INTERCOLONIAL. (Per Press Association.)

Otago Witness, Issue 1928, 2 November 1888, Page 22

INTERCOLONIAL. (Per Press Association.)

Melbourne, October 31. A severe frost, the most destructive that has occurred for 20 years, was experienced last night. Great damage has been done to the vineyards in the Mansfield district. Eain is badly Wanted in Rutherglen district, or the crops will be ruined. Sydney, October 29. There are no signs o£ the drought breaking up. In many parts of the colony the thermometer stands at 103deg in the shade. In the immediate neighbourhood of Howlong the hedfc is not qiiitd so bad, bdfc in other parts of the same district the crdps are almost beyond hope. At Broken Hill trains conveying water are arriving daily, and their freight is being sold at 4s per 100 gallons. In the Eden district (to- j wards the coast) heavy rains have fallen, and the ountry will be able to hold out some tiaie. The Nowra district is exceedingly dry, and disastrous bush fires are raging in all directions. On one station alone 20,000 acres of grass have been destroyed. At Gundagai rain has fortunately fallen over the farm areas ; but in Argyle many settlers are selling off their stock, fearing the disastrous results of a dry season. The crops in that quarter are also suffering greatly, and potato-planting has entirely ceased. Near Inverell the sheep are dying in large numbers. At Kempsey grass is still abundaut. Bush fires are also devastating the Namoi district. The Burraburra Station has been burned out, and several runs in the Walgett and Moree districts have been destroyed. October 30. Rain has fallen at Kiaraa, Wollongong, Berry, Braidwood, and Camden. Most disastrous bush fires are raging in the Boorooma, Culgoa, and Dubbo districts, also at Picton and Grenfell. The outlook is very gloomy. October 31. The man Dc Vere, who stuck up the English, Scottish, and Australian Chartered Bank on the loth inst., has been sentenced to seven years' imprisonment. Thirteen members of the Legislative Council some time ago signed a memorandum protesting against the appointment of new councillors and forwarded it to his Excellency the Governor. Lord Carrington sent the protest to Lord Knutsford, accompanied by a memo, from the Premier, justifying the appointments on the ground of expediency, and urging the necessity of making appointments of new members to fill the places of those incapacitated by old age. Lord Knutsford has now replied, approving of the appointments on the grounds urged by Sir Henry Parkes The London correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald says that at the inquest on the last victim of the London murders Dr Baxter gave it as his opinion that there was every reason to believe that the murders were committed for the purpose of obtaining specimens of portions of the human body. They were the work, not of a lunatic, but of n medical student who was ri surgeon, for the body was cut up in a way that showed that the assassin knew exactly where to find the organ he wanted. No meaningless cuts were observ-

able, and this applied not to one but to all of the victims. The Hon. Colonial Treasurer, Mr Burns, delivered the Budget speech in the Assembly this evening. The statement showed the total revenue for the fluancial year to be £0,0*9,664, and the total charges £8,888,072. The estimates to the end of the year show a credit balance of £329,965. The treasurer estimates the charges on the year 1889 at £8,876,166, including a sum of £250,000, refunds for rents from squatters and rabbit subsidies. The revenue, he estimates, inclusive of the credit balance from the year 1888, at £9,243,010, leaving an estimated surplus of £367,444. The statement referred to the intention of the Government to introduce proposals for water conservation, irrigation, and other great public works to be carried out from funds out of loan. No further taxation will be proposed, and ,no legislation will be introduced dealing with the deficit, of the years 1885 and 1886, which it is prdposed to cover by issuing Treasury bills or slio'rt - dated debentures. The Treasurer went on to corigratula'te Parliarffent uport the improved prospects of the colony. Brisbane, October 30. Intense heat is beiug experienced in inland districts and in the far west. The thermoriieter in some places is 113deg in the' shade; Adelaide, October 31. Disheartening accounts continue to' reach town from the pastoral districts. Owing to' the severe drought on Gawler Plains half the wheat heads are without grain, and the grasshoppers have taken all the grass in the district lying around Quoin. London, October 25. At the Antwerp sales wool advanced Nine thousand bales were offered, 1300 of which were Australian.