INTERCOLONIAL ITEMS.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 658, 14 May 1870, Page 2

INTERCOLONIAL ITEMS.

A Chinaman named "Wee Cow, found guilty of assault with intent to murder was sentenced to death/ The Australasian contends that Victoria should assume the protectorate of the Fiji Islands. Arrived Sarah and Mary from Hokitika, Maid of Erin from Westport, Magnet from Q-reyniouth. A. splendid nugget, weighing 41.0z 7dwts, has been discovered at Gladstone Creek, in the Crooked River district.

Bullock and party have struck some extraordinary rich "stone, full of gold, in a reef in Munster Crully, about half a mile from Dunolly. The Inglewood Advertiser reports the finding of numerous large nuggets during the past week at .Berlin, five of which weighed IOOOoz. A party of Chinamen were the finders.

The trial of Thomas Webb Draper for embezzlement was continued on the 29th ult. in the Criminal Court, and resulted.in the acquittal of the prisoner ou all the charges brought against him." But little additional evidence was tendered by the Crown, neither the manager of the Commercial Bank nor any of the directors being examined. Their absence was severely commented upon by Mr Ireland, Q C, in his address!, and evidently produced an effect upon the jury. A number of law points were raised in the prisoner's favor, the result beinij that the .judge directed the jury to confine their attention to the first

count of the indictment, charging the prisoner with the embezzlement of a cheque for £1990, and to disregard the other two counts. Some of the jury were desirous of bringing in a verdict of not proven, which in Scotch law is permissible, but not in English courts, and on being directed that they must find a verdict one way or the other, they speedily pronounced tha prisoner "Not Guilty." There are two other charges yet pending against. him, but it is problematic whether they will be proceeded with. A warrant has heen issued for the arrest of a person named H. E. Tennant, on a charge of forging and uttering two bills of exchange for considerable, amounts, purporting to be signed by Mr Robert Gartshore, saddler and harness maker, Elizabeth street, Melbourne. Herlich, the German, who has been arrested on a charge of murdering a countryman named Klein, in the cedar scrub, in the early part of February last, has been brought before the police court and remanded on a charge of wilful murder. Next day, at the police court Herlich appeared on remand. The police proved the arrest of the prisoner, and the finding of the body of Klein with marks of gunshot wounds. The medical evidence proved that the heart of the deceased was completely shattered by a ball which had passed through it, and which had been fired at a short distance, and circumstances connecting the prisoner with the murder, in addition to his own admissions, having been deposed to, he was committed for trial at the next Criminal Sessions.

The AVestern Kerosene Works have been started" It is expected they will turn out 6,ooogals weekly. The schooner Notion, coal laden, has foundered in Broken Bay. The steamer Perseverance has been wrecked at Tweed River.

The shock of an earthquake has been felt at Maeleay Heads. A figure-head and other wreckage has been washed ashore at Bulli. It is supposed that some unknown vessel has ioundered.

At "Yass the flood has destroyed the iron bridge, Barber's mills, the Commercial Bank, Bobb's Hotel, and a dozen dwellings. ThebrigSpray has been wreckednear Bulli. The ketch Dauntless has been wrecked at Port Hacking, and one man drowned.

There has been immense destruction of property through the floods in the northern districts, and much stock has been drowned. All the low lands are under water to an extent hitherto without parallel, and the worst is feared for the safety of many persons known to be in low and isolated situations.

The upper Hunter was nine inches higher than was ever known before. At Maitland the river was 31 ft. above the ordinary high-water mark.

A portion of the railway is destroyed near Singleton. Two thousand sheep and a number of cattle have been drowned.

All the embankments at Maitland, except oue, have been destroyed. The court-house and police-office have fallen. The inhabitants of the G-unne-dah were compelled to take refuge on the hills, the town itself being quite submerged. Seven lives have been lost at Denman, where several houses •were completely washed away. There is an immense sheet of water surrounding Maitland.

The weather cleared up on the night of the 26th, aud the floods are subsiding. Fiji advices state that the absconder Burt arrived there, and sold his yacht to Chief Cakobar.

Mr Simpson has died from the wounds he received from the bushrangers at Gilberton. He was a native of Bet Bet, Victoria. The post-office authorities have fixed the newspaper postage to England by California mail at 3d., besides 2d. per ounce.

The Q-overnment have announced their intention to bring forward next session in August the question of the abolition of the newspaper postage and ad valorem duties, which have been postponed until then. By the last mail steamer the Hon. W. Highett sent home to England no fewer than 994 Mudgee diamonds, weighing 212f carats. On the very' day before their departure the same gentleman received 354 diamonds, also from Mudgee, and these will probably be despatched to England by the next mail.

At the Band wick Race Meeting the Sydney Grold Cup was won by Mr Lee's Barbelle, the Earl aad Bylong running a dead heat for second place. Considering the state of the course, which is represented as being very heavy, the time—3uiin 43 sec—must be considered as uncommonly good. The winner won a mile race in very fast time last Saturday, on which occasion there was also a dead heat for the second place between Milesian and Sir William. It was expected that this performance would have made her a strong favorite for the Cup, but the general impression seemed to be that the distance was too great for her. Seventeen horses started.Tim Whiffler, who had been declining in the betting for soce days past, only secured sixth place. So far' as can be learned, Barbelle bas.not been backed to win for any great' amount, and she should be a good. 1 wiuner for the Ring, as she bad not been taken in ma"y doubles. Deceptive came up first for the Flying llandii-ap, but was disqualified, the raco being given to, Kate -Dairy in pie. As was expected, Barbarian was

icratched for the Cup, being "reserved or the Maiden Plate, which he won rith the greatest ease, going off with be lead and never being headed. The 1.3. C. (Sires') Produce Stakes was fOD by Lady Clifton, a neck in front ,f Pyrrhus, the Victorian representaive, The Eoe, being third. The SVaverly Stakes was won by Detective, )eception being second. Victorian iorses were successful in two events, [rat, in the Prince of Wales Stakes, fhich was won by Sir Walter, and [est in the City Handicap, when Milesian beat the St. Leger and Cup pinner, Barbelle, and Phoebe, in a anter. The All-aged Stakes was won iy Tim Whiffler, by half a length, Florence and Barbarian running a lead heat for the second place—this >eing the third time at this meeting hat such a thing has happened. Sir William, won the Free Handicap, and Darkie walked over for the Corinthian 3up. Croydon beat Moselle and barbarian lor the Sous Handicap. Hr Bradbury had a turn of luck with L 1 in the Bandwick Handicap. The Jueen's Plate was won by Tim iVhiffler, Bylong being second, and [talian third. The Nursery Handicap iras won by Illumination, and the neeting wound up with the Forced Handicap which was won by Trump Card. The following is from a settler in the Lower Burdekin, Queensland : f This river is teeming with alligators. I was swimming a river the other day in company with a blackfellow, and in doing so we very nearly swam into the ponth of an alligator fully 20 feet long. Fortunately, however, we saw the beast in time to get on to a lead|ng branch of a tree that stood in the middle of the stream before it bould reach us. We then pelted sticks at him until we drove him away. This pone, you may be sure that we did tot lose much time in swimming to the nearest bank. Lots of cattle, norses, sheep, dogs, and four men that [ know of, have been destroyed by ;hese monsters in the Lower Burdekin aid its tributaries since I first came to ;he district, now nine years ago."

The latest news from the Tasmanian reefs is as follows:—The United Victorian and Tasmanian Company, Pioneer Eeef, have received the following [report of their first crushing from Mr jjas Boughtman, their mining manager: —"158 tons crushed; result, 1570z 15dwt. No blanket washing treated. Eeef 19ft through." The ["Onion Company, Eingal, after spending £IO,OOO with poor results, have resolved, nevertheless, to persevere. A party started this evening to prospect Flinders and adjacent islands.

Gold has been found in the ballast brought by the Koh-i-noor from the I Isorthern Territory. I The Government have intimated J that the first ballot for priority of selection of land in the Northern Territory will take place in Adelaide on or about the 11th May next. LATE AMEEICAN NEWS. California papers to the 26th of February state that the New York authorities had been informed of a I plot to assassinate Prince Arthur, and 1 had arrested several suspected persons. The Cuban insurgents were gaining ground. The Mexican revolution continues. Negrete had defeated the Government forces, and intended to attack the capital. The senior member of the firm of Harper Brothers, the well-known publishers, is dead. Several large failures have occurred at New York.