MELBOURNE EXTRACTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 68, 3 February 1862, Page 1 (Supplement)

MELBOURNE EXTRACTS.

Tnr, New Country.—The Melbourne eorres-

pondent of the Ballnrat Star says :—"I am told that those enterprising gentlemen the Messrs. Ilenty, have sent a ship round to the Gulf of Carpentaria, ostensibly to fish for whales, but really I should fancy, to spy out the new land discovered by Burke. Meanwhile, whether it is that 'distance lends enchantment to the view-,' or that there is a spirit of enterprise and :i plethora of money seeking an outlet for profitable investment, I cannot say, but a large number of our capitalists arc seriously considering' it worth while to visit the terra incognita, ami explore it sufficiently for practical settlement. The great aim of these men is wool-producing, but by no means the least inducement offered io settlers on the shores ot Carpentaria is the proximity to the Indian market, where an almost unlimited demand exists for horses. I have little doubt but that before another year has elapsed the country inland from Carpentaria will be perfectly known to hundreds, and that if no serious impediment exists, a large number of persons will settle there." The Ballarat Slur hears that in the event of a war breaking out between England and America several citizens of the Northern States resident in Ballarat, are prepared to become.natur.vlized Bitrish subjects. MußnEs.—On Saturday last an inquest was .held before Dr. Youl, on the body of Harriet Webb, who died in the hospital on the previous day. The deceased was a married woman, but living apart from her husband. She lodged in a house of ill-f'amu in the notorious Romeo-lnne, leading from Great Bmirke-street cast to Little JBourke. Besides being a woman of disreputable character, she was described by one of her prostitute companions as a great drunkard. It appeared that death was the result of injuries externally inflicted. The witnesses to the facts of the case were, with perhaps one exception, persons of infamous character, and their evidence was conflicting and unsatisfactory. The jury, however, considered the evidence of the first witness reliable. It was to the effect, that Catherine Gorman, the landlady of the house, quarrelled with Webb on Thursday morning about some rum she brought in the night before for her own use- ; and having accused the deceased of drinking it, commenced beating her head against the floor or the wall, and also against a washham! stand. Gorman's account of this is, that finding Webb in a fit, she endeavoured two or three times to lift her up, but on each occasion she let her fall, as the deceased was too heavy for her. The jury found that the deceased died from injuries externally inflicted by Gorman, who was accordingly committed to take her trial on a charge of wilful murder. Mk. Miciiie. —The Herald says the rumour has ben revived of Mr. Michic's being desirous of entering the arena of political strife. Dissatisfaction with the coalition between Mr. Nicholson and Mr. O'Shanassy is the reason assigned. But we cannot trace the rumour up to any authentic source. A Good Washing.—The Red Jacket Company, Sebastopol. have been washing some better than ordinary stuff'lately. One machine of dirt from near the Nelson boundary last week yielded uo less 307 ounces of gold.— Star. Mortality.—The excessive heat of the, weather during the last few days ha* been of such a nature as to add to the bill of mortality considerably on Ballarat. The Star says :" No less than seven deaths have been registered at the office of the deputy registrar as being by the excessive heat of the weather."

We have our Tasmanian flies to the 18th inst. From the extracts which will be found in another column, it will be found that to meet an anticipated deficiency of £40,000 a new tariff lias been introduced, which, besides levying new customs duties, imposes an additional ad valorem duty of 10 per cent upon nearly all manufactured articles arriving in the colony. The exceptions will be found specified in the extracts above alluded to.— Age.

A company is to he established in connection with the stockholders throughout tbe colony, for the exportation of preserved meat. The calculations which have been entered into by interested persons.show that a wide margin of profit is obtainable from such an urfflertaking. At a meeting of stockholders held at Morton's Hotel, on Thursday, it was stated that, the profit upon a cask of preserved heel would be relatively as the difference between the cost of production and charges for freight and commission, sny, £3 Gs. 7d. per cask of 1001b., and the price obtainable iv t!<e London market, namely, £4 4s.— lbid.

Biu:acii or tub Licensed Victualler's Act. —The hon. member for Collingwood, Mr. Dot, has been summoned before the Kitzroy Police Court, to answer si breach of the Licensed Victuallers' Act. It appears that the hon. member opened his house about 2 a.m. one morning during the week to sidmit Messrs. K/razer and Gillies, M.L.A 's, and whilst supplying them with refreshment a female insisted upon being served with liquor, and becoming noisy whs ejected from the house, after destroying the street lamp. The husband of tbe woman, sifter compensating Mr. Don for the lamp, has summoned him for having his house open and supplying liquors at improper hours. — Geelong Advertiser, lfjth.Jiinusirv.

We have very little additional news this week from the Lsichlan, but the general opinion with respect to this field is that sill the rich ground is occupied. Two miners, who formerly worked at Back Creek, returned from the J^achlan a few days ago with 250 ozs. of gold, which, according to their own account, they obtained from si piece of ground 40 feet in length, by 7 feet at one end and 9 feet at the other in breadth. These men have since left for New Zealand. — Herald.

Six young females were brought up at the City Court, yesterday, charged with improper behaviour in Bourke street, on the previous night. Four of the six were well known to the police, and hardened in the ways of dissipation, but the other two were quite young girls, one being only a very recent addition "to the unfortunates of this city. A more melancholy and dishesirtning spectiiclc of the clas of crime with which the Bench now almost daily confesses its inability to desil properly cannot be imagined. Of the two younger girls, one was alleged to be already " a great drunkard." Her origin was respectable; her mother was in. the hospital ; and, together with her companion, she had been the victim, to a great extent, of the example and depraved encouragement of one of the elder girls of the group. The other, and the youngest girl of tbe six, from whose countenance the innocence of childhood had not yet entirely vanished, and also respectably connected, and had been but si few weeks upon the streets. Unable to bear si few kind words which Mr. Sturt addressed to her. she burst into tears, and evidently fplt deeply, perhaps, for the first time, the desolate position in which she stood. To speak of the "gaol" or the "hulks," under such circumstances, whs almost out of the question. To tbe Ilefuge there seems to bo an almost insuperable repugnance, and, at any rate, it is a place to wliicli si magisterial order is" scarcely applicable, constrains being opposed to its fundamental principle ; iind so to disehurgy the prisoners was the only alternsitive —to discharge them with "a caution," and the certainty, as tbe apprehending: constable said, that they would in/ -etui-" t" t.lipii- fnrmer_ha±iitg-»mji.

companions. The reprimand which was given to the elder prisoners was equally useless, for the question remained, "what were they to do to live?" One promised to go to her mother, but she was the worst Ofthe lot, who had made the same promise fifty times before. Another, and indeed sill, promised " never to go near Bourke-street.of a night again " —with what likelihood of keeping the promise no one was at a loss to judge.

; Under date of January the 13th, the Guichci Bay correspondent of the Holder Watch report' thus, on the .sale of the late wrecks of the Alms and Livingstone :—" The sale, of the wrecks am cargo 0:1 Tuesday last went oil' romsiikablv well tiie woo! in particular, sold wry high, in fact sonn lots resilised over the price given prior to its beimj shipped. Tho principal buyers were merchsm.r from Melbourne. The wreck of the Alma sold (01 A'49o, with all copper ore ; and that of the Livingstone for ,£4f)o, besides .i'SOi) for the copper ore, &c, in her ;iu all, the proceeds of the suit amounted to over jE39,0n»."