Australian Items.

Hawke's Bay Times, Issue 1529, 28 November 1873, Page 30

Australian Items.

Sandhurst.—Mining Returns. The Bendigo Advertiser publishes a statement showing the amount of the calls made and the dividends paid in connexion with mining companies in the Sandhurst district during the months of July, August, and September, The calls for the quarter amounted to £76,374, while dividends, were paid by companies to the extent of £95,085. The dividends from private claims are estimated at about £30,000, so that the balance of dividends over calls

for the quarter may be stated in round numbers at £48,000. The yield of gold during the period in question was 76,1% ounces, as compared with 12,667 ounces and 77,982 ounces for the corresponding quarters of 1871 and 1872.

Gas from Petroleum, We bear, says the Geclong Advertiser, that an experiment at making gas from petroleum is about to be made in Geclong. As the price of coal gas is still, notwithstanding the reduction, high, the result of the experiment will be looked forward to with some interest, as it is said 700 feet of gas can be made from 15d worth of petroleum. A Valuable Estate. An instance of the profitable management of an infant's estate, under the superintendence of the Equity Court in Melbourne, is mentioned in ;a late Argus. About nineteen years ago a Mr Anderson died, leaving two sons, both infants, the eldsst being only two years of age. His property consisted in a third share in a station in which he had put £I,OOO. The estate was brought into Court to have it legally administered, and owing to the judicious management of the administrator and the receiver, it now amounts to £50,000, invested in mortgages or Government debentures. One of the children died young, and the other came of age a few months ago.

Disgraceful Imposture. The following extraordinary instance of a successful imposition is given by the Ballarat Star:—An inspector of police, utill in the Victorian service, received intelligence that a certain constable in the Victorian force had died in Ireland in his Bister's arms. But the inspector knew the constable was alive and in Victoria. He told the constable of his reported death, and the constable informed the inspector that some impostor must have personated him. He remembered that before joining the force, and while working as a digger, one of the party was like him in person, and, being rather weakly, was the cook for the party. The constable used to leave his home letters about the tent, and the cook had opportunity thus to pry into the home affairs. The inspector subsequently went home, and while there visited the constable's friends to inform them of the imposture. He was assured by both aunt and sister of the constable that he must be in error, for the man who had come home and died was in very truth their relative. True, he had forgotten some facta of his past life, but as he said he had a sunstroke, which affected his memory, there was nothing to wonder at in thatAll the inspector's representations of the actual fact, and all the evidence he produced, failed to shake the confiding women in their belief, and thus the matter ended, bo far as the inspector's mission was concerned.

Sincere Mourners. The death of Mr Patrick Coady Buckley, the Gjpps Land squatter, has been a capital thing for the lawyers. There is a legal fight at every second step. Just at his decease all the shepherds on the station, their wives, and their children, were so deeply stirred by that untoward event that they were moved by an uncontrollable desire to go into mourning—-at the expense of the estate. The persons who supplied these substantial emblems of woe have since sued for payment unsuccessfully. It was proved in evidence that five persons were in such profound anguish that three dozen pairs of black gloves amongst them but slightly assuaged their sorrow. Nor did forty-two yards of black silk for a dress for a lamenting lady thoroughly console her 1 The unfortunate and unpaid draper is now gone into mourning for his unsettled bills. He is quite as sincere as the wearers of his black kid gloves.

New Building Material. Letters patent have been issued in Melbourne to Mr Tongue of Barker's Creek, Castlemaine, for lava stoneworks. The specification described it as melted bluestone runs from the furnace into moulds, and thenoe taken fit for use. It applies to paving.building and architectural uses, and is said to supplant the masons* chiselwork in various particulars Workshops ate to be the patentee at Footscray, in proximity to quarries. His intention is to get the spalls, which are now of little value, and to melt them with a flux in a furnace from which the molten matter will be conveyed into moulds of flagging blocks, or ornamental works for building purposes. Mr Tongue has satisfied himself by long repeated tests of the soundness of the principle he intends following out, and of being to turn out his moulds free of flaw. From a single furnace he estimates being able to make two yards an hour, and to sell the produce at a rate below sawn flagging.