Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Wednesday 12 April 1876, page 4


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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 1876.

Parliament indulges many institu tions, but none more so than municipal bodies in country districts. This year no less a sum than £331,496 has been voted for the endowment of shire councils and road boards, and it is no wonder, in these days of retrenchment, if the question is raised whether so en ormous an expenditure is justifiable. At the outset, we are met by an incon gruity. The popular cry is to put a

tax on country property, and yet for years past the Parliament has been relieving country property from its burdens at the rate mentioned, and there appears every likelihood of the system con tinuing for years to come. Country proprietors were asked last ses sion to contribute from £100,000 to £200,000 by a direct property-tax, but at the same time £330,000, raised by indirect taxation, was to be handed over to them. The simple proposition of reducing the subsidy by £100,000 or £200,000, was never mooted, unless it was in some obscure fashion, and if it was mentioned at all it found no favour in the eyes of hon. members. The duty representatives owe to their localities is to get the grant in aid, and of all our appropriations that savours the most strongly of log-rolling.

The extent of the concession made to country ratepayers is perhaps hardly realised by the community. But we find from a return submitted to Parliament in 1873, that in the decade ending with the year 1871, the shire and road districts taxed themselves to the extent of one million of money, and that they received as subsidy from the Government over two millions of pounds sterling. Out of every three pounds spent in the country districts in the formation of roads, etc., two pounds came from the general revenue. The exact figures are— Raised by local taxes in the decade, £1,017,232; subsidy paid by the Govern ment, £2,203,171. During the same period the cities, towns, and boroughs are esti mated to have raised in taxes upwards of two millions of pounds, and of late years they have not been receiving any subsidy at all. It is not to be expected that the country ratepayers will tax themselves very highly for local im provements so long as the state is generous, if not prodigal in its favours, and accordingly it will be found that the average rate in shires is far lower than it is in cities. In 1875, the shires averaged 1s. in the £1, and in the cities the rate was 1s. 5d. in the £. Nor does that statement illustrate the difference, because in cities and towns property consists of houses, which are valued according to their rental, a house let at £100 being usually rated at £80, while with regard to country lands the valua tion is purely arbitrary, and as a rule does full justice to the owner. This statement admits of easy proof. The population in cities, towns, and boroughs on the one hand, and in shires and road districts on the other, are about equally divided, and we find that where the one population pays £2,000,000, the other only raises £1,000,000. In other words, if a man owns property in a town he contributes £2, and the local im provements are effected at his own cost ; if he owns property in a shire he con tributes only £1, and leaves the Go vernment to spend £2 more. A resi dent in Collingwood would pay a rate of 1s. 10d. last year on a high valua tion, and at Ballarat the rate was 2s., and after the shopkeeper and the arti san in these localities had contributed

thus heavily in direct taxes, they were asked to disburse a further sum out of customs dues, etc., to help to improve property in the shires, and prevent country residents from having to dip their hands too deeply into their own pockets. This system has been in operation for a generation. During the debate on the Local Govern ment Bill in 1874, it was stated that out of every £1 contributed to the general revenue during the last twenty-one years, the shire of Belfast has received back 15s. 7d. in the shape of endow ment, and the shire of Warrnambool 13s, 5d., while Melbourne and its suburbs have received back 2s. 10d., Geelong 4s. 4d., Ballarat 1s. 3d., and Sandhurst about the same amount.

Of course, there is no denying that many of the shires muBt have assistance. In sparsely populated districts, it is quite impossible that the rates levied from a mere handful of inhabitants can cover the cost of the necessary public workB, and in a newly formed shire there is always moro for the first few years than the inhabitants canbo expected to do. And the land Bales effected in these districts have to some extent to be considered. At the same time, the figures wo have quoted rouBe the suspicion that help has been overdone, for though the country proprietor may be entitled to assistance, yet he is not relieved of the responsibility of helping himself. Before he obtains a bonus from the state, he should have dono his fair share ; he should have spent at least as much in local rates as the townspeople whom he asks help from, and the faot

[ is, that he only spends half as much. 1 The country settler has considerably

the bettor of the bargain, for ha sees the townsman heavily taxed by the local authorities in the first instance, and taxed'afterwards by the general Government, in order to obtain this £331,490 per annum for the endow-ment of local boards. The shirea havo the advantage of an act of Parliament. Their endowment figures as a " special " appropriation." They cannot be cut down for some years to come, unless their representatives consent to repeal the measure now on the Btatute-book,and the probability of this act of renuncia-tion on their part is not very great. Yet it should be well worth while their [con-sidering whether it would not be moro judicious of them to consent to a pro rata reduction, which would meet the deficit, rather than face new taxation in the form of a land impost ; whether they should not raise their local rates to the city level rather than tempt the general Government to see how much can bo squeezed out of them by a special pro ceas. Failing this, it also becomes a question whether heavily-subsidised bodies should not be required to assumo some of those local responsibilities which their prototypes undertake in Groat Britain, Canada, and the United States, such as the maintenance of hospitals, benevolent asylums, gaols, courthouses, and the police. The whole subject, whether, instead of adding to our central expenditure, we should not de-centralise-should not teach the local bodies more and more to walk alone, may be commended to the candid con-sideration of the country. The total ex-penditure of our general Government ia now _£4,G00,000, or £5 10s. per head, and in Canada, thanks to decentralisa-tion, the expenditure of the general Government is returned at 15s, per head. It would seem possible to dis-cover a happy medium between these

two extremes.

We aro glad to seo that the ungracious opposition which waB offered in tho Senate of the University to the statute for the affiliation of Trinity College com-pletely collapsed yesterday. Nothing could be weaker indeed than the pleas

put forward by the opponents of the pro-. position. Mr. PEABSON, for example, said that affiliation either meant nothing, or it implied and involved something mysteriously dangerous. It was, ho seemed to maintain, either a cypher or a bogie ; and certainly neither requires to be legislated against Some of the gentlemen connected with tho "WeBley College dissented from the adop-tion of the statute because they were not prepared to build a similar institution themselves on the terms naturally im-posed by the University of compul-sory matriculation. It seemed to bo considered quite immaterial that tho charter of_ the University empowers the affiliation of colleges to it, and that such a proceeding Is rendered im-perative on the part of Trinity College by the terms of the deed upon which it holds the land it is built upon. Looking at the nature of tho opposi-tion offered on principle, wo can scarcely help regarding it as secularism run mad. Is it necessary to romind the friends of higher education in this colony that the Melbourne University, although it has been wisely dissociated from, is not necessarily hostile to, religion . There aro no religious tests and no " chapels," for obviouB and salutary reasons ; but this fact would not justify the assumption of an attitude of antagonism to any deno-minational college which may be founded as a succursale to the institution. On the contrary, it is to bo hoped that, in course of time, our Alma Mater will be surrounded by a bevy of fair daughters, representing the wholo of tho leading denominations, and that a friendly rivalry will grow up among thoso as to which shall carry off the largest share of University distinctions, and also as to which shall maintain the highest state of discipline, and the purest code of honour and gentlemanly feeling among its own members. Yesterday's proceedings would have been much moro creditable if all the members of the senate had been actuated by the spirit of the Presbyterian minis-ter, who not only approved of the affilia-tion, but expressed a hope that he should one day occupy a chair in a col-lege to be founded by the religious denomination to which he belongs.

"We havo received the first four num-bers of a series of " Tracts for the " People," which have been printed for gratuitous distribution. They have been written with a view to open the eyes of all who are willing to hear both sides of a question, and whose minds oro amenable to conviction, to the evils of protection, and to the injuries which such a syBtom of unnatural restriction and artificial scarcity imposes on the very classes it professes to benefit. This is done in a simple straightforward way, by the em-ployment of arguments which cannot be gainsaid, of statements which admit of no dispute, and of illustrations which are homely and effective. In reply to the ques-tion, " What is the cost of protection ?" an answer is given based on the legitimate assumption that, on an average, our local production of the commodities liable to protective duties is equivalent to the quantity imported ; so that, if £500,000 be paid at the Custom-house on the latter, another £500,000 is paid by the con-sumer, in the shapo of legalised black-mail, to the local manufacturers-the persons employed by the latter consti-tuting not moro than 21 per cent, of tho population. In another of these tracts, we havo a dialoguo on the problem,

" What aro we to do with our children 1" in the discussion of which a shrewd, sarcastic Scotchman, gives it as his opinion that if the introduction of labour into tho colony is a bad thing, the im-portation or manufacture of labour-saving machinery must bo far worse ; and that -pushing the argument still further-no man ought to be allowed to bring ton children into the labour market when five would bo quite sufficient. " It's just a " sort o' home-made immigration system, " without the shipping," ho observes, " and the bairns cost a heap o' monoy " before thoy como to man's estato." Every freetrader who is desirous of pro-moting the spread of common-sense viows with respect to a question about which so many BophiBtns havo been put into circu-lation, Bhould endeavour to promote the diffusion of these " Tracts for the " People."

The dispute between Messrs. L. Stevenson and Sons and the Government assumed a new phase yestorday afternoon, when the Customs authorities deoided to withdraw their officers and the police. This was not done, however, until about £500 worth of dutiable goods-principally hosiery - had been seized, iand removed from the ware-house. The letters of the firm have not been delivered, but a mandamus will be applied for to-day to compel the Post-office authorities to give up the documents. An application was made to the Chief Jus-tice during the forenoon, by Mr. Adamson and Mr. Williams, for a writ of injunction to restrain the Customs officials from inter-fering with the business of the plaintiffs. Mr. Gurner, the Crown solicitor, applied for an adjournment on the ground that Mr. Guthrie, the collector of Customs, aud who is the defendant in the action brought by the Mesare, Stevenson, bad not bcoa

-serred with notice of the applicatio 'farther, that some of the affidavits had be served on the Law department only ti .morning, and there was no time to ans« them ¡ and that the Customs officers wot have concluded their search in the Mess -Stevenson's warehouse that afternoon. I the plaintiff it was urged that ii the writ injunction were granted the plaintiffs won consent to any termB as to security or as examination of the goods by the Castoi authorities. The Chief Justice consider i eftat the notice to Mr. Guthrie was not sui

dent, and that he could not prejudge t case by granting the injunction. He thei fore adjourned the case till next mornin when the defendant was peremptorily

appear and answer the application. V are requested to call attention to an a vertisement stating that the Custom-hou ?officers having been withdrawn from ti warehouse of Messrs. L. Stevenson ai .Sons, Flinders lane, business will be resumí

there as usual.

There was a meeting of the Benate of ti Melbourne University yesterday afternoo at which, amongst other business, a ne statute was received from the council, effet ¡ng the affiliation of Trinity College with ti University, Professor Hearn moved ti adoption of the new statute, which was su ported by Sir William Stawell, and, aft some opposition, it was agreed to without

division. .

A meeting of the committee organised raise funds towards paying the expenses of ride team to Philadelphia and England m at the Town-hall yesterday, Councillor Gat house occupying the chair. It appeared fro the statements made that money had be< collected and promises made to ti extent of about £500, and that subscri tions were only coming in very slowl It wos then agreed to make_ a alteration in the collecting sub-committei as originally appointed, and that the new su' committees should institute an energet canvass, with the view of obtaining dom tiouB towards the £500 it is still nece Bury to raise before the committee ca claim the £1,000 which the Government hat promised to gront if another £1,000 is sui scribed by the public of the colony.

In the Equity Court yesterday, the argt mente in the case of Webb ti. Were were coi eluded. Plaintiff (Mr. C. Webb) had filed a bi to restrain the defendant (Mr. N. Were) froi Belling some land at Brighton fronting th Sea beach, on the ground that the land wa dedicated to the public use, and had bee used ne a reserve or promenade for man years past ; and also because as regards th i plaintiff there were in his deeds covenant which gave him a right to have the groan kept unoccupied. The defendant demurre to the bill, alleging that it did not show the lhere had been any dedication to the publii and also contending that the plaintiff had n rights under his deeds to the reservation c »the property. Mr, Justice Molesworth r<

-served his decision.

The leave of absence given to Judg Pohlman will expire at the end of thi month, but it is reported that the learne judge will not be in a position to resume hi .duties on the County Court Bench at Mel tourne for some time. Mr. Pohlman i suffering from an affection of the eye, whicl will necessitate his absence from the Bend for some time. He has filled every judicia position from that of a Supreme Cour Judge downward, and has been in the sei vice of the state for many years. No doubt therefore, any application for special leavi or retirement will be favourably enter , turned.

Xhe trastees of the National Gallery have -fve-anderstand, found it necessary to declini

to purchase the picture of the " Pool o Bethesda," supposed to be a Paul Veronese The picture is undoubtedly a very valuablf one, and would be an addition to the Gallery hut the trustees have not the funds available for its purchase. Arrangements were being made to return the picture to London, bul certain gentlemen who are anxious to retail 3o desirable a work of art in Victoria are about to initiate a subscription with the view of purchasing it, and presenting it te £ lie National Gallery.

In yesterday's issue we published a tele-gram received by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company (Limited) witt respect to the state of the March wool salea to April 1. We have received the following additional telegrams, which hy an oversight «tere not published yesterday. There is se ? much diversity in the accounts regarding the

decline In wool, that we prefer giving the telegrams as we have received them:-" From Messrs. Eelmuth, Schwartz, and Co., woolbrokers, to the Australian Mortgage Land fand Finance Company.-London, April 1; received in Melbourne April 10.-Wool market is dull. Prices for washed fleece > show an average decline of 2Jd, and foi

greasy an average decline of fully lid., com-pared with average rates of last series. On choice lots the fall is sometimos greater, Crossbred wools continue to be neglected.' Messrs. Dalgety, Blackwood, and Co. have received telegrattm (per steamer «ia Penang] "from their London firm dated 31st Maret

andlsti&Bt,, which quote prices showing o decline of about Jd. per lb. on greasy, and a proportionate fall in the value of washed wool. Messrs. Strachan, Murray, Shannon, and Co,, of Geelong, have received the following telegram respect-ing prices obtained for wools at the March sales :-" Mt. Hesse (Messrs. Timme Bros.), average for fleece and lambs', 2s, 7d.; AA within circle over Baangot ovei £ and MA, Mr. Alex. Anderson, average foi fleece and lambs', 2s. Od.; Enuk, Messrs Adams Bros, average for fleece and lambs' 2s. 5d.; NC, Mr. Nicholas Cole, average foi fleece and lambs', 2s. 2d.; Mt Elephant, Mr. J. Wilson, average for fleece and greasy, 17d,; F and Co., Messrs. Forbes and Co,, average for fleece and greasy, 15d.; A and N, Mr. ChaB. Ayrey, average for fleece and Bieaey, 15Jd."

By private advices received from London Der lost moil, it appears that two of the ships with wool cargoes from this port missed arriving in time for the February sales by only a few minutes. In a letter received by a Melbourne shipping house, remarking on one of the ships referred to, the Renown, it is stated that the telegram announcing her arrival reached the agents in London one or two minutes after i o'clock on the afternoon of the 15th February. The news was in-stantly posted at Lloyd's, but it was proBounced too late for the sales, the time having been drawn at 4 o'clock, when the auctioneer commences his duties. It is further stated that every effort had been made to induce the Wool Association to admit this ship's cargo, but without SUCCOBS. The other vessel alluded to was reported at Lloyd's 20 minutes late. We are inclined to think that drawing the line so rigidly is absurd. There .was an unusually small quantity of the new clip in, and the annoyance is heightened by the iict that a fall in prices afterwards took

pire.

The mayor of Melbourne, Councillor A. 1X. Smith, invited Captain Dittmar, and the officers of the German war ship Luise to the Town-hall yesterday afternoon. After wine and the toasts of "The Queen," the

'Emperor of Germany," and the "Guests," the last-named being handsomely responded to in English by Captain Dittmor, the com-pany went into the gTeat ball to listen to »he organ as played by Mr. David Lee. The selections were most appropriately chosen, and the execution of them earned the highest sneomiums from the German visitors, whose 1 »nuBical tastes were greatly pleased.

We leam that Mr. D. C. M'Arthur, who has *een for such a lengthened period manager of the Bank of Australasia in this city, and latterly the superintendent of all the colonial establishments, is shortly to retire on a pon. sion, and that Mr. E. S. Parkes, the present general inspector of branches, is to be his successor. From Mr. M'Arthur'a long and faithful services, his jseal and ability in the Performance of his onerous duties, and the «ucceBB whioh has attended his administra«ion of the affairs of the bank in the colonies, we hare 410 doubt that the pension to be

awarded to him by the directors will b commensurate with what he is entitled t at their hands.

The complimentary ball to be given t Captain Dittmar and the officera of H I. M German corvette Luise, at the Town-hall, te morrow, will, it is expected, prove high], successful. Captain Dittmar has promisei so to arrange that nearly all the'officer shall be present, Mr. Gunsler's tender io the supply of the refreshments has beei accepted. Special arrangements have beei made to prevent any crash at the supper which will be a stand-up one. Tickets ma; be obtained at the Town-hall, Messrs. Nichol son and ABcherberg's, and the Criterio.

Hotel.

The Brough Smyth Inquiry Board con tinned its sittings yesterday, when, as Mr. Stewart was not prepared to proceed witt Mr. Smyth's cross-examination, several wit nesses for the defence were examined, Theil evidence, however, could not be considered of great importance, as, with one exception, they were all officers who were com'parativelj seldom brought into contact with Mr. Smyth, and some of them had been only a short time in the department. They all stated thai personally they had little or nothing to com-plain of in regard to Mr. Smyth, bat all ad-mitted that they bad heard frequent complaints from other officers concerning his treatment of them. It appeared at .the com-mencement of yesterday's proceedings that Mr. Cox, Mr, Smyth's solicitor, had broken the arrangement entered into with regard to giving Mr. Stewart previous notice as to the witnesses intended to be called during the day, and the board commented upon thiB breach of agreement as being dis-courteous, as Mr, Stewart had throughout shown every disposition to facilitate the operations of the other side. Mr. AtkinB before the adjournment sought to justify the refusal to supply the names o! the witnesses to be examined to-day, by stating that the evidence of two of the wit-nesses that day (evidently referring to two youths who had been examined) had been very different from what they had stated when privately examined by Mr. Cox. Mr. Stewart said ho would recall the officers, to show that there was no ground for the in. Binuation that they had been in any way tampered with by the petitioners.

The Kew Lunatic Asylum board met at Parliament-house yesterday, and examined Dr. Bird on the subject of the administra, tion of morphia in connexion with the death of the patient Lewis. Dr. Bird's evidence was to the effect that, having read the re-ports of the inquiry, he was of opinion that a grain of morphia was not too large a dose to have administered to Lewis as, he was suffering from acute maniacal excitement and that the symptoms attending his death were not characteristic of poisoning by morphia. The board adjourned till this morning.

The annual demonstration of the Mel-bourne Young Men's Christian Association took place last evening at the Town-hall. About 1,500 persons sat down to tea, and subsequently a publia meeting was held, at which the Eon. A, Fraser, M.L.C., presided. Bis Excellency the Governor, the Chief Justice, and the Bishop of Ballarat occupied seats on the platform, and the latter gentle-man addressed the crowded meeting. .During the evening a number of selections of sacred music were very well rendered by a choir of 150 voices from the South Melbourne Tonic Sol-fa Association.

At the meeting of the Blind Asylum com-mittee held last Friday, a discussion arose on the question as to how funds were to be raised to pay off the heavy debt, amounting to nearly £3,000, now on the institution. During the discussion the Rev. W. MOBS, the hon. secretary, said he wished some one would leave them a good legacy, and to his great surprise on the very next Saturday he received a letter from Mr. Farmer, solicitor, stating that Mrs. Freemantle, of Richmond, who died about two months ago, had left certain property to be divided amongst five charitable institutions, of which the asylum was one, and that its share of the bei qneat was £782. Nobody connected with the institution had heard anything previously about the bequest, but matters had been so far settled in connexion with the disposal of the estate of the deceased lady that the Rev. Mr. Moss yesterday obtained a cheque for the amount to which the asylum was en-titled.

The ordinary weekly meeting of the managing committee of the Melbourne Hospital was held yesterday afternoon. There were present Mr. M'Gaigan, in the chair; MesBrs. Aarons, Phillips, GiUbee, Bullen, Anderson, Hood, Drs. Motherwell, and Lawrence, and Professor Hearn. The secretary reported the state of the house to be-Admitted, in-patients since last week 77 ; new cases, out-patients, 175 ; do., casulties, 170 ; total for the week, 422. Deaths, 13 ; discharges, 67 ; number of patients in the hospital, 336. A letter was received from Mr. Alex. M. Peters, the assistant dis-penser, asking for an increase of salary. The matter was referred to the finance committee. A letter was received from Messrs. Farmer and Oldham, solicitors, referring to the will of the late Mrs. Free-mantle, by which the residue of her property after paying all claims and expenses, should be divided among the following institutions, namely, the Melbourne Hospital, the Alfred Hospital, the Benevolent Asylum, the Blind Asylum, and the Lying in Hospital and Infirmary. The executor, Mr. Henry Gibbons, had realised the estate, and had paid all claims and legacies, and there remained the sum of £782 0s. 7d., to be paid to each of the five Institutions named. The solicitors informed the committee that the money was now available for the institutions named in the will. The secretary was directed to obtain the necessary signatures to the re-ceipt, and Mr. H. Gibbons was appointed a life governor of the hospital. Dr. Mother-well brought up the report of the sub-com. mittee, containing the draft of the amended bye-laws, which it was agreed should be taken into consideration on the 9th of next month. On the motion of Mr. Aarons, the same sub-committee waB appointed to revise the rules of the institution. The meeting then adjourned.

A meeting of the court of directors of the Victoria Humane Society was held at the Town-hall yesterday. Mr. Wilks occupied the chair. A, letter was received from Miss Turner, stating that she had decided to with, draw from the position of bon. secretary, as she was quite unable to perform the duties. The resignation was received with regret. Mr. T. Chirnside, of Werribee park, forwarded a donation of £5, with a promise that he would give that sum annually. The donation was received with thanks. The following donations were also received:Wyndham Shire Council, £2 ; Wanga, ratta Shire Council, £2. The hon. secretary was directed to acknowledge these donations with thanks. The bon. secretary reported that about eight miles of tho banks of the River Yarra were now furnished with life buoys, each having 05ft. of rope attached The buoys were placed on posts set up in conspicuous positions. The letters and papers received from the Royal Humane Society were referred to the committee of the society for consideration. Accounts amount-ing to £40 19s. were passed for payment. Mr, Ellis Stewart was appointed to the position of hon. secretary in the place of Miss Turner, resigned. Messrs. L. Gers, chel and Firman were appointed directors. Messrs. Phipps and Knipe were appointed members of the committee for investigating claims. The business of making arrange-ments for launching the society's boat was referred to the committee for investigating claims. The consideration of Mr. Knipe's motion for altering the design of the society's medal was postponed until the next meet-ing.

A deputation from the masons of Mel-bourne waited upon the hon. the Minister of Public Works yesterday, for the purpose of asking him to consider the promise made by

his predecessors that the new law courts should be built of stone instead of brick and

stucco. They stated that the original obje-tions urged against this course were the delay that would be caused in getting the stone from Tasmania and the expense, but they were prepared to show that a better stone could be obtained from Mr. Young's quarry in New South Wales, and that that gentleman would guarantee to land from 80,000 to 100,000 cubic feet of stone in Mel-bourne at 3s. per foot. This quantity would be more than sufficient for the construction of the law courts. They further pointed out that the number of masons in Victoria was rapidly decreasing, in consequence of the Government and private individuals evincing such a preference for brick and stucco work in place of more solid stone-work. If it was a mere matter of expense that was to be taken into consideration, they did not think there was any necessity for such substantial bluestone foundations for a brick building. They therefore asked that the Governmen would call for alternative tenders for th erection of the Law Courts, when i would be seen that a stone buildin could be built for a very little mor than a brick one, while it would be

great deal more durable. Mr. Jones, in roplj said that this matter had received great cor sideration from the Government, and as i was a question of both time and monej they had deemed it bee.t to adhere to th original resolution, and construct the build ing of brick and stucco. He also pointe out that if it was decided to use stone, tb inspector.general of public works had statei that there were several stone quarries in th colony that might be made available for th work. It was, however, a question of time an expense, and the Government would go oi with the erection of the brick building.

The lowest tender for the Victorian Arcad and Academy of Music, which Mr. Josepl Aarons is about to erect in Bourke-streol not having been taken up, the next lowes tender has been accepted. The tenderer are Messrs. Lockington and Freeman, th sum being £25,000. The ground has beei cleared of all the small tenements that hav occupied the site so long, and a large body o workmen will be at once set to work oi the building. It is anticipated that th whole of the brickwork will be erected in 1

weeks.

The committee of the Merchant Shippini and Underwriters' Association (Limited) Lloyd's agents, yesterday posted the shi] Loch Laggan, from Liverpool to Melbourne 195 days out, as " missing,"

The commission appointed by the Fresby terian Assembly to deal with the case of th Rev. B, K. Ewing, of Beeohwortb, conclude! its sittings at a late hour last evening. Th< following motion was submitted :-" Inas much as no charges have been adduce; against Mr. Ewing outside the chargei which were duly investigated and disposée of by the Presbytery of Tasmania, and in asmuch as his certificate from the presby tery is full and satisfactory ; and further seeing that the congregations of Beech worth and Stanley are desirous to call hin as their minister, and have intimated theil warm and continued attachment to him, the commission resolves to receive hi. application, and declares that he has been admitted a minister of this church." An amendment was moved in the following forms-" That the commission after careful inquiry into the history of Mr. Ewing find that it is not desirable to grant his applica-tion." The amendment was carried by the casting vote of chairman. From this deci-sion the Rev. J. Nish dissented, and appealed to the commission which meets in May next, for reasons to be given in due course. * The Rev. Mr. Walker, the Rev. W. G. Fraser, and Mr. J. Bennie declared their adherence to the dissent ; and the Rev. Mr. Campbell and the Rev. Mr. M'Eachran were appointed to defend the decision at the bar of the com-

mission.

The first annual meeting of the Sixth Union Terminating Building Society was held yesterday at their offices, 82 Collinsstreet east, Mr. H. Miller occupying the chair. The report of the committee showed that the year's transactions of the society had produced a net profit of 12s. 8J. per share, which, added to the subscription of £6i made the value of each share £0 12s. 8d. Monthly sales had been held, and 339_ Bbares sold at an average premium of £G 14s per share. The committee had much satis-faction in finding that the society had been so successfully floated, 4,505 shares having been taken up by 044 shareholders, and the whole of the subscriptions and deposit moneys invested in approved securities. The committee in the report also desired to say tbat they had somo heavy transactions under consideration, and were now prepared to make large and liberal advances on mort-gage or otherwise, and that as they had the command of such moneys as they might require on reasonable terms, the rate of interest to be charged to borrowers would be low in proportion. They further stated that in view of the enlarged operations of the society under the provisions of the Building Societies Act, 1874, they had given more than their usual attention to the books and accounts, having employed an examiner of accounts to keep a continuous check upon all transactions, and, as the result, were happy to be enabled to report that the secretary had given every satisfaction, and that the books and accounts of the society were in perfect order. The report was adopted, and the re-tiring officers were re-elected. At the monthly meeting of the society, held in the evening, it was announced that the takings amounted to £2,2CG 7s. 9d., and that shares were sold at a premium of £0 each.

A largely attended meeting of the Photo-graphic Society of Victoria took place last Friday evening, at Mr. Hewitt's roomB, Swanston-street. It was decided the society's first exhibition should take place in Novem-ber next. An excellent display of photo-graphs brought by members proved very interesting. Mr. Perry gave notice of read-ing at the next meeting an original paper on the "Solar Camera." After enrolling several new members the meeting closed.

Thomas Cameron Close, late accountant of Middleborough, Yorkshire, Englund, was charged at the City Police Court yesterday with uttering a forged receipt for £252, and embezzling £230 from the Middleborough town funds. The English sergeant Asho and Detective Mackay having given evidence, the prisoner was remanded to gaol pending preparation of the Governor's warrant for hiB removal to England. The particulars of tho arrest were published yestorday. Close brought with him from England a wife and

five children.

A constable named J. Meehan appeared in the witness-box at the City Police Court yesterday in a stato of intoxication. He had during the night arrested a woman for drunkenness, but in the court could not distinguish her from the other prisoners. The woman was discharged, and Inspector Ryall directed Meehan to retire. The case will be dealt with in the usual way by the superintendent.

At the Collingwood Police Court yesterday, nenry Thompson, a larrikin of about 17 years of age, was charged with discharging a loaded gun at George Black, a publican, on March 29. At about 7 o'clock In the evening prosecutor was standing behind his bar at the Norfolk Hotel, corner of Easey and Budd Btreets, when a gun was fired in at the door, and he heard something pass over his head, He rushed outside, and saw two or three lads running away. Afterwards he examined the woodwork behind where he was standing, which was just opposite the door, and found 23 small marks on it, but nothing remaining in it, the wood being, as he stated, too hard to be penetrated. On the floor underneath were a few pieces of gravel, which, however, did not appear ? to be discoloured when examined under a magnifying-glass, and which, it was suggested, might have been left there by passing feet, though Black denied that such was the case. He had never prosecuted prisoner before, but had let bim off four times, when he had been guilty of.inBulting behaviour. .A girl. 10 years old, who was going into the pu'bliohouse, saw prisoner fire the gun. Prisoner ad

mitted having fired the gun, but said he i did it to frighten Black, and had been as to do so by another person, who told

the weapon was only charged with pow The Bench remanded prisoner till Tuest in order that a closer inspection might made of the place where the gravel was f posed to have struck.

The extent to which an ordinary Berv ia required by law to emulate the brilli example of the heroes of Balaclava, and complainingly "do or die," came into qi tion at the Williamstown Court yester during the bearing of a wages case. He Fraser, boatman to Mr. Dobbin, batel sued his employer for £710s. wages, and '? Dobbin, on the other hand, complaii against Fraser for misconduct. On the £ March Fraser was instructed, in compi with another boatman named Nicholls,

take a quantity of meat, ¡co., from Willi ai town off to a vessel lying some distai down the bay, beyond the lightship,

was blowing very hard, and there v a heavy sea on, consequently Fra refused to go, as the boat was a small oj one, and he thought it very dangerous venture out. The other boatman (Nichol however, went down, having a tow fron soiling-boat. The caseB turned on the po as to whether it was dangerous to life carry out the order. Three boatmen, ead whom had been on the bay for over

years, gave it as their opinion that I weather on the day in question renderee extremely dangerous to go down to the B1 referred to in such a boat, while the be man Nicholls said he had often been out the boat in worse weather. The majority the Bench considered that Fraser was in I right, and he obtained a verdict for . wages, which included one week in lieu notice, with £3 costs, the complaint agaii him being dismissed.

About i o'clock yesterday morning a I broke out on the premises of Mr. Flinte cordial manufacturer, Nor thoo to-road, Noi Fitzroy. The factory waa built of wood, a was speedily destroyed. Flintoff v awakened by his wife, and found the pit full of smoke, rapidly followed by flames,

portion of the dwellinghonse which v detached from the factory waa damaged, t Constable Sparling saved this building throwing water on the burning portion. T Fitzroy, Collingwood Volunteer, Met politan, and Collingwood brigades attendi but the factory waa consumed by the til they arrived, and they had only to < tibguish the debris. The stock and pie were insured for £200 in the New Zeala Company. The origin of the fire is v.

known.

An inquiry was held yesterday, at the Po; office Club Hotel, before Dr. Youl, the ci , coroner, into the circumstances attending

fire that occurred on the night of 3rd inst,

the premises, 37 Post-office-place, occupi; by Messrs. Reilly Bros., tailors and ot fitters. The evidence disclosed beyond doubt that the place had been wilfully set e fire, but not the slightest clue was obtaini as to who bad committed the act None

the persons occupying any portion of ti building could possibly gain by its beii burnt down. The jury, without retiring consult, returned an open verdict

Andrew Tovin, aged 12 years, living i Myrtle-street, Collingwood, was admitted ' the Melbourne Hospital yesterday, havit sustained fracture of the right leg by a fa off a tree he was climbing. Margaret Heale aged 23 years, living in Little Lonsdal street, was also admitted, having had her li broken. She fell out of a cab.

The Victoria Yacht Club's ordinal monthly meeting was held at the Po Phillip Club Hotel last night, Mr. J. R. Hoi kins, commodore, in the ohair. Several ne members were elected and others proposet It was determined that the yachts shoal rendezvous at Queenscliff on Good Frida for the Easter cruise, that the silk ensig presented by Mrs. M'Gregor Buould be Baile for on the 22nd current, that the seaso Bhould be closed by a cruise in company o the 24th May, and that the club ball shoal be held early in June.

The return match between the M. and I B. U. Railway Company and the Victoria Railways will take place to-day, on the Sout Melbourne ground, game to commence at 1 o'clock sharp. The M. and H. B. U. Railwa Company will be represented by Messri Broadbent, Davis, Hacker, Keightley, Kell] Palmer, Pirani, Reid, Smart, Vaughan, an Vine ; emergency, Walsh and Tyrrell. Vii torian Railways representatives are-Mesan Blunn, ChesBell, Hill, Hynes, King, Lavatoi Lockhead, M'Lean, Patterson, Ryan, au Vines ; umpire, Gregory; scorer, Hughes.

It is gratifying to see that the Victoria; Cricketers' Association are not insensible c meritorious performances in the field, ani that they are willing to recognise any dee; of note, even if it is enacted on the defeatei side. All will remember the grand batting o Mr. Kelly in the Intercolonial Match playei against New South Wales at Melbourne, am the fine display of bowling exhibited by Mr Allan both here and at Sydney. The mern bera of the association apparently have no allowed those feats to escape their notice At a meeting of that body held yester day, at Oliver's Café, Collins-Btreet, botl those players received substantial recogni tion of their prowess. Mr. D. C. M'Arthur who occupied the chair, in a few eulogistv remarks presented Mr. Allan with tw< handsome lockets for his dual bowling per formance, and expressed the pleasure it gavi bim to see Mr. Allan come from his retire ment and use his left arm in the colony'i behalf in the hour of need. In handing Mr, Kelly a prize bat for his fine exhibition o batting, the chairman paid that player t very high compliment for the assistance h( hoB always rendered the colony in these con testa. The healths of both the recipiente having been drunk with enthusiasm by the members present, brief but suitable re sponees were given.

Coursing men will regret to hear that the celebrated greyhound Baratta met with an accident on Monday while running a trial and broke her foot. This will put a stop te her career in the coursing field.

A meeting will be held at the Port Phillic Club Hotel at 8 this evening for the purpose of establishing a La Crosse Club in Mel, bourne. It is believed that many who de not care to take part in gamea of football will be glad to introduce, as a winter sport, the game of La Crosse. It is a kind oi Indian racquets, and is the favourite out-door pastime in Lower Canada.

The curator of intestate estates has ob-tained rules to administer the estates of the following persons ¡-Jeremiah White, Mount Franklin, May 8, 1867, £i00 ; Alico Middle, miss, Mount Franklin, June 19, 1875, £103 0s. Sd. ; Thomas M'Gahan, Longwood, De-cember 25, 1875, £17 10s. Gd. ! Archibald Parker, Caffer'B-hill, Foster, February 8, 1870, £27 15s. Id. ; James Smith, Adelaide Lead, Amherst, February 17, £00 3s. 7d. ; Eliza Carr, Emerald-hill, February 23, £31 13s. lOd. ; George Cooper, Kew Lunatic Asylum, February 20, £70 12s. ii. ; William Goodwin, Rupert-Btreet, Collingwood, March

0, £3198.

Mr. Charles Lynott, of Messrs. Riohard Gibson and Co., stock and station agents, has been made the recipient of several gratifying testimonials of late. Messrs. Robertson Bros., of Colac, very recently presented him with a cheque for 250 guineas, in recognition of hie services as auctioneer at their recent great sale of pure stock. In ad-dition to this, the same gentlemen have pre-sented Mr. Lynott with a handsome gold chain and locket. Mr. Richard C. Morton, late of Mount Derrimut, the colebratod breeder of pure shorthorn stock, has sont out an order from Europe to Mr. Gaunt, of Bourke-street, to manufacture for Mr. Lynott a magnificent gold locket and Beal, in recog-nition of his skill as a judge of pure short-horns, and his ability as a salesman.

A lecture was delivered last night, at the Temperance-hall, by Dr. Macartney, the Bnbject being the words " Come and let us bave a drink," There was a large attend-ance, and the lecture, which wau in advo

cacy of the temperance cause, was very we

received.

The Insurance Jlecord of February 4 at noutices that Mr. T. Jaques Martin, tb managing director of the Colonial Matu. Life Assurance Society, was on Monda) January 31, elected an associate of the inst; tute of actuaries of Great Britain and Ireland Mr. Martin has been for over 20 years cor nected with tho insurance interests of thes colonies, having entered the local office c the Northern Asurance Company in 1854.

Tuesday, the 18th inst., has been pro claimed a special day to be observed as ; bank holiday at Sandhurst, Eaglehawk, am Kilmore.

The Maryborough Advertiser says tha " in consequence ot remarks made in Th Argus on the water contained in the Mary borough reservoir, the health officer, Dr Laidman, submitted a sample of it fo analysis by Mr. Sydney Gibbons, F.C.S." At elaborate report has been received from tha gentleman, which may be considered a< partly re-assuring to the consumers, Th< water, he considers, is not at present con taminated, but he concludes with enforcing the principle that was laid down in Tin Argus, that it is dangerous to-allow thi watershed to be occupied. "I strongly en join," he says, "the greatest caution in thi reservation o! the entire watershed fron occupation of whatever kind. No possibl« rent or profit can balance the inevitabli poisoning of the water supply if the adjaceu land is pastured or dwelt upon."

The sittings of the County Court, Geelong were held yesterday, befor his Honour Judgi Bowman. Ebenezer Ash sued Mr. A Rutherford for £25 damages caused by thi trespass of Bheep. The plaintiff Btated hi was a market gardener, and had some lant near the residence of the defendant. On thi ?1th, 7th, 8th, and 23rd December last sheej belonging to the defendant trespassed on hil land and damaged his cabbages, peas, ant other produce, to the extent of £30. Wit nesses were heard to prove the damago done The defence was that the fence was not sheep proof, and that the crop damaged was ex ceedingly poor. A verdict was given for thi plaintiff for the full amount. The action o Cocks v. Frederick Thomas Pearson, triet before a jury of four, was to recover £251 damages for a libel arising out of an adver tisement inserted in the Geelong Advertiser bj the defendant, the heading of which, contain ing the libel, was "Be David Cocks, product dealer, of Geelong, insolvent" Mr. M'Der mott appeared for tho plaintiff, and Dr. Dobsor for the defendant. Dr. Dobson admitted the publication of the libel, and produced i evidence to show justification. The defend

ant Btated that he bought the estate of the plaintiff. Many of the debts said to be dut bad been paid. The estate was only wortl 4s. in the £1, although he had given 10s. ii the £ for it. The plaintiff complained of the wording of the advertisement, and ii had been altered. The alteration wae not satisfactory, and an apology wa. wanted. The plaintiff's solicitor drew ur. another advertisement containing an apology, which was inserted in the journal referred to. Mr. Pew, agont for the defendant at the time, deposed to taking the word "insolvent" out of the advertisement at the request of Mr. Lee. Plain-tiff stated that when he assigned his eBtate he had other property not assigned, and intended to carry on his business, but in consequence of the libel he was unable to do so. The apology in the advertisement did not satisfy him. The property he kept was worth £130, and consisted of furniture, horse, and plough. His Honour having summed np, the jury, after half an hour's deliberation, gave a verdict for the defendant. The other cases were not of public interest, and the Court adjourned sine die.

With respect to the'Possnm-hill rush,M'Intyre's, the Dunolly Express writes:-"On Friday evening last Mr. P. Frayne and party arrived in Dunolly with two nuggets, weigh-ing respectively 158oz, lOdwt. and -Hoz. Gdwt. 12gr.-over 200oz. Beside these, the 'same partyunearthed a bit of 7oz. a few days previously. Earlier in the day, news arrived ol the result of crushing 10 tons of cement tailings from Mosely's prospecting claim at Deason's crushing-mill, Moliagul, viz,, 28oz. lOdwt. The woshdirt in this claim has, we believe, averaged over 2oz. to the load. On Saturday night a report was current that a Chinaman had got a 201b. nugget at the rush, and on Monday we learnt that another Chinaman had got a good prospect, viz., Ooz. to the bucket. Another Chinese party got two nuggets, one weighing 8oz. and the other 40oz., together, -lib. weight. Another party obtained over 30oz. for the day's washing. After the arrival of the train on Monday, the road was very lively with vehicles and men on foot bound for the rush."

The inaugural address of the present ses-sion of the West Melbourne Presbyterian Church Literary Association was delivered on Monday evening by the Rev. J. ti. Stobbs. He took for his subject "The poetic senti-ment an abiding element in true culture," in reference to which ho said he wished to offer a plea for a specific branch of that much-in-cluding word culture, viz, the cultivation of poetic lonsibility-the study of poetry. The under-current of thought in this our time was to ascribe a preposterous worth to the hard "dry-light" of intellectual cognition alone, and to exclude with disdain from

consideration other elements of our consti-tution quite as stable and enduring and authoritative in teaching as the intellectual faculty. We were not mere reasoning machines, and that, he fancied, would have been the beBt answer to the great mathe-matician of the last century who asked, with a sneer, "Poetry, what does it prove?" The rev. gentleman then went on to show that the poetic feeling was a normal element of human nature, and illustrated by a retro-spective view the inlluence poetry had exercised in the past, and more especially in the formation of our language.

We direct attention to an advertisement in another column pointing out that no " Choral Service" practice will be held this week at the Town-hall, and that rehearsal will be resumed at the Town-hall on Thurs-day next, the 20th inst.

Mdlle. de Mureka and her company left Melbourne yesterday morning by the steamer Albion, which parted from Sandridge pier at 11 o'clock. The company consisted of the prima donna, Signor Rosnati, Signor Susini, Signor Giammona, and Mr. John Hill. Signor De Vivo was, in this instance, as in all others affecting the busi-ness interests of the troupe, the generalissimo. Amongst those assembled on the pier there was great curiosity to see the chief lady ; and on board there was a large numberof her friends to wish her safe journey and speedy return. Apart from the business which must bring her back, we are assured by Mdlle. de Murska that she will bo glad to return to Melbourne when she shall have ful-filled the engagements which have been made for her in New Zealand.

At the Theatre Royal .yesterday evening the excellent programme, comprising the amueingcomedies "Sweethearts"and "Our Boya," attracted as usual a very large at. tendance. Both pieces were satisfactorily performed.

At the Opera-house last evening "Fritz'« was performed. Thero was a largo audlonce, who appeared to be thoroughly pleased with tho versatile exhibition of Mr. Emmet's musical abilities.

The Diorama of the American War was

presented at St. George's Hall last evening.

The attendance was moderate.

Bach's "Passion," for the combined bands and principals, will bo rehearsed at the Town-hall to-morrow afternoon, at 3 p.m.

The Golden Crown will make a special excursion to Queenscliff and Sorrento on Easter Sunday.

We are informed that the National Insur-ance Company is not interested in the stock of Mr. Green, draper, who was burnt out on the 7th inst. at Castlemaine.

The Central Board of Health in our adver-tising columns, direct attention to the im-portant piovisions of the act passed last session for amertdiug the laws relating to the publio health.

I Wo are requested to remind the members

of the Melbourne Philharmonic Society that rehearsal of bond and choir parts will be held at the Town-hall to-night, at 7 30 p.m.

The hon. the Treasurer desires to acknow-

ledge the receipt in an anonymous letter, bearing the Belfast poet-maik, of stamps to the value of Ila, described as restitution

money.

An evening exhibition of Carysanthemums (in pots and cut blooms) will be held on the 4th of May byithe Victorian Horticultural Im-provement Society, at their hall in Victoria

street

Special express passenger trains will leave Spencer-street each day during the Elster holidays for Kyneton, Castlemaine, and Sandhurst, Geelong, and Ballarat. Particu-lars appear in our advertising columns.

At a meeting of master and journeymen butchers held last evening at the University Hotel, it was resolved that the picnic should come off on Tuesday, the 2nd of May, at Brighton.

The committee of the Melbourne Home re-port as follows for the month of March : - Registrations - Governesses, C ; ser-vants, 45. Engagements-Governesses, 3; BervantB, 10. Boarders-Governesses, 8 ; servants, 28. Number in homo 31st March, staff included, 17.

In consequence of the short stay of the China in port, and of there being a good deal of work to be done on board to prepare her for sea next week, visitors cannot be admitted before Tuesday next, 18th inst. Persons who may have business on board may obtain an order for admission at the P. and 0. Company's office.

MeBBrs, Reilly Brothers desire to tender their thanks to those gentlemen from the different warehouses with which they are connected for their kind attendance at the inquiry in connexion with the late fire ; also to Mr. Sampson, for the kind manner in which he expreesed himself towards

them.

We hove been requested to mention that Mr. Gooree James Culliford, who was suffo-cated at Portarlington on Saturday evening through a pieco of meat getting fixed ia his throat, was not a journeyman painter as stated, but bad been for 20 years engaged in the building trade as a contractor.

On Good Friday Mr. George Robertson's team will meet an eleven chosen from the united booksellers, stationers, and printers of Geelong, on St. Audrew's-reserve, Albertpark. The metropolitan toam will be the same as in the first match 'at Geelong, on January 22, viz :-Brandt, Holmer, James, Kettlewell, Madden (captain), Moody, Parn-ham, Robertson, Walker, Wheeler, and Woodbridge ; umpire, J. C. Browne,

The retirement of Mr. Jos. Wilding from the firm of Wilding and Co, agricultural implement manufacturers, of this city, and bia impending departure for Europe by the B.B. Durham to-day, was the occasion of a sociable gathering of his friends in the mercantile and manufacturing interests last evening, at the Royal Saxon Hotel, Elizabethstreet In the unavoidable absence of Mr. W. K. Thomson, the chair was taken by Mr. John Buncle, the late mayor of Hotham, while the vice-chair was occupied by Mr. K. Bodington. The health of the guest of the evening was proposed by Mr. II. Lennon.

The annual general meeting of the Star of Richmond Football Club was held on Mon. day evening last, at the Royal Hotel, Rich-mond, a good muBter of members having attended. The secretary's and treasurer's reports were read, and showed that the club was in a moBt flourishing condition. Ap-pended is a list of office-bearers for tho ensuing season ¡-Captain, J. Lihou ; vicecaptain, B. Betts ; secretary, T. Marsh (reelected) ; treasurer, H. Burrows (re-elected) ; committee, including secretary and treasurer,

Messrs. T. Marsh. H. Burrows, Margrie, Petitt, and H. Smith. After a vote of thanks ¡ had been passed to the retiring office-bearers the meeting closed.