'This much-talked-about, mnch-fought-about project, the Pacific cable, fait accompli. Adviees recently to hand from Suva (Fiji) report that the cable Meamer Anglia has' completed land the shore end, connecting Fiji with folk Tsland. The cable is therefore now complete throughout from Vancouver to Southport (Queensland).
Postmaster-General Drake will cclebrate the occasion with an appropria banquet at the local Southport hostelry. 'A number of prominent officials and others, recognised ax heads in the world of commerce, are invited to celebrate likewise, whilst the usual number of congratulatory telegrams will be dispatched.
The exodus of starving stock from Arought-stricken areas in. the Northern Mallee districts to more favoured lo: ties on the coastal side of the Dividing goes on ap:
huge specials, crammed with hors and stock, (technically known to Rail " made up at various centres in the North. This traffic has been cing on for weeks past, and yet the Department cannot provide sifigiont. rolling stock to accommodate the orders on hand. Ready help is being extended both in cash, and jor stock quarters; the and the avo initiated subscriptions for the relief of the stricken selectors and.
of whom have lost their all.
men, the grain and produce trades, all opened their purses in aid of clip ents, with whom they can hope to do little or no business for the next twelve months at lea The Government. Statist puts his official estimate of the shortage in grain requirements for the season at close on 8,000,000 bushels, which is the amount that-will have to be imported in the State of Victoria alone. New South Wales, Queensland, and South Australia are in a like or rather worse condition, so this elfic coast-towards Australia.
An Exhibition of 1902, The Federal International Exhibition invared by M. Joubert (not of Trans-fame) was officially opened by State Governor Sir George Clark, on 3ist October. The undertaking was little advertised, and considering the depressed condition of the section of population engaged in agricultural and pastoral purs, the promoters must feel more than d with the excellent display now nds of fect space in ing. A first. class programme had been provided for the opening and this received the lion's share of public patronage. The picture gallery forms one of the principal features of the Exhibition but is hardly complete. as several consignments by proent European artists have yet to ar-by an early mail steamer. The works hung are mostly by members of Victorian and New South Wales Artist Societies, whit the Yarra Sculptors Society is well represented. shows innumerable abound, whilst a beer garden on Continental lines is sure to attract large custom on hot and thirsty nights. The Exhibition is to run for three months. of Fraud. of for a very long time has public aunusement been aroused by a lawsuit to such an extent as it has been in the trial of A.B. Worthington, to whom I referred in a former letter. The case presented all the features of a cause cclébre; there were the clever scheming adventurer and the pretty and wealthy little widow, his victim; the wife of the deceiver who was very much in the way and obstinately refused to die when expected, also any number of passionate love letters read aloud in court. Refer ences also to Rosicrucian Mahatmas and tian deities of the Isis and Osiris variety by the score.
Worthington, an unscrupulous, ted, plausible American adventurer, arrived in Melbourne over 12 months ago and, although he had a very shady record in Maoriland and other places, he established a religious sect, oatied the Students of Truth, mostly women. He then proceeded on' the lines of a quasi-Oriental mysticism, mixed with a dash of German transcendentalism, to gull his faithful followers at his pleasure. Madame de Jo Juveny was one of the most easily impressed, and on the strength of bogus letters from a firm of Yankee Jawyers assuring him of his inheritance of vast wealth from a defunct relative, Worthington " borrowed" in all from the lady £1,300. There were more tender re~ Jations than business ones between the pair, however, and in one letter, the gentleman, who signed himself Osiris, remar! ed that hi: was not expected to live more than a year, and asked his disciple to step into the position when vacant. Occult beings had foretold Mrs. Worthington's carly demise. After a year's ing, however, the prophecy remained unfulfilled, and in due course the disappointed widow became alarmed about her cash which Osiris had "borrowed," and took out a warrant for his arrest. At the time of his arrest, Worthington was Minister of the Sydney Unitarian Church. 'As fraud was clearly proved the judge summed up strongly against the prisoner a verdict of guilty was recorded, and the high priest of Osiris was awarded a term of seron Fears' hard labour.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.