Colonial.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 540, 6 January 1858, Page 5

Colonial.

VICTORIA.

It is said that the opening of the Session will reveal a remarkable change in the materiel of the Haines Cabinet. Four or five weeks ago, we stated that Mr. Fellows had resigned the Solicitor-Generalship, butthat subsequently, at the solicitation of his colleagues, he consented to etain office till the close of the Session. The', corrrectness of our information has been fully confirmed. Mr. Fellows has just positively tendered his resignation ; and Mr. Haines- is in a Serious dilemma from the difficulty of finding a presentable man who would condescend to identify himself with: such an equivocal company. Mr. Sitwell has been mentioned, but it.is apprehended that bis conduct during the debates on the Land Question has not yet faded from the memory of Castlemaine. It is not at all unlikely that the mantle of ■" the comic Chitty_ " ■will descend upon Mr. Adamson, as the Ministry can not now afford to be so dainty in their 'choice as when Mr. Fellows last tendered his resignation. -; Other changes are spoken of, both among the 'Ministry and their supporters; but for the present we forbear entering upon the details. iOn account of the Prorogation, Dr. Owen ifound it impossible to ask the Government the 5 grounds upon which they had respited the con- ; vict Wilson. We understand that lie does not •intend to neglect the subject, however ._ The ! Recess will be soon over/and the public will not have lost their interest in a transaction which involves so many important considerations.—Age, Nov. 25. There was a, kind of vague rumour some ; weeks ago that Miss Madeline Smith had arrived in Melbourne,- under an assumed name; but nobody seemed to regard it as anything but an extravagant conjecture. Nowj however, it seems-to be spoken of as tin fait accompli. i The 'Ballaarat Times' tells the following cur ! rious story, which at all-events indicates the tendency of,public speculation upon the subject; ;^-" Alady recently arrived in this colony relates the following strange story, which will be perused with no slight degree of interest. On leaving England in a vessel, which shall be for the present nameless, it was observed that a young and handsome female, most fashionably attired, was a passenger in the steerage. She was accompanied by an interesting child, who died upon the voyage; this naturally excited much sympathy on board, and caused particular attention to be directed to the lady in question. It was found that her clothes were marked M. S., and she was known in the vessel as a Mrs. or' Miss Smith. Upon arrival of the ship in Melbourne, our informant's friend was looking over a copy of the * Illustrated London News,' and happening to see a likeness of" the cele-

brated Miss Madeline Smith, at once exclaimed '■ rhat lady came out in the same ship with me.* A child of about twelve years of age, who had also been in the vessel was interrogated on the subject, and declared that the lady passenger and the portrait were perfectly alike. It may also be observed, that about the same time the report of Miss Madeline Smith having sailed for America was published in the public journals. We give this tale as it has reached us, only vouching for the integrity of our informant, and leaving our readers to draw their own inference."*--jJwfc „:

Times A»Ai';N!-The 'BallaaratTimes* thus describes the discovery of two large nuggets :— Kingower is immortalised by being the parent of the Blanche Barkly nugget, the Whipstick occasionally recruits the impoverishedexehequer of Bendigo with a lump or two, while Kor;>ng, about once in every twelve months gives a sign of not being quite effete; but after, all, old Ballaarat stands facile princeps, |as the greatest wealth producer in ..Victoria. On. Saturday the ordinary routine of sinking and driving near the Native Youth was broken by the announcement that a large nugget had ; been found at the bottom of a nine foot hole, and true enough was.the news. Of course the weight was variously : estimated, but there wa9 the nugget, a jolly/round looking fellow, with little or nothing of the foreign element about him. Upon being weighed at the Bank of Australasia, where it now lays, it was found to he 540 ounces. The lucky,, finders are three men named Osbaldstoh, Hesfcley, and French, who have lately been engaged in the wearisome and unprofitable task', of. rock punching, in the Nil Desperandum claim,' on the: township. Though that shaft was abandoned as worth- ! less, they carried their motto with them, and the soubriquet vfill in all probability stick by j them as long as they remain on Ballaarat. j " The gallant three " are not, however, the sole posesssors of this splendid lump of gold, for they have seven other mates, who have been equally unlucky with themselves^ A windfall like this does not come every day. It would seem, however, that the Native Youth rush is to become famous in the annals of Ballaarat, and worthy to rank with; the Eureka of four years ago, for before night it was rumored that a party had obtained a nugget of 16. lbs. weight at about the same depth as the other. We have not had an opportunity of seeing the | second bit of virgin ore, but we believe that, if anything, we are under the mark in setting down the weight at 16fts. Three and four pound nuggets are growing quite common occurrences.in the neighbourhood, and many_ a poor man will be set 'on his legs again by this most opportune piece of shallow sinking: All day yesterday the ground was thronged by spectators, and many a peep was given down the lucky hole, and many a hooe^b^^lx^d .fet all the vet virsrin ground between the ±HacK _j.ji-! : xx:u win » e t. a-greatturning over this summer. "A -Fats Exchajtgb.-^-A western farmer, being obliged to sell a yoke of oxen to pay his hired man, told him he could not keep him any longer. 'Why,' said the- man,'l'll stay and take some; of your cows in place of money.' • But what shall I do,' said the' farmer, ' when my cows and oxen are all gone?' ' Why,' replied be, ' you can work for me and get them back.'