AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1693, 7 January 1874, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

>The Helena Thas • arrived at J Sydney f rbm New York.; the captain ; reports that lightning struck' the- ship,^and shivered the main royal mast > and. U yards,', and burned a portion of. the sails. The electric fluid then ran down the mast into the hold: ■■• ' The Cricketing Association of New South Wales hw r: -rlsohed to aid the arrangemente^f^tne>i^English cricketers, but decUnes a^y|filianciil responsibility. /■ A company .kbeing formed, in Adelaide for the manufacture j)f cement 1 an^plas^r A' man named: Eoach 1 - haJ^eek^iilSed in the Moonta' mine by a piece of rock falling on him.. -,,. .. , ;X r Chinaman istabb dead at Gulgong/pn the ir '24i;li". ! uif l^he murderer !; ,wa3 jarrested, Ja^ r.ponimiiiiied for trial. " ~ • • ,-- >>■ o.^/t A man'named William- Ellis, who' had been: arrested fpr steaiing-at- Adelaide, hahgedhimself in the police celr. :ri ' r \ ■ The Ballarat Cmirier ; writes: — J'The fines inflicted upon' the 'persons convicted of 'assaults' couriected with . ithe-; late 1 dis- ' turbkiice ai Clunes ■wereip^id from I the funds of the Clunes Miners' Association. The expenses 'altogether > amounted to nearly LBO. : A subscription ,in «id of the fund has been . started,, and.^isybeing liberallyi responded to." at Clunes" and assistance is expected from other places. There is a movement afloat in Tasmania for the purpose' of procuring the annexation of that Colony "£b Victoria. The 'GminvitH 'ClirbnicU- writes The" tho- , roughly, hopeless'jcbnditioiijinto which ?he political' affairs of Tasmania are ; idrif ting in the, hands of j bur, present rulers is fast directing the attention of "the people to the :' importance of seekiijjjf relief jm~ annexation to" a more v ' powerful aSr rationally governed country, and we have frequent proofa that' Annexation to Victoria, which strongly advocated some months ago','iaygraduall^ drawing nearer r and nearer to accomplishment." ' ' ' T^s<illhrat T C<kmr ! says^? f he grasshoppers or^lo6i[3te.'afre'bn / th l e wing iv the Geelong district.^ Ori Christmas Day clofyds.qf i,the plague "were flying. awos3 the railway line between Duck Ponds' and the Werribee. River! , Ttiey appeared to, be travelling northwards, ,and; J the;VhWtiers can«only be i compared tb dense 'cloySSfe'l'* The- quantity of gold receivqd^at the Melbourne- Mint for the ( y^ir''iß7B, from the Ist, January to." the, 24th December, .was.2^l,427bz, consisting 1 ot 122,6850? j Victori ! in,-and W\74soz pki^ golU.^ . The Age -titties ihafc' fl the South Aoi^ .traljan Govern ment bay^receive^Tnjutober;of bffers fbf the conkrru : bUbn J of / the transcontinental -railway, but as they were all crude/ Ithey^ have come 'to nothing. Mr -o}Neill, on behalf of Messrs Brogderi'^arid Sorib^ ihas-'ilieen making enquiries^ on the' subject. 1 C A 7 <: A^farmer named' John Brisbane^ 'living neSrEchucaV accidentally^bai his 1 wife a week or tw ( o f ago. , He took up a loaded 'gun>tpifemove it,,as ;his wife 3said r that it was dangerous, and while turning^ rbtfnd 'something! .caught tbe.hammefc,! afttt discharged the weapon ia .theadire'otioriJof ,the poor, wqman:;; She ißasjhpj;,' through the shoulder, ani fell .withitheiexclamation "Oh!" Whenever moved or spoke again. r ; -;r-:i:-i.- i- : v.-:i .