AUSTRALIAN SUMMARY.

Evening Post, Volume XXII, Issue 122, 22 November 1881, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN SUMMARY.

SINGULAR* OUTRAGE. ACTION AGAINST A NEW ZEALAND INSURANCE COMPANY. LOSS OF A SCHOONER AND TEN LIVES. THE ATROCIOUS MASSACRE BY NATIVES. PROGRESS OP NEW SOUTH WALES. [By Tblkgbaph.l (r/NITBD PRBSB ASSOCIATION.) [PER RINGAROOMA, AT THE BLUFP.j Mblboubne, 16th November. On the night of the 12th instant, a man named John Sergeant, who recently underwent three months' imprisonment for an a3sanlt on Mr. Munro, wenb to that gentleman's residence at Toorak, and, in the absenoe of the Drinoipal members of,, the family, forced himself into the hou3e, atfd deliberately smashed a quantity of valuable property valued at about £300. Sergeant ia Baid to have felt aggrieved at Bom.etb.ing Mr. Munro wrote about him, and took this means of wreaking his revenge. He was arrested early next morning and brought before the Polios Court, and remanded to gaol, "being unable to find the heavy bail required. • ' * , 'A case is proceeding in whioh Cafr Pdwell and others, l*.p owners of the schooner Alma, sue the Standard Insurance Company of New Zealand. Tin schooner was insured in the Melbourne office of the company for one yearj for J61500. She left Melbourne on Bth August, and arrived in Greymouth in September. While heing towed, across the bar the tow-rope broke, and the vessel drifted on the beach. The defendants tfey they repaired the schooner, and offered h<r to the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs deny tint she ia sufficiently repaired. .. Hugh Ladboy, oonvioted at Sandhurst of administering poison to a man named M'Call, with intent to kill, has had th° death sentenoe remitted to imprisonment for life The ships Ealynojne (tie) ana Scotland, whioh Bailed from Geelong for London, h iva been, out, the former fjr 133 diya, and the later for 220 days. The action Smith v. Affia will be followed by Beveral others. Mr. Smith sues Dp. Forster, who also signed the certificate of insanity, and several witnesses who gave evidence at the trul have entered an action against Smith for defamation and slander. At 'the Mayoral banquet on the 9th, the GoTernor and about 700 guests were present. Commodore Wilson, m-Jt with a cordial reception, and, referring to recent evants, said nothing was further from hi 3 thoughts than to be discourtejus either to the iJenoh orttfo people of the colony. He intended to return to hngland in one or two months. The Minister of Land", on the introduction of the Land Bill in the Assembly, stated that about nine and a half million aores would be available for selection under the present Bill. The present selectors will be allowed to select 320 acres in addition to existing holdings, and new selectors may take up &40 acres. Ihere are 22,000,000 acres for pa-toral occupation. Mr. Miratna has given notice in favour of long leases instead of alienation. It is probable the Land Bill will not be passed this session. In the Chinese Bill new clauses have been inserted, preventing alien Chinese from voting at elections. Mrs. Jones ?Uim3 .£5OOO for the destruction of the Glenrowan Hotel, burnt down during the Kelly capture. The Board are now sitting to consider the claims. Great activity prevails in thn building trade. One firm alone employs 482 men and boys. The Manchester firm of JEosQnh. Morgan '.

and Co. are prepared to start a factory here for the manufacture of o&ndle cotton, in the •vent of a protective dnty of 20 to 25 per cent, being imposed, which, it is stated, is necessary in order to compete with the American makera. 'I ho question will be remitted to tho Tariff Commission. None of the New Zealand horses havo entered for the December meeting of tho Amateur Turf Club, for whioh numerous entries have been reoeived. Stdnbt, 16th November. Advioes from New Caledonia report the total loss of the schooner Henrietta, with tea lives. The causa of the wreok is believed to be the fact of the" vessel being overloaded with nickel ore. Mrs. Watson's diary has been diJooveTed at Lizard Island. Entries* d&ted the 13th ' September show that she fought bravely against a number of natives for the lives of herself and children. On the arrival of H.M.S. Nelson, the Wolverene will, it is likely, be handed over to the Government for a training ship, the, colony paying the expenses of sending the officials and orew to England. Mr. Watson main his financial statement last night. He first alluded to the great in- ' create in the production Or wool in proof that the Land Laws had advanced the pastoral interests of tho colony. He estimated the total surplus at J51, 190,000, the largest the colony has ovec produced. If tho present estimate of revenue held good it would ' exceed tliß anticipations pre« viously- formed by ,£907,000, and tho estimated income would bo .£704,000 in excess of last year's. It was proposed to pay off .£232,000 interminable debentures,' and it was not intended at present to launoh anothor loan in England, owing to the rapidity with which revenue was coming in, but when the next loan waa raised he hoped it would bo placed in tho colony. It was not intjnded to iotorfnre with the tariff, and there was no necessity for increased taxation. In conclusion, he ' stated that the revenue hal increased sixfold since 1856. The captain of the pearling schooner Ariol reports a treacherous attack on his vessel by natives of the Solomon Islands While in company with the Dancing Wave, twenty oanoos full of natives made an attempt t.i seize the schoonera by atralth, intheabsouoo of the boats, but wero driven off by a volloy of musketry. The attempt was repeated, but again failed. New and imporf ant phases of tho Milburn Creek scandal will short ybe developed. It is stated that five individuals will bo prosecuted criminally for misdemeanour ia connection with the Parliamentary vote. ¦ Adelaide, 16th' November. The special correspondent of the Advertiser estimates the average yield- of the • wheat harvest at Bfr bushels perabre, whldh, on 2,000,000 aores, will give » enrplna of > 243,000 tons. The total orop is estimated at 4,400,000 bushels more thin last year. A special meeting or the Diooosan Synod has been held to receive the formal reaigna* tion of BUhop Short. The Bishop delivered a farewell address, and explained that failing health compelled him to retire. He intenda proceeding to Europe shortly. A definite proposal has boon made to the Government on bohalf of London capitalists for the const: notion of a Transcontinental railway from Government Gums to Port Darwin, on condition that the Government pay four per oenfc. upon the capital expended by tho company during construction, and that alternate blocks of land be given to the extßut of 57,000,000 aores.