OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

Evening Star, Issue 7471, 15 March 1888, Page 4

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

[From our Melbourne Correspondent.]

Melbourne, March 5, SHOOTING AFFRAY.

A serious shooting affray occurred on Friday night on board the barque Banffshire, at Brisbane. The vessel had only just arrived from Glasgow, and during the voyage a strong feeling was shown by some of the men against the officers. On Friday night a number of the men had been drinking, and were making disturbances on board. The second mate, James Dudgeon, was sitting in the captain’s cabin with the carpenter and one of the apprentices, the captain and chief officer being ashore. Hearing the disturbances, Dudgeon went to the cabin door, and found a body of seamen advancing towards him. A few minutes later they rushed into the cabin, and he then fired three shots from a revolver amongst them, and the apprentice, James Blackwood, who had also armed himself with a revolver, fired one shot. The result was that three men were wounded. Alexander Colquhoun was shot in the right breast, the bullet lodging under the shoulder-blade, from whence it was afterwards extracted. John Parker was shot through the left thigh, and John Griffin through the left ear. Dudgeon and Black - wcod have been arrested. GENERAL. Says “Baton” in the ‘Leader’:—“The Exhibition Commissioners have selected a poem to be set to music for the opening of the Centennial Exhibition which has been universally condemned as unfit for the purpose. They obtained it by inviting competitions and selecting that which in their judgment was the best among those sent in. They have now decided upon following the same plan with the music, and the result will probably be equally unsatisfactory. The musicians in Australia who are able to compose such a work as that required are tolerably well known, but not numerous. One of these has been practically barred from taking part in the competition by being appointed one of the adjudicators, and another has publicly expressed his opinion that the poem cannot be adequately set to music, so that presumably he also may be omitted from the list. What if the result of this competitive craze should be the enforced selection of an unsuitable work as being the best among those contributed ? A cablegram has been received stating that Mr Cowen, the newly appointed musical conductor, is willing to compose the cantata for the opening ceremony. The acceptance of this proposal would settle the matter in the most satisfactory way. Perhaps the commissioners will request Mr Cowen to compete, and, if so, will discover what views a competent and accredited composer holds as to the expenditure of his talent, time, and experience in such a contest, and how little likelihood exists that any composition from the pen of sveh a one may be expected under such conditions.”

Lord Carington has been appointed District Grand Master of the Freemasons of New South Wales in the place of Mr John Williams, who recently resigned.

Captain Whitney, who is at present engaged in establishing a cartridge factory in New Zealand on behalf of himself and Messrs Greenwood and Batley, of Leeds (England), has written to the Defence Department concerning the opening of a similar manufactory in Victoria. The letter is couched in terms which lead the Minister of Defence to believe that it will be possible ultimately to come to some agreement with Captain Whitney. At present, in answer to an application from him, inquiries are being instituted to ascertain whether a suitable site for a factory can be procured in the colony. When that matter is settled, further negotiations will be conducted by Captain Whitney with the Government in regard to the support they would extend to the enterprise. The Victorian Customs authorities have instructed the Crown law officers to take legal proceedings against three different importers for passing goods through the Customs at less than their proper value. It has been found that the practice of the department to fine importers who offend in this respect, without the fact being made public, has no deterrent effect. In future, therefore, when the officers of the department are of opinion that a deliberate attempt has been made to evade duty, legal proceedings will be taken against the offender in the hope that the publicity given to the matter will have a repressive effect upon those people who look upon the Customs revenue as a fair mark to be avoided. The two women concerned in what has been known as the Prahran baby farming case were brought up for sentence before Mr Justice Kerferd at the Criminal Court last week. The prisoners, Ellen Gardner and Janet Dibbin, were convicted at the present sittings of the manslaughter of the infant child of the latter. His Honor remarked that the facts as disclosed in evidence were such as almost to have justified a presentment for a graver charge. The women had been found guilty of cruel neglect. Gardner was sentenced to three and Dibbin to four years’ hard labor. The verdict which has been returned by the coroner’s jury upon the death of the woman Jane Cummings, who died in the Melbourne Hospital from blood poisoning supervening upon injuries inflicted on the night of the 12th iust., is one of wilful murder against John C. Muir, first officer of the Fiery Cross; Daniel Boyd, second officer ; and Andrew Bark, carpenter of the vessel, These were the last persons who are known to have been in the woman’s company prior to her being maltreated, and the woman charged them in her dying declaration with having criminally assaulted her.

Owing to the alarming increase in the number of suicides by means of “ Rough on Rats” and other patent preparations containing deadly poisons, the sale of which is not registered at present, a proclamation has been issued by the New South Wales Government adding to the schedule of the Sale of Poisons Act a number of drugs and preparations not previously recognised. These include arsenic and its preparations, all poisonous vegetable alkaloids, essential oil of almonds (unless deprived of prussic acid), red and white precipitate, carbolic acid, iodine, podophyllin, acetic acid, laurel water, and chlorodyne. The view taken by the New South Wales Inspector-General of Police of the law bearing upon glove-fights and boxing contests, such as are now taking place almost daily in {Sydney and in other centres of population, is that when the partito box to

exhaustion, or when injuries are inflicted, 1 such contests are illegal, and the principals, with all persons present, render themselves liable to prosecution. Under such circumstances, should they occur, prosecutions will be instituted. Boxing with proper gloves as an amicable contest merely is not illegal. It is estimated that if the State House js erected and the Centennial Bark formed in Sydney building sites in the vicinity will increase in value to the extent of L 24 3 :350. If the park alone is made the increase in value is put down at L14G,800. A young man named William M'Master was drowned in a well at Rockhampton last month under peculiar circumstances. He was lowered down the well by his brother, and when he was about 20ft down he complained of there being a bad smell. His brother then commenced to pull him up, but letting go his hold of the rope he fell into the water below and was drowned before any assistance could be rendered him. A miner named Valentine Hitchcock had a very unpleasant experience at Hard Hills recently. He was working by himself, driving in 10ft ground, when he felt a slight pressure of earth about the back of his head. The drive being low, he took no notice of it. The pressure then became heavier, and he found that the roof of the drive was actually subsiding. Immediately before he could make any attempt to get away, a block of ground measuring about 3ft each way gave way and landed on his back, pressing him firmly down upon the foot of the drive. He felt that he was being gradually crushed, and in a few momenta it would be all over with him, but fortunately the block of earth broke in the centre and fell on each side of him. He was thus freed, and escaped without serious injury.