VICTORIA.

Colonist, Volume II, Issue 114, 23 November 1858, Page 3

VICTORIA.

The Sydney Herald correspondent of November 2, writes:— The public of Melbourne were taken by surprise on Saturday. It was discovered at the opening of business hours that telegraphic communication had been successfully effected between Sydney, and that the line waa open for the conveyance of messages. This intelligence reached Melbourne { from Sydney on Friday afternoon, but it was not publicly announced until this morning. This is i secrecy with a vengeance ; but it speaks well for the discipline of a department in which reticence is the one great virtue to be inculcated among officials. So much disappointment was felt at the frequent break downs which followed the so-called opening of the line between Melbourne and Adelaide, that the course pursued by the superintendents of Sydney and Melbourne in this instance is an act of consideration for the public. Telegraphic communication once established, a lapse into silence of a day or two would be sure to be seized with avidity by that numerous class of keenwitted speculators ever on the watch for an opportunity to set business in motion by creating a fictitious demand. Every day that the Adelaide line was closed was converted inlo a rise of £1 per ton in flour, and 2d. per bushel on bran, by some process as subtle as alchymy, and almost as attracting and absorbing to the uninitiated on the threshold. Nothing that has transpired during the last seven eventful years points in so marked a manner to the wonderful progress made by the Australian colonies as the fact that Sydney, Adelaide, and Melbourne can now whisper into the ear of each other daily, with the loss of one moment of time. I informed you by telegraph, on Saturday, of the passing of the schedule of the Reform Bill in committee of the House of Assembly. Several amendments have been made. The district of North Melbourne has three members allotted to it, instead of four, as proposed ; East Melbourne, three instead of four; Collingwood, three instead of four; St. Kilds, three instead of two; Castlemaine, three instead of four; Creswick, two instead of three; Sandhurst, two instead of three; Avoca, two instead of three ; Manduraug, two instead of three ; the Ovens, two instead of three; East Geelong, two instead of three ; Sou Hi Grant, three instead of four; B.illsarat, four instead of six ; Crowlands, two instead of three. A member was added to the Murray District, and the allotted members for the remaining districts were adopted as proposed in the schedule. These changes reduce the number of the new House to seventyeight, instead of ninety, as proposed. The bill is considered to be safe now, so far as regards botli Houses.

A very serious riot occurred at Clunes on Thursday, which is thus described by a local journal, the Ballaamt Star: —" The part of the paddock for which the rival workers have been contesting lies to the north of the Clunes Hotel, and to the eastward of the quartz reefs. Here, along the outside boundary of Mr. M'Donald's property, are the shafts belonging to Morgan's party. All Nations party, and the Kent party, the German's claim, and others of the outsiders ; while inside the fence ay« two or three shafts sunk by the company's men, or • tributers,' as they are termed, for the purpose of cutting off the * outsiders,' and preventing them from encroaching on the company's claim. It was down one of these inside shafts that the police' and the company's men procrecled. On going along the drives, they were, when about fifty~or—sixty feet from the boundary of their ground, hailed by the*outsiders,' who peremptorily told them, to stop or their live? would be forfeited. If the company's men or the police advanced a sttp, the * outsiders' said their lives would vof be worth a minute's purchase, as they had mines of gunpowder in the drives which they would instantly explode. Seeing the desperate attitude of tiie encroachers, the insiders and the police withdrew as quickly as possible towards the shaft, and while doing so, they heard three loud and severe explosions, which shook the whole of the underground, and brought down the timber and headings of the drives. Fortunately for themselves the company's men and the police had retired in time, and were near the shaft when this desperate step was resorted to, otherwise a serious loss of life must have taken place. Intelligence of the alarming state of aff.iirs below, was immediately conveyed above ground, and forwarded to the office and works of the Port Phillip and Clunes Companies. Mr. Warden Amos and Mr. Superintendent Foster, who were on the ground, were also made aware of the state of aff.iirs. Mr. Amos took prompt measures. He immediately swore in twenty-five men belonging to the two companies, as special constables, and despatched an express to Ballaarat with the news, and with a telegram to the Government in Melbonnie, as to what step 3 should be taken. At the latest; accounts that we have receiver), which are up to about noon yes'erday (Thursday), Mr. "Amos was proceeding with the special constables and all the available police force under his command to the shafts in the company's ground,- while Mr. Superintendent Foster was actively engaged in rigging up a windlass to send men down one of the shafts. The 'outsiders,' on the other hand, fell off nothing from their desperate attitude, and were threatening to shoot any one who ventured along the drives to where they had intrenched themselves. Tins was underground. On the surface there was no appearance of any disturbance or outbreak, but the greatest alarm and excitement prevailed as to the upshot of any reiiconntre between the infatuated men below and the police and company's men." Six men were found guilty of murder at the Ballaarat «essions just dosed. Samuel Gibbs, for the murder of his wife, by throwing her down a hole; James Smith, for the murder of his wife, at Ararat, by beating her to a mummy; Desire Soiron, for shooting of his paramour; George Thomson, for the murder of 11. Anderson ; and two aboriginals, for the murder of another. In the case of Soi.ron, sentence has been commuted to ten years: hard labor; the two aboriginals have been condemned to death, lmt will be reprieved. James Smith has been sentenced to seven years' hard labor! for one of the most brutal murders ever committed. The other criminals have been sentenced; to (.death.