AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 355, 13 June 1877, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

[Per Wakatipu. | MELBOURNE. Colonel Ward retires on the expiration of liis leave of absence, and Colonel Scratcliley remains liere permanently, as Deputy-Master of the Mint. Dr. Macartney will be petitioned against on the ground of ineligibility—being a minister of religion. A conference of vignerons have resolved that the Government be petitioned to use its best endeavours to obtain a repeal of the duties on native wines between Victoria and the other Colonies. The bank forger, Pierson, committed for trial, lias made a full confession, showing a regular system of forgery. Simonsen's Opera Company opened on the 4th inst., at St. George's Hall, to a good house. Wheat, 7 s 2d, none offering ; flour, Lls 15s ; sugar, L 29 5s for brown, and L 32 to L 32 10s for medium counters. The balance passed in for higher rates. The following entries have been made for the Victoria Racing Club's Spring Meeting : —Melbourne Cup bourne horses, and 26 from Sydney ; Champion Stakes —53 from Melbourne and eight from Sydney. There are 78 nominations for the Victorian Derby and Oaks, and, for the Metropolitan Stakes, 49 entries. The Government has not yet appointed its representative in the Legislative Council. The population of the Colony of Victoria is 843,877, of which Melbourne has 244,608. A man named Young committed suicide by taking laudanum, through excessive drinking. James Cleary committed suicide at Kyneton to-day by hanging. The wreck of the Young Australian, at Warnambool, was sold to-day for L 350 ; and the wreck of the Bravo, at Warata, for Lsl. A young man named Thomas Tindal} has been committed for trial for embezzlement from the Mutual Assurance Society

A complimentary dinner was given tonight to the Hon. John Young, Canadian Commissioner. The principal speakers were Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, Mr. J. G. Francis, and the Hon. John Young, who made a good speech, ar.d counselled a free trade policy. Sir C. G. Duffy said before he introduced the tariff, he had consulted John Bright, Carlyle, and John Stuart Mill, who were all in favour of protection in a new country. The appeal to the Privy Council, in the case of Langton v. Syme, will not be prosecuted. Sir Redmond Barry will not return until the September mail. A quarrel between two newly-elected members of the Assembly, resulted in each making, through the columns of the evening papers, a serious charge one against the other. The matter is likely to be further ventilated in the law courts. H.M.S. Nymph is expected at Melbourne about the 18th June. A London telegram quotes Hennessy's brandy at Bs. 6d. ; shipments being very light. Referring to the growth of Melbourne* the Age states that in 1843 there were 1095 tenements ; total valuation, L 66,847 • rate, 6d. in the £ ; equal to £1521. In the year 1877, there are 13,027 tenements ; the value of which is £875,713 ; town rates, £43,785. The population of Victoria, on March 31, was 843,877 ; of Melbourne and suburbs, 244,603. SYDNEY. Sir William Jervoise and Colonel Scratchley left for Melbourne on the 6th inst. The Sydney Herald says it had the cablegram re Gortschakoff accompanyiug the Emperor to Ployesti repeated, when it found that it should read " Given rise to peace rumors." A severe cyclone and waterspout passed over the station near Hamilton, tearing large trees, four and five feet in diameter, up by the roots. It lifted sheets of roofing iron, and carried them half a mile, and large limbs of trees were carried over the tops of houses. A resolution has been carried by the Sydney Assembly, increasing the salaries

of the District Court Judges to- LISOO, with a retiring allowance of L 750 per annum. The thoroughbred horse Feve (?), from New Zealand, arrived safely in Sydney, and is now on view here. He is highly spoken of. The report that a student was bastinadoed to death at Constantinople is officially denied by the Turkish ambassador at London. ADELAIDE. A young bank clerk, named Poole, died from the effects of injuries received in a football match. Wheat firm, 7s 9d having been refused. Twenty Justices of the Peace have sent in their joint resignations, because of recent appointments for political purposes. The Government declines to accept these resignations. BRISBANE. Eight hundred and forty tons at Millchester, on being crushed, yielded 2470 ozs. gold. The Warden stases that the reefs at Normanby are " rank duffers." The Secretary of the Rifle Association has suggested to the Rifle Association of England to send a team to Australia every second year. Further forgeries, to a large extent, are reported. A man has been fined LlO for carrying dynamite in a railway carriage. Captain Large, of the ship Woodlark, bound from Brisbane to Hong Kong, reports having, on April 6, sighted a vessel ashore at the south-west end of Packington Reef. She had nothing standing but the mizen mast and bowsprit, and had evidently been on the reef some time. No signals were visible. The wind being light, the Woodlark was unable to stand to windward of the island, but a good look-out was kept for signs of life. Thirty Chinamen, travelling along the Palmer road, stuck up, robbed, and assaulted ten of their own countrymen. The ship South Esk, from London, ran 2037 miles in seven days ; she made from Cape Otway to Cape Moreton in four days nine hours.