AUSTRALIA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LIII, Issue 5917, 12 February 1880, Page 5

AUSTRALIA.

[Reutee’b Tblbgeams.] MELBOURNE, Feb. 11. Racing sweeps have been declared illegal, and the holders were fined nominally. Sailed —Albion. SYDNEY, Feb. 11. In the exhibition class for mild ales, Joel, of Dunedin, took first prize; Brown and Campbell, of Auckland, highly commended. In the class for pale ales, Martin, of Invercargill, took first prize. The samples sent by Pascoe, of Wellington, and Wilson, of Dunedin, were highly commended. In the class for strong ales, Yincent, of Christchurch, took first prize; Speight, of Dunedin, second. In the class for bottled stout, Crawford, of Dunedin, took first prize ; the Phoenix Brewery (probably Ehrenfried) second. There were no awards for bottled ales. According to the latest news from New Caledonia, a terrific cyclone swept over the island on Jan. 24, causing almost incalculable damage to property, and leaving a large number of settlers in a state of destitution. The Government, however, promptly took steps to alleviate as much as possible the prevailing misery and distress, and voted 100,000 francs. Information has been received of the loss of 14 vessels during the cyclone. Owing to the operation of the vend system in limiting the output of coal, anil the inability of steamers to procure they had contracted for, several °f Smith’s steamers have been laid up at Newcastle.