AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 32, 2 September 1871, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

[August 14th, to 17th.] The Victorian Government have resolved upon offering a bonus of £SOOO for the discovery of a remunerative coalfield in Victoria. By the Avoca quite an array of theatrical talent left for Calcutta, viz, Mr and Mrs G. Lewis, Miss Edouin, Mr and Mrs J. B. Howe, Mr Shafto Robertson, and others. Mr John Smith also proceeded by the Avoca to Galle en route for Bombay, to prepare the way for Mr Robert Heller and Miss Haidee Heller. The foundation-stone of the St Andrews' Hospital, an institution intended for the reception of the aged and infirm members of the Order of St Andrew, has been laid in Melbourne, by His Excellency the Governor. It is estimated that it will cost £25,000 to complete the building according to the designs. The old Specimen hill in Ballarat East has not been rifled of all its treasures yet, as, owing to the great success that attended a party of miners there last week, a number of new claims were marked out to-day. The new ground is said to be near one of the old leads; but it is not known whether it is reef or gutter wash yet. The Smythesdale correspondent of the " Ballarat Star" writes that a large nugget was found on Saturday by a party of three Chinese, working within a short

distance of the shaft of the old Rose of England Company, Campbell's hill, a mile or two from the Smythesdale Reservoir. The nugget is currently reported to have been 17lb. weight, and to have been found in a hole about 6ft. deep. " There was a sight to be witnessed in Sandhurst on Saturday," says the " Bendigo Advertiser," " which we think has never been equalled in the city before. This was the exhibits of gold in the window of the Union Bank. The huge lumps of gold lit up by gas formed .the cynosure of many eyes until tho bank closed, and were the cause of wondering conversation among those who were only divided from such wealth by a frail piece

of glass. The following cakes were exhibited : —North Garden Gully Company, 1,3330 z. ; Carlisle Company, 7170 z.; Golden Fleece Tribute, 4320 z.; Central Garden Gully Tribute Company, 4220 z. ; Victoria Gold Mines, 3260 z.; or a total of 2.9040 z., equal in value to £11.616. All of this gold was from the Garden Gully reef, with the exception of the Victoria Gold Mines yield. A smart thing in speculating, or whatever it may be called, was done today in this wise. A went to see the result of the sluicing along with B, at a certain cold-named mine, and tbey took a cab ; both were satisfied the yield would be much in excess of expectation, and agreed to go down to the Corner and pick up a few shares at once. Just as they got to the bottom of the brace steps, C came gulloping up on his charger to get the same information. On asking A how it looked, he replied he thought it was "right," but as C knew bulk gold better than he did he should prefer his going up to look at the sluice head for himself, and he (A) would wait and get his opinion. 0 ascended quickly to get the good news, but before he reached the top of the steps he heard the sound of a horse galloping away, and looking down saw a man riding off on his (C's) horse as hard as he could gallop. He saw he was " done," and by the time he and B got back to the Corner they learned that A had picked up ten shares much cheaper than they could then get them. A apologised to C for taking his steed, alleging he was in a great hurry to get back. Of that fact C was quite aware.

A rather curious accident is notified in the " Pastoral Times," which says : "We regret to hear that Mr. Wm. Hay, J.P., late President of the Pastoral Show, Central Eiverina, is still suffering at Menzies' Hotel, Melbourne, from laceration of oesophagus, consequent upon swallowing two pins, lef. in the breast of a turkey upon which Mr. Hay was dining while attending the Show. The accident necessitated his removal to Melbourne, where, by surgical aid, the pins were extracted." An extraordinary case, showing how Parliamentary patronage or influence had been exercised in a very questionable manner, was heard before his Honor Judge Cope in the County Court. Miss Sarah Ann Metcalfe, as executrix of her deceased brother, Charles Metcalfe, sued Mr William Robinson, formerly member of the Legislative Assembly, for £4O, which her brother had lent to the defendant during his lifetime. Mr Pobinson acknowledged to having received £3O from the deceased, but said it was for services rendered to him. The services, it appeared from Mr Robinson's own evidence, were obtaining a situation for the deceased in the Post Office, and also for using his influence to settle a difficulty which had occurred about a letter that was opened by some means in the Post Office. Mr Robinson said that in 1865 he obtained a situation for Metcalfe as supernumerary in the Post Office, and in 186 S he got the situation made permanent for him, and received for the latter service £2O. In 1869 it seemed that a letter was mysteriously opened in the Post Office, and Metcalfe was anxious that the matter should be quietly settled. He (Robinson) then went to Mr M'Crae, who was Minister of Public Works at the time, to do what he could for Metcalfe, and rendered such services in smoothing over the affair as entitled him to receive £lO from Metcalfe. The particulars about the opening of the letter did not come out yesterday. His Honor Judge Cope seemed to be either unwilling to decide the case, or else to be of opinion that it was one for a jury to determine, as he nonsuited the plaintiff, but without costs, and said if it were brought on again it must be

tried before a jury. A tipsy Chinaman is a rarity, only two or three having been known in Melbourne within the memory of the oldest police officer, but something still more unusual came under the notice of the magistrates at the Melbourne City Court viz., a Celestial setting up as a defence that he was " welly dlunk." Ah Kong was caught trespassing in a high-walled yard, and in order to escape he got up on an archway 8 feet high and jumped down haphazard, though the night was pitch dark, landing so lightlythat his pursuer thought he would not have broken an egg had he descended upon

it. He was locked up for being illegally on the premises, being well known to the police, and pleaded yesterday that he was intoxicated, and lost his way. In order to accustom his eyes to high walls, he was sent to gaol for six months' hard labor.