AUSTRALIAN CABLE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1718, 31 March 1888, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN CABLE.

Melioubnb, March 28,

The man Grocock, who was sentenced to death for the murderous assault on Collins, the stationmaster at Glenbuntly, in December last, has had his sentence commuted to fifteen years' penal servitude, and two floggings of fifteen lashes each.

Sailed—Waihora, for the Bluff. Prance has been allotted 11,000, aui Germany 27,000 extra feet for the Melbourne Centenary Exhibition, A Bilver rush has taken place to St, Arnaud, 158 miles from here.

Mr Chid ley, the inventor of the flying machine, had a public trial to-day, but a strong wind blowing upset the machine, and the occupant was thrown riolently to the ground, receiving rather a severe shaking.

Sydney, March 28.

A crowded anti-Chinese meeting: was held last night, when resolutions objecting to the great influx of Chinese, and the notion of the Chinese Government in encouraging the emigration of Chinese to Australia, were tabled and carried unauimous'yt

The Broken Hill Proprietary Silver Mining Company's shares have dropoed to between £330 and £MO in "all Colonial markets.

Government intend erecting smeltingworks fur the purpose of assaying bulk samples of (-re. instead of small quantities. List year 2200 assays were made. It is expected tUt 5000 assays will be mado this year.

the Bvening News states that the enquiry made by Iho municipal authorities into the alleged frauds shows that thero haw be>n a triple syetem of p'nnderitig carried on for upwards of 20 years, l«rge numbers of the weights, prices, an 1 arlic'es supplied by the contractors being altered. The amount of the fraud is likely to swdl t& £IOO,OOO. Legal ad vie is ni-w being taken as to the prosecution of several of the officers, and it is mentioned that the prosecution may extend to circles little suspected. The captain of the Cbangsha has been fined £2OO for allowing seven Chinamen to escape from the vessel without paying the necessary poll-tax, Mr Cooper has disposed of both Trenton and Niagara by auction. The former brought 800 guineas, the latter 480 guineas. Brisbane, - March 28.

News has reached here to the effect that tfce French troops are heartilj glad to leave the New Hebrides. All but two of them bad the fever wht!e on the islands, it being almost impossible to sleep ashore without catching the feTer. Pbrth (W.A.), March 28.

The report which found circulation some months ago to the effect that castaways were on the Cnzet Islands, has been confirmed- by the receipt, by His Excellency the Goternor, of a cable message from the French Government, stating that a vessel bad just returned to France, reporting that sailors landed nt the Croisets, and left an inscription to the effect that the provision having become exhausted they had removed to another island some distance off. .The vessel went in search of them, but found no further trace, It is surmised that tbey have been picked up by • passing ship. The Legislative Council hat refused to authorise a contract with the Hampton Plains Railway Syndicate. The Surveyor-General urges that it would be better to wait the results of similar enterprises in hand, before encouraging others. He believed the proposed line would ruin the promoter?, and be condemned the alienation of any more large areas of land to absentees.