Australian News.

Cromwell Argus, Volume I, Issue 12, 26 January 1870, Page 3

Australian News.

TICTOfRrA.

A parcel of 161 diamonds, from Twomile Flat, near Mud<fee, was received by Messrs Wm. Clarke and Sons, on the 31st., the aggregate weight being 38J carats. By the same opportunity the Australian r Diamond Mines Company received fiftynine diamonds. A frightful accident occurred at East

Colliiyjrwood on Wednesday morning, 29th ult., Mr William Downie, grocer, aged'3B years, lost hiss life, through the explosion of a tin of kerosene, whilst endeavouring to extinguish a fire on his premises.

The 18th Regimemt will be stationed in

the Australian colonies. The head-quarters /and band will be in Sydney, and two companies will occupy tie Victoria barracks | in Melbourne. The 14th Regiment will proceed home as soon as transport can be I obtained for conveyance. f Considerable damagi < has been done to the wheat crop in son*e of the country districts by the late hot; winds. The Drysdale correspondent of the Geelong Advertiser writes :—Where \ here was every prospect of a good yield, there will be hardly sufficient to pay expenses, through the pre mature ripening of the grain. Some of it in fact the farmers hare determined not to cut at all, as it will no t pay even that ex pense, t

The announcement :made as to the death of Captain Norman was premature. When the mail left England he was in a very critical state, but hop.es were entertained of his ultimate recovery. The Hamilton Speatator mentions that this Christmas the B.ev. Father Farrelly joined in the holy bonds of matrimony a man and woman, whose united ages were 150 years, the female Ibeing about ten years the. senior.

The wife of Mr A Nicholl, of the firm of Nicholl and Wallace, Climes, committed , self-destruction on Tuesday, 29th, by cutI ting her throat. The unfortunate ladyhad been deranged sin ce her confinement, which occurred a few weeks since, and, although almost constantly attended, seized an opportunity to con summate her death as above. The Rev. A. M. I lamsay, for twentyfour years minister of the Presbyterian congregation now worshipping 'in St. Enoch's Church, Collins-street, expired suddenly and unexpec :edly on the Ist inst. Mr Ramsay was in his sixty-first year, and was for many years m inister of the United Presbyterian Church in Hawick, in the south of Scotland, and arrived in the colony in the beginning of .January, 1847—thus being the oldest resident Presbyterian clergyman in Melboui ne.

The remains of a, human being were { found in the trunk of a tree about threequarters of a mile iTrom old Carngham township on the 31st nit. It was thought that the bones had In ;en deposited in the tree eight or nine yea rs ago. There were also along witb them some rags of a wooli len comforter and afj le. It seems that the tree in which they wore found stood adjacent to a track used in former times by drivers of cattle from the Western district. At the coroner's inqu est, the jury returned a verdict to the effect) that the bones were those of beiiig, but that there was no evidence to show by what means they were placed where foHind. A Chinaman, namt;d Matthew Ah Kew, was arrested in Ball* rat, on the 20th, on a charge of stabbing ore Joseph White, an ! old man. White is tb e father of two young girls, who were abomt two months ago arrested in the Chinese camp. It appears that John has still ;been paying his attention to the girl, j Thev fell out, and ho struck her. She told her father, and he went to the Chinauuk's house. A quarrel ensued, blows were given on both sides, and at last Ah Kew stabbed White in the head and face with a smaljl knife. He was soon arrested, and, when; in the lock-up, attempted to commit smcide. A noise in the cell attracted the attention of the constable on guard, and, when: the door was opened, John was found suspended by the neck to the iron grating above the cell door. He had carefully fastened a crimson sash round his neck, and when discovered was not far from death's door. \ St. A maud (Victoria) was visited with myriads of grasshoppers a few weeks since. According to the load paper, they came from the north, and j swept through the streets in perfect hord'es. The stations in the district suffered materially from these pests, which are Wy destructive to the giass. On some of the stations they were so thick and large that they completely mowed the grass dov/n in their maroh. At the athletic spjorts held at Ballarat 4km the 30th, one ol the principal events was the 600 yards jsteeplechase, between Fox and Don, for a trophy, value £IOO. The winner was Fojjc, who from the first J>° fc ia |M|- of tae st a i't and inside running, ~^ ncl ■!fflp : ' iSao, rt lea<l of Don, always keeping hlWye on his opponent, and exercising a good deal of judgment. The waterjump decided the race. Fox went considerably further infc j the water than his / opponent, and cams out witb such a start as to leave little chance for Don. Both men, notwitbstandiq ■», kept well on td-the finish, and Fox worj by about ten yards. lmin. 3Sascs'. ■'

A project is on foot for rebuilding St. Peter's Church, on the Eastern Hill. It is astimated that the now structure will cost £12,000.

Mr Walter Montgomery has sailed for California.

Draper has been committed for trial on two fresh charges. He was unable to find bail.

An investigation into the management of the Nelson training ship is going on. Two schoolmasters, Roger and Parnell, are accused by Captain Paine of beating the boys with undue severity. Mills's timber yard and sawing mills, and Solomon's stores, Flinders-street west, were destroyed by tire on Thursday night, the 6th inst.

The English pedestrians ran some matches on the cricket ground on Saturday, and were in every instance beaten by the colonial runners. NEW SOUTH'WALES. A company has been formed for the purpose of opening up the mail route via California and the Pacific Railroad. They intend making a beginning in March on a small scale, and have chartered two of the A.S.N. Company's steamers, which they will run from Sydney to San Francisco, calling at Auckland, Tahiti, and Honolulu. Salisbury, the proprietor of the Police News, and a man named Greig have been remanded on a charge of defrauding the the English and Scottish bank of £-100. Greig lias been arrested at Goulburn. The bulk of the cash has been recovered. On the 2nd, a man named Graham, while attempting to beat his wife, tripped and fell down dead. Final arrangements have been completed to establish a line of steamers running between Sydney and Sin Francisco, calling at New Zealand. The Rangatira and Balclutha have been chartered. The Rangatira will open the line, by sailing from Sydney on the Ist of March. Mr H. H. Hall, U.S. Consul, is agent for the Company. The Californian mail route is likely to receive a small subsidy from the Government. Defalcations have been discovered in the Sydney Corporation accounts. QUEENSLAND. The blackfellow who committed the rape upon the little girl named Henrietta Reiss, at Bodamba Creek, near Frauklyn Vale, about a week since, which lias resultel in tho death of the child, was captured by Sergeant Davine and Constable Waldron, of Leyburn, after a hot pursuit of over 100 miles. The blackfellow made a desperate effort to escape, but, being at length overcome by the determined efforts of his pursuers, he was taken after a brief show of resistance, and, after he had been ironed, was conveyed to Toowomba. Patrick Hanny's body has been found in the Brisbane river, with a heavy iron bar tied to his neck.

Three hundred pounds reward has been offered for the apprehension of the murderer.