ARRIVAL OF THE "ALDINGA."

Otago Daily Times, Issue 36, 26 December 1861, Page 4

ARRIVAL OF THE "ALDINGA."

LATER NEWS EROM MELBOURNE. By the "Aldinga" we have news from Melbourne to the 20th inst. We make the following extracts: — The Legislative Assembly was almost entirely occupied last evening with the consideration of the new Land Bill, which was introduced by Mr. Duffy. Contrary to the usual custom, an animated discussion took place upon motion for its being read a first time, and it was contended that the only improvement upon the Nicholson Land Act which the measure —as explained by the hon. the President of Lands and Survey—contained, was the substitution of lot for auction, whilst in other respects it was greatly inferior to that Act. Ultimately, however, the first reading of the bill was agreed to without a division.— Argus. Information was received, by telegraph, in Melbourne at an early hour yesterday morning, that the " Empress of the Sea" was on fire off Queenscliff, and subsequent telegrams reported the total loss of the vessel and of the greater portion of the cargo. The "Empress of the Sea" cleared out at the Customs on Saturday with a very valuable cargo, for London, consisting of 20,612 ozs. of gold, 2,711 bales of wool, 768 casks tallow, about 300 tons copper-ore, and large shipments of wheat and other Australian produce, and of general merchandise. She was towed from the Bay on the following day, with a short crew. On arriving at the Heads, Captain Bragg proceeded to Geelong, for the purpose of procuring additional hands, previously to setting sail for England, in which service he was engaged at the time the fire broke out. The fire was first discovered at six a.m. yesterday (Thursday), and the flames spread with such rapidity that by half-past eight the vessel was on fire from stem to stern, with the mizen mast only standing. At the first alarm the gold was placed in the life-boat, which was manned for the purpose of taking it asliore. We understand, however, that a boat drifted to sea, and was picked'"up by the pilot schooner Rip. The burning ship was ultimately grounded at Point Nepean, without any loss of life occurring. There were in all about twenty passengers on board. Captain Brown, of the ship Prince of the Seas, burned a few weeks since off the Hobson's Bay Railway Pier, being among them. The Melbourne insurance offices are reported to have taken risks to the extent of from £18,000 to £20,000. The ship and cargo are insured in England. Owing to the prevalence of northerly winds, no particulars of the fire had been received along the coast up to a late hour last night.— Argus. Export entries were passed at the Customs today for 12 ozs. of gold for shipment in the Aldinga for Otago. Ten boxes of specie, contaming £50,000, were also shipped to the same port. Three boxes of gold, containing 3,996 ozs., were shipped in the Rangatira for Sydney.— Argus, Dec. 20.

The escorts have brought down 40,478| ozs. this week, against 44,514 ozs. for the corresponding week of last year. — Ibid. I By the immigration returns for November, the j arrivals numbered 2,173 during the month, and the departures 3,298, the balance being in favour of emigration by 1,125 persons.— lbid. The New Zealand and Lachlan rushes have both had some effect upon the yield of our own gold fields. On the first announcement of the Lachlan rush, and the receipt of the exaggerated accounts which were at first forwarded from ! there, a large number of the Victorian miners at once started for the new El "Dorado. When the lead was first discovered at the Lallan, no doubt i

some very good claims were worked, and large quantities of -'gold' were secured by those who were first on the spot: Several claims gave from 6 to 12 ozs. to the load, and even richer finds were in a few cases obtained. It was soon, however, discovered that the much-talked of lead was merely a patch • and the whole of the Victorian miners arriving long after the payable ground, was taken up, found that they had been miserably deceived, since there was literally nothing for them to do.— Age. At Inglewood the reefs appear to be improving, and the prospects of the miners are getting decidedly brighter. A cake, of amalgamated gold weighing 315 ounces was , exhibited last week as the produce of 76 tons of stone from the St. John's Reef, Jerico ; 66 ounces were obtained from a lot of 50 tons from the prespectors' claim on the Jersey Reef. Sixty-four tons from the Garibaldi Company's Claim gave severity-two ounces, and twenty-five from the Godwin Reef yielded fiftyone ounces. The largest purchase of alluvial gold recorded was that of a parcel weighing 149 ounces, taken from a claim in Long G;ully, Kmgower. This parcel consisted entirely of nuggets, there being no one piece in the lot but wliat weighed above half an ounce. The event most worth notice in the Castleinaine district during the past month, has been the splendid and continued returns of the Ajax Company. On Saturday last, one hundred and forty tons of stone yielded seven hundred and fifty-five ounces of gold,, equal to 5. oz. 8 dwt. per ton. This mine in seven months has given 4613 oz. gold,, and as it was-the first, so it is one of the most notable instances of the success of the tribute system.— Age. In the Legislative Assembly last evening Mr. Duffy said that no pastural licenses should be gazetted for the ensuing year for the ground now gazetted as farmer's common.— Age, 20th Dec.

Late papers state that the rush to Otago, caused by the large arrivals of gold from this port, was on the increase, and the up-country journals contain frequent allusions to the numerous departures. The principal subject of interest in Melbourne appears still to be the inquiry into the causes of the sad fate of of the Victorian exploring expedition. The committee of enquiry finished their labours on the 12th instant, so far as regarded the taking of evidence, and have now before them very ample depositions, every available witness having been, examined with the exception of Mr. Landells, who declined to be examined.

Patrick Costello (late a member of the Municipal Council), as ringleader in the attempt to personate parliamentary voters at the late election for Mornington, was sentenced to imprisonment for twelve months ; his companions were sentenced to six months' imprisonment. A Court Martial has been held in Melbourne by order of Sir T. S. Pratt, the Major-General Commanding the troops, to enquire into certain statements made by -Major Dickson, commanding the detachment of Royal Artillery, reflecting on Col. Carey, Deputy Adjutant-General. It resulted in Major Dickson's suspension from duty, pending a reference to His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief.

Mr. George Coppin has offered through the Hon. Sec. of the Exploring Expedition £1000 to Mr. King, in consideration of his publicly exhibiting and describing during the, next twelve months a panorama of the route of himself, Burke, and Wills, to the Gulf of Carpentaria ; and Mr. King has in a modest, but'firm and dignified reply rejected the humiliating offer. .

The South Australian Parliament, was on the 3rd Dec, prorogued to the 17th January, after a session of more than seven months duration. The Victorian United Eleven had sustained a defeat at Cricket, at the hands of eighteen players of the Bendigo United Glub. • This looks badly for their chance with the English Eleven. The total brought by the escorts for;< the week ending 12th December, was 29,178 ounces—how are the mighty fallen. The New Zealand mania has led to the formation of an Otago Club at Pleasant Creek, on the sweepstakes principle, where, by paying half-a-crown, a chance in a lottery is given, the prize being the price of a passage to Otago. ■ The drawing takes place every Saturday night.— Herald. Disgraceful Affair.-—A few days ago we narrated a lively scene between two women, both of whom claim a Mr. Bourke, or, as he is more familiarly known, "the doctor," as their husband. Bourke was charged at the police court with deserting the firsts and was discharged on promising to support her. This he has not done, but has since been located with the second woman in Esmond-street. v The first wife went to his quarters on Thursday evening, and finding the door barricaded against her, commenced a lively and very successful onslaught on both door and windows with stones, and did considerable damage. A large crowd congregated, and a pitched battle ensued between the two women, who kept it up until the appearance of the police, when one of them took to flight, and the second was apprehended and placed in the lock-up.— Ballaarat Star, Dec. 13.

: The Lachlats. —There seems to be a slight decrease in the number daily passing through Albury for the Lachlan, which may be accounted for through the rather unfavourable reports that have appeared during the past week/ ' The Wagga Wagga Express, on the faith of a gentieman who returned last Thursday, thinks these digging will turn out a " shicer." Immigrants and emigrants about equal; thirty paying claims only (a dozen fabulously rich); no denned lead: country been prospected in all directions; and the crowd of unemployed miners incredible. — Albury Banner, Dec. 11. ;

The Wills' Massacre, —The JRockhampton1 Bulletin states that the native police have shot sixty or seventy blackfellows concerned in the Wills' massacre. Two other members of the Ballaarat police (force have resigned for the purpose of going to Otago.. They may yet find that they are only going farther to fare worse. — Ballaarat paper. Mining at Fryer's Creek, both alluvial and quartz, was never in so languid a condition as at present. A large number, even of the old residents, have left during the week for New Zealand; among others, Mr. Pilcher, of Perron's Keef, Golden Gully. In the neighbourhood of Vaughan and Kangaroo, really remunerative tunnelling as well as sluicing claims have been disposed of hy the owners at; nominal prices. i

Serious Accident and Attempted Suicide at Buninyong.—About twelve o'clock on Thursday, a young man named. George Hickman, the driver of a Buninyong car, in the employment of Hawkjns, of the Caledonian - Bridge, attempted to commit suicide, at Buninyong, by cutting his throat with a penknife. It seems that the young man, who had only been driving since Monday, had two Chinamen, a European, and two females on his car, in front of the Nugget Hotel, at Buninyong, when the European a?ked him to have a drink. He replied that he did not care about it, bnt as. the other insisted on treating him, he got down off the car, leaving the Chinamen and women in it. The horse being without control, ran away, while the screams of the women and the jargon of the Celestials only added to'the'animal's terror and the speed of his flight. The horse had not proceeded far before he came in contact with an old stump, upset; the vehicle and smashed it to pieces. The Chinamen had scrambled out uninjured ; but one of the women, both of whom were thrown out, had her thigh broken, and the second received a fracture of the skull. The driver, on, hearing what had occurred, and just as some people were removingl the horse from the broken vehicle, drew out a penknife and inflicted a frightful gash on his throat. Drs. Rankin and Keiser were in attendance on the snfferers. The former stitched the wound 'in.the man's throat, arid had him conveyed to the hospital by two policemen. So intent was he on committing the deed, that he tore off the bandage, and expressed a wish to die. The women were taken to the Nugget Hotel, where the fracture of the leg was reduced by the medical gentlemen. The woman who was injured on the head is reported to be delirious, and. -both are in a dangerous state. We hear that they are from the vicinity of Corduroy. The wound in the driver's •throat, we are informed, is not so serious as was at first anticipated, arid there is every probability of his recovery. The horse had bolted a short time before at Selleek's Hotel, and was cleverly reined in by the driver. Since writing the above, we learn that the female who had her thigh broken is a resident at Mount Doran, and as her husband, now in New, Zealand, is not at present in a position to assist her, herself and child are by this accident left withont the means of support. The driver, who seems to have been so completely conscience-striken at the complication of misfortunes which a moment's carelessness had brought about, was esteemed by his employer as steady and careful a driver as could be met with. Baflarat Star, Dec. 13.