Cleanings.

Colonist, Volume II, Issue 137, 11 February 1859, Page 4

Cleanings.

Three Children Lost from the Alma.

On Saturday evening three children (a girl and two boys) of Mr. W. Carrall, a miner, living on the Alma, Victoria, were lost in the most mysterious manner. During the afternoon they had been playing in the vicinity of their parent's tent, which is situated about 300 yards from the Balaclava Lead. When last seen they had crossed the lead, and a man mentions seeing them making their way iri the direction of their home, just as it was getting dark. . After dark the alarm was

raised at their disappearance, and; search was made for them without avail. On Sunday and yesterday the holes in the flat, and the bush and tents for three miles round were examined, without the slightest trace being discovered. The eldest child (a girl) is 6 years old: the second and third (boys), 3 and 4 years of age. The occurrence has caused a great deal of excitement. All the miners on the Alma have been prompt in lending their assistance to the unfortunate parents. It is to be hoped the police will be instructed to pursue a systematic search, and clear up the painful mystery.— Maryborough Advertiser, December, 21.

The bodies of the three children, the dreadful circumstances of whose loss from the Alma we have previously detailed, have at last been found. Contrary to the generally received.opinion;..tliey.did not fall down a hole on the leady but appear to have" wandered in the bush. .. The body of the youngest child (three years old) .was found oh/Eriday afternoon, by a shepherd in the employ -of Mr Elliott. The spot where'it found was about 2^- miles from the tent ! of. the parents.: Thebody was much mangled, apparently by wild animals. < The head and one of the arms was separated from the. body;. The remains were at once .brought'to the Alma, Hotel. . : The next day active search was made in the neighborhood for the other two children, but it was not until Sunday they- were discovered. The poor little things were found dead side by side, under a bush, . only a mile and three quarters from iheir home. It" is supposed that they had wandered much farther with the youngest child, who succumbed to the fatigue'at an earlier stage, whilst the elder"" children made part of their way back. It is dreadful to contemplate the sufferings they must have endured; their deaths occasioned by mingled starvation and exhaustion. Amost painful feeling,was experienced when it was known that the children had died within so short a distance of their home. The bush, it was thought, had been tho-

roughly searched, but it now turns put that very few efforts were made in the direction the children actually went; Large parties were out many days, • but they did not make their search in a sufficiently- systematic manner,' so that the same ground was gone over many times by. different

parties. ••■ • Dr. Laidman, the District Coroner, held an inquest yesterday, at the Alma Hotel, when evidence was given of the facts we have, previously related.. The father identified the bodies by. the clothing. The jury returned the following verdict. —" The deceased were found dead in the bush, but how they came by .their deaths there is no evidence to show. It is the unanimous opinion of this -jury that the parents of the deceased used every exertion in' their power to recover the bodies, and that the deceased strayed into the bush, and perished from starvation."— lbid, Jan. 4.

' Nocturnal Balloon Ascent. Last night the Australasian ascended from the Domain at nine o'clock, in the presence of about one thousand spectators. The weather was beautifully fine and serene, the moon shining . with such brilliancy as to allow the large assemblage of persons without difficulty to observe the process of inflation during the" hour previous to the actual ascent. In the earlier portion of the evening sudden occasional puffs of wind had excited some anxiety and difficulty, but when the event of the evening took place it was almost a dead calm. It was found, however, that the balloon had not received an ascension power sufficient to enable it to take up the two aeronauts, Messrs. Dean and/Brown, and the latter was by consent selected to enter the car on this occasion. Fireworks were let off at intervals under the adjacent trees in the Domain, and the approach of the time for the ascent was signalised in the usual manner, by the firing of guns. On rising slowly but steadily from the spot where inflated, the balloon took first a south-westerly direction, at the comparatively low height of a few hundred feet only, as if about to cross over the city.. Whilst it was' following this course, fireworks—suspended at a considerable dis-tance-from the car—exploded, . producing a very pretty effect. The balloon almost immediately gained a higher elevation and took a more southerly path, when there was another discharge of fireworks, followed-by a clear and brilliant light. The " Australasian" then obviously got into another current, and moved rapidly to the south-east.— Sydney Herald, Jan; 18.

Novel Sporting1. Mr. Hassall lately entertained some of his friends with a somewhat novel diversion for

this part of the world, viz., that of bullshooting. A properly-equipped party proceeded to Araluen, among the steep hills and gloomy gullies of which place their entertainer, owned some wild cattle, whose savage dispositions evinced, in anurimis- ;- takeable manner, their dislike1 to the "durance vile" of stockyards and slip-rails. The gentlemen of the party evinced great skill in the use of their weapons, -shooting the animals from their saddles, while the horses were at full gallop, in a manner that would do credit to a South American. Mr. Terry's address, in the art of gunnery, excited great applause. In one instance he drove a bullet right through a large bull close behind the shoulder, while he and the beast were at full speed and fifty yards apart*., The trophies of the day consisted of six bulls and three native dogs. The hunters returned highly delighted with the day's sport. — Braidwood Dispatch.

Eareying 1. The rage for Rareying appears to have extended to all parts of the colony, and even in this district we hardly here talk of anything else ; the children are trying.their hands at Rareying calves, dogs, and cats, and I lately heard it reported that a young bull had been made perfectly quiet to ride. The various practisers of the art meet with different amounts of success, although in the majority of instances, the horses seem to be only, temporarily quieted, and it is doubtful if any of the professors are fully acquainted with the whole of Rarey's improved system. In several instances persons.have mounted horses under the impression that the}r they had succeeded in making them very quiet, and have only discovered their mistake on finding themselves first high in the air, and then sprawling on the ground. — -Correspondent Sydney Herald. ;

Novel Almanack for 1859. The ingenious idea of combining in a unique and useful form, an almanac with its varied information, and an indicating apparatus consisting of three rollers turned at the ; side T oi' the frame and thereby displaying in bold red letters; on the face the month, its date, and the day of it ■ simultaneously, is due to Mr. Julius Hall, :of Bruton-street, Bond-street, and it really promises to become a most useful appendage and companion to every countinghouse, railway, bank, and other public or private establishment where the day of the week or date of the month are desiderated at a glance, or are in constant requisition. Its simplicity, -usefulness, information, and compactness cannot fail to secure it. what it deserves, a large share of public appreciation.

Murder at the Indigo. About nine o'clock on Saturday evening a most cold-blooded murderwas committed on the mainroadfroih Beechworth to Indigo, and only a few hundred yards from the diggings. The deceased—-a German named Joseph Hartwig-—was in the employ of Dr. Gemmel, of "Wborajay,and was going homewards with his bullock dray, jafter disposing of a load of vegetables. The amount he had realised was supposed to be about £ 16, and the obtaining of this sum is supposed to ho-ve been the only incentive to the murder. At the inquest, Hugh Watt and John Roberts deposed that about

a hundred yards from their,..tent; they heard a man ciy.out l«.Don*t! Don't! Don't!" On looking-.towards the. quarter from whence the. sound; proceeded, they saw the flash of a gun' or pistol, and heard a noise like that of a man failing; accompanied by moans. Several parties proceeded to the spot, and found deceased lying on his back, upon a bullock d*ay f with a gunshot wound in/his throat.', Thr man was then dead.' The pockets jbad been cut out and the waistband torn : open. Two men, named James ; Mar&ly and Robert Porter, were arrested near; Albury onJsuspicion of the murder, by the Wodonga constables. Their ' appearance..Answers the description of two. men who were known to have - left Indigo on Saturday night,— Border Post ' ; ■

A Little Music. Music is music, and I love it; but when one piano only leaves off for. another to begin, or for three more to start- fortissimo, why, music is. more -than enough ;• and that is the exact state, of things in Paris at this moment. You cannot flee the, pianos; their sounds come up from below, .down from above, in at your, window, from over the way; make sweeps at you from round the corner, madden you/make-you' swear, and force .you to^wish ApolloV lyrel down every one of the performers' throats. ;I do think that ii a furnished- house keeper,, in a good street in Paris, were to put up a board outside his house, whereon should be the legend—" No pianos or piano in this house, and all the windows are double"—l do think, I say, that that proprietor might ask double prices, and yet always have his house full— Odd Fellows* Magazine.

Good Counsel for Crinoline.

A young lady was .trundling her hoops along the streets of Newcastle, her rings more numerous than those of Saturn, when the lower circle was accidentally wafted under the foot of a passer-by, and the next moment he was sprawling on the pavement, "My. good man," she exclaimed, •.•I'm very sorry for you." "An 1 aw'm vewy so'wy'for mysel'," said,he: "Aw wish ye women folk 'ud weer something mair decent."— Cfateshead Observer. ■ . • ;

Murder and suicide of a terrible character has taken place at Forton, near. Garstatig. Robert Bond, a youth of some ability* who at twenty-five had visited all quarters.of the globe, fell in love with Mary Hannah Wainman, who resided with her brothers in an adjoining house. Bond's advances were not-successful. As he was habitually linger the influence of brandy he excited great alarm. Miss Wainman's brother took .away a loaded gun from Bond's house. He asked '

for it, and significantly said he had; another. So it proved. Standing at the cloor of his father's house, he shot Miss Wainman dead as she appeared at the" door of her.brother's house, and going indoors, he reloaded his guv arid blew the top "of of his head off. A jury has found that he acted under the influence of temporary insanity. . ■•■ ■ ■'-■/■ ' '■■ ■■;-■ ;: ;

According to a statement from a Mr. T. P. Shaffiier, in the New York Papers, the Emperor of Russia four years back resolved upon the formation of a telegraph line from St. Petersburg to the Russian possessions ' in North America, and, thence to San Francisco. Its course was to be from St. Petersburg to Moscow, thence across the Ural Mountains into Asia, passing through Irkutsk to the sea of Okhotsk, thence from Kamtschatka across the sea of Kamtschatka to Cook's Inlet, in Russian America; This line, by a connexion with the river Amour and Mantehouria, would bring. S,U Petersburgh and Pekin into direct communication. . :; ■ :

... The following notice to the servants, neatly placed in a gilt frame, and printed in good plain Roman letter, may W seen (says the Stamford Mercury) by visitors to Brocklesby Hall:—"The Earl of YaVborough considers it his duty to call the attention of all persons in his employ to the importance he attaches to going to church or chapel. His lordship wishes . the work necessary to be' performed by his servants on a Sunday to be regulated so ;as to enable them to comply with this earnest request of his lordship "

A few days since an owl's nest was taken upon the farm of Mr. Parker,. Burnett's Farm, near this city, with three young ones in it. Theluxurious and voracious habits of the owl may he imagined from the .contents of this nest, which consisted of two leverets, one rabbit, three blackbirds, one thrush, and two large trout. They were all fresh, and had been apparently caught Vduring: the night.'— Bath Journal. ,-•:..;•: -:',l

A physician in ISFew York who recently conducted the post mortem examination in a. case of infanticide, reported that he was "unable to discover, whether the child was alive or riot at the time of its death" That was probably the same doctor who advertised his having removed " from the place wliere he now resides." ' '

See much, admire little j hear much, believe little; know much, speak little; avoid miich^ fear little; labour much, use little.

"My boy, what does your mother do for a living ?" was asked of a little bare-footed urchin. " She eats cold vittles> sir." •