Australian News.

Pahiatua Star and Eketahuna Advertiser, Volume 2, Issue 171, 10 February 1888, Page 2

Australian News.

(Per s.s. Uotomahaen at the Bluff). Mklooitknk, January 31. A constable in the police force baa retired in order to study for the Church. The young man s nates is Good. Ho received a very haiulsoinuand valuable present from his late comrades. A cahlo message the other day announced a marvelous “ telephonic” feat. viz., that the Editor of the Fall Mall Gazette in London had talked with a special correspondent of that journal in Vancouver's Island, 75<** miles away. It apppears from a cablegram to the Tulegruph that the conversation was carri. d on by •• tolograph.” AH the same, the achievement was a remarkable one. the eir-* cuit of 16.000 mil- s being the longest vet attempted. The longest interval between question and answer was four minutes. Of course special facilities were given, mul Mr James. Superinti n-hint of the Victorian Telegraphs, is of opinion that the land lines must have been bitched on to the Atlantic cable -a very unusual and risky undertaking. A young man named Charles Sinus mon, driver of a butcher’s order cart at Numerkali, Victoria, has read tho gratifying intelligence that his family have la-ell bequeathed property valued at £OO,OOO by an aged relative who liv-d in Ireland. The letter announcing the news was Ling at thu post office for about a year, while ad vertisements wore inserted in the Melbourne pap- rs offering a rewind formformation of the whereabouts of Sinua mon. The family have been iu poor circumstances for a number of ve irs past, most of the members being in various parts of the colony, earning their living by hard work. Two drunken men named F.gerney and Wall wore lighting the other day, when Wall was thrown to the ground anil had his neck broken.

A desperate encounter with a shark lately occurred at Geelong. Four fisherman proceeded in a boat to tho vicinity of the limehumers' jetty for tho purpose of hauling in their net. They found that a -hark measuring ten f.s l in length and of nia-uve girtti had been caught. The men wore t-vp * four hours engaged in despatching thrf •?> .-lister, which fought very s.ivag ly. The men sustained a loss of some A.’ls.

Since the Australian naval squadron ! arrived from New /calami tin- Rapid has visited New (i utueaand the 1 lands, and a’. Morse by 1 .land shclli 1 a village where the murderers of the crew of tho l schooner Pride of Logan dwell. They l also shelled a village at Owangerie Bay, the Natives having murdered two - of the crew of tho cutter Cecilia. Puts (W.A.), January 81. Heavy rains have been falling recently at Kimberley goldfield, and several re.-fs are being worked profitably. M'Neill'.s claim has been sold for £OO,OOO. and the Jackson, Lady j Broome, and Lady Carrington reefi I are very promising. New discoveries 1 are being made daily. Gold lias been discovered on tho Plewab River, GO miles from Koebume, the stone being very rich. The reefs 1 on the Recall river west of Rochurao ure also show ing good results. Parties • coining from the l ielguru Hills bring rich stone, and state that gold-bearing quartz is found in almost every des- ! cription. Several specimens tested 1 givu great results. Tiie gold fever is ; rising, and numerous parties at Yoil--1 gam are forming. \»f.i.aii>e. January SO. At prosent there is a population of 0000 on the Tectupla field, and not a j man is idle. Alluvial gold is still being got in Beard and Strawberrulge gill | lies, but the work is principally being d tie on reefs. Warden G<*e thinks the ; field will prove a permanent one. Between 5000 an.l 0000 tons of stone are awaiting treatment.