AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 14, Issue 744, 16 December 1869, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

We learn from a Hamilton journal that a strange incident occurred lately at Mr M'Kellan's Stratbkellow station, on which are some deer running. It seems that a fine buck, by rubbing his antlers against the fence, had succeeded in removing some puling*, and escaped from his enclosure through the auerture so made. James Carton, the gardener, went up to the ani mal, which was usually very quiet, and had succeeded in placing his hand upon him. The stag turned on hnn suddenly. and ripped the poor fellow's st miaeh in a frightful manner. Greorg.; LL.d.-ay, the groom, who was on horseback at the inn.-, came up to render assistance, and for tuat purpose dismounted from Ins horse. The buck then at;ackeei him, and plunged his antlers into the left breast above the heart, penetrating a couple of inches. Ilad not the groom maniged to scramble upon his horse and gallop away, worse might have befallen him, for the stag was preparing to renew the atack, and chased him some distance. On getting off his horse, Lindsay found there had been considerab e losof blood from his wound. Both men are progressing towards recovery, although confined to their beds.—Age Private James Morcom, of No. 1 Company Prince Alfred Rifles, at Adelaide, made some extraordinary shooting the other day. At 700 yards he made nine consecutive bulls' eyes out of ten shots, the highest distance score ever made in South Australia, with an Enfield. The shooting was in " any position." Black caterpillars, an inch long, have suddenly appeared in Tasmania, eating off the ears of the wheat crop, leaves of trees, and strawberries. In one case a paddoek belonging to Mr Woods of Bridgewater, was destroyed in two days. The Melbourne correspondent of the Daily Times says : —The successful raising of the Taranaki has added mueh to a prevalent desire in Melbourne to speculate in sunken vessels; so much so that when the hull and cargo of the stranded ship Victoria Tower were offered to public competition recently, the bidding really was as it is generally described, " spirited." All classes competed—merchants, Etevedores, consuls (of course by agents—decency, you know), and even the church was represented. The result of the competition was, that the sum of £8,400 cash bid by Messrs Warberton & Biain was declared have bought the whole right title, and interest, into and upon, &c, of the ship Victoria Tower, subject to a protest on the part of representatives of about £IO,OOO worth of the cargo. The Melbourne Argus says :—" The new Governor of Western Australia, Mr Weld, Beems likely to prove a vigorous administrator. Though it is only a few weeks since he entered on the discharge of his duties he is already actively engaged in the planning out of important public works, and has invited Mr Doyne, civil engineer of this city, to proceed to Western Australia, and assist him (Mr Weld) with his professional advice. The contemplated works include river and harbor improvements, anu also railways or tramroads. Mr Weld thinks it probable that Western Australia will prove a very important settlement by and by, though there is not much stir in it just now. It possesses valuable natural resources, and among

these he includes auriferous deposits, which have only ro be properly worked to prove remunerative. We understand that Mr Doyne intends to visit the Western Colony, in compliance with his Excellency's request. The Melbourne Argus of the 20th ult. says: —The sealed sentence, for the reading of which the proprietors of " Humbug " offered a reward of £SO, has proved a poser for the spiritists. The envelope containing it was opened yesterday by the manager of the Union Bank, in the presence of several witnesses, and the contents read aloud. The answers sent in by the clairvoyants were not only wrong in phraseology, but did not in the faintest degree approach the idea embodied in the test sentence. We understand that both question and answers will be published in the next number of " Humbug "