AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3638, 8 December 1879, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

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■• ■ ■ - ;.■♦ ■ - ..,-: ("By Telbgbaph.] (Per Arawata, tHL Bluff.) VICTORIA. Speaking at Lancofield, Mr Berry declined to abandon any of the leading principles of hia Reform Bill, as the 4ge insists. He stated that he regards the plebiscite as nt the best but a necessary evil, and the principle is fatal to -Parliamentary representation in the. form recommended, by the Age. The Government made strenuous and not . altogether unsuccessful efforts to win back their waverißg supporters to their .allegiance. There have been various rumours respocting the means of placation adopted. There was a fierce debate in the Assembly over Sir Bryan O'Lougblen's giving public telegrams to tho Ministerial press only. Sir Bryan O'Loughleh attempted a justification, and alleged that ho would repeat his conduct while the opposition journal* continued unpatriotic. The Opposition contended that the conduct of the Government amounted to naked bribery and gross political corruption. Mr Berry assorted that Sir James M'OuUooh had done tho samo thing, but this was denied. , The estate of the member for Villters and Heytcabury has been compulsorily sequestrated. Mr Joseph Jones, the secretary for the National Begistration Society, and a pronounced Free-trader, will stand for. the vacancy. A motion declaring it to be criminal for a Ministry to use the powers of office to influence elections was negatived after a warm debate, in which the Government were freely accused of abusing their power during recent election contests. The Government vigorously opposed Mr Duncan Gillies' proposal -to refer the Council's Mining on Private" Property Bill to a Select Committed. The Opposition taunted them with not being sincere in their professed desire to settle this grievance. Tho Council of the Victorian branch of tho British Medical Association, after visiting the new lunatic asylum, where nearly one thousand patients are conflced, condemned the institution in sweeping' terms. The - internal arrangements do little credit. A workhouse so thronged that tho cubic --spaed allotted to the dormitories is insufficient for health. The ventilation is extremely defective. The recreation room is partly filled with beds, and the closet accommodation is totally inadequate. Owing to tho over-crowding, two patients have been compelled to sleep in the earth closets. It is alleged that the institution is a disgrace to the community, and not a place where insane people are ever likely to recover. The medical officers have previously pointed this ont, but the Government took no action.

NEW SOUTH WALES.

air so. ninone nas accused a member ot the Assembly of offering to use his Parliamentary influence to secure a contractor's offor being accepted without calling for other tenders. Counsel has been assigned to the Guudagai bushrangers, excepting Captain Moonlight, who prefers defending himself. Tho prisoners look haggard, and there are no tracoa now of their former bravado. Mr DalleyV Bill to enable a woman to sue for divorce on the adultery of her husband, has been read a second time in the Council. Tho new coffee palace in Sydney is a great financial success. A part of the Ghisholm property, in Goorge street, was sold in one lot for £160,000. The receipts for the carriage of live stock on the Southern line last year were over 400 per cent, more than the previous year, owing to the Victorian stock tax having diverted the live stook traffic from Melbourne to Sydney. Sir Henry Parkes, by direction of Lord Loftua, wrote to Constable Bowen expressing his admiration of the way in which the police behaved during the encounter with the bushrangers. It is probable that the Government and the public will provide for Bowen's widow and child. Sir Charles Gordon, the High .Commissioner of Western Polynesia, has written respecting the Eev George Brown. He considers that no evidence has been adduced to enable him to recommend the institution of a criminal proeecntion.^n connection with the ohastisement of the New Britainmurderers, but tho Judicial Commission has taken the matter out of his hands. The war sohooriW Conflict has burned a Native village and-jj&ops at Pentecosta Island as punishment forl the murder of a seaman named ADgus M'^Oflald.

QUEENSLAND.

The wreck of the cutter Firefly has been discovered at North Frankland lelo. There were no signs of tho crew. The tracks of blacks were seen in the vicinity. It is intended to establish coffee plantations at Lavcu. '

BRISBANE.

Nearly 3500 tons of sugar were exported between July and November. Tho Sydnoy Kofining Company purchased the principal crops of white sugar from first hands.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

Great apprehension exists of pleuro-pneu-monia being introduced by a mob of cattle from Queensland. ■ The strong winds have driven the red rust out of the crops. ' The crops in the northern districts are expected to yield twelvb or fourteen bushels tc the acre.

TASMANIA.

An extraordinary attempt to commit mur der has occurred in the Cambridge district A lad named Johnson, whilst returning home on Sunday evening, was suddenly attacked bj a man armed with a knife, who, knocking , down the lad- and kneeling upon his Btomach commenced ,-to stab him, driving his knif< through the thick collars of two coats, anc through his hat repeatedly. Believing tH( p. boy to be -dead, he decamped. Johnson wai , simply unconscious, and is not seriously in i jured. ' Mr Christopherson, for many years, chic I engineer of water supply in Victoria, am • more recently director of the waterworks a I Hobatt Town, has ' been sentenced to tlive

)' itionthV'imprieorimenOor pawning mather mntical instruments, in complicity with i others. . - .. .