Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Saturday 10 January 1885, page 8


The Argus.

PUBLISHED DAILY.

"I am in the place where I am demanded of con-

science to speak the truth, and therefore the truth I speak, impugn it whoso list."

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Letters and other communications intended for inser-

tion in the news columns, should be addressed to

THE EDITOR.

Rejected letters cannot be returned under any cir-

cumstances whatever. Correspondents are advised to keep copies of their letters, as this rule will be adhered to strictly.

No notice can be taken of anonymous communica-

tions. Every letter must be accompanied by the name and address of the writer, not necessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.

To avoid luton, cniuico ami dclitv to perwni in

tor «,*ted, w 0 ha\ 0 lo rupi» Mt that all bunine»!! com m Imitation.., Includlnir ad. ertisamfcuts o ni era for tho piper, und re mitta ti co», bo ad .reused to Vi rtsui and ¿IALKINNOS and not to Tun h DITCH J'a J menu l>\ pont olllcu ortkr, bank ü rait, or \ 1 dorian posta, e tataiupH will ob)lire

SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 1885.

The unpopularity of the Gladstone Government throughout the colonies may be accepted as a matter of fact.

He would be bold who would dispute the proposition that wherever English-men are settled, from near the north pole to near the south, the Imperial Government of the day is, if not dis-liked, at least distrusted. Sir JOHN MACDONALD, the Premier of Canada, who was in England in November last, was feted at the Beaconsfield Club, with tho leader of the Opposition in the Home of Commons in the chair, and he made tho lomaik that Englishmen goin¿ to

Canada-no matter what WUP their former opinions-soon took tho Bama side as himself At the great public meeting in Melbourne this week, tho passages which told most 'were those in which the ointors spoke of tho oxistenee of the Gladstone Cabinet as a calamity Supposing that tho colonies bud to elect niombois to tho Westminster Pailiament undci any scheme of Imperial federation, it seems sure that those representatives .venid cist a solid voto against tho Govern-ment of tho day Hut, on tho other hand, ii there wero any such feeling as this in existence in the mother country, Mr GLADSION.-S retontion of olhco would bo impossible lie would lose at every by election, and lie does not, but fairly holds his own Wh), it may bo asked, this gulf between the opinion of the Jin tish subjects who dwell in Great Uritain und thoso who occupy Creator Britain 1 What is the calibo of a difference which

I in many ways, if long continued, would

lead to friction, and would do so mora and moro as the colonies and tho mother country grew closer together

Tho reason is not far to seek In

tlie colonies, wo judge .Mr GLADSIONI as a Foreign and Colonial Minister, and in Englnid ho is mainly dealt with as a Home Ministei Englishmen coming out to the colonies soon lose touch of home issues, and it must be well nigh impossible for the colonial horn to appieciato many of them Ground game, religious tests, and bunal giounds

contioveisies aio daik to thom \ct general elections may turn on theso issues 'Hie loreign and colonial policy ot tho Imperial Government wo do undci stand It interests us and it touches us, and we have it and coin parativoly little else m our minds in foimiug our opinion of the Ministry in power And as a Foreign Minister lim most enthusiastic faends will scarcely write Mr GLADSIONI down na I a biilliant success, while his critics

am confident that ho will ho ranked as the niOBt dcploiablo. failure known to modern history, ii that Duke of Newcastle, who has como down to in as a laughing stock from tho GLOKI FS, be ojvcluded El oin the Russian war of 1804 to the Khaitoum expedition, with the ilnbtima settlement and the Majuba hill disastor thrown in, wo have the samo btory of incapacity and vacillation, with the result of a totally useless expendí turo, sometimes of blood and sometimes of treasuio, and usually of both No Minister has sohcav.ya charge of un necessaiy bloodshed to answer as the author of the Suukin campaign 'Iho decision that not a British soldier should be employed in the fcoudan sends 10,000 soldiers there, and wastes sivteen millions of monej New

Guinea could have been taken over

without creating another colony, without calling into existenco a costly staff, and witliout occasioning any mtei national ill feeling, by Mtnpl) allowing Queensland to extend her boundaries as she proposed But the Gladstone Oovernuient, after tho usual groaning and grumbling, have estab lislied a Downing street protictorate, and have saddled Australia with an expensive establishment, and the ompire vi ith what may be a sei lous national quairel We see England a honour tin perilled and lier interests jeopardised half the world o\u , and wo judge Mr GLADSTONE accoulmjilv

But the I n_li lim in in England has many other in tti i io consider Now a question ol uwl now ol idigioiiti, and now ol -oinni-iual freedom, absorbs his attention, und hiatoiy m tlu,se later days Bees Mi OIAD siovK adopted as tilt apostle of the popular and the progit-ssivo side, bia personal peculiarities notwith standing Hw nttion with ie gard to religious tests and «.'ia disestablishment of the Irish Stat« Chuich secured for lum the Noncon

forming or Dissenting interest or vote-. a voto and interest tho strengtli and tho forvour of which aro hardly realised by thoso without English cxporionco. At one general olcction at least this solid voto is held to have given him tho j heavy majorities he then obtained in 1 expected and unexpected places,

And to-day tho principle of commer-cial freedom is telling strongly in his favour. England appears to bo Buffering less than Germany, less than France, and less than tho United States from an industrial depression, Jiut she is suffering, and when the man is «¡ck, and tho family doctor can only point to a slow, and perhaps a distant re-covery, the patent cure-all nostrum rises in favour. It needs few words to point out that protection spells ruin for Eng-land. England must woik for tho ' world if sho is to Hvo as the England

of t¡ó-day. Tho cheapest food and the cheapest clothing that can bo obtained are essential to her existence with her present dense population. Rho must produce and manufacture at the lowest possible cost if sho is to maintain lier supremacy in tho markets of the world. Eut the Conservativo leaders have seen their way to countenance that revival of protection known as fair trade, and public opinion and elections aro influenced accordingly. The recent Hackney contest was one of the most important of the day. The seat rendered vacant by

tho doceaso of Professor FAWCETT

was fought for witli great vigour. But there was practically no refer-ence made to foreign affairs The Conservativo candidate, Mr. M'ALISTER, in his address on the evo of tho elec-tion, undertook to defino tho issues between himself and the Gladstone candi

date, Prof.ssoi >_IÜAKT, and ho stated thun in eftett ns follows -lie was for supporting denominational schools, for closing museums on ¡sunday s, and foi " fair duties " on corn and other imports Professoi STU AitThedescribedas opposed

to these ?views And the Piof.ssor dwelt on the dictum that ] nglands greatness, lier comparatively high wages, hercommercial powoi, aio founded upon her " getting tho mnst she " can for hei money " 'J he result of the election was - »SiUAia, 15,680, M'Ansirit, 8,1.37, majoiity, 7,343 An election a low years back was won by the Liberals by 701 votes only In his address of thanks, Pro fessor ¡STUART claims no approval for the foieign policy of tho Gladstone Government, but speaks of tho victory of "liberal pnnciples and of fiee

" trade '

Many of us who condemn Mi Gi _D STON) in Melbourne would have been placed m a very delicate position in Hackney But in the colonies we need havo no doubt Our fellow country men do not look to us for guidance in home issues, but for light on ox tenor affairs We can speak for ourselves, and we can also Mew tho Imperial situation as a whole dom an indepen dent standpoint 1 laced in this posi

tion, the ludgment of Lnghsh Libi rals outside of Lngland is that tho Glad stone policy is non patriotic, and by its alternate weakness and rashness, provokes sometimes disgraco and somotimes disaster Puhaps that federation of the Lmpiro now geneially

talked nbont will solve the nossiblo

talked about will solve tno. possiDio difficulty of a disagreement between the colonies and the Home .Ministry, by leaving England to advance undei a Liberal Piuliament, while it places iinpeual powei in the hands of a Con scrvativo body-a body which will consol ve both peaco and prestige

Tho question raised by Mr ELLIOT STOCK, "IS an actors calling tin eim " nently worthy one ?" is not quite so unimportant as that winch formed the themo of ono of IIA/IUIS essays, " Whotliei actors ought to sit in the " boxes ?" and has been answ oreti v anously at different epochs and in dillorent coun tries Sometimes the "poor pla}cr" has been tho victim ot legislative pro scription and social contempt, and at others he has been the object of execs sive pdulation and ludicrous worship Oscillating between the two extienies, he has sustained an equal injustice by each in tho one case he has been tieated as something less than a man, and in the other he has been raised to the level of a demigod It was almost impossible for " the rogue, vagabond, and sturdy " beggar " of the statute book, " whom " Justice pitying, chides from place to " place," to maintain a proper feeling of self respect It is equally impossible for the histrionic idols of tho French and English stage to avoid losing their mental balance, and becoming intoxi

eated with the amouut of incense burnt underneath their nostrils

In its conduct towards actois and

actresses, as in so many other paiticulars, society seems to be incapable of obsei ving a juste vnlieu BARON, tho 1 rench comedian, was accustomed to s iy that a player should bo brought up on tho

knees of queens ; but this was just such' a remark as might bo expected

from a man who believed himself ' qualified to play the part of a youthful lover on the stage at eighty, and whoso vanity was so overweening that, on being told ho had earned the epithet of the lloscius of his age, he complacently remarked, " One hiight meet with " a C.F.SAB once in every century, but " it takes two thousand years to pro" duce a, BAJION." And although he was admitted into the select chelas of the exclusive society of tho period, it must not be forgotten that Christian burial was denied to his great contem-porary, AuniKNNK LE Couvituui?, not-withstanding her munificent bequest to the poor of Paris, becauso she belonged to a proscribed profession. For the same reason, even tho genius of MoMf-iiK did not protect him from insult and contumely at the hands of ' the noblemen who thronged the anti

chambers of Loots the 14th nt Ver-

sailles. On tho other hand, G'A.IRICK

consorted with the best men and womon

of his day, whether as regards rank or intellect; and everybody who has read the Life of Burke will remember the incident of the famous orator replying to a pig-headed country member, who, seeing GARRICK in the gallery of tho House of Commons, moved the exclu-sion of Hbrangers. " Could it bo pos" sibly consistent with the rules of . " decency and liberality," said BUKKI:, ] with moro than ordinary warmth,

" to exeludo from tho hearing of our " debates a man to whom wo aro " all obliged,, who is the great master ' " of eloquence, and in whose school wu

" have all imbibed the art of speaking " and Meen taught the elements of " rhetorifi?" And the orator, supported by Fox and TOWNSHEND, carried the House e''(tirely with him. NAI'OLKON'S .C-UtioBt.'frith 'If ALM A, commenced when

I

i

both were obscure men, were probably

moro confidential ond intimate than those which subsisted between thu EM ii.non and any member of his tn towage, and wlnlo tho Imperial actor upon tho throno derived many valuablo hints as to carnago and deportment from the classic tragedian, the formor instructed the lattei how to play the part of C «JAR in La Mort de Pompee with increased effect in one of the most important scenes

But, with a few brilliant exceptions, tho position of " player folk" on both sides of the English Channel was a humiliating ono up to the middle of tho present centtuy, and HOGARTH S picturo of the tiring room, and CRABBES de scuption of a strolling company, were both drawn fiom the hfo The poet npostrophised tho wandeung vagrants in tho following language -

1 Sud happy race I ¡soon rnis d and soon

(leprous ii,

?_ oui du)s all posad in jcopnrly and jcat

loor without prudence, with alllittions

vam

-Not warn d b) misery, not clinch d by tam

Alternate times of fasting and excess

Are) ours )e smiling children of distress ' All tins lias been changed An organ ised company on toui m tho mother country no longer tra\ el in w aggons, or on foot, as EDMUND KI V\ did in his carlydajs, nor does the leading actor shaio a tiuckle bed with tho low como

dian of the troupe, as at the time when WASHINGTON IRVING stigmatised the strolling plajer as "a woithiess vaga" bond, ' and Captain MARRY _r was of opinion that no one could bo an actoi and at the same time a gentleman

SYLVLSTFR DACUIRWOOD has foisakcn

ti n v Ila ,n tn, rnnm fnr ttin minimi

tho villago taproom for the palatial hotel, and the popular star moves about the world with a secretary in his train, and a little knot of adoiing parasites to trumpet his praises in every town and city ho visits His progi esses resemble those oi llojalty in the days of the lunoRs and the STUAMS, and his " citation ' of a new pait uses to the importance of a gieat public event

But it does not lollow that the actor s calling is an eminently worthy ono because ho is held in so much higher îepute and can earn so much more monoy than heretofoio Nor do these facts constitute a valid answer to

Mr ¡STOCKS allegation that "tho art " of mimicry, or tho representation of " feigned emotions called up by sham " situations, is in itself an occupation " an educated man should bo slow to " adopt as tho profession of a life ' On the other hand, it may bo reason ably contended that the acted di ama is a social necessity , that amuse ment is just as essential to the great bulk of mankind as food, clothing, and sheltci, and that no foi m of re cieation has yet been devised so ad mirably adapted to tho simultaneous gratification of many hundreds or of two or three thousand people as that which is provided for us m a well con ducted theatre lins involves the

CMstenco of a number of well qualified actors and actresses, each of whom must be left* to decide in his or her mind as to the worthiness or unwor tlnness of the '\ocation It is not

necessauly demoralising or degrading,

and is capable of being dignified and I

elevated by the personal character and conduct of the persons who puisuo it l'ei haps the woist that can be said a0ainst it is that it is liable to eisender in the minds of these a 11101 lu I self love au ltutablc vatutj, an un healthy giccd of piaist a _ etulant jealousy of nvah, and an altogethoi e\ag-,ciated estimato of tho actors own poweis and capacities In addition to which he is prone to ariogato to him self tho praise and applauso bestowed upon the langua0o and sentiments of the diamatist whose words ho repeats and to regard linn veiy much in the hghtof apcdcstalupon which he raises his own figuie intoprominenceandnotoriety 1 îobably few men and women of robust intelligence, dehcato leelings, and much experience of the woi Id would volun taiily placo a son or daughter on tho stage, but looking at tho question laised by Mr STOCK m all its bearings,

wo think tho conclusion to bo arrived at must be that which POPF lias con densed into a well known couplet -?

Honour und nimmt from no cond tion rise

Act well )our part there all the honour

lies

Hie returns on which aro based our calculation of tho yield of gold for 1884 tell a satisfactory tale 1 or 1883 there waa a falling oil after thrco periods of hi0h production, but mining is again m the ascendancy, and tho outlook for tho new year is very hopeful indeed Abao lutely cortam statistics appear to be unattainable, but a fair index of the output for the jeur is obtained bj tho collection of the Barne Bort of in formation every year It ia tho gold raised from private minos or m Bunill pareóla that escapes notico Divide) d p lying publi" companiea con bo watched, and their profits tabulated with accuracy Hie Himplo plan adopted for the ascor

tammont of tho returns published yeator day onables us to como pretty nour tho exact truth For piacticul purposes, it may bo assumed that all tho gold obtained by mining linds its way through tho

banks to the Mint and tho Cuu.om house Buyers and exporters, for their own safety, aro obliged to mako use of known channels of communication, and pro bably tlio Chinese are tho only class of minors and dealors whoso operations cannot be brought completely within tho returns lor 1884, tho total yield is estimated at 774,3J0oz, an excesa of 4.3,157o.- ovor 1883, and it is within Ó2,000u¿ of tho output of 1880, when mining revivnd, after touching its lowest point m 187'!, tho roturas for that year being 718 208o»! Iho Sandhurst dis ti let as BIIOW n by tho di\ idends, holds tlio plenum place, and Cieswick comos next Jn both these districts mining is regarded by expei ts is being still in its infancy, and we aro iceordingly justified in looking fomard with sanguine hopes to the futuro " \\ ith tho satisfactory progress made at " tho Beny Consols, the Boiry ho 1, " Hepburn Consols, Hopburn No 1, " Austialasian Extended, Lord Harry, " and the cxtensu e prospecting now in ' pro^icsB in tho quarts districts tho Bal

" Unit held with its surroundings has (as " wo stated m our mining roviow for tho " year) a brighter outlook at tho end of " 1884 than it liad aV^ts commence " ment " And of the progress of mining in Sandhurst, tho samo roports aro given lho boat yiolds wcro obtained in tho second half of the year, and tho closing month stood high above its prodocossors At such dopths as 1,500ft, 1,090ft, and 2,000ft, payable stone linn boen struck, discoveries winch may load to the opening up of a now Sandhurst Tho passing of tho Mining on l'rivato Property Act, by facilitating tho dealings between minor and laudo wner, should have a favourable olliect on tho work of the current year, if there was any genuineness in the agita-tion w Inch was so lon¿ kept up in tho interests of the former Mining is still one of our loading industries, and it is a fact worth bealing in recolleotion that tho di\ idends yielded by it in 1884 exceeded " the aggrogato totals dom banks and

" otlior publie companies by the largo " amount of £213,385."

In the Peninsular war the French

i marshals continued to report a long

series of auccessoa, tho net result of which was that they woro driven out of Spain. Something of tho samo sort appears to be ocourring at Tonquin. The tale is always of victories for France, but somehow one general after another disappears, and

now a Minister of War retires from oihco

in disgust w ith the aflair. The resigna-

tion of General GAMFKNON is not to bo wondered at. Questioned on the subject of the progroHB of tho war in Novombor last, ho replied that the Minuter of Munno managod tho affair, and that ho devoted Ina thoughts to " tho lino of tho " Vosges." ïno.liorwordB,tlieMiniBterof Wai was of opinion that if Franco means to recover "tho lost piovmces" she should IniBband hoi losourcoa, and not fritter men and treaauro away m usoloBs conflicts in tho far E mt. How gre it tho fiaciihces m Tonqum aro ia shown by ono aimplo fact When General NKHIUHI took tho command ho had 12,000 men. According to tho Lest icporta ho had 7,000 None had returned to Franco, but 0,000 mon had gono to thoir graves Aa tho result of such vic-tories na havo been recorded, the country should ho clear up to tho Clunoao frontier, but as a matter of fact tho Genoral Ap-pears Biinply to bo holding tho delta ; that is to say, ho docB not got far from tho rango of his gunboats The Fionch dream is to acquire another India in Ton-quin, but the English did not uso up armies as rapidly aa this, and thoir victories g.avo them pnmnces. There was no mistake about Plassy and Asaayo. General OAMM-NON diew tho lmo at parting with another 12,000 men for China and Ton-qum Ho declined to weaken Franco further, and, according to our cable meaaago, ho has Btated lim reasons with a sufhciont plainnesa. Pnnco BISMARCK has boon on the beat of tormB with the

French Government recently, and has encouraged it to bo firm about Egypt, and to bo aggressivo evorywheio lho

ox Minister of V ar seoB in this

a deep design And ecltamly the plain purposes of the Prince aro directly sei ved if lie fosters a bad feeling between Tranco and England or entangles Franco LU a .odious and costly conflict with China So far as ho succeeds, so far does ho relievo the piessuro on tho Vosges lho Gambetta policy was put by tho ox dictator in a sontenco, "To forgot the " provinces is to bo a traitoi , to talk of "them is to bo a fool" M JULIS Ti'tRY gives Trunco something else to think about, and according to the Gam betta dictum is tho one objectionablo eharieter, and Geneial CAMIKNON, who Lilka on tho subject, is the other , but tho ex Munster has the defoneo that his 1 .elinor rendered silence impossible

lho RUSS Cuzco, of tho Orient line, arrived yesterday from London Her (iles of ] n^lish papers aro to date 5th ult, and the mulls have been lande 1 ma little over 31 days But for the detention of the Curco in the Canal, they would have reached here within that limit 1 he mails put on board at buez comprised 45(1 bacs and packages Of these 133 were fot Melbourne and Geelong Amongst the pasaen^-a for Melbourne were Mr ltobert Morrison vice principal of the Scotch College and Mr II. 11 Vincent, one of Messrs .\ llliamson, Garner and Musgrove s lending nctora and miningera Mr Vincent left Sydney some 19 months ago quite pros trnted in health Ho hua quite recovered, and conies to enter on a three years en_a(,e ment with his former principals Mr A M .hater, shipowner of London, is a pus Binder for bjdnej

With relerence to Mr bervice s invitations to the Premiera of the other colonies to meet in Melbourne on Jununry 2b our Adelaide

in -ui_ii.ourne, on -linuury _._, our ACICH-IUC

correspondent telegraphs thut Mr Colton lina replied regretting that he will be unable to attend unless the date in uttered to the lirst week in February, as his engagements 'prevent him from leaving before that date

Mr Gullith, the I'remier of Queensland, intends to proceed to 'iaainnma on ¡Monday Ilia stay m the other colony will extend over about a fortnight, ut the end of wini h time he will return to Melbourne, mid short!) afterwards proceed home Mr. Grifhth ftela that he ia much in need of a thorough rest, and 13 anxious to avoid na far as possible all business of a political character until his health is recruited lina uceounta for his unwillingness to receive a proposed deputation of gentlemen interested in the cultivation of sugar in Queensland in refer-ence to matters of importance connected with the industry J1 or the same reason Mr Griffith has up to the present time not had under consideration the question of making arrangements for the free interchange of pro-ducts and manufactures between this colony and Queensland. Mr. Griffith may have some time to devote to the subject, and confer with Mr Service, before he leaves this colony on his return journey.

Major General Scratchley, Special Commis sioncr to New Guinea, will go to Sydney in a few days, and will have an interview with Ilia J.xcellency Lord Auguatus Loftus, Go

vernor of New South Wales, on the subject of the New Guinea protectorate. MajorGeneral Scratchley will then return to Mel-bourne, and go on to Tasmania, and thence to New Zealand. Hie negotiations with the different colonies as to the part they are to take in assisting to maintain the protectorate will, it is expected, take up about a month from this date, and Major General Scratchley will then, without farther loes of time, pro-ceed to New Guinea to administer the powers entrusted to lum by Lord Derby, Secretary of State for the Colonies.

A despatch has been received from the Furl of Derby, enclosing a long letter from His Ho)ttl Highness the Prince of Wales, president of the London Colonial Exhibi-tion, 1880, Betting forth m full the proposed objecta of the exhibition. 'Hie despatch and

letter were publiahed as a supplement to last night's Government Gazette, Referring to the warm interest taken in tho project by His Royal Higncs-, and commending it to the cordial support of the colonies, Lord Derby writes -"'lho Prince of Willes has done mc the honour of communicating with me repeatedly whilo tho scheme, now so fully elaborated, was under His Itojal Highness, consideration, and I feel satisfied that, under tho personal supervision of His Royal Highness, this exhibition ought to afford a more interesting and a more completo illustration of the colo nial empire than any which has preceded it I am confident that you will abure my autis faction in feeling assured that the Princes warm interest m tho colonial empire, as well us His lïoyul Highneas's ability in practical administration, will be devoted to the success of this great undertaking, and it only renuuna for me to recommend it to tho most favourable consideration of your Government, and to request that j ou will do everything in your power to ensure the best possible representation of your colony "

In a supplement to the Government Gazelle, issued last evening, there were published copies of the lull instructions given by Com-modore Erskine to Mr Romilly, deputy-com-missioner, on his departure from Port Moresby, New Guinea. They are os fol-low-"Mr. Deputy Commissioner Romilly, on my departure from tho l\ew Guinea coast, will assume temporary charge of the protectorate, and will exercisa the powers and authority vested in him as a deputy commissioner. Port Moresby is to be the sole port of entry for goods, ¿c., within the limits of the protectorate. Captains of all ships, on arrival at Port Moresby, are hereby required to produce their manifeat and papers for the inspection of the deputy commis Bioner, and no spirituous liquors ure to bo lauded without his written consent A copy of the proclamation is to be handed to the captain of any vessel arriving, together with a copy of these regulations No fire-arms, gunpowder, dynamite, or iir.y explo-sives aro to be landed under an) circum-stances. No settlement or acquisition of land is on any account to be permitted. The captain of any vessel arriving at Port Moresby

is hereby required to declare and report if ho lins imy infectioua diBonse on board

We are informed thut Baron Maclay yesterday forwarded the following cable message to the German Chancellor:— "From Nicholas de Miklouho Maclay to Prince von Bismarck, Berlin — Maclay coast natives reject German annexation." This will be a staggerer for the man of blood and iron.

The Premier has submitted to His F xcel

lency the Governor the resolutions passed at the late meeting on the annexation question in the Town hall with the request that he will forward them to the Imperial Govern

ment.

1 he case of Lieutenant Hely Hutchinson who was in charge of the torpedo boat Childers when she touched the ground on her way to Geelong some time ago will be finally dealt with by the Cabinet on Monday or tuesday 1 he case is a special one in its legal aspects Ihe course of procedure laid down by the Discipline Act is that when a prtnta /acte case for inquiry has by the pre hminary investigation been made out against a member of the Defence 1 orce the case ehall form the subject of a court martial J he preliminary board in 1- eu tenant Hely Hutchinson s case found th it he had been guilty of rashness in not reducing the speed of his veaael when he missed the buoy off WilaouB Spit and changed his course but the Minister ot Di fence sa) B that, singularly enough, stran 1

¡nu a vessel is not punishable un 1er tho Discipline Act nor tho regulations made under it Ihe finding of the board was therefore referred to the Crown law officers with the request that the Government should be ndviBed how to act It ia un lerstood thut tho Crown law officers corroborate the Minister s reading of the att and time has therefore been taken to con srder how the prtma facie case shall be dealt with , hence the delay which has taken place in announcing the decision of the Governor in Connell upon the report of the board which the Minister of Defence received about three weeks nto 'ihe final consideration of the re port will take place as we have said early next week We un lerstand that a letter will be

written to Lieutennnt Hely Hutchinson niti

mating the displeasure of the Minister ol Defence regarding the mishap and warning him to be more careful in future At the same time, a regulation will be lramed to multe the culpable stranding of u vessel a punishable olfence, nnd to throw the responsibility of tiny dum age to their ships upon the officers in charge until due inquiry shall prove them to be

blameless

Hie batteries tit Queenscliff, Point î\e pean, and Swan Island were yesterday in spected by Major General Scrutchley Mr Snrtood, MiniBter of Defence, Captain 1 homos commandant of the Victorian naval forces, Colonel Disney, and several Bt_lT oflicera and other gentlemen The works have been carried out in accordance with the plans of bir William Jervois and Major General Scratchley, who were deputed by the Imperial Government to advise tho Australian colo mes upon their defence measures. '1 he for tifiaitions are large and massive nnd well armed with modern f,uns lho various defences were found to bo in an advanced state ot progress, lind Mnjor General Scratchley expressed himselt as being well pleased with the zeal and ability of the Public \\ orita department which has been entrusted with the execution of the plans lho inspector general of the Public 'Works department was of the party, which returned to Melbourne at half pout 4 o clock

'lhe MiniBter of Defence (Lieut Colonel Sargood), being impressed with the ne cessity of lortifving without delay the South Channel-the key to Melbourne -recently asked Captain 1 homos and Colonel Disney, of the naval nnd military forces of Victoria respectively, to place beioro the Government the best raeanB of restating the pas_i"e ot an enemy up the channel pi lor to the erection of the permanent fort recommended by bir William Jervois and Major General Scrutch

ley A apeciul visit to the site of the proposed iort was therefore made by the othcera named about a fort night aro, and their views nave been pluced before the Government The reportB of the two gentlemen are separate, and each confines himself to the part to be undertaken ni the proposed deftnce by the branch of the servite to which ho belongs At the Hume time the two reports form u uniform whole, and having been arranged in concert, show how the sea and land forcea respectively may co operate with each other to the best advantage H is hardly necea wiry to suy that torpedoes are intended to play an important part in barring the channel to a foo, but the texts of the reports are regurded us confidential by the Government, at least, tor tho present Ihe reports are now under the consideration of Major General Scratchley and of the Government.

Captain Thomas, commandant of the Vic-torian naval forcea, on Saturday last lett Melbourne for Sydney on business connected with the defences of the colony. He had an interview with Commodore Lrskine on various confidential matters Ile also in Bpected the aparo l8 ton gun which ia to replace the Cerberus piece of the sams sue and pattern which a little while ago bad the tube tractured while shell was bein,; bred, 'the gun, which ia now among the Im-perial military stores at S)dney, baa been re tubed, but Captain Thomaa found it to be in excellent condition, and quite equul to the accounts which he had re ceived of it 'Ihe gun will be brought over as soon as the contract for its freight is ad-justed with Mcasra. Wm. Howard Smith and Sons, who aro to communicate on this sub-ject with the Munster of Defence 'Hie damaged gun will be sent to i.nglund to be re tubed. It could be used in its present con-dition, and if it were likely to be soon re quired it would be kept in the colony, and the crack BO pierced at its base that it would not extend further, but happily the gun can be readily spared.

While on his visit to Sydney, Captain

Thomaa waa careful to obtain lull data to iu- I form lumaelt of the terms of enlistment, I

strength nnd training ot the naval forces of New bouth Wales in which ho takes much interest As he only remained in bydney two days, returning to Melb >urne on \\ ednesday, he baa not yet hud time to become thor myilly conversant with the complete documentary in

formution which was willingly supplie 1 to him by the various ofiiecra of the forre in question. Captain lhomns had no opportunity ot see ing the New bouth \\ ales forces at drill, or of forming an opinion as to their phjsique and discipline-matters upon which it muy be presume 1 he has u high standard as the bend of the picked men who lorm the Victorian

Navul llcservc

Under the 10th Bection of the I and Act 181)1 persons could select pieces of lund not more than 20 aeres m extent, and, on fulfil

ling certain conditions were considered to have a, ri^ht to buy their holdings from the Crown According to the act, the section was to apply only to goldfields but it wus liberally interpreted by the Lands depart

ment, und lands have been taken up under it all over the colony Indeed it would bo hard to disprove that any portion of Victoria ia a goldiield '1 he principle proved a most useful one. Many small homestends some of them very valuable, have been established under the section. But the principle has been abolished by the Land Act of last ses sion Under this new act licences for small ureas will be issued in defined auriferous areas, but the licensees will have no claim to acquire the fee simple Hi- area open to selection under the section of the new law corresponding to the old .9th section has, in fact been restricted and the lands so open

now uuinot be alienated

Mr I K. Mugee the foreman of the Govern mont prospecting party, Deep Lead hua re ported to the Mining department that he has bottomed the Iifth boro ut 79ft and obtained about 20 specks of fine gold, thus proving the deep ground there to be auriferous No 4 bore was bottomed ii161ft, but no gold was got there. The report also states that some persons lind pegged out some selections right ucross the deep ground, near the scene of the prospecting party s operations

At the meeting of gentlemen Interested in the sugar growing industry in Queensland held at the offices of Messrs. W Sloane and

Co, Collins street west, on Thursday after |

noon, for the purpoae of discussing one or two matters of importance aftecting the pre-sent condition of that induatr) and ita future prospects, attention was specially directed to the proposal that efforts should be made to Becure a free interchange of products and manufactures between Victoria and Queensland. The feeling of the meeting was decidedly in favour of the proposal as one highly calculated to revive the sugar growing industry and result in mutual benefit to the two colonies. It was mentioned that the » hole matter had already been under discussion by the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Manufactures, and it was decided to seek the co operation of both bodies in bringing it betöre the Govern nient It is probable that an inlluential deputation will wait upon the Premier, who, it is understood, is favourably disposed tovvarda the idea. The deputation waa expected to have inter-viewed him yesterday, but Ima been deferred to a future occasion It waa

| also suggested that a deputation should wait upon Mr Griffith, the Premier of Queensland, before his departure for Ins mama, and represent to him several of the disabilities connected with labour and other mattera from which those engaged m the trade suffered We understand, however, that Mr. Grifhth has expressed his d.ainch nation to receive a deputation on the subject

at present

An application was made to Mr. Justice Williams in chambers )esterday, by Mr MacDcrmott, on behalt of the defendant in an notion of Phillipa v Ftlti, to set aside a judgment that had been entend for the de fendant Ihe action wus broughton a pro-missory note given by the defendant, and the writ was issued under the Instruments and Securities Statute, which provides that in certain cases where an action 13 brought on a bill of exchange or promissory note the plaintiff shall be entitled to recover judgment unless the defendant, within eight days after service of the writ, obtains leave trom a judge to defend. In this instance leave to defend was not asked for, and on the31st December tho plaintiff Bigned judgment

against the détendant It was submitted on behalf of the defendant, that by the rules framed under tho Judicature Act, judgment could not be signed during the vacation It is provided by order C4, rule 5 x, that "from the 20th December to the 1st February no ordinary proceeding sholl be curried on in the court, nor ahull time run for the return ot ony process, or doing any act during that period." There waa o proviso that the rule should not prevent the issue ot any initiatory proceas, or writ of caping, habeas corput, prohibition, Le., or any other writ or process of a like nature, rendered necessary by tho exigency of any particular case. It wns submitted that the signing of a judgment was nu ordinary proceeding, and, therefore, it could not be done during the vacation 1 or the plaintiff it wns argued by Mr. Mitchell thut, ns the writ had been specially issued under the Instruments and Securities Statute, the signing of tho judgment in nccordunco with the specinl pro-vision of that statute was not an ordinary proceeding under the judicature rules, and was, therefore, not prohibited by those rules, und the practice under the lotsystem of procedure bad always been to allow those judgments to be signed. His Honour Bald that, having regard to the prnc tice under the old BJ stem, he would bold that in this action the signing of the judg-ment was not nn ordinary but an extra-ordinary proceeding, and would, therefore, refuse to Bet aside the judgment He would, however, Btay execution to enable the de-fendant to apply on an affidavit showing merita that he should have leave to defend the action. Under the circumstances, he would not grant costs of the application to either party.

Yesterday a requisition numerously signed by the magistrates and other leading citi ¿ens of bouth Melbourne was presented to the major of that city (Councillor H Dodds), asking him to call a public meeting " to con

aider the question of the annexation of the islands of the Pacific by foreign powers, nnd to support the Government of this colony by every constitutional means in their represen-tations to tho Colonial Office of the regret felt by Her Majesty's loyal subjects in this city at the inactivity of tho head of that depart-ment of the Queen's Government on this im-portant matter." 'Ihe mnvor readily com plied with the request, and has convened the meeting for Tuesday evening next in the local town hall A meeting haa also been arranged to be held at -Richmond on the Burne evening to consider the question.

In November, 1883, Richard Summera was found guilty at the Central Criminal Court of receiving stolen goods, and sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment On the same day he waa also con-victed of robbery in company with Dono-van and Abrahams, and received an addi-tional cumulative sentence Efforts to establish his innocenco on the latter charge began some months ago, and Donovan, who had also been convicted-Abrahams having been discharged-made a statement that Summera waa not concerned in the case of robbery in company. There being some doubt on the subject, Summers has received the benefit of it, and has been discharged.

Some uneasiness has been created by cer-tain statements made at the meeting of the Castlemaine Council on Thursday evening, which were reported in 'Jhe Argus of yeaterday, charging the medical gentlemen who were engaged in investigating the recent case of small-pjx in that town with having acted injudiciously by mingling with the public im-mediately after visiting the patient without having taken the necessary steps to prevent a spread of the contagion by fumigating themselvea The practitioners referred toDrs Shields and Bone-we are lnlormed, took a series of precautions. The doctors drove to the house where tho patient Parker was l)ing, and induced him to leave his bedroom and go into another apartment, where they quickly examined lum. They then washed their handa aud left the house, but did not enter the vehicle waiting for them, con

« 1«. -.-, .*? 1 ".-.-V.I,. ,- -, nil- V---1- *"

aidcring it desirable to walk back to town, avoiding the crowded thoroughfares as much as possible On arriving at Dr Hone B residence they bathed themselves and fumigated their clothing Dr Shields then ordered the house to bo quarantined, and re turned to Melbourne in a railway carriage specially reserved for himself Dr Bono duly visits the place where the patient is con lined, to ascertain from the nurse how the case is progressmir, but is careful not to enter the dwelling thereby running no risk of spreading the disease as alleged

A meeting of the Melbourne 'IramwayB _ rust was held at the ooard room, Queen street, yesterday afternoon Present-Alder mun O Grady m the chair, Alderman Mou bray. Councillors Dodgshun and Garton (Melbourne), Arkle (Prahran), Barnard (Kew), Cullen (Hawthorn), Dickins (Richmond), Jennings (St Kilda), Methven (Brunswick), Showers (1 itzroy), Smith (Collingwood), Stead (SouthYarra) and Williama(PortMelbourne,) Hie engineer of the trust reported that he had teated the cement BO for delivered, and .bund that in nil respects it exceeded the re quirements of the trust as set forth in the contract On the recommendation of the finance committee, it was decided to appoint an auditor to audit the accounts of the trust quurterlj, at a remuneration of five guineas per quarter At the suggestion of the works committee, It waa resolved to invite tenders for SO 000 additional casks of cement for the various lines, OIBO for 100 tons of additional tie rods The engineer of the trust was authorised to np point an inspector to supervise the work about to bo commenced on the Rich mond hue at a salary not exceeding £5 a week. It was resolved, at the request of the Melbourne Iramway and Omnibus Companj, to ulter the order of tho construction of the tramway hues to the following -(1) Rich-mond, (2) Brunswick, Í3) 1 ltzroy and Spencer street, (4) Simpson s road, (5) Collingwood, (0) Nicholson street

1 he "committee of the Operotiv e Boot

makers' Union, in accordance with their promise to the manufacturers, called a meeting ot the members of the union jester day at the Trades hall for the purpose of considering whether the matters now In dis pute between the men and the emplojers

should be submitted to arbitration. The meet-ing vi a3 attended by about DOO men, who took an absorbing interest in the proceedings. The hrBt reaolutlon propoBed expressed regret at the failure of negotiations for concilia-tion owing to the unreasonable demand of the manufacturers, and the hope that they would still withdraw their objection to Mr. Trenwith aa a representative of the union, and allow the dispute to be amicably settled. This waa agreed to without any particular discussion, but Mr. Trenwith waa stoutly championed. The determination was ex-pressed not to submit to arbitration the main points relative to home labour, the certificate system, and the right of oflicera of the union to take part in the settlement of disputes, and statements that on no condi-tion would tho men go to work under the terms of the notice posted in the factories on November 17 «ere enthu-siastically cheered. The manufacturers have not up to the present made any an-nouncement to justify the assumption that they do not insist upon the resolutions posted in the tactonea, and there ia little hope ot tiny practical good immediately resulting from the meeting of the operatives.

'Hie brat competition for the Sargood shield, the handsome and valuable tropli) presented by Lieutenant Colonel Sargood tor competition by the w hole of the militia fortes in the colony, will take pluce to da) at Castle-maine, between the local companies The umpnes arc-Colonel Itedo, LieutenantColonel Brownrigg, und Major Fellowes, who leave town by the first train. The conditions under which the troph) ia to be shot tor have bten published in Vite Argita, and the trophv, which is one well worthy of the munificence of the Minister of Defence and the interest he takea in the colonial forcea, has been fully described. The coveted prize haa to be won three times before becoming the proper.) of any team, but the winning company in each year will hold the shield for the ensuing twelve months. The forthcoming competí

tions have already given a great stimulus to rifle shooting. Ijiich company will shout in ita own district, BO thut country corps will not be debarred by conaiderationa ol

Inna nf Cm» nr prnT«i> from heirn» nlnc-ll

loas ot time or expense trom being piuca upnn an equal footing w ith their metrópoli

tan comrades. The ranges will, of course, be the same in all the competitions ol the series, and the chances of the weather on different dajs will be the onlj possible bar to the best men winning. The score sheets alter having been duly ceitified to by the umpires, will be compared and tabulated ia the end of the nenes, which will not be com-pleted for u good while to come.

The convict Bnrnes, who alleges that he murdered Mr. J. 11. black some months ago at South Melbourne, is said to be a raving lunatic now. No decision has yet been come to by the law oihcers us to the action to be taken on his confession, and the desirable ness of transiernng him to a lunatic a.ylum is under consideration.

Dr. Barrett, of bouth Melbourne, has re-ceived a letter by the Orient US Cuzco, announcing that his son, Dr. James William Barrett, at present demonstrator of physio-

logy, King's College, London, on the 1st ot I December last, obtained, by examination, the fellowship of the Royal College ol bur-geons, London.

The detailed results of the recent matri-culation examinations published to day show that the Presbyterian Ladies' College gained the first class classics ; Misa Whyte, two li rat mathematics; Misa Whjte and Misa Allen, one first in English and history ; Miss Black, three firsts in modern language ; Misses Munt/, Monash, and Howitt, exhibitions m English and history and in modern languages.

There is no falling off in the attendance at the Theatre Royal, w here the pantomime ot "Cinderella" is being presented with pro-nounced success. 'Hie fun provoked by the various performers entrusted with the prin-cipal parts is of the heartiest description.

"Sinbad the bailor," at the Opera-house, is BtiU attracting large audiences, and the new features introduced into the topicnl

songs from time to time are highly ap predated.

The comedy, "Conlusion," waa again pre sented to a full house at the Bijou theatre last evening ihe audience appeared thoroughly delighted with the performance, which will be repeated till further notice A professional matt nie will bo held this afternoon

Hie panorama of the Zulu and Tgyptian wars at the \ .etona hull has during the past weekenjo)el fair liou-ta lo m^ht is an nounced as the 1 ist of this enttrtuinment in Melbourne

Professor Anderson s feats of clairvo) ance and legerdemain, in which he is supported by Mrs. Louise Maude Anderson, at St George a Hall, receive a fair share of patronage

A miacellaneous programme is advertised for this evenings Peoples Concert in the lemperance hall, Russell street

The programme to bo performed at the Jubilee Exhibition this evening is fully advertised It embraces recitations by Mr B. iturclough, aonga by Misa Elsa May, and various other features purtly familiar and partly new

The city organist will perform the follow ing selections on the grund organ this even ing, at 8 o clock -Overture, " Caliph of Bagdad," Boieldieu , gavotte, " Stephanie (by request), Czibulka, "operatic selection, ' Un Bailo in Maschero,' Verdi, quickstep march, "The Parade (bydesire). Stanislaus, oratorio selection, ' Messiah. Handel, vi/., (A) air, ' But 1 hou Didst Not Leave, (B) chorus ' Lift up \<MI Heads , finale,

National Anthem.

The hon. secretary of the Barry Memorial Fund desires to acknowledge the receipt of the following additional BubscnptionB -J Clarke, £1010s., J M Smith, £6 fis , Bennett Attenborough, Wilks and Nunn, £5 5»

Mathew Lang, £5 Da., J Catto per lite Argus, £2 2s. Newell and Co, £2 2s., H Spowera, £2 2a, J. S. Butters £1 Is., H Cornell, £1 la., J Adamson, £1 la, W Stochan, £1 Is., C R. Koss £lls., Dr Kose, £1 la , tamale, Hamdton, and Wynne £1 Is., Hector M Donald ti la., A- J W right, £1 Is., Bowen, chemist, £1 la , C S Price £1 Is., Batchelder and Co , £1 Is. A sum of £300 is still required

In an advertisement m another column the

hon. treasurer of the Melbourne Hospital lor bick Children acknowledges a long list ot contributions to the Christmas treat for that

institution.

Messrs, Gemmell, Tuckett, and Co. are ad-vertised to hold to day a sale in conjunction with Messrs. Patterson and Sons, of 5b allot-ments of land in Fairfield park Extension No. 8. Conveyances will leave the rooms of the former firm at 2 o'clock

Messrs. Fraser and Co advertise a large land sale, to be held at Newport to day, near the site of the proposed new railway work-shops.

Arrangements have been made by the Port Phillip Steamship and Hotel Com-pany Limited, to despatch their steamer Golden Crown from the Queen's Wharf for Schnapper Point and Dromana on bundujs, Mondays, and Tuesduya, at 10 am , com-mencing to morrow (Sunday) morning, re-turning to the wharf in the evenings. A band will accompany the steamer on the duj s named.

Asaloot lund isndvertised to be held to-day nour the Canterbury railway station (beyond Camberwell) by Messrs. I) Edelsten

and Co.

The name of Miss S. L Gerson was wrongly printed in the list of awards at the Jubilee Exhibition in Thursday's issue

An open-air temperance meeting, under the auspices of the Melbourne Total Abstinence Society, will be held on the Queen's wharf to-morrow (Sunday) afternoon, at ¿ o'clock.

It is proposed to .present a testimonial to Mr. Julius Buddee, professor of music, before his departure from Melbourne tor bjdney, and by anadvertisementelBewhere his friends are requested to forward their subscriptions to Messrs. Nicholson and Co 'a.

The following is the report of the Lying-in Hospital and Hospital for Diseases of Women and Children for the week eudmg 8th I January :-Patients in hospital, 2« ; ad-mitted during the week, 17 ; discharged, 8 , died, 1 ; remain in hospital, 36 , total number of out patients for the week, 97 ; new cases .21.

The Ladles Committee and the teacher of the Little Lonsdale street Hornbrook Scrip tuie behool desire io thank the managers of the Jubilee Exhibition, for giving free ad-mission to the elder children of their school on Thursday, the 18th ult

bubjoined ia the report of the Victorian Ejeand Eur Hoapilal for the week ending Januar) 1).- In patients - Remaining from lust week, 41 ; admitted, 10; discharged, 0 , remaining in house, 42. Out-patients-Males, 90 , témales, 77 ; new cases, 70 ; total, 24a Operations, 12._