AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Press, Volume XLVI, Issue 7392, 19 August 1889, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

DINNER TO GENERAL EDWARDS. ATTEMPTED MURDER AND SUICIDE IN SYDNEY. SUICIDE OF A SHAREBROKER. THE AUSTRALIAN PRIMACY. PROTEST AGAINST CANON SMITH'S APPOINTMENT] NEW GUINEA GOLDFIELDS. DISCOURAGING REPORTS. TRAGEDIES IN VICTORIA. Melbourne, August 12. A large fire took place on the morning of the 11th. Roberts' buildings, Collins street, in which were the Audit Branch and Engineer's Office of the Victorian Railways were gutted, and valuable plana were destroyed. A fireman, named Fox, sustained a compound fracture of one leg. A complimentary dinner was tendered to General Edwards, by the Naval and Military Club, at which he stated he hoped to submit a scheme for united action for defence for the Colonies, which would be approved of. Hβ expressed himself gratified at the condition of the works already compietd, and gave credit to the artillery for their care of the guns and batteries. A verdict has been awarded in favor of Mrs Browne for £4927 damages against the National Bank, on account of loss of debentures deposited in the Bank and stolen by Onions, the security clerk. The Budget debate drags slowly onwards. The Opposition have not yet succeeded in completing an arrangement with the country members in reference to a sliding scale in the new duties on stock, granting bounties to farmers on exportation of w heat, readjusting other duties to which exception has been taken, but the negotiations are not yet abandoued as hopeless. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Jas. Alexander Accountant of the Außtd&ftsifn Discount Company. The falcations are about £400. | ■ It v the intention of the Govern* ment to move in both Houses an address to her Majesty grant a constitution* to ' Western Australia. / ;. A libel action for £1000 damages, arising out of the contest for the Emerald Hill constituency t at the general elections in Maxdh, lias been commenced in the Supreme Court by George Gray, contractor, against Henry and Co., publishers of a local journal called the South Melbourne Citizen. . ; The first cargo o£--Bje|p^season's tea arrived ia Melboiirne**per- Isman on Monday. The wheat market is quiet, prime milling bringing from 5s to 5s s£d. Flour £11 to £11 10s stone made, and £12 for roller. New Zealand oats sold at 4s to 4s Id for feed sorts ; market dull. Sugars — Queensland sold, counters £21 to £21 15s, greys £24, fine £26 15s; Mauritius from £23 to £25 10s. Dr. Samuel Brierly, a well known city practitioner, was charged at the City Court yesterday -with assaulting and robbing Davidson, a sharebroker, and formerly lessee of the Theatre Royal Hotel. At a meeting of the Presbytery it was decided to urge the General Assembly to move in the direction of the reinstatement of Bible reading in State schools, influence to be brought at the next election to pledge candidates to this end, and that Government should be urged to grant capitation towards the support of Roman Catholic schools. Two bodies of men identified as of & carpenter, named Calcett, and a contractor, named Freeman, have been found floating in the Yarra. A man named Geo. S. Carr attempted to commit suicide on Saturday evening by drowning himself in the Yarra, but was rescued by two men who jumped in after him. Two men, Wilks and Morgan, quarrelled in the street, when the former struck Morgan, inflicting serious injuries necessitating his removal to the hospital. Wilks has been arrested. At Clark's Hill, Bungaree, Eliza Heaney, aged fourteen, was accidentally shot by her brother, aged seventeen. The lad was shooting sparrows, when the girl, suddenly conoSng round the corner, received the shot in the head. No hopes are entertained of her recovery. Sydney, August 11. Alfred Critcher, residing at Bellambi, near Woollongong, attempted to murder his wife on Saturday by stabbing her in the abdomen with, a large clasp knife. He then tried to commit suicide by stabbing himself with a butcher's knife. Both were removed to the Hospital, when their wounds were found to be very serious, so much so in the case of the woman that her depositions were taken last night. Critcher had previously been convicted for illusing hie wife. They lived apart for some time but were lately re-united. ~ The trial of the prisoners George Johnson and George Digoam, accused of shooting Constable Slater, concluded yesterday, the jury returning a verdict of not guilty in each case. Two more bodies, identified as those of Dan Mason and the elder Teate, were recovered from the Glebe pit. On Sunday Paul Turnbull, overaman, and two deputies made their way from the place where the rescue party are at work over the fall as far as the end of the crosscut flat, where further progress was barred by another large fall. In coming back the head of Mason was noticed protruding from a mass of fallen coal. While Mason's corpse was be. ing taken out, the body of Peate was found and disinterred. Recently write of ejectment were served upon a number of persons occupying and claiming a large area of

land at North Willoughby. The total area exceeds 1000 acres, worth fuUy JB3OO an acre. The claim is by the grandson of the .original grantee, on tQe ground that the property had been entailed by the will of Nicholls, and that all alienations in defiance thereof are null and void. The same person is also making claim to thirty acres of city land in Surrey HiUs, the value of ; which is enormous. The Synod of the diocese of Sydney opened yesterday and met for business in the afternoon, when the President, Bean Cowper, delivered an address, in the course of which he dwelt upon the action taken in filling up the vacant see by the appointment of the Bey. Mr Saumarez Smith as the successor of Bishop Barry. Adelaide, August 13. Adolph Will, a sharebroker, committed suicide by shooting himself. He is supposed to have lost heavily on the share market A shocking occurrence took place in Brompton Park, near Adelaide, this morning. A single woman named Catherine O'Brien was found lying in an out-houae with a stillborn female child beside her. She was afterwards safely delivered of a living male child. The neighbors had cruelly refused to attend the suffering woman. Brisbane, August 13. Bishop Webber has sent a telegram to the Vicar-General of Sydney, in reference to the appointment of Canon Smith, Primate of Australia, stating that he wrote to the Bishop of Goulbourn laat week objecting to the procedure, and must now respectfully protest against Canon Smith's appointment as invalid. It is understood Bishop Webber is of opinion that such mode of appointment virtually deprivess the Bishop of Australia and Tasmania of the right of choice. The schooner Wanganui has arrived at Cooktown, from Sudest, with thirtytwo passengers and 200oz of gold. Two men were sick and a third died during the voyage. Reports of the goldfields in New Guinea are very discouraging. Three Frenchmen were charged at the Police Court yesterday with being escapees from New Caledonia. Thursday Island, August 10. ~/fhe Government steamer Albatross, has returned from Batavia river with a boat belonging to John Williams, murdered by his crew. The boat was found twelve miles from the river high on the sand. The provisions and dingy had been taken. It is unknown when or how Williams was murdered, but it supposed he was thrown overboard soon after leaving there. Hobart, August 13. In the Assembly to-day the Treasurer gave notice of motion for the suspension of the Standjag Orders that the House might adopt a memorial to the Queen asking that responsible Government be granted to Western Australia, thus advancing the cause, of federation and unity, adding Western Australia to the group of loyal, contented and autonomous colonies; At a later period the motion was carried in the Legislative Council, and the memorial will be handed to the Governor to forward tqN Her Majesty. '*."*••