Intercolonial News.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 318, 16 March 1878, Page 18

Intercolonial News.

Melbourne, March 6. The Government finding that payment on authority of the Assembly .alone was not sufficient, Mr. Berry has given notice of motion that in accordance, with the 4 sth section of the Constitution Act, all revenues shall, during the present year ancl no longer, be treated as special appropriations. . , According to a telegram from' the Coloma Office, the contents of which a\ '« now tu. J known, the Governor is prevented from going outside the law. He is to take ffiis stand on the law, and if doubtful as to the It AV he is to have recourse to legal advice at his mommanc. Mr. Berry interprets this as a. clear iv plication that the Governor is to take '.the ad vie 3 his Ministers, backed up by the- opinion ot the Attorney-General. Some indication of the nature* of the Ive torm Bill to be introduced is to be. given to-i lay. The Premier expects the Bill will finally set tie the pretensions of the people’s representatives to the sole control of the people’s money. Some of the hottest weather this season was experienced last week, but it is now ci iol. On the first day of the Autumn Rac. 3 Meet- [ mg the struggle in the Leger for t. he last ' quarter of a mile, between Chester and First King, was one of the grandest sights ever ’ j at Flemington. Both horses were neck ■ neck all the distance, and First King only woa j by a bare half-head. The time was the fas teietfc j by two seconds of any race run on this cours -• A number of telegrams sent to the Colom a ‘ Office after the Bth January affair have beeiA . returned to the Governor for liis information. I At a fire at the Beehive Hotel, at Hotham, ' v.rx Monday night, the landlady, Miss Doherty, hist, her life. Sir Bryan O’Loylilen has been appointed a member of the Executive Council, and occupies a front bench with the Ministers. A cable conference is exjiected to be held in a few days. ; W. S. Eyster is very ill. The theatres are only doing moderately well, the dull times being severely felt. 1 1 A young lad named Thomas Paten, about eleven years old, a visitor to Avoca from Hew 1 South Wales, met with an accident on the ' 16th February, by which he suffered a broken arm. The Avoca Mail states that “ the lad, iu company with some others, was riding a small pony belonging to Mr. Bulilert, in the neighborhood of the Avoca Lead, when the animal became frightened and bolted, through some cur dogs barking at its heels, and the boy was thrown, his foot hanging in the stirrup, by which he was dragged for some distance. Owing to the pony’s hoof striking the lad as it galloped, young Paten might have been killed had it not been for the sagacious and prompt . assistance rendered by Mr. Buhlert’s New- ( fouudland dog, which generally accompanies 1 the children in their excursions. The dog, ( immediately ou seeing the boy thrown, started < in pursuit of the poDy, and endeavored to stop , it by pulling at the stirrup. Failing iu this, -j he ran to the pony’s head, caught the reins, t aud then quickly brought him to a standstill, \ holding the animal until the boy disengaged 1 himself from the saddle.” 1

Writing ou the subject of torpedoes, a correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald directs attention to the method. of placing these engines of destruction adopted by the Austrians during the war of 1858. The Austrians held Venice at the time, and to protect the port torpedoes were laid down. This was the first instance where torpedoes were fired by electricity, and composed of nitrous compounds. To know when to fire these, a camera, obscura was built overlooking the harbor, and upon the white table of this instrument were refected the waters of Venice. As the torpedoes were sunk one by one, a sentinel in the camera noted the place of their disappearance with a pencil, giving each torpedo a consecutive number. A rowing-boat in the harbornow described a circle around the sunken torpedo, indicating the zone of its destructive power, and the sentinel again with his pencil made a corresponding ring upon the camera, table. In the end, therefore, while the harbor itself was apparently free from all obstruction, a very effective means of torpedo defence was. established, the key of wdich was only to- be found in the camera obscura. The sentinel here had wires iu connection with every torpedo, aud was in a position to fire any one as s on as lie observed, by means of the camera, the presence of a hostile vessel within the limits of any of the circles marked upon his white table.

The Queenslander of the 23rd ultimo thus refers to Mr. Thomas, the well-known descriptive writer to the Melbourne Aryus, under the signature of “The Vagabond —There is little doubt that when our recent visitor, “ The Vagabond,” quitted tlie colony, he regarded it with anything but favor. The prestige he had won iu Victoria by extremely clever descriptive writing had not been improved by his first essay as a special envoy charged to collect information and elucidate a question of extended importance to all the colonies. In this capacitv he exposed as complete inefficiency and deficiency of solid parts and judgment as lie ha 1 evinced elf ictiveness and brilliancy in lighter departments of journalism. He came hither in Hated with a fairly-won success ; he .lep irted depressed with the consciousness of undeniable failure. Just as, in tlui .South, his talents in a particular sphere had won for him personal consideration and an amount of adulation sufficient to distu b a better adjusted mind than “'[lie Vagabond” ever possessed, here his exhibition of incompetency in another department inflicted on him a corresponding degree of supercilious neglect. If to this bo added that he found himself here assailed and worsted with his own favorite weapons, and reduced from the role of satirist to the situation of butt, the feeling of mortification aud resentment with which he would look back upon this colony is

easily conceivable. He is now writing for the Sydney Morning Herald , and iu the num ei dated the sth February instant lie is very severe upon Messrs. McElhoue and Garrett and the other disorderly spirits of tlie New South Wales Legislature. He declares that he tli ou Hit the behavior of the Victorian Assembly bad enough, but that the New South Wales Assembly is far worse, but consoles the people of Sydney by assuring them that “ l ean, however, say this much for the credit of New : South Wales, that its Parliament is far ahead of that of Queensland.” We feel bound to enter a protest against this slander on our Parliament. Perhaps “ The. Vagabond has been dreaming and imagining some scene which took place at tlie same time when lie saw that wonderful mace laid upon the table of our Assembly. Speaking seriously, however, we regret that a journal so eminently respectaale as the Sydney Morning Herald should publish an indefinite accusation of this kind, which is calculated to lower the opinion entertained abroad for our Legislature and of Australian Legislatures generally. The editor of. the Herald must be well aware that there is no foundation of fact on which to base this slander, and we regret that, instead of trying to raise the character of the Legislature of New South Wales, he should be content to attempt to re- • lieve any stains which may exist upon it by blackening that of its unoffending neighbor. The following is Captain Dudfield’s account of the attack ou the crew of the missionary i tower Mayri by natives, off Stacey Island:— i “ WlKe anchored at Stacey Island, where the ! Lev.. jT, Chalmers and wife and four native i iteae'hfcii-s /-re stationed, on the afternoon of Saturday 29th December, sent three of my black crew to cut wood, myself and another I , native only remaining on board. One Stacey I L fiand native came off to barter. I told the ooc.»k ter <nv<e him the wood, and he lay down in -the cadfim After a few minutes a spear fhrnwi '■ into Oie cabin and struck me on the j'eft side pi 'mdng me on the deck. Another went into P nr> T *^ fc . thi ,S h ’ ° a f (rrm J r received another speai in the ‘ / 'j , 1 another through the hand. I’aSSSSI* ** <-» tried to get on deck. Air I foind Vi* » eigl,t natives, end rei ■, • the foot, severing an the ciuved a wound in \ ’ , , “ . OT .o , , We wounded several ana tendons of the toes. , ~ A nn , j riii „ r-i, a left, and ongoing on killed one. I hey the ’ , , -i , t , „ 4-u, 'ee hundred natives on deck I saw two or tin „ , . ~ , -n. r i •s came off aua lathe shore. Mr. Chalmei * formed me that the nativ erf ‘ , j war canoes, and insisted up J 1( . ?*,i , . . ’ , • A . \L* wife ana tlie pressed him to come with desert his native teachers, but he rerun post. Mr. Goldie’s party return ing this, and grave fears are ei x 7 „ p the safety of Mr. Chalmers and pa * '•_* ... £ tain Dudfield is maimed for life. remembered that Mr. aud Mrs. Chal. in Dunedin a few months ago.” , r The following amusing story from B athiurst comes to us through the M. A. Mail . 4 ' ® of those thrifty females, of whom i bachelors say that the breed is fast c. out, resolved upon converting a scarlet i, cle of her apparel into a black one. i dye provided, amid which there was a qua H tity of nitrate of silver, and the article dul Y scalced therein! by means of a washing-bafin, the good lady retired to her couch. Not being one of the Mrs. Gamp class, so fearfully known by some husbands as naggers, this lady fell .asleep. Her husband having returned after working very late, thought, in the excessive Musty and warm weather with which Bathurst has recently been so favored, that a .good sluice would do him good. Accordingly, on going to the washingbasin he found some water already there, mid duly washed hirnseJ.f prior to turning in. The next morning was £ -unday, on which day it is said that people do mot rise so early as on othex days. Turning in bed, as folk will do,, the wife saw a face as black as a coal. YVitli a scream and a spring she was soon out of bed and the whole hoasu alarmed. She thought some son of Africa.’*’• soil had occupied her husband’s half of the bed, and thus continued to scream the louder tvs her husband advanced to pacify her. Now most people are aware that nightshirts do not fall much below men s knees. Looking afc the man as he approached her, this thrifty woman saw at a glance that though the face and hands were those of Esau, the legs "were Jacob’s. An explanation followed, and when Mr. G. beheld himself, as his wife held the mirror up to nature, his exdamnations may not Jaave been loud, but tuey were deep.

TUB. GULF COUNTRY OF N ORTHEKN" AUSTRALIA.

“ A L ate Besident; ” of the Gulf country, writing to the Rocklo zuipton Bulletin, says:— “There .is here an ii niueuse area, larger than the whol e colony of Victoria, and it is nearly all of it § ;ood grazing land, for the grasses are of the best, and tl le herbs most fattening. There a re no marsupials, no worms, fluke, or other pa rasites. Tlie- blacks are very few, and not to b e feared; free- selectors are not likely to he tv mblesome for- years to come, and the on] y th: ng wanted to* make this a veritable sqviafcte: rs’ paradise 5?. regular steam communica‘;ioti with the Go if ports, or a traus-conti-ne utal railway. It j s with this object in view I aow write, and also* with the desire.to. draw ge .-nera! 1 attention tc the district. "Within the 'fa st tv /o years nearly the whole of this vast ai *ea hi vs been taken up, but labor aud carnage a re dii ficult to be gob, principally through the i naifin ary terror wi th which the unknown is i nvoste d.‘ .... The Gulf coast country i 3 pre-i sminentlv the Nan.l of promise for cattle 1 Jnlike the eastern coast, the grasses are not : jour oi • deficient in nutriment when dry, tor they ai e of the same- genera as the interior grasses. , namely the Mitchell, Blue, Law sborougi n, & c. But th ese grasses grow ‘ was by —that is, they grow from 2 to oft. lug », I instead of from 1 to 2ft. There is a good j "uudergi -owth of herbs as well, aud these a so are mu cli the same so rt as those in the mtei rior I 'his growth of f< >od makes the carrying J -eapabili ties of these runs very great ; but it

also is tlie cause of much risk from fires. Iu the wet season —January and February a large part of this coast land is under water, and travelling is impossible, for the country is one network of rivers, creeks, and billabongs. This is a drawback, but not a fatal one, for the cattle can nearly everywhere find safety camps on sandhills or ridges, on which to remain till tlie floods subside. There is then a rapid and great growth of grass, blue-blusli, pea-bush, sorghum, and herbs, and the stock are literally wallowing in feed. . . Mr. T. Gulliver, late of Normanton, au enthusiastic naturalist and botanist informed me (and his authority is Baron Mueller) that a coarse grass, which we bushmen call sorghum, is in reality the common rice of commerce, the veritable oriza sativa. The cattle are madly fond of it when green. It springs up some six feet high, ripens its seed, and is dead, all in about four months. As this is the case now that it grows spontaneously', is it too visionary to predict that this level flooded Gulf land will some day become one of tlie ricefields of the world, and with an export trade rivalling the wool in value ?”

TITE TASMANIAN DEFENCES. (From the Launceston Examiner, Feb. 21.) In this morning’s Examiner we publi-h the report of Sir "William F. D. Jervois on tlie defences of Tasmania, or, as he more modestly terms it, the “memorandum.” The subject of the defences of Hobarton is very fully treated, and the recommendations appear to be based on principles of common sense and sound judgment, added to considerable military experience. Aud we are disposed to accept those recommendations the more readilly because it is a matter of fact that the greater part of the somewhat hurried visit of Sir William Jervois was devoted to the consideration of the defences of the capital. .At present the city boasts of three batteries —the Queen’s Battery, the Prince of Wales Battery, and the Albert Battery ; but Sir William is of opinion that the last two should be dispensed with, as they would only serve to draw an enemy’s fire on to the town. He recommends the retention of the Queen s Battery, the completion of a battery commenced some years ago at One Tree Point, the erection of another at Kangaroo Bluff, and the placing of two lines of electro-contact torpedoes between Macquarie Point and Montague Point. These works properly manned would be sufficient to protect the capital against an unarmored cruiser or privateer. But Sir William does not overlook the possibility that an enemy might choose to avoid encountering these land batteries and torpedoes. A small force might be landed, say at Brown’s River, with the view of attacking the city in the rear; or a force might march up from Frederick Henry Bay or- Ralph’s Bay to a position near Kangaroo Poiut, from which if provided with rifled field guns they could shell Hobarton at their leisure. To meet such a contingency, and also to defend the batteries against assault, he advises the formation of a small body of volunteers, partly infantry and partly artillery, organised as a field force; also ..that obstacles to any advance at any of the (places named should be erected beforehand by flbrowing up earthworks for field guns and ikAantry, cutting down trees, forming sntau- ' .o'laiiaents of branches of wire, &c. The Stiuaffii-'th of the volunteer force to be 130 t vrfccfllkry and 300 infantry, 80 of the artillery b reserved at Hobarton for the service of thoo batteries, and the remaining 50 to wo.’k the- 12-pounder guns with the field.force. Laun&svou is the only other town in the colony, hssiAes Hobarton, which Sir William Jervois eo-Eisiklers liable to attack with a view to levxfing & contribution. He thinks the best D i an of defeat for the River Tamar would- be to establish a small strong work at its mouth, near the lttgOai'-hDuse, and to place some t.u-oedoes in .e.snnection with it across the entrance passage The prevalent opinion, however, amoage* those who have given the subject any consideration, has always been that tlie best Terence -would be the erection of a battery on Garden Island, which would command the entreuce of the river, • -md also the narrow channel between the island and the mainland ; and that this ■channel might be blocked with torpedoes and other impediments .to navigation.. But we i suppose we must bow (to the superior military 1 science of Sir William -Jervois. Moreover, it 1 is not likely that the merits of the two suggesi tions are likely to be seriously discussed at I nreseiat for Sir William declares the project of } i battery at the Heads is beyond the. present resources of the colony, anti also points out that there is no population near the mouth ot the river from which a force could be drawn to man a fort there. He is of opinion that any provision for the defence of Launceston must be near the town itself. A battery for two 64-pouuders, on Pig Island, together with a few electro-contact torpedoes placed uudei their fire, would effectually bar the passage of -my war vessel that could come up the lames. To work these guns, 30 artillerymen would be s ufficient, and 100 infantry would suffice for a uy other service.

THE STATE OF FIJI. The future or Fiji, notwithstanding the deDri3SS hig influence of the late severe diongli. L certainly .sufficiently encouraging to justify the hope that the prediction .ot Mr Yvlhur Gordon, that a marked nnprovemei d in the prospects of the colony would be app went before it had been four years under Bril ish rule, is fast being realised. lie neci ii liar y assistance which the colony has b e ei i annually receiving up to the piosent im ■ from the Imperial funds will henceforth ceas 3, but fortunately the Government, for the first time in its history confidently, ex- , that next year they will be m a position “1 SU lk tlio funds thus bo.lo.vod. com! Matin,i of calamities, it is believed there will be iu future no difficulty in meeting t.ie ordiu ary annual expenditure. It is true that at fits tight the set apart for meats —which this year for the fuM

includes £5470 for the Governor —seems unusually heavy, amounting, as it does, to no less than £25,000, out of a gross revenue af £59,927, but it is, no doubt, correct that iu the early stage of the existence of a colony the establishments are almost always out of proportion to the revenue. A notable instance is supplied by the West Indian colony of Triuidad. Twenty years ago the revenue of that colony only amounted to £76,000, and the establishments cost £48,000. But they very little exceed that amount now, although the revenue of the island amounts to over £300,000. No doubt, in the course of time, history will repeat itself in Fiji. It is satisfactory to observe that all the burdens of taxation do not fall upon the white residents. The contributions of the natives are increasing year by year, and that without any attempt at severity in the process of collection. In 1875, only £3499 was derived from this source ; in 1876, £9343 ; 1877, £16,000, while, during the present year, it is expected the revenue will reach £20,000. The trade of Fiji is also fast developing. The anticipated receipts from the customs alone for IS7S are estimated to exceed £17,000 —a sum in excess of the whole revenue of the colony during 1875. These facts speak eloquently of the advantages inseparable from a firm and intelligent Government.

THE LATEST FROM NEW GUINEA. The Brisbane, Courier's correspondent boarded the Torres Straits mail steamer and interviewed Mr. Morton, of the Sydney Museum, who has been in Goldie’s party, and accompanied him in searching for gold in New Guinea. He has specimens of good coarse gold, washed out of the black sand, and gold in quartz. His statement mainly verifies Mr. Tawes’ report, and there are no further discoveries. He states that he first discovered gold fifteen miles from the coast, and followed it up sixty miles. The correspondent felt quite certain, after conversation with Mr. Morton, and seeing the specimens, that some large fields must be opened. The black sand is very plentiful in the river-bed, and the formation is bluestone and slate. Mr. Morton left Cape Morseby on the 19th January, and reports a severe drought all along the New Guinea coast, from Port Moresby to South Cape. The plantations were destroyed, and even the forest trees were killed by it. Mr. Goldie and party left Cape Moresby to go to South Cape. On the Ist January sighted the missionary lugger Mayri, Captain Dudfield, who reported as follows : —“ While anchored at Stacey Island, where the Rev. J. Chalmers and wife and four Native teachers are stationed, on the afternoon of Saturday, 29th December, sent three of my black crew to cut wood, myself and another native only remaining on board. One Stacey Island native came off to barter. I told the cook to give him wood, and he lay down in the cabin. After a few minutes a spear was thrown into the cabin and struck me on the left side, pinning me to the deck. Another went into my right thigh. On turning round for my gun I received another spear in the left shoulder and another through the hand. I fired several shots and tried to get on deck. There I found six or eight natives, and received a wound in the foot, severing all the tendons of the toes. We wounded several and killed one. They then left, and on going on deck I saw two or three hundred natives on the shore. Mr. Chalmers came off and informed me that the natives were launching war canoes, and insisted upon my leaving. I pressed him to come with his wife and the teachers, but he refused to desert his post. Mr. Goldie’s party returned upon hearing this, and grave feai’s are entertained for the safety of Mr. Chalmers and party.” Captain Dudfield is maimed for life.