Mail News.

Otago Witness, Issue 1419, 1 February 1879, Page 29

Mail News.

AUSTRALIAN NEWS. Melbourne, January 18th. Information has been received that the four men who passed near Hay, and were supposed to be the Kellys, were overtaken by the police, and found to be harmless swagmen. Their conduct was ridiculously exaggerated. One of them had presented himself at a station and behaved defiantly, and it was immediately concluded he was Dan. Kelly, the outlaw. The police appear to be completely off the scent of the bushrangers. The Melbourne Bench has determined to suppress gambling. For some time past on Saturday nights the stall-keepers in the Eas- • tern Market have been in the habit of giving purchasers tickets for a small lottery. The same system has been carried on by the vendors. of sweetmeats and confectionery. One of the delinquents has been prosecuted under the Police Offences Statute, which -prohibits gambling. The case was dismissed, but the defendant was threatened with 12 months' imprisonment if convicted a second time. The proprietor of the Old Polytechnic Hall in Bourke street has been fined heavily for allowing it to be used as a dancing saloon without a license. He had taken L6O by the speculation, and the fine was paid cheerfully. An inquest has been held on the body of a Frenchman named Charles Ballois, who, it is stated, was killed by larrikins, who found him in a drunken state in Spencer street, on the 14th December, when he was taken to the hospital, but afterwards went out again, and died on the 12th inst. The jury found that Ballois died from fracture of the skull, but there was no evidence to show how it was done. Assaults having become unpleasantly frei> quant, the magistrates seem resolved to deal with offences of the kind severely. A man named Moore has been sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment for wife-beating ; and a larrikin, for assaulting the police, has received four months' hard labour. On the 12th instant two women of respectable appearance brought the dead body of an infant t© the door of a house in Emerald Hill, stating they had found it in the cemetery/aud would call the police. As they did not' return, the police were communicated with, and on the body being examined the child wa3 found to have been strangled. Wm. Pitt, lessee of the Theatre Royal Cafe, died at St. Kilda. after a brief illness, on the 17th inst. Pitt was 60 years of age, and -by profession' was a scenic artist. He laboured under the singular delusion that he strongly resembled Shakespeare. A Labourer at Richmond, named Condon, while under treatment for rheumatism, drank ) some lotion in mistake for medicine, and died , in a couple of hours. Burglaries are almost of nightly occurrence in Melbourne and its suburbs. Dr Knaggs has been appointed member of : the Victorian Central Medical Board, vkc Dr Wilkie, resigned. Several workmen employed at the Spencer street railway station recently waited on the Commissioner^ Mr Woods, and complained of a reduction in their wages. On resuming work next day, the spokesmen were summarily dismissed. No explanation was given, and the ' whole of the men struck work. The Commissioner is endeavouring to settle matters in a satisfactory way. ' The Standard of Ephraim is the title of a new journal started with the object of advocating the identity.of the British nation with the kingdom of Israel. The question has attracted the attention and interest of so large a portion of the Lauuceston public that the space accorded to its discussion in the columns of the local journals is not now considered sufficient to meet the requirements; hence the establishment of this serial. The publisher is Mr J. S. V. Turner, Brisbane street, Launceston, Tasmania, and the journal will be .brought out on the Ist and 15th of each month. Melbourne, January 21st. The Acting Chief Secretary intimates that the Victorian Government is fully impressed with the necessity of united action by the Australian Colonies to meet the impending danger of a large Chinese immigration. ' Negotiations have been opened with the New South Wales Government for the abolition of the border duties on the Murray. Mr, Graham Berry will arrange with the Imperial authorities for the appointment of an engineering officer to supervise Colonial Defence the expense to be borne proportionately by the various Colonies. Colonel Stewart, R. E, , is named for the post. All State Bchool pupils who pass a special examination will soon receive tuition in extra subjects free. State school saving banks are to be established, and so also are model workshops as soon as possible. - ■ ! A ballet-girl was recently burned to death at the Academy of Music. ■ A fund is being raised for the relief of the impoverished shareholders of the City of Glasgow Bank. George H. Richardson, Collector of Customs, Belfast, has been arrested on a charge of embezzlement. One hundred and sixty-two thousand acres of the Cape Otway forest have been thrown open for selection, thus naturally destroying the forest. The Victorian Anti-Chinese League Association define their aims to be the restriction and, if necessary, complete prohibition of Chinese immigration, absolute discontinuance of trade with Chinese already here, and agitation for effective legislation on the Chinese question, The Californian salmon in Victorian waters are protected from capture until 1882. T,hel suspension of George Martin and Co., merchants, Melbourne, was, caused through stoppage of their .London house. $. M'Comas and Co.'s Melbourne liabilities are small, but their European liabilities will probably amount .to L 150.000. Lady Bowen has been presented with the bullet with which she scored a bulls-eye when opening the Williamstown butts. It was elegantly mounted. • The, Melbourne Cricket Club, have engaged Charles Bannerman. . ■ . The Victorian Government will probably grant L2OOO in connection with the International Exhibition at Sydney. Three children named BUke were burned to death at Collingvrood on the 19'ch. The mother escaped from the house with four of her children.

The New South Wales International Exhibilion will be opened- on September L Mr Augustus Morris is appointed secretary. It is proposed that Captain Cook's statue should be placed in the building to mark permanently the site of the first Australian Exhibition. 250,000 feet, of space has been applied for .by European . exhibitors. t The estimated cost of the building is LIOO.OOO. The Bulli coal-miners are still locked out. Police have been sent to protect the ,non. unionist men who are at work.

A portrait of Shakespeare, on a -panel dated 1611, has been found, in Sydney. A similar painting, dated 161,0, has also been found in Melbourne.

The schooner Conflict has arrived at Sydney with 13 unsuccessful New Guinea explorers. Admiral Thouars, French commander in the Pacific, arrived in the Victorieuse. The Frith of Tay, from Glasgow, was run into north of the line by a barque which, though hailed, bore away without reply. A hurricane at Norfolk Island has done considerable damage. A special race meeting at Randwick on the 18th inst., intended as- a complimentary farewell to Sir Hercules Robinson, was attended by about 17,009 persons. The results were :— FJying Handicap— Expectation. Hurdle Race — Poverty. The Souvenir Handicap —Mr Torry's Andover, 1; The Dean, 2. Welter Plate— Rifleman. Valentia Cup--Mr Loder's Pontiff. Farewell Handicap— Hulbert. Mr Loder requested Lady Robinson to accept the Valentia Cup trophy as a souvenir of the meeting. The New Caledonia insurrection has been suppressed. Hundreds of the rebels were killed, or died of their wounds or starvation. Horrible cannibalism was committed by both hostile and friendly natives. , South Australia. It is feared that Capt. Thyle, of the barque Runnymede, and four seamen have been drowned at Port Pirie. They left the ship in a boat, and have not since been heard of. A well 370 feet deep has been suck in hitherto waterless country south of Lake Frome, and a supply of 10,000 gallons of water a day obtained. The carrying capabilities of the country are thereby immensely increased. Rust is very general, and the wheat average will be reduced from nine to seven bushels per acre. South Australian lands to the amount of 1,175,100 acres have been sold in London for L 1,036,242. The native^ have murdered Mr Travers at Limmens, Bright River, in the Northern Territory. Queensland. The Queenslander exploring expedition report a great drought in the interior of the continent. Two large lakes and one lagoon were the only permanent water met with.