LATEST NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXII, Issue 2658, 7 April 1868, Page 1 (Supplement)

LATEST NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA.

MAGISTERIAL ENQUIRY INTO THE CHARGE AGAINST O'FARRELL. POSSIBILITY of the PRINCE VISITING NEW ZEALAND. A special Court was held in the Debtors' Prison, Darlinghurst Gaol, Mr H. H. Voss, the Water Police Magistrate, presiding, to inquire into the charge against Henry James O'Farrell, of wounding, with intent to kill, his Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, on the 12th ult, at Clontarf, near Sydney. Messrs Vial, Rawlinson, and Musgrave proved in what manner the attempt was made. On the second day of tho enquiry Sir William Montague Manning was examined. At the conclusion of his evidence, the prisoner said : I have no question to ask, but I would make a remark. If he had not come forward, I would have shot the Duke a second time. The Crown Solicitor : Will the prisoner repeat what he has jusfc said ? Prisoner : If Sir William Manning had not rushed between me and the Duke, the Duke would have received a second shot, He rushed right at me. The Prince would have received a second shot, and I should have shot myself ; but I had not time to do it. Of course I had nothing to do with Sir William Manning. Tho whole of the depositions having been read by Mr Lees, his Worship called upon the prisoner to stand up, and then asked him if he had anything to say, at the same time administering the usual caution before committals. Prisoner : I have nothing to say but that the task of executing the Duke was sent out, and allotted to me. The Crown Solicitor: Will you repeat what you have just said ? Prisoner : The task of executing the Prince was sent out to me, but I failed, and I am not very sorry that I did fail. That is all I have to say. He was then fully committed to take his trial at the Central Criminal Court, to be holden at Darlinghurst, on the 26th ult. A telegram via Hokitika, to the 26th ult., says : — O'Farrell was examined and committed, before Mr Justice Cheeke, on March 26. Mr Aspinall, barrister, from Melbourne, with Mr Dalley, of Sydney, instructed by Mr Pavey, solicitor, of Melbourne, are retained for the defence. The Attorney-Gene-ral and Solicitor-General are for the Crown. Mr Aspinall announced that the defence set up would be insanity, and applied for a postponement, to enable him to get up the evidence. The case is adjourned till Monday, March 30. The Argus of the 25th ult, says : — " It is stated by our Sydney correspondent that the homeward voyage of H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh is likely to be made by way of Torres strflits, and will probably commence a little earlier than has been hitherto reported. This, at least, is the news, as it cornea to us by telegram. The Sydney Morning Herald of the 19th inst, however, states that there is still a probability of the Duke continuing his voyage, at least as far as New Zealand, and then proceeding on to England. The news of the mock funeral at Hokitika, published in Sydney on the 19th inst, may, at the same time, have determined the Duke to take another route home. To all this, we may add, on the authority of a private telegram received yesterday from a trustworthy source that no determination whatever has been arrived at as to the future movements of the Duke." Speaking of the plot to assassinate the Duke of Edinburgh, the Sydney Morning Herald of the 19th inst, says :— " There is no evidence forthcoming that O'Farrell was in the treasonable confidence of any one in New South Wales, no evidence that any one here knew of his purpose, much less that he had any confederates on the ground. How far it may be possible further to unravel the secret history of this plot we i oannot yet say." Mr Aspinall and Mr Pavey, the counsel and solicitor engaged for the defence of O'Farrell, went to Ballaratt on Saturday, for the purpose ef prosecuting inquiries bearing on the defence of the assassin. The Sydney papers state that the trial of Mr Macpherson and Mr Lee, for tho late fracas in the House of Assembly, has been fixed to take place, at the Central Criminal Court, in May next.