Australian Items.

Thames Star, Volume IIII, Issue 1714, 1 July 1874, Page 2

Australian Items.

St Stephen's Cathedral (Roman Catholic), has been opened at Brisbane ; seven bishops, including Dr Vaughan, the coad-jutor-Archbishop of Sydney, assisting at the ceremony. The bishops were afterwards entertained at a public banquet at the Town-hall, His Excellency the Marquis of .Normanby being present. The rush to the diggings; of North Queensland appears to have altogether stopped, and many of the miners who -went there would be glad to get away. The following intelligence from New Caledonia is puplished in the Sydney Morning Herald:—" The Sibylle left Brest on the Ist of February, to act as convoyto 200 deportes about to be taken to New Caledonia. She arrived at Oran on the 16 th of February, and left again on the 22nd, to return to Toulon, where she arrived on the 2nd of March. The Alceste takes 1 the place of the Sibylle at N.ew Caledonia as a man-of-war." ;

Two miners, named John Bone and Thomas Young, working in'-al mining claim on the Union Jack lead, Buninyong, had a narrow escape fronr death on Friday, sth June. They were suddenly engulfed by the shaft, which was 50 feet deep, giving way near the bottom.; "They managed to save themselves from/being crushed by rushing into the .corner of the drive, where the ground., was solid. Thomas Hall, who was on the surface,

immediately descended and made an airhole through so that the buried men could breathe. He then called for help, and both men were eventually rescued without a" bruise. Hall was warmly praised for his bravery and presence of mind.

Seven children of a man named Pearson, a miner, at present in Tasmania, have been ill of diphtheria during the last week. One fiae boy, aged 13, died this morning; another, aged two year 3, died the previous day; another is not expected to live many hours; the other four are convalescent. The family reside close to Prince's Park, Maryborough. The poor mother is in great distress. At the anti-immigratioji meeting held on the sth June at Adelaide.-a resolution was carried that free immigration is unjust in principle, and injurious to the-best interests of the colony. It was stated at the meeting that several newly-arrived immigrants had left for other colonies, and that 60 women and children were now housed at an hotel at the Government expense. The Register calls for an inquiry into these statements. White's new patent safety hook, designed to prevent accidents from the overwinding of cages, was tested on the 9th June at the Great X orthern claim, Stawell, in the presence of several hundred spectators. A loaded truck, of quartz was hauled from the surface of the shaft, and purposely wound up to the poppet-heads, 60ft. above the surface. The cage ascended at the usual winding speed, and as soon as the safety hook struck the ring under the gin wheel, which is designed for severing the connextion between the ■winding rope and the cage, the desired separation took place, the cage dropping on to the self-acting catches, which are fixed to prevent the descent of the cage down the shaft. Mr. Granger, special Government inspector, and Mr. Bates, local inspector of mines, were present, The result of the experiment was considered in the highest degree satisfactory. The miners present were enthusiastic in their applause.