INTERCOLONIAL NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4166, 28 July 1874, Page 2 (Supplement)

INTERCOLONIAL NEWS.

VICTORIA. John Donoughue, landlord of the West Coast Hotel, Melbourne, has been committed for trial on a charge of arson. Very heavy bail was ordered, and none to bo accepted not approved of by the police. Tho Minister of Railways has resolved, in tho interests of the public safety, to use rails weighing COlbs. in place of 501bs. to the yard. The increased coat of tho linos will he £250 per mile. , ... . , A young woman named Beagle, agcil eighteen, was crossing Sunday Creek, near Kilmore, in a boat. A young man was with her. The boat was capwized and tho woman drowned, but the man was saved. Tho Old Colonists’ held their annual meeting Jn Menzies’ Hotel on the sth mst. Dr. Barker presided. Twenty-one new members were admitted in the course of tho year, the qualification being twenty years’ residence ; and the death of eight members was reported.

A meeting has been held of workers in factories, chiefly women, for the purpose of forming an association for the purpose of protecting the female workers in the clothing factories of Melbourne. Mr. W. C. Smith, M.L.A., presided. These workers have many grievances, which, it is to be feared, so great is the competition for employment, will be found very difficult to remedy. A sum of £BS has been stolen from the teller’s drawer in the Bank of Australasia at Geelong. Ten thousand pounds in notes had been left in by mistake. The bank’s messenger has been removed by the manager. The Bendigo Advertiser is answerable for the following story of what it calls a useful dog : —■ “Doga are very sagacious, and can be highly trained. On Saturday afternoon there was observed a performing dog, who, if he has not received a good training, is uncommonly alive to the probable wants of Ins master. The dog was seen standing in front of Mr. Stewart’s boot shop in Pall Mall, and was apparently intently watching a shopman. The shopman was busy with a customer, and presently the dog went cautiously to the doorway, where a number of boots were exposed for sale, seized bold of a pair, and made off with them at full speed, followed by one of the shopmen. The thief, finding he was pursued, dropped his ‘ plunder’ and ran out of sight.” A corn merchant named Edwai’d Ainley, late of Ballarat, has given himself up to the police in Melbourne, stating that he had forged a bill of exchange for £lO3 11s. 3d. on a Mr. William Curtis, The man threatened unless taken in charge that he would commit suicide. He was accordingly locked up on a charge of threatening to destroy his life. Information was sent up to the detective-office, and soon after Detective Jennings came down to the watch-house with a warrant for his arrest. Some time ago it was mentioned that an ex-sergeant of police, named Rigg, had reported to the police the loss of apocketbook containing £375, the sum being the greater part of the money he had received on x'etiring from the force, and that the empty purse had been picked up in the Old Cemetery. Yesterday Rigg reported that he had that morning found on the floor, inside the front door of his house, a letter containing the lost three £IOO notes. The letter was written apparently in a disguised hand, and intimated that the writer had not returned tho money sooner on account of illness, and had kept the odd £75 as a reward. The identity of the individual who was so anxious that virtue should not be its own reward, has not yet been ascertained. A shocking affair has taken place at Ballarat. Mr. R. O. McCoy, M.A., late Principal of the Ballarat College, has cut his throat almost from ear to ear with a razor, and shortly afterwards expired. With reference to the sad occurrence, the Ballarat correspondent of a Melbourne paper writes : “By his intimate friends it has been noticed lately that Mr. McCoy had at times been violently excited. He attributed his vexation to what he alleged to be the unnecessarily severe and very unfair treatment he had received at the hands of the Trustees of the College, who he declared had listened to idle tales told them by persons who were compassing his ruin, without giving him the opportunity of either disproving the statements or offering any explanation. The unfortunate gentleman leaves a widow and six children, the oldest only thirteen years of age, and it is said they are quite unprovided for.” NEW SOUTH WALES. The full Court has decided that Mr. Robinson, solicitor, of Gnlgong, is innocent of the charge of obtaining money on false pretences, and that his conviction was improper. The Court has, therefore, ordered his restoration to practice. Zanco, Beltram, Andromeda, Priam, Stockbridge, and Wrangler, are scratched for the Metropolitan. The date of the Intercolonial gig-race is fixed for the 26th September. The trustees and curators of the Museum have come to open war, and the .former have had the doors nailed up, and placed police in charge. The trustees have since superceded the curator, and an inquiry into the whole of the circumstances is to be made by the Government. Honolulu sugars were sold by auction on the 3rd instant, at a decline of £3 per ton. The new post-office at Sydney is completed. Females are to be employed in tho Telegraph Department as operators. A tin mine in this Colony has been sold to an English Comjjany for £45,000. The revenue collected on the Murray River during the June quarter exceeded £33,000. Last quarter’s revenue amounted t0£876,000, being £54,191 increase. The Rev. Father Colletti, chaplain to Archbishop Folding, had been created a Doctor of Divinity by the Pope. The City Bank has declared a dividend of 8 per cent., and added £3OOO to the reserve fund. In Sydney, the detectives (according to the Empire) arrested a gentleman well-known_ in commercial circles, on a charge of neglecting to bank a sum of money entrusted to his charge for that purpose in Melbourne. It appears that the prisoner had a large sum to place to the credit of his employers, and banked it all but a sum of £3. Messrs. J. L. Montefiore, James AVhite, and Professor Smith, have been appointed members of the Upper House. Mr. Cowper has been appointed to the office of sheriff. Dr. Belinfante was drowned while crossing a creek near Gulgong. Mrs. Belinfante was also in the buggy, but was saved. Driscoll, the bushman who was kidnapped, has commenced a civil action against the captain and mate of the Wemyss Castle. THE RENEWED SEARCH FOR LEICHHARDT’S PARTY. The Sydney Empire has the following ; —■ Hume and a small party have left Sydney for Newcastle. They were accompanied by a gentleman who has interested himself in the proposed search for the white man, whom Hume declares he met with among the blacks in North-West Australia. The party were franked by the Government to Murrurundi, and will from thence make their way towards Coonamble, which place they will make their final starting-point. The search party consists of Hume and three other experienced bushmen. The expenses of tho journey have been defrayed by a number of gentlemen, who think it worth while to test thoroughly the truth of Hume’s story ; and whatever may be the result of the expedition, as far as the finding and bringing back of Classen or the Leichhardt relies goes, thei-e can be no doubt that much valuable knowledge respecting the country through which their route lies will bo gained. Coonamble is upon a creek which runs into the Castleroagh, a tributary of the Darling. The exact route they will adopt from thence towards their destination has not been disclosed. Tho equipment of the men will be complete, a liberal fund having been subscribed for their outfit, and wo shall wait with some anxiety for an account of their experiences. The party consists of—l, Andrew Hume ; 2, James J. Gasooiu, late staff-sergeant in the Defence Corps ; 3, James Forrester, a native of the colony, accustomed to bush life in the Mouaro and New England districts ; 4, James Stokes, who was employed on the construction of tho Northern Territory telegraph line at the time when Hume was in those parts. They carry instructions in duplicate as to discipline to be observed, route to be taken, and correspoudencc whore possible. TASMANIA, Mr. Thomas Corbett has been appointed Manager of the Bank of Van Diemen’s Land, at Launceston. Tho banks haveraised tho rates of interest to six per cent. The ship) Lufra has been bought at Adelaide for £II,OOO, by Mr. McGregor, of Hobart Town. The llohart Town Mercury gives the following account of a fatal whaling accident “ Mr. Sberwin, the owner of tho barque Marie Laurie, yesterday received from Captain Reynolds a letter dated Spring Bay, 22ml ult., giving further particulars of tho boat accident by which two of tho crew belonging to that vessel lost their lives. Captain Reynolds

stated that whales had been seen four times within the last month, and on the last occasion two boats, one commanded by the captain, and the other by the chief officer, went in pursuit. One fish was missed, and the iron came out of another. Just before sundown they got fast to a third, and after the captain had lanced it, the chief officer ran his boat on to the head of the whale. The enraged animal got the boat in. its mouth, and bit it to chips, and the crew were left struggling in the water. The captain’s boat was immediately on the spot, and managed to pick them up with the exception of Kdward Header and Joseph Parris, who were drowned.” A lad named Hardwicke has been condemned to death, at Hobart Town, for a rape on a married woman. Some time back a farmer named Gilligan, a native ol the Colony, sold to Mr. James Steel, of Fingal, cattle to the value of over £llO, receiving Mr. Steel’s acceptance for the amount. By some delicate manipulation, the figure one was converted into a six, both in the figures and writing in the body of the acceptance. The bill was endorsed by another good name, and was discounted at the Union Bank of Australia. Afterwards some inquiry was made by the manager of the bank for the purpose of having the name of the acceptor verified. This resulted in the discovery of the fraud, and a warrant was issued for the apprehension of Gilligan, but he had escaped. It has since been ascertained that Gilligan had perpetrated other frauds upon persons who believed his affairs to be in a very prosperous condition, and had no ground for suspecting that he would be guilty of any fraudulent practices. QUEENSLAND. The inspector of distilleries reports the produce of sugar for the past season at 7937 tons, and the estimate for the coming season 10,000 tons. The rum distilled last year was 101,000 gallons. Mr. Maealister has telegraphed to the Mayor of Maryborough that the municipality is extinct as a .legal corporation. Great indignation is expressed at this defiance of the law, and a petition is being prepared for securing incorporation. The judge at Gympie has decided that there is no jurisdiction in an action for calls in local mining companies where the defendants reside out of the district. Mi-. Uhr, Sergeant-at-Arms, is dead. The latest from Cooktown reports that all is quiet and orderly. A fair dray road to the Palmer has been opened, and several good claims are -working at the new rush at Sandy Creek, thirty miles from Palmerville. SOUTH AUSTRALIA. Mr. Bundey has accepted office in the Ministry. The Civil Service Committee has brought up a report which agrees generally with the Bill. It appoints six heads of departments on the special class, and the rest of the service is divided into six classes, the maximum salary being £350. All placed on the temporary and non-classified lists are to be eligible after five years’ service to be placed upon the fixed list. The Council has adjourned the privilege discussion. Sir Henry Ayers says he will show that the Government has put a lie in the mouth of the Assembly. It was intended to ship Gardiner for California by the June or July mail steamer. He remained in gaol after his time was up for protection until the authorities were ready to place him on board. The revenue for the past-half year exceeds half-a-million sterling. A vessel has left Singapore with coolies for the Northern Territory, and the steamer Victor would leave there on the 14th July with 200 on board. Mr. Knuckey telegraphs from Daly Waters that Nation’s death will not be the last occurrence of the kind, unless something more is known of the track from Queensland. Every party has had to be supplied with rations at the Roper, but there being no depot there now will make matters worse. Some of Nation’s bullocks were found, but could not be secured, the Natives being so dangerous. He was travelling across country from Queensland. The Mercantile Marine Insurance Company’s report shows £3,500 net profit, and an interim dividend of 10 per cent is declared. Mr. Lawrie’s motion for a conference with Victoria on the subject of trade disabilities has been withdrawn. A man named John Allen attempted suicide by putting gunpowder in his mouth and lighting it with a fuse. The injuries are so serious that a fatal result is expected. The cereal export to date is half a million less than at the corresponding period of last year. A telegram has been received from Mr. Ernest Giles, dated Charlotte Waters, 13th July, stating that he has discovered near the boundary a fresh-water lake and splendid country 130 miles beyond Mr. Gosse’s depot. He got within 120 miles of the foot of Mount MeKellar, and had to walk that distance, his homes having died of thirst. Gibson, his companion, lost himself. THE FIJI ISLANDS, The German corvette Arcona lias honored Levuka with a visit, and our citizens of Levuka have paid Baron von Reibnitz and his officers all the polite civilities in their power. Rather an amusing incident occurred with reference to disturbances made recently by some German residents. They complained to the Baron that they had been ill used; that a Mr. Shulle had been arrested by the Government from the hallowed shadow of the Consulate; and that they wanted £20,000 or £30,000 compensation, which they expect the Von would reclaim for them by virtue of his Krupp guns. Baron von Reibnitz sent to Mr. Thurston for an explanation, and a meeting of the Provisional Government was called to hear the complaint. The German Consul, Mr. Fred. Hennings, presented it, and it was fully investigated. The result was, with regard to the complainant, the old Lancashire verdict, “ Sarved him right.” And on leaving, Baron von Reibnitz, in a most formidable envelope, about 2ft. by Gin., emblazoned with the arms of Germany, sent a letter to Mr. Thurston, complimenting him upon the efficiency of the Government, and thanking him for all the courtesies the officers and crow of H.X.M.S. Arcona had received whilst the ship was lying in the port of Levuka. Certificates of indebtedness have been issued by the Government to the Civil Servants. They have from four to six months to run. Some local capitalists are taking them up at a discount of fifteen per cent. The schooner Donald McLean has boon lately recruiting labor at the Island of Ambrym. The boat was attacked, and two men wounded, namely, the captain, who received a cut in one shoulder from a tomahawk, and one white man, who received a poisoned arrow in his cheek. The schooner at ouco sailed for Hnvanah Harbor, to procure medical aid, and was ordered on by Mr. Hebblewhaito to Noumea. ' The schooner Jessie Kelly was recruiting labor at Malicolo, and fell in company with the schooner Quickstep engaged in the beche-de-mer fishery. Some of the Jessie Kelly’s crow stole some pigs from the Natives, who, naturally exasparated, attacked the boat. One of the boat’s crew (a South Sea Islander) was killed, the captain was wounded by an arrow, and her charterer was pinned in the boat by a spear, which pierced both his legs. The Natives then manned their war canoes for the purpose of attacking the vessel, and both the Jessie Kelly and the Quickstep had to clear out, tiro latter vessel leaving beche-do-iner and gear on shore. The Quickstep proceeded to Noumea, and the Jessie Kelly went on Northward, The fears entertained for the safety of Mr. Hetherington, of the Drokoti River, prove to have been groundless. His boat, with laborers in it, was brought down to Lovnka, and at the time it was feared that some outrage had been committed, and the greater coloring was given to the supposition from the fact that some of the men wore wounded. The Honard, British war schooner, was despatched to the Drokcti to make inquiries. The fact now proves to bo this The men have for some months past been engaged in boche-do-mer fishing, and have been allowed to go without any white

man accompanying them to the reef for this purpose. At times they have staj-ed away for a couple or three days at a time, so that at first nothing was thought about their not returning for a few days, and they had taken advantage of the occasion to mu away ; Mr. Hetherington expresses his belief that the people, were decoyed away. Private letters mention that the case has been fully investigated, and the runaways have been sentenced to serve for six mouths later than the period of their engagement.