AUSTRALIAN.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXIV, Issue 145, 9 July 1888, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN.

AFFAIRS AT NEW GUINEA. A TIMBER SYNDICATE. DEFALCATIONS OF A BA&K TELLER. CURIOUS DEFENCE. (UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Sydney, July 7. The prospectus of the Kauri Timber Company has been published. The capital is £1,200,000. One hundred thousand shares have been reserved for New Zealand. July 8. H.M.S. Diamond has returned from her visit to tbe New Hebrides, where she has successfully arranged the preliminaries of the Commission for governing the island. When the Diamond left, the commander of the French warship Fabart was left m charge, and he will remain at the he^d of affairs for a month, when he will be relieved by an officer from H.M.S. Rapid, who takes charge. for a month while on her cruise. The Diamond was successful ill punishing the natives at Pentecost Island, who murdered Mr Walker while labor recruiting m January last. Tho Diamond will leave for Home as soon as ILM.S. Royalist, «which is to relieve her, arrives. Hobart, July 7. In the Assembly last night the Customs Duties Bill was passed. The general taxation proposals of the Government were strongly opposed, and are' likely to lead to a dissolution of Parliament. Melbourne, July 7. The defalcations of T. Doolan, the absconding teller of the Bank of Victoria, amount to £1094. The trial took place .yesterday, when a sentence of 12 months' imprisonment with hard labor was imposed. For the defence it was submitted that the prisoner's brain was affected by. constant and monotonous work, and that he had paid away sums of money m mistake when cashing cheques. Several witnesses were called to prove this allegation. The 'Bench ■m passing sentence, said the facts adduced m support of this contention would be submitted to the proper quarter, ,and the Governor might feel justified /m remitting the sentence. ' . ' Advices have been received that cholera has broken out m Sumatra, and the Government has been asked to declare all ports of that country infected. The Chinese residents here discredit the statement received from New Zealand respecting the edict of the Emperor of China.