AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XII, Issue 4371, 16 November 1875, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

Mk. R. E. Lbe, prosecuted in Melbourne for publishing an obscene print, does not appear ! from the description given to be the person of the same name -who was -formerly in Auck- . land. > The defendant in the prosecution, we observe by the "papers, has been brought tip at the Police Office," "and committed for trial. The defence set up was that Lee, . who was a most respectable gentleman, and an old. colonist, was overburdened with the cares of printing, publishing, and editing an illustrated paper, the plates for •which wcie produced by: a process peculiarly his own. Mr. Sturt thought, in spite of Mr. Duigan's assurance that Lee " would be a good boy for the future/ , that the publisher of a paper was responsible for the contents of his sheet, even though the trust which he reposed in another might have been betrayed, and the defendant was committed for trial at the nevt criminal sessions. Mr. W. C. Yuille reports having this week sold, on account of Dr. Bathe, to a constituent in New Zealand, . his thoroughbred mare All Steel, by Stockham out of the Steeltrap mare, at a satisfactory price. At the execution of Howard, in the Melbourne gaol, for the Frankston murders, owing to some mismanagement on the part of the hangman in placing the noose round the convict's neck, the rope slipped as the body fell, and the consequence was that the knot, instead of remaining at the back of the head so as to cause dislocation in the descent, slipped round towards the chin, and thus, instead of the vertebra being broken by the fall, life was prolonged some two or three minutes, and death was caused by asphyxia. There were but few signs of life, however, after the body dropped. The chest rose and fell quickly for a few seconds, and the legs of the wretched man were drawn upwards by the contraction of the muscles for a brief moment. The mismanagement of the execution is supposed to be attributable to the fact that owing to. Howard's weight a rope of hemp broke. . . The South Australian Advertiser publishes the following particulars of the disastrous "results of a prospecting expedition : —" Pine Creek, 22nd October.— Thomas Walker, David Marshall, Charles Bridson, Frank Gregory, f and George Evanson left the •Union Reef on the 15th of June; assisted by the Government, to • prospect Blue Mud Bay. . When 150 miles out three of the party went prospecting, {Bridson' and Walker keeping camp. Thirty Wacks attacked the camp, surrounding "Walker at some distance from the tent,: and throwing spears. Bridson on rising from the ground fared amongst the blacks ahd chased them, but he received - a stone spear through the left wrist, smashing the bones of his hand, which will require amputatifcn. The blacks t did not again shew fight, though numerous.. On reaching the sea they vished to appear friendly, but were kept at a distance. The party proceeded forty miles south along the, coast towards the Roper River. On the ' 20th August, at eleven o'clock-at night, the blacks surrounded the party, suddenly spearing Walker in the region of the femoral .prtery upwards towards the groin, -and Marshall in the left hip, upwards towards the ribo] Walker lived till seven o'clock the next morning and then died. Marshall .was three weeks recovering from his wound. ■The party, as- soon' as they were able, returned, having lost eight 'horses. The country through which the party passed is : not auriferous. The. general appearance of it: is a broken .table-land, composed of sandstone. Towards the Blue Mud Bay there are 50 miles of flat country' consisting of marshes and salt plains, with' - a coast of sandstone and basalt. There'were no, signs i of gold. Walker was buried at high-water mark in Blue Mud Bay.—Later Telegram.— The Blue Mud Bay party crossed the track of a large . camp of blacks. They found as bouilli-tin, which had been opened - with a blunt instrument; also; the portion of a skeleton and two small horses.' . It is supposed, that this is where Messrs. Pearmain and Borrodaile were killed. ■ . • ' Theceremonyoflayingthefoundation-stone; of the Victorian United Licensed "Victuallers' Association Asylum buildings took place on the 2Sth ultimo at North Fitzroy. The president of the Association read an address to the Acting Governor. His Excellency remarked that he could not allow the present opportunity to pass without expressing, his hearty sympathy with tiie present object of the Association. He had not been before, aware of the necessity of such an institution, but the establishment of this asylum shewed, ho w mil ch suffering might be endured by people; without others living in their midst knowing anythiugaboutit. The best proof of the necessity of such an institution was the fact that the Licensed Victuallers themselves joined in the movement. There were many charitable institutions in tlie city, creditable to the community, but this was one of a peculiar character, proving that the publicans would not allow those of their trade, who by misfortune became reduced in circumstances, to be left to the mercy of the wide world or a common poorhouse. The political power enjoyed even in his absence from the colony,; by Sir Julius Vogel, and the enormous liberties he continues to take with the finances of the country, can only be understood in New Zealand, where .the great political speculator continues to be supreme. The Parliament of that colony h'ave recently, it is true, made Sir Julius Vogel's conduct the subject of a warm debate ; and during the discussion some ugly things were said of the absent Minister ; but the fact remains that they have condoned his faults, and accepted with the best grace possible the acts that he has performed in their name. What New Zealand wants with a Parliament in such circumstances it is difficult to imagine, for the master mind of Sir Julius overbears all Parliamentary opposition, and it would therefore be cheaper to place the government of the colony in commission, and pay the clever gentleman in London to manage its affairs by telegraph. Possibly Sir Julius Vogel has this contingency in view in hurrying on the completion of the New Zealand cable. — Leader. "Atticus,"in the Leader, says:—"l am afraid we are a long way from federation. The progress is altogether backward; Australian feeling is centrifugal than centripetal. The various colonies, instead of «. oming together, are much more inclined to fly j> sunder. The worst sinner in the whole group is New South Wales, which is always going out of its wsy to find a cause of quarrel."