LATER AUSTRALIAN HEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1343, 25 August 1877, Page 5

LATER AUSTRALIAN HEWS.

I ' (Per Arawata.) (^ROM.OTJR MELBOURNE CORRESPONDENT.) I . > ■ - Melbourne, August 14th. The McCartney case occupied the attention of ,the Assembly last week, almost to the exclusion of other and more important busi< ness. The Election Committee having simply declared Dr M'Cartney disqualified; made.no reference to'the.claiins of Mr Mason, and'the Government, ..therefore, _wh.ilst sileutly objecting to, the decision . arrived at as being illejgal, and even contrary to , evidence, allowed , the report of the' Committee to- go unchallenged, and the Speaker issues his writ to-day. In erder, however, that Dr M*partney may be relieved from the disability tinder which he at present suffers, the Chief Secretary submitted a resolution to tha effect that any person who' has been,, at any time a minister may, Jby.a public ,profesiion that he has ceased, to be a minister, and upon evidence being shown. of his c«ssa- ■ tion from the ministry, be capable of being elected. This resolution was ■ debated -at length on Thursday, and far the discussioi is notyet cobclnded, but there' is Hfctle doubt' that with the present Ministerial majority it will be carried, Mr Service led thd Opposition against , the mqtion, and asked thalt the question, should be dtaUji with by a Bill, but Mr Berry "replied .that he intended, to press. the resolution, as there was a doubt whether a Bill would pass both Houses, and it has'iiot been concealed that the object is to assist Dr M'Cartney in the coming election. - . The splendid voyage of the Lusitania haa again revived the .question of a Cape service,, and the Government have been "urged/not to precipitately conclude a.j 'contract with Messr.B Green. Mr Berry has promised that all jthe claims and all the > surrounding «ircumstanceS shall be duly weighed before any definite resiilt is arrived at. The Lusitari'a's passage was 40 days and 4 hours, including a detention at Sfo Vincent. Her average steaming was 311^ miles per day, and her greatest run in one day 344* miles. She brought out 360 passengers. During the few hours she remained in this port, en route to Sydney, a female passeuger died suddenly, one of the crew was drowned, and another passenger was conveyed to the Lunatic Asylum. ■ . , The ship Macduff, ■ which arrived from London on Friday, with 46 passengers on board, had' several cases of smallpox, and the vessel' has been placed in quarantine. There has been one death, and amongst the sufferers are the captain and chief officer. The case of the latter was a serious one, and there was no surgeon on board. All the passengers and crew have been duly vaccinated, and every possible precaution has been taken to prevent the spread of contagion. The action of Mr DeOourcy Ireland v. Captain Chapman, R.N., for false imprisonment, resulted in a three-fourths verdict for the defendant. In the course of the trial a letter was read from the Admiralty approving of Captain Chapman's action. The libel action of Langfcon v. Syme, which, was to have come on for hearing on Thursday, has been stayed until next session. At the instance cf plaintiff's ' Counsel, Mr Sergeant Sleigh, the record was withdrawn. It is rumoured that the plaintiff did not quite fancy the Jury, and therefore this course was adopted. Messrs R. Goldsbrough, the extensive wool brokers, intend holding an exhibition of merino wool at their stores on the 14ch of February next, and invite the woolgrower3 of the various Colonies to compete for the prizes they offer — four handsome gold cups, of the value of £25 each. The ranks of the ministry are to be shortly strengthened by the' advent of the Rev. Mr Chapman, of Pitt street Church, Glasgow, .who has accepted • the pastorate of the Collins street Baptist Church, The printers on Saturday night celebrated the centenary of Caxton by a dinner, at which some 200 were present, and speeches appropriate to the occasion were delivered. In the case of the unfortunate woman Ann Singles, who met with such brutal treatment from her husband, the Jury returned an open verdict, as tliere was not sufficient evidence to satisfy them that the blow given by the husband was tho immediate cause of death. A young man named Scnllin" died from the effects of injuries received in a prige fight on Sunday.