Miscellaneous.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 555, 27 February 1858, Page 5

Miscellaneous.

The Correspondent of the' Adelaide Mercury,' under date Jan. 28th, writes as follows :— The heat of the weather is intense : 110 ° to 115 ° in the shade is the order of the day. The number of sudden deaths that daily appear in the newspapers is really something dreadful to contemplate. If some change does not. speedily take place, I don't know what will become of us all. Mr. Torren's Real Property Bill, after encountering a smart opposition in the Legislative Council, was i¥ead a third time in that house on the 26th instant. Parliament was formally prorogued yesterday by his Excellency. It had been sitting for nine months. The completion of the laying down of the inter-colonial telegraph cable .'across the Goolwa Channel was made known in Adelaide on Tuesday night. Great complaints are constantly reaching me of this year's wheat crop. Compared with the yield of last year, the present harvest will prove a considerable failure. No other news of interest. . The American Whaleship Junior.—The three prisoners:—Plumer, Ryche, and Stanley— implicated in the tragedy on board this vessel, were brought up at the Water-Police Court, .'Sydney, on the Ist instant, before the Police Magistrate (S. North, Esq..) and other Justices. Several witnesses were examined, and a large amount of evidence, documentary and oral, Avas adduced. The prisoners were then remanded for further examination till the next day. The 'Empire says':—"A considerable crowd was collected outside the Court round the police van, into which the prisoners were marshalled for safe keeping in Darluighurst gaol. The trio appeared quite collected and unembarrassed throughout the examination." The Dunbar. —Over the remains of the unfortunate sufferers by the wreck of this vessel, it is intended to erect a tomb. The Colonial Architect, receiving his instructions from the honourable the Colonial Secretary, has completed the structure. The design is creditable ito the colony. It will be erected in the Newtown cemetery in a few days.— Sydney Serald. The Overland Mail. —The " Argus " of Feb. 5 says, —"The Royal Mail steam-ship Victoria has not made her appearance, although due to-day. We have been informed, on the authority*of the agent of the Roj'al Mail Company, that there exists little room for doubting that the Victoria was at Point de Galle, and ready for sea, on the 18th January. This stoain-ship may, therefore, be hourly expected : and, considering the anxiety with which English intelligence is looked for, we think the Government would do well to keep open the telegraphic communication between the Heads and the Capital, night and day, until the steamer makes her appearance."

The Crops in Victoria.—On all sides we hear ot abundant crops, so much so that the greatest difficulty has been experienced in setting them cut down in time. On no previous year have the agricultural lands of the colony presented such splendid fields of grain. The exception this year seems to have been low cjrops, and high ones the general rule. In many instances both wheat and oats have reached six and seven feet, and the stems of the latter, where allowed to stand for grain, have been more like large reeds than straws.— Agricultural and Horticultural Gazette.