INTER-COLONIAL NEWS.

Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 790, 18 March 1871, Page 3

INTER-COLONIAL NEWS.

The action, brought by; John Chandeler against the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company, to recover £2500, damages for injuries su-stained by the plaintiff, through a collision between two of the company's trains, at North Sandridge, on the night of the 25th April last, was resumed on the 3rd instant, before the Chief Justice and a jury of ten. After a retirement of about two hours, the jury brought in a verdict for the plaintiff, damages £IOOO. The case will now have to be argued in banco, his Honor having reserved leave to the defendants to move to enter a verdict in their favor on the point that a company is not responsible for injuries done to a servant through the negligence of a fellow-servant. The following is a description of the race for the Criterion Handicap of 150 sovs., which was won by Nimblefoot at the Geelong meeting:—The flagfell to ashock-mgly bad start, Baron leading by two lengths as they rose the hill, Dutchman, Nimblefoot, Romula, Foam, Mermaid and Monkey following in the order named. Approaching the road Dutchman caught up to Baron, and the two rattled on a dozen lengths in front of the others, until reaching the straight, when Flying Dutchman took the lead which he maintained past the stand, Baron, running second, Nimblefoot third, Romula fourth, Monkey fifth, Mermaid and Foam in the rear. Going along the far side of the course the colors of Nimblefoot were seen gradually making their way to the trout, and disposing of Baron without f\, effort - He cau g ht the Dutchman before descending the hill, and running well within himself, led by nearly a dozen lengths into the straight; and, though young Wilson worked his hardest on the filly, the result was never in doubt, and Nimblefoot won easily by a couple of lengths ; Romula second, and Foam, who was running iOO yards behind at the back of the course came along at a great bat, and finished third; Monkey fourth. Time, o mm 4o sec. A late case of felo-de-se, at Melbourne, caused His Honor the Chief Justice to direct the particular attention of jurymen in general to the verJfS'vcn at the inquest held in this case, before proceeding with the SuK r C " urt b "siness on Wednesday. 5j ac V! the c * sc may bo thus stated :-On last Friday, a resident of

Elizabeth-street, much addicted to intemperate habits, hung himself from his bedpost by means of a black silk neckerchief. No distress or depression of spirits was attributed as a pro* buble cause, in fact it appeared he had cared for little else, than satisfying his thirst for alcohol. An inquest was held, and a verdict of suicide, through insanity, produced through excessive drinking, was returned. It is this verdict—no uncommon one, which his honor condc mned. He explained the derivation and meaning of the word verdict—and deprecated " Merciful verdicts," which he said should never be thought of by jurymen. The following telegram from Mr F. Dal ton, P.M, of Forbes, was forwarded to a Sydney paper for publication : —" George Bartlett and party report the discovery of a payable goldfield two miles north-west of Currajong, and twenty-seven miles northwest of Forbes. Surface, ironbark ridges, made hills and gullies. The sinking is through hard clay and quartz pebbles. The depth of sinking i;s forty-seven foet, and the gutter clearly defined. Thickness of washdirt, two feet; the width is not yet ascertained, but the party are low driving acro.-s it. The bottom is dry sandstone and slate. The yield of the first two loads was loz 19dwts; and the second two loads, loz lldvvts 18grs of coarse heavy gold, similar in all respects to that obtained at Forbes. The proceeds of the second washing have been exhibited ; it is very coarse, and indicates the neighborhood of very rich reefs. The prospecting claim of 400 feet by 400 feet is granted." Telegraphic communication with Europe is approaching us rapidly. Should nothing extraordinary happen to stay the present rate of construction, the Ist of February next year should find us publishing telegrams direct from London. Our neighbors at Eatavia are already in telegraphiccommunication with Europe, and the space between the ends of the Australian and Batavian wires is now but from a point inland from Cardwell to Batavia. The land portion of this blank is being crossed with the wire as rapidly as human energy can push on. The Queensland line is being laid to JN'ormantou, Gulf of Carpentaria, where it is hoped a submarine cable from Java will meet it by the Ist of January next. The "Ballarat Star" reports that "an inquest was held at Napoleon Lead, on a skeleton found in the bush, by a farmer uamed Garlick, on the 2Lst February, on the Burnt Mill Ranges. It seems he was goiug home throngh the scrub, when he was atattracted by seeing a boot, and, upon looking further he saw some bones on the ground. He at once gave information to Constable Nairn, who, obtaining a horse and cart, and with Garlich, fetched in the remains. These were lying on their face, resting on a rotten swag. On removing the skull they found a razor lying open across the throat, and a black silk necktie, which had evidently been round the neck. The swag was tied up with rope and a strap, and it contained shaving box and soap, razorstrop, comb, looking-glass, a threepenny piece, towel, and other clothes which could not be distinguished. There was nothing to lead to identification Dr Jones stated that deceased must have been dead and exposed for at least four years. Verdict—' "We have nothing to show how or by what means deceased came by his death.' "

From the Ballarat evening papers we take the following :—" Humor bath it that a candidate, who recently contested an election not many hundreds of miles from Ballarat, has clung with much pertinacity to the £SO deposit lent him by one of his friends. Let us hope that simiiar occurrences will not crop up nearer home." " Kissing the baby is an excellent electioneering dodge, but is equalled in shrewdness by the dodge that Mr Mr W. C. Smith has resorted to to secure a few votes. That worthy gentleman signed the pledge, paid his footing, and became a distinguished member of the Temperance Society." Professor Parker, the champion swordsman, has been killed by accideut in G-ipps Land. The " Q-ipps Land Times " says : —" From what we cad learn the unfortunate man appears to have been riding one horse, and leading another, the rain from the latter, it is supposed by the mailman, having been made fast to the pommel of the other animal's saddle. The further conjecture is that this rein must have got underneath poor Parker's leg,-and that one or other of the horses starting forward, the rein must have thrown him off. Mrs Parker herself cannot account for the accident. Fracture of the skull was the immediate cause of death. A coroner's inquest was held, and the jury returned a verdict of accidental death. It is said the widow is nearly out of her mind." In the " M. A. Mail," Castlemaine, of the 3rdinataut, we find the following: " Mr Aspiuall has become an inmate of Harcourt's private asylum, and is now under restraint.!' From personal knowledge we are aware that the " Mail" should be well informed on matters relating to Mr AspinaU. We trust that the illness in question may he only temporary and that the brilliancy of so celebrated a member of the bar may not come to so miserable an end. With respect to the current rate of wages in Victoria, wo"Australasian," have some authentic information obtained from official returns compiled in

the office of the Eegistrar General and giving the average for the year 18(!9. For the information of our readers in England we append the following particulars, merely premising that where rations are given, they arc substantial in quality and quantity. Farm laborers per annum, with rations, £4O to £45 ; ploughmen, from 15s to 20s per week, also with rations. Reapers, 6s to 10s per acre ; movers from 4s to 8s per acre ; shepherds, £35 to £4O per annum, with rations ; masons, plasterers, and bricklayers, 8s to 10s per day; carpenters, 7s to 10s., the day's work being restricted to eight hours. The wages of domestic servants range from £2O to £4O per annum, according to capacity and the nature of the employment. Ordinary laborers earn from Gs to 7s per day. '• People about to many," who wish to know the proper age, are referred to the following precedents :—Adam and Eve, 0; Shakspeare, IS ; Ben Johnson, 21 ; Franklin, 24 ; Mozart, 25; Dante, Helper, Fuller, Johnson, Burke, Bcott, 20 ; Tycho, Brahe, Byron, Washington, Bonaparte, 27; Peun and Sterne, 28 ; Linnseus and Nelson, 29 ; Burns, 30 ; Chaucer, Hogarth, and Peel, 32 ; Wordsworth and Davy, 33 ; Aristotle, 30 ; Sir William Jones and Wellington, 37 ; Wilberforce, 38: Luther, 42; Addison, 44; Wesley and Young, 47; Swift, 50 ; Buffon, 55 ; Old Pari-, last time, 120. If Adam and Eve married before they were a pear old, and the veteran Parr buckled with a widow at 120, bachelors and spinsters may wed at any age they like, and find shelter under great names for either early or late marriages. An Alabama editor, puffing a groeryc kept by a woman says :—" Her tomatoes are as red as her cheeks, her indigo as blue as her own eyes, and her pepper as hot as her own temper. " London prints a list of about 300 Americans spending the winter there. Brussels, Geneva, Dresden, Frankfort, Berlin, Florence and Home all have American colonies. "My dear," said a lady to her husband, "these friends here will not believe me when I say I am only forty years old. You know that I speak the truth, don't you?" "I certainly shall not deny it, my love, since you have stuck to the point for the last dozen years to my certain knowledge." A physician writes, asking a renewal of a note which he owes, giving as a reason, "We are in a horrible crisis. There is not a sick man in the district." "Wife, I don't see how they send letters on them 'ere wires without tearin' 'em all to bits." " They don't send the paper," said the wife ; "they just send the writing in a fluid state." During an examination, a medical student being asked the question " when does mortification get in ?" replied, "When you pop the question and are answered 'No.' "