passing they jumped to their arms, and, drawn up in two lines, presented arms as he passed, the consul courteously responding. : r After the ceremony they again returned in the same order. They marched exceedingly well, but — tell it not in Gath — their drum was an empty kerosene tin, undisguised." " A terrible, and it is feared a fatal, conflict," reports our Ballarat correspondent, "took place last Sunday night, between a farmer and a bull, under the following circumstances . — Mr Andrew Mather, who rents a farm near Mount Rowan, was asked by Mrs Mather, who had gone into the yard to milk the cows, to turn out a neighbor's bull that had followed them in. Mr Mather went to do so, when the brute suddenly turned upon him and got him in such a position that it tossed him in the air some distance ; on coming down Mr Mather fell heavily on his back, and was so stunned by the fall that before he could get on his legs the infuriated beast was at him, and kneeling with its knees on his stomach commenced to gore at arid bruise the unfortunate man terribly, Mrs Mather ran to his assistance, but he begged of her riot to come near him, but to run with all speed and get assistance from the neighbors. At this time Mr Mather, who is a strong though elderly man, had got his hand on, the ring through the bull's nose, and was fighting hard for his life. Assistance soon came, and he. was rescued, but it is feared he has received fatal injuries. Several of his ribs are broken, his breast is much torn, and it is feared his lungs are lacerated. He seemed easier yesterday, but there is little hope of his recovery." A very sharp revenue inspector is located at Tarrengower. He rejoices in the appropriate name of Giltrap, and is re-, ported by the local Times to have made a mere catspaw of an innocent young ban named George Grant, a carter in the district. It appeared that Grant was working near Neerearaan, and that the inspector was "fooling around," and yarning with the men who were workingfor the Shire Council, when he saw Grant come from g,n unlicensed shanty, rubbing his lips with the back of his cuff, and to all appearance upon excellent terms with himself. "Hallo, Grant, what have ye been taking?" "A gill of good rum." " Well, you're a nice fellow, why didn't ye bring me one?" " Well, I would have done, but they hadn't a bottle." "Oh, here's a bottle, fetch us a nobbier, for I'm dying o' the drouth." The lamb departs, and brings the rum to the sly fox, who, making the pretence to go to ' a waterhole . to dilute the spirit, quietly secreted it, and made the necessary entry in his pocket-book. Oh the next occasion Grant is going to another shanty for a mug of beer. "Ah, thin, fetch me some in the biily can," says the inspector. This is done, a portion drank, and a portion bottled; the inspector mounts his nag, arid : trots joyously to; Maidon,; issues; the necessary summonses, including one|p Grantj as a witness, and by these means obtains two convictions, and the seizure of certain liquor and utensils, to the discomfiture of no one more than Grant himself. .

The notorious old woman, Janet Marshall, who, being cursed with . an income of L2OO a year, spends itindrink} and is constantly intoxicated, is acting the part of Sinb.ad's Old Man of the Sea to the Melbourne city magistrates. They do not know what to do with her,'and are fairly nonplussed. Chances innumerable have been given her ; but no sooner has she been discharged on one day than she appears again before them on the next. One time she is discovered lying helplessly drunk on the railway line, and is rescued just before the train passes. On another occasion she is found on the broad !of. her back in the' gutter. The special providence that is popularly supposed to watch over drunkards protects her, however, and she is always discovered and taken to the watchhouse before she meets with any harm. More than once she has promised to reform and to go to her station on the Upper Rle,nty, but experience haa shown that the only station she ever visits is the police-station in Swanst.m street.^ Having celebrated the New Year in her usual fashion, she was found on Monday morning lying drunk on the pavement in Collins street. She was brought before the court yesterday. Of course she promised to reform and , to go to her station, but the magistrates could not trust her. She had but recently left the gaol, where she was sent for three months, and had to pay 8s a week for her lodgings. The Bench were unwilling to commit her again, but knowing no way to get rid of her, they sent her back for three days, with a warning that she would get six months, and have to pay 10s a week, if she repeated her offence. There is tittle doubt but that they/yili tiaye t6 carry put; their threat. Anent the water supply to. $telt>oiirne> "A resident of Young-street, Fitzroy/' forwards us a, diary he has kept during the last two or three days, from which we make the following extract :—" Saturday.—Arose at 7 o'clock a.m. No water. Blazing hot wind blowing. Not only was I debarred from having my usual bath, but I could not get sufficient water to fill J:he kettle, Went to my neighbors. All m the same predicament. Went to the ' public ' where 1 get my "dinner and supper beer. Landlord as badly off as myself, and obliged to drink ale for breakfast. Had to walk a quarter of a mile to a friend who has a tank before I could get water, and to make two or three trips previous to going to work, in order to get sufficient water for wife's use during the day. Coming home in the evening, after day's labor, choked with dust and parched with thirst, rushed to ,the tap and turned it on. Anxiously watched for results. None came. Waited patiently as possible till midnight, when, joy ! there was a hissing sound in' the pipe, joy only fleeting. Took two hours to fill our bedroom jugj the basin, and the kettle, and then silence reigned in the pipe. The last drop had drained from it. ' Sunday Morning.— Determined to be safe. Got up before 6

I ... „.-.. -^-— v.r>.-,~ o'clock.- Surely (there must be a good supply now/- as ; there is none used for ' wateringrthe "streets. After the tap had run for an hour there was about half an inch of water in the bath. Then itstopped running altogether, and I had .again, to havfi^ recoiirse^ to ,,.my m ||jend'|^, : tank. This in the middle of the day. : Friends driviftg by laughing at nic carry/ ing a bucket in one hand and a jug in the -other.— Yan Yean came on.again.,at^UL^o'clock at night, but I was.by..this time in too despairing a " flta+4 oi mind to take advantage of it. Refreshed myself, with night's sleep. Monday Morninß.—Water off again. Monday Evening.— Have been home.< Can't stop there. Wife in ill temper. Still no water. What next ? The Van Yean or the Yarra Bend ?"