LATEST AUSTRALIAN TELEGRAMS.

Westport Times, Volume II, Issue 299, 16 July 1868, Page 2

LATEST AUSTRALIAN TELEGRAMS.

NEW SOUTH WALES. Sydney, 20th June. In consequence of the large number of lottery distributions which have been springing up of late, the Government has found it necessary to interpose ; and in consequence of an intimation from the Government received by the proprietors of the Varroville Stud, it has been determined to abandon the scheme, and the agents have been authorised to return the money received for tickets. 22nd June. A Chinaman has been arrested near Hargreaves on suspicion of being the man who committed the murderous outrages upon Mr Lee and his family, at Ironbark, near Mudgee, from the eifects of which father, son and daughter died. He has been identified°by one of the surviving children. The earthquake which occurred on Thursday night extended over a vast extent of country,]including Wollombi, Maitland, Morpeth, Lochinvar, Single, ton, Musswelbrook, Port Stephens, Murrurrundi, Tamworth, Armidale, Windsor, Liverpool and Penrith. The accounts of the shock from all these places are very similar; the duration of the shock is, however, variously stated at from two seconds to a minute. At Maitland, it is stated that some people were shaken out of their beds. The wreck of the steamer Black Swan, lo'st at the mouth of the Manning Eiver, was sold by auction to-dav, and realised £175. The easterly gales which have prevailed lately have been very disastrous to the coasters, and reports are to hand of the loss of several small crafts.

Sydney, 23rd June. The brothers and sister of. the late ■explorer, Dr Leichhr rdt, have given notice to the Supreme Court that they purpose applying for letters of administration to the estate of the deceased gentleman, The news of the arrival of Mr Brewer and party at Fiji, in the steamer Albion, and which has been published in the Sydney journals, is commented upon here, and the treaty of agreement with King Thakambau is not regarded as sufficiently reliable or capable of being enforced. The representatives of Sydney houses write, condemning the arrangement as prejudicial to the interests of the other European settlers. The new company are likely to secure the tract of land promised to be granted to them, but it is doubted whether they will be able to collect the taxes which they may be authorised to levy. .Ir is also suggested that although her Majesty's vessels visiting the islands would assist the King in such a case as avenging the murder of Mr Baker, the} 7 would refuse any assistance to the company to enforce their claims •or the opposing claims of other settlers. 24th June. Private intelligence has been received from the Fiji Islands, to the effect that King Thakambau has written to the British Consul there, intimating "that the charter prepared 'by the representatives of the new [company which it is proposed to form in Melbourne was misinterpreted to him when he agreed to it and signed it; and that since its provisions had been known amongst the settlers aud the < natives, it had caused a vast amount of ' dissatisfaction. The British Consul < has, therefore, entered a strong pro- s test against the proceedings of the ] company's representatives, and it is not probable that the charter will be -i confirmed. i The Government believing that an extensive evasion of the ad valorem i •duties has been going on for some < time amongst the merchants here, i have detained a large consignment of -\ soft goods at the declared value. ( Great consternation has been caused j amongst the importers in consequence. 25th June. A woman named Jane Hunter, who i was in a shocking state of drunkeness, ] in trying to get home last night, fell down across the railway line running i between Sydney and Parramatta, at a 1 place near Burnwood, a fmall village ( about six and a half miles from Sydney. ■* She lay there in an insensible state till a train came along and ran over her, mutilating her body in a frightful ] manner. She was immediately con- < veyed to the infirmary, where she is < still alive, but in a hopeless state. i 26th June. Mr "White, schoolmaster to the boys ] on board the training ship Vernon, has s been arrested on a charge of forging ] the name of Mr Voss, a magistrate of the city, to the endorsement on a bill l of exchange for £SO. Mr White was for some years in the employ of the A. S. N. Company, as an officer on board ( of one of the Melbourne steamers. He , was brought up at the Water Police , Court to-day, and remanded for the production of evidence. , Although some other candidates k have been spoken of as likely to con- . test the seat for the Northern Gold- J fiels, only two nominations have been , made, namely, Mr Hanson, lately one of the proprietors of the Empire news- : paper, and Mr Hoskins, who formerly j represented the constituency. The latter appears to be the favorite. The Asphodel, from NewYorkbrings 7000 cases of kerosine, the remainder of her cargo being composed of sundries. The Ocean, from Hong Kong, has 2000 cases of Chinese oil and 8000 bags of rice. Arrived: City of Hobart, s., from Hobart Town ; Asphodel, from New York ; Ocean, from Hong Kong. SOUTH AUSTRALIA. Adebaibe, 20th June. An attempt is being made to form a large company for the purpose of buying up and cellaring colonial wine, to beplaced under the management of a skilled superintendent, in order to their being matured and properly prepared for foreign as well as the home markets. It is stated that the Government has dispensed with the services of SergeantMajor M'Bride, drill instructor to the volunteers, in consequence of a dispute between him and one of the volunteers whilst on parade. 22nd June. Mr Boothby, late Judge of the Supreme Court, died yesterday, aged sixtyfive. He has been in bad health for some time, and the worry in connection with his appeal to the Privy Council against his dismissal increased his malady. He will be buried to-morrow.

I 24-th June. ■ Tlie late Judge Boothby was buried a yes'.erdaj. It was a large funeral, but it was notable that none of the judges, and only a few members of the bar, j attended it. 25th June. p The question of arranging a uniform charge for telegrams, on the same | principle as the present uniform rate l of postage throughout the colony, t is likely to be brought ■ prominently , before the Government. The breadstuff market continues ' quiet, and the quotations for flour and wheat show no alteration. 2Gth June. The Government have advertised . nearly 400,000 acres of laud as open for purchase. Tenders have been called for the completion of the Port Adelaide lighthouse. Mr H. J. Howe, of Hindi ey-street, bootmaker, has declared himself insolvent. Great dissatisfaction is expressed at the action of the Bishop in appointing the Eev. C. Marryatt, late of St. Paul's, Port Adelaide. QUEENSLAND*. RocKHAMPTOir, 19th June. An inquiry has been commenced by the authorities into the conduct of the turnkeys, Grant and Lee, to the former of whom Griffin, executed for the Clermont murders, disclosed the place where he had planted the stolen notes. Lee, who was head turnkey, was told from time to time by Grant what Griffin divulged ; and the inquiry is with a view of ascertaining how far they were culpable in not having informed their superiors, before the execution took place, what Griffin had told Grant. A new rush has set in to Morinish, •at which prospects have been obtained running four dwt. to 'the dish. The Valentine Quartz Company have crushed < fifty tons of stone, which yielded If > oz to -the ton ; but from the Frenchman's Reef stone, has been crushed : which yielded 3| oz to the ton Cro- ' codiles abound in the creeks in the ' neighborhood of these diggings. 25th June. The latest news from Gympie digg- '< ings is to the effect that the quartz l reefs are yielding satisfactory returns. : Intelligence has? been reeived here ' that abundance of rain had fallen in the country bordering on the Gulf of Carpentaria, and that the country was looking splendid. Maryborough, 25th June. Five new leads have been discovered near Kikivan. The average depth of ' sinking is 30 feet. The prospects obtained range from two pennyweights to two and a half ounces per load. The quartz reefs are looking uncommonly well. One machine crushed seven hundredweight of stone, and the I result gave 1300 ounces of gold, but ] the stone had all been picked out as specimens. :