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GENERAL NEWS.
The usual new year's fete to the insane pa-
tients in Tarban Creek Asylum, took place on
I Tuesday last. The performances included
cricket, athletic sports, the performances of a
nigger company, and of a volunteer band ; and
all the patients enjoyed themselves thoroughly.
The Westebn Colliebies.-It ia said that
Mr. E. N. Emmett, of Victoria, in conjunction
with Mr. J. Mackenzie (late Government Exa-
miner of Coal-fields), and other gentlemen have
conjointly selected over a thousand acres of coal
land near Bowenfels. The land, it is affirmed,
contains a seam of coal ten and a half feet thick,
which orops out of the surface, and is in dose
proximity to the station.-Herald of Friday.
Death thom Intemperance.- A man
named George Quinlan, a dealer, died in
Sydney on Wednesday last, from theexoessive
use of intoxicating liquors. His wife, who had
been married to him eleven months, said he had
not been sober all that time, and she had known
him frequently to drink a pint and a half of
brandy daily for weeks together; but he enjoyed
good health notwithstanding. Previous to Fri-
day last he had been drinking heavily, and had
the horrors ; he ate nothing from Thursday till
Monday, exoept an egg beat np in brandy;
daring that time he drank, daily, a bottle of
brandy, the liquor being administered to bim
at intervals by his wife (he insisting upon it).
She called in no medical man, and gave the
deceased brandy, as she had frequently done on
the occasions of similar attacks whioh he had
got over. He died on Wednesday afternoon,
his death being preceded by a heavy breathing.
-Abridged from the Afternoon Telegram of
Friday.
Chabgeb or Double Voting at the Si.
Leonards Election.-At the Sydney Water
Police Court, on Wednesday, Arthur Carr was
charged with having voted twioe in the recent
St. Leonards eleotion. It appeared from the
evidenoe that defendant voted, at the St
Leonards School of Arts in the morning, and at
the Masonic Hall, York-street, in the afternoon ;
at the latter place the returning officer admin
istered the bribery oath to him. Defendant was
committed to take his trial at the next Central
Criminal Court.-Peter Ellery was charged
with a similar offenoe, and it appeared that he
voted first at Manly Beach, and afterwards at
the Masonio Hall. The defendant was also
committed to the Central Criminal Court
Abridged from ne Empire, Jan. 20.
On Sunday, Jan. 16, a fire broke out in the
stables of Mr. Lintott, Cunningdroo, and the
steepleohaser " Bally" had avery narrow escape.
A new gold-bearing reef has been discovered
at Lower Tar ont ta. Good specimens have already
been fonnd.
A destructive bush fire has occurred at Deep-
water, near Wagga Wagga, through the careless-
ness of some teamsters in not extinguishing their
campfire.
i n i
Mysterious Deatu nr Dbowkino-Ott
Thursday the body of a woman named Margaret
Boyce was found floating in the water of Darling
Harbour, by constable Sproule. She was lying
on ber back, with the right arm across her chest,
and the left stretched out alongside of her; she
was bareheaded, her dress was not disarranged,
and nothing'about her face and body indicated
that the hid struggled with anyone. The body
was first seen at seven o'olock on Thursday
morning, by a passenger over Pyrmont Bridge,
on the Pyrmont side of the barbour, but before
the passenger could secure it it had floated over
to the Sydney side. Riohard Holt Tharne,
restaurant-keeper, George-street, recognised the
body as that of Margaret Boyce, his servant, who
had left bis placeaboutthreeo'oloek on Wednesday
afternoon, that being her afternoon out; abo
should have been in about eleven o'clock, but
on going to oall her on Thursday morning, he
discovered after some little time that she had
been absent all night ; deceased was very sober
and steady, and had only one lover or sweetheart
to Mr. Theme's knowledge, although it appeared
that she herself had spoken of two. Deceased
had always been noticed in good spirits, she was
satisfied with her place, was on good terms with
her master and mistress and a fellow servant,
had had no quarrel with her relations, and never
complained of disappointment nf any kind. She
had not left Mr. Thame's house till abont half
past seven o'olock, and on the same night, abont a
quarter to ten o'clock, she was seen walking oppo-
site Mr. Thame's plaoe with a youngish looking
man, who was not her brother. This man was
overheard saying " Will yon come np ?" to
wbieh .she replied "No, it is too late " Some
I evidence was given of her having had a lover,
whom she called "her blacksmith" to her
fellow servant; with him she quarrelled, and he
went to Kiama, but she did not appear at all
out of spirits after this. She bad no business
that wonld have taken her to Pyrmont, nor were
any of ber friends living there.-The inquest at
which the above particulars were elicited, was
held on Friday, and adjourned till Tuesday next,
to enable the police to make further enquiries.
-Abridged from the Herald.
A. fire broke out on Friday evening in the pre-
mises of Mr. Prichard, baker, King-street,
Sydney, from mosquito ourtains igniting from a
gas bracket. The insurance firebrigade, with an
engine, attended upon an alarm being given, but'
their services were not required, as the fire waa
extinguished with the aid of a patent ex
tinoteur.
CAPTAIN COOK'S STATUE—The committee
interested in the erection of a memorial statue
to Captain Cook met at the Supreme Court
King-street, Sydney, on Friday, Sir Alfred
Stephen presiding. The Chairman explained
to the committee that about £1000 had already
been contributed and expended upon the shaft
and pedestal of the proposed monument ; £600
more was now immediately required to complete
the proposed shaft, which was (like the base-
ment) to be of granite. It was decided to appeal
to the public of the colony by circular for aid in
raising this necessary sum of £600, and " an
appeal" suggested by the Chairman was adopted
and is to be printed and distributed.—Abridged
from the Herald of Saturday. "
Professor Halford's Cure Again—The
particulars of a late case of snake-bite at Devil's
Creek are as follow :—Henry Richardson, aged
twelve years, was bitten at half-past four p.m.
by a snake about three feet and a-half long. In
a few minutes he became quite unconscious,
from which he rallied after taking brandy and
ammonia. But by seven p.m. he had got
worse, lost all power over the muscles, the pulse
being then almost imperceptible. Ammonia
was now injected into one of the veins of the
left arm; the pulse immediately rose, and he
revived, and was soon out of all danger. Mr.
Richardson states that snakes are very numerous
in his locality, and that the one that bit his son
is commonly called the carpet snake; but as it
was venomous, and the true carpet snake is not,
and moreover is not found in that locality, it
was most probably the brown or tiger snake.
Melbourne Argus, January 18.
The Wagga Wagga Express recommends the
utilisation of the native flax, which grows wild
in the greatest luxuriance in many parts of the
colony.
At a concert given by Mr. and Madame Sim-
monsen at Wagga Wagga last week, a portion
of the plastering of the ceiling fell down, and
the lady sustained two sharp cuts and a severe
bruise upon the head. She was, however, after
a short interval, enabled to resume the perform-
ances.
Several fat pigs are said to have died at
Wagga. Wagga lately from sunstroke. The
death of a draught horse from the same cause is
also reported.
The City Bank.—At the twelfth half-
yearly meeting of the City Bank, held yester-
day, the report adopted is indicative of a steady >
business ; the balance sheet figures being almost
similar to those for the preceding six months.
The earnings amounted to £15,735 12s. 7d, les
rebate on bills current, £5033 1s. 11d., leaving
net profits £10,702 10s 8d., which were thus
appropriated—dividend at the rate of 8 percent,
per annum £8000, added to reserve fund £2000,
written off bank premises £500, balance to new
account £202 10s. 8d. Mr. S. A. Joseph was
elected a director and Mr. C. Gedye an auditor.
At a special meeting held afterwards, it was
resolved to increase the capital to £300,000.—
Berala of Saturday.
On Thursday last, a young lad named Walker, one of
the sons of the late Mr. G. E. Walker, aged about ten
years, resident of the German Station, near Brisbane,
was brought into the hospital, suffering from a severe fit
of paralysis. The little fellow plunged into a waterhole
a few days before to save the life of a young girl who was
drowning, and gallantly saved her. His illness is sup-
posed to be consequent upon the humane act he per-
formed.
The first rivet of the new iron bridge at Tan wu drina
on the 20tb instant, bj Mr. Themis Laidlaw, In the
presence of all tbe leading residents of the town and
duttlet.
On Mondar Hit the Eon. W. Ponier, Minster for
Landa, visited Queanbeyan. Be wai well reoeÍTed. A
procession escorted bim into town, and in the evening ol
the day of bia amral be was entertained at a babqoet.
On Thundny evening a oom pi i m en tar j dinner wu
given at Marrickville to Mr. b. Cook and Mr. St. JoHen,
bj way of recognising tbe position they had aebieved
among tbe enayisli on tbe Land Question. Ik may b« ,
remembered that Mr. Cook obtained tbe prise of ona *
hundred guineas offered by the Wagga Wagga AdvêT
tiser for the best eaaay on this question, anil the essay
by Mr. SU Julian waa considered bj tbe judgea io be so '
nearly equal io merle that tbej had great diffionlty ill
deciding between the two.
Br/ioios through IxYxunixoB. - On Wedosiday
morning the City Coroner bold an inquest on tbe body of
a woman named Elisabeth Smith, wife of William Smith» !
of Kent-street, 85 doe j. Deceased waa of very intern*
pente habita, and daring «he U»t two or three days bad
been drinkiog to exoesa. It wea afaawn that deceased
had, on Tuesday night, purchased three pennyworth of
arsenic, aa abe »Id to poison rats with. The chemist,
Mr. Long, mixed the arsenic wttb charcoal, and labelled
it io the asnal manner. Deceased waa laughing, and
?peaking jocularly to him, and told bim be need not be
frightened, aa she waa not going to poison herself. Sha
appeared quite sober at tbe time. On ber way home
deceased met with a nelghbanr, whom she told eba
waa going to die, and wonld be dead ia tbe
morning. She appeared theo to be under the ia*
fluence of drink, and smelt ationgly of rum. ThB neigh
boar, Mrs. Bell, accused deceased of having purchased
poison, whtoh she denied, whereupon Mrs. Beti proceeded
to the chemist's, where abo learned that deoraiad had
bought nome arsenic. On returning Mrs. Bell found tba
deceased lying upon the floor very nek. Medical assist-
ance was procured, and deceased waa taken to tbe Infir*
mary, where she expired tbe next morning -A verdiot of
temporary insanity was returned.-Abridged from ift$
Svening Kevt, Jaw 19.
The Hobart Tow» Mercury sajs th.t a young lady,
while enjoying the luxury of a Turkish bath at Hobart
Town, lately, wu obliged to call for tbeasmtacee oftha
other bathei a in a manner they had not calculated Upon,
and. In faot, before abe had left the bath-room an addi- '"
tion bai been made to the population. , ,
A little girl wbo waa loat in tbe boab at Aeaoia Creek,
Queensland, baa been found after an abîmée of eighteen
dan. She had been living opon benies, and had foand
plenty of water.
On Sunday, the 2nd Jaonary, a boy who was bathing x_
in the Brisbane River waa bitten severely by a aback.
Sbarke bave been frequently seen up as far a* tbe city,
bot their presence baa not been sufficient to deter adven* < »
turon» batbera hitherto. Probably their active presenoa ,
m*y. x '
A man named James Patter, who attempted suicide
some weeks ago by cutting his throat, died in the Tau ^
hospital on tbe 17th instant from the effects ti the wound. ,
A German named William Jacobs attempt*d to commit \
luicioein the London Hotel, Flinders'street, Adelaide,
on tbe -iib. January. He called for a glaae of ale at tb*
cbnnter, drank it* waited a few moments, and proceeded ,
to the kitchen, where be borrowed a knife. Ha theo,
went to the water-closet, took off his coat and vast» *I
arranged a looking*glaii, and began to cut hie throat, "
before it. Be waa seen and prevented from carrying out
his in tea don by the landlord, who had him tent ia tha >
hospital. The wound inflicted wu not dangerous. , ,.,
Some plate-iron girders, for the roof of the new Ade- .
laide Post Office, have been made in that city, and ara ,
I pronounced to be equal to any English manufacture.
They seem determined to utilise colonial woods In
Brisbane, if possible The Qussntiafidtr tells of a fish-
ing rod made of wattle, whioh 11 both better and cheaper
than any imported rod
In oouieqnence of what has beau said about au alleged
cate of polia» ia g by Victorian ingar Id another colony,
tbe Victorian Sogar Company bu bad samples of their (
produce tested by Mr Johnson, the Government analy-
tic k1 ebeolii, and he baa reported that be maid not
detect any'trace of arsenic or other poisonous matter»
end that it is imposable that arienio eould have become
mixed with the ingar in tbe process of manufacture.
At Deniliquin tbe hottest d»y of the year wu W«d*
ae«day the iSth instant, when the thermometer retobad
11? in the abade. People took refuge in their collars,' i'1
and even there the thermometer'registered 90. On the/"
following day (Thursday) there wera some heavy jp
/?towera. ___ .*.
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