The Queen has given her formal assent to the Australian Commonwealth Bill, and has signalized this epoch-making event by presenting to Mr. Barton, the senior of the Federal delegates, the table on which she appended her Royal signature. together with the inkstand and pen which she used. They are to be preserved in the Federal Parliament, in which it is regarded as highly probable that will be the first Prime Minister. official notification has yet been male of the appointment of the first Governor-General of United Australia, but it is widely believed that Lord Hopetoun will have the post. Lord Hopetoun, who is now Lord Chamberlain, has, it will be remembered, already served' in Australia, where he was for some years Governor of Victoria, a post in which he achieved a high degree of popularity.
13th July.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.