South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900), Tuesday 3 July 1860, page 3


VICTORIA.

By the Havilah we have Melbourne papers to June the 28th. We subjoin various items of news and some details of intelligence which has already been briefly forwarded by teie

grapn:— State of the Colony.— The Age of the 26th says : — ' Yesterday morning a deputation from the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce waited upon the Hon. the Chief Secretary for the purpose of favouring him with their views respecting tho present depressed state of the colony, and to urge him to adopt those remedies which in their opinion were the be?t calculated to produce a healthy reaction. The remedies presented fey them were somewhat numerous ; indeed, eo numerous, that Mr. Nicholson remarked that were he to adopt them all, thoy would make a Minuterial policy for the ensuing year. The great, the sovereign remedy to which, however, they pinned their faith was assisted immigration, and the appointment of a number of itinerant lecturers, who, travelling through tho United Kingdom, should diffuse useful information relative to the colony, and thus induce immigration to our shores. Mr. Nicholson, as might be expected, was strictly noncommittal on this point. It was a aubject for the Cabinet to consider and for Parliament to deal with. He did not, however, believe that much good w»3 to be apprehended from the itinerant lecturing scheme. Some of the euggestions of the Chamber were of a more feasible character, and to these Mr. Nicholson promised to direct his attention. A full report will be found in another portion of the paper.' The Camels. — The camels seem to be in some little danger from the too great kindness of their visitors to the swarthy attendants. Hundreds of persons find their way daily to the stables of the Parliament House to satisfy their curiosity as to these uncouth but very useful and interesting animals, and having no other manner of showing their desire to fraternize with the Indian attendants, invitations to what we may mildly term ' refreshment' are common. Little as these turbaned strangers may be supposed to know of the Queen's English as it is spoken in Melbourne, it is enrious how readily they understand the offers made to them ; and as they are no more exempt than white-faced people from the overstimulating properties of beer and brandy, it is not, perhaps, surprising that intoxication overtakes them to a greater extent than those who take an interest in the camels consider at all desirable for the safety of the animals or the comfort of their Scindian attendants themselves. The danger from inattention is not to be forgotten, but that from firo is still greater, from the quantity of straw lying about, and the nature of the building?. Such an accident would effectually destroy the prospects of the exploring expedition ; and therefore we recommend visitors to the camels to withhold their kindnesses in the shape of 'nobbier?,' und let them take a better form. — Argus. Meting Intelligence. — One result of the ill-judged rush to the Snowy River at the wrong time of year is now becoming apparent in the number of men about Indigo and other diggings in that part of the country unable to find the means of earning a livelihood. Actual destitution is said to exist among them, and at present there is little prospect of things improving for some months to come, unless, indeed, new discoveries of good alluvial ground should be made in the Ovens district ; but this ia not very probable, for the Morse Creek Reef mania is spreading fast, and prospectors are now all on the look out for quartz. Some are trying for deep leads, and there have been reports of success near Indigo, but none of theso have been authenticated, and there is certainly a great want of new ground. In regard to the old leads, there has been little alteration for some weeks past ; and tho Adelaide lead is turning out to be remunerative to most of the claim-owners thereon. The best returns are not much above or below an ounce to the load, but all the claims do not yield that. Late crushings of stone from tho Indigo reef have give an average of 7 ozs. to the ton. — Argus. THE ADMELLA REWARDS. The Argus gives the following account of the distribution of the medals to the brave men who assisted in saving life from the wreck of the Admella :— 'His Excellency proceeded to hand the medals to the ' rescuers,' announcing as he did so their names, positions, the nature of the service rendered, and the reward. The fol-lowing is the list. To those who were absent arrangements were mado for forwarding the medals. The money rewards have already been received : — ' (1.) James Fawthrop, captain Portland lifeboat, and Harbour- Master, Portland. Commanded the Portland lifeboat, and twice led the crew on to the rescue at the peril of his life. The first attempt was frustrated by the heavy breakers driving the boat from the wreck, with the loss of eight oars and a broken rudder. The second was mado on Saturday morning, the 13th August, 1859, when he suc-ceeded, with his gallant crew, in saving 19 of the survivors clinging to the wreck. Awarded a gold medal and the sum of £100. ' (2.) B. Germein, coxswain Admella's lifeboat, lighthouse-keeper MacDonnell Light, Cape Northumberland. Commanded the Ad-mella's lifeboat, which had been picked up on the beach, considerably damaged ; and, after repairing it, ventured to make for the wreck through a mountainous surf on five occasions,

when his bold attempts to reacn it were in vain until at last he succeeded, with his gal-lant crew, in throwing a line over the wreck on the morning of the 13th August, and taking the captain, mate, and other two of the survivors onto his boat, which was swamped in the breakers before it reached the shore, and unfortunately one of the survivors — a passenger —was drowned. Awarded a gold medal and :he ium of £100. ' (3.) Peter Greig, captain Lady Bird, steamer, which carried the men and boats to the successful rescue, and which ho commanded with skill and prudence on the occasion. He also volunteered in the steamer's lifeboat, with his crew, on tho evening of Friday, the 12th of August, and endeavoured to reach the wreck, but was unsuccessful in his attempts to throw a line over it, and then returned to the vessel, where he cheered the sufferers through the night by burning blue-lights and firing off rockets. Next day, when the 19 survivors were brought on board, he showed them unremitting attention until they were safely sent on shore at Portland. Awarded a gold medal and the sum of £100. ' (4 ) William Rosevear, coxswain of the Portland lifeboat. Steered the boat in both attempts, with undaunted bravery and cool judgment, at the peril of his life. Awarded a silver medal and the sum of £50. ' (_5.) John Leach, seaman on board the Admella, now in England (medal handed to Mr. Blackwood), one of the survivors, who volunteered on the raft which carried him and his mate sshore through the boiling surge on Sunday afternoon, the 7th of August, after which they travelled all night along the coast and through the brushwood until they reached the MacDonnell Light, on Capo Northumberland, about daylight, when they communicated the sad intelligence which ultimately was the means of saving the lives of 22 of their fellowsufferers. Awarded a silver medal and the sum of £50. ' (6.) Robert Knapman, seaman on board the Admella, now in England (medal handed to Mr. Blackwood). Accompanied John Leach in the above-mentioned perilous journey, Awarded a silver medal and the sum of £50. ' (7.) Demetrius Donnell, a fisherman of Port Robe, Guichen Bay, who, with his mate, Fergus Fullerton, on receiving the first intelligence of the wreck, and learning that there were survivors clinging to it, proceeded without delay, in boisterous weather, at night, in their whaleboat, to the scene of the disaster, although it wm more than 70 miles distant ; but

on reaching the locality found that their feeble attempts would be useless, so they proceeded on to Cape Northumberland, meeting the Lady Bird steamer on the way, and gave information to the captain as to the precise spot where the wreck lay. Awarded a silver medal, and the sum of £50. ' (3 ) Fergus Fullerton, a fisherman of Port Robe, Guichen Bay, who accompanied his mate in the perilous enterprise described above. Awarded a silver medal and the sum of £50. ' (9.) John F. Johnstone, a volunteer from Portland, who proceeded in the lifeboat at the first attempt, with rockets, having lines at-tached thereto, for the purpose of communimating with the wreck ; but they unfortunately failed to reach it on being discharged, from the linoa twntnitin PntRnplfid and Cut. Ill cllS

charging the rockets he received an injury m tho left hand. Awarded a silver medal and the sum of £50. ' (10.) Thomas Tweedale (absent), carpenter on board the Lady Bird, who volunteered to proceed in the Portland lifeboat as an oarsman. Awarded a silver medal and the sum of £25. ' (11.) Abbot Carey, one of the Portland lifeboat's crew, who rowed manfully in both the first and second attempts, when he got cut in the thigh. ' (12.) Charles Patterson, one of the same crew. ' (13.) Philip Francis?, one of the same crew. ' (14.) William Kirken, a fisherman, and one of the same crew. 'Each of these four brave men awarded a silver medal and the sum of £25. ' (15.) James Cambray (absent), headsman of the Portland Whaling Company's boat, which assisted the lifeboat in both attempts to reach the wreck. Award — A silver medal and the sum of £25, ' (16.) Henry Smith (absent), a seaman employed on shore in tho neighbourhood of the wreck, who volunteered as an oarsman in the damaged lifeboat of the Admella, picked up on the beach, and in which, along with his gallant mates, rowed through a fearful surf five several times towards the wreck, which they were the first to reach on the day of the rescue, when they saved three of the sufferers. ' (17.) Charles Almack (absent), one of the same crew. ' (18.) William Mauhen (absent), do. ' (19.) Henry Wylie (absent), do. ' (20.) Thomas Anderson (absent), do. ' (21.) William Baker (absent), do. 'These were each awarded a silver medal and the sum of £25. (Medals handed to Mr. Germein.) ' (22.) George Edmons, one of the Lady .Bird's crew, who volunteered in the Portland lifeboat on che second and successful attempt, when he rowed manfully through the breakers. Award — A silver medal and the sum of £12 10 j. ' (23.) William Mclrose M'Donell (absent), one of the same crew. Same award. ' (24) William Wright (absent), one of the whaleboat's crew, who volunteered for the second and successful attempt as an oarsman, when he did his duty bravely. ' (25.) John Morgan (absent), one of the same crew. ' (26.) George Scoffal (absent), do. ' (27.) James Dimond, one of the 'Portland Harbour-Master's crew, who rowed in the lifeboat at the first attempt. ' (28.) Thomas Ward, ona of the same crew, who got injured in both hands. ' (29 ) Hugh M'Donald, a fisherman, who volunteered in the first attempt. ' (30.) James Kean, a lighterman, and one of the same crew. '(31.) William Guy, a lighterman, and one of the same crew. ' (32.) John Dusting, a lighterman, and one of the same crew. ' (33.) William Booth, one of the Lady Bird's crew, who volunteered in the first attempt. ' The foregoing 10 brave fellows were each awarded a silver medal and the Bum of £12 10 j ' (34.) William King (absent), one of the crew of the Portland whaleboat which accompanied the lifeboat, and materially assisted in tire rescue. Award — A silver medal and £12 10s. ' (35.) John Spiers (absent), one of the same boat's crew. Same award. '(36) John McChesney (absent), chief engineer of the Lady Bird, who volunteered in thd steamer's lifeboat, which made an unsuccessful attempt on the evening before the rescue. Award — A silver medal and the sum of £20. ' To the following members of the crew of the Adelaide pilotboat medals were also awarded, and will be forwarded : — 'Lewis Thomas, coxswain in Adelaide pilotboat — Silver medal. 'Peter Smith, oarsman in Adelaide pilotboat — Silver medal. ' W. Thomas, oarsman in Adelaide pilotboat — Silver medal. ' George Fowles, oarsman in Adelaide pilotboat — Silver medaL 'U. Marshall, oarsman in Adelaide pilotboat— Silver medal. 'John Penny, oarsman in Adelaide pilotboat — Silver medal. ' PRESENTATION TO MESSRS. HENTY ' His Excellency, having distributed the medals, proceeded to hand to Messrs. J. and S. Henty a parchment scroll. He said — The only duty which remains for me to perform is one which, I am sure, ladies and gentlemen, you will agree with me is a very gratifying part of these proceedings. It is to deliver to the Messrs. Henty — (applause) — a writing containing a memorial, which has been given to me for presentation to them, expressive of the thanks of their fellow-citizens for having so promptly and disinterestedly sent the Lady Bird steamer to the wreck of the Admella. I am sure, ladies and gentlemen, you will agree with me that the Messrs. Henty richly de-serve this memorial, which I now place in their hands. ' ' The following is a copy of the memorial, which was very beautifully inscribed : — ''The Committee of the Admella Relief and Reward Fund have much pleasure in presenting to the Messrs. Henty, of Mel-bourne and Portland, owners of the steamship Lady Bird, thia memorial of a resolution unanimously passed at a public meeting, held at the Exchange, Melbourne, on the 15th of August, 1859, William Nicholson, Esq., in the chair, convened for the purpose of sympathizing with the sufferers by the wreck of the sorew steamer Admella, and rewarding those who assisted in rescuing the survivors from that ill-fated vessel, which was wrecked on a reef of rocks near Cape Northumberland on the morning of the 6th of August, while on her voyage from Adelaide to Melbourne, when, out of 113 souls on board, 22 were saved, after seven days and nights of dreadful bodily and mental suffering, by the heroic exertions of a bravo band of volunteers : — ' That the special thanks of this meeting are due to the Messrs. Henty for their

promptitude in dispatching the Lady Bird to the wreck of the Admella.' ' 'On the motion of Mr. Fairfax, the Governor vacated the chair, and his place was taken by tho Hon. Mr. Fraser, ' Captain Cole proposed a vote of thanks to His Excellency for the very able manner in which he had takjn the chair on this occasion. He was quite sure that it was only necessary for him to make the proposition, and all present would join in tendering His Excellency a vote of thanks. ' Mr. James Blackwood seconded the motion. ' The Chairman suggested that assent to the resolution should be expressed by a general rising, but the audience, not content with this undemonstrative mode of expressing the.r approbation, added thereto continued cheering. ' The Governor, in acknowledging the compliment, said that, under any circumstances, he would hayo felt it his duty to be present, even had he taken no part in the proceedings. He was quite sure that every one had felt the ceremony to be of a most gratifying nature ; and, while sympathizing with the more immediate object of their meeting, he was quite sure tint every one present would agree with him that the Committee deserved their best thanks for the troublo they had taken in this matter, and in establishing so excellent a precedont for the future. ' The proceedings then terminated.'