AUSTRALIAN TELEGRAMS.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 3837, 21 April 1899, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN TELEGRAMS.

The Saxboan affair.

Sydney, April 19.-iln reference to Father Laroche's charge of inhumanity against Capt Sturdee at Samoa, the account of an eye witness states that what really happened was that over 500 of Malietoas people, expecting an attack, took refuge in boats around th£ Porpoise. A squall blew next day rendering their position untenable. Gapt. Sturdee took 500 on board, the rest going on board the Fatke by arrangement until the weather cleared. None of the boats capsized nor were any of the occupants drowned.

Federation.

Sydney, April 20.— The Legislative Council has passed the second reading of the Federal Enabling Bill on the voices.

In committee an amendment providing lor a minimum vote and referendum was rejected by 30 votes to 23. After inserting a stipulation that two months intervene before the Referendum be taken, the Council passed the Bill without further amendment and the measure was subsequently put through its final stages. - The Daily Telegraph regrets* that the Legislative Council should under any pressure have agreed to less than one fourth of the people being entitled to authorrise an irrevocable constitutional change.

Later.. — The House has accepted the Council's amendments to the Federal Bill and Parliament will bis; prorogued to-mor-row. .■;<•• ■■••■■ 'v . ■■'■".■ Brisbane, April 20.— The New South Wales Parliament having passed the Federation Bill the Premier will immediately circulate it among the e'ecfcors and call a meetiug of Parliament for May 16 to consider tbe Bill. The damaged German warship. Brisbane, A pril 20. — Examination of the German warship Kormoran, which arrived here after being on a reef at German New Guinea, shows that she has been extensively damaged ; only ato it 75 feet of her bottom is uninjured. Another mysterious crime Melbourne, Thursday,— What appears io \ya ' aniotlxej" horrible iv*&*Aj Kftftjust beea brougHto light. The body of an old man named Butler has been found \a a sack, in a mutiluted condition, fit Mansfield, 137 miles northeast of Melbourne. The nature of the injuries and the circumstances surrounding the discovery lead to th » c inclusion that the man was murdered. ' There is evidence that an attempt was made to burn Butler's house with a view to des'roy the body and do away with all trace of the crime. Tbis attempt having failed the body was then placed amongst a hp«p of rubbish and remained there until discovered yesterday. The. crime is supposed to have been committed on Easter Monday. On that dfiy the victim rereceived £5 from his daughter ;' this was found, partly burned, in one of the pockets JM tho clothes and it wnull seem that the object of the murder was not robbery.

The S8 Australia wrecked.

Lauxcestok, Thursday.— The steamer Australia, belonging to the Union Steamship Company of New y^ealapd, is ashore on Sandy Bt*aeh, near the entrance to Arthur River and is reported to be badly damaged.

She struck a reef at West Point, the most westerly cape in Tasmania, early yesterday morning and sustained such serious injury that she commenced to fill , with water.

The vessel settled so rapidly that the Captain deemed it advisable to run ashore and she touched bottom at West Point in a sinking condition. There were on^ board twenty j pa&ienggrs and 220 tons of cargo. The passengers and crew landed safely. Assistance was sent for but it is doubtful if it will be possible to save the vessel