LATEST AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 659, 25 March 1879, Page 2

LATEST AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Sydney, March |15. The summer is dosing favorably for agriculturists. The late rains have left all district m excellent condition. The pastoral interest, however, is much depressed by the low markets' for 1 wool at home. In the import. market dullness is still the prevailing feature, and sales are confined to pressing trade Requirements. Large quantities of breadstuffs are reaching Sydney/ which meet with weak demand. ■ It is expected that space willlje found at the Exhibition for the captive balloon. An offer has been made to the Commissioners m London to supply a Wge organ, ' which will most likejy ;be, accepted. Senior Giorza and Mr., Packer, have made proposals for composing thorimiEuc I for a cantata to be sung ,at the opening of the Exhibition. . The proprietors of the Sydney Mop%^ t Se^(M-pSpT.& prizj^ of £100 for a poem to be read at the opening ceremony. A meeting of' produce agents decided* that m future all saoks shall be weighed, •and go with grain or, ofche? produce j the weight of a/bushel; to be 561bs. the same as m Melbourne. ' ' The vend scheme meets with serious opposition. The hon-assbciated collieries object that anybody should dictate the number of tons they should sell. Some of the members of the Assembly think a fifth Judge is required The Parkes Ministry still command a large majority, but they do very little. The Felons Apprehension Act had only been passed a few days when it was discovered that it did not specify whether its provisions were applicable to persons outlawed m other colonies, and accordingly it was exceedingly dpubtful whether it would apply, to the Kelly gang. These doubts had to be removed by a special bill, which pasied through ail its stages on Thursday. The report of the commission appointed to inquire into the land administration brought to light some extraordinary mismanagement and scandalous proceedings connected with the business of the department. '. A man named Magnire beat his wife last week with a hammer, and to avoid the blows she scrambled to a fireplace and put her head up the. chimney. Magnire then, m the presence of his son, aged 15, procured a piece of paper, lighted it at the candle,, and set fire to his wife's dress. She was severely * burned, and was taken to the infirmary, where, when dying, she deposed that her clothes caught fire. On her son's evidence, however Maguire was committed for wilful murder. ' During the past three weeks the people here have taken every opportunity of showing their sorrow at the lossi of Governor Robinson, one of the best Governors we have ever had m New South Wales. Sir Hercules would allow no public display, and all the parting dinners have been private.