AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XV, Issue 1340, 21 June 1859, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

The attrocious attempt by some Chinese to assassinate an European storekeeper and his wife at Long Gully, Bendigo, and the escape of the villains have, as might be imagined, oreated an intense sensation. From the accounts published m the Bendigo papers, the excitement which prevails on the gold-field is more than likely to produce effects of a deplorable nature Ihe local journals state that a bitter feeling of hostility has been roused against the Chinese and that several assaults had been committed upon Chinamen by Europeans. In fact the present attitude assumed by these aliens is alarming in the extreme, and demands the immediate attention of the Executive. Lately, two children, aged respectively nine years and one year and nine months, were playing on the Williamson line of railway,when the down train ran over them, and cut thorn to pieces. :

Pie magnificent painted glass windows for the hall of the University of Sydney, arrived in the Waterloo, from London. The total cost of these beautiful productions is stated to have been upwards of £4000, all of which have been contributed by private munificence. The effectof the Order in Council making the Australian gold coinage current in Ceylon is evident in the large imports from Australia, almost wholly specie. The Chinese had held a public meeting' at Fryei s Creek to complain of their grievances. Mr. Henley, who was present, took notes of their oratory as follows:—

: '-\Ve look upon the red-haired barbarians |:Lnghshj as a class of robbers on land and pirates ou sea. They are still exacting from the Chinese the profits of their labours, and seem hunt on enslaving (hem in Viutoiia. When the red-haired barbarians went to China they were not taxed £10 for landing £4 for residence ticket, and £2 more for miner's right' and protection ticket. No! they were treated the same as Chinamen. They brought to China nothing but opium, with the view of killino- the people, and taking the country ; ; and : when our Emperor and rulers prohibited its use, the Engisli brought their war-ships,'freighted with robbers and assassins, tbmurdor the people and plunder the country. The Chinese do no such thing. We must combat English injustice and' not strengthen their arms the better to crush us. We can live without them. How great is their injustice! they make us pay £10 a year for keeping an opium shop and gambling house, and send our own vagabond. collect £1 per week besides ; and when we refuse to pay, or have no money to meet their demands would inals'e us remove to another locality so as to cause both loss and inconvenience. Such ,vvas English law. In future we will have no dealings with the barbarians. We shall nui deal at their stores, nor employ their mechanics, nor ride in their stages; they will get no more of the Chinamen's money till they do us justice."

'.',. The following ingenious calculation is made by the correspondent of the Ballaarat Times — .":tVith the kind assistance of Mr. O'Leary, Mining Surveyor, I have ascertained -that the population at Back Creek is larger than I sup posed. Our data is as follows:—There are tenslaughtering yards, each.butchering 40 beasts per week; allowing 600 lbs. weight each beast, we get 240,000 lbs. of beef consumed weekly. There are also fifty butchers, each butchering 20 sheep per week; allowing"3o lbs.'weight to eaohshcep, we get 50,000 lbs. weight of mutton consumed weekly. Add. the two.together, and i\e get 290,000 lbs. ; of meat.consumed weekly; divide this by seven, and we'have 41,428 lbs. per day, Allow one pound and a quarter of meat to each adult person, and wo have in round numbers a population of 33,000."

The Ararat Advertiser describes a frightful, storm at Oppossum Gully. Here is an instance of its ravages. " One tree in particular, of about a 100 feet high 'and.l 3 feet in girth, standing 1 about 300 yards from Dobson's stuie, was struck by : the electric fluid, uprooted, and fairly shivered to pieces, which .were strewed around fora space of 300 yards, ono largo piece of the trunk, with part of the root attached, weighing at least a couple of tons, was thrown about 150 feet from the spot where it once stood, besides hundreds of splinters were'thiown an'almost incredible .distance. The remains of the once giant of-the forest presents an appearance as if it had been: charged with gunpowder and then exploded, so blackened are the remains; to a person unacquainted with the fact of its destruction, he would be puxzled how such a scene of wreck could have taken place. Mr. Dobson informs us that he was standing.at the door of his store at the time, when he plainly.saw the electric fluid in tlj'a form of a ball of fire, about four feet in diameter, suddenly ijse as from tho earth near the tree, and then one of the moat tremendous peals of thunder he had ever heard, accompanied with the crash of falling timber, and a perfect shower of leaves-ami branches, that he was compelled to run for shelter."

Ix the half-yearly, report of the Burra Burra Copper Compaiiy.'it is stated that the'yield of the past six months has exceeded by' 1900 tons that of aiiy likV period during the last seven years. , The sum of £24,(510 is to be set apart for -the pay.meut of two, extra dividends of £5 per share.. ... . . ". :

The proprietors' of the Sydney Morning Herald expect shortly the arrival "of a rotary priuting.machine from New York. -The total cost by the time of delivery mid setting to work is estimated at nearly-j£(5000. ; It.is capable of producing'l2,ooo per hour, : ■■'•' .The currcspnndent of the Wamambool Examiner gives the following deplorable account of the state of morality at Ararat: —" Many an immortal spirit, leaves the body here, without .medical or clfineal' attendance, and hundreds, while- -contrasting"''their present position with their former civil, aiici religious,advantages iv fatherland, 1 may truiy'say and, reiterate, 'Neman careth for ray soul j' and but - very few for his body either. This is mainly attributable to the low 'state . of morality which 7 everywhere "prevails, and which; is; generated ; by Sunday trading, excessive drinking, and a craving thirst: for gold, and cultivated by the, prevailing anddemoralising practise of men andfworaen living iv carnal association; by repudiating the holy

estate of matrimony, and to the shame of too many who ought to be examples for good works, they are leading the way to future misery and disgrace by carrying on a system of obscenity and debauchery that plainly shews they have lost the dignified position for which they were designed by the Creator , , and have sundered the last of those moral ligaments which bind a mortal to his duty. ■■'■....