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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 120, 21 May 1872, Page 4

Australian Overland Telegraph. — A rather discouraging account of the prospects of the overland telegraph is supplied to the South Australian Register by a correspondent, who writes from the Roper, and whose latest communication is dated March 18. The writer had, with several others who went to the North as passengers by the Omeo, been through some very trying circumstances, which were quite, sufficient to account for the rather dreary outlook which his letter depicts. They had been living for some time on a little peninsula, which, ultimately, by the rise of the water, became an island about 100 feet wide, and 1500 feet long. This was surrounded by a widespread inundation, which cut them' off from access to high land, and threatened them with a forced retreat to their " Noah's ark," the Bengal, which lay at anchor in the river. They used to assemble under a "tarpaulin without sides" three times a day, to " eat preserved meat and drink pannikins of tea." Men occasionally climbed up the trees to see if either of the expected steamers was in sight, and also to see "if the branches would be safe to roost upon in case of smergency." The collection of tents eeen from the vessel "looked like a number of discolored pocket handkerchiefs spread out on a mud bank" And the rain seems to have been all the time steadily falling. 'Under these conditions it iS hot to be wondered at if the writer thought that the telegraph would not be finished, till the end of the year, that the white ants would eat down all the wooden posts, as fast as they were erected, that the line would have to be reconstructed as soon as it is : completed, and that the people along the line, must be starving unless they could, eat the wire which was liberally sent to them in answer to their request for, supplies of food; At the last, matters appeared, a little brighter. ; The floods had lowered, the country became passable, although still very wet and boggy, and 60 pack-horses were sent to the line with loads of provisions. . The writer concludes an interesting, but perhaps rather colored, account with the following sketch : — "We have just taken a trip . in the Young Australian up the Hodgson, but we could not. go many miles owing to' the branches of the trees, which overhung the stream and entangled themselves with the rigging of the steamer. As far as we went, 1 the river was very picturesque. Masses of. dark stone rose up here and there on each side like huge gateways, and under these were deep silent pdbls of. water... in which alligators,"7floundered,." whilst .swarms . of vampire bats started up and darkened the air aboye.y .It was wild and. weird-like — „„.: :Y:"»We were the first that ever burst' ' .-..1nt0 that silent sea.?' Crash went the , steamer every now ; and then through the branches of the drooping teatree, and >_o'iii_ echoed the hills with the cheering ißoatedfl^" He's a jolly good

fellow," with three times three and one cheer more for Mr. Todd and all the little Toddlings." From the Orchestra we learn that '.^Verdi's new opera 'Aida,' brought out, at Cairo about a couple of months ago has just been given with extraordinary success at Milan. The enthusiasm of the Milanese knew no bounds ; the great composer was called no less than thirtythree times to the footlights, and solemnly presented with 'a golden sceptre set with brilliants.' D,Arcais, the musical critic of the Opinione, sends the following telegram to Rome : — ■' Milan, 9th February. — * Aida" a great success ; Verdi called thirty-three times before the curtain ; nine times in succession at the ciose. Piece full of beauties, and especially admirable the finales of the first and second acts, the duet between baritone and soprano, and the entire fourth act. The last scene one of tbe finest inspirations of Verdi. Opera distinguished for melody and instrumentation ; splendidly executed, and put upon the stage as only can be done in Milan.' " The learned author of "The Descent of Man," in noticing that animals aften suffer from the diseases that afflict ourselves, might have added that, in some cases, they are not free from our vice also. According to a letter from Darfur, in Efrica, the monkeys of lhat region are inordinately fond of a kind of beer made by the natives, who use the beverage to capture their simial poor relatians. Having placed quantities of the beer where the monkeys can get at it, the natives wait until their victims are in various degrees of inebriation, and when they then mingle with them, the poor creatures are too much fuddled to recognise tbe difference between negro and ape. When a negro takes the hand of one of them to lead him off, some other fond creature clings to the hand of the latter, another one to his hand, and thus a single negro may sometimes be seen carrying off a string of staggering monkeys. When secured, the beer is administered in decreasing, quantities, so that they may only gradually awake to the sad results of their spree.

MEDICAL HALL.