NEW SOUTH WALES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 119, 3 April 1862, Page 3

NEW SOUTH WALES.

Melancholy Duatii.—-The Liverpool Plains correspondent of the- Maitland Mercury, writing on the Oth instant, says:—A very, sad accident occurred at Rockgitlgill, on the nighfc of' the 25th ultimo. On Wednesday, 'the 2Cth, information was brought to Mr. A. G. -Mackenzie that, lloberfc Donnelly, one of his shepherds, was lost',in tho bush, at a station on the Tamalas Creek. Upon .inquiry it was found that the day previous he met a hutkecper in the same employ out on the run, and he asked him if lie would take his flock home, as he had lost some sheep, and he would return to the place he thought he lost them, and look for them. That was the last that was seen of Donnelly alive. Upon seai'ch being made, he was found by Mr. Mackenzie not three hundred yards away from.the hut, lying with his head and hands only in the water. .Prom the position in which ho was lying,'it was thought that he had stooped down to drink, and was either too weak to rise up, or had been seized by a fit while in the act of drinking. But, alas, such was not tho case, for upon his being removed, the left side of his head was found to be completely smashed in, and his brains fell out. Such a sight can be more easily imagined than described. The bank under which he was found is about forty feet high, and almost perpendicular. He must have lost his way, and come npon this bank in the dark, .and stepped over it into eternity. Death .must have been instantaneous , '. ■ .

Fortification of Sydney Harbour.'—lt was understood a few days since that, -in order to be prepared for the dangers to which the threatened war .with America would expose this port, the Government were taking steps for the. more complete fortification of the harbor ; possibly the removal of that apprehension has served to make the proposed precautions appear unnecessary. All that has yet been done has been the commencement of certain works by the Colonial Architect for the purpose of putting the existing batteries "in their most effective state. As storekeeper for the defences, that officer has supplied the butteries with shot, shell, and powder, and is about to construct temporary powder magazines at the batteries at "Lady Mncqu.arie's Chair, at 3Tort jftacquarie, and at Duwes Point; and also to put the whole of the gun carriages in a thorough state of repair. Twelve new guns arc shortly- expected from England, and these will at .'once be mounted. It is also proposed by the Government to erect five or ■six batteries on either Garden Island or Clarke's Island. Commodore Seymour has liberally offered the services of some of his men in the erection of these. Clarke's Island is considered the more advantageous position, as the guns placed there, being protected by earthworks, would command all the' more important positions in the harbour.— Sydney Mail.

Cotton. —At a meeting of the Committee of the Hunter Itiver Agricultural and Horticultural Society, at the Northumberland Hotel, on. Thursday last, a very fine sample of cotton wus shown to the members, grown by Mr. James Kay, of Brisbane Water, from . seed given .him by.the Rev. Air. Glennie. It appeared to be equal in color to that which was exhibitedat the show last year, but was not so long in the staple.— Maitland Ensign. An Amateuk Bushranger. —The Goulburn Chronicle of the sth says :—Yesterday morning, information was brought into town from Mnnimell, that some man in the course of the preceding evening, had been putting the people at Mr. Spademan's inn in great bodily fear, by presenting a revolver at them. Sergeant Coward, of the troopers, and mounted constable Walker were at once sent off, and found the desperado lying asleep under a fence, about a mile and n-half from Spackman's. He was immediately arrested, aiid taken back to the inn, where he was identified as" the person who had presented the revolver at Mrs. Gillet and others. The prisoner was afterwards brought into town, and turns out to be a sawyer, well-known in the neighborhood,,named Toon, who had been drinking at Mr. Spackman's, and who had evidently been under the influence of liquor when he.chose to enact the part of the bushranger. . : Ratiieh Susricious. —The Scone correspondent of the Maitland Mercury says : —" On Saturday last information was given to tire authorities that an'elderly man was lying on the gronnd behind a log, near the Kingdom Ponds Creek, apparently sick. A. constable was sent to the spot, where he found a man who gave his name as John Connor, late from Maitland ; but the man Showed no symptoms of sickness, but only apparently resting. Besidehimlay an enormous swagfor a man on the tramp—something little short of a horse load— which, upon inspection excited grave suspicion as to their rightful owner or owners. The constable brought him and swag to the lock-up, and the contents of the bag and bundle were overhauled. They consisted of a great qu'intity of tea and sugar, silk handkerchiefs, tablecloth, knives and forks, silver spoons, articles of ironmongery, brushes, &c, &c: The man gave no definite answer as to how he came into possession of the property, therefore he was detained to allow time for identity of any of the articles—particularly the silver forks and spoons."