NEW SOUTH WALES

Colonist, Volume II, Issue 175, 24 June 1859, Page 4

NEW SOUTH WALES

Daring Burglary. —A most daring burglary was perpetrated on the night of Tuesday last, at the stores of Messrs. Barnard and Co., Barrack-street. It appears that the thieves having entered the stores at the back, made their way to the countinghouse, and, having almost broken to pieces the patent Milner's safe, got possession ol two cash boxes, from which they abstracted some thousands of pounds' worth of promissory notes and acceptances —together with cheques and half notes; also a great many second and third exchange on London. In the largest cash-box they fortunately left all the certificates of brandy, ram, and tobacco, &c, of nearly £40,000 in value. In all probability they knew that to them they were as so much waste paper. The amount of actual cash stolen was only £21 Bs. 4d., and as the cheques and bills are all stopped at the various banks, we hope this amount will cover Messrs. Barnard and Co.'s loss. The burglars must have been some time on the premises, as they consumed two jars of preserved ginger, two pots of jam, a bottle of cherry brandy, and a bottle of ale. — Sydney Herald, June 10. The New Collector of Customs. —As a corroboration of what we have said—that the present Government are not indisposed to show us fair play—we as Catholics may fairly advert to the manner in which Mr. Cowper's Cabinet have so judiciously recognised the abilities of Mr. Duncan—than whom we possess no more learned man in the whole Catholic community—by offering him the highest post in the gift ofthe Government. Ifc is true that, apart from alj other considerations, Mr. Duncan was entitled to promotion, both on the ground of fitness for the situation and as being the •next in rank to Colonel Gibbs in the department, but the act, done as it is without to creed or influence of patronage, ■calls, under the circumstances, for our admiration, and is amply sufficient to dis T possess us of the silly but prevalent notion amongst Catholics, that we live under a 'bigoted rule, and that we need never look for satisfaction under Responsible Government. This is a point not. to be lost sight 6?, as the bare assertion in men's mouths of

the partiality or bigotry of a Minister, can be relied upon only when it receives confirmation by individual acts, done when he has it in his power to manifest the feelings he. is accused of. Many men judge of others by themselves, rather than by the

deeds which they actually perform ; which

is only one oi the phases in which rash judgment may be exercised. The conduct of the Government of late, in matters which affect us as Catholics, is in every way worthy of our grateful recognition; and this liberal act we are bound to acknowledge.—Freeman's Journal.

Fatal Accident at the Railway Station. — The Sydney Railway Terminus was yesterday the scene of a sad accident, by which a young man, in the prime of life, was hurried into eternity. It appears that at about ten minutes -to -ten o'clock in the morning, the deceased, who has been employed as a porter on the line for six or seven months past, was engaged in sheeting and fastening down a tarpaulin over one of the goods trucks which was to have left the station by the 10-15 train. While in the act

of sheeting the truck (which was standing on the near line), the engine-driver, with a number of assistants, was shunting some

carriages from the off line on to the near line, on which the others were standing. The deceased was not observed on the carriage at all.; but just as the moving carriages reached those standing still he was seen to fall, and a heavy moan was heard. The carriages were immediately stopped, and the deceased extricated from under the wheels, but life was extinct, and the body was fearfully mutilated by the wheels passing over it. fit does not clearly appear how the accident was caused, but it is presumed that the deceased did not hear the moving carriages coming: towards him, and hence was not prepared with a sufficiently firm hold to resist the sudden shock caused by the carriages coming in contact. On extricating the body, a wheel mark was observed across the chest, from which it appears that he struck one of the wheels in falling, and then was thrown on to the rails, and. before the carriages could be stopped, several wheels had passed over him, almost severing the body near the groin. The right arm near the shoulder was fearfully bruised, the right hand much ■lacerated, and the entrails were protruding from the wound near the groin. The deceased was a native of Greenock, had formerly been chief officer ofthe ship Centurion, and bore an excellent character for carefulnes,' sobriety, and industry. He was twenty-seven years of age, had been married eight months only, and has consequently left a young widow (who is eneiente) to lament his loss. An inquest on the body was held in the afternoon, when the case was thoroughly investigated by the City Coroner, The Manager of the Railway, the engine-driver, the points man, guard, and one other person, all of whom saw the accident, or were employed in shunting the carriages, were examined, but nothing important beyond the facts stated was elicited. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the evidence, attaching no blame to any one. In a rider to the verdict, the jury -strongly recommended the young widow of the deceased to the consideration ofthe Government.— Sydney Herald, June 7. Death of Mr. Robert Osborne. —The protracted and painful illness of Mr. Robert Osborne, of Wollongong, was terminated by death on Tuesday morning last. The announcement of this event will be read with / sorrow and regret by the great proportion of the people of these districts, for the deceased —who had resided here for upwards of twenty one years—-was almost universally known, and, it is needless to say, esteemed for his sterling qualities by all who knew him. As a member of the community, he

was ever ready to bear his share in public movements having for their object the. improvement or advancement of the town or district and the welfare of its inhabitants; in his social and domestic relations he was a trusty ancl a genial iriend, an ever-ready and sound adviser, and an exemplary.husband and father. These are not empty, hackniod terms of laudation. Their truth will doubtless be verified by the attendance at his interment this da} 7, by.the heart-felt and long-continued expressions. of condolence with his widow and family, and by the void which will be created by his removal from amongst us.— lllawarra Mercury. Sydney University Musical Festival.-— The occasion of this festival is undeniably a great one. Even English readers now know-—thanks to the illustrations that have recently appeared in the Illustrated London News and the Illustrated Times —what a splendid structure we possess, and give the colony the credit for their liberality and patriotism in raising such a shrine forlearning and the arts. It may be, that we cannot consecrate it with such a grand burst of choral harmony as is usual on similar occasions there, still we are called upon to enlist all the talent we can command on the inauguration of this great national institution. When the history ofthe present period comes to be written, it will be matter for congratulation to the historian to be able to relate that, in that distant day of small things, learning and art had taken such hold on the public mind that young and old enthusiastically participated in the celebrations u4iich marked the completion of the hall of the Sydney University. We have no doubt that this feeling will animate the minds of all who are privileged to take part in the festival, and that they will strive their utmost to make the performances worthy of the important occasion. It is proposed that the first of the three days should be observed as a public holiday in this city, and strong reason might be urged in favour of the recommendation.— Sydney Herald, June 1.

Horses for India. —The following is an extract of a letter from Madras, sent to a gentleman in Sydney:—"l received a letter from you per Grand Trianon. The same vessel brought us 102 horses for Government, shipped by Colonel Atkinson, of the Madras army. Now ia a fine time for the horse trade. The Persian and Affghan markets are both closed, on account of the war, and we are now depending for our horses on the Cape and Australia. We received some horses from America, but they were not liked. Horses are very dear. An old screw that would not formerly fetch £5, would sell for one hundred and odd rupees, and so on.— Sydney Herald.

Accident.—Our Parramatta correspondent states that, on Tuesday, as Michael Filzpatrick, a man in the employ of the Sydney Corporation, was prepax*ing for blasting at tho Pennant Hills quarry, and, after cutting off the fuse, was cleariug the hole with his rammer, it struck a spark, from the stone and exploded the charge. He was much injured and removed to the hospital at Parramatta, where he was attended to by Drs. Brown and 'B:\ssett, who found it necessary to amputate the left hand above the wrist, and to take the thumb and part of tho right hand off. . The poor fellow has a wife and three children, who are by this circumstance deprived of all hope of support from him.— Sydney Herald, June 10.

In tbe-report of the President of the Hunter River Vineyard Association, it is stated that the vintage of 1859 has, almost without exception, been deficient in quantity. Of. the quality of the wine '59 will not equal '58. The value of wine -sent from the Hunter this season is calculated at .£6OOO. A taste for colonial wines has evidently taken hold ofthe community, and the report states-'that the clubs and first-class hotels find out that they cannot do without them.

A Mrs. Ilathaway, residing in the Orange district, was lately killed by the upsetting of a dray. -It is singular-that-a former husband of tho deceased, Mr, F. Mingey, was killed in a similar manner some few years ago.