Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Wednesday 29 October 1856, page 5


AGRICULTURAL AW PASTÔBAÎT'

STATISTICS. qAL

AaniouMwtAL.

Home returns of great value (which will bo found elsewhere) havo recently boen issued from tho department of the Registrar a oS having roforonoo to the amiouiturai' »ñ-í

pstoral interests of the colSny" "hil »m íc^eíT"*1011 f°r thD boho^óiWthe homo

Tho total number of farmers in Victoria nt the end of tho Benson ended the 31s? of March lort was 4,820, and the fíiai acresl ingBouluvatlou 115,185?, or a» ii°iCi88Ka° eaoh holder or occupier. Thf«

116,1868 acres were cropped as foil««T. T"

wheot, for grain 42,680^$ for ZVlöt

acres; in maize, for grain 1211 arra* ric/ * /

food 68? acres in barley, îoî Sin ffiua ' acres, for green food im a^rcs,rfo8r hay 2 o!

acres: m oats, for gra n 17,800 korea for"ti:*

food 4891 acres, for hay 89,8268 S VC nips 356i acres; in mangold! wurtzel Ti

aÄSiÄäs&f.eS

grasses 70 acres; in vines 207* acres. *

rho yield from these crops is thus a\v>-, i"

gold wurtzel, 10 tons of cahhaso, 145J tons of Onions, 49£ tons of carrots, 2,377 bushels ot peas and beans, 59.796J tons of potatoes, 33IJ cwt. of tobacco. 11 tons wheat hay, 646 ton* of barley hay, 82,619* tons of at hay, 3 tons of sown grasses, 488,832 lbs. of grapes sold, and 9,371 gallons of wine.

The number of acres under cultivation is thus distributed among the various countleä and distriots ¡-County of Bourke, 43,723£ ; Grant, 80,476; Evelyn. 2,856}; Momingtoa, 2,672* : ^Dalhousie, 8,987 ; Polwarth, 1,4601 ; Bipon, 628J: Talbot. 3,177?; Grenville, 773; Hampden, SWh: Heytesbury, 619 ; Anglesey, 479i; Rodney, 798Î ; Dundas, 480: Follett, 123; Normanby, 1,329; ViUiers, 10,8fc7 ; Dia trlctof Avoca, 755?; Ovens, 2,211; Bendigo, J,4895; Gipps Land,. 1,1971; Wimmera, G1

acies.

Of the extent to which agriculture has been carrie1 *,h'H season »ve have no means of ar-riving" at ä conclusion. Ii IS known, how-ever, that a large breadth of lana nui S?8» laid down in wheat, ard that the growing crops are looking healthy throughout the colony. The wheat crops especially aro luxu-riant and strong, giving promise of an abun-dant and early harvest.

PASTORAL.

,' The number of Live Stock in the colony on the 1st of January was published in a lecent Gazette :~

The following aro tho gross totals, The detailed returns of the several counties, parishes, and districts, will bo laid before Parliament with the annual statistics of the colony :

Description]

Description of Stock.

HoraH CatHo0."! PH sll0°P- |Q3ats

On pureh'dl

lands

On Crown

lands

20,040 13,384

00,030 438,077

20,080

210,531

4,853,341

1,781

Total....| 33,430 1684,113 120,08014,677,872 11,781

The following, statement of the quantities on the Crown lands of the various districts is

compiled from the published return s. The totals do not tally exactly with those sot down above, but the discrepancies aro not im-portant:-_m_

Nnrao of District.

Cattle

Shoop. I

Western Port

Gipps Land .. Murray. ?Wlmniora

Portland Bay Bourke . Grant.

2,002 1,050 3,095 1,714 3,821

11 110

77,470 41,064 114,073

35,003 107,770

00 1,303

051,670

03,441 304,103 1,073,703 2,106,593

1,712 23,000

Totals.I 18,300 | 438,007 I 4,874,341 To tho horned cattle and Bheop, on Grown landB, in the first table, one-sixth more may bo added for flocks and herds depastured on the Írre-emptive right land of tho licensees, and or those sold for the markets on the gold-fields and for Molbourno, immediately before the date of tho return. This will make the number of horned cattle 607,126, and of sheep 6.804,262. Tho quantities 'of cattle have steadily increased during the last Ave years, while those of sheep have decreased to some extont. Horses have Bbown a marked increase during the same period. We subjoin the totals from returns commencing at January, 1862 :

Horses. Cattlo. Shoop.

1862 .. .. 18,655 320,486 6,718,180 1853 .. .. 13,070 830,171 0,033,367 1854 .. .. 15,150 410,030 5,600,400 1865 .. .. 27,038 481,010 5,382,007 1850 .. .. 33,430 607,126 6,804,602

A Question has been frequently brought beforo the publio of late, as to whether the con-sumption of animal food has not been exceed-ing the production.

It is true that there has been a falling off In tho numbor of sheep, and that there are this year in Victoria fewer sheep by about 413,618, than thoro were in 1852. In that year the sheep numbered 5,718,180, this year only 6,304,562. But, happily for meat consumers, it appears that cattle havo increased from 820,485 to 607,126, during the same period, giving us 286,641 more in 18S6 than in 1852. Now, inasmuch as, so far as the meat question is concerned, one average " beast " is equiva-lent to thirteen sheep (on tho assumption, which is not far from the mark, that an aver-age " boast " wolghs 780 lbs., and on average sheep 60 lbs ), we find that the increase of cattle is equlvalont to an increaso of 8,226,833 sheep. If irom this numbor wo deduct 413,618 (the actual decrease), we have left 8,812,715. That number of sheep represonts how muoh more meat wo possess in 1856,- than we had in 1852.

POUT runup FARMERS' SOCIETY'S EXHIBITION. I Tho nnnunl exhibition of stork, dairy pro-

duce, implements, machinery, &c, was notd at the yards of the society, near the Univer-sity, on Wednesday and Thursday, the 22ad and 23rd inst,

The numbor of stock and articles exhibitod was very considerable, and provos the caro and attention, tis well as the porsevoranco and energy whioh ovidontly animate the farming and mechanical portion of our community. The arrangements were exceedingly good, and a catalogue published by tho committee af-forded easy reference to tho position in tho yards, of the animals and artioles exhibitod.

The stock excited genoral admiration, and we think must, in many classes, havo trouhlod the judRes wlioro to bestow the palm. The imported stock of both horses and cattle, it is almost superfluous to remark, woro admirable; and the speoimens of colonial-bred young stock amply displayed the judgmont and oare evinced by our breeders and stock owners. Considering tho great importance and value of dairy produce in this colony, a greater variety of breed of known approved sorts In the dairy sections appeared desirable.

The fat cattlo were fine speoimens of feeding up, and might have rivalled many of their stall-fed brethren on the other side the globe ; nor was weight only their recommendationsymmetry and beauty wero not overlooked.

The BIIOW of pigs was very good, and to ad-mirers of anything uncomfortably fat must have been veiy gratifying.

Of the sheep much cannot bo said, so fow pens only boing exhibited that nothing like a fair specimen of Victorian sheep could bo considered as Bhown.

The poultry wero chiefly of the gigantio Cochin breed, and from their enormous size I the uninitiated might be pardoned for doubt' ) Ing their claim to be considered as ordinary

cocks and hens. Some remarkably fine rab-bits were exhibited, andolaimed much atten-

tion.

The display of dairy produce looked very tempting, and was, we believe, as good as it

looked.

A fleece and twelve cards of wool, scoured by Mr.B. W.Gce, attracted considerable atten-tion : tho curlwaa retained,the fibre uninjured and the nature of the wool not impaired, while its excessive whiteness rendored it like flakes of snow.

The colonial manufactured articles in earthenware, consisting of wino, butter, and water coolers, bread pans, and other useful domestic articles, attracted muoh and deserved attention, as well as some models of vegetables in Ballaarat clay.

Tho implements and machinos exhibited were very numorous. Amongst them Messrs, Bobinson and Oo.'s stood conspicuous, both as to number and originality of invention. The colonial-made plough, procuring tho second prizo, was an admlrablo piece of work-manship. The great competition for thoprlza for threshing machines lay betwoon a power-ful one suited for four, six, or eight bullocks, or horses, manufactured by Messrs Bobinson and Co,, with improvements and additions for dressing, &c. anda ttfo-horso power ma-chine of Ayrshire make, oxhlbjtçrj \¡y. Moanf" Moody and Gibb, io tho lar£- : '.', , -

|B?«> f «. Wrh°arÄhßr.

i perg, rn uU orushors, hay rakes, were shown in i great variety; as were also ohaffcutting and 1 corn-crushing machines, on improved prin-

ciples ; in fact every implement, even to handtools, solonco and experience have brought to assist tho farmer and agriculturist, wore ex-hibited in great variety. Tho cart« and wag-gons appeared to combine strength, llghtnoss, and durability, and wero much admired.

The judges'awards (one hundred and twenty in number) appeared to give gonoral satisfac tion, and wo congratulate tho society on having produced the largest and most attrac-tive exhibition of tho kind the colony has

witnessed.

THE POET OF MELBOURNE.

TUB PATENT SLIP.

The contraots for the formation of theäe highly necessary works woro takon up at the commencement of the present month by Messrs. Pearce and Dalzlcl for the-1 sum of ¡£17,804, and the filling-up of the spaoe of water Bolectod as the site is rapidlyi progress-ing under tho superintendence of the engineer, Mr. Birnie. Of course, as tho undertaking is one of considerable magnitudo, we cannot look for the completion of tho slip for several months, but wo watch the works with oon

Biderablo interest, and hope to be enabled to ? record from timo to time that they are being ( carried on with vigour and energy. '

THE PILOT SE11VI0E.

(iwTÄolett?rr,w^tea by tl»o pilots to Captain « Mathews (Lloyd's agent and their representa-

tive at tho board) has been published tin tha

morning papéis. Tho pilots"consider that his

acceptance of thu office "has resulted in. a ! completo betrayal of our interests, and they " begtorequestthatyou will resign that omeo.

Captain Mathews has laid the case befora tho Pilot Boarei, who havo decided " that it is not in a position to take action in tho mat-ter, but that if any specifio charge is made by the pilots against Cap-tain Mathews, the board 'Will, if con-sidered necessary by Government, inyestlgata such charge." Upon this Captain Mathews .moto to the Chief Secretary, and is informed in reply by the Commissioner of Trade and Customs, air. H. 0. B. Childers, " that tha Officer Administering the Government de-clines to interfere between the pilots and tbeir representatives at tho Pilot Board, ex-cept upon the receipt of a requisition, &o." Aftor a lapso of many weeks from the timo the pilots called upon their ropresen« tativo to resign, Captain Mathews forwarded a letter to the pilots, in which ho says " that

m my opinion to resign at present would ho J* """T. -fledge tho justice of tho grave

*cU£ Ata« Í» 7T requisition wMoh

I altogether deny, 1 mUBfc declino dow« DO un-til some definite and substantial charge is made by a majority of the licensed pilots through the proper channel, as indicated by

the act, sec. 4."

COLLISION.

The hrig Mountain Maid, with a cargo of Bugnr, &c, from Manilla, was run down in the west cbannel on the 24th of Soptember last by the Queen, stoamer, and sank immediately. No lives wero lost. Tho case was investigated fully by tho Pilot Board, and the pilot in charge of the brig was considered to have been in error by suddenly putting his helm a starboard, thus throwing herself athwart the course of the steamer \ihen within two cables length of her, and as they looked upon this act as being the oause of»tho collision and subsequent sinking of tho brig, the pilot's license was cancelled.

POLITICAL CONDITION.

THE NEW PARLIAMENT.

Of the ninety members composing the two Houses of the Legislature, eighty-eight seats have now been filled, although the two mem bers for the Wimmera are not yet known in Melbourne, and though in consequence of the election of Mr. O'Shanassy for both Melbourne and Kilmore, another election for one or other of those places has yet to occur. The only constituency now unrepresented is that of the united counties of Polwarth, Ripon, &c. Through some mismanagement, the re-turning officer was not provided with the necessary balloting-papers on the appointed day of polling, and lie accordingly postponed tho election for a week. Whether when then held it will be valid, remainB to bo settled; but some doubt appears to exist as to this point. Very few returns are likely to be dis-puted, the ballot having generally done its work well and having averted bribery.

The general ri'Bult of the elections has been deoidedly in favour of the Government. The seven Ministers have all been elceted by the constituencies to whioh they havo presented themselves. Perhaps, Indeed, wo should ex-cept Mr. Fellows, the Solicitor-Genoral, whe was rejected by tho Central Province, which Le offered to represent in the first instance Failing in that attempt, ho offered himself te St. Kilda, however, and was there returned al the head of the poll. Mr. Haines, tho Premier. waB returned at the head of tho poll for Gran! -?a place which he represented before he bo came a Government officer, and in which h( possesses considerable property and looal in iluence. With the exception of Mr. Haines anc Mr. Follows (who formerly sat for the Loddon) none of the Ministry have ever hitherto sai in the Legislature as elective members, anc they stood at some consequent disadvantagi in their candltaturo, as the strong aversioi ft It towards the late nominee System tendee to render unpopular all who presented them selves as having formerly belonged to th ranks of the nominees. Noveithelesa Mr. Stawell, tho Attorney - General stood third on the poll for Melbourne although there wore five members to b chosen and ten candidates in tho field. Cap tain Pasley, the Chief Commissioner o Public Works, headed the poll for Soutl Bourke, where thoro wore two members to b selected from among five candidates. A Emerald Hill Captain Clarke, tho Surveyoi General, beat his only competitor, Mr. Blaii wbo has since been elected by a diggings con stituency. At Geelong Mr. Sladen, the Ce lonlal Treasurer, held a good position on th poll, and is now ono of the representatives o that city. Mr. Childers, tho Chief Commit sioner of Trade and Customs, was roturne without opposition for Portland.

Elsowhere the general effect of tho oleo tions has been decidedly to sticngthe the hands of tho Government,circumstance which wo conceivo to bl upon the whole, satisfactory, for thoug we trust in the course of time to se the present Government replaced by

hotter, we shall be very glad to find that w hove escaped the evils which have attende the introduction of tho responsible systei into tho neighbouring colony of Now Sout Wales. Thoro, for some months past, a otber public business has been practicall (suspended, while all legislative oueigy ho been concentrated upon the task of sur planting one Ministiy with another. I looking over tho list of our new Legialatui we cannot but bo strtiok with tho names o many men notoriously hungry for offico, wit ability enough to mako them dangerous i pursuit of offico, and nnscrupulousnei enough willingly to plunge the countr into any amount of confusion i Bcckiiig office. Wo are glad that ti Government seom likely to havo suffiolei strength to maintain their ground again tbe present assaults of this class, becauf having only recontly acquired the powor i changing; ministries here, "people aro rathi over-inolined to put that power to tho test i experiment for its own sake, and nothing bl avery decided majority would, probably, sai tho Ministry from being ousted, legardless i the consideration where better succcssois we to be got from. As it is, we conceive that ti Ministry will bo ablo to hold its own by n' merical strength for a sufficient length i time to avert precipitate changes, and I cunble us to become accustomed to the ne Bj stem before avalllug ourselves of all 1 Tjov,ors. When wo effect a change of Mini 'try, it is to bo hoped it will bo because v pucolvo a manifest opportunity f making a chango for tho bettor, ai not from suoh love of novelty and ficklene of pui poso as seoms to have actuated our Ni Eouth Wales neighbours when they plungi into the turmoil m which thoy still livo.

So few of our public mon had acquhed ar celebrity before oomiug here, and we aro sti so much out of the world that European oi llticians recognise, that the names which a as familiar to our ears as Gladstone or Pi xnerston to English people, would convey i meaning to the distant readers for whom ti summary Is chiefly prepared. Wo shall thei fore forbear to pass in review the individu claims of the recently eleoted.

We may take the opportunity, however, informing English readers of the election Mr. Duffy, the former M.P. and editor of ti Nation, who has been returned at the hoad the poll by the western constituency of VUlic and Heytesbury. Most of our British reade T\ill probably bo already awaro that a pub! subscription procured for him tho requir pioperty qualíftcation, or rather procured f bim three times the amount of property qua ficntion required, tho Bum subscribed havii reached about six thousand pounds. Althoui not among ;iiis onthusiastio admiro we welcome Mr. Duffy with cordiality in the Victorian Parliament, Ho'wos no cáml guilty of one or *-. "'"*" . "

»- "- .. - .««> very serious ludisoretlo Vuon after his arrival here, nor will some hiBeailior addresses, when he first went wei .ward to seek tho suffroges of his presentee stituent8, be soon forgotten. We believe, ho over, that in these cases ho was lod away

tbe elation naturally consequent upon t manner of his reception hero. Tho hero of night eau scarcely ho expected to estimo with precision the value of the flowers sho ercd down upon him at the moment wh they aro falling around his feet ; and it not astonishing if Mr. Duffy's mind lost fo brief period its ordinary balance among the 1 wildering circumstances that accompanied whntlsalwaysbewildcrlngenoughinitself-t entrance upon a new career, and in a ni country. Wo are inclined to think that J Duffy was not long in perceiving his o\ error, nor do wo think that he will eventua bo harmed, but the contrary, by having le somo of nis Popularity before It had pera nently affected his judgment, or creatod < pectaiions which he could scarcely do othi wiso than disappoint. Latterly his procee ings, and especially his abstinence durinir t elections from undue interference with uo licol mattara, as to which ho is still nee Bailly somewhat Imperfectly informed, h Into which ho must have been under son temptation to throw himself, have given additional reason for auguring well of 1 Pailiamentary career. He seems to posse« certain share of ia quality which we w£ DjOEt apprehensive ot his not possessing discretion; and this, coupled with highprl clple and considerable ability, ought surely make him, not only a conspicuous, but a ui ful member. H

Yet there ii one danger against whiob. li

Duffy-and the country is now interested in Mr. Duffy-is not secured. We mean the danger of faction. Will he bo one of those to form unholy alliances and cliques-to bo como a party man, and, as such, to be the clampton of his own adherents, however ¿eEplcablo, and the assailant of his own op-ponents, however worthy? To such conclu-sions must he come at last, if he fall into the tmp of attempting either to lead orto join aa "Irish party." To such dangers, too, he is particularly liable in some respects, because, Eo far as an Irish party can bo said to havo an (xictence here, he has a special obligation towards it, and may fall into the notuncomiron fault of paying a private debt of gratit nde at tbo public expenso. We know also, as a matter of fact unfortunately, that it has been, and is too much, the policy and praotioe of his countrymen here to act as a party, and to sacrifice other considerations to the sympa-thies of creed and country. More than one recent election has indicated this-one espe-cially, at which a member of the late Legis-lature was re-elected, in spite of such a per-fect absence of all personal qualifications a3 rcr ders it certain that nothing but exog-en nted iittíÍonal feeling could have led lo his return'. Wow JW circumstances Since Mr. Duffy has been hore have unques-tionably thrown him among the very mon to whom this worst of all kinds of party orga-nisation seems to be almost a matter of course. Has he resisted these influences? That is the question that presses itself upon our attention in connection with Mr Duffy's election, and upon tho answer which that question is destined to receive does it depend whether his enlistment in our Parliamentary aimy is to prove advantageous to this colony,

or the reverse.

As a conclusion to our observations on the subject of the new Parliament wo publish the following table, which supplies many impor-tant and saggestivo facts connected with the members of the Lower House of our Legis-lature. As in England, all serious political battles will, it may be assumed, be fought ia the Lower House.

Members of Assembly.

Mooro ...

¡Michie ...

Stawoll ... Smith. O'shanassy

Sargood...

Follows .,. Harker ... Enabling . Campbell .

Stans. Woro. Fyfe . Sladen ... Bead . Brooko ... Fostor ... Clarko ... Childers... Buglios... Beaver ... Horno. Buthorford .. Johnson .,. Murphy. Davis. Bj ko . Palmer . Grant. HumuTray... Lalor. Camoron ...

Baragwanath,

Owons . Sjmo. Aspinall.

Blair . Bennett. Grcoves. Pbolan.

M'Dougall . Pasley . O'Brlon. Hainos . Wills. Myles. Andorson .... Snodgrass.... GriiHth. Honty ...... Duffy. Butledge..... King .

Goodman .... Adamson. ....

Totals . 4 2317111

0 4 0 0 30 21 4 11 3113

It will he borne in mind that the ^returns are not yet completed, and that the above tablo ia, in some pointB, necessarily only ap-proximate in regard to acouraoy.

OHtrROH OF ENGI/AND.

Tho fiiat Synod of tho clergy and laity of the Church of England convened under tho authority given by the Act l8 Viet., which was reserved for, and has recently obtained, the Royal assent, assembled on the 16 th instant, in the School-room attached to St. James's Church," and'is now in full session. Some time was occupied in framing standing orders, and in the transaction of other business of a preliminary character. Several committees have been appointed, to consider various subjects connected with the intoiests of the Church of England. The case of tho Rev. Dr. Brough, who was lately refused a license by the Bishop of Molbourne, has been brought before the Synod, and a motion, ex-pressing approval of the conduct of the Bishop, has been carried.

ROAD MEETINGS.

Among the very fow important public meet-ings, disconnected from elections, that have recently been held hero wore two con-vened for the purpose of obtaining an expres-sion of public opinion as to whether the Government ought not to anticipate the vote of the Legislature, so far as to appropriate a considerable Bum of money for the purposes of road making during the season when money so spent goes farthest. It has been estimated-and oven the opponents of the movement have not questioned this state-ment-that a loss of from thirty to fifty per cent, takes place upon an expenditure for roadmaking incurred during tho winter monthstilntis to say, that tho quantity of road which could bo made for a hundred thousand pounds in Bummer, would coBtat least from a hundred and thirty to a hundred and fifty thousand pounds to make in winter. It is also notorious that the roads will havo to be constructedthat the grant it has been proposed to forestall must be made. The question is, however, whe-ther the loss should not be submitted to in preference to an infraction of the constitu-tional principle which forbids the Govern-ment to spend public money without legisla

? tive sanction, what the Government intend

[ doing is not thoroughly k nown, butit is goa 1 erally understood that thoy at all events proi pose to anticipate the Legislative vote to some

extent.

SOCIAL.

CRIME.

We regret to have to record the occurrence of a series of deplorable tragedies since the date of our last summary.

On the 16th inst, two of the mounted police force, Sergeant McNally and Constable Moore, proceeded at seven o'clock on the night in question to a tent at Dunolly be-lieved to be occupied by the notorious Wil-liam Turner, alias Gipsy Smith, who stands charged with various acts of highway rob-bery, and with dismounting a constable from his horse near Castlemaine several months ago, and with escaping from custody. On approach-

ing the tent, the officer recognised Turner, who attempted to make his escape. The officers im-mediately closed with him, and, during the struggle, shots were fired from the tent, one which entered the breast of Sergeant McNally, who fell dead on the spot. Several other shots were fired, and wounded the con-stable (Moore) severely in the face and other parts of the body. The Government imme-

iately offered a reward of £400 for the ap-prehension of the criminals, and we are happy to add that Turner and one of his accomplices have been captured and lodged

in prison.

- . Ti.heiBAcon,d,.ír.aSeay occurred on the 22nd uiflt. at the Military Barraoks near Prince's Bridge. We are mdebtod for the following particulars to an Officer of the 40th :

.About a quarter past one o'clock Dr. M ¿uley, who had; been invalided for soma timo past, owing to an acoident which hap. pcnedtohim at the Theatre Royal, was sit-ting reading in front of his own houso. Ho waB partially convalescent. The troops had just beon dismissed from parade, and tho officers were returning to their quarters. Ensign Pennefather was sitting in Dr. M Auley s room. He was on the sick list at the time, and had consequently boen absent from parade. The unhappy young man, suddenly arming himself with a six-barrelled revolver, issued from tho room and went towordB the apartment of Ensign Velth. Tho latter seeing him with the pistol in his hand asked him, in a jocular tone, whom ho was going to shoot ? He replied, wildly, " Wait till Lucas comes round." At that moment Ensign Lucas's step was heard in the passage Ensign Pennefather without another word.

£íT5rse<í °ie,ûf %>ftrrels at Ensign Velth, turned round, faced Ensign Lucas, discharge

a second barrel right at his faee.-and exclaim-ing " Now for aTAuley." rushed round to where that officer was sitting, and shot him in the mouth He then uttered a wild fieniit h laugh, and discharged a fourth barrel at his own head. Before doing so ho stared around, as if looking for another victim. Ho was almost immediately seized and disarmed, 'ibis horrible catastrophe happened in less time than we have taken to relate it. Dr. M'Auley lingered about five minutes, but never afterwards rose from his chair. Ensign Veith was shot through tho-mouth, the ball poBslng out at the hinder part of the nook. U ith gieat courage and pieBcnce of mind, ihougli severely wounded, ne endeavoured to PUK ne and catch Mr. Pennefather, but fell ia the passage. Ensign Lucas waa" ftiâo siruok in1 the mouth, and his jaw is shattered. The tiij happy author of these lamentable events' shot himself just above the ear : the ball passed upwards, through the brain, and was bubsequently extracted from the back patt of

the head.

Ensign Tonnefather expired at 12 o'clock the same night, and Ensigns. Lucas ami Veith are progressing favourably towards

recoveiy.

An inquest was held upon the bodies of T)r w'£iOoy and Ensign Pennefather on the 23rd inst., when the following verdicts were

returned :

" That Richard Wilöox M'Auley died from the effects of a pistol-ball dlsoharged by tho hands of Vere Fitzmaurice Pennefather, since deceased, who was at the time in a state of insanity."

" That the deceased Vere Fitzmaurice Pennefather had died from injuries inflicted by his own hand, whilst in a state of temporary insanity."

On the day following the remains of both the unfortunate men were committed to tho earth with military honours. A procession was formed at the barracks, the firing parties leading the way, followed by the band of the regiment. Behind came the gun-carriogeB bearing the deceased officers, then the body of the regiment, four abreast, and, in the rear of all, the officers, aud tho3e whom motives of friendship or respect had induced to be present at the funeral. Every shop in Collins street between Swanston and Elizabeth streets, and many' others on the line of march, were cither partially or entirely closed. At the junotion of Lonsdale and Elizabeth streets tho carriage of his Excellenoy tho Act-ing Governor fell into the procession. On arriving at the Cemetery, a solemn dirge sounded, and the bodies of tho deceased offi-cers were taken from the gun-carriages and horne into the Cemetery. This was certainly the most striking moment of all. A sudden impulse of silent awe seemed to fall upon each one as the remains of the unhappy author of the catastrophe passed along, immediatoly be-hind those of him with whom his fate had heen so terribly associated. The' graves were direotly in a line with one another, and sepa-rated by not more than a few inches. The firing parties were formed, as usual, around the graves, and on the conclusion of the serTice, three volleys weio fired over the dead, the soldiers presented arms, and the ceremony

was over.

In the evening of the day on which the above horrible catastrophe took place, a daring attempt was made by a number of convicts to escape from custody at Williams-town. Abont five o'clock about forty or fifty criminals, (among whom was a notorious character named Melville,) who had been en gaged in breaking stones at Gellibrands

Point, were mustered for embarkation, and entered the launch which was to convey them to the hulks. A small boat, containing Owen Owens (a constable), a refractory sailor, named John-Turner-the murdered men-and other parties, was ahead of the launch, for the purpose of towing the latter to the Success. Mr. Jackson, Shipkeeper on board the Ly-sander, who was in charge, observed tho convicts crowd to the bow of the boat, and, as this excited his suspicions, he ordered some four or five aft, so as to trim the boat. The boats 'were pushed from "the landing-place, and, when about one hundred fathoms from the shore, some of tho prisoners seized the rope by which the launch was being towed, and hauling the boat up to the smaller one, nine

of them, headed by Melville, rushed into the smaller vessel, and out the line by which the two boats had been attached. Jackson had been seized by Melville and thrown over-board, and the officer swam to the smaller boat, in which were tho men Owens, Turner, four or five refractory sailors, and the nine convicts straggling for its possession. Jack-son escaped by a miracle. Melville rushed upon Owens and knocked him down into the bottom of the boat, the other convicts succeeding in throwing Turner overboard, and forcing the refractory sailors from the boat. The convicts were now in full possession, and pulling within fire of one of the hulks. Melville and his gang were fired upon, and one named Hill shot

through the neck. He still lies in a very

precarious state. Up to this time Owens was still holding on to the boat, when Melville, as sworn to by two witnesses, smashed the poor fellow's skull by two fearful blows with a heavy hammer which had been used in stone-breaking. The murdered man was then cast overboard. Immediatoly after the perpetration of this cowardly murder, Melville flourished the weapon twice round his head,

and casting it into the boat, kissed his hand to one of the unarmed warders in pursuit, and cried out "Adieu at last to Victoria!

The water-police boat, in charge of Sergeant Whamond, after a short race, came up with the convicts, who at once surrendered, and the murderers were taken on board the Suc-cess. Thus ended the attempt on the part of these desperadoes at escape, -the outbreak having caused the deaths of Constable Owens, a sailor named Turner, a convict named Stevens, supposed to have been shot, and fallen overboard: another felon, named Hill, received a dangerous wound from a carbine-shot in the neck. An inquest was held upon the bodies of the murdered men, when the eight convicts implicated were found guilty of both murders. Melville denied strongly that he had struck the deceased Owens at all. He said he had been a robber, but no one could say that he had ever committed a cowardly action, as he confessed the murder of Owens to be. He admitted that he saw the foul deed perpetrated, but scorned such a deed, himself. He said he know he should go to the scaffold, and he would meet his fate. He was no coward, and should therefore refrain from taking away his own life when he could get paid persons to do it for him. He had calculated the chances against effecting his escape. He had considered them as being nine to one, and he had taken the odds, run the chance, and had lost it. He would sooner die than suffer what he had been subjected to for the four years of his captivity.

PUBLIC AMUSEMENTS.

Mr. G. V. Brooke and Mrs. Robert Heir, af-ter playing a farewell round of their favourite characters at the Theatre Royal, proceeded on the 20th instant to fulfil an engagement at Geelong; on the completion of which they will take their departure for Sydney.

The opera of "MasanielIo" has been pro-duced at the establishment above referred to, the principal characters being sustained by Mr. Faquharson, Miss Julia Harland, Madame Strebinger, and Mr. Sherwin. Last night the Melbourne Garrick Club gave an amateur per-formance on behalf of the funds of the re- cently established Lying-in Hospital ; and a prize farce, from the pen of Mr. Thomas Har-rison, tû whom the Club had awarded the premium of £20, was played.

At the Royal Lyceum (formerly the

Queen's), Mrs. Sinclair (formerly Mrs. Edwin Forrest) and Mr. Henry Sedley have been playing for a short season.

Madame Anna Bishop, accompanied by MM. Laglaiso andCoulon, has boen delight-ing the miners at Ballaarat, by a series of operatio performance» ni the Montezuma Theatre; and has left behind her agreeable souvenirs of her visit, in the shape of hand-some donations to the various charitable in-stitutions in existence in that populous aud JWVÏ 8°ld-fleld. The naturalisation of theItalian opera on Ballaarat will, no doubt, strike our English readers as a remarkable

Mm significant sign of the times.

On Monday evening Madame Bishop gave a grand concert at the Exhibition Buildintr with her customary success; and is about to toke her departure foi Adelaide, where a cordial reception awaits her from her numa. rous admirers in that oity.

XT i ." .HWXDINO: OPEHATIONS.

Notwithstanding the high price of labor building operations aro being actively prosa cuted, both in the city and it's suburbs Ever, week witnesses the demolition of some of th£ fragile and crazy structures ereoted during tin SüSí^f«? 7tmAof Íha goW-fever ; and on the site of these rude shanties substantial edifioaj 2ÍJÍ?,?6 ax?4 bilck a.re fMfc rlBln8 from the i,r,wnd « FrLvate "Vences of an equally substantial character are springing up in tho environs of Melbourne; and the number of elegant villas which are being erected within

iUS.i'ïî.i8 °f tbi° oi-tjl botokea that tho [

emorôaslngdomiai; fot cûrnlnodtons nauseo, »ra K&te of tho batter F

dennjtfion of middlo-clSA"WÍ^SSM ¡b«'

undergone a rise, and eligible houses of tkU description range for £200 to; £350 par annum. The heaviness of this item of expenditure operates very prejudicially upon, social intercourse : and renders celibacy al-most compulsory upon numbers of men be-longing to those classes of Bociety whioh ia London furnish a great proportion of the te-nants occupying houses at a rental of from*19 | lo £60 per annum, in the suburbs of the metrj1 polis. The various lineB of railway now inxro

erees, or about to be commenced, from Hal-bourne to St. Kilda, Williamstown, Geeloag. and other places, will no doubt have theeffeafc of bringing down rents in the immediata vicinity of the city, by giving the middle aui moneyed classes of our population ready access to localities advantageous for the erection qÇ residences on pioturesque and ~ur|U 6^- "

'Among the USIJprominent oPthe p'ttbtfo

works now in progress are the Houses o£ ¡Parliament, the Western Market, Custom 1 House, Exchange, County Court, Roman

Catholic Cathedral, and Bank of New South Wales.

THB VICTOllIAN OEUB. '

It ib fair to presume that Melbourne society contains as fair a proportion of, " clubabla men" as any oity of similar dimensions ia Great Britain, and that such clubable man, like their prototypes in England, would be elad to avuil themselves of the opportunity of being brought together more frequently'au i lamUiarly, of knowing each other better, and of rubbing off-by the process of soolal attrition-that rust of reserve which disfigure j .and deteriorates the manners and characters of men who are debarred from meeting eaoht other except upon business occasions. Foi: these reasons the Victorian Club was pro-jected and established ; and, judging from ina satisfaction whioh has been generally ex-pressed with regard to the arrangements which have been made for the comfort and enjoyment of it's members, it bids fair not only to supply a great want, but to take a high rank among our social institutions. Tha cookery is excellent, the wines satisfactory, the attendance good, and the " plenishing" of the house neat and elegant, without bains either elaborate or extravagant.

The Club now numbers between three and four hundred members, including the mem-bers of tho Executive, a fair proportion o£ the members of both Houses of tho Législa-ture, the leading merchants and professional men of the city, as well as representatives of, the agricultural and pastoral interests of tha colony. r

On Thursday next the Club will entertain his Excellency the Acting Governor at dinnor«

TUB BEDOUINS OF TUB STREETS.

The condition of the runners for the newspapeis, the béliers of fruit and pastry in tha streets, and other young traders, has at-tracted the attontion of several [benevolent gentlemen, who have associated themselves together for the purpose of endeavoring to improvo their condition.

These lads occupy a very peculiar position. Their pursuits, and the usual colonial pre-cocity, render them exceedingly sharp and. clever. But their education is imperfect, their habits and mode of life iuugulur, their, gains large, and their temptations numerous. In point of natural capacity, great activity, and acute business, perception, we hava no hesitation in saying that amongst thesa lads are probably numbered some of out future first class merchants. The eager spirit for money-making, rapidly developed by very encouraging results, will undoubtedly sa grow upon thom, in consequence of their great oppoil unities, that they will naturally onlarge their tionsactions with growing expe-rience and opportunities ; eventually aiming;

at great things.

It is proposed to afford these Bedouins tha means of education-to organise a system foe inducing them to save their money-to sup-ply tht-m with innocent and improving recreations, and generally to humanise an<£ civilise them as much as possible. A roora, has been aheady engaged, for tuition and! other purposes, connected with the associa-tion. An experienced schoolmaster has baa a appointed, and arrangements have beon mada to affort his pupils opportunities of enjoylas healthful ,out-ot-door amusements.

It is intended that the association shall bo, as far as possible, self-supporting; but tha preliminary expenses will involve an outlay of £400, which is being raised by public sub-scription, The experiment whioh is beins made by the promoters of the movement is a very interesting one, and promises to ha dscidedly successful.

THE! PINE ARTS.

A meeting of the artists of Viotoria war held on the 20th inst., in this oity, for the purpose of establishing an institute of artists, when a series of resolutions waî prepared and agreed to, preliminary to their being submitted to a public meeting to bs held on Monday next.

An exhibition of works of art is to taka place oaily in the ensuing month, whioh will test the capabilities of the artists who ; are resident among us, and also afford som?

indication of tho interest felt in art by the public generally. Premiums will be awarded for the best specimens of paintings in oil, water colours, and on ivory ; the best figure in marble, Caen stone, or plaster ; the best de-sign for a six-roomed cottage, adapted for tha colony ; for tho best specimen of ornamental modelling ; and for the best specimens of photogiaphy. The exhibition is under the pa-, tronage of the Acting-Governor, the Judses, the Bishops, the Heads of Departments, Uni-versity Professors, and others.

The architects of Victoria have recently established an institute, and it's members! assembled on the 9th inst. to hoar an inaugu-ral addreu luid by J. G. Knight, Esq., tho President of the institute and architect of tha new Houses of Parliament. The address waa of a vory able and comprehensive character, and amoly justified the choice which the as-sociation had made of a President.

A choice specimen of artistic workmanship in jewellery has just been presented ta Madame Anna Bishop, in the shape of a massive gold bracelet, weighting about six ounces, the pattern plato armour, and the central ornament, which exhibits a harp in high relief, covers a locket. Both as re-gards design and finish, the bracelet reflects great credit upon Mr. Crisp,-the goldsmith, of Queen-street, by whom it has oeen manu-factured. It was privately subscribed for by a few English and German gentlemen in this city, who were anxious to testify their high opinion of Madame Bishop as a vocalist, and to present her with some permanent acknow-ledgment of the delight which they, as muai cal amateurs, had derived from her finished vocalisation ondperfeot mastery of her art.

M, Gueiard has just added to his well earned reputation as a landscape painter bj the completion of a noble transcript of som« of the finest scenery in the Grampians o Victoria. Tho special locality seleoted foi illustration is Mount Abrupt, one of thi grandest elevations to be found in the wholi of the ranges ; and the point of view chosen is the run upon Dr. Martin's station. Thi bold outline of the mountain is sharply de fined against a sky rich with the glow of t tawny sunset. Masses of red sandstone croj out in places from the dark forests of string; bark which envelop the broken and precipi tous slopes. The setting sun tinges the mon prominent of these naked declivities witt ruddy gold, and the light glitters here auc there upon the summits of the trees, am reposes in a broad flood upon some lightl; timbered bush-land, whioh occupies a portioi

of the middle distance. From the hot coloui ing of this portion of the picture the ey turns with a feeling of relief to the cool am shadowy foreground, where <*» "*"" I non flows tuiough » *

I frinoftrl wl«. .- . -v. wai

ÏÎ-T°T ""** . s -and shrubs. Th

living accessories of the picture hav been introduced típanngly, and do not Intei fore with the prevailing sentiment of solitud and repose. A group of natives in the fore ground, another group in the dtatanc scarcely discernible but for the indoxto the presence supplied by a faint wreathofsmok tsurhng upward from their fire, some kan garoos gambolling out in fearless enjoymeni ?nd a. íN1* of MTáB> are the only living ol Jects,visible. The solemn mountain, tha im pervious forest, the brawling river, and thi sunset sky, treated conscientiously, as M Guerard has evidently treated them, con Btitute the amply sufilclent element of a most impressive pioture. "Velvet' Breughel _ could scarcely have bestowec more pains or higher finish on some o Lis span-long landscapes than M. Guerarc has done upon this large easel-picture. Hi has indicated every tree upon the mountain Bides, and almost veined the leaves of thi wild flowers in the foreground. He appean to bo just as remarkable for his industry a! for his ability; and, while he reproducoi Borne of the grandest forms and aspects o nature, ho studies her minuter beauties with an Inquiring and discerning eye.

.For the Bake of art in the colony, wo hope this picture will find a liberal purchaser, and toe retained among us ; for the sake of the colony, irrespective of art, wo could wish thal Bo faithful a rendering of our mountain sce-nery should find, it's way to the Boyal Aca 'demy, »s the exhibition of M. Guerard's pictoro thoro would give people in England £ wirb better idea of th« -- -

iraiian scenery amíTrnír?"11"^08 of AtIS Tvrjbal description. "*y «""«tf 0S ®^lj