NEWS FROM MELBOURNE TO THE 6th.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXII, Issue 2667, 14 April 1868, Page 4

NEWS FROM MELBOURNE TO THE 6th.

THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH.

Our files are to the 6th instant. The Argus of the 4th says : — It will bo observed from our Sydnoy telegram that the Duke of Edinburgh is expected to sail from that port on Monday, 6th instant, direct for England. H.M. s. Brisk was sent down to Now Zealand with despatches after the arrival of the Panama mail, and it was understood that she conveyed to Sir George Bowen the information of the change of his route resolved upon by his Royal Highness. The following gossip appears in the Castlemaine Daily News : — " The Duke has expressed himself quite satisfied that O'Farrell is in no way connected with New South Waleß. He says al«o that he prefers Sydney to any part of this continent, for he has been able to go about with less restraint here than elsewhere. It is not a little amusing to hear how he and the Earl and Countess of Belmoro have given the Sydney c upper ten' the go-by. The Duke — by tho way — is deeply smitten, it is said, by tho charms of a young lady, who is the daughter of a retired grocer^ to tho envy of young ladies of high New South Wales connections. A story is told of a Mrs B , a lady who occupies the top step of the ladder of society in Sydney. Mrs B called on the Countess tho day after she landed, and was received by Lady B. en dishabille — that is to say, in a cotton dress. The Countess informed Mrs B that she was not yet prepared to receive visitors. Nothing daunted, Mrs B informed Lady Belmore that as she (Mrs B ) had been a great friend of Lady Young's, she desired to make her ladyship acquainted with • proper' people in Sydney. Upon another occasion the Countess, when called upon by an officious lady visitor, begged to be excused, for she was busy in the nursery. After this you may imagine that the Countess ib regarded as a very common personage indeed, and I should not be surprised to find that our aristocracy cut her ladyship's acquaintance entirely." THE VICTORIAN PARLIAMENT. Mr Biddell had not on the 4th succeeded in I forming a ministry. The Argus of the 6th says : — "There is no truth in the report that Mr Siddell has abandoned the task of iorming a new Administration. On the contrary, we are informed it is probable that in the courso of this day he will be in a position to submit to his Excellency the names of several gentlemen who have consented to take office." THE GOVERNOR 01 VICTORIA. Since the commencement of the month a rumor has been prevalent in Melbourne to the effect that his Excellency the Governor had some weeks ago tendered his resignation to tho Imperial authorities. The Argus says :• — "This is not Btrictly correct ; but we believe that in a despatch forwarded about the time referred to his Excellency, after pointing out the difficulties of the position, intimated that if tho course ho had deemed it right to take was disapproved of, or if it was considered that some other Governor would bo better able to grapple with the crisis, he was perfectly willing to resign. It is scarcely probable, however, that the Colonial office will act upon Buch a communication, and, indeed, it is not easy to discover any benefit that would be likely to accrue from the substitution of any other for the presentrepresentative of Her Majesty in Victoria." o'farrell's friends. The JBendigo Advertiser reports : — " At the Sandhurst Police Court, on Friday, 3rd April, Charles Stewart, alias Moses Carson, the alleged Fenian and co- conspirator with O'Farrell in his dastardly attempt on the life of Prince Alfred, •was brought before the Bench, and on the application of Detective Alexander ho was discharged, as the authorities had not procured sufficient additional evidence since the man was remanded to justify them in further prosecuting the charge against Stewart." MURDER IS MELBOURNE. The Argus of the 6th says : — "A murder was committed between eight and nine o'clock yesterday morning in Patrick street, a lane turning from Lonsdalo street, between Elizabeth and Swanston streets. The circumstances avo these : — A few days ago a man (the deceased), who has not yet been recognised, met with a woman of disreputable habits, named Ann Cook, joined company with her, and took her to a house in Patrick street. The house seems formerly to have been the abode of women of the lowest character, and to be known as such. While occupied by the ■woman Cook and the deceased, it contained no furniture or domestic utensils whatever — no contents of any kind but some empty bottles. On Saturday night three sailors belonging to coasting craft, and named Richard Combs, Henry Boyle, and Henry Kelly, went to the house drunk, They stayed there, going or sending out occasionally for some drink, and continued drinking, it would appear, nearly all night. In the morning, after having somewhat recovered their senses, they were preparing to leave, when they found that they had been robbed in the course of the night. They accused the deceased and the woman of committing the act. and a quarrel arose, which ultimately became a general fight. One of the sailors says that deceased began the fight by striking one of their number with a log of firewood ; but, however this may be, pieces of firewood were freely used as weapons on all sides, and in the fight the deceased got very much the ■worst of it. The matter was first brought under the notice of the police by a little boy, who told them that a man was dying in a house which he pointed out to tho two constables who accompanied him. The police on entering found the deceased man sitting in a half recumbent position against the walC with blood oozing from his mouth and nose. Some pieces of firewood bearing marks of blood -were lying about on the floor. Dr FitzGerald was immediately called in, and on examination found that the man was dead. Dr Tracy, who happened to be passing shortly after, looked in, and examined tho deceased, whose neck he found to be dislocated. A woman stated that she saw tho deceased after he was left by the sailors, and seeing that he seemed fco bo dying, she assisted to straighten his limbs to make his position more easy. While she was doing so, slip heard a rattling noise in his throat, which probably was the last indication of life. When tho police arrived, the sailors and the woman were still about the place, and the latter and two of the former (Boyle and Kelly), were at once arrested. Tho third man, Combs, was apprehended in the afternoon, on board his vessel, the Valiant, lying in the Saltwater River. The body of the deceased was very much bruised and discolored from the usngo lie had received. If, as seems probable, death was tho result of the dislocation of tho neck this will probably be found to have been caused by falling in contact with tke wall when knocked down by a blow. These particulars, however, will be more clearly ascertained at the inquest. Tho deceased is described aa a man of forty-five years of ago, with dark hair, and ■whiskers of about two day's growth, as though he had recently been discharged from gaol. He was dressed in a snuff-colored coafc, with grey trousers and vest, and from his general appearance was thrughfc by the police to be a low vagrant or bully. Nothing was found upon him to lead to his identification. JPIOODS. A very heavy rain Btorm passed over Melbourne on Saturday evening, 28th March, between six and seven o'clock, The rain came down in torrents for about an hour, and portions of tho street were soon rendered impassable. In Elizabeth street the water swept over the footpath, and converted the road into one sheet of water. Soon after seven o'clock a Frenchman named Lucerne attempted to cross Elizabeth street by the bridge in front of tho Colonial Bank, but missing his footing he stepped over tho side, and before he

could recover himself ho was swept by the rushing flood under the footbridge iv front of the premises of Messrs W. Clarke and Sons, goldbrokers. Several persons at onco went to his assistance, but he had become so firmly jammed under the bridge, that ten minutes elapsed before he could be extricated. Ho was at once taken to the Melbourne Hospital, and every exertion mado , to restore animation, but without success, as the man gradually sank and died in three hours.