AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Evening Star, Issue 7174, 30 March 1887, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Mta L. A. Meredith, the authoress, Writing fot the ‘ Tasmanian News ’_ on the question of the Queen’s Jubilee, while proclaiming her loyalty to Her Majesty, deprecates raising money by public subscription for a present to the Queen, whose private property, she says, is enormous, her public allowances lavish, and her possessions of gold and jewels countless. She commends rather a jubilee ward to some crowded hospital, a jubilee school, or endowment of a jubilee library. Sir P. Jennings and Mr Wisdom, the New South Wales delegates to the Colonial Conference, each receives LI ,000 for expepses. In regard to the suspicious death of a woman in childbirth at Breeza (N.S.W.), the Minister of Justice has received a copy of the depositions taken at the Coroner’s inquest. It now transpires that before the medical gentleman, who was alleged to have caused her death, was called in to attend to the woman, she had been in trouble for over four days, .and for eight hours previously had been in convulsions. Dr Middleton declared on oath that the gentleman against whom so serious a charge was made by a brother medico could have done nothing more than ho did in the painful circumstances of the case, and that the most skilled surgeon could not have saved the woman’s life if his assistance was sought at such a late stage of the case. A sensational escape of a thief is reported by the Melbourne papers:—“ The A.S.L. Co.’s steamer Quiraing, from Sydney, had discharged at the Russell street wharf, amongst other freight, a number of cases of kerosene, which were stored on the wharf. On Monday night, at 9.30, a watchman saw two men each take a case of kerosene, and proceed to walk off. An alarm was raised, and the thieves dropped the cases and fled-. One managed to elude his pursuers by getting amongst some stacks of timber, whilst the other jumped on board a ketch lying in the dock. The boatswain of the ketch happened to be on board, and ho made an attempt to catch the runaway, who, however, deliberately plunged into the stream. Lights were procured, and a thorough search made ; but neither of the men could be found, and it is supposed he who jumped from the craft has been drowned. The cases of kerosene were recovered.” William Norman, a plumber and very old resident of Victoria, choked himself whilst eating a piece of tongue at his tea. He was unable to dislodge the substance, and Dr Eakins was sent for. The doctor found that he could not clear the throat, and left for some surgical instruments, but when he returned he found Mr Norman had expired, and, although every effort was tried to restore animation, it was unavailing.