INTERCOLONIAL.

Southland Times, Issue 1588, 7 June 1872, Page 3

INTERCOLONIAL.

MELBOTTEtfE, MAT 30. The Duffy Ministry were defeated by 39 to 34 by an amendment on the address j in reply on the 30th May. It is not! known yet whether Mr Duffy will resigri or advise the G-overnor to dissolve the ] Assembly. * . The ravages of diphtheria in the country districts continue. The committee of the Chamber of Commerce have reported unfavorably on the San Francisco mail arrangements. The report concludes as follows: — The conviction has been forced ■upon—t-his-committee as the result of past experiments, that the Pacific route "cannot be made to answer the purposes of an alternate . postal route to and from \ England for this colony ; that if any such service as the one under consideration can be made subservient to the dev elope- (- ment of a trade wftu the Pijis and othelr. islands of the South Pacific, as well as the opening of more direct postal and commercial intercourse with the "United States, it ; should be < aided, but only to the extent of a moderate subsidy. Tobacconists in Melbourne detected in Sunday trading are to be prosecuted by the police. A meeting has been held for the purpose of raising funds for the immediate relief of the starving people in Persia. From the Ovens Spectator we learn that nerer were the ploughman and the sower "more busy in that district than they are at present, and the heart of the farmer, lately so despondent from the unseasonable absence of rain, is now rejoicing. "* Speaking of the markets the Telegraph says : — As far as we have been able to judge, there will ble a surplus" of at least 200,000 bushels of wheat, and the probability is that very soon the market will be better supplied. The yield of oats is 1 upwards of 1,000,000 bushels in excess of last year, and barley 94,681 bushels. Maize, though the whole crop is little over 30,833 bushels, Bhows ah increase of 200 per cent. .The total increase in tne

produce of grain is stated to be 2,892,159. . bushels. The average yields were, at per acre, wheat, 13-45 bushels; oats, 18-76 bushels. The highest avei-age was obtained in the counties of Anglesey and Eipon, and the lowest in Evelyn and Mornington. In Victoria they can now crush quartz at a profit that will only yield five pennyweights, and can so treat their tailiags as not to lose a pennyweight per ton of pyritous gold. A midwife at Byaduk has been committed for manslaughter on a charge of causing the death of the wife of a farmer through wounds inflicted during her confinement. Sydney, May 29. Private letters from the Navigators' Group report that the native war at Apia is likely to prove one of extermination, and that in consequence 'all business was stopped. The schooner Augustina has bean totally wrecked leaving Apia for Auckland. The Mary and Edith, lumber laden,, from Oregon for Sydney, has been totally wrecked near Noumea. The captain and crew have arrived here in the Havilah. The sentence passed upon Ebell, for attempting to poison at Albury, has been commuted to imprisonment for life. : Mr M'Beanj a Murray squatter, has bought the Eawbella Station, with 8,237 cattle, and 50,000 sheep, for £45,000. _ The billiard match for the championship between Hitchen and Weston came off on the 28th. Weston tpok the lead, and had only ' scored 307 to' his opponent's 402. The first 500 was gained by Weston ;in two hours and fifteen minutes, ■ Hilchen being then 421. At 8"00 Weston was 60 points ahead,, and Hitchen -. com- . menced to score, and made some good ' breaks, but ultimately Weston won by 114 points in 1,000 up. The play occupied four hours and twenty minutes: At an election meeting on 22nd May, the Treasurer stated that special auditors, appointed by himself and the late Treasurer, had reported that there was over £300,000 deficit; in the revenue, instead of a surplus as mentioned in the Governor's speech. - - •'•'■' !Fijt via'&YibmriJ Fij l he wb to" ~4tlfßffay~ has ~fteenfreceived.) (1 /' :. /■ :'.]\ /■ i . .': i•> The Matatobau^ natives, who killed the ' : ? Rev: Mr ; Baker five years ago,- have made' ;- another attack on the coast tribes, and murdered large number^ Captain Muir, of the schootaer Alcanty, has bee a murdered by a- seaman named Antonie Franks. Xt is stated that the . captain had been drinking, and went on board the Marion Renny, where he quarrelled with one of the crew. The man sharpened his knife, and stabbed Captain Muir, who dropped down dead. The murderer has been tried by_ the . Supreme Court, convicted, and sentenced to death. The settlers of Soma Loma held a meeting, at which - the lawlessness prevalent at Levuka was eondeinned^and a resolution arrived at to support law and order. The British consul has seized T9O -. natives, recently landed, on the ground" - of their having been kidnapped. ; Adelaide, May 29.. r A mfeetiog'was held on the 25th in the Town-hall with reference to the transcontinental railway scheme. There were ', about 600 persons present, and the sheriff presided. Mr Tomkinson moved a resolution that it was desirable that the railway should be constructed as likely to conduce 1 to the of the colony in* various ' ways. Mr Solomon proposed an amend- ' ment, to the effect that as the promoters • were acting as'agents in obtaining capital, It was undesirable to pledge the colony to the grant asked for^ but agreeing to give a-million acres-to-any company pre — pared to execute the work. The voting . was about equal, but the chairman declared the motion to be carried. Mr Ward then moved a resolution, that it was undesirable to grant any concession in the direction asked until furtber. r mformation had been obtained, and that tenders be called. Mr Stonie moved an amendment that no expenditure of capital would justify so large a concession without payment. Mr Ward's motion , .was carried, and as the meeting*was dispersing, a motion was. also carried that the present was an opportune "time to launch the scheme on the London (market. '. The motion tabledin the Assembjyiby Mr Angas relative- to communicating with Queensland to arrange for- a. steamer tti connect with the-cable at Port Darwin, has been negatived, the Treasurer stating -that he expected to lay a telegram from Europe^ on the table of the House on that day fortnight. He said that to enter into a treaty with Queensland would be^humiliating, as that colonjy ,hadr ? misconstrued the motives "which had actuated South Australia in the matter. | The Assembly has voted £2000 as a b'onua_ Jfor . the production of the_firat_ 500 tons of f pig .iron. ,J(v , n . i John Everitt, changed 'with the murder of John Griffiths on~bd^.r.d the ship . City , of Dublin, /has been found guilty of manslaughter committed uuder extenuating circumstances,- and sentenced to three - months' imprisonment. Mr Roberts telegraphs from Tennant'a Creek, a distance of 1,400 miles on the overland telegraph line, that the Northern Eldorado is no doubt rich, but no - discoveries had been made which would warrant a rush yet.__ The /Bank of/ Adelaide ;at its, meeting resolved" to issue 50,000 frean shares at £1 premium; - : ' Petroleum oil has been made from a material found near Coorong. I The Hon;Thos. Elder has decided to establish, at his own expense, a camel express for^ the carriage of telegrams over the gap now existing on the overland telegraph line.