AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 160, 13 April 1872, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

By the arrival of the brig ‘ Australia,’ files of the Sydney Morning Herald to March 21, five days later than was brought by the ‘ City of Melbourne,’ are to hand. We make the following extracts : At the Ministerial banquet, Castlemaine, to-night, six members of the Government, Mr Voge', and several members of Parliament, were present. Mr Duffy, in reply to the toast of “ the Ministry,” said that every interest in Victoria is now more prosperous than it was ten years ago ; that the policy' of the Government would continue to be to remove impediments to industry; that the rents of mining leases would be reduced to 10s per acre: that the Mining on Private Property Bill would be ready by the assembling of Parliament ; that in future, in water schemes, the Government proposed to proceed on the principle of joint action between the State and the district requiring supply, but that no new work should be undertaken till Mr Gordon sanctions them. Then funds are to be raised as at Ballarat. From the beginning of July he hoped to give up auction sales of country land. Inspectors of settlements are to be ap-

pu ntOd to hear applications and redres

complaints. Fencing and impounding bills are to be introduced. Since the Government came into office GOO,OOO acres of land have been selected. The postal scheme submitted will make Melbourne the terminus of the mail service. These lines will cost about a quarter of a million sterling annually. Additional railways are to be constructed, and the Treasurer is to he prepared at the end of the year with a surplus.—Metals are selling freely. Much enquiry for fine brands: corrugated irort is up to £34. —The Great Britain lias cleared with nearly 300 passengers, 11,000 oz. of gold, and 7,000 sove.eigns.—There is a risr in the price of vestas and boots and shoes, in consequence of higher rates advised from hame. Malt from 9s to 9s 3d. Cedar logs, 33s 9d. Debentures are scarce with buyers at full rates. —The Pilot Board has suspended Pilot Liley’s certificate for a month, for his having been intoxicated upon the Blackbird—The police arc investigating a murder committed twenty years ago. —The certificate of Pilot McQueen has been suspended by the Pilot Board for twelve months, for grounding the Aristos in the channel. fhe Attorney-General of Tasmania has entered a nolle prosequi in the case of Block for fraudulent insolvency, and the

prisoner has been discharged. Ablackfellow named Tommy, of Canally, New South wales, whilst in search of wild cattle in the malice on Mr Miller’s run, found on order for £2O 5s 2d., dated 19th December, 1870 ; and drawn by Mr Leslie, of Kulkyne, on Mr Miller, in favor of Dan Leggy ; also, five sovereigns, and 15s in silver. A constable proceeded to the spot, where the money was found, accompanied by a blackfcllow, and after some search he found the remains of a man apparently dead a long time. Near the remains were the skeleton of a dog, an old shirt and trousers, a truss, some lea, sugar, and damper, and a watch and chain. The constable buried the remains where he found them. It has been ascertained that a man named Dan Lehv, but who went by (lie name of Leggy, left Ivulkync about Christmas, 1870, accompanied by a small black and tan dog, with the intention of going to Enston. There is no doubt, that poor Lcby lost his way, and died in the scrub for want of water, the nearest being twelve miles from where the remains lay.

The Sijclnqi Morning Herald of the 21st instant, speaking of the California mail contract, says : —“ The proposals first submitted by Mr'Vogel to Mr Duffy seem to have been peremptorily rejected. They artsaid to have been substantially the same as were first submitted here; namely, a demand for a subsidy of £25,000 for a branch line from Auckland, while t he main line had its terminus at Otago. A substituted plan proposed Melbourne as the terminus, making Auckland a port en route, and making the inler-provincial service of New Zealand the work of a branch line to lie carried out either by Mr Webb or by a local company. This suits Sir Webb, who wants his big steamers to go to big ports ; and Mr Vogel will have, on his return, to reconcile the New Zealanders to the admission of an Australian port to the rank of a terminus. This lie may do if lie is able to state that in consideration of being allowed to go to Melbourne Mr Weld) lias reduced bis claim on New Zealand for a subsidy. Judging from tbe tone of tbe provincial journals, opinion in New Zealand does not appear to be at all unanimous. The colony is heavily taxed, and cannot afford expensive luxuries, and not a few bold that it is l'ollv to pay forty or sixty thousand a year for what can be substantially secured for fifteen. To keep up a position, however, is always expensive ; and if our island neighbours are fond of diplomacy, and of playing a leading part in Australasian affairs, they must be content to pay a little for their dignity. We understand that negotiations have for many months past been pending with tbe owners of British screw steamers,'and with the directors of American and Canadian Railroad Companies, and that a very effective service could in twelve months be organized, of which the Pacific portion should be performed by large Britishbuilt steamers of good speed, great carrying capacity, and fitted with modern appliances for diminishing the consumption of coal, and by which service the transit of mails between London and Sydney would not exceed forty-five days. But this organization, to set it going, would require a subsidy not exceeding £50,000 a year for a term of five years.”

THE PARRAMATTA RIVER MURDERS. Inquests on the bodies of John Bridger or Peter Bridges and Win. P. Walker, were held on the 20th March, respectively at Ryde and the Observer Tavern, Sydney, The former inquest was closed, and a verdict of wilful murder returned against some person or persons unknown, and the latter was adjourned till half-past 9 o’clock on the morning of the 21st March, when a verdict of wilful murder was returned against two men named Nichols and Lester. Bridger—a photograph of whom was shown at the inquest at Ryde—was a young man of some 25 years of age, and very stout. His countenance was a very pleasing one. lie is spoken of by those who have had transactions with him in his capacity as wardroom steward of the Rosario, as urbane and gentlemanlike. llis clothes, camphorwood box, and car-pet-bag have, as it has before been stated, been traced to the house in Strawberry Hill which had been engaged by prisoners Nichols and Lester. Those of Walker have also been traced to this house. At Nichol’s residence, in Princcs-street, was found a shingling hammer, with what are believed to be stains of blood. Portions of a few light-coloured hairs, whether human or not has not transpired, were also found on this weapon. In a box in the house at Strawberry Hill, was found a life-preserver, on which were discovered distinct traces of blood. In Bridger’s case, when Dr MeLurriu was examined it was suggested that deceased had committed suicide, to which the Doctor replied to have done so the deceased must have first tied the stone (120 lb.) round his legs, and then hit himself on the head, smashed in his skull, and then thrown himself into the water. He considered the injury had been inflicted by the back of a tomahawk, a portion of the skull having been knocked out. Among Nichols’s effects was also discovered a “ kris,” a weapon used by the Dyaks of Borneo, and the natives of the Malay Archipelago. Bridger is conjectured to have been engaged to till the situation alluded to in the following advertisement, which appeared in the Herald of March 10 :—“ A steady man required for country store, drive pair-horse wagon.—T.Y.C., Herald office.” In the same day’s paper appears the subjoined advertisement, which it is believed was applied for by Mr Walker:—“Clerk wanted, active, intelligent, for country store : liberal salary to competent person. —T.Y.C., Herald." It is believed that both men came to a lamentable end while on the way in pursuance of what they had, or seemed to have some reason to believe, were bona fide engagements. In one of the boxes was found a rough diagram in pencil

representing two human tegs wITTi st me atttached by a rope, the drawing showing with striking clearness the sailor-like fashion, alluded to by Detective Elliott, • of tying the ropes. Whether this was drawn before or after the first murder will probably remain a matter of conjecture. Another coincidence is that the ropes tied round the neck are apparently of the same description, both being “ navy ” properly, and having in the centre what is known as the thief’s strand. The stones, though of different kinds and forms, are each about 1501 b. weight. The bodies of the two men were found not far from one another. The manner of their disposal also hears a striking resemblance —the stone being around the feet in one case, and the neck in another. It is clear that the two prisoners, Nichols and* Lester, or Fronde, were out all night on Thursday, tbe 15th March, and on the evening of Friday, the lGth March, in a boat. On three, if not four occasions, prisoners hired a boatjfrom Mrßocklcy, waterman, of Miller’s Point. On none of these occasions does the boat appear to have been returned (ill the morning after the day on which it was hired. Reports were current that two bodies—one of a female, and the otlior of Mr Irving, a gold-digger, from Tambaroora—bad been found ; the one in the bush, not far from Parramatta, and the other in the river, close to where Mr Walker’s body was picked up. Inquiries were set on foot, and search was made, the result being that nothing transpired to confirm the rumours.