AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5299, 5 February 1879, Page 2

AUST R AL I A N NEWS.

(Per "Wakatipu, at Welungton.) Sydney, January 29. J The proceedings in Parliament have been dull. The Chinese Eestriction Bill limits the number by any one vessel, and imposes a tax on all arriving by sea or across the border. The Supply Bill contains an item of £50,000 for the Exhibition buildings. The City Omnibus Company have offered to lay a tramway from the Kedfern railway^ terminus into the heart of the : town, if the necessary, rights are secured to them by legislation. . , The preliminary work on the Exhibition buildings is being rapidly pushed on. Over 400 men are engaged upon the work. The contractor has telegraphed' to London for , eight , instruments * W supply the electric light; to enable the men to work at night. In,. the meantime experiments are being made with , the oxhydrogen. lights. Applications for space continue to. pour in, and it is probable the building, after all, will be too small. ' . A horse thief named Bill Gardiner, has been captured by the police after- an exciting chase of upwards of 100 miles. The principal interest this week has centred in tne cricket match with the English team. The Englishmen were regarded as weak, but the game was very open. The first innings of each, side were very even. C. Bannerman played a ball on to Ms pad arid Whence to the wicket without scoring. In the second innings he got bis hand split between the fourth and little finder, in stopping magnificently at mid- wicket a desperately hard bit ball. Tindall, Garrett, and Allen were all more or less crippled, and Evans was suffering from a severe cold. Colonial prospects looked bad, with 225 to get. However, they did it, At the close of the match £38 was collected for C. Bannerman. At the regatta the champion outrigger race was a surprise. Trickett was evidently not in condition and apparently gave up, coming in 100 yards behind Layoock. Trickett next- day issued a challenge t» row over the champion course for £200, and on the following day Michael Bush accepted the challenge previously issued by Laycock. The BulK lock-out has ended. The conference showed that the employers misconceived the action of the men. The latter retain their Union independently of the Newcastle Union, and 14, days' notice is in future to be given on either side of ceasing to work or of discharge. Brisbane, January 29. The Government geologist reports that the Barrum coal field is capable of ; yielding 1000 tons a week, the. coal being equal in quality to Newcastle. He recommends the construction of a cheap railway. '■■-'• The newspapers demand the despatch ! of a war vessel to avenge the murder of Ingram by natives of Brooker Island, in the Calvados Group. I . Melbotjbne, January 29. | The indignation meeting against M'Laren was held at the corner of King , and Blinders streets. He bid in a public- I house watching the proceedings from a .jwindow. He was, however, seen anc brought out, and after being denounced by the chairman, a rush was made for him, but the chairman shielded him from harm. Mrs Charlotte Collins, a young widow in easy circumstances at Carlton, suddenly left her friendß on the 21st December. It seems she went to the establishment of Mrs Evans in Ktzroy, where she engaged a room at £2 a week. She said she was suffering from an abscess in her side. Mr Crook, surgeon, attended her, and on the 2nd of January she died. Eumors that violent means were used to procure abortion caused the coroner to order the exhumation of the body in order to hold an inquest. [Per Arawata, at the \Blufp.] Melbourne, January 29. The Commissioner of Customs has gone to Sydney to arrange about Murray border duties. The Victorian Government will cordially co-operate to render the Sydney Exhibition a success, and will place £2000 on the estimates for expenses. The Press have been requested not to publish the movements of tne police who are pursuing the Kellys. . Sir George Bowen will leave Melbourne on February 18. LordNormanby arriving on the 26th, no administrator of the Government will be appointed. The Rev. John Eggleston,- Wesleyan minister, Brighton^ died on the 23rd ult. He labored in Australia since 1839. The shock killed the widow three days later. The certificate of Captain Gray, of the ship Seagull, has been suspended for 12 months, for causing a collision with the schooner St. Kilda on December 27. The police are proceeding against him also. The Union Bank has declared a dividend at ihe rate of 16 per cent, for the past half-year ; £20,000 is added to the reserve fund, and £7465 carried forward. The Government remit 30s rent for every £1 expended by Cr6wn tenants in the destruction of rabbits. Captain Balton of the Imperial penal department is visiting the colonies. Fourteen persons are still under arrest as suspected confederates of the Kellys. David Blair has written the history of Australasia from its earliest discovery to the establishment of self government. The Argus accused him of plagiarising the historical accounts of Victoria published in its columns. Tenders have been accepted for the erection of the Melbourne Exhibition buildings at little over £60,000,

Cecilia Brett, a widow, was crushed, to- ; : death by & train at the Bootsory;. railway ' station. •" ■',_■'. '" \ . 1; . is a great accumulation "of wheafr* in tlie STorth-westera distriot awaiting^ transiff:;; ' '^ . 'i' : . ',';/', Governor Bowen, ', on behalf of jk* Gf'O^e^ment, j{sends a^handspme .addtess to tnwKingfiof Tongo, ac^howledginghis g enerous^conduct in" receiving the Victorian seatneii wrecked on the Island ofKao. *?" The railway freights for agricultural ...=-.. produce are to be re-arranged to benefit, distant setters. \ - ■ „- . A boai'difias been' appointed to inqiair©■■■■'.into the escape of Weiberg ? Vjthe gold. / robbery' front the detectives; '"'{ . : . Arrangements are in : progress to save- ; 12 hbui^'in'^:the t transit of mails | from, v; Melbourne to^Adelaide and mice versa. , : Adelaide, January 29. \ An; order has Keen sent to the War; ..-'■.'. Oflice for 600 snider carbines for the use I of the 'boys, learning drill; in; the public:;,^ .■- --schools. .--.i /•■?'').'■'}■ .:',.,:'?'/*■" ''';■ A branch of the London .Shipmasters*. ; S ociety has been formed in Adelaide. " ' XTniisually dry weather •prevails/.' s ":'-* -' : ; Beisbane, Jaiiuarjr 29 1 < ' ; The wool ship Scottish Bard; sfarack, on ; > Barner reef, but regained Keppef;, Bay . mthout much injury' to the cargo/ Or vessel. ;'. : f'>