TASMANIA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XI, Issue 668, 2 April 1859, Page 3

TASMANIA.

.' The Mariposa;brings; us Hotaii;,Town papers to the 18th' tilt.y from; the -latest ofwhich ,we extract the few- fresh /items of;■' European news' "given in another column.- : - '." "■:• ' *'/' ' :

The,' Daily Mercury' of the '14th,, giving a summary '.'6f the, month compiled*, for:: the outward English mail,states'i;that:thei^\is;no-pQlitical'news to record; and the.fpilomng.'pOTagraphs'from the same paper-are all that'We'cafi" find, worth.extract-

ing i— ""- : " " / ■•"' ' !;T"-;V..'';':",'"./,l"' '.' :'- ''*'"'- \'EXECUTION OF BuSHEAJy-GEES.—Three culprits, Stewart, (" Wingy") Terns, and Haley, (' fßlack Peter") were' executed withhi the precincts;"of "the prison oh the 16th ult., pursuant to the sentence passed upon them by the Chief Justice at the last Criminal Sessions of the Supreme Court for shooting at Chief District Constable Propsting with indent to murder him. These unfortunate men had been long at large in the western part of the colony, and had committed; several "armed robberies," but,'with' the exception of the case for,which they were condemned, had used no violence. After their condemnation considerable efforts were made to avert .the extreme penalty of the law* and a petition signed by the prosecutor, several- of the jury, and others was forwarded t> the Executive praying for an alleviation of the sentence. -The Executive accordingly met specially to reconsider the case, butdiscovered.no grounds for any mitigation and the law was left to take its course. There were executed with them two criminals convicted ,of : murder. —John King for the murder of the woman with whom he cohabited, and William Davis for the murder of a laboring man at New Norfolk, who had saved a small sum of money. . : .. ; Fires.—Several fires have, occurred during,the month, some of which have been attributed-to incendiarism. Amongst the latter was : the conflagration at Mr. Bilton's at Chigwell, by which a portion of the premises, was. destroyed; by strenuous exertion* . however, and a copious supply of water, the range of outbuildings and the new house were saved. A reward.:of £25 has been offered for the conviction of the ineeiidiary. Another fire occurred on the 14th ultimo, at Branibletye House, South Esk River, the mansion of T. B. Clarke, Esq., where a barn and stable were ignited, and property to the amount of £1000 destroyed, including a valuable horse which was utterly consumed with the exception of the head. A man hasbeen apprehended on.. suspicion of setting tlie buildings on fire, and lodged in Campbell Town gaol. A fire took place on the;;night of the same day, the 14th ultimo, in the "shop of Mr. Nathaii, , Pawnbroker, J,ivei-pool Street, which occurred through the accidental dropping of some sparks from a candle. It was fortunately discovered in timo, and assistance being promptly at hand the flames were speedily quenched, but not before much damage was unnecessarily; done to the goods in the shop, the windows being broken, and the house saturated with water. Between one and two o'clock on the morning of the 4th instant the stables at the rear of the Cornish Mount in Barrack Street were discovered to .be on fire, which was burning with great fury, aided by a strong north-westerly breeze. Th« Cornish Mount and surrounding' buildings, the shingles of which were once or twice on fire, wore saved by the activity of a. person named Carrick,aided,.subsequently, by constablfs Van^han and Carey, who got on the roof and lay buckets of water kept the.flames from spreading. Mr. Burgess also, rendered very valuable assistance. The whole of the. stables. were burni'd-. to the : ground. ■ Two carts and a dray were also destroyed,.and a valuable boar, before, assistance could, be rendered, was literally roasted alive. The horses and other cattle

rwci-tf<mjv«d, Aiv. U?or'd vvas not iiwured. .A man i-had 'giintf'M'o £he stable a short time before with a '6andU>, and it is presumed that an .accidentalspark ffHifingmmutiiUutf!,-.1 was lElie 'cause-of .the catastrophe. 1 Ou the liij^h of tlie 7th instant, abont 11 o'clock a *i&re'broke'ttutui the stable attachedsto JMi\:Et<pie's house^ttSSmuly Bay., antl owing 'to ithe distance town the'ttngines craved ■.fcoo&iteito >bo of any -■•RCKviee. /Fire ■oxeriions'oT the firemen nwero. con«e--dHHJiibodvto.the preservation ofi the dwelling chouse, in which they were -successful. Afine<hovse ■ \wis burnt to deativand. About twelve tons.rtf hay >■• consumed. Fires ha?eil«o occurred in the country, Que-afc Longftm.l, riwKT<another ..at -Spring Sill; at * --the laiter'Hr.'.'BanetV&us.kaHXJdtsii.lfrssamounting to

PiKE^EEii. —In connection with fires we have • to^iotice the. use and application of a new hydraulic "machine, invented in London, and manufactured here by Mr. George BiXMv-n»>of Bathur&t-Btreet, who •has charge**^ theDerwent -and Tamar Company's fire.fengine. ; This .As. called a fire reel, ana acts irrespective of the engine,, by means.of a hose, which is fastened^round a barrel- revolving on the axleof apair, ofvwheels, and deriving the supply of water immediately from' the ifire iplug. Tlt is exttremoly portable >and-.- easily. movdd "from one spot to another ,vshe >pressureof the>water in the mains ■causing it to be thrawnito a great height. We are not aware that any «f the other insurance companies i, we of this new contrivance, but its great iuperiority to the more cumbersome engine will, most probably, lead to "its general Adoption. "; ■. PARINO Bubglary.—On Thursday night or early on .Friday morning ?a most daring, burglary and* extensive * robbery were perpetrated at the ttjsMeace'*of ■ John Hayes, Esq.,. of Bagdad. By. means not ascertained. the "thieves jjnece'ss, • into the. house,-and} while the inmates were asleep, visited every room, and*carried away'a large booty, consisting^- every valuable arid: portable article • flbßycdtM'-lay h*nds> on. Wearing apparel, table .-. and i other'linen, • desks, -wo*kb<j«es, «and various ' other property were iak&r away.^rid a horse stolen • irorrii the--stable to cSfry^e, plunder* But the ' most iniquitous 'p»tt*of'"'the proceeding remains to • Ijetold. ' The rogues brokeopen the escritoire in ' tfoe'hppe'oftobtaining money, hut finding none set ■ iire^to some' papers, by which the house would V probably have been burnt to the ground had <fae I papers not 'smouldered instead of 'iur&ting "into flattie; indeed, it was evidently tfaeirisntention to bttrridownthe premises, as'-they atao;6et five to the tkpestry in several places. So secretly and .adroitly was the work done that the family did not discover their loss until they found the doors open in-the; morning. ' -