AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2775, 14 February 1882, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

The Victorian harvest is nearly completed. It has generally been satisfactory. A conference of the School Inspectors of Victoria fixed the school age of pupils in State schools at fo'ur and a half years. A London syndicate has o:ffered to light the streets of Sydnoy with electricity, at a cost 25 per cent less than the contract price for gas. By a severe hurricane at Oardwell, an hotel and three other houises were blown down, and other buildings unroofed. Damage was also do, ae to the shipping. Mrs Harrison, wife of the Warden, has been burned to death al; Albury, through pouring kerosene on the fire to make it burn. Smallpox still continues to- be the Erincipal topic of conversation in Melourne. Each report of a f; resh case excites alarm.

It is reported that numerous seams of coal have been discovered about 90 miles from Cooktown, in the direction of Palmerville, North Queensland. A strange freak of nature is reported to have occurred at Woolloomooloo. A woman gave birth to a child without arms, and otherwise imperfectly formed. The weather at Temora, New South Wales on January 10 and -11 - was described as something fearful, the heat being intense, and the thermometer registering ll4deg. in the shade. Life at Temora was said to bo. quite unbearable. Water was very scarce and everything was parched. Under the patronage of Lady M'Culloch and Mrs Moorhouse, a shop for the sale of cakes of ail descriptions, scones, and other light confectionery, has been established at 32, Swahljon street, with the title of “ The Thistle Company.” The novel and distingtilshing feature of this establishment is that the business is worked entirely by ladies of education in reduced circumstances, who are thus provided with aa additional field of employment of a light and suitable description. , v