AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9218, 22 November 1888, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

THE SELECTION OF GOVERNORS. Sydney, November 21. The Legislative Assembly is now discussing the Premier's motion relative to the appointment of Governors. The speeches so far have been remarkable for their nationalist tendencies, more so than has ever been heard in an Australian Parliament before. It is believed the motion will be almost unanimously carried. OUTRAGE AND ROBBERY. Melbourne. November 21. A woman named Blake received a letter asking her to visit a neighbour's house, and when she returned to her house she found that during her absence a masked man had bound, gagged, and criminally assaulted her daughter, a girl of 17. The house had been ransacked, and a quantity of jewellery stolen. The ruffian lias not been captured yet. COLLAPSE OF~THE LAND BOOM. Melbourne, November 21. Rumours are rife of the imminent collapse of the land boom. It is asserted that the bills of several large speculators and syndicates are not negotiable, and there is a feeling of considerable uneasiness in. commercial circles. Shares of several banks and finance companies have undergone a slight decline owing to holders being obliged to realise. DISCOVERY OF A NUGGET. I Perth, November 20. A nugget of pure gold, weighing 10? ; ounces, has been found at Pilburra. THE DIVORCE QUESTION. j Sydney, November 21. One hundred and sixty-nine clergymen of various denominations have petitioned Parliament against the extension of facilities for divorce. THE PRESBYTERIANS. Melbourne, November 20. The Presbyterian Assembly li.as at length agreed upon the basis of federation for the churches of the different colonies. They have invited prominent English and Scottish divines to attend the jubilee celebration of the Church. POWDER EXPLOSION. Melbourne, November 21. An explosion occurred in a powder factory at Job's Gully, which blew the end of the building out. A man named M. Urer was badly burnt, and lies in a critical condition. DESTRUCTIVE FIRE. Melbourne, November 21. By a fire at Uphill a small town near the South Australian border, damage to the extent of £12,000 was caused. TEMPERANCE CONVENTION, i Melbourne, November 21. The Intercolonial Temperance Convention lias opened its sittings here. Sir W. Fox and other representatives from New Zealand are present. DISCOVERY OF SALT. Sydney, November 21. A large deposit of salt has been discovered at Ellalong, 120 miles north of Sydney. THE DROUGHT. Sydney, November 21. It is expected that crops in the Albury district will only give one-third of the average yield. A large proportion of growing wheat has been cut for hay, which is commanding unusually high prices. Melbourne, November 21. ; i' The rainfall this year is the lowest recorded since 1865. On some stations scrub is used to support sheep, which are dying by thousands. Bush fires are burning in all directions. TWO MEN CUT TO PIECES. Adelaide, November 21. Two railway employees named Brown and Ryan, while travelling on a railway tricycle, were cut to pieces by a train near Gerowie.