Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Tuesday 4 November 1890, page 9


SOCIAL AND GENERAL.

His Excellency the Governor, the Earl of Hopetoun, paid his official visit to Castle-maine on the 21st inst., and had an enthu-siastic reception. On the following day he visited Hawthorn, and proclaimed that suburban municipality a city. A banquet was given in the local town-hall, and His Excel-lency in his speech referred to the fact that while in 1860 the municipality had a popula-tion of 1,500, and properly of the annual ratable value of £25,363, the population was now 16,000, and the annual ratable value of property £230,000.

Although no definite information has jet been received from the London Postraaster Genern!, it ts understood that the reduced postege rate of 2V.1. tor the W for letters to the United Kingdom will come into operation on the 1st ot January next. It was thought that the Paudc tnnil service would cease at the expiry of the 12 month1-' contract in No-vember next for the conveyance of mails between Sidney and ban Francisco, but arrangements have now been made for n continuance of the service for a further period

of 12 months

The J.uatern Txlenaion Telegraph Com-pany Ima declined to lull in wini the pro posai of the Postmasters General of the colonies, that as the imperial Government has refuted to bear a portion of the re-sponsibility in the event of losa accruing to the cable company through the nropoaed redaction m toe cable rate», differential ratea should be adopted, the proposed re-duced rntea to uppl) to the colonice, only. The Governments of New South Wales, South Australia, und Victoria have expressed their willingness to adopt the reduced rates on the condition that the colonies should bear the nek of loss equally with the com-pany, and Queensland, -\ew Zealand, and West Australia have now been usked to juin with the other colonies named in bearniK a share ot the guarantee. It tlicap colonies accept u share of the rcsponsibilit-., steps will be taken forthwith to brine; the reduced rates into force.

Nowofiicea have been erected in Collins street for The .I n/ns and 1 hi A usti uliisiuii, mid a supper to telebruie the completion ol the building waa given bj the proprietors on hnturd«} I'venniK last, in the iurgp hall uaed na a front ofhiv. 11 r. Gowen Lvatia occu-pied the chair, and about dO guests, com-posed entirely of the literary stall mid the heada of the other departmeni9,,were preeent. 'Hie bui'dwg is in keeping willi the bist architecture ni the viunnv, ana is very complete and comfortable in its np, pointnieiits, but the proprietor« werp prevented from engaging in building operations on auch a scale as they desired by the terms ot the «round lease, which expired m 15 j curs.

Hie annual Hospital Sunda*, collodions were made throw-bout Melbourno anil buburba on the 26ih ult., and the results were much more autislactorv thnn could have been expected, considering the depresaiiiij in-fluença of the strike mid the prevalence ol

wmtry weather. The contributions acknow-

ledged next tiiornmg, exclusive of the Hon pitul Saturday collections, amounted to about ¿13,000, whereas the amount announced on the tollowiiig morning last year waa milyu little over ±0,000, The total uunmint linully received nu thin occasion was 111,431), mid there is everj indication tluit wheu the re-turns ure all m of Hie present collections that amount will be considerably exceeded, the lament sum contributed bj any lndivi« dual congregation ia again credited to br. Johns Church of Kngliuid, Toorak, which JT8 out together the handsome amount ol u' 'or ^ D)ore than was derived lrom the same source last year. Oilier large items are those of Die Presbyterian Church.Toorak, MOl» 17». id.; tbe Australian Church, £179 na. 31. bcois Church, 1107 17s. 94.; and the

Collins street Congregational Church, £121 Cs. A special service held at the 'i own hall m the afternoon was well attended, and the collection amounted to £CJ Exclusive ot this venr's collections, a sum of £121,000 has been subscribed in this way since the move ropnt wiis initiated 17 years «bo

The Victoria Racine Club s spring meeting commenced un Saturday last ut rieimngt m and although it ivua at one time leareii ihnt the labour strife now cnmuiK to an end would have in some degree affected the success ot the (treat annual gatherum, the attendance wna at any rate as great ns in the previous j i'"i* Amongst the more notable visitors were His excellency the Governor and Lord Kintore, Governor of South Australia. J he weather was splendid, anti the rncutgof a fnirl) interesting char ictcr Hie Melbourne Stakes furnished one of the easiest ot victories for Carbine, who wna nev er put tu Ins ton puce while Grestordlimt Melon alter n line nue tor second place lhere were ei_ht starters lor the Deiliy, I lie Vdniirnl nil \untsley being equal favourite« with Galling the mist popular ot the otters Aureslei alter bellin blocked at the hume turn rctused to trj and n slow race «na «run h) J he Admiral Mnuc Circle who w is second cune with a remark uble run u I the tunah, und Outlin. who male his run earlier but w m unable to minni nu n, Inn-shed third the Melbourne Cup is to le

run mr to dm

Sir Frederick Sargood MI I1, entertainer! the J'lirluiineiitary represen ntives mid the mayors mid councillor« ot the South \arra Provlnee io the number ot about 110 at the I own null on the ¿7th ulr Speedie» were mude I» Sir fumes M-tcLuin (Pre-uilent ut the L°i,islutivp Council) air Mntthcw Uiviee (Speaker of tue Legislative Assi-mbli) Mr James Service, M L C , ann others mid eulogistic relerencc« were made ti the «er vices rendered by Sir frederick Sargood in many public capacities

A burne me ol almost phenomenal violence piiBB-a over Melbourne on the-'I li ult. On the previous 'ay the velocitj of the wind whs ut one lime IO miles pee hour J here winn lempornry eulin nunile the night, but in the lorenniin the gale recommenced with te di ubled force, and culminated soon alter mid du) ii>itt»rrilichurriciue thevelncil) ni winch reiichid bO miles per hour Lueki j the full strength of the s ¡null did not Just fur more tliiui 10 minute« but within that time con aider nile loss of life olid prnpertv wnsciused A bain wo« swamped nff W illiumtuown, mid two liremen iroin the li M S Orient vveie drowned Hie schooner Aquilla liiundered at I'urt Melbuuiiie, mid other dumut,u was done uniniig the shipping in the imv l'art of n suite school ut North Melbourne col

lapsed, a Hillway carriage factory whs wrecked at Viiowinij »nil lnr.re engineering worl s at W est Melbourne were uamnged, honriliii^s und verundaliH wer» blown down in nil dircclious and telegraphic coinmum cation »as seriously intertcred with

J he report of the commissioners of Hie Savings bank lor the year ending .10 h June slates ihnt the «mount received iroin deposi-tors duiuig the yeur was *Jl720,fil>*{ while the sum r, pail to I hem wna cJ.KOl SJJ Hie total am un toi interest c edited io ueiositora for the 12 months win ¿lib, "HO 'Hie num hei nt accounts opened during the jeiir win II 121, and those cloned caine to '20 07J 1 lien were at I he close of the year 177 1SJ depositors being li Jib greater thuii at Hie eut ni the previous* jeir Hie sum lo the credit ol Hie depositors on tin '.Olli June 1 iat was i''2bb01l being k3i2l4 greater tliiui

the nuiouni io their credit at tile cluse oí the preceding j ear

A select committee of the Legislative Assembly has been unable to determine who was the actual discoverer of the Bendigo gold field. There were 12 claimants. The com-mittee also endeavoured to ascertain from what source, and at what time, the name ' Bendigo arose. The evidence given led it to the opinion that the place was called "Bendigo as far back as 1840, and that it was so called after illicit loyé on that portion of the Rivenswood station which after-wards became known as "the Bendigo gold-

field."

At the llnrlv sixth annual meeting of the Church Missionar] Society the Dishonor Mel

bourne smd that wanui elie last lew years 7') University graduates, of whom 48 carne trom Cambnd"e, 19 clergvmen, nutt "At women had gone out to China tor mission work As tor the Chinese in Vic» rin the} hail -.radnall) dwindled trom 10 000 20years ago to

4 000

Hie will of the Inle Mr '1 liornas Ch-istian,. formerly of Charters lowers Queensland and recently ot Caulfield has been filed tor probnie '1 he property in Victoria is valued ut ti 17 000, ni which ¿ill 000 is real proDerly and ¿4b,000 personal Hie deceased also lett n liirct amount of proper!-, imtt-iilo this colony J he property is left to the widow and children

1 li» trials arising out of the failure of the Premier Permanent Hutlduif Society are pro ceedin,? nt the Supreme Court beiore the Clnet Justice William Dotiert), the ex secretarj, was charged with having made a false entry in the saving« bank ledger ni the soclely, aiid wai" lound guilty Clinrgis ot lalsifying a report and balance sheet of the society, preferred against James .Miram», secretan William JJoherty, accountant and Ioho Hedrick and John Holten, aminora, are now being heard

Two concerts have been given during the pist fortnight bv Mess» Himmer and Härtung in Glens Music hall, which wan well lilied on both occasions Hie pro grammes-almost entirely vocal-included the Helier ot beethoven Schubert Schumann, Mendi lesnlin, Brahma, Uubinstein and other great composers (lu the 23rd ult the \ic toriaii Orchestra tried the experiment ot Civing a concert at wini li local productions oui) were pertormed i lieetpenment was a failure an I is not hkelj to be repeated Madame Pate-,, insisted bv Miss Lilla Miranda and the Victorian Orchestra mude her lirst appearance m Melbourne ni the lown hull on thursday last, and received a most demonstrative welcome Her second concert took place on Saturdii) On Snturduy, the 21th ult, 1 he Gun doliera was ptrlormed at Hie Princess s J heatre, for the first time in Austrnhn Hie theatre was crowded with an enthusiastic audience, and there is every promise ot a

lung and successful run J he Nellie Stewart I camplin), having returned Irom S)dne), opened at the Opi ra house with "Paul Iones, ' ou --aturda) last Mr CharlesSantley sturieil overland lor Adelaide, cn .oinV tor Ingbuil on i ridny, the 2th ult A larc.« number ot musicians and Iriends nssimbled at the ratlwii) station to bul him tareive I