VICTORIA.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume XIII, Issue 546, 27 January 1868, Page 3

VICTORIA.

The Inter-colonial Rifle Match. The challenge shield was fired for by the New South Wales and the Victorian representatives on the 26th, 27th, and 28th December ; and the match resulted in the I victory of the former, who scored 2.412, while their opponents made 2,375 points. This is the third consecutive victory gained by New South Wales. Body Found on the Yarra. —About 2 o’clock on the morning of the 27th ult. a boatman named Stephen Harris discovered tho body of a man floating in the Yarra, near Prince’s bridge. Information was given to the police, and the body removed to the morgue. The body is described as | that of a man about 55 years of age, 5 feet ! 10 inches high, stout build, with a mous taclie, and shaved on chin, very small whiskers, and grey hair cut very short. He was dressed in a black cloth coat and vest, and black cord trousers, white linen shirt, and black silk neckerchief, coarse flannel shirt and drawers, elastic boots, and white | cotton socks. Ou the body were found 5s Und a clay pipe. There were no marks of | violence.—Argus.

The Austhalialv Uaetkst. —The harvest in \ictoria will probably not be nearly so bad as was supposed a short time ago. Although in some districts the crops have been very much injured by rust, and oats are being mown for hay, yet in others the result seems to be all that could be desired. A correspondent of the Argus writes thus respecting the crops in the Q-lenorchy district of Victoria : —“ Our farmers are busy stacking barley, wheat, and hay, and pleasant it is to see the heavy crops gathered in. Truly, they wilt need to enlarge their barns to contain the produce. MessrsPayne, Power, Mitchell, and Kennedy’s hay crops will average over three tons per acre. The wheat crops will, at Qienorchy, average 40 bushels per acre. At Clawadda, Mr D. MTherson’s wheat crop will exceed that.”

Inxee-coiosial CiiiCitET Match.—Th* ygi Cricket Match between the eleven of Victoria and New South Wales was begun on i hursday the 26th ult. At the eud of the second day the score stood thus:— Victoria eleven (first innings') 252 ; New South Wales eleven (first innings, with five wickets to fall) 86. One of the Victorian players, named Wardill, made the unusually high score of 110. The match was ultimately won by the Victorian team, with seven wickets to spare,—Wardill, who had scored 43 during the second innings, not being out. The Argus gives the followin? account of a remarkable dust-storm which occurred on the second day (Friday, 27th December) soon after luncheon: — “ At tin’s point the game was put a stop to ;for a while by one of the most remarkable dust-storms which hare ever been seeu im the neighbourhood of Melbourne. A long :dark cloud came up from the S.W., enclosing in its dusky embrace the whole | length of the cricket ground' across whicli it swept with the sound of rustling leaves iand snapping branches. The dust-cloud j was so thick that for the space of four miinutes a man’s band could scarcely be seen j before turn. The cricketers and some of The spectators fell with (heir faces to the .turf—as Arabs bury themselves in the sand I while the sirocco lasts—in the hope that jthe whirlwind of dust would passover in a | few minutes, but in this they were mistaken, and the shelter of the pavilion was jsoughtfor as soon as the storm had abated ! sufficiently to permit of the men finding their way thither. The spectators in the grand stand, which was unprotected at the back, fled in consternation when they saw the dark wall of dust driving down upon [them, but the stand came out of the ordeal unscathed. Not so, however, the less subjstantial erections. Strips of zinc were j blown off the pavilion front, the halyards of the ladies’ tent were let go just in time to save the whole thing from destruction ; and in the luncheon marquee the charivari of knives and plates, and glasses and decanters, was a thing to bo remembered. When (he first great burst of the storm was over, and the thickest dust had cleared away, a small shower of hats and caps was seen to fall, and the ground was bestrewed with twigs and little branches, blown from 1 trees outside the fence. In Richmond paddock, and as far as the eye could see along the lino of the railway, huge bran- ■ dies, torn from the trees by the violence of 1 the storm, lay upon the ground, and many of the flags used to decorate the cricket reserve were in shreds. The sultry heat of ' the morning had by this time given way to ’ a bitter cold, and there was a gale of wind i blowing which threatened to stop further play for the day. In about three-quarters of an hour, however, the wind abated sufi ficiently to permit of the game being re- > sumed.”

Death from Explosion of Fireworks at Sandhurst. —The special correspondent of the Age gives the following account of deplorable occurrence at Sandhurst on the occa-ion of the Prince’s visit to that locality ;—“ In the midst of a season of unexampled festivity a gloom has been thrown over the community of Sandhurst by the fatal accident which occurred during tho progress of tho torchlight procession. In Melbourne one little boy fell a victim to the bad passions of an unruly section of the community. Here, another boy has fallen a victim to the gross carelessness, if not tho positive wickedness, of one man. The Chinese cracker nuisance is one which in Melbourne the police hare put down with a strong hand ; at the illuminations last night it was permitted to be carried to a reprehensible excess. Little boys were in their glory, for they were throwing about their sparkling dangerous serpents amongst tho ladies’ dresses all night. A prominent feature in tho torchlight procession was the ship of the Fire Brigade to which I made reference yesterday. Her decks had been stocked with fireworks of all sorts, and these were let off at different points of tho li-ie of route as tho procession proceeded. Just after passing the Shamrock, soma miscreant throw into the midst of the fireworks a bundle of crackers, which ignited the combus'ibles, and a blow up was the result. The effect was grand, but the consequences were terrible. The boys manning the little ship’s deck wore got out as soon, as possible, through the indefatigable exertions and cool courage of the captain of the brigade, Mr Meagher ; but one of them was seriously hurt, another hurt unto i death. The poor little fellows were con« jveyedto tho hospital as soon as possible, ! but one one of them died, after enduring hours of horrible agony, at a quarter-past 7 this morning.” The Sydney Morning Herald learns by telegram that three of the boys have died. We copy the following from another exchange; —“ A monument, we learn, i# to be erected at Sandhurst to the memory of the three children who perished through the explosion of the model of the Galatea. The preliminary steps have already been taken, and under circumstances which promise a real sueCCS3, Strange Disappearance. —Tho Mount j Alexander Mail says ; —A strange tale was told on Tuesday, 2-ith Dec., at the Police Court, by a tiny girl who was brought up i so as to give her a home in the lock-up. She said that her name was Julia Gordon, and that she came from Daylesford with her father, and arrived at Barker’s Creek, camping there. Her father went away to ' look after his horse, and did not return. The manner in which the girl told her i story was convincing of its truth, but it re- ■ ceived proof from the fact that tho horse i had been found in a hole, but so injured i as to necessitate its being killed. The police i are trying to solve the mystery of the man’s disappearance.