Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843 - 1893), Saturday 5 June 1847, page 4


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PORT PHILLIP.

We have received Port Phillip papers to the25th.May. Some discontent is expressed that no inhabitant of Melbourne was in Sydney during the passing of the Melbourne Corporation Act Amendment Bill, for the purpose of communicating with the members for Port Phillip. By an extract below, it will be seen that gold ore, of unprecedented richness, is said to have been found some-where in the province of Port Phillip

GOLD ORE. We have been favoured, through the kindness of Captain Clinch, of the Flying Fish, with a specimen of gold ore which he has obtained on a recent trip to Melbourne. The circumstances by which he obtained it were as follows : A shepherd, residing in the interior, paying a visit to Melbourne, brought a considerable quantity of the ore with him, and submitted it to the inspection of Mr Forrester, formerly of this colony, who found it to contain 60 per cent, of pure gold, and from whom Captain Clinch obtained this specimen. The shepherd had refused to name the locality from whence he obtained it, and departed as soon as possible, leaving no clue to his whereabouts. Should a discovery take place of this rich ore in the Port Phillip district, the advantages to the colonists will be innumerable increased, and it will indeed prove a source of the highest con-gratulation Hobart Town Courier.

PUGILISM.-Intelligence has been received, per Shamrock, that the lovers of the ring in Van Diemen's Land purpose sending over Paddy Sinclair, their crack pugilist, to fight Big Ike, the Port Phillip Champion, for any sum that may be agreed upon Argus.

FATAL EFFECTS OF INTEMPERANCE An inquest was held at three o'clock yesterday, at the Rose, Thistle, and Shamrock tavern, Elizabeth-street, on the body of Mr. G. P. Groves, of the Melbourne corps dramatique, who came by his death under the following melancholy circumstances Deceased had been a lodger in the above establishment, and being in the habit of indulging to excess in intoxicating liquors, returned to his lodgings at a late hour on Saturday night. At this time he was suffering severely from the effects of ardent drinks, and was put to bed, where he remained until about three o'clock in the afternoon of the following day, when he was found in his room lying on the boards in a state of insensibility. The landlord, seeing that medical aid was required, immediately despatched a messenger for Dr. Black, who lost no time in attending upon the deceased, and ordered the necessary restoratives. The deceased, however, spent an exceedingly bad night, being at intervals seized with most excruciating convulsions. After suffering much agony, he expired at half-past nine o'clock yesterday morning. The jury returned the usual verdict Herald, May 25.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE Mr. Gee, of Launceston, the owner of Hollyoak, one of

the beaten Vandemonian horses at the late

Melbourne races, has sent over a challenge by the steamer Shamrock, offering to run HollyOak against Bunyip, town plate weights and distance, on any course in Van Diemen's Land, for £550 to £500. Argus, May 25.

PORTLAND. It affords us a good deal of pleasure to be able to report that there is every probability of a bonded store being allowed in the township, all the government officials, whose business it is to sanction the measure, having approved of it, and recommended it accordingly to the home authorities. If we be correctly informed, it is in anticipation of the

establishment of such a store that Messrs.

Flower and Must have just been allowed to make payments in Portland of bonded goods received from their house in Sydney-born-

land Guardian.

HOUSES AND LAND We very much regret to have to report that numbers of persons occasionally visit this town for the purpose of settling in it, but not being able to obtain dwellings, they do not remain. A dwelling house is not now to be had, and rents are rapidly rising in some cases they are doubled. Unfortunately, under these circumstances, there is either a great lack of money, or a sad want of enterprise among the inhabitants, for there is hardly an erection of this kind going forward, and yet houses, at such a time, would pay remarkably well- Portland Guardian.

MELBOURNE STOCK MARKET. 102 head of fat bullocks sold as follows 3-26 at auction, at from 55s. to 64s. each, and the remainder by private contract, at 52s. 6d. each, or at an average of to 8s. to 8s. 6d. per 100 lbs. The market has been so full of fat cattle this week, that two or three lots have been sent back

again to the stations. Two lots have been purchased for salting, at about 8s. per 100 lbs. ; those sold at auction fetched 8s. 6d. per 100 lbs. Fat wethers are more plentiful ; there have been several lots in the market, but chiefly of an inferior quality ; good ones sold at 15d. per lb. Working bullocks are more in demand ; good ones sell readily at about £11 per pair.Herald, May 25.

VAN DIEMEN'S LAND.

We have received Van Diemen's Land papers to the 19th May, A protest had been got up in Hobart Town by the parties favourable to the continuance of transportation who had attended the public meeting at Hobart Town, addressed to the Governor, in which they state that they were not allowed a fair hearing, and that the proceedings were disgraceful.

WHEAT. We have seen a splendid specimen of wheat grown by Mr. Downie, of Macquarie Plains, which weighs 60 lbs. to the bushel. It

is called Hopkin's White, and is the produce of seed sent out by his brother, Mr. Andrew Downie, about three years since. A sample of barley grown by the same gentleman weighed

50 lbs -of. T. Advertiser.

PROBATION RIOTS report reached town on Tuesday morning of a serious riot at Port Esperance among the probationers. From what we have learned it appears a quarrel had existed among several of the men for some time, but not having an opportunity of settling it at the coal mines, they determined to " have it out at their earliest convenience. Their being drafted over to the station at Port Esperance gave them the desired opportunity, and on Sunday night a fight commenced. A constable was immediately despatched to town for assistance, and at the time of his departure, there was one man killed and several wounded.

The Comptroller General with a body of police

and some soldiers started for the scene of action early on Tuesday mornings. T. Advertiser, May 14.

IMPORTANT SALE The sale of Messrs. Nathan and Moses's immense stock of goods by Messrs. Lowes and Macmichael concluded on Wednesday, having continued for eight days. It realised the largest amount of any sale of the kind ever held in the colony, the gross proceeds being rather more than £20,000.0". T. Advertiser, May 14.

LAUNCESTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL. On Monday the foundation stone of this establishment

was laid by Lieutenant Colonel Bloomfield, , deputed by the Governor for that purpose. The school is to he conducted under the superintendence of a clergyman of the Church of England, and to be subject to the visitorial power of the Bishop of Tasmania and the system of teaching to be as similar as possible to that adopted at grammar schools in England. The expense of the buildings are estimated at £1000 towards which is in hand a sum of £700, mainly raised by private subscriptions in 1838. The Archdeacon and clergy, the Warden, Fellows, and Scholars of Christ's College, the

head master and students of the Grammar

School, and about 2000 persons, were present at the ceremony Abridged from the Launceston Examiner, May 19.

MANSLAUGHTER.- QUACKeRY.- A quack doctor, named Gibbon, was on Monday committed for manslaughter by the coroner. It appeared that a man named Thomas Bishop had laboured under an affliction of cancer in the-face, and applied to Gibbon in the presence of a witness, who promised to cure him for £20, provided £5 was paid in advance. The £5 being paid, Gibbon applied some liquid to the wounds on a Thursday, which produced excruciating agony, and continued the application daily till the Monday following, when James Martin, a friend of Bishop's, seeing the dreadful effect of the liquid, obtained possession of it from Gibson, after a severe struggle, during which Gibbon endeavoured to break the phial it was contained in Martin took the.

liquid to Dr. Pugh, who found it was sulphuric acid. Dr. Pugh, at Martin's request, attended Bishop, and applied all the remedies in his power, but the acid had burnt in so deeply that profuse bleeding took place, and eventually the poor man died. Dr. Pugh stated that " during the progress of the case, the whole of the parts where the seed had been applied came away in a dead sloughy state. Within three or four days of his death the neck presented such an appearance as he should have supposed the knife of the anatomist could alone produce. All the cellular tissue and membranes surrounding

the muscles and vessels were burnt away, and the muscles stood out in relief, unsupported and unconnected with the neighbouring parts. He had made a post mortem examination, and found the external carotid artery eaten through, and the blood vessels usually found in that region had disappeared in the sloughs alluded to. In the other portions of the body the whole of the parts were perfectly healthy, with the exception of the bladder, but there was nothing in the state of that organ calculated to shorten life. He had no doubt death was caused by bleeding from the carotid artery, which gave way by the improper application of strong acid to that region." Dr. Maddox had been also in attendance with Dr. Pugh after the bleeding commenced. Bishop had suffered such intense agony that at times it required four men to hold him. The jury returned a verdict of manslaughter against Gibbon Abridged from the Launceston Examiner, May 19.

CATTLE SALE At the sale at Richmond on Tuesday last, by Mr. Stracey, the following prices were realised wedders, 10s. 3d. each ; steers, £2 6s. to £4 each ; cows, £2 to £5 5s. each ; bullocks, £10 10s. to £12 per pair ; pigs, 19s. 6d. to £2 each ; some ponies were sold at from £3 3s. to £5 reaching. T. Advertiser, May 14.

LAUNCESTON MARKETS, MAY 19. Wheat remains at 3s. 9d. per bushel.

HOBART TOWN MARKETS, MAY 18. We hear of one sale of wheat this morning at 5s. ; the sample remarkably good. The average of sales cannot be quoted at more than 4s. 4d. to 4s. 6d. Flour, as before, £10 to £11 ; bread, 2d. the

2lb. loaf.