ARRIVAL OF THE ALDINGA. LATER NEWS FROM MELBOURNE.

Otago Witness, Issue 567, 11 October 1862, Page 2

ARRIVAL OF THE ALDINGA. LATER NEWS FROM MELBOURNE.

By the arrival ol the Aldinga on Sunday, we are in receipt of our Melbourne files to September 30. three day 3 later than by the Gothenburg. We make the following extracts : — A Big Find.— A.man named William Smith, who arrived here by the Mistress of the Seat, on the 23rd July last, reports that he accidentally stumbled over a lump of gold seventy-two pounds weight, somewhere on the line of the Melbourne and Geelong Railway, on Sunday night Inst. He was, it would appear from his statement, nn employe on the line, and was almost penniless when he made his lucky discovery. His report is corroborate 1 by the evidence of a gentlfimm, seemingly an overseer, whp states that Smith sold a small piece of the gold tor Ll7, which, according to our informant, he appeared to spenivery freely at the re'reshinent saloons on the line. Our infornnnt interrogated Smith, with a view to satisfy himself of the truth of the report, and states that he failed to see anything about Smith wiiich could warrant his believing in the slightest degree that- the latter, whom he describes as rather dilapidated-looking in appearance, had the smallest intention of perpetrating a hoax. Smith, it would appear, had been at work for but three days, and was living on his last crovvu when ho dropped on the precious find.— Argm, 30th Sept. It is stated by one of the local journals, that about 60,000 acres of land have been taken up in Gipps Land for settlement under the new Land Act,

M'Ki:st,ay ms Explorer, — There was a large attendance of visitors at the Royal Society meeting last eveuiug, the attraction being the. desire to see Mr. John M'Kinlay the explorer, His Excellency the Governor wa^t not present, owing; to his presiding at the lecture delivered at the Theatre Royal on the lie of his late Royal Histhuess Prince Albert, and Dr. Mueller was voted to the clmir. On bein» introduced to Mr. M'Kirilny, the chairman referred in most eulogistic terms to the perseverance displayed by that gentleman iv carrying out the difficult mission entrusted to him by the South Australian Government. Mr. M'Kinlay, iv acknowledjjin? the compliment paid to him, said that had it not been for the favourable seasons he experienced, he would perhaps have met with the same luck as those who had £orie before. Among the new members elected yesterday evening was Commander Norman, of H.M.C.S.S. Victoria, who was Avarmly welcomed by the chairman, aud whose service in the cause of exploration was mivle the subject of comment. -Arr/us. PiiBURo-Pnbdmonia.— Although we now hear less about this disease, it must not be concluded that it has died out. There is every reason to believe that it has been completely cheeke-1 in its progress in the neighbourhood of Cranbourne, but we hear that about B uwlnw Marsh it is doma: <>reit damage. We learn, also, that on Messrs McLaren and Sons'. Yavra Yarra Station, in New South Wales, the c;,tt!e which were left when the general slaughter took place last year are still falling victims to it. It would appear that the administration of the PleuroPneuuvMiia Act in this colony m in a curious state. The commissioners still retain office, but there are no funds for compensating those stockownovs whose cattle are destroyed by the 1 " Under the circumstances, the commissioners i!'. 1 ; i';.- •■q act. One would like to se^ a system of u-iiv •.•-il insulation adopted. The plan followed in ot\l«r to »ot< a commissioner to act is to threaten him wiM. prosecutions he refuses ; he, of ccur.se, 13 coinpellel, in obedience to Ilie Act of Parliament, to destroy diseased cattle, leaving; the unfortunate owners to find out how they can get paid the compensation to thstn. As there are no fuivls voted no money cau he obtained. This is an extraordinary sfcate of thinsrs. — Yeomun. The Steiqlitz corraspon lent of the Geclong Advertiser says: — ''There Is a rumour of some large reef bfing discovered towards tho Anakies. A quartz specimen of unusal richness, weighing an onnce and a lulf altogether, aud said to contain an ounce of gol 1, was brought in, and said to be a poition of the reef."