INTERCOLONIAL.

Southland Times, Issue 1560, 5 April 1872, Page 3

INTERCOLONIAL.

(From files per " Albion.") Melbottenje, March 28. The long expected banquet to the Ministry at Castlemaine (says the "Daily Telegraph,") has taken place, and has furnished politicians with subject for abundant comment. Mr Duffy, as he promised, made his declaration of policy. The " Gazette " has announced that Parliament will be re-assembled on 30th April, and the Chief Secretary took the opportunity of the banquet to submit bis plans to the country prior to meeting the Legislature, a course which has been warmly condemned as contrary to constitutional practice. The hon. gentleman alluded to the general prosperity of the mining, agricultural, and pastoral interests, and intimated that the rents for mining leases would be reduced, that a bill to regulate mining on private pro- , perty would be submitted to Parliament, | that it was not proposed to sell land by auction after a certain term, that all water supply works will be held over until the arrival of the new engineer ("Mr C. E. Gordon) from India, that he was favorably disposed towards the Cape mail service and towards the construction of cheap railways, and that he was anxious to complete the unfinished public buildiags of the metropolis. This, added to two or three of the minor measures which are usually included at the end of a session in the Massacre of the Innocents, completed the Government programme. The Opposition journals have attacked it on the ground that it shirks all debateable issues, more particularly the national question of education and that its statements are exaggerated always, and sometimes false. The prosperity of the agricultural class in particular, on which the hon. gentleman dilated, is denied by the agricultural IVess, the harvest having turned out far below expectation. On this and other accounts there have been one or two . noteable desertions from the ranks of the papers supporting the Cabinet. It is of course difficult to say what impressiou the address has made upon the country, but a circumstance related below would tend to show that it is far from favorable Early in the month the announcement was made that the former Premier, Sir James M'Cullocb, contemplated a visit to Europe. His resignation was accordingly placed in the Speaker's hands, and Sir James left the colony on the 27th, in the steamship Northumberland. A subscription has been set afoot to present him with a testimonial in the form of a silver tea-service. Writs were at once issued for the election of a member for Mornington, and as the polling came shortly after the delivery of the Mi material address, the result was looked for with great curiosity. The Ministry devoted their energies to secure the return of Mr John Everard, a well-known gentleman, of much local influence ; and the opposition interest was unfortunately divided between Messrs Keys and Purves. Mr Purves secured a decisive victory.It was understood that Mr F. L Smyth was prepared to vacate his seat for North Gipps Land in favor of the eldest son of the Premier, but there is doubt now cast on the advisability of carrying out the arrangement. About midnight on the night of the 19th March the Theatre Royal, Melbourne, was discovered to be on fire, and in two hours the building was completely destroyed, with the exception of the cafe and bars attached. The fire raged most fiercely for some time, and there was every possibility of its spreading to St. Georges-hall and other neighboring buildings, but the exertions of the fire brigade were sufficient to keep it within the walls of the theatre. Several shopkeepers and others occupying adjoining premises lost considerably by the removal of stock. Nothing definite has so far been learned as to the origin of the fire, but it is supposed to have been caused by the production of " The Streets of New York," a sensational drama in which a fire scene was represented on the stage. Some sparks. from the fire used are supposed to have lodged in the flies and have smouldered there until the flames broke out and were discovered by one of the men who slept on the premises. The destruction of this, tha principal theatre of the colonies, has thrown a large number of people out of employment, and is regarded as a national calamity. Many of the actors ]<fst the greater part of their wardrobe ; but a movement has been initated to recoup them, and so far has met with considerable success, a large sum having already been obtained by a cricket match played by members of the profession in character, and special performances at the only remaini ngtheatre — the Princess's — which has been placed at the disposal of the actors gratuitously by Mr Lyster, the lessee, for five nights. Two days after the burning of the Theatre, the Victoria Rope- works, situated on the southern bank of the Yarra, just below Princes-bridge, took fire, and in less than half an hour the building, materials, and machinery were totally consumed. The value of the place was £12,300, and the insurances only amounted to £4,000. The proprietors are Messrs James Miller and Alexander Gray (the latter of Geelong). Sixty men and boys were employed in the establishment, which was turning out £150 worth .of rope per day. Fortunately the proprietors had a quantity of raw material stored elsewhere, and as the machinery can be replaced, it is expected that operations will be resumed in a few weeks. In the meantime efforts are being made by Borne of the inhabitants of Emerald-hill to raise funds for the relief of the employes who have been temporarily thrown out of work. A lifelike and artistic photograph of the Hon. Julius Yogel, Treasurer of New Zealand, has been taken by Mayall and Sons, Collins street. The photo is cabinet size, and is enlarged from a carte-de-visite negative, a process which this firm specially affects, and with very happy results. ' I

The coffer dam of the Alfred Graving Deck at Williamstown gave way on the 27th ult., and in a few hours the whole dock was flooded with water. The Ballarat Association for the Pre- | vention of the Destruction of Valuable Buildings by mining operations is progressing satisfactorily. A large number of rr embers have been enrolled. The census returnsjust published bring out very clearly the surprising fact that one- half of the present population of Victoria is native born. The Australians hero number 358,000 out of a total of 729,000, and 329,000 of these Australians claim Victoria itself as a birthplace. An elderly married woman, named Davis, the wife of a market gardener at Elsternwiok, and a young man named Street, presumed to be her paramour, have been arrested and committed for , trial on a charge of attempting to poison I the husband of the femile prisoner. Strychnine was the poison used, placed in some medicine which the husband was taking. At a sale of Lincoln sheep, the property of the late Mr Austin, of Barwon Park, very high prices were realised. The highest priced ram went for £112 ; the next at £59, £58, £52, £50, £49, and so on, several more going between £40 and £50. It was in the ewes that the high figures were reached ; pens of eight sixtoothed going for £62 per head. It is something to know (says the Melbourne Telegraph) that the present season is really the hottest on record. The average all round for the month of January is 2.sdeg. higher than the average for the past fourteen years, and exceptional as the month of January was February, we know, was more astonishing still. As nothing like this season was known in the past, we may hope for the sake of posterity that nothing like it will occur in the future. A table giving the numerical particulars of the religions of the people of Victoria shows that the Episcopalians number 251,328 ; the Presbyterians, 81,832 ; the Free Presbyterians, 20,160 ; the Wesleyan Methodists, 80,491 ; the Independents, 18,174; the Baptists, 16,311; and the Roman Catholics, 167,467. There are 17,646 pagans in the colony, and no less than 9,967 persons objected to state their religion from conscientious scruples. The total population, according to the complete census returns, is 731,528. The case of Moore v. Motherwell is principally of interest to the medical profession and the University authorities. It was an action by Dr. Moore to recover damages from Dr. Motherwell for an alleged slander, uttered at a meeting of the council of the University, of which the defendant is a member. The slander complained of was that Dr. Moore had purchased his Bachelor of Medicine degree in England, had then, without passing any examination, obtained an ad eundem degree from the Sydney University, and was seeking, on the strength of the Sydney degree, to obtain a similar degree from the Melbourne University. The plaintiff, however, was unable to prove the slander ; for Dr. Cutts — another member of the council of the University —who gave him the information, had forgotten all about it, and could not possibly be made to remember. A verdict tor the defendant was, therefore, returned by direction. In the breach of promise case, Maunsell v. Cassius, the plaintiff was Miss PhoobeMaunsell, daughterof a Melbourne solicitor, and she sought to recover £5,000, for breach of promise of mirriage, from Mr Michael Cassius, a merchant at Hokitika iv New Zealand, reputed to be in affluent circumstances. For the defence, the contract was notfdenied, but it was pleaded that after the promise was made, and before a reasonable time had elapsed for the marriage to take place, the defendant was prevented by the act of God — to wit, permanent illness — from carrying out the contract. The evidence given, and the correspondence put in," proved that the most ardent affection existed on both sides, notwithstanding that the plaintiff was twenty-six years of age and the defendant forty-four years. They had corresponded for months after the writ was served, and the letters of the plaintiff clearly showed that the action was taken by her father without her approbation in the firstinstance ; although she approved of it afterwards, she said. The defence was, however, the principal extraordinary feature in the case, medical evidence being called to prove that it was a matter of impossibility for the defendant to have consummated the marriage. A verdict was returned for the plaintiff, damages £350, but the general feeling was that the defendant had acted in a thoroughly honorable manner, and was entitled to a verdict. The sale of Mr M'Dougall's shorthorns occurred on the 12th of March at the Essendou Farm. The catalogue comprised 12 bulls of various ages, from 18 months down to three months, and 26 heifers. • One youngster, six months old, the progeny of Field- Marshal Booth, realised 145 guineas ; Veno, by Major Booth, fetching 70 guineas, and John of Lorn, by the same sire, 90 guineas. Dv Cane, an 18 month bull, by Grand Count, went for 170 guineas. Several of the bulls were by Great Count, half brother to Grand Count, both being by Count of the Empire, the following amongst the number, viz. : — Bazaine, 180 guineas ; Ferdinand, 180 guineas ; Dombrowski, 120 guineas. Of the heifers six were over two years old, and 20 under that age. The highest price, 120 guineas, was realised by Legacy, a two-year-old. Fun and Fashion, a beautiful pair, were taken by one buyer for 115 guineas apiece ; they are to go to New South Wales. Plaited Purple, 27 months old, realised. 100 guineas ; the rest of the figures were below that. The 12 bulls made an aggregate of 1,201 guineas, equal to £105 2s per head; 26 femaleß realised 1,529 guineas, or an average of £61 14a < 11 |d per head. The whole 38 head thus made an aggregate of £2,866 10s, giving ■ a general average of £75 8s Bd. We

I may remark that the whole of the heifers ! were by colonial bulls, out of colonial cows. From our Sydney correspondent we learn that the lately imported Devon bull Duke of Flitton 4th has been sold to Mr Reynolds, of Tocal, for the sum of £350. ' The Sandhurst correspondent of the Melbourne Herald writes on the 27th ult. : — " Murder will out. Sime ten years ago a most brutal murder was committed on the Molyneux River, Otago, New Zealand, the unfortunate victim being a man known by the name of Yorkey. A man was arrested at the time on suspicion of being the murderer, but for want of sufficient evidence was discharged, and the affair has since been enveloped in mystery. List night constable Cook arrested a man for drunkenness, and when conveying him to the lock- up the prisoner volunteered the statement that he was the murderer of Yorkey. Whether the confession made is a genuine one or made for the purpose of hoaxing the police officials, remains to be proved. Certain it is the man Yorkey was murdered, and from that time to the present the murderer has been at large." Sydney. The assembling of Parli iment has been deferred until 21th April. Mrs Young, charged with murdering her husband at Gulgong, has been convicted of manslaughter, and sentenced to six months' imprisonment. Four tons of quartz from Cuyers and Holterman's claim, Tambaroora, gave over l,looozs of gold. The Sydney Meat-Preserving Company has decided to negotiate for Jones's vacuum patent. The company propose to sell their works for £15,000 to an English food-preserving company. The Mary River Gold Company has been formed, and provisional directors appointed, to commence operations at once. The Fiji Government are endeavoring to obtain a £5,000 loan at 10 per cent. The banks have raised the rate of exchange on London to i per cent, premium. The Government have received a telegram from Cardweil, stating that the remains of seven of the New Guinea Expedition have been identified as Rowe, Barnett, Poolman, O'Malley, Thompson, Hosker, and Dalgliesh. An action, brought against the owners of the steamship Nevada, for sinking the barque Badger at the entrance to the harbor a short time since, has been commenced in the Supreme Court. Sales of colonial wheat have been made at 6s. Over 300 tons damaged Hong Kong sugars were disposed of at auction up to £37 2s 6d. Five-medal candles have been sold at lOf J ; Brandon's, 10|i ; MarteH's case brandy, 245. At the wool sales prices were a shade dearer. The Myalea station, Monaro, has been sold at 15s a bead for sheep. Nichols and Lester, who are charged with committing a series of murders on the Parraraatta River, have been committed to take their trial for the wilful murder of W. P. Walker. The evidence disclosed the fact that the prisoners had concocted a diabolical scheme of entrapping victims by advertising for parties to proceed up the country to situations, by this means finding out what money the applicants were possessed of, and selecting their prey accordingly. It is expected that the sudden disappearance of several individuals will be traced to the machinations of these civilised Thugs. Two bodies have already been recovered from the river bearing unniatakeible evidence of death being caused by violence, a rope, with a heavy stono attached, being fastened to each of the bodies. One of those found was that of Walker, who was atone timeaschoolmasterat Amphitheatre, near Avoca. When the prisoners were removed from the court, the excitement of the populace was intense. A cry of " Hang them," was raised, and a large crowd rushed after the caba, which drove rapidly away. The prisoner Nichols has intimated his readiness to turn informer and offer evidence, but the authorities have declined to accept his testimony. He is said to be nephew to a former SolicitorGeneral. Both prisoners were known to the police as belonging to the criminal class. Adelaide. The banks have altered the rates of interest on deposits to 3£ per cent, for twelve, and 3 per cent, for six months. The discount on trade bills at niuety-five days has been reduced to 7 per cent. A sale of old wheat has been made at 5s 6d ; new is firm at 5s s^d. A line of about 300 tons flour in barrels baa been sold for shipment to New Caledonia at about £12 103. Bran is quoted at 9d. Cabdwell, Queensland. The Governor Blackall reports that the search party has found the bodies of all the missing members of the New Guinea expedition, aud that, with three exceptions, they had been murdered by blacks. The survivors have left for Sydney. The Government has sent a present of blankets to the friendly natives who saved the lives of the eight men. Hobart Town. A memorial is in course of signature for presentation to Bishop Bromby by the laity of the colony, requesting him to take such measures as will remove the ground of alarm respecting the distribution of books having a Romanistic tendency, for use in Protestant churches. Laxtnceston. At the Supreme Court the AttorneyGeneral, owing to the absence of Mr Home, representing Messrs Lyell and Go wan, entered a nolle prosequi agaiust the brothers Bloch, charged with fraudulent insolvency, and the prisoners were discharged. *