Colonial News.

Colonist, Issue 15, 11 December 1857, Page 3

Colonial News.

::..". ..'.new' ; 'sotJTH..Wales. ; .,;';,'j/,;.;-'/. The Ocean 'Queen .arrived•"off Nelspn .harbour on Wednesday evening, by which vessel,w« -nave, received Sydney papers to the 27th Noveniberi ,",,',]

In the Legislative Assembly, on the 26th Nov^, after a; protracted, discussion of several daysi'the'j motion for going into committee oil the Land Rill was carried by a majority; of 5-9 against.l 3. : r The' Speaker's announcement was received; with cheers on.both sides. Upon the House going irifV. committee a formal; motion for postponement" of tlie preamble was made by Mr. Murray, who was" immediately- followed *by Mr. Donaldson :in a speech.of great vehemence, commenting,upon; the, ' divided opinions .held by the' Cabinet and pre* dieting their ultimate;defeat'oh the1 bill before tlie , House. After': soriie further" discussion in wdiidh ; Ministers generally; took:, part, the Chairman, reported progress, and the House re5umed.,;,..,,., v His Excellency the Gorernor-Gerieral delivered a lecture,' on the evening of the 24th November, in the Hall of the School of Arts, " giving an accouvit;of his Excellency's recent';visit- to- Norfolk Island inher Majesty's ship Iris/'.. ; T ; ~: Accident to his^ Excellency the GovernorGeneral.;—We regret to "learn that' Sir "William Denison met with a severe accident on Wednesday evening last, from the effects of which-hie has since beeiveonfined to his room. , It appears a that his Excellency was walldrigiri the Park attached to Governnient House, when one of the fed deefs rushed upon him, inflicting j somerather 'severe" wounds on the thigh; -Medical assistance! -was promptly ; rendered ; arid, -notwithstanding that some fears were at first expressed for his'-Excelr lency's safety, later' accounts mention that he is proceeding as favourably as can be expected under the circumstances..,.-. This is ; the ; :' second of ; third time that.the vicious..animal has inflicted injury upon persons crossing the vice-regal grounds.—• \ Empire;Novi 27. :' r '' '<;.■ \"* ,:;:"; ": ' Ji}l Washing Apparatus.^-J-A cleverly-constituted piece of "labour-saying machinery" in the.shape of a washing .machine, has recently been perfected and brought into'successful operation by the, inventor, Mr. Richard Rbbsdn, of Campbell-street, Surry Hills.' * It 'consists of a galvanised irori:cylinder, in the interior of which is placed a runged wheel or, roller made of .wood; with an axletree, if it may. be so'termed, running through to the exterior ends of tlie cylinder. On 'either extremity of this axle; a handle of bar is affixed for the purpose of working the-apparatus. At the upper part of the cylinder is, an aperture, (for admitting the clothes and the, boiling, water) which j when shut down, is perfectly .air-tight, a brass tap being fitted below for drawing ioff the water: at intervals. The apparatus, which is light and portable, will wash from five to six^ dozen of clothes in an hour, the revplu-ioris of the roller supplying the place of hand' labour, and without in the least impairing the articles operated upon. We may remark that it is indispensablel that 'the clothing should be soaked overnight and well rubbed with soap before being put into the machine.—Empire, Nov. -27^' •'' ': ; ''; -/' ; The Late Storm.r—During the stbr'm of Monday, the gable: end of a- house, in-course of construction situate in a line,Avith Norton-street, Surry Hills, fell in. Great, coristefnation was created in the St.* Michael's School-house, the water pouring in from all -parts, of "the building, and the: unroofing of the ; schobl S^ome few; months back being fresh, in the memory of its inmates, the elders of the establishment beat a precipitate retreat. Several of the children; Were" bruised in their efforts to escape.—Empire, Nov.'2s. ' : ■ ' Sudden and Severe Storm.—On'Monday, the 23rd of November, : about 4 p.m;, Sydney was visited by a violent storm of wirid and a deluge of rain. From early in the;mornirig ra;nd during the day, the occasional showers, > accompanied : with thunder and lightning, and anon bright and;beautiful weather, gave an impression that a wild storm was brewing., At the hour abdvenieritibried, for about ten minutes, the sky was overcast, arid thefe poured down volumes of rain; so dense;thatasheet of darkness, appeared to hover overhead. ,At..th.c junction of streets, by this office^ there was a rinining flood, larger .andJmore /impetuous than we have hitherto witnessed. At the,southern part of the town some damage was done. A large portion of the roof of the Sugar House, 'Parramatta-stf eet, was completely rolled up and blown into the yard. A* hearse was said tp have been blown over on the railway bridge ;■ and a.boy, was by .the force of the wind-into a pond at the .Glebe": A boy was sifcruckby lightning in Parrairiatta-stre'et, and -died shortly- after; and a:: Utile girl was washed down the road; a ; distance - ; of above 100 yards,-.by the force of the water.. In the morning, during the thunder storing the schooner Chase was struck by liglitriihg; but, fortunately; the only damage sustained was a piece of chip; taken-; out of the' mast. In , the. stormy the ketch Queen was. capsized in the heavysquall ; she immediately filled, and turned over; the crew, two men, succeeded in getting on her bottomland were rescued by the steamer Brothers, when the ketch, was. towed up to the wharf. During the heavy squall, two young men,(bror thers), named Taylor, were capsized in a boat "off Kiri Billi Point. ; Messrs. Hi and; R. Green pushed off to their assistance, and, notwithstanding the heavy, breeze^ succeeded; in. reaching them. Unfortunately,, the eldest brother, who has lately returned from Moreton Bay,'was beyond recovery, although the doctor of H.M.S. Herald was promptly on the spot, and rendered every assisL tance. . The police-boat received; the body of the j unfortunate young, man, and conveyed it to his friends. The large shed at the entrance of the Railway Station, used for protecting the carriages, was blown completely' over.— Herald: November 24- ' -.'.I ~.-'■;.. ..-,..- ..;.:.::

. , THE NORFOLK ISLANDERS, , .'-\' .'." '/, One of the' most''practical".of Englishmen Governor Sir William Denison, has just constructed a constitution and a system of government for this remarkable, .race of people. Experience has proved that men may make mistakes in providing for the Pitcaim Islanders, audit may turn out that Sir William has also.mistaken them. But on'the face .of the thing, the constitution he has framed seems a very fitting pne.for.the modem Utopia, for a race noted hitherto forits gentleness, obedience;, love of order, and a very fair share of industry,' si r.i Universal suffrage, election, of .magistrates annually, and appeals only tp the decision of their own lot-selected juries in all ordinary case's, may briefly serve as the outline of the constitution.*. Annually, on the day after Christmas Day; the chief magistrate and his two assistants, denominated councillors, are to be elected; the chief magistrate myist be at least twenty^eigh't years old, must be a resident, and must own a landed estate on the island. The councillors must be resident, and must be at least twenty-five years" old.' The: chief magistrate will be in fact although net in name, the Lieutenant Governor of the island,' carrying into effect all instructions he may receive"from the. Governor of New South Wales; and he will carry on the government of the iand, with the advice of his two councillors, whenever, he asks it.. All three will actlas magistrates during their year of .Office, and commissions as ..magistrates will be forwarded to them from Sydney annually, as soon asofficialnbtice of the election has 'been- sent up. -Every male inhabitant of twenty-one years of ages?ill be an elector, provided he has been six months

a resident, and provided he can read ■ and write. ; The laws and reguiatipris of the island may be changed atL 'any time: by a:public meeting arid a poll Of the people presenj;, providingjthe change has Jbeen called for-, by>l the chief magistrate and councillors; but the prbceedings wilThave'to be fonvarde'd.to the Governor of New South Wales for his. approval. All minor cases; of police or of debt, &c..willr bedecided by the magistrates,, all more.serious cases, criminal or, civil, by juries of seven elders, riot less thafi' twenty-five years of _ge,' chosen by lot: biit cases involving danger to life or limb must.be reserved tpv] the, consideration of the courts of justic.e,m Sydney.- ;Eyery child must receive a public education, a:pecuriiary .penalty'beirig levied for nori r : attendance heavier than the fee charged for attendance;, the : schoolmaster.to receive alt the. fees and penalties, which will be collectedfor b^ini^free of deduction, by the chief magistrate. : No beer, .wine; or spirituous liquors to be landed on the island j; except for, medical: stores. The chaplain of theislandris:entrusted with; considerable-powers j he.wu--.be the returning-p_icer, biit canribt be elected magistrate or councillor; he will have'supreme charge -of' the education > given to ■> the ; children ;;'he, will keep and. -issue the ; medical stores. ■The only public income pfdyideel appeara to be, that : derived: froiri^^poliee fines and penalties.'' ', : ; .; : So curious a.mixture^thoroiighißadicalism gener . rally, with Toryism in,religion. : and.edUcation r we have" never read before. It would.bea Utopian constitution for any ordinary people, who would certainly soon grow; disafFectedi'a9; regards the religious, the educational,; :an d intpxicatipnal ; provisions^ ; , But possibly- it may. all the.better suit the -peculiarities ,of the inhabitant of tlie rockbouhd island ofthe pacific'.— Maitland Mercury;