INTERCOLONIAL NEWS.

Southland Times, Issue 1304, 6 September 1870, Page 3

INTERCOLONIAL NEWS.

Messrs Anderson Brothers, of Smeaton, are said to bave planted over 1000 English forest trees on their land at Stoney Rises. A nugget worth £10 was picked up at the Alma, near Maryborough, a few days ago, by a boy while at play. Another, a few minutes afterwards, picked up a piece worth £5 not far from the same place. It is reported that Mr W. F. Sayers, who waa lately town-clerk of tbe borough of Newtown and Chilwell, has sailed from a New Zealand port for San Francisco. Coal to tbe extent of 20,102 tons was shipped at Newcastle in one week lately. Another fine nugget has been sold at Inglewood from the Berlin goldfield. It weighs 86ozs. 7dwts., and was found in Catto's paddock. A pottery has been in successful operation at Ballarat since 1861. It was begun on a small scale, but bas driven the imported article — brownware, drainage pipes, &c. — out of the market. A show of horses on a large scale is about to take place in Melbourne under the auspices of His Excellency the Governor as patron. It is to be on the Islington principle, tbe chief feature in which is that every animal in every class bas to practically prove its ability and education, and not to claim merit or award for mere high descent or attractive points. Hunters must therefore exhibit their pleasant paces; cavalry chargers, their handiness at drill and nerve under fire ; ladies' pads, their ease of motion and tractability ; trotters, their action and pace; cobs, their weight-carrying power; ponies, their activity; carriage horses, their even appearance and equal stepping ; buggy horses, their style and quickness ; draught horseß, tbeir strength and steady gait ; and so on throughout the various classes. First and second prizes are to be given in eacb division, aud these will be nearly 30 in number. It is rumored that the Hon. John O'Shanassy will contest with the Hon. Mr Mitchell (if the latter is re-elected) the position of Chairman of the Legislative Council. A company is about to be formed in Warrnambool for the manufacture of sugar from beetroot. The residents have taken the matter in hand with great warmness.

Ararat is now lighted witb gas. The suicide of Lebrun de Massin, a Frenchman, at Berlin diggings, is a wonderful example of firmness and determination, scarcely to be accounted for on any supppeition, except that the unhappy mm's mind was diseased. From entries made in bis diary, it appears tbat he bad attempted bis life several times by the method often employed by his countrymen—suffocation by the fumes of charcoal — and, failing in this, probably because be was unable, in a tent, to sufficiently exclude the air, be deliberately noted down tbat other means must be used. On Thursday morning last he shot himself with a pistol, tbe muzzle of which he must have pressed close to bis side, as a piece of his flannel shirt was blown into his lungs, and this he accomplished a few minutes after failing to hang himself, the rope he used for the purpose not being strong enough to bear bis weight, and baying broken in tbe attempt. But even tbis does not show to the full^ extent his determination to carry out his purpose. Near the spot where he was discovered, a razor case was found lying on the ground, with a razor iv it, from which it may be inferred that if the bullet bad failed as the rope had done, be would bave had recourse to the still surer weapon witb which he had provided himself. The un fortunate man had been sentenced to death in this colony for tbe murder of his wife through jealousy, but had been let off with 5 years' imprisonment, since which time he appears to bave led a lonely and miserable life, tortured by a remembrance of bis wrong and his crime, a sufferer from sickness, and unsuccessful in tbe occupation which be had chosen — that of a miner. The coroner read several extracts from a book, which appeared to be a kind of diary the deceased had kept. One entry, dated, the 4th of August, and signed L. de Massin, was to tbe effect that be had failed with charcoal, and must try other means, as life was a burden. Other entries revealed the sad state of destitution to which he was reduced, and others consisted of denunciations of the police, whom be appeared to think had treated him badly. Inspector "Winch and Captain Standish seemed especially objects of his aversion. — Inglewood Advertiser. A number of gentlemen connected witb tbe wool trade and pastoral pursuits met at the offices of Mr Lande, Collins street west, Melbourne, where a number of samples of greasy wool were submitted to a new washing process. Mr Lande explained that the solution to be experimented witb was of the temperature of 100 deg. Fahrenheit, but it would act equally well at a lower temperature, and even in cold water when some friction was used. A dark sample of dirty wool was then placed in the solution, and after remaining two minutes in perfect rest, it was taken out and passed through cold water, when it appeared beautifully wbite and clean. Other samples even more greasy and impure were treated with equal succesa. A sample was then handwashed in the solution, when the time occupied was only a few seconds in turning it out in fine condition. The cleaning power of tbe new dip being thus satisfactorily established, the question arose as to the cost, aud as to the effect of the process on the staple. It was stated by Mr Lande that the co* 4 ; would range from 4d to 6d per sheep, and as tbe wash was found also to be an excellent scab-eradicator, the plague of the pastoral tenant would in future hardly be known where sheep were cleansed by this process. Samples which had been washed seven or eight weeks ago were exhibited, and the fibre appeared co be in excellent condition. Great satisfaction expressed by all present at the Jresult of the different experiments. Two clipper ships have arrived almost simultaneously in Hobson's Bay after remarkably rapid passages. The one was the new ship Loch Leven, from Glasgow, and tbe other the Agamemnon, from London. Both vessels made the voyage in sixty-eight days — tbe palm of victory, however, resting with the Clyde clipper, which had to cover the greatest distance. She came from the parallel of the Cape of Good Hope in twenty days, and for thirty days averaged 275 miles per 24 hours, her greatest running having been 330 miles in one day. For some time past (says the Ovens Spectator) gold mining has been carried on quietly by a few men at Cudgewa Creek at a place about equidistant from Yackandandah and Wodonga, 60 miles to tbe east. Gold has been found, and some little time back some samples of a dark looking heavy mineral met witb in great quantities at the spot, were forwarded by Mr Smart, tbe Yackandandah member of the Mining Board, to Mr R. Brougb Smythe, tbe secretary of tbe Mining Department, for identification. At the request of Mr Smythe, this mineral has lately been analysed by Mr J. Cosmo Newbery, and turns out to be black sand, the analysis yielding 52.15 per cent of pure tin. Some iron and a few specks of gold were mechanically associated with the specimen sent. This is the first occasion in which tin in any quantity has been found in the neighborhood mentioned, and we .understand that in future the miners in the locality will work for it as well as for gold. The Bendigo Advertiser announces the death of " Jamie Warden," one of the oldest Bendigonians, at his residence in Mundy street, in abject poverty. The last days of his illness were alleviated by a few benevolent persons. The deceased was an excellent musician, and generally t played the bass fiddle at concerts, the theatre, &c. His daughter, Miss Geraldine Warden, who is well known as, an accomplished vocalist, assisted her father by remittances, but at this time she is in America, and was, therefore, unable to assist her father. As an example of the extent to which mining speculation has permeated the Victorian community (says the Ararat Advertiser) we take from the manager's books a list of tbe callings, position, &c,

of the shareholders holding interest in one claim at Pleasant Creek. There are residents in Ararat, Amherst, Avoca, Adelaide, Ballarat, Belfast, Beechworth, Clunes, Castlemaine, Echuca, Geelong, Horsham, Inglewood, Kyneton, Melbourne, Maryborough, Moyston, New Zealand, Penshurst, Prahran, Queenscliffe, Riverina, Richmond, Sandhurst, Smythesdale, Sale, Scotland, Staffordshire Reef, Toorak, "Western Pore, and Warrnambool. Tbe several occupations of shareholders are attorney, auctioneer, accountants, aid-de-camp, amalgamater, beer-seller, barrister, brokers, bankers, book-keepers, butchers, billiard-markers, bank-teller, baker, book-binders, brewer, builders, bootmaker, blacksmith, bookfolder, cordial manufacturer, civil engineer, captain, carters, ciushing- machine owners, clerks, carpenter, civil servants, coach-proprietor, clergyman, commissionagent, coach-builder, coach-drivers, commercial travellers, confectioner, coroner, compositor, chemist, doctor, drapers, dentist, draymen, dairymen, engraver, engineers, editor, fishmonger, gentleman, gaoler, grocers, ginger.beer manufacturer, health-officer, hospital nurses, ironmongers, inspector of nuisances, infants, inspectors of scab, ironfounders, justices of the peace, jeweller, lady, miners, merchants, mine managers, M.M.8., office-boys, overseer of station, officer, military, publicans, post-masters, produce merchants, priest, painters, police, settlers 42nd section, squatters, sexton, solicitors, sheep dealer, sheriff, saddler, spinsters, school-master, school boy, stationer, surveyors, slaughter-men, tobacconist, timber merchants, telegraphist, teacher of music, wool-broker, and washerwoman. A somewhat remarkable circumstance has occurred in tbe mine of Latham and "Watson, at Ironbark, Sandhurst. "When down about 650fc. the water become so pure that the miners drank it. Down to 200 ft. the water was not bad, but after that it became very brackish, and unfit for drinking. "Why this change has occurred ia puzzling all tbe local philosophers, especially as no alteration of strata has taken place. The creditors in the estate of Lazarus Brothers met at the Castle of Rothsay Hotel, Melbourne, for the object of receiving the statement of the accountants in this estate. Liabilities were shown as under : — Due to unsecured creditors, £8064 ; secured creditors, £2500 ; open accounts, £7969; contingent liabilities, £450 ; lien on property, £960; being a total of £19,943. The statement of assets was as follows : — Stock in trade, £8580 ; stock sold by secured creditors, £2500; book debts, £2151; property under mortgage, £800 ; cash and bills, £150 ; total, £14,181 ; showing a deficiency of £5762. There was a full attendance of creditors, who unanimously accepted a composition of 7s 6d in the pound, payable at three, six, and nine months, by guaranteed bills. i