INTERCOLONIAL.

Southland Times, Issue 3297, 14 January 1879, Page 2

INTERCOLONIAL.

■ ■--'..♦- ■■ .- . — - The Union Company's steamer Ringarooma arrived from Melbourne via Hobar ton yesterday, -bringing dates Melbpurne, : January 7th, Hobartbn, the , 19th. "--From 'exchanges to hand we have; compiled the following summary of -"news, f ■■■■-■■. -■-• Ayy. yyy.f.X^ VICTOR* I A The defence question still commands pro-, minence. Meetings .of the Cabinet and the Executive have been; held to deal further: with the question j the . opportunity of Sir Wm.: Jervois's presence in Melbourne ; being taken to request a report; from him as to the prose-! cution of his scheme 'for the defence of the' port" of Melbourne. ' They report 'will Vpro-V bably —be .received '.-''through.: His ..-Excel-, leucy the Governor by Major Smith, who as Treasurer acts as Minister of Wari Since his last-visit to Melbourne Sir William Jervois has become acquainted" with, some important improvements in the method- of constructingfortifications,' and these he. proposes in the memorandum 'he WiU forward to the Treasurer to include so far as they can now be undertaken without marring the uniformity of his previous scheme |V £65,000 is still available for completing the defence works, and; Sir; Wm. Jervois proposes that of this .amount about £10,000 should be expended in laying the.foundations for the forts he still considers necessary. Major Smith at the recent Cabinet 'meeting also mentioned -his suggestion 1 ' for the training of the Artillery force by the •construction of a floating target, which could be carried along rai>idly by a steamer, thus affording -excellent practice to the- gunners. The suggestion was favorably received. . ... VV The revenue returnsfbr the quarter ending December 31 show that the total sum received was; £1,138,106. This is iii excess of the siim received for the corresponding quarterlast Vyear'by £37,28-^ But 'raU ways, consequent : Upon the increased mUeage-open,'account for £23,4:65 of this increase, and the: laud tax, which was not in force ih the early .part of 1878, for £25,626. In other 'departments there is a falling, off. " The Treasurer has now received £2,305,529 for the half -year. According to hisvestimate of revenue he. should have received ; £2,477,ooo, so. that there v is a deficiency of receipts when compared with the ; •estimate of £172,000 for the half-year. Official enquiries, made, into the relative cost of boring with the diamond drill and ordinary drill tell much in "favor of the former, the cost per foot being 13s 7^d and £1 5s respectively. ..' v y A marvellous electrical storm passed to the south of. Melbourne on the night of the 4th instant. It is described by the Argus a,s one 'of the grandest and most magnificent electrical phenomena ever witnessed' outside the tropics. The sky appeared to. rain lightning of diverse character, and parti-colored " a feu d'e?ifer dazzUng and dreadful." Sometimes the lightning shed a marvellous glow upon the bellying*' 'surfaces of the clouds, "and in"- the indescribably brief interval between flame and flame it seemed as if a gigantic hand were suddenly drawing a black curtain over the heavens, and as abruptly withdrawing it. Underneath the clouds, upon the horizon's- furthest verge,' torrents of .water appeared to; be . f alUng." The storm passed round depositing no moisture on parched fields and gardens in and around Melbourne that stood so much" in need of it. '•-.''' J; B. Jomeaux, an auctioneer, was arrested at Melbourne, on the 3rd inst., on the charge of foi-ging a bill of exchange, with the intent to defraud Mr MclUroy, a farmer. LamMnism has reached a pretty pass in Melbourne. It was reported that three of the tribe assaulted and attempted to rob a bussman in. Russel street late one night. He. deliberately turned and fired; three- shots at them from a revolver, upon which they ran away. V The Border Watch, of the Ist inst., states ■•' that a few days ago Mr Archibald Morrison discovered ashore, at . the mouth of the Glenelg River, a large portion of what appeared to be a good-sized ship. She was evidently a new vessel, aud could not have been long where she was, as there were no barnacles or marine rubbish adhering to her 'copper. Another portion of the same vessel was seen subsequently at Green Point. That these are the remains of a very recent, wreck on our coast appears to be a matter -*f certainty." The last interruption on the Port liarwin telegraph line was caused, says the Argus, by breaking of the six insulators, and the fusing of eight feet of wire by lightning. The " deep sea" saUors of Melbourne have struck for an advance of wages from £5 to £7, and are supported in the strike by the boarding-house keepers of William'stown and Sandridge. A very sudden death occurred at WUliamstown on the 4th inst. Mr B. Groves, builder, was at his workshop apparently in good health, when he was suddenly seized with a fit of apoplexy, and died a few minutes after removal to his home. He did not speak a word after the attack.- ■ A sad case of drowning occurred at Longerenong on the sth inst. The eldest son of Mr W. H. Bullivant, of the Longerenong estate, who had come home from school for the holidays, obtained leave to' go fishing in the river, about a mile distant from the:'residence. Later' in the day, one of the lad's companions came running to the house, to say that young Bullivant.- was drowned: His father made aU speed to the place, and on diving recovered the body in about Bft of water. It seems - that the day had proved hot enough to tempt the deceased to bathe, though unable to swim, and he almost at. once got out of his depth. Mr Campbell Cameron, librarian of the Stawell Mechanics' Institute, was found dead in a paddock at Murtoa. It is supposed- the deceased died where he was found,, three, days before. The'body was in an advanced state of decomposition. Mr. Cameron owned a, farm close by where the remains were discovered. The principal news-in! connection with the attempt to hunt down the KeUy gang is the arrest of a number .of persons supposed, to be accomplices. The Argus of , the 7th says: — " From om* Benalla and*. Wangratta: correspondents we learn that further arrests have .been made under the Outlawry; Act. The movements of the Kelly gang do not appear to be known,: but we are informed by our cor- . respondent that the foUowing telegram was,' received "yesterday, atr Sydney from Hay;^-V 'We have authentic information that four persons, riding -weU-appointed shod horse's, . with two swag horses, crossed the; Murruni-V bidgee at Tubbo .last Thursday morning.,'; They stole the punt to cross. Mr Dickj of. Benerembah, says two of them answer the description of Stephen Hart and Dan Kelly. Within an hour they were 12 miles on the way to Connapara Station, well known to Hart. The police are on then 1 track.' " The Hamilton Spectator relates that one effect of the Kelly scare is that " by Thursday's train three bank managers, one of whom was from Portland and two ' from Hamilton, left for Melbourne in charge, of treasure belonging to their respective banks. The managers took with them about £25,000. It is not so much from fear of the Kelly gang that the banks are organising an escort system of their own, but rather from an apprehension that in the present lawless state of the colony • the immunity enjoyed by the Mansfield gang will cause a bad example to be imitated by others. The immunity 'from hydrophobia hitherto enjoyed by countries south of the line is, it would seem, not ".to be depended upon. The Argus relates how the excessive heat had a bad effect upon a young Newfoundland dog belonging to ■a, gentleman residing in the eastern part of Geelong. Towards the evening the animal got perfectly mad. ,It broke the rope which fastened it to the kennel,' and raced round the yard biting everything it could see. The dog foamed at 'the mouth, and was in a dreadful state. Fearing that some ohe might be bitten, the "owner of the dog at once had the animal destroyed. " A shocking accident happened on the 3rd instant, to a fine chubby Uttle fellow, two years old, named John Delahunty, whose parents reside on a farm at Clarke's Hill, Dean. "After lunch time," relates the Creswick Advertiser, " the child, with two others, left the house to go to the creek, -but wandered from the others, and went- into the paddock, where reaping was going on,' the father of the Uttle fellow driving the machine, and his uncle putting of. He walked into the staading crop, unseen by anyone at work, and the first that was known of his presence was'the sight of him on the machine with the sheaf. He- was at, once picked up, wben the horrible discovery was made that both feet were cut off just above, the ankle. One was completely severed, whilst the other was merely hanging by the tendons. He was at

■ -■ . . -...--.,. * once conveyed to; the hospital, more dead than alive, but by means of ; stimulants he reyived. He -was still in a pTecarious condition." ry-. '■-. The Chinese question stiU. agitates the Melbourne people, and at a meeting of delegates from the various trade societies, held on the 3rd instant, strong resolutibns against Chinese immigration were passed, and an anti-Chine se League was formed. The usual monthly sale of stock was held atthe yards of the auctioneer, Mr S. Little, .Lancefield. Cattle sold remarkably., cheap, the highest bfferfbr fat cattle and springers being only £2 per head. ; Sixty-one yearlings sold as low as 6s. 6d. eachV' There were about 200 head entered : fpr sale, rind a large concourse of people were present^ nevertheless low prices ruled f or aU : classes of "stocky VV