INTERCOLONIAL.

Southland Times, Issue 1689, 14 January 1873, Page 3

INTERCOLONIAL.

— ■ — ♦ - (From files per Alhambra.) Melboukne, Jan. 4. John B^Wallis, a well known bookmaker, is a*c^uaed of offering a jockey £50 to " sell" a race. Mount and Morris, two of the passengers of the Carl, have been tried in Melbourne, and found guilty of manslaughter. It is considered that the verdict of the jury amounts to a miscarriage of justice. Sentence was deferred. Much of tbe sheep country in the interior, wbich was abandoned some years ago, is now being restocked. The Gnotuk estate, containing 7,770 acres, has been sold at £9 5s per acre, on terms equal to cash, being the highest price for any larije lot of grazing land ever obtained in Victoria. Tho New Year's Day races of the Victoria Racing Club were a success. The following are the names of the winners: — Hurdle Race, Bismark ; Threeyear old Handicap, Blue Peter ; Two-year-old Stakes, Maid of Avenel ; Mideuramer Handicap, Dolphin; Steeplechase, Reindeer ; Canterbury Stakes.Blue Peter; £100 Plate, Topper. The representatives of the wool-grow-ing interest of Victoria and Riverina held a meeting at Scott's Hotel, Melbourne, on the 2nd January, to discuss the abuses which still exist at the London wool sales. ■ From 70 to 80 gentlemen were present, and the proceedings were characterised by almost entire unanimity. Resolutions were passed condemning the draft system and the practice which the brokers follow of acting for both buyer and seller; and affirming that the number of s lies should be increased from five to six per annum. That the occasion had arrived for united action seemed to be felt by ali. The leading agents in London were gently rebuked for having done nothing te remove the abuses which had been pointed out to them. Snakes are said to be unusually numerous this season in Victoria On the 2nd inst., at Queenscliff, the ' Cerberus fired 12 rouuds at 2500 yards from the fore cupola, witb very good effect, tbe shot (with the exception of one which made a ricochet off the water, and went over the point) all striking an area of fifteen feet by thirty. Two of the shot were afterwards recovered, but the remainder were buried by debris from the Sandstone cliff, several tons of which were dislodged. Captain Panter expressed himself highly satisfied with the practice. The crew were subsequently ! drilled with small arms, the rifle practice j being remarkably good. j Sydney. A severe hurricane occurred in the Hunter district on the 20th December, j Buildings were unroofed and other damage done. The enormous hailstones smashed tlie windows of the Maitland Gran mar School, and the theatre suffered some injury. A terrific thunderstorm occurred m the Mudgee district on Sunday night, 29th ult. All the creeks have become flooded, j The barque Lizzie and Rosa, recently j scuttled, has been raised, but the extent of the damage has not yet been ascertained, j Two hundred tons Adelaide wheat are being shipped here for London. J The M. A. Aninson, from Mauritius, j has arrived with 6,899 bags sugar. j The Newcastle miners refused to work before 7 o'clock on the 2nd, iv order to j force the companies to adopt tbe ; nine \ hours' system. The managers ujnani- I mously refused, and closed the mines. Negotiations are still pending, and amicable arrangements are likely to be arrived at. The Government have accepted tenders for 18 locomotives from Messrs Mort and Vale and Lacey, of Sydney, to be finished within two years. The body of a woman lound murdered near Muniooran is believed to be that of a young person missing from there some months ago. The war schooner Ethel returned from her first cruise in the South Seas on the 3rd inst. She brings four prisoners, portion of the crew of the brig Mary tf rant, charged with kidnapping natives. The brig has been lost. At the wool sales prices were unaltered. A sale has taken place of pig iron at £8 8s ; rock salt, £4 15s. A portion of the Emma's cargo of sugars has been sold at late rates. The ballot taken at the Newcastle mines showed a large majority in favor of a 10-hours system. The managers decline to make further concessions, and a monster meeting of miners is called for the 3rd. The ballet girl Osborne, burned during the performance at the Victoria Theatre, died in the hospital on the 3rd Fiji, tia Sydney. The Fiji Times publishes particulars of an outrage committed on two Ba Coast planters by Mr Thurston, a member of the Ministry. The planters have since unanimously requested Mr Ireland, their member, to resign, on the ground that responsible government was a failure. Mr Ireland resigned, and. published a card, in which he confirmed his constituents' allegations. The annexation movement is becoming stronger. An influential deputation presented a petition to Cakobau, requesting the withdrawal of the Constitution. The present state of things is unlikely to last, as the outlying planters have an antipathy to the increasing cost. The same paper of December 20 publishes a copy of depositions made by a native missionary, and four other Fijians, showing that the Government officials are encouraging the natives to rise against i , the planters in the Ba district.

The annexation feeling is increasing, and the settlers are almost unanimously in favor of it. The Fiji correspondent of the Herald says that tbe Government intend invoking the interference of America and Germany against England's interference in Fijian affairs. Adelaide^ The police trooper at Yam Creek reports to the Government a new discovery of extraordinary richness at Winn's claim, where the reef is 9ft. deep and 2ft. wide. Competent judges fix the average yield at lOOoz. to the ton. Slape, who murdered Wyatt at Burnside, huns himself in gaol. John MKinlay, the explorer, is dead. A verdict of felo de se was returned in the case of Slape, the murderer. The Revs. Messrs Davidson and Read have been appointed professors of the University, at a salary of £600 a-year each. A sura of £283,000 was paid in dividends during last year. Nearly 4000 packages tea, ex Geffrard, were sold at auction on the 3rd, and realised fair prices. Java sugars, ex Amur, brought £37 15s. Sales of wheat were made at 4s 3d to 4s 3£d. A vessel was chartered to load wheat afc 85s.