INTER-COLONIAL NEWS.

Southland Times, Issue 1034, 7 October 1868, Page 3

INTER- COLONIAL NEWS.

The news by the Omeo is up to the Ist j i inst : — The first session of the new Parliament has been brought to a close to the satisfaction of all parties. The railway extension scheme has been passed, as also the Constitution Amendment Act. His Excellency the Governor, in proroguing the Parliament, congratulated the colony upon the loyalty of the people, during a period of great, excitement, and hoped that now the Council had amended its constitution in a manner appreciated by the Assembly, that the two houses would work amicably. A vote of not more than £5000 to Sir Charles Darling for lapsed emoluments, passed the Council without opposition. It is stated in one of the leading country papers that a large number of the 14tb regiment in garrison in Melbourne have been ordered to New Zealand. The ' Argus' cannot find any foundations for the rumour.; Another clerical scandal more startling than any yet reported, has been floated, i Thet: gentleman implicated, is the Rev James Taylor, ofthe Baptist Church, Collins-street, Melbourne. j Parliament will be prorogued on Tuesday 29fch September next. A message was received in both Houses last night stating that His Excellency would attend ] at the Legislative Council at five o'clock* on that day, -to give his assent to certain bills. A message was received in the Legislative Assembly from His Excellency the Governor, recommending the appro- j priation of a sum to satisfy the claim of Sir Charles Darling, on acconnt of certain lapsed emoluments, the Chief Secretary stated that as the Appropria- ] tion Bill had passed both Houses, it was impossible now to place the amount on the Estimates. A message had, however, been sent to the - Legislative Council asking them to concur in the vote, and if it was agreed to, the sum would be_paid out of the Treasury in advance, and placed in the Appropriatton Act for next year. The members of the Board of Agriculture have now completed their labors preliminary to the entire reconstruction of their department. Having on Wednesday decided, after much debate, to remodel and not abolish the board, they yesterday devoted themselves to considering the basis upon which an amended jiet is to be framed. The board, of which of Agriculture is to be chairman, is to consist of three scientific members, to be appointed by the Crown, .and twelve representatives of agricultural societies whose income shall amount to £100. Such societies, and no others, are to participate in the grant-in-aid, and each to return one representative (those whose income reaches £400 can return two representatives) to a Board of Electors, who shall, from their number, elect the Boaid of Agriculture. Each elected member of the board is to have . three years' ofiice, four retiring by rotation annually. .The Board of Agriculture is to meet once a month, and to take measures for distributing the Government grant-in-aid for the spread of agricultural knowledge and the superintendence, &c, of agricultural experiments. Yesterday's meeting lasted about four hours, and the Hon. W. H. F, Mitchell presided as chairman. We may add that the council of the board met earlier in the day, and adopted, with a few alterations, the prize-list of last year as the one for the next National Show at Ballarat, next month A magnificent tract of pastoral country has been recently opened up in the Buckland District, Victoria. The Alexandra Courier gives the following account of it : — Time only will reveal the importance of this exploration, as it has opened up a stretch of splendid country over 2000 square miles in extent, which has been hitherto for all practical purposes a terra incognita. The character of the country is extremely diversified, consisting of broken ranges and well watered fertile valleys. There are five large streams intersecting the land, besides innumerable'small creeks, which oflfer every inducement to the agriculturist to try his fortune. The indications of auriferous wealth abound everywhere, and it is well known that adventurous prospectors have discovered gold, both in alluvial deposits and quartz reefs, but with the exception of one br two parties who are at work on the King River, | these discoveries have yet been I turned to any account. Between the King and Buffalo; rivera, there are innumerable quartz reefs bearing gold, i some of -them of enormous size. Mr Rieck mentions one in particular near the t Buffalo, which measures oh the surface , between fifty and sixty feet in#idth. 0 The ' South Australian Register' men- - tions, in reference to the preservation of . meat by bisulphite of lime, that "a correspondent, writing from. England,

sends to another correspondent here the following statement r —'• London*- July 17, 1868. Bisulphite of Lime— Meat preserved by this process has been condemned, after careful inquiry,, by a committee of the Society of Arts. It is said to be unwholesome, and unpleasant tothe taste,' This is strange, because it has appeared from earlier proceedings at the society that bisulphite of lime is not injurious, and that it does not impart a disagreeable flavour to- the meat. One would like to know, then,, at what time the taste of the society altered,, and under what circumstance it was that they found'■too much lime in their sack' The authenticity of the statement appears to be doubted. _ V The ' Argus' 26th Sept, says:— "The Adelaide papers dejrote a good deal of space to gossip about tho new goldfield at Jupiter Creek, but beyond a lot of reports about 7bz. nuggets, which seem always to be 'without foundation,' there is little in the shape of news of any actual results, and such as are reported are very small.