South Australian Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1858 - 1889), Saturday 25 June 1887, page 4


The Advertiser SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 1887.

On June 30, 1882, the revenue accounts of this province showed a credit balance of £57,193. On June 30, 1886, a deficit of £813,492 had accrued. We are now

within measurable distance of Juae 30, 1887* and the close of the financial year will show that the deficiency has grown to considerably over a million. It requires no lightning calculator to prove that the present deficit is the result of tbe operations of five years, daring -which, we have had three administrations in office, and a fourth has now succeeded. We use the latter term aa expressing -accession of time. It is too early to anticipate the success of the policy of the new administration. What ia known as the Bray Ministry held the reins of power from Jane, 1831, to June, 18-4. The Colton Ministry was at the helm of the State for the next twelve months. And the Government of which Sir John Downer was the Premier went into office in June, 1885, and has in torn given place to the Ministry of Mr. Playford. Aa Mr. Bray and Sir John Downer were undoubtedly the leading members of the Ministries with which they were both connected, it has been found convenient to link them with the increasing deficit, if not to regard them as the main cause. In the opinion of patriotic citizens of the United States the son rises and sets subject to the constitution of the States. Bat though the sun undoubtedly rises and sets with praiseworthy punctuality, and the Federal Constitution is an equally undoabted fact, we can hardly regard them as cause and effect, They rather resemble parallel lines, whose pecollarity is that they neither start from the aame point, nor will they ever meet, to whatever length produced. A judge, eminent on the bench of England, baa said that no verdict will stand an analysis. And we say, with the utmost confidence, that the attempt to fasten the deficit on any particular Ministry—s_ don't care what Ministry—will not stand investigation. The two great produdng interests of this colony—for unfortunately the third interest of which we could at one time bout ia 8-ffering from atrophy—the pastoral and agricultural, depend for their prosperity on conditions beyond the control of any Government. Weather and markets cannot be provided by legislation. Small —tarns and low prices have produced a depression which haa had a corresponding effect upon land sales, Customs, and rail—ays. Bad seasons imply for the squatting intereat losses by death, losses by decreased lambing, losses by lower prieea for a dimimar-?Ai crop of wool. To the farmer they carry the loss of all on which his income depends, increasing liability, decreasing assets. To the State all this means diminished revenue from the main sources on which the State depends for revenue ; and more than that, the dispensation on the part of the State with obligations which a large class has entered into with it. The great concessions made in 1882 and 1884 to holders of land under agreement for porchaie on surrendering the Aame in exchange for new agreements or leasea, represent nearly one and a quaiter milliois of acres, or some* thing like £2,100,000 in round numbers. Ifo doubt it is perfectly true that the State could not have enf arced the recovery of the whole of the original amount. But we have an equal right ta say that in good seasons the necessity for these concessions would not have arisen, and they therefore take their place as factors in the deficit. Again, it must be remembered that during the years of accruing deficit the ordinary revenue has been called upon to contribute funds to expenditure on capital account not far abort ot half a million of pounds. The system pursued with regard to railway construction, by which the interest during construction is paid out of general revenue, haa helped to create the debit balanoe in revenue aooounta. Of course we are perfectly aware that no system of bookkeeping,andno explanation, can wipe out the deficit. It is a fact, and a very unpleasant one, and like all unpleasant facta it is no use disguising it. But our main contention ia that the revenue in this country, unfortunately, is chiefly supported at present by interests which are at the mercy of the seasons, and that the revenue is suffering from the results of bad seasons and legislation forced upon the country as a consequence. There is one other item in the calculation which must not be omitted. With concessions which have so reduced the State funds there has not been a concurrent decrease in expenditure on works which add to the wealth of the province and increase the value of the land. As an instance of the latter, we may refer to rabbit extermination, which has cost the country over £200,000. In spite of all this, we have every confidence in the future of the colony. The lessons of the past few years were probably needed, and may save mistakes in tiie future, when with increased population and increased development errors In policy or ad ministration would bring greater havoc in their train. The immediate duty ia to wipe oat the existing deficit. The --?of the future is to prevent its recurrence. We believe that there are ways and means by which both duties may be fulfilled. The new Ministry have, by the grace of Parliament, been granted fair time to develop a policy and mature their measures, and we shall wait with patience to see if they are equal to the occasion. THEanual report of the Marine Board has recently come to hand. Seeing that the report is for the twelve months ending December 31 1886, its appearance is very late. It is not easy to nnde-stand why the reports of all Government departments should not be prepared for the financial instead of the ordinary year; and in the case of a grea

spending body like the Marine Board there is a special reason why the annual account of its operations should relate to the same period as that for which the balance-sheet of the colony is made up. Snch an arrangement would make the yearly reports much more valuable for purposes of comparison than they are at present. The principal work of the Marine Board is, of course, centred at Port Adelaide. Harbor improvements there have already coat the colony £711,000, nearly, the whole of which has been borrowed for the purpose ; and the expenditure of this immense sum under the direction of the board has involved a great and serious responsibility. In their reports a few years ego the board were strong in their representations that the continued improvement .of Port _delaide was rapidly fitting it as a suitable place for the accommodation of the large.t ocean steamers. Their object was really if not avowedly to show that the construction of an outer harbor would be a needless work, and that Port Adelaide afforded all the facilities which could be reasonably required. Alter an outlay of nearly three-quarters of a million Port Adelaide ought to be an excellent harbor, and for that matter so it undoubtedly is. All but the very largest ocean steamers can come up with ease and safety to the wharfs, the only drawback being the delay. It may be assumed as tolerably certain that the inner harbor will never be used by the large mail and passenger steamers from Europe, for in their case tame is au element of the utmost importance; bub the great vessels known as cargo slaves should find Port Adelaide exactly adapted tt their requirements, and will doubtless use it mote and more as knowledge of the facilities it offers ia extended. It is satisfactory to know, in view of the continued process of concentration of the oceancarrying trade in tiie large steamers, to the comparative exclusion of the old sail- , ing craft, that Port Adelaide, by reason cf the outlay on deepening operations, is now able to accommodate all but the very largest of the ships afloat. The board's report shows that the channel at Port Adelaide has been widened and deepened for a distance of about 18,550 feet. The whole of the widening has now been c.mpleted, but another two feet of deepening is required over a distance of 10,000 feet. The board expect that this work will occupy the three dredgers until October next. When it is finished there will be a channel available for navigation from the harbor to the gulf having a width of at least 250 feet, and nowhere less in depth than 20 feet at low water. The carrying out of the work necessary to complete the harbor improvements will probably exhaust the balance of £31,639 which remained to the credit of the Port Adelaide deepening fond at the end of December last. To show how the harbor has been used it is stated in the report that during 1886 29 ocean steamships came np to the wharfs, the largest being 3,591 tons register And 339 feet in length. No ship bound outwards drew more water than 21 feet 6 inches, and the lowest depth at high water on tiie day of Bailing was 24 feet. The board further mention that of the 15C ocean steamships arriving at tiie Glenelg and Semaphore anchorages only 15, or 9_ per cent, could not have found sufficient water to come into harbor at high water on the day of arrival. Now this does not show that the ocean steamahlps ought to have come up to the Port Adelaide wharfs, but it does show the convenience and safety of the harbor as a result of the outlay in deepening the channel, and proves the suitability of Port Adelaide for the accommodation of all large -teamen that can afford the time to come up the river. Whan the deepening to 20 feet at low water is completed for the whole distance from the Port to the lighthouse, vessels drawing as much aa 2G feet of watsr ought to be able to come into the harbor, considering the fact that the tide has an average rise of about eight feet. Steamers that can afford to occupy some time in the operations of discharging and loading will not be likely to ignore the advantages presented by Port Adelaide when it is borne in mind that by coming np the river not only can cargo be stowed more conveniently but at leas expense, while both the owners of the ships and the consignees of cargo save con? aidenble Bums. During 1886 the board besides doing so much to improve the principal port of the colony, spent £7,579 in deepening operations at Port Augusta, £6.465 at Port Pirie, and £451 at Port Germein. The balance of the loan provision for Port Augusta was at the end of the year £927, or with amounts due by other departments, £1,441. There was £13,421 to the credit of the Port Pirie deepening fond on the same date. The shipping records of 1886 are, as might be expected from the commercial depression reigning throughout the year, unsatisfactory. As compared with the figures for tiie previous year the arrivals show a considerable falling on. The decrease amounted to 213 ships, 1,157 men, and 122,170 tons. In the departures for Great Britain and British possessions there waa a decrease of 248 ships, 172,856 tons register, and 3,370 men. On the other hand, however, in the shipping outwards to foreign states there waa an increase of 35 ships, 2,263 men, and 46,460 tons. The returns from the mercantile marine offices indicate that abont the same number of seamen were shipped during the year as in 1885. The average rate of wages waa also about the same, though ln the case of able seamen engaged for foreign service there was an increase of £1 sa. per month. The earnings of the pilots oontinue to decrease, as might be expected from the increasing proportion of cargo which is brought by large steamers, and the increasing number of exemption certificates held by shipmasters. The number of vessels brought into harbor by licensed pilots waa leas by 128 than inthe preceding year, and tiie total fees received were £1,834, or £453 leas than in 1885, the average amount received by each pilot showing a decrease of £34. During the year there were only 25 shipping casualties worth recording, and none of these involved serious loss. Of the "_5 accidents 14 were groundings, but, of these only two occurred in the Port Adelaide harbor. The revenue of tbe board for the year was £14,-00. This amount is £1,650 leas than that received in the previous year. The expenditure from Parliamentary votes was £18,131, or a decrease of £6,825 compared with the Outlay for 1885; but it will be seen thafra considerable balance is shown on the wrong aide, and it is satisactory to be inlormed by the board that

during the present year they are doing their best to bring the expenditure within the income. The principal decreases of revenue are in jetty tolls, light dues, and mercantile marine fees, and it may be noted that the whole of the falling off in the board's income occurred at the outports. The greater economy exercised in deepening operations deserves mention. At Port Adelaide the cost per cubic yard of silt raised has been reduced to 9|d., or abont ljd. less than in 1885. It is to be regretted that so email a quantity of the stuff raised can be turned to any profitable account. Of the total of 529,480 yards of silt raised at Port Adelaide last year only 72,000 yards were utilised, the remainder being deposited in the gulf. The Treasurer informs as that tiie new Ministry are now c'.ostly engaged in the work of fuimnlating their policy, and that on Tuesday week, when the £[onseresnmes its sittings, be will be prepared to bring forward the propositions of his Government, On Friday morning the Chief Secretary (Hon. J. _r. Ear-say, M.LC.) called on the Chinese Comnliesioners at the Imperial Hotel and had a lengthy interview with General Wong Yang Ho. Later on the deputies and their enite visited the Exhibition _ty| made a round of the courts in order to gain a better idea of its extent. Next they male aa inspection of the Fire Brigade, and in company with the members of the Fire Brigades Board they visited the hf ad station ia Flindersstreet, reaching that place at 2 o'clock. A turn ont of the whole brigade was witnessed, the fiist reel leaving the station in 55 seconds, ths second horse reel in 1 minute 6 seconds, and two hoee-cart- in about a couple of sec—ds later. The commissianen and sue board than drove to a fire alarm centre in Sortie-square, the brigade was called, and various evolutions were performed most satisfactorily, parti-u--laily as all the men srere comparatively stew _ Tfcey have only been in training for abont two months, and as nearly all that time has been wet a very limited —mount of drill has taken place. Both the commieaoners and the board were very highly pleased with what they had seen and with the efficiency of the brigade. The Chinese Commissioners have been malting, enquiries among their countrymen. as to . how they are treated by the magistrates and police authorities in this colony, and we ara infoimed by William Wong Loon Goon, the interpreter, who acts for ~im?—??- when they appear in the Police Court, and who is also -^_—g for the commissioners dozing their stay here, that their report- are of a most favorable character. Almost invariably in answer to enquiries put to the f-i.n——-— they state that Mr. Beddoni? is a ranaa-zably fair man, aad holds tbe balance evenly ; that MrT Fens beats . them well; that the Co_im___ner of Police ia always very kind and courteous to them; and that Inspector Sullivan is patient with them, and listens attentively to what they have to say. General Wong Tung Ho, srho has been conducting these enquiries amongst his country——a, has espreesedhiseat— _acturai wich the answers he has received. In reply to his enquiries with reference to the poll-tax the Chinamen complain that Japanese, negroes, and all other colored races are admitted free, whilst the Chinan——. alone has to submit to the fas. The general, in reply to this, states that when he reaches home he will see what can be done in the matter. He considers the tax very unfair, and would desire to see the member- of all nations living in harmony, and no restrictions placed on intercourse between nations. The co-unissioners will leave Adelaide by the express train for Melbourne on Monday afternoon. The election of two member, to represent the Central district in the Legislative Council will take place to-ay. The candid-tea are Messrs. J. EL A-gas, P. B. Coglin, G. W. Cotton, J. Darling, J. Z. Seflar, A. BL Simpson, and J. B. Spenoe. The palling will commence at 8 o'clock, and terminate at 6 o'clock. The Central division in_ades the districts of Hast, Weet, North, and Port Adelaide, West Tarrens, aad Start. The heavy floods which have come down the Torrens River daring the past few days have earned fears to be entertained , ss to the safety of tits weir which impounds | the waters of tiie lake, bat fortunately anxiety on this head ia groand—as.' Th s sriftar is rushing over the dam in a great sheet, with a roar that ia einrpty deafeaiDg, aad the sight [ is a very fine one, but tiie dam is aw firm as ! ever. Theslnioesv—KaUopenedyesterda-.aad it is expected that tte —oden—neat sral jm c-nr-eqaence carry off most cf the _edi—_at which would otherwise be deposited in tiie bat of the lake With to-day'e ies_e we give another E_lu: b_iontuppl__.__t consisting of four pages. i The births and deaths registered m the ! G—_ai__g_ter Office during the sreek ended : Saturday, Jane 18, numbered:—Births, 105 ' males, 76 females: deaths, 45 males, S3 1 fe__les;to_4,m____s, TO deaths. Excess 1 of births. lU. The figures for the district of I Adelaide were .—Births, 22 males, 16 tern-las; deaths, 14 males, 4faa__es_ total,3Bbirths, 18 deaths. Exsess of tartbs, 28. On Friday morning the IL4S train from the Semaphore oa entering tiie Pot station-yard I laaintoaswajgoaof hay belonging toMusan. Gilbert,Wikor, & Ca,a_d dnrenbyamaa ! named Wm. Wright. The waggon was proceeding down Xspoon-abees, and the driver seeing the engine coming ronnd tiie carve turned his banns on the fine. The enginedriver at the same time reversed hia ?ng"?t. The train ran into the back portion of tiie waggon, tiie driver and horses esaajnig unhurt. The train after a delay of ID annates pro! cetded on its journey. Messrs. Caldwell, M.P., and Bartlett, MP., presented to the Treasurer on Friday a memorial signed by over 60 residents of the district of Southern Yorke'a Peaiasdla, requesting that greater facilities Blight be provided for landing pssariigen, mails, and cargo at the Stansbary jetty. At present vessels were not able to lie alongside that structure. It was suggested that a channel should be dredged through the sand to the end of the jetty, it being demoast—tsd that such a channel would not silt op again by the fact that tiie steamer Ceres had already formed part of a channel fay being forced into the aand, and the silt had not returned. Che Treasurer stated he would obtain a report a.' early as possible and then decide the matt— Mr. C. Giles, M.P 4 has pointed out a slight inaccuracy in oar report of tiie deputation which waited on the Commissioner of Crown Lands on Thursday with regard to the repairing of certain roads in tiie district of Frame. He .is represented as saying "it would bs better to remove the men from the Ninety-Mile Desert aad send them to the north rather than that the roads should not be attended to," whereas what Mr. Giles wished to impress upon the Government was that if they had nioney to spend in the south-east they could find money to spend in the district of Frome, and it would be better to use the money they were thus expending on making roada in titnorth, which would have to be made, and which would be productive, rather than inthe SOU—l—Bt, Soon after the death of Captain R. _L Ferguson, President of tiie Marine Board, a movement ?n_ set on foot with the viewof providing a suitable headstone for the deceased gentleman's grave. This end haa now been-ocomplished. The headstone is of marble with a granite base, and upon it an inscribed the words "In memory of Robert H. Ferguson, S.M, President of the Marine Board of South Australia. Bom at Waterloo, Scotland. 14th October, 18__ Died at Semaphore 12th October, 1886. Simply to Thy Cross I cling." The base contains the words—" This atone ia erected by the wardens, officers, and employes of the Marine Board, as a token of eeteom-nd affection tor their late £—_de_t_" The stone is 7 feet 6 inches in height, and was prepared by Messrs. Hanson, Evans, & Co. A man from the country named Barkly met with a somewhat remarkable adventure oa Jubilee night at Ballarat The-Star nays :— Having liquoied up rather freely, he felt like lying down somewhere where the police were not. With this object in view he ??."i_g..nl along Grenville—reet north, and aeeing a b__k space where there were no houses, and onlyatw- rail fence, conoludeditwasa paddock, which would sint bis purpose. He managed to crawl through the fence, and immediateTy fell into the Yarrowee Channel, which is about 15 feet deep at the spot. He scrambled abont in the water for some time, daring irhich his ioots and hat swam away from him. Air. C. Morris, Jan., undertaker, was passing, and he at first mistook the object for a " bunyip," bat closer inspection showed it to be a human being ia distress. Mr. Morris brought alone Constable Patterson, and they found the unfortunate individual trying to climb up one of the abutments of the .Wflls-street-hridge, which is about 20 feet high. A ladder having been procured, the lost stranger wascot oa and taken to the town lock-up. He was completely toafced through, and be piesenteda deplorable aa well aa a comical, appearance. Barkly was stripped of his clothing and rat to bed between some blankets in a oeU. Bis clothes were not fit to wear again, and yesterday morning the magistrates were informed that there was one prisoner srho oould not well be brought before them. She magistrates therefore paid a visit to him in bis natural state in the cell, and ordered hia discharge. His measure having previously been taken, a suit of dothss ajri ved for him, aad he weal oa hiswayreJMci?g. ; -The adtioaof *H_tton v. tbe Maboarae . **WW _^-_?_*~i OjWNr -as <joacluded _ tbe M^beurae _ttgm_* Can* oa Sunday, before lb, Juitwe WiUumi aad a

-pedal jury. The Argus says :—Mr. Hutton, the plaintiff, was manager of some quartz crushing machinery at Charters Towers, ia Queensland. He came to Melbourne in November, 1886, on a visit. On January 21 of this year be was travelling on a tram oar from Swanston-street to Victoria-parade. ?The tram was stopping at the comer of Wellington-street, where a friend of Mr. Sutton . got off. The plaintiff was following him, when tlle tram moved on, and Mr. Hutton Bras thrown on the np track in front of a tram going towards Melbourne. He was caught smder this tram, and was poshed forwards for some yards before it could be stopped. He was severely crushed about the thigh and 'a ,-s, and it was said that he would never be able to sralk again without tbe aid of a stick, -be _J-*~t iff charged that tiie defendants were guilty of negligence, because the driver of the tram having stopped started it again before Mr. Hutton oould alight; and also be cause the driver of the car going towards Melbourne ought to have seen him lying on —be track and pulled up before he did.' The defendants denied that there was any negli gence, and asserted that the accident occurred through the plaintiff's own fault in getting off the car while it was in motion. Toe jury gave a verdict for the plaintiff, damages -2,501— being £101 for medical expenses, £150 for losses in being obliged to employ another man to do his work at tiie quartz-crushing machinery, and £2.250 for the personal injuries be sustained. A strange recovery of stolen property has juat been made. About four years ago a robbery took place at Largs Bay. The victim was Mr. Hixon, the manager of ths Largs Bay Hot-, who, having had occasion to leave bis office late one _?/.!_?, found on bis return that tiie two ci-hboxes which he bad placed on the top of his safe were gone, the thief or thieves having apparently effected an entrance through -be skylight above the wall of the room. One of these bores contained some property of the Largs Bay Company, in cluding a number of receipts and £22. The other box belonged to Mr. Hixon Mma-lf, and contained £27, in addition to some valuable coins. In spite of the efforts of the detectives ao cine waa obtained ellher as to the person—lity or whereabouts of the thief or thieves, or to the place in which the stolen articles had been hidden, and all hope of the recovery of the mining money was given up. On Thursday afternoon, however, Keble Johnston, tbe young son of Mr. T. K. Johnston, while amusing himself on the beach, found at a spot dote to tiie jetty, and almost opposite to the hotel, one of the —?ii—?-_? boxes, which upon examination proved to be that be longing to the Largs Bay Company. The box was rotten, bat all the missing notes, goldj aad so forth, were found inside, although the action of sand and water (had damaged the taper. The theory held is that the thief or thieves placed tiie booty in the aand as a hiding-place, but on returning to take the boxes away found that tiie tide had removed all traces of their deposit-—. Hence they had lain there all these years. An earnest search is now being made for Mr. ______ box. Owing to the indexnency of the weather -here was not a large attendance at tiie theatre on Friday, when The Crushed Tragedian" aru again ptese-ted. The piece will be repeated this evening. St, Leon's circus troupe went through their jrerformance to a small audience oa .Friday evening. A matinee will be given this after too?j and the ordinary performance in the evening. The following order was issued from the Staff Office oa Friday:—lnfantry Brigade— Officers for tiie framing week—Field officer. Major Hasrold, A.__ ; Ist Battalion A.R, X Company, CaptainCurtis; -nd?attslion A.R., F Company, lieatenant Taylor. We learn from Mr. A. C. Mt-.*;- that Mr. A. Le Soeuf, usher of the Black Rod and director of the Zoological Gardens, in Mel bourne; wfll accompany tiie Victorian party which, as we have already announced, will leave Melbourne for Adelaide on Monday evening next. Daring hia stay here Mr. Le Sceuf will be tiie guest of Mr. Min^Ki-^ The Railway Department announce impor tant _iterations in tiie _i—?~_hfa for July. Oa the North line the 7.20 a.m. train from Ade laide to Terowie wfll cease naming, and so also will the 235 p.m. up train from _erow_>, while the pneeat 3.5 p.m. train from Xsrowie will start at 2,40 pm. On the Sooth-Eastern line theireaeat S pan. team from Beacfaport to Mount Gambler will start an hour later. There tae several other attentions, aad travellers ahould secure a guide before -?*-i-_ their rail way journeys. On tiie Adelaide Oval to day the Nor] woods play a return match with the Ade laides. Tbe last match betareen these two dubs was played on tbe Queen's Birth day, and resmlted in a draw attar a most ex citing aaa Since then the A^rf?i^_. have visited I——bourne and have improved by the trip, while the Norwoods' ranks have also been inip-oved.' No doubt one of the beat games of the season wfll be w__ested. The band of H.M.B. Nelson wfll play daring the after soon, A good audience assembled at the V.MC. A Half, notwit-atandiag tbe mdemency of the Breather, oa Friday evening; when the Flsk Jnbilee Stagers gave another ?i_?--ii-is— of negro jnetortiea. The various numbers ware rendered with rare taste aad skill, aad the singers were heartily applauded by the audience: The part song - Bells" was perhaps the favorite. A change of programme ia an -tounoed for to-night, and during the early part of next week new selections will be presented Bach evening. The Sydney correspondent of tiie Melbourne Daily Telegraph wired to that paper on Wed nesday:—"On Monday night at Irouhark, dose to Narrate-, a carrier named MVHfn,, a member of the Carriers' Union, took inH'iyr out of hia turn, contrary to the rules of tiie association. Thereupon certain members -owedvengeance against Madden, who left torn with Ms waggon, aad camped at Iron bark oa _oeaday morning. Four .valuable draught homes of his team were next morning found with their throats cot. Two were dead, and the other two are moribund. The police believed they had the doe, but the rain ?raahed out the tracks." Professor Anderson repeated his interesting eatertaiinmoot oa Friday aight at the Town Hall Exchange-room. The clever tricks and 3——ions produced by Mrs. Anderson aad himself caused much applause. To day the (--fessor wfll exhibit the "Vanishing Lady" for the first time in Adelaide. This is a very curious fllmdon, and to the rniir?_at?d father startling. A lady is seated aad a doth placed over her. A revolver is then fired, aad she instantly disappears, bat immediately after wards walks on the stage from the back. The lady w_l per—arm twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon. The completion of tbe Fishermen'a Bend Canal has proved a far more difficult task than was at first anticipated by the Melbourne Harbor Trust, writes the Age, The dredger Platypus has been engaged for some time past in deepening the western entraaoe to the canal, aad also in removing a sharp curve on the sooth bank of the river, which it was con sidered woo—l be dangerous to vessels?—i-ari—? the canal. Dredging operations have _i--l—?-_ tiie existence of a bed of extremdy tenacious day, the removal of which is a tedious and difficnlt piece of work, consequently the engi awer of the trust is unable to state definitely ashen it will be completed. Atan early hour on Tuesday a young married woman, named Emily Dal—ozel, died in the Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, from boras anstainod through filer _i-_. rMt<--f.;- E fipp _>__, Sydney Mornina Herald gives the following particulars of the aad occurrence:—lt appears that the deceased, who resided with her hus band, Joseph Dalanzel, at No. 82, Bay-street, Glebe, was badly burned at her home on tiie evening of the 12th i-?t—_ while aty-ting srith her back to a fire. On stooping to pat a dog her drees came in contact with the coals, and the flames rapidly spread. Her husband, srith the sw-stanoe of a friend, extinguished the fUmea, and took the sufferer to the hospital. On being admitted to the institution she waa placed in one of the wards, and remained under treatment till the time of her ri?—fcri. The annual dinner of the Prince Alfred Old Collegians' Association was held in Beach's Rooms on Friday evening. The president of the association (Mr. J. A. Hartley, B.A. B.Sc.), occupied the chair, and about 60 old scholars ware present. After the preliminary toasts had been disposed of, Mr. H. Dean, in giving "Our native land," sketched the ad-vances made by South Anstralia since 1836. Dr. Mitchell and Mr. G. W. Cooper responded. Mr. J. Ashton proposed "The Parliament," Mr. G. S. Cotton responded. Mr. G. Chewings submitted the toast of " Prince Alfred College and the masters." The institution had started on a very small scale in the Pirie-street lecture-hall, under Mr. James Robin. After wards Mr. Fiddian took charge, then Mr. Hartley, and lastly Mr. Chapple. Under all of them it had prospered, and its present high position was greatly due to the masters. (Hear, bear.) Mr. F. Chapple, B.A, B.Sc. (vice-president of the association and head master of the college), in responding, remarked that great interest in the college was now and again manifested by old boys who did not belong to the association, and these marks of remembrance were always highly appreciated by the scholars cf the present day. He was glad that the college still held its own in all public examinations, and though the roll had come down to 350 he believed that was a greater number than could be mustered in all the other schools of the same nature together. Nothing could give a greater assurance of future prosperity to the school than the interest and assistance of the old scholars, Mr. J. T. Humber B.A., and Mr. Churchward, B.A , also responded. The Rev. J. Y. Simpson (hon. president of the college) proposed " The

Association." The board of management were always gratified to receive the assistance of the association in advancing the interest of the col-lege. Mr. E B. Colton (hon. secretary), in reply, referred to the history of the association; The first dinner was held in September, 1879, when there were 49 old scholars enrolled, some of whom were present that evening. Mr. Hartley was then elected president, and Mr. Chapple the senior vice-president, both of whom were still in office. (Applause) The association had since become much larger. Mr. R Langsford also responded. "Absent friends" was given by Mr. A Henning, who mentioned a number of old scholars studying away from the colony, and who were gaining laurels. Mr. G. M. Evan responded, and other toasts followed. A public meeting was held in tbe Thebarton Town Hall on Thursday evening for the'pur pose of conmderiDg the question of the local postal delivery. The Mayor of Thebarton (Mr. E. J. Ronald) was in the chair, the attendance being fair, The chairman stated that there bad been a considerable amount of trouble with respect to the present postal arrange ments, and it was felt by the council that there should be a uniform local delivery. It was proposed to put up five pillar receivers, and to have a general post-office instead of merely as at present four receivers. A poll was to be taken to test the matter. In answer to a question the chairman said he would himself defray the expenses in connec tion with taking the poll. He further mentioned that Mr. Clipson had offered to undertake the whole delivery of the district for £100 a year. This statement having been re ceived with cries of dissent, the d_urman asked the meeting to give the man a trial. People in Southwark had to go to Thebarton for their letters, while others in other parts of the town had no delivery. He would take no proposition, but any person present who wished so to do could speak on the subject. After the mayor had concluded bis speech the meeting became very rowdy, wrong motives being imputed to the members of tiie council for their action in the matter, and _ the meeting finally broke op in much confusion, the mayor being asked to put a proposition that he should leave the chair, but refusing to do so. Mr. Bona—l announced that a poll would be taken on the question on Thursday next. The Philharmonic Society took advantage of the present festive season to give a special concert on Friday evening, but the anticipa tions of a crowded house were, owing no doubt chiefly to the inclement weather, not folly realised. The programme promised " A Night with Handel," and included the eeranata "Ads and Galatea," and various selections fiom the works of the same eminent composer. To devote an entire nighfs performance of concert music to the rendering of the works of one writer is a test that can be successfully ap plied to bat few of the very best composers. Certain mannerisms, from which none are entirely free, and which in some are specially pronounced, convey a feeling of same ness in the selections, however varied in character they may be. This was to some extent perceptible on tiie occasion under notice, but the immense popalarity of Handel as a composer served in a great measure to overcome this drawback. " Ada and Galatea" has already been rendered familiar to tiie Adelaide public by a previous performance by the aune society. The choruses were for tiie most part excellently rendered, considering the want of balance in the mnsical strength of the various parts. The tenors were espe___y weak, while the eoprana showed a strong master. The chorus, " Mourn all ye muses, waa hardly given that light and shade which the subject demands, the organ part, aa well as the voices, being rather load throughout. The very difficult chorus, '"Wretched lovers." was rendered with precision and steadiness, and the number, 11 Happy we," was specially well sune. The vocalists to whom the nolo parts were en trusted have an pnvionsly appeared here, and werewellsuit-dto the roles they undertook. The uutoral nature of the music calls rather for sweetness and parity of intonation in the tenor and soprano than for foroe and brilliancy, and Mrs. Palmer and Mr. Kennedy possess voices precisely of this kind. "Hash, ye pretty warbling choir" was given by ths lady with exquisite delicacy and feel—ur, and Mr. Kennedy was equally successful in his rendering of "Love ia her eyes aits playing." Mr. Gordon Gooch sang "Oh, ruddier than tbe cherry" with that vigor and psadsion which marked his rendering of this piece on a previous occasion, and gave farther proof of hia efficiency in this class of itit_v\ On the whole tins beautiful work of Haadd may rarely be said to have taken a firm place in the affections of Adelaide musical circles. The second part of the programme was of a misodlsneoua character. Mrs. Palmer gained a well-deserved recall for her excellent rendering of the popular aria "Angels ever bright and fair,^ while Mr. Kennedy aad Mr. Qooch were successful srith "Waft her angels" and "Honor and anna" respectively. The concerto for organ and orchestra, though rather long, apparently satisfied the audience. Prof—aor Ives conducted with his acenstomed skill, and the ladies of the orchestra paid trim a well-deserved compliment at the dooe of the war aata by ahowering their bouquets at his feet, an action width evidently took the professor by sarprise, bat which mast afford him the gratification of knowing that those who an singing under him thoroughly appreciate hia efforts to make them profit-eat. Mr. Pjbus ably presided at the organ. His __<-—ncy the Governor was present with Admiral Fairfax aad some of the Chinese C-T-mia?ione—. A meeting; of the Coannerc—l Trei—era* Aaaoda tion win be add at Beach . Booms this evening. Mr. S be at, ale Sydney evangelist, win preach in the Port Anrlafcie Congregational Church to-morroa momlng. ?' One man sows and another reaps " is tbe title of a well-drawn cartoon in this weeks Lantern, relating to-..-.Z.Boi_fa,l-P. Xhe secretary to the Boys' Brigade wlahss to ac knowledge the fo—owing subscriptions:—Hon. O. C. Hawker, M.P., _S; Hr. T. Scherk, M.P. £1 la; Uf. P. M. Laurence, £1 la; -easts. Mofflin ft Co, £1 Is.; and Hr. J. J.Green, 10s Od-