NEW SOUTH WALES.

Otago Witness, Issue 697, 8 April 1865, Page 9

NEW SOUTH WALES.

The Late Mr Eltard. — We regret to announce that the public service has sustained a serious loss, in the death of William Elyard, Esq., lately, and for many years, Principal Under-Secretary to the Government. This melancholy event occurred yesterday afternoon, at the late residence of the deceased gentleman, in Macleay street. The following circular note has been issued by the honorable the Colonial Secretary : — "The Colonial Secretary invites the Civil servants of the Government to pay the last tribute of respect to the late William Elyard, Esq., Principal Under Secretary, by attending his funeral, which will leave his late

residence, Macleay street, on Wednesday morning, at 9 o'clock. Colonial Secretary's Office, 20th 'March, 1865." Mr Elyard had been more than forty-three years in the public service in this colony, having received his first appointment on' the G'h Febrnarv, 1822. He held his apptrntmenf as l T <ider Secretary by commissio'] I' mn lii.-, Kxjell-'iifjy the Governor,. \ith tiie advt'e of the Executive Council, and under the ij-i-'iit seal i.f the Colony. The* commission bore date 26th .June, 1856. The deceased will be long remembered ai a model of official regularity, and s-.e luvc uo dou^t that tae invitation of the Colonial Secretary to pay the last tribute of respect, will be duly responded to. — Umpire, Marc'i 21. In consequence of tfat increasing duties of the bench, tho Attorney-General has moved for the creation o-t'ai'mrtli Judge.

Morgan is reported to have committed another murder at Nanguina station, Billabong, about fifty miles from the Murray, by shooting Mr Alackay, brother of Dr Mackay.

The Goulburn Herald says that on Monday night the Hon. T. A. Murray, when retiring to rest, found the bedclothes disturbed. Su«pecting bushrangers, he looked out at the window, saw a man on horseback riding away, and fired, but missed.

The Wagga Wagga Express records an extraordinary and fearful suicide. It says : — A terrifying case of self-destruction occurred in the township on Sunday evening last ; being that of a young man o* but very recent arrival, to fill the office of accountant in the branch Bank of New South Wales, lately opened here. The misguided unfortunate has been observed for some da}'s past to be in a very morbid and desponding state of mind, and on the evening in question, loaving his lodging, apparent!} 7 for a stroll, within a few minutes afterwards deliberately cast himself into a blazing lime kiln near at hand. Death, no doubt, must have been mercifully all but instantaneous, and the remains, when drawn forth from tho kiln wicket, presented but the appearance of a charred log." The deceased's name was Aimee Renouf. After the discovery of his remains had heen reported to the Inspector of the Brink, that gentleman, and the Manager went to his room and found a cindle burning, and the deceased's bible open at the 20th chapter of Revelations. The deceased's habits were temperate, and he was of good repute. The JExp7'ess concludes its report of the proceedings with the following observations: — " From the tenor of the evidence at the inquiry, and the significant circumstances of the Bible found lying open in his room at the place indicated, 20 th Revelations, with its description ot'the bottomless pit, the supposition strongly presents itself as to how far Renouf left home with premeditated intention of self-destruction, particularly in the manner in which the fearful act was accomplished ,• but rather, that musing on the contents of the chapter, in the then morbidly diseased state of his mind, and approaching the spot in question, he was mentally drawn onwards, as the moth is physically, to the flame, the impulse gathering intensity until it became uncontrollable, and the dreadful act was accomplished. Such supposition is the most merciful one ; and we may here state, with reference to the question that may primarily present itself to most minds as to cause of act, that no monetary defalcations are known of or suspected."