INTERCOLONIAL. MELBOURNE,JANUARY 6.

Otago Witness, Issue 2237, 14 January 1897, Page 13

INTERCOLONIAL. MELBOURNE,JANUARY 6.

A discovery of great interest has been made by tho officers of the Geological department sA Gippsland. They came Korots gold in formation connlating of barytea mixed wl'.h quartz, commonly, chough erroneously, described aa heavy-spar. Tho existence of gold in this formation is not unknown to science, but so far there has not been an instance of gold-bearing barytea diiicovered in Australia. Lisna, the French champion long distance cyclist, and Leitch, another noted Frenoh wheelman, have arrived, and aie entered for most of the chief forthcoming event;. January 7. A circular has bten issued by the Federal Council Rifle Association asking the various colonies to consfder a propooal to send a rifle team to Btaley: . A man named Webb, a printer and stamp dealer, has beeu arrested on a charge of extensive frauds by removing postmarks from stamps .and reselling them. He confessed that by means of a solution of salts and lemon he wan able to do this. He explained that Victorian stamps lent themselves admirably to ths process, but many atamptt of other colonies were useless, because the colour ran. He admitted having cleared L4OO worth, and a learoh revealed LSOO worth of Viotorian stamps in the prisoner's bouse. January 8. The bankruptcy returns for the year show tba gross debts to be L 803.000 and aßsetn L 3 16,000. The figures are small compared with the pravious year, when the grosß debte were L 4.083.000 and the assets L 1,839,000. The Postmaster-general is taking steps to prevent further stamp frauds. He «ays that ordinary post marks were not operated on by Webb, but only stamps on dooumesls cancelled by ink inscriptions. January 9. An Aberdeen liner had an exciting time amongst the icebergs. She slowed down for 12 hour?, and passed 708 bergs in 24 hour*, the average height being 108 ft. January 10. The colony* gold yield last year was 812,0000z, being 84,3000z more than the previous year, and the highest sinca 1882. A heavy rainfall throughout the country ia interfering with the railway services at Starnand. Five and three-quarter inches fell in 24 hours. January 11. A sft seam of hard black coal was struck at the Onttrim mine. Sydney, January 6. Tha Cabinet havo yet to consider Mr HoßkiDs'a tender for the manufacture of raiis. The stated price will moan about 25 per cent, increase on the imported article. A Fiji correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald states that on tha last outward trip from Sydney one of the boiler* of the Miowera collapsed the first day out. Tbe steamer cama on with only three boilers. By a fire at Mudges two children named Gorton were burned to death. Two others were rescued, one with difficulty. January 8. Mrs Tingley, who is 3aid to be the successor of William Judge as leader of tho Esoteric School of Theosophists, has arrived in Sydney and is organising a mission. One of her party in au interview said Mrs Annie Besant had declared herself to be a Hindoo, and was entirely under the influence of a few Brahmins in India, and was looked upon by the natives as a mere sectarian Hindoo. The township of Port Darwin is practically destroyed, all the buildings beiDg either heaps of ruins or very badly damaged. January 10. Sir Josech Abbott, Speaker of the Legis-

j litiva AssetxibJy, U a vfcse.GDgar by the Anglian for Auckland. ; Adelaide. January 8. 1 A voluminous return t?p v. r. prepared for iMr Chao>.betlaiD at bis speoi.s-.l ipqwafc The ; geoeral conclnaio-is, suppf rted by South i Aua!,rallhn experience, aro that, tno British \ trader ia too slovr in his methods, and nor, ; adapfcnblo enough to local requirements ia ! his manufactures ; that ho i« bßadic^-^ by ! subsidy in foreign shipping, avd that foreign | trade eeeina gradually growing. 5 3RI3BANR, January 5. , The fii-o ah Mount Morgan «ii»atroy«fl ft ! business block consistlug of 16 shops. The , populace had to stand helplessly by, owing j to there being no apparatus to cope with tho i fire. j January 6. | The revenue of the colony for t.h« half j yoar amounted to L 2 030,000, and tha i expenditure to LI>SS2,OQO. Tho surplus of J revenue ovar expenditure shows n dacrease compared with the surplus for tha corresponding period last year. Tho insurances on tha fire at Mount Morgan only amounted to L 4200. I January 7. I Bohan, the Lerida murderer, had the ! death senlence commuted to imprisonment 1 for life. I The Government state that they have no intention to float a loan for at least six months. Qainland and another jookey injured at the Clermonb races are dead. January 8. The Government; have offared LSOO reward, iv addition to the LSOO offered by the company, for the apprehension of the' guilty persons who exploded dynamite at the Brilliant mine. Attorney-general Byrnes iatends to propose at tho forthcoming meeting of the S Federal Council that future delegates to thu counoii bo elected by the popular vote. > January 9. I Owing to smallpox at German New Guinea, i Sir William MacGregor, Governor of British j New Guinea, has proclaimed the German territory an infected distriot. Perth, January 5. Lady Smith, wife of Cjlonel Sir G. Smith, 1 Governor of She colony, while attending the ! races, lost L4OO worth of rings which she i left in a lavatory while washing her hands. January 7. A waiter at the racecourse found nnd restored Lady Smith's lost rings. January 8. A fight between Manila men and Malays ct Cygnet Bay resulted in one of the latter i being killed. Six kuife wounds and a crowI bar were driven through his body. Three arrests have been made. HOBA.KT, January 8. The Government intend introducing the Credit Foncier system at an early date. j January 11: j H.M.S. Orlando has catted for Wellington. i A number ot the other warships have also { sailed. It is understood some of them accompany the flagship to New Zealand.