NEW SOUTH WALES.

West Coast Times, Issue 149, 10 March 1866, Page 7

NEW SOUTH WALES.

Mail Rohiikuy. — The sticking-up of the Peak Downs mail by Macpherson, alias the " Wild Scotchman," formed the i subject of information that reached town 1 by Mr 11. Cooper, of Talgai Station, Clermont. Tt appears that Mr Cooper, when coming along the Springsure road to ltockhampton, met a foot traveller near Spring, ton, and the man told him that he had seen the Wild Scotchman, who had stuckup the mail going to Peak Downs. Mr Cooper questioned the man, and ho made a statement to the effect, that on Wedncs day morning last he was coining along the Clermont-road to Rockhampton, when he met the mailman carrying' the up-mail. ' Shortly afterwards lie met a man riding \ a roan horse and leading a chesnut I horse. The man on horseback asked r how far the mailman was ahead, und 1 the pedestrian thinking that ho was travelling in company with the mailman, told him he had passed him but a short time before. The man rode on, and the foot traveller continued his journey to town. He walked ten miles farther on, and camped by a creek. While he was having his tea, the man who was leading the two horses came up to him, hobbled his horses out, and joined him in tea. He then informed his entertainer that he was the Wild Scotchman, and intended robbing the down mail from the Peak Downs, only he was a little too late ; that, having missed tho down mail he had stuck up the up mail. He then pulled from his horse's back a new snddle-bag, which our informant thinks bore the name of Cooroorah (Messrs. Ileadrick, Liverinoro, and Co.'s station). lit? took a lot of opened letters from a bag, and threw them into the camp fire. He threw a draft on the I Union Bank for £15 over to the pedestrian, 1 telling him to take it, and also gave him two half sovereigns as a present. He camped there the whole night, breakfasted next morning, and rode back in the direction from whence he came. The traveller is on his way to Rockhnmpton with tho ! draft in his pocket, and intends returning 1 it to the bank on reaching town^ It appears also that, a night or two preceding the above-mentioned occurrence, the highwayman visited Mr Benttie's public-house, at Gainsford, where a number of men were camped, engaged in splitting timber for fencing ; that ho stole two horses from them, and two or three pairs of new hoots from the store. — Sydney Morning Herald Feb. 22. A Valuable House Kitted my a Snakb. —On Saturday last, Mr William Zuill's valuable entire horse Champion died from the effect of a snake bite at Bedford. It appeal's that on the morning of Saturday he was eating hay in Mr Zuill's stable He was, later in the day, observed to become very drowsy, and it was suspected that he had been bitten by a snake. About sunset in the evening the horse died, and, upon examination, the punctures of a snuke bite were plainly discernible upon his hip. A son of Mr Zuill's searched the stable, anil there found and killed a small black snake about fifteen inches long. Champion was a valuable horse, worth, as we are informed, upwards of £100.— Mahland Mercury. Tub Luiciiaiidt Search Expedition. — The disaffection aud subsequent breaking up of the expedition recently despatched from Melbourne to* solve the fate of Leichardt anh his party, does not appear to havo deterred Mr M'lntyre from carrying out the duties originally entrusted to him. By last advices Mr M'lntyre »vas left at Cooper's Creek with only one European and one East Indian, and steps have already been taken to send from Melbourne a party to his relief. It will, however, be seen from the following paragraph, which we copy from the Port Denison Times of the 10th, that the Melbonrnites have been forestalled. That journal says:— "We have news from the Thompson to the 20th January. At that date Mr M'lntyre's exploring party, consisting of the commander and two men, were on the Thompson River, about 120 miles from the depot on Arimac Creek, to which place they were travelling. Rain had fallen, and the horses andcamelswcreiniproving rapidly. Several men had expressed their willingness to join the expedition, and it was Mr M'lntyre's intention shortly to recruit and continue the search. An old grave has been discovered within forty miles of the depot on Arimac Creek, surrounded with rails, which appears to be at least seven or eight years old, and as it is evidently the work of Europeans, it is supposed to belong to some explorer. No initials or marks can be discovered in the vicinity, and owing to the long drought, it had been found impossible to dig up the grave with a spade (the only implement at hand). Mr M'lntyre's brother arrived at Bowen Downs with 1000 head of cattle in the he- 1 ginning of January, and awaits there the arrival of the explorer. The cattle are described as being in iirst-rato condition." —S. M. Herald, Feb. 23. lIiTiKQAM'Y CONVICTED OP CATTLB StßALing.—On the 27th September, 186f>, at the Yass Quarter Sessions, an elderly man named John O'Darc, a farmer living nt Manton's Creek, was convicted of stealing a heifer, the property of Mr Canty, and sentenced to two years' imprisonment in Goulburn Gaol, where he now is. By reference to tho following report of the proceedings nt the Goulburn Quarter Sessions, on Tuesday last, it will be seen that a young man named John Hart has confessed himself to be the perpetrator of the offence for which O'Dare was convicted. Hart, on being placed in the dock, pleaded " Guilty" to having in October of last year, stolen four head of cattle, the property of Samuel Withers. His Honor Mr District Judge Purefoy read tho following letter, which ho had received from the prisoner: — Honored sir, — I, addressing your Honor, trust that you will pardon the same. I have pleaded guilty to the charge of cattlestealing, and I have only your honor to look to for mercy. I humbly and respectfully crave that your honor will please to take my youth into your humble consideration, being only nineteen years of age, without education, nnd I am" sorry to say that, through the company of the idle and depraved; led me to the commission of this offence, for which I am very porry, and should your honor be pleased to

•Ntend that mercy in pushing sentence, ] vill ever pledge myself that my future conduct shall be such that shall convinc . our honor that I am not undeserving o the same. lam friendless, without father and mother, cast upon the world without a creature to advise me. I further beg to state, that I plead guilty to stealing one heifer from one Canty, and drove on with four other bullocks from Manton's Creek, and I gave the same to one John O'Darc, and I told him that I got it from my uncle, for which he was tried, and received a sentence of two years. I positively declare that he is innocent of the charge, and he being an old man, I consider it my duty to acquaint your honor, so that he should not suffer innocently. Humbly apologising for this liberty, and trusting that you will please to extend that mercy for which I will he ever grateful, and that I will lead an honest life for the future, I beg to remain, honoured sir, your very humble servant. John Hart." The prisoner was then sentenced to two years hard labour in Darlinghurst Gaol. — Goulhonrn, Iferald Feb. 21. Official Changes. — The Under-Secre-tary to the Treasury, Mr Wells, has, we understand, made application to retire from the public service upon the Superannuation Fund. This gentleman, who has been about thirty years in the service of the Government, has suffered considerably for some time past, through failing sight, and we arc informed that he has been advised by eminent medical men that the performance of his duties for a short time longer would probably result in total blindness. lie has consequently made application to retire ; and in the meantime the duties of the office are being performed by Mr Henry Lane, who filled the office prior to Mr Wells's appointment. Mr Lane has for some months past occupied the office of Chief Commissioner of Stamp ; and the names of several gentlemen have been mentioned, one of whom will probably be Mr Lane's successor in the stamp office. No appointment,howevcr, has yet been made.— & M. Herald, Feb. 27. Anothisk Encounter with Ci-aiucij's Gang.— lnformation was brought into town yesterday of the police having again come in contact with Thomas Clarke and two of his companions. That active oflicer, Constable Woodland, accompanied by his black tracker, came across them at Jerrabatgully, near the residence of John Council. The bushrangers had changed horses, and had only just finished saddling and leapt into their saddle when Woodland came up to them. Woodland fired one shot, we believe at Clarke, as in the rear of his companions he galloped away. With the advantage of fresh horses the bushrangers of course soon out-distanced him, the horse ho was on having been ridden upwards of thirty miles. Woodland, seeing that pursuit was ineffectual, returned to where he had left the blackfellow, whose horse failed to keep pace with the constable's, and the}' took possession of two horses which the bushrangers had left, and which appeared to have been hard ridden. Tt is very probable that they were trying to take away some of the property which had been stolen from Mr M. N. O'Connell's place on Wednesday night, a portion of which has been found hidden in the bush in the vicinity. — Braidwood Dispatch, Feb. 24.