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Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 16, 14 December 1863, Page 2

By the s-s. Omeo, which arrived at the YJluff yesterday, we are in possession of the Melbourne papers of tho oth inst. Wo quote the latest Australian telegrams- There is little of general interest to extract. The s-s- Queen was advertised to leave Mel'oourno on the 7th iust.; the Vistula, schooner, was advertised to sail on the Bth, and the schooner Scotia on the 9th- The following vessels are loading for Invercargill: — The E.vald, Jane, Friends, Kingfisher (1200 tons burthen) and Golden Age. A very sudden death occurred in tho Hospital on Sat urday, in the case of Mr Henry Hamilton who only arrived here about a fortnight since, from Melbourne, to conduct tho bar business of the Southland Club Hotel. Although he had been complaining for some days previous to his removal to the Hospital, no apprehensions of anything serious were entertained, so that the intelligence of his sudden death was altogether unexpected. Mr Hamilton were for a long time manager of the bar of the Albion Hotel, in Bourke street, Melbourne. On Saturday information was brought to tho police that tho body of a man had been seen in the New Ilivtfr, but the parties who had seen the body did not ditturb it, but left it until the police could tako the necessary steps for removing it. Yesterday a trooper was sent from here, to tho placo where the body had been seen lying on a lug, n little distance below Wallacetown, but on arriving at the place pointed out, the hotly had been carried away by the tide. It appears that since Saturday the river had ris?u some four oi five feet;

As some rumors were current, within the last few days that tho steamer, William Miskin, had changed hands, and that in future she- would bo withdrawn from the linb between here and Dan. edin, we may state, from good authority, that, although the vessel has passed into the hands of new owners, she will still remain in (he same trade, her sailing days from hero being as usual every Saturday. The same agents as formerly, here> will conduct tho business connected with the vessel. The New Zealand TT.erahl states that :: Cjlonel Pitt proceeds immediately on another visit to Sydney and Melbourne, for the purpose of raising three thousand volunteers, on the same terms us those which have already been introduced. We have no doubt but that, his efforts will .answer the fullest expectations of Ihe Government, the measures for ensuring the success of these military settlements passed by the House ot Representatives, rendering the attractions of the eervice even more enticing than they were on the occasion of his former embassy. Since then a sum of £900,000 has been voted for purposes of public works in these district?, when divided amongst their conquerors — a matter of no small importance to ensure successful settlement. Colonel P.tt will also be empowered to enter into arrangements for forwarding on the wives and families of the married mnn now serving in the Wailcato regiments. We have been informed that a very considerable amount of pay has been forwarded through tlie authorities to the families of these men in tbe other colonies" A meeting of the C'jmmittec of tlie Jockey Club was held on Friday night, at the Prince of Wales Hotel. The progress reported was of a satisfactory characler, a considerable amount being m the hands of tho Secretary to meet expenses. Mr J. M'Kay was elected a steward for the forthcoming meet in place of Mr Swanson. Arrangements having been made by Mr George Smith one of the Trustess, for preparing the course fo- the races, the meeting was adjourned to the following Priday. From the Australian and New Zealand Gazette we 'earn that a fine new steamer was launched at Glasgow the we?k before last, for the Intercolonial Itoynl Mail Company, christened the Otago, which will form one of their mail steamers between Sydney and New Zealand. In the Times of September ath, an account of her launch is given, from which the following particulars are taken . — " Mr •T. G. Laurie, of Whilcinch, has launched tbe Otago, a screw steamer, of S-j() tons, for the Intercolonial Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. Tho Otago, wliich is intended to carry the mails between Sydney and New Zealand, will be propelled by direct acting engines of 7~<Q horco-powor, supplied by Messrs Blackford and Gordon. Her length of keel and forc-rako is 2-3-1 feet. 0 inches." She will be despatched by Messrs Houlder Bros, and Co for Melbourne, Sydney, and New Zealand, on tho 22nd October, and it is intended that she shall si earn out. the whole way, calling at St. Vincent and the Cape to coal, and at Mdbouruo to 'and passengers and mails. An Australian contemporary mentions that Colonel Waddy, C.8., in command of the 50th Regiment, now in New Zealand, is the same gallant soldier who, at the head af his regiment, took the Quarries in the Crimean campaign. A large number of the men are decorated with -the Crimean medal. Thomas Williams alias Squeeze was brough before the Resident Magistrate at Dunedin. on remand, on Wednesday, suspected of being concerned in slicking up Mr Acton ot Swilxer's diggings. On the application of the Commissioner of Police he was further remanded for seven days. Among the pa-sengcrs fo Dunedin by tlie ffero was Mr George Fawcett, the favorite comedian Mr Fawcctt has fir some time back boon starring it iv the up country districts of Victoria. We see by the Otago papers that Mr Sewell, the Attorney General under ihe late F"x Ministry, has been appointed Judge for tho Southland aud Diggings Diiti-ie Is. We have been shown a very fine sample of stra\vber:ies, grown by Mr Roberton, of Oscar Villa. We believe that these are the " Grst fruits of the season." and have been prorlue-d earlier than any strawberries in past yeai-3 m this colony. The Taranaki Jferald of the 2Stii November, states '' that Mr Thomas Jackson has received a communication from the General (t.pvcrmneut to the effect that the Memorial (forwarded through Capt. Atkinson) signed by all the O' ago Volunteers to this place, praying that tlie iand to which they will h-coine entitled may be in their" power to will to their wives nnd f uniiic--, or other persons, has been granted to thi-m. The amended clause is now, therefore, as follows: — ' In case of the death of any settler before he s'..-.1l l;ocomo -jjlitlo.l to l.i-t CV.»vi-n (:r,i l: t, tlio land to which he id cntit.h-'d will br granted to his wi'c or Children, or to such other person as he shall by writing appoint, or it may be taken by the Government for (ho local i'-.n of another settler under these conditions or for any other purpose ; but. the value (hereof in such latter case will be determined by valuation, and the amount paid by the Government to the settler's widow or children, or other p- rson appointed as aforesaid.' —Mr Jackson, we are informed, has been very active in promoting the interests ot the Volunteers since coming here, and we are glad to find that they are about to present him with a handsome testimonial as an acknowledgment of this and other important advantages he has been instrumental in gaining for them." We observe that the entire lower portion of the new Exchange Buildings, Dee-street, has been opened by Mr Vmmg as a drapery establishment. The opening of such extensve premises, one half of which is sp daily devoted as an fi emporium of fashion " for Indies, may be accepted as a proof of the progress of the town. The following history of some of the antecedents of the notorious G-ilbeit, tho New South Wales bushranger, is from tho Sydney Morning Herald . of the "21st November: — "Gilbert, the bushranger, is now on the Melbourne side, having left the gang. lie is not, as generally supposed, a native of this colony, but a Canadian. Jl e arrived with a man named John Davis, said to be his uncle, in Victoria some years ago, and afterwards came on this side. Davis kept a public-house at Waverley, and was murdered, it was supposed, by the nephew. The lad decamped on horseback, and was captured near Goulburn. Ho was tried by the Chief Justico at the Sydney Criminal Sittings, on tho 6th of April, 1851, but tho evidence failing, he was acquitted ; but afterwards he was tried, found guilly, and sentenced to Cockatoo Island, lor stealing tho horse. Gardiner was serving a sentence at the same time. Theso two men, Gardiner and Roberts, were reported as having escaped from Cockatoo, but after hiding away for two or three days, they were discovered and punished by Captain M'Lerie, at that time visiting justice. Iv 1857 the latter obtained a tiekot-of-leave for Ipswich, and subsequently he committed 'various depredations in Victoria. In this colony he turned up as Johnny Gilbert, and again became the companion of Gardiner. Tbe description of Roberts in 1851, then seventeen years of age, and the description of Gilbert, now twentysix, is so perfect as not to leave a shadow of a doubt that the two are identical. At the trial rofcrrcrl to, Roberts was defended by Mr Darvall. The enso caused great excitement, and, although he was acquitted of the murder, the fact of his leaving the house of his uncle during the night, and being found with a large amount of money in his possession near Goulburn a few days afterwards, left- an impression in the mind of the public ' that he was guilty."

A co-respondent writing from Hawkesbury (Waikouaiti), 3rd December, 18S3, says.-— j"one day ksfc week (the Q7lh ull), while ■ the lishonnen of this place were pursuing their I calling, thoy came across the body of a man floating among a mass of moving kelps, their description of the appearance of the body is, — that of a man about sft .7in, dressed in udark colored shooting coat and trousers, and clastic side boots : and that tho features were indescribable, the bones of the face being denuded of flesh, and ah the hair off. From some unexplained cause thoy did not remove the body. Although information was at once given to the police, and strict search instituted, the body has not yet been found. The question naturally arises, whence had the body come? I believe that no one is missing from Dunedin for some little while back, and lam led to conclude that it may ba the body of Mr Aspinall, who was drowned at the Bluff! If the description of clothing tal ies with those he had on, I think there can be nn question about it. The body evidently has been some time in the water, and taking the set of the tide, and the prevailing winds we have had, it is just likely to be as I surmise. It was discovered some two or three miles off shore, and it is to be regretted that the finders did not bring it in instead of going to the police for information as to what they should do The men are very respectable, so that there is no fear of a hoax in this instance. No mining news. Business here very dull. Cai-tage to tho Kyburn Lls per ton, and other localities in like proportion. SeTeral drof es of horses have passed through lately en route for Canterbury, that noted depot _ for "weeds." I heir nothing of any consequence from tho reported rush I advised you of, although a few are working there, aud there are a hundred or so on Qlceson's run, this 13 but two or three miles from Hampden. The vexed question of the line of main road from Dunedin through here is not yet settled, Lord Jones not feeling inclined to allow the Government to have the only practicable line through his property, but wants them to take a line either by his store or mid, so while this matter is unsettled, none of the money voted tor the purpose will be expended, and for the want of a road, business here is suffering somewhat considerably. The following list of gentlemen pa^s-d " wilh credit," the University examination in law for 1563, just concluded in Melbourne : — Law, Part I—J.D.Emerson,1 — J.D.Emerson, J. Grennan, Forbes, Goslctt, Campbell. Buchanan, Watson, Dickenson, West ley, Gibbs ; Law, Part 2 — Campbell, Donoho, Dwyer, floran, M add an, Phipps ; Law, Part 3 — Brown, Bullr-n, Eaton, Fullarton, M ; Dou<;al, Piiipps, Wheeler, Wilson, Hyme, Sponsley ; law, Part 4 — Cock, Eaton, Fullarton, M'Dougal, and Wilson. We have heard that there is a probability of the establishment of baths in Invercargill, and that a-i-angements will be made either for supplying either salt or fresh water aud hot or cold baths We feel certain that such a speculation would pay well. Without any reflection on tho cleanliness of the people of Invercargill, tho want of good and spieious baths is one that must have been long felt, and which we hope to sco sooh supplied. The New Zealand Banking Corporation have, t'irough Messrs Gillies aud Street, the Brokers of the Company, succeded in purchasing on very favorable terms, the premises of Messrs Smith and Marshall, in Manse Street, Dunedin. Tbe necessary alterations arc to be immediately effected, and the Bank will open for business as soon as practicable. We {Otago Times) congratulate the Bank 01 the first class position and building which thoy have obtained, and we are sure the placing of a banking institutional such an important business centre will be hailed as great public a i vantage.