AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 134, 8 June 1877, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

(From the Australasian, May 26.) .

Mr Alfred Nich'olls.a surveyor at Adelaide, has died through taking chlorodyne. Over 800 persons in South Australia have agreed to join the volunteer force. The Government propose to establish seven districts with a total force of (000 men.

Four packers on the Palmer-road were assaulted by Chinamen, and- robbed of £92. The Chinese daringly robbed a butcher's shop at the Palmer of £60.

A solicitor named S. J. Molyneaux, practising at Lancefleld (Victoria), has been charged before Messrs Little and Foy with robbery from the person, and sentenced to three months', imprisonment in Melbourne gaol. :

Peter Pridmore, a flour merchant, has been charged by the Bank of Adelaide withobtaining £1575 by falsely representing that he had 105 tons of flour "at Sinclair's store. The ciue was adjourned for a week. '

In the Queensland Assembly- a bill, restricting the employment of Polynesians to within thirty mile3 of the coast, prohibiting the possession of firearms, arid employment except in tropical and semi-tropical agriculture, has passed the second reading. The Hobarton Mercury states, and challenges contradiction, that the Governor granted a dissolution on the understanding that Ministers got supplies, but the Premier withheld this information from the Parliament, and ao obtained supplies, which otherwise would not have been granted. Thomas Entecott and William Kirk were brought up at the Maryborough police'court, Victoria, on remand for distributing handbills without printed name. Both pleaded ignorance. They wero fined £5 each. The bills bore the signature o£ William Coulter. A telegram from him to the superintendent of police was read, in which he characterised the bills as a forgery and a slanderous falsehood. They were neither issued nor authorised by him.

. A Cooktown telegram says : — There is great distress amongst the Chinese on the Palmer in consequence of the dry season setting in, and hundreds are wandering about starving and robbing everywhere, On Sunday morning, John Daff, a packer at Gregory's Gully, while counting his cash was robbed by two Chinamen, unknown, of £60 j and on the same day a packer named John Flynn, while out looking for horses, was suddenly attacked by Chinamen, and robbed of £90 and also much injured. Extra police are much required/ as the Chinamen are nearly all armed.

An amended Friandly Societies Bill, states the Ballarat Courier, is now being drafted, and will be . introduced during the ensuing session of Parliament, based on the recommendations of the late Royal Commission. A retrospective clause will be proposed to deal with and make the officers responsible for an alleged misappropriation of moneys in connection with a friendly society, which has unfortunately been too prominent before the public

A telegram from Cape Bordasayß that the brig Emily Smith, from Ring George's Sound to Adelaide was wrecked last Tuesday near West Bay, and 21 people drowned. Four Chinamen and a woman were saved. Three o2 the men hare arrived at a station; the other man and the woman are endeavoribg to make their way to Cape Borda, but are in an exhausted condition. The vessel went to pieces five minutes after it struck. There were also on board five children belonging to passengers, with the captain, his wife, and four children.'

Some excitement was occasioned under the Verandah at Sandhurst lately by a fracas that took place between two persons over an election matter. The agent for a gentleman who was a .candidate for the representation of Mandurang at the recent alection was making a statement to the effect that there were "2000 liars in Mandurang," basing his assertion on the circumstance that his principal had been promised more votes than he had polled. Whilst he was speaking, however, a person stepped up from behind, and said " That's a lie, arid you're 1 a liar," upon which the agent referred to struck him a blow on the face, and requested him to " put up his hands." On his refusing to do so, he gave him another blow, and then threw him. into the gutter. The same agent (observes the Bendigo Advertiser) has been wearing a black band round his hat ever since the election, to mark the death of Truth in Mandurang. He greatly deplores the.necessity which compels him to do this, and steadfastly declares that there are 2000 men in the electorate who have not voted aa they promised 1 . '-.

A cable message announces that the appeal ; to the Privy Council in the case of The Mayor of Essendon v. The Victoria Racing Club has been allowed. The borough of Essendon had rated the Flemington racecourse as of the annual value of £2,500, and made a rate of £125 thereon. Against this assessment the committee of the V.R.C. appealed to the General Sessions, on two grounds:— lst, That the land was not liable to be rated at all, as it waß Crown land. 2nd. That the valuation was excessive. Mr Bowman, as the Chairman of General Sessions, agreed with the view urged for the club that the land could not be rated without entering into the question whether the valuation was excessive. A special case' was stated for the opinion of the Supreme Court whether this decision was right, and the Court agreed with the view taken by the Chairman of General Sessions. From this decision the Essendon Council appealed to the Privy Council, which has allowed the appeal, and has decided that the racecourse can be rated.

In answer to an advertisement lately for a coachman and gardener by a suburban clergyman (writes "JEgles") a young fellow presented himself, and was shown into the reverend gentleman's study. The latter was quick enough in determining that the applicant had not been bred to this kind of wor£. "Young man," said he, "you are not what you seem. Be frank with me. .What experience have you with horses, and who are you?" "Well, sir, to be candid, L acquired my knowledge of horses as a member of the .Four-in-hand Club, and my gardening in my father's hothouses." The applicant was the Hon Mr , a yonnger sou of the Marquis °f ' • He came for a servant's place, but by invitation he remained to lunch. But, unhappily, clerical sympathy ended there. As he left he was considerately counselled to " put his trust in Providence." And on this he has had to live ever since.

Twenty-five thousand pounds' j worth df r . land was disposed of at a Government sale ia Duuedin last week. x ' \

A littlfc fellow, about fifteen months old died suddenly afc Donedin last week through swallowing a^screw nail an inch long. , % '"' - Our local feewera (says a Wellington contemporary) are, it seems, taking'advantage of the improved means of communication with West Coast ports to push their trade in that 'direction, by introducing Wellington beer to thirsty miners.

Mr Edward Wakefield's late address to his constituents (says the v!f<*ks), is an amusing but characteristic piece of egotism. 'According to_ his own showing, he was really the most important and influential member of the House last session. The things he did, did not, and tried to do, were alike wonderful.

In consequence of the decision of the Canterbury College to allow, the Exhibition at the Museum to remain open on Sunday, it is stated that several of the Governors, including the Primate, intend to withdraw their countenance from the affair. Several people .who had lent pictures and other articles' for the occasion have withdrawn them for the same reason. The meeting which passed the resolution was a secret one, as no notice wa3 aent to the papers, and there were great complaints about the action of the officials in keeping the matter quiet. Respecting the Kumara goldfield the local paper*says:— ".The weather during the past week has been unfavorable for prospecting, and we have, perhaps on that ' a6count, no new rush to speak of in our weekly history of this goldfield. Eepprts from the. flat there state that several claims are doing satisfactorily well. At Murphy's Rush, since the deep shaft duffered, as recorded by us a day or two ago, another deep shaft has bottomed, and gives a prospect of 2grs to the dish. Those claims previously on gold continue to be worked profitably. On this, side of the river the returns are a little over the average, indicating a steady yield of gold. At the/latest rush, near the Waimea.Race, we hear of one claim- giving prospects of 20grs to two dishes. A sixth share in'one,of the tunnel claims changed hands to-day for £50. W. e hear of a share In a claim near the Dunedih claim changing. hand3 at £200; or an advance of £70 on what it was sold for about a month since.- j

, In reference to Mr Andrew's retirement from the House, and his talked-of successor, the Wellington Argus says:— " Mr Andrew will be missed in the House which he has so often brightened by his sparkling wit and instructed by his learning. Mr Andrew, in fact, is a genius, and possesses the usual accompaniment of eccentricity, which entirely, prevented him turning his- great natural abilities to practical account as a politician. We should be very sorry, however, to see Mr Andrew replaced by Mr George Beetham who.it is announced, aspires to the position. Mr Beetham certainly could never be accused by his worst enemy of being a genius, and he is not sufficiently strong-minded to be even eccentric. He was for some time a member of the Provincial Council, and we are surprised that his experience there did not convince him of his own unfitness for legislative duties. He is, in fact, a very nice young man for a small tea party. In such an assemblage he would shine a3 a star of the first magnitude, but in a.iy more serious or. pretentious assembly, where qualities of a higher order than amiable inanity are required, he would cut but a sorry figure. •" -- -

A- consignment of five thousand ova of the " brook trout " (says the Herald) has been sent by Mr Hugh Braig, of San Francisco, on behalf of Mr Thomas Russell, to the Auckland Acclimatisation Society. It is rather an unfortunate circumstance that this interesting consignment should have met with neglect. The result is that not more than about two hundred of theova will prove fertile. Information, however, has been received from the same quarter that a : further consignment of the same kind of fish will be forwarded by the next mail. The " brook trout " is peculiar to the American lakes. He weighs about lib at the first year, and at full maturity he attains a weight of from Blbs to lOlbs. He is capital eating, and game to the last, affording fine sport to the angler. Mr Craig says the members 6f this particular family of fishes "fight like. bull dogs," and chat they take almost any fly. They are in every way an acquisition, and their successful acclimatisation will be scarcely less important than that of the salmon.

The "Lounger in the Street" (Canterbury Press) says:— ln the inquiry cp.lumn of an English newspaper I came across the following:-^" Australia andJSouth Africa.— P. W.— I am thinking about proceeding to South Africa or Australia shortly, and shouldbe obliged by.hints from any. of yourreaders as to the best kind of goods to take out to these, colonies, which are likely to meet with a ready sale f . Any information will be appreciated." If P.W. means Africa, I should think Dutch courage would be the most saleable article there. They . seem a little short of it. If Australia or New Zealand, P.W. need only bring himself. I should say from his enquiry he would be just aa readily sold as anything he could bring.