VICTORIA.

Southland Times, Issue 1239, 19 April 1870, Page 3

VICTORIA.

A fearful explosion of gunpowder has taken place in a carrier's waggon between Mansfield and Jamieson. One of the carriers, named Jewel, who was driving the waggon in which the gunpowder was, was blown to pieces, and hia five horses were killed. Cruiksbank, another canrier travelling in company with Jewel, escaped injury. All the horses were terribly burned. The- waggon was smashed to atoms. The M. A. Mail states that fifty-six persons have died from diphtheria within the Castlemaine district since September last year. A case of poisoning by strychnine which proved fatal was admitted to the Melbourne Hospital on the 31st. The unfortunate man, who was named Edward Dawson, and lived in Smith street, Collingwood, had been drinking heavily for some time past, and the previous morning, while suffering from its effects, he swallowed a quantity of the poison. His wife, who was present at the time, dashed it from his hand, but too late to prevent his swallowing as much as 15gr. He was taken to the Hospital, and admitted only about an hour after the occurrence, but all efforts to save him proved in vain, and about a quarter to 7 in the evening he died. Dawson was fifty-one years of age, and had lately been employed as cook in a restaurant in Smith street near Peel street. After a successful season in Melbourne, Mr Lyster's operatic company have removed to Sydney. On Monday, the 4th inst., Detective Kennedy, armed with a warrant from Mr Coroner Smyth, proceeded to the Campbell's Creek Cemetery to superintend the exhumation of the remains of George "Wilson, who was murdered at the Mia Mia Creek, near Newstead, by a man named Dyer, in December, 1857. Dr Norman &tow, who held the post mortem \ examination on the murdered body, was present to identify the skull, which he said he could pick out from ten thousand. There had been no diflieulty in finding the grave. The records of the cemetery had told the detective that on the 9th day of January, 1858, a body had been found at the Mia Mia Creek, parish of Tarrengower; that on the 11th of the same month it was buried in compartment B, No. 712. The age was set down at 26, the name unknown, Kewbound, undertaker, and Mr Leverington, sexton, the registered number of death, 1387. Dr Oow had an impression that the remains were buried in a sack, and on that account great care was taken in the reopening of the grave, but, as will be seen, the doctor was mistaken. At 11 o'clock the top of the coffin, which was partly rotted away, was removed by Bandall, and Dr Gow descended the grave, and carefully took up the skull. His first exclamation was,"That's it." After cleaning away the earth adhering to it, two holes were perfectly distinct, as if made by the point of a pick. There were two depressions fracturing the skull, as if made by the same instrument. Any one of the six wounds would have caused death. It is probable that the murderer, between the time of confessing to the crime and his examination, had considered the gravity of his position, and smoothed it over by an artful story of self-defence. However, having once confessed, the skill and perseverance of Detective Kennedy will render all inventions futile. It is not positively, but generally understood, that notwithstanding the lapse of twelve years,j evidence will be forthcoming of so conclusive a character as to render the triumph of justice a matter of certainty. —M..A. Mail. An, • impenetrable mystery (says the Melbourne 'Telegraph') surrounds the butchering trade. Often have the public endeavored to ascertain what becomes of the large difference between the cost of the sheep and the cattle, as faithfully quoted in the daily Press, and the price i of the animal divided into joints, and subdivided into steaks, and chops, and sausages. Often, to our knowledge, have householders of meditative minds lingered on the beach, like the hero of Jjocksley Hall, revolving the problem how sirloins of Australian beef can be sold at 4§d per pound in London, while they are not attainable at less than 6d per pound in this southern metropolis, without our having been called upon to chronicle any satisfactory solution of the diflieulty. A proverb declares the probability of honest men coming by their own when rogues ! chance to disagree. It was with some feelings of hope, therefore, we noted i the quarrel oetween the salesmen and the butchers, but a careful investigation, of the dispute has robbed us. of these joyous anticipations of a discovery. Either the consumers are not honest, or the dealers are not rogues, or the proverb is unreliable. The question at issue is no division of unlawful spoil, but merely, it seems, whether the butcher is to have the month's credit he has hitherto enjoyed reduced to a fortnight. On this issue the public vote ia likely to be on the side of the butchers. As we have hinted, the public has its quarrels ■with those gentlemen. Indeed, were they free from offence, it is tolerably certain that the privilege of growling at the quality of his joints, and pouring into the ear of materfamilias his discontent at the upward range of prices, is one no householder would willingly part with. Topics of conversation suitable for the matutinal table are not so prevalent that this, one can he lightly parted with. But the householder does not like to see his butcher put upon; he knows that he often, finds it convenient to ignore his humble friend's account for a month himself. If the credit the butchers have hitherto ob. tamed is restricted, there is more than a suspicion that consumers will feel the shoe pinch the next stoppage of public payments which may occur. On behalf of the consumers we put in a plea for the butchers. May they obtain credit and deserve it. .

An accident of a very painful character, which resulted in the death of a young man named Halse, occurred early on the sth inst., in Lydiard street, Ballarat. The deceased (states the Evening Post) had been occupying a small shop and back room connected with Cobb and Co.'s stables ; the previous occupant of which was a Mr Meyers, a ticket-writer, and during his residence in the same place a breakage had occurred in the roof, by which some damage was done to work held in hand by that artist. After this Messrs M'Phee and Anderson, who used the loffe above as a granary, gave instructions to carpenters to put up a sound floor, and it was supposed that their instructions had been carried out, as heavy weights had since been placed upon the rafters. Yesterday morning, however, the grooms who rise to get ready the early coaches, found that a breakage had taken place, and upon searching for the cause, they found the deceased completely buried under a mass of bags of oats, many of which had burst in the fall of the roofing, thus causing the almost immediate death of the unfortunate young man. Much is said and written (says the Telegraph) about the extraordinary yields of gold in Gipps Land, or about the wonderful crushings of the Hustler's Extended ; but the returns from Diamond Creek, fifteen miles from Melbourne, will bear favorable comparison with any in the colony. Since the Ist of January, 1870, the Union Gold 'Mining Company, Diamond Creek, have crushed 320 tons of stone, which have yielded 1,4500z. of gold, being over 4£oz. to the ton. A very sad case came under the notice of the City Bench on the Ist inst.' A young woman of very pleasing appearance, named Mary Elder, was brought before the Court by Senior-constable Mooney, who had met her about 2 o'clock in the morning wandering about the streets attired only in anight-dress,andsayingthatshe was going to Heaven. She was remanded to be examined by two doctors, with a view to sending her to the Yarra Bend Lunatic Asylum. Her history is a very sad one. About two years and a half ago her mother died, leaving her to the care of her father, who was a carpenter in a very respectable position. He too died last August, and she was left without a protector. A short time before this, however, she had become acquainted with, and gained the affection of, a young man named James Hay. living in Latrobe gtreet. This young man, who had served as a volunteer under Colonel Whitmore,in New Zealand, and seen some smart service, took her to his house, and since then she has been residing with his father and mother, and been treated in all respects by them as a daughter. The young couple were engaged to be married, and the ceremony would probably soon have taken place, when about ten days ago she began to manifest symptoms of religious mania, whichhave now culminated ma total aberration of intellect. The poor girl has always borne a pious and exemplary character, and has lately seemed to be much distressed in her mind on the subject of baptism, which she has been assiduously studying for some time past. Mr Charles Mathers was to make his first appearance at the Theatre Boyal on Saturday, the 9th of April. The performances were to consist of the comedy of " Married for Money," and " Patter versus Clatter." In the first piece, of which he is the author, he was to assume the character of Mopus. As Captain Patter, in the concluding farce, Mr Mathews would give a specimen of his wonderfully rapid articulation. The following report by Mr A. P. Akehurst, warden and police magistrate at Yea, has been forwarded to the Mining Department : — " Yea, 25th March, 1870. « Sir,— l beg to report for the information of the hon. the Minister of Mines, that I visited, on the 23rd inst., the rush which has lately taken place to a spot near the Acheron Stiver. It is in a narrow reed flat, running nearly north and south from the pre-emptive section of Bogers' station (called, I believe, Niagaroon), and falls towards the Rubicon Biver. I found nearly 250 men at work, and was informed that several parties are prospecting in the other flats in the neighborhood. The sinking is from 35ft. to VOffc. ; easy, but for water, which will, I think, be somewhat troublesome in winter. The shafts require slabbing from the top, and two which were being put down without timber fell in a couple of days before my visit. The prospectors appear satisfied, and are putting up substantial huts. There is a tent store on the rush, and a bakery is in course of erection. Supplies are easily obtainable from Alexandra, seven miles off, or from Thornton, about five miles. Complaints were made to me of the small area of ground allowed by the Sandhurst by-laws for such workings — viz., 100 square feet for four men, if the sinking is over 50ft., and seventy square feet if less. In most other respects I have found miners prefer the Sandhurst by-laws to those of'Beechworth. This rush can be easily reached from Melbourne by way of Yea and Sloane's, or from the Yarra track, turning off at Eisher's Creek. It is about fourteen miles from Sloane's punt, and seventeen miles from Fisher's Creek. In the course of another week several of the shafts will be bottomed, and more reliable information can be obtained as to the result. I have the honor to be, Sir, your most obedient servant, Art-hub P. Akehtjest, Warden." At Learmonth, a man named Joseph Tarrant has (says the Btar) surrendered himself to the police on the self-accusa-tion of murdering his father in Derbyshire. He stated that he had two brothers residing in Bullarook who could give evidence as to the date of his father's death. In surrendering himself into the hands of the police, Tarrant said he was prepared to die for the deed he had committed*. He was conveyed to the lock-up, and as it was believed bis mind was affected, on Monday morning a remand was procured from the local

bench, ia order that the man might be submitted to medical examination. Andrew Vair was brought before the Bench at St. Arnaud on the Bth charged with the wilful murder of Mr Cheale, mining manager, on the 19th July, 1868. Mr Inspector Mason, of Avoca, prosecuted on behalf of the Crown. The prisoner was committed for trial at the next Ararat Assizes. The court was densely crowded. The Ballarat Evening Post announces the death, at Hamilton, of Mr John Yates, sheriff of the Ararat and Portland districts. Deceased was one of the earliest digging pioneers in Ballarat. In 1859 he was appointed deputy sheriff at Ararat. Three horses were recently sold at the Pleasant Creek pound for 4s. Half-a---crown was the highest price given, and 6d. the lowest. Hautapu, Appemanna, and Waikeri, three friendly Maori chiefs, were plaintiffs in the Melbourne County Court on the Bth inst. They had in December last been engaged by Dr Adler to appear in a series of public exhibitions, for which they were to be paid at the rate of £2 each for every performance, and an amount for their board and lodging. They were ready to perform the duties required of them, but it seems that Dr Adler kept them "on a string" for several weeks without employing them, that during that time he only paid for one week's board, and that finally, he discarded them altogether without giving them the slightest compensation. The New Zealandera sought to recover — Hautapu £20. and the other two £25 each, and in each case a verdict was given for the amount claimed, with costs. The defendant, Dr Adler, did not put in an appearance. The following motion having been carried in the Legislative Assembly, the Macpherson Ministry immediately sent in their resignation of office, and the mover (Mr Macgregor) was sent for to form a new Executive: — " That this House, whilst prepared with due economy to make the necessary arrangements for adequately providing for the exigencies of the public service, is nevertheless of opinion that, inasmuch as the Government's fiuancial scheme for the year fails to secure the approval of this House, the Estimates of revenue and expenditure being admitted to be excessive, the longer continuance of Ministers in office is inconsistent with the principles of responsible government." Mr Macgregor haying failed in his attempt to form an administration, that duty was entrusted to Sir James M'Culloch, with the following result: — j Sir James M'Culloeh.; Chief Secretary j Mr Francis..... Treasurer ! „ Michie Attorney-General „ Wrixon Minister of Justice „ MacPherson Lands „ Wilson... Railways „ Mackay Mines „ Bates Public Works „ T. T. A'Beckett ..Customs The prosecutions for slander, in which three brewers (Mr P. Gh Martin against Mr C. Lister and Mr A. E. Wood) were concerned, and which crowded the City Court on the 30th and 31st ult., came to an untimely end at the adjourned hearing. The law of the question was lucidly laid down by Mr Miller. No criminal prosecution for slander or libel can be main- j tained when the libel complained of is j not in print or written, except in cases | of treason, sedition, and one or two j other exceptions, none of which, however, embraced the slander complained of by Mr Martin (reflecting on that gentleman's commercial position.) The Bench sustained the objection, and the prosecutions accordingly fell to the ground. A civil action for damages can, however, be maintained, and that course it is understood will be adopted. In the meantime, however, Mr Gt. P. Smith, as counsel for Mr Wood, one of the defendants, gave notice that he should take proceedings against Mr Martin for a malicious prosecution. . At a meeting of the friends of Harris,; the Colonial champion, and Bird the English champion, held at the Exchange hotel, Ballarat, a match for £200 a-side was made for a quarter of a mile, between the two persons named, to be run on the Eastern Oval on the 14th May. Articles were drawn up, and £10 a-side deposited in the hands of Mr Smith, of the Exchange hotel. A further sum of £40 a-side was to be deposited on the 4th inst. The men are to start from scratch at the report of a pistol. For some considerable time the Church of England residents in the Fiji Islands have felt the want of. a clergvman. This desideratum is now about being supplied, as the Eev. W. Floyd, officiating minister at Northcote, has received the sanction of the Lord Bishop of Melbourne to take charge of the islands, whither he will proceed early in July next. | You must learn to use your legs (discourses. " John Peerybingle "in The Weekly Times) if yon would ran before you can walk, but in these days running men most likewise learn to use their tongues, and pens. When two men run a race now-a-days for money, the first thing they do is to barney about who won, and instead of settling their quarrel right off, they go on boring all the world about which is the best man at yabber, and at writing to the papers. This comes of running in athletic sports for big lumps of money, that belong to outsiders. Then you have mysteries, and secrets, and nods and winks,, and. letting cats out of bags, and puttings up to muff, whereas you want silence, training, soberness, and no washerwoman's gossip, but real, manly work —a race, and no chatter. I gire my advice to pedestrians in the language of an old fisherman I used to go a fishing with in my young days. We boys paid him fourpence an hour for his boat, and found our own bait. This mariner had a wooden leg, and a hook for a hand ; but he was a great philosopher, and was fond of quoting poetry of his own making. His favourite lines he'd grunt out as follows : — " What's in your mind let no man know, Nor to your Mend your secrets show, For if your friend becomes your foe, Then all the world your secrets know." Now Mister Harris and Mister Hewitt we don't want to know " what* sin your mind," but what's in your legs, and the eooner you show us the iecrefc the better.

The Mayor of Melbourne, Mr Amess, intends to celebrate the opening of the new Town-ball with two concerts and a ball on an unusual scale of magnificence. He has commissioned Mr C. E. Horsley, the well-known composer, and Mr Henry Kendall, the best native-born poet of the day (from Sydney, but now resident in Melbourne), to prepare a cantata specially for the occasion. By the screw steamship Somersetshire, which arrived in Hobson's Bay on the 6th inst. from London, there has been brought out here a number of live stock, interesting to " farmers, floekmasters, and others.; The horses imported are three Cljidesdale entires, sent out here by Mr Neabitt, who is expected to return to Melbourne in the Superb or Suffolk, with several more draught horses of superior breed. Those on board the Somersetshire are— Young Champion, rising two years old; Justice, rising three years old ; and Conqueror (?), rising four jears old. The whole are in fine order and have been well cared for on the voyage. The following, which is taken from the Hamilton Spectator, will be interesting to sheep-farmers- :r—" There is now to be seen at the Spectator office a sample of wool 12in. long in the staple, firm in the pile, and fine in the quality. This wool forms a portion of some extraordinarily long fleeces taken from a mob of a dozen wild sheep captured amongst the rocks near ..the summit of Mount Abrupt, by Mr ~X F. "Williams, of the Mount Sturgeon run. The sheep were six-toothed, had never ' been ear-marked, and were perfectly free from disease. It is presumed they must have had three years' wool on their backs, and the fleeces were in excellent condition- These sheep had their regular beats in the clefts of the rocks, and there are many more still ( running there. Mr "Williams thinks that the finding of these sheep in such excellent condition, and carrying such a weight of fleece, proves that the old Scotch theory, to. the effect that the sheep will shed its coat every year, is now out of date. He says that he is perfectly satisfied, that in.tbe cool climate of the Western district, although perhaps not in hotter localities, sheep will retain their wool for stay length of time, especially when there is no scrub to injure it, and wheii the supply of grass and water is plentiful. Mr Williams points out that by shearing only once in two years more than double the quantity of wool is obtained ;' whilst the increased length of staple also doubles the price obtainable for the article."