NEWS BY CABLE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 8521, 30 October 1888, Page 6

N EWS BY CABLE.

By Elkctjuc Telegraph.— Copyright.

(PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.)

Sydney, October 29.

Information of a terrible domestic tragedy has just reached the ears of the police. It .appears that one day last week a man named Thompson had some words with his wife, and at the height of the quarrel stabbed the unfortunate woman, who was enceinte, in the abdomen, with a largo butcher’s knife which tie was using at the time. The woman died last night, and in her dying depositions stated that she believed the occurrence was accidental. 'the man has, however, been arrested on a charge of wilful murder.

There are no signs of the drought breaking up. In man y parts of the Colony the thermometer stands at 103 in the shade. Xu the immediate neighbourhood of Howlong the heat is not quite so bad, but in other parts of the same district the crops are almost beyond hope. At Broken Hill, trains conveying water are arriving daily, and their freight is being sold at 4s per 100 gallon:-!. In the Eden District (toward the coast) heavy rains have fallen, and the, country will be able to hr,id out some time. The Nowra district is extremely dry, and disastrous bush fires are raging in all directions. On one station alone, 20,000 acres of grass have been destroyed. At Gundagivi rain has fortunately fallen over the farming areas, but in Argylo many settlers are selling off their stock, fearing the disastrous results ot a dry season. The crops in that quarter are also suffering greatly, and potato planting has entirely ceased. Near Inverell sheep are dying in large numbers. At Kempsey grass is still abundant. Bush fires are also devastating Numoi district. Burra Burra station has been burned’out, and several runs in Walgett and Moree have been destroyed. The miners at West Burwood colliery have struck for an increase of wages to M-3 per day. Obituary. —Mr William Bede Dailey, P.C., of kidney disease, aged

Melbourne, October 29.

Mr Cbarlick, of Adelaide, has won the chess championship of Australia. Mr Hay, of Dunedin, did not score. Ai'.klaide, October 29.

11.M.5. ."Royalist, recently attached to the Cape and West African squadron, which loft Capetown on 4ith September to join the Australian squadron, arrived yesterday, and has been ordered to Samoa.