LATE AUSTRALIAN NEWS

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 492, 17 April 1869, Page 2

LATE AUSTRALIAN NEWS

Melbourne papers report the very sudden death of an old colonist, wellknown in Collins street—Mr Charles F. Cameron, formerly of Cameron Bros., stock brokers. Mr Henry C. Talbot, who has attained some renown as a tragedian in London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, arrived in Melbourne by the clipper ship Lincolnshire, from London. Amongst the passengers by the same ship was Mr Thomas Kay, a billiard player of some celebrity in the old country. It is stated at Meredith that Mr Champ is going to turn his sheep run into a rabbit warren. The registrar-general estimates that at the close of the year the population of Victoria was 683,977, which shows an increase of 24,090 during the year 1868. Hugo Levinger, who is alleged to have murdered several Polynesian natives on the high seas, was on tha Ist inst. discharged from custody under the warrant issued against him from Sydney. He was detained in Melbourne under the provisions of the 6 and 7 Vic 34, an Imperial statute, in order to be forwarded to Sydney so as to tried in that place. The Supreme Court, however, held that that Act only applied to offences committed within her Majesty's dominions—not to offences committed outside the British possessions. He was arrested immediately on leaving court, on a warrant issued in the colony, and was brought before the City Police Court, . but as the witnesses are all in Sydney, he was remanded for their attendance.

An accident of a very serious nature occurred at the crushing machine of Mr Penn, Musquito, near Maryborough, on Saturday afternoon, 29th ult. A young man of German extraction, named Joseph Wessenfeld, and about twenty-eight years of age, was engaged in cleaning out the basin of a Chilian mill, at which he was working, and which was out of gear (the other portions of the machinery being in motion), when tho block of wood wedged against the mill having become displaced, the poor fellow was thrown into the basin and frightfully mangled. His chest was crushed to pieces, his left leg broken, and his thigh seriously injured. Two boys of Geelong, named Bohanna and Delacey, fourteen and fifteen years old respectively, have been sentenced by the Magistrates of Geelong to two months' imprisonment each for a most cowardly and disgraceful assault on an old woman known as " Granny Smith," whom they attacked on the seashore just as she had come out of the water after bathing. A more disgraceful occurrence has never before been reported in the colony. A singular case of death has occurred at Sandhurst. On Tuesday morning, 30th ult., a man named Henry Harris, who was at work at the claim of the Great Britain Conv pany, Golden-square, was seen to put his head through a small hole in the wall of the engine-house. The hole was used for the connecting-rod to work round in, and in its next revolution the rod crushed the neck of the unfortunate man, who rolled out speechless and dying. His death waa almost instantaneous. No reason whatever could be assigned for hia placing his head in the opening, as nothing could be seen there, and there was no known cause to induce him to do so from motives of suicide. The jury returned a verdict of " accidental death," and added, " but why deceased put his head there ia quite inexplicable." For several nights Mr Bulkely, of Strathtoddon, had his garden visited by what seemed a strange-looking bird, but when shot it turned out to be a flying opossum. It measured four feet with out-stretched wings, and ia altogether a curious animal. A new omnibus company, on a large scale, has started in Melbourne, with every prospect of extraordinary success. The Argus, referring to its first day's work, says : —" "We learn on inquiry that up to six o'clock p.m., the omnibuses had passed the office in Bpurke-street 170 times, each with its full complement of fifteen passengers,

end the total number of persons that used the conveyances up to that hour would therefore be 2550. We may state that applications have been made for 10,500 shares in the company, and the number is limited to 10,000." The Ballarat election has resulted in the return of the lately disgraced ex-Commissioner of Eailways, Mr C. E. Jones. The Melbourne correspondent of a Victorian paper tells the following story:—" There is an unhappy woman here who is insane. Her insanitytakes the form of matrimonial intentions with regard to H.E.H. Prince Alfred. She entered the club the other day and stated her errand. Mr Torke heard her patiently enough ; but Montgomery, who was present, seized the opportunity for display. 'My good creature,' he said, ' you know that what you wish is impossible—but here am I. Look at me—will not Ido ?' ' You, said the indignant lady, with contemptuous emphasis, 'you ! —l want to marry a man, sir !' "