SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

Colonist, Issue 32, 9 February 1858, Page 3

SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

We are in receipt of Adelaide papers to the 7th January.

We (Register) have been favoured with samples of South Australian wine, the produce of Mr. Mildred's vineyard, near Campbeiltown, and manufactured by Mr. Mildred, junior. Both of these samples were of the same character, but one being of the vintage of 1852, and the other of 1855, there was a considerable difference in their condition. Both, however, are wines of a very high quality—dry, full-bodied, and free from all trace of that unpleasant flavour which too often mars the' agreeableness of Australian wines. The newer wine bids fair to become better than the older one when properly matured by time—a circumstance which corroborates the conviction- that as our vines become older, the wine we produce will improve from year to year. We are glad to see wines of so fine a quality produced by Englishmen; for while we concede the general fact that our German fellow-colonists have had greater experience than ourselves in the practical details of wine-making, we are by no means disposed to allow that the process is beyond the ability of Britons, and we hope to see many of them embarking extensively and successfully in the pursuit as a business.

A very destructive fire happened on December 23rd, at Messrs. Bowman and Parnell's station; Parara, on Yorke's Peninsu'a. It was first seen among the bush and long grass four or five miles distant, and attempts were made to stop its progress, but'these were soon found to be wholly useless, as it spread with such rapidity that within au hour or so six or seven miles of country were burnt. One of the young Messrs. Bowman, who was out with a flock of about 2200 sheep, had a narrow escape of his own life. He did not leave the flock till the flames were close up to'it, and the vicinity of a.gully alone saved him. We regret to say that 1700 of the sheep were destroyed. The bush has been on fire for some weeks past in various .parts .pi

the Peninsula, and/we are by no means sure that wo have recorded till the mischief that has been done. Nor have the ravages of conflagration been confined 1;o that locality. We hear that on the same day as the calamity at Parara a fire-broke out at Mr El'lis's run, beyond the Hummocks, and spread for four or five miles to the River Broughton, and the boundary, of Messrs. Bowman Brothers' run at Crystal Brook. It appears to have passed over Mr. Ellis's flock without absolutely destroying the sheep, though it is probable that 300 or 400 of them may die from the injuries received. The shepherd had a very narrow escape indeed. He found he could not get out of the way of the flames, and as a last resort he ran through' them.. In this way he'saved his life, but his hands, feet, and some parts of his body are rather severely scorched. We have information of a still more destructive fire in the, direction of Mount Gambier, by which certainly--4000, if not a larger number of sheep, have been destroyed, but of this we have as yet no particulars.— Register.