VICTORIAN ITEMS.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Volume II, Issue 69, 26 December 1863, Page 5

VICTORIAN ITEMS.

A new quartz-crushing, amalgamating, and gold-washing machine has been invented by a Mr. Hart. It is remarkable for its simplicity of construction and great strength; it has but one motion, and is said to be capable of crushing 1680 tons of refuse per week. The working expenses would be £7l JOs.

A man, supposed to be Charles Plant, alias Martin, anas James Payne, a ticket-of-leave holder who was transported to Van Dieman's Land some twenty years ago, has been arrested at the Springs, Mount Bolton, on suspicion of being one of the two men who murdered William Selby and John Barnett, hawkers at Can-'s Plains. A project is on foot for the connexion by tramway of Sandhurst and Inglewood. The Mayors and Corporations of these boroughs intend taking a large interest in the undertaking. The land required has been surveyed, reserved, and gazetted. The expense is estimated at £7s,ooo —this sum to include plant and all contingent expenses. A rock at the entrance of the harbor, some time ago discovered by the ship Lightning striking it, has been removed by blasting, under the superintendence of Commander Norman, of the Victoria steamship. There are now five fathoms of water over the rock at low tide. The Victorian wine-making trade has been somewhat startled by learning that a license cannot be granted to them to retiail only colonial made wine. The licensing act under which the regulations are framed, is an old Sydney act, and as it has proved itself a nuisance in this one respect it will be immediately amended. The occasion calling for a sudden interference with this system has arisen out of an application for a license made by a French vigneron, Count De Dollan, a gentleman who every year makes a large quantity of wine, and who wants to have a license to retail it in Melbourne, at sixpence the tumblerful. At this rate, light drinkable wine would soon usurp the place of heavy undrinkable English ale.