AUSTRALIA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 2765, 9 February 1877, Page 3

AUSTRALIA.

■ »- We compile the following frem our exchanges : — A orushing of 440 tons of atone at No. 8 South Lady Mary claim afc Gympie yielded 15600z0f gold. The drought, says fche Argus, whioh haa become re-established, ia seriously affecting the Bupply of feed and water in many parts of this Oolony, but not to the came extent aB in parta of New South Wales, Queensland, and South Australia. Heavy rains have lately been reported in the north, but as usual they have been partial, and until the close of February any rain which may occur will nofc be likely to affect the supply of feed in the warmer districts. We (Melbourne Argus) understand tbat the Hon Edward Langton is about to bring an aotion for libel against the Age newspaper, in consequence of some very gross imputations upon the character of the hon gentleman contained in a leading article published on Monday laat. The damages are laid at £5000. Mr G. P. Smith and Mr Purvea have been retained for Mr Langton ; and Mr Holroyd, Mr Higinbotham and Mr Williams, will probably appear on the other side. The Victorian Parliament will be dissolved about the end of March, and the general election will take place during the month of April. The new electoral rolls cannot be completed before the ond of February, and as soon aa they are ready the neoeasary arrangements will be made for holding the general election. Under the new Electoral Act the writß must be issued within Beven days after the dissolution of the Assembly. The nomination day must not be leas than for nor more than seven olear daye from the date of the issue of the writ, and the polling day not less than four nor more than eeven clear days from the day of nomination. All eleotions take place on the same day. lhe utmost time that can elapse between the dissolution of the Assembly and the election of the new Assembly can therefore be only three weeks. The lately reported discovery of coal at Skipton turna out to have been only a discovery of lignite. M. Krause, the geological surveyor, reports : — I may at once say that all indications of the presence of tho mesozoic or older carbonaceous series are absolutely wanting. We have here evidently a narrow pliocene river channel filled with clay, sand, | and gravel, and containing an abundance of drift wood, partly unaltered and partly in a sub- fossil state, and converted into a peat or lignite. The term " seam "is not, of course, applicable under these conditions. The lignite is of a bright, jet black colour, laminar, and extremely brittle, although showing conchoidal fraoture. It ignites only at a very high temperature, owing, no doubt, to the small per oentage of fixed carbon compared to the large amount of hygrosoopio water. The material, as far as present workings have disclosed, ia of little value aa a fuel. The Melbourne larrikinß continue to gain ground. Their contempt for fines was illustrated the other day by the following case, whioh was brought before the Oity Oourt: — William Viokar, was charged with insulting behaviour in the streets by trying to get up a free fight. When arrested he called to his companions, saying, " Don't stone him ; don't atone him." Ab the constable was alone, and the prisoner's companions were in considerable numbers, he would have been rescued, but fortunately a cab passed at the time, into which Vickar was bundled and hurried off to the lockup. The Benoh fined the prisoner £5, in default one month's imprisonment. The money was aubßoribed in a very few minutes by the exceedingly ill-favoured band of young rowdiea who crowded the court. From which it would appear that this constable waa mercifully dealt with, and that they are, aa a rule, sentenced to stoning when they interfere with fche rulers of Melbourne. Some surprise has nofc unnaturally been created by the action of the Melbourne publicans in determining to proaeoute those of their fellows who sold liquor on Sundays. The sudden access of virtue is thus accounted for by the Argus : — They do not pretend that they have adopted this course beoause the Legislature haß laid its commands upon them, but eimply beoauee they think that the inconvenience experienced by the publio will cause pressure to be brought to bear on candidates at the forthcoming general eleotion which will lead to an early repeal of an Act that they regard as oppressive. j The following were the representatives of the different Colonies at the late intercolonial Conference : — Victoria — Hon R. S. Anderson and Mr Ramsey. Weßtern Australia — Hon Malcolm Fraser, Surveyor-General. South Australia — Sir Henry Ayers, Chief Secretary ; Hon E. Ward, Minister of Education ; and Mr C. Todd, Poßtmaater-Gonerai and Superintendent of Telegraphs. New Zealand — Hon G M'Lean, Commissioner of Telegraphs, and Dr Lemon, Goneral Manager. New South Waleß— The Premier, Mr Robertßon, and the Postmaster General, Mr J. F. Burns. Queensland—The Hon S. W. Griffith, Minister of Education and Attorney General. The Victorian revenue returns f'r the quarter ending December 31 have h(* n published. The total revenue for the qrarter was £1,082,700, and for the year showing an increase on the cue/ter, as compared with the correspondirg period of l»et year, of £16,070, and on thenar of £246,738. The Customs' receipts sho* a deficiency on the quarter of £9.081. On "all other articles " thore is a decrees of £18,233, but in rugar and molasses 'Here ib an increase of £12 475. The recess on the other items are nearly the aome. lhe Customs' receipts for the year, however, show an increase ovo 1875 of £53,744, me principal items being: — Spirits. £10,000; wine, £5697; sugar, £30.554; hops, £4393; dried fruits, &c, £9034-i and ad valorem, £16,665. On " all other articleß " thoro was a decrease of £2Ks3<>. The information received from Sydney, saya I the Argus, concerning tho outbreak of smallpox thore, has induced the Victorian Government to consider the necessity of taking precautions to prevent tho introduotion of the dweaje into this colony. The chief medical officer, Dr M'Crea, has recommended that all vessels coming from Sydney should be quarantined, but there are strong reasons against adopting auch an extreme measure. The effect would be to paralyae the trade between the two ports, and it iB very douhtf ul | ' whether tho result aimed at would be attained j as it would be imposßibe to prevent the pas- ! sago of peoplo acrosß the border. It is not j ■iherefore, intended to ; carry out this recommendation, for fche present afc any rate, but i most stringent examination will be made ! • of all vessels at the Head a. r j A man named Deamondj-who^eapaped from.' legal custody in Viotorfe fcbree years ago,. was lately arrested, and brought before the Mel-

bourne magistrate, when the following curious point wbb raised by counsel on hia behalf : — On examining the oalendar or offioial reoord of Desmond's conviotionß, Mr Stephen discovered that instead of the word "cumulative" being written with reference to the three sentences, the word " oulminative" had been uaed. The two minor aentences he therefore argued were embodied in the first. The priBoner s term of imprisonment had oonse« quently expired before he escaped, and being at the time in illegal custody, he, in escaping, had committed no offence. Mr Bturt, P.M., said the Bench felt tbat the point raised by Mr Stephen ought to be decided by a higher court, and they therefore committed the prisoner for trial at the General Sessions. A shooking drowning accident occurred at Hamilton, lately. The Ballarat Star relates tbat "two children, Mary Fox and George Leahy, went crayfishing in a waterhole, formed by a disused quarry, only about 100 yards from their parents' residence, but hidden therefrom by wattle Baplings and timber. An elder sister of the little girl left them there, and when Bhe returned half an hour after they could not be seen. She ran home, and as she was leaving a number of boyß jumped into the water and commenced bathing, never suspecting they were swimming over two little bodies. The girl was found in deep water on one side of the hole, the boy in comparatively shallow water on the opposite aide. They wero very much attached to each other, Bnd ifc iB aupposed the girl slipped in first, and thafc the boy tried to wade across to her assistance. Both were between five and six years old, and nearly tbe aame size. At the inquest a verdict of accidental death was returned." The Ballarat Star gives the following account of the fire on Mount Buninyong : — A column of smoke was seen from Ballarat, arising from Mount Buninyong, between nine and ten o'clock on Jan. 20, looking aB though tho old volcano had once more awaked its died-out fires. It could eaßily be seen, however, that the cause was a bush fire, and as the day grew the fire extended around the base and over tho top of the mount, till at night the bill aeemed covered with fire at almost every point seen from Ballarat. This prominent landmark in a blaze would have proved an interesting sight to onlookers had it not been for the thought that the farmers clustered around its base might lose by the fire tho result of a year's labour. The wooded sides of the mount continued to keep up their bright appearance for four or fivo houra after dark, when fchey began to pale, till, when morning broke, nothing bufc a few thin wreaths of smoke could be aeen. On Sunday night a few fcroea that remained alight on the top showed out with Bpecial brilliancy against the sky. We are glad to say that the fire was almost entirely confined to the Government reserves, including the mount, and no farms were much damaged. Thia wbb the result of the incessant labours of everbody living about the mount, who turned out one and all to keep the fire from touching the orops, which in some places adjoined the reserves. On the other side, where the fire began, it burned from base to summit, and only stopped for lack of fuel, having *;burnt in some places right under the fenoe to the edge of the No. 2 Railway road. In some placeß the fire oame right up to the fencea, on the other aide of which were Btanding oropa, or crops atooked or lying down. Happily thero wan very little wind during the progresß of the fire. As to the cause of fche fire, we are sorry to Bay that it is alleged to have been the work of an incendiary, Joßeph Innea, a farmer living at the bottom of Mount Buninyong. From what we can gather, it seems that Innea had been heard in an hotel to threaten that he would fire tbe mount, and it is alleged fchafc having fired fche grasa once, hia act waa discovered and the fire extinguished, but fchat soon after he made no fewer than six or Beven fires round the far side of the mount, whioh soon made headway, and did all the damage we have mentioned.