IN TEH-COLONIAL NEWS.

North Otago Times, Volume XI, Issue 348, 22 September 1868, Page 3

IN TEH -COLONIAL NEWS.

A young lad, named Frazer, residing at Benolla, was bitten on the leg a fe\T days ago by a scorpion, and soon afterwards began to exhibit symptoms of a dangerous character. The young tollow had left his boots and stockings near the- fire before going to bed on the previous night. Next morning when he put on a Blocking, ho iolfc something in it stinging him. He called to his father, who was in bod, that thore was something in his stocking biting him. The father hastened to pull off the stocking, and killed the scorpiou. The wound was then blooding. Tho fathor sucked it, but tho poor boy was getting -worse, until tho doctor came and incised tho wound, ar>d applied the usual remedies. Ho is now doing well. In rufei em e to tho appointment of Mr JEyre to the Governorship of South Australia, tho " Melbourno Herald" says:— "Mr Eyre, who swept away tho threatouud black insurrection in Jamaica a couple of years back with fire and sword, and who was sought to bo tried for his lifo by tho jSTegrophilittts in England, has met with tho tavor of the Crown by being appointed Governor of South Austiaha — a colony to which ho is no stranger ; for it is this Mr Eyre who, more than twenty years ago, mado the extraordinary exploratory expedition, with only ono follower, through tho wilderness from South. Australia to West rn Australia, and almost perished of hunger and fatigue on tho way. Ho is clearly a man of energy ; ib is to be hoped ho is also a man of ability and prudence. However, he will not find much difficulty m dealing v.ith the easy-going folks beyond our neat -rn border." The following news from Carpentaria is from tho correspondent of tho " Cleveland J3ay Express :" — " Burketown is not m a very flourishing stato at present, and this is cwin<* chiefly to the new settlement on tho Norman llivor. All the Lower .Flinders squatters are now sending their wool to and getting their supplies from the Norm.m which is a matter of a hundred milc3 nearer some of them than Burketown j and the most of the Uuiketowmans nro leading for tho new settlement. Tho only tralKc to Burketowu now is from B.irkley Tablcind, and a lew stations up tho Gregory Rivoi — enough to keep one sloie and one public huiise going. The Buckingham township is progressing rapidly, stores and public houses being erected every wheie. <it tho township and on tho roads to it, certainly thoro is nothing that the inhabit ints want more than two or thieo liberal storekeepers, who would sell goods soincw hat reasonable as the storekeepers hitherto at Burke town charge most exorbitant prices. The blacks have commit led seveial outiages of late, and onlj io^- the energy and pluck of §ub-Iii3pector Uhr, they would perpetrate more. The copper mines are producing very rich ore m abundance At Lara (Mr Doukin'b) they ai o busy 1 -mbinc, and getting a first rate percentage. The,) aiv albO lambing at Marathon (Mr <_'irson's), and the lueie.ise is over ninety per cent Certainly this is one of the finest sheep runs m tho north, fino, high, ridgy, country, and tho grasses are of the very best description, and in anything like a favorable season it is well watered." At tho meeting of the Royal Geographical Society on June 8, at Burlington Route, the large hall was densely crowded with members and their friends. The business opened with a paper " On the proposed scientific exploration of Central Australia," by J>r Neumayer, late director of the Melbourne Observatory. In this rnemoir tne author deseribes a plan which ho was desirous of carrying out, of exploring nearly tho whole of the interior of Australia by an expedition to enter at Port Denieon on tho east coast, proceed in a south-westerly direction to tho centre of the continent near the Finke river of Stuait, then traverse tho uuknown western portion by an angular course to Swan river. Tho expedition was to consist of 25 men, including seven professional gentlemen, to attend to the vm ius branches of science, and it was to bo conducted on the system of establishing successive depots or temporary bend-quarters at intervals of 200 or 300 miles, v. hence the neighboiing country could be explored in various directions. It wa3 estimated to cost L21,525, and occupy three and a-half yeais m its completion. Part of the cost, he hoped would bo borne bj the home (3 o\ eminent, the Australian colonies supplying tho rest. After the readme of the piper, Professor Owen advocated Dr K'umn.iyers' scheme in an eloquent speech on natural history grounds anticipating ci\»afc accessions to our knowledge of the peculiar fauna of Austiahn, from so thorough an exploration as that proposed. He thought it not unlikely that some of the colossil marsupi.il animals known in a fossil slate from recent formations might still be living in tho unknown interior. Porfessm- Tyndall aho took part in tho discussion. — Argus, 26th August. ilr Ranisbottom, the aupcrmtoiident of tho salmonbrcedmg e^tiblishment at ISFew Norfolk, Tasmania, dii'd recently at Sydnoy from consumption, the result of a cold caught during his night watches at the salmon ponds. lie leaves a wifo and largo family. The Hon J. P. Fawkner, ono of tho first settlois in Victoria, wroto a letter to the " Argus" on tho subject of Melbourne's thirty-fourth birthday. He said : — " Melbourne completed its thirty-third year cu Saturday lust. On tho 29lh of August, 1835, tho first landing took ploce, on a small rising ground on which our tent was pitched. On the evening of the 291 h August our horsos wero then lauded, and set to graze. Early m 1835 I resolved to attempt to settle in Port Phillip, having been ono of those who landed on Point Nepean from tho Calcutta, under Governor David Collins, to colonise at Port Phillip. This wa3 on October 14, 1S03. Governor Collins declared tho place unfit for settlement, and took the whole of tho people to tho Derwent. I sought out sorno friends to como with me in 1S35, and five persons agreod to help to found the now colony. Their names were Robert Hay Marr, Win. Jackson, Samuel Jackson, Captain John Lancey, and George Evans. They all deserted mo. Some went aw ay, and tho others took to sheep farmiug, and I alono remained to found tho famous city of Melbourne. I purchased a schooner, the Enterprise, to bring my horses, cattle, and household good?, and in six days after landing, had five acre3 of land ploughed and sowed with This produced 100 bushels in January, 1836. _ It was sown whero Lan gland's and Fulton's foundiies were subsequently built. In 1836 1 sowed eighty acres on the flat near Emerald Hill. This private enterprise succeeded where the Homo Government's experiments had failed in 1803-4 A wilderness in 1835, a fine flourishing colony m 1868, though only thirtythroe years old. Extraordinary statements were made by Dr Youl, tho City Coroner of Melbourne, at a recent meeting of the Medical Society of Victoria. Tho v subject under discussion was, the appointment of a pathologist and medical jurist in connection with tho Melbourno Hospital. Tho principal object of tho appointment, which was strongly recommended by Dr Youl, is the detection of crime in post mortem examinations. Alluding to the objections made by cortiin practitioners, he said : — Thore were only 125 post mortem examinations in Melbourne aud the suburbs last year. I may say I do not hold inquest upon mere than half the deaths reported to me. Medical men often report the cause of the death of infants to bo " convulsions." Tho cases of convulsions are generally, 1 find, cases of smothering — many of them are, I believe, intentionnl. but this is extremely difficult to prove. We requiro someboJy able to judge in those cases. Taking another illustration : I have frequently known medical men to be ignorant of the cause of death, when it was plainly alcoholic poisoning. A red stomach is taken to signify arsenic, when it comes from uothing but drink. It is painful for me to have to point out for the jury, as I do sometimes, that the cause of death is not that stated by the niodical men. There are a number of practitioners here altogether unable to make a. post mortem examination, but they are offended if I pass them over, and complain to tho Minister of Justice that I am actuated by favoritism. Tho fees for all the post mortems T have to gire away, do not amount to more than L300 a-ycar, which, spi cad among so many practitioners, is not much for each. It would, therefore, cost little sacrifice to apply this sum to the salary of a pathologist. There is a matter to which I have altuded, which I cannot dismiss without some further remarks. As far as I can judge, and I have peculiar opportunities, there must be some hundreds of women concerned in the business of the secret murder of children. Tho kuowledgo that this crime is so prevalent causes the number of inquiries to be larger than it otherwise would be. These inquiries, I am convinced, proTent a great deal of crimet Thii

is their object rather than tho discovery of crime. There are persons, I believe, in this community who get their living by confining women, and destroying the children as they are born. You will nee that we require vory careful post vtartems. T find sometimes a vory great diiilenlty in obtaining a competent surgeon to mako theso examinations ; and I am usually asked whether there is any risk of going to the Supremo Court. If there is, nobody will Imvo anything to do with the case. One or two cases havo como under my notico, showing an occasional cause fcr some of tho differences among medical men when they co r np to give evidence in court. A medical man hol.imga good position iu this rity — ho has leit lately — once told me that as ho had not been employed for tho prosecution in a certain case he would " go in" for the defence (laughter). In one dine, a trial for murder, I was told tha*-- 1 could have L1OO guineas to prove the mtm insane. I replied that I knew the man from a boy and never knew him to be anything but suue. They did not want ino then. (Laughter.)