AUSTRALIAN NEWS

Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1630, 21 January 1879, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

In connection with the seamen's strike a very sensational statement recently apeared in the Sydney daily papers, to the eifVct that an attempt bid been made to assassinate the officers oi the steamer Wotonga by shootinir them from the snore,, as they walked the Geek of the steamer, which, with mest «f the A.SN. Co's boats, is laid up at their moorings. It turns out now thai the incident was purely accidental, A busbtpaq just come to town, went to the waterside at the hotel where- ho was staying to uncharge Ins revolver. The first shot or two sent the bullets near the steamer ; and noticing tins, lie discharged the reinaisu g chambers at ;. rock. It appeals that one ol the ballets passed close to the head of the captain of the Wotonga, so that this alarm was not uuiusiiti.able, consideruie state of public feeling with releience to the A.S.N. Company at the time.

There are several parlies of miners wbo have gone out to prospect the country in the Wide Bay district, in the auriferous tract of winch Gympie is the best known centre, in different directions, but have not yet returned, some being out more than a month, Due party has sent down a parcel of auriferous surface quartz obtained in the- liunya liang<.s, near the boundaries of Wide Buy., Stanley, am! Burnett districts. The gold i* fairly distri* buted through the qua- tz, aud would lead to the belief that a good goldbearing reel must not be far from the neighborhood of where lhey T ■were obtained. There has been a new alluvial rush at or near Übi. A prospector just returned, gives an encouraging account of the ground, and is very r well satis, lied with the prospects he has obtained. lie returns m a tew days with proper equipments for working the ground. The exact locality of the rush is distant seven miles *rom Obi station.

A special reporter of the Brisbane Courier who is visiting the Palmer, writes that the river itself at the present time is occupied by none but Chinese, and, as tin re is a limit to the alluvial workings, theground bids fairto become again tiie wild sterile waste it appeared previous to its discovery by Mulligan and party, 'ihe riels, however, are worked by Euro peans, and in several instances aro so rich as to make it. profitable to work them despite enormous expenses in the way of ma'erial, rations, wanes, &c\, The gold is oh excellent quality, worth £4> 2s 9d per oz.

A brutal outrage was committed by two Europeans oa a Chinaman, at South Brisbane, on Christmas .Day. The men first beat the unfortunate Chinaman in a most unmerciful manner with their fists, and afterwards forced his lower extremities into a vessel of boiling water, scalding him badly.

The names of the two companions of the Kellys' have been ascertained to be Stephen Mart, and Joseph Byrne. Stephen Hart is described as being 20 or 21 years of ago, sft Cin in height, having iretdi complexion, blown hair, and hazel eyes, lie was convicted at Wangarrata in July IHI7, on 13 charges of illegally using horses, for which he received the very inadequate sentence ot twelve months' imprisonment with hard labor. He gc-t ofi lightly in consequence ot never having been previously convicted. Joseph Byrne is described as being 121 or 22 years of age, about sft lOin height, havingfreshcompiexion, light in brown hair, and blue eyes, iif was com icted at Beecbworth in May, 1576, lor having meat unlawfully in his possession, and got a sentence oi six months 1 imprisonment. This was also the first conviction. Byrne's mother

lives- in a hut, in t::e ranges, not fa

Iroc iho•Kats'.Castle. This was one few days after the p- lice murdets were commilted. For the jprrosc of influencing the election at the expected dissent ion oi Parliament, The Sew ZcaktniJer and other ... ;; ..u siry tire advocating the estabfishau ni of liberal associations throughout the colony.