AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5369, 30 April 1879, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

(per abawata, at the blttff.) ■• : •■ Melbotjene, ApriT>23. The Orient* Company are building a steamer of 9600 tons, which is intended to develop the Australian direct steam service if the; government will encourage the enterprise by a subsidy. The P. and 0. Company intend to issue special return tickets for the colonies, covering a visit of over three months, commencing in May next, in connection with the Australian Exhibitions. • " ■ ' • • ■ The .Government have paid : tie Melbourne shareholders of the Hobsbirs Bay railway Company. Mr "W. J: Clarke received a cheque for 92,000. :• ,• . The National Bank has declared a dividend of 12^ per cent. Sydney, April 23. Rush asserts that he won the boat race, and is so dissatisfied with the judge's, decision that he. intends to /retire from aquatics. . ..; „?"*, Mr Morrin, of Auckland, v won the second prize for Durham bulls with 3k>rd Hastings; « at the. Sydney Agricultural , show. „ k

[Per Wakatifu, at Wellington.] Sydney, Afc ril 22. The Hatfield bushrangers were brought up for sentence at Deniliquin on the 19th instant. Hobbs made a statement that he had been a sailor for nineteen years, and was unfortunate. Heoncenarrowly escaped being burnt to death in a ship that was lost ; and on another occasion fell from the topgallant mast. He thought it would have been better if the Lord had taken him than that he should come to the gallows at last. He admitted his presence at the fight before the capture, but did not, he said, use fire- ••»' '•arms, although a rifle was close to '■' him. He said that Bresford fired at him after 'he surrendered, and when .he had his hands "up. '■" : Power galloped past, and also fired at him. . If he had to die, he hoped to be ; ' forgiven. The other prisoners made no : f statement. The Judge said it was sad to see the prisoners ia such a position, especially three being so youthful; but they . had chosen bad careers. Happily, by the i mercy of God, they were spared the ; horrid crime of murder. He had but \ one duty to perform, which was to ; sentence them to death, and it would be ! for the Executive to say whether the \ extreme peualty would be carried out. • The recommendation to mercy would be ■ laid before the Executive, but he would ! ' ' hold out no false hopes, especially in the I case of Gorman. He besought all the I prisoners to prepare for the worst. Senl ■ tence of death was then pronounced, and i the prisoners were 'removed. ! The vintage:. is- over; at Albury. The * strength and quality are equal . to last I year. , { On Easter Mokday, when the harbor | was studded with! pleasure' boats, -the < torpedo boat Acheron, which steams 17 1 knots an hour and is painted so as not to L be readily seen, was taken out on a trip 'and ran. down a boat cantaining a family. They were all submerged, but clung to '*.-, vfhe. wreok and were rescued. Two of the "'"V children were saved by a fireman of the >l - j AcKeron, who jumpedoverboard to them. . . „ . , MELBOURNE, April 22. "■' It" is stated that some of the Kelly sympathisers who were remanded at Beech-worth have entered an action. against the remanding. Magistrate. Sir Bryan O'Loghlen in taking the degree of :M;A. : at.the University last Saturday, was loudly hooted by. the undbrgradua^es, who were very noisy. ■ >|Pek City of New Yoek, at Attck*'<v> * LAND.] : >; " ; -•'■'. Sydney, April 24. Rater Ambrose, a high chief of Savu, and nephew of King Kacbbau, has arrived framFiji. ' , . ' The Agricultural Exhibition is being attended daily by from five to six thousand -""'■p'bWohs. '■■■■■-' • Melbourne, April 24. At an inquest held on the body of Cap- , tain "Vance a verdict of manslaughter was " ;; returned against Frederick Paul, on the ground that the death of Captain Vance was accelerated by an overdose of bromide ...\ "-'of potassium given by Paul to cause insensibility while he robbed the house. Paul was committed for trial. i ■■ ••" A man named T. R. Raynor haa been ■ ! v committed ior trial on the charge of ?' •' 'Uttering forged (Jnion Bank notes. They '' ! ''were exceedingly well executed photo(i graphic copies. '...'"," There were 83 applications for the f !l secretaryship of the Athenaeum. 1 ; i ': ;In Sir Michael Hicks-Beach's despatch t -"- ,. to Sir George Bowen, dated August 25, v.iii he says :---" I desire to make every ':. ■ :: allowance 'for the difficulties of your position, ' but, so far as I am able to * ' ■ : judge, Ido not think that the emergency •'■■ was of a character to justify the course -' ■ • which you adopted, and in my opinion you would have done better in. the interests of the colony and in the inain- ••* tenance of the principles of Parliamentary ■ ' ! or responsible government if you had in- . foraged your advisers that you felt unable to put your signature to the document ' ...directing ,the removal of those officers. I Vf ; understand from your despatches that {„%. : this course might have involved the resiga < ■':• nation of your Ministers ; but it might also , : -H' 'have led to the suggestion of other means - •• ; of surmounting the difiiculty, and if these •■'-'■ ; had not been found, and your Ministers • ; % after resignation had been restored to office, either on the failure of others to form an Administration or after dissolu- '■■'" tion, it would have been of some advantage that an opportunity should have ■ , been offered to the colony for the full and serious consideration of the step proposed." Adelaide, April 24. There are over 3000 Chinese now in the jo ; Northern Territory,, and a good deal of sickness exists amongst them. , • There is a water famine in York's Peninsula, and the distress is severe. An engine ,has been started to distil water. The Commissioner of Crown Lands and the Surveyor-General are visiting York's Peninsula principally with reference to the water famine.