EPITOME OF AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Volume II, Issue 60, 25 November 1863, Page 6

EPITOME OF AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

VICTORIA. The freaks of the great unpaid, as magistrates are termed at home, are queer enough at times, but a recent case exceeds all bound*, of credibility. Mr O'Neill, a J-P. residing at Brighton, on the Bay, being brought before the local Bench, charged with assaulting three men in his employ, named Keen, Merrick, and Brien. This gentleman it was stated, as was his custom, set them to work on the Sunday, splitting wood, and making maul heads ; that during his absence the two latter went away for two hours without leave, while the third lay down for a sleep. Mr O'Neill coming back suddenly, and beiug displeased at Keen's want of alacrity in attending to his horse, violently assaulted him with a heavily loaded riding whip, and the two absentees coming back at the time, came in for a similar benefit, the appearance of their cut and bruised faces bearing witness to the fact. This humane and christian administrator of the law was adjudged to pay to each of the plaintiffs the sum of £5, and£l3s6d costs, oeingatotal of £lB 10s. 6d. for his Sabbath's diversion, which, however, with characteristic meanness, he contrived to modify, by getting the men's wages forfeited on technical grounds. His dismissal from the Commission of the Peace has not yet been gazetted, but if our Premier (Mr M'Culloch) has any of the usual veneration of a Scotchman for the Sabbath day, his name cannot in common decency be allowed to disgrace the list

The question as to the practicability of salting beef in the colonies for shipping purposes has been finally determined in our favor, samples prepared by two competing firms in Melbourne, bein°- tested at the stores of Messrs. Dalgety and Co., in the presence of the judges appointed —Captain Henry, of the ship Omar Pasha, Captain Norman, of H.M.S. Victoria, and Mr Bignell; Mr Matson, Sec rotary of the Board of Agriculture, and several other gentlemen of practical experience in such matters attending to see the result. At the suggestion of the Council of the Board s>mc twehe months since, two tierces of each sample were sent to Europe, and two retained; portions frjm the different casks were now cooked, a;:d the meat declared by all preseut to be delicious, both in color, quality, and flavor, and infinitely superior to ordinary ship provisions. The beef which underwent the Bea voyage was packed in casks made from the whi'e wattle, and was totally free from any peculiarity of either taste or appearance; and Mr Bionell declared that a similar article could be supplied at from £3 to £3los. per tierce, whereas the home figure is £6 10s. A profitable trade in both branches of "preserving" and ''coopering" may spring up throughout the colonies, particularly the stock-growing ones. It has been frequently remarked during the bad weather prevJent of late, that no such season has been experienced in this colony since 1852, it, indeed, within the memory of the usual authority on such a subject, " the oldest inhabitant." We are reminded by Professor Neumayer, however, that day for day, the weather was almost of the same character during October and November, 1857. In that year, rainy and stormy weather continued into December, breaking up, however, in the first week of that month. It is to be hoped that we shall not have such a protracted spell of bad weather on this occasion. A rick scene was enacted in our District Court last week. Mr. D. F. O'Connor, Inspector of Weights and Measures, having summoned some twentv or thirty of our most respectable citizens for having unstamped measures, &c, and in most cases, obtained a conviction, with costs. It was with'a view to these last that the complaints were lodged, the charges being of the most trumpery description, and the penalties consequently almost uominal; but great was the dismay of the legal gentleman (Mr. Barrister Quinlan) employed by the Inspector, when the Magistrate (Mr. StuH) informed him that under the gazetted regulations, oflicers such as Mr. O'Connor were especially placed on the same footing as other servants and law officers, and not allowed to receive costs. This, after such an array of convictions, was a most cruel cut, especially as in many others a friendly arrangement had been made not to press matters if the costs were paid, from which kind of business, no doubt, the Inspector naturally calculated upon quietly realising a good income. This expose in some measure accounts for the feverish anxiety to secure the post of Inspector for Mr. O'Connor (who was the protege of the Irish Roman Catholic party), evinced at the last election, upon which occasion even town magistrates were literally dragged to the bench to vote, who, upon ordinary days, are never seen upon it, so feeble a result to a successful intrigue is therefore proportionately annoying to these most unscrupulous gentry.

SYDNEY. The Synod of Australia have rescinded the resolution of deposition against Dr. Lang, passed twenty years since. The* bushrangers "have again visited Canowindra, returning safely on the police pursuing. The wheat crop in Hunter River District ..as been much injured by rust. The returns for October show a decrease in the Southern gold fields of twenty-Dine per cent.; Western, thirty-seven. Northern, increase twenty five per cent. On same, decrease in whole yield thirty-one per cent, on that of the same period last year. Gilbert's gang are reported to have shifted their scene of depredations to the northern districts, causing great une.-iness there. Lat* r advices confirm the statements regardic j the Peak D wns diggings being eztreweiy poor. Many are returning.