AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Temuka Leader, Volume I, Issue 86, 12 October 1878, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Melbourne, Oct. 2. ■ There has been rather a-lively time of it in the Assembly over theJßeformEiili. The opposition has hot pruceeded-direct from the Opposition benches, but from

the Ministerial corner, where so-i>,- m mbers difter from the Government proposals. After a somewhat stirring debate the Assembly agreed to purchase Marshall Wood’s statute of the Queen for £3OOO. The acceptance of the colonial tender for five thousand tons iron pipes will cause a loss to the colony of over £I3OOO, while very little advantage will he gained -from.an industrial point of view. :.,..The.; Church of England Assembly closed: iter session, after having passed the Dean olMelbourne’s resolution in favour ■of Bible teaching in schools. Tire subject of religious education is just "how prominently before the community; partly owing to the remarks of the Bishop of Melbourne in favor of a separate grant to Roman Catholics, and partly" to the Bill introduced by Sir John O’Shannessy, providing that a grant be made to. school in which it is shown that the prescribed standard of education has been reached, the object being separate grants to .Catholic schools. It seems most probable that the Government will accept a tender for a mail service which will make Melbourne the first port of arrival and last of departure, and run direct from Suez, avoiding India. ... A serious mining accident at Ballarat ■on Saturday resulted in the immediate death of. two men, and the shocking mutilation of the third. The cage fell with them-a:distance of a hundred feet down the shaft. Four prisoners have escaped from the working gang at Maryborough, and succeeded in reaching timbered country. Although four days have now elapsed, it cannot be long before they are re-cap-tured, .. The weather has been pleasant, with some cold days. The countiy is looking splendid, Sydney, October 8. The Matrimonial Causes Bill to grant the wife a dissolution of marriage on proof of husband’s adultery was read a third time.

NEWS BY TORRES STRATS MAIL.

[Per s.s. Hero, via Auckland.] Torres Straits mails bring London dates to August 17th. The ‘ Times ’ thinks English interests in Affghanistan are safe. Shere Ali must be taught to respect us, and if Russia keeps England watchful over India, it will do good. Reports of the Java coffee crops are favourable. The Circe, with a cargo of flour from New Zealand, reports that wdiile stranded off New Guinea the vessel was plundered by natives. Six companies, witli a capital of X 4,000,000, have been formed in London for speculations in Cyprus. A line of steamers is laid on for there from Liverpool. Five hundred passages were applied for. T.ie first shipment was fifteen barrels of beer. The Home Rule Conference summoned Dublin to re-organise. The introduction of Chinese into Algeria is warmly discussed in France, A convention has been signed with Turkey for the Austrian occupation of Bosnia, but it m-dgiiisi-s the authority of the Sudan. Turkey maintains the right to carry out its own reforms in Asia Minor.