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INTERCOLONIAL.
VICTORIA.
fFram our own Correspondent. I
Melbourne* March 1, I
Mr. Service affects to be satisfied with the
Btate of affairs in regard to federation. Wo
were led to expect that Parliament would be
suddenly called together to pass resolutions
which would convince Lord Derby that Vic
torians were in earnest with reference to the
proceedings of the Sydney Conference. Mr.
Service, when he came back from Sorrento on
Monday, dispelled the illusion. Victoria doeB
not wish to lead off, but will wait for New
South Wales. The New Zealand and Tas
manian Governments have the best reasons
in the world—their own safety—for not con
vening Parliament a day sooner than they
are obliged. The loss of Mr. Bray's resolu
tions is a disappointment to our Premier. It
does not look as if the colonies were greatly
in earnest when you see two Parlia
ments letting the matter stand over,
and a third too busy with local
questions to concern itself with federation.
Ministers are taking jaunts hither and
thither in the country districts. Mr. Berry
and Mr. Deakin have this week visited
Coranderrk Station—an aboriginal reserve—
forty miles from Melbourne, on the way to
the Black Spur. They remarked that the
half-castes were numerous and the pure-bred
blacks few. Mr. Berry means to send the •
semi-whites out to work for their living. At
Coranderrk they loaf most of their time
away, and like other idle folk are ever
grumbling. Mr. Langridge, the Commis
sioner of Customs, has been driving through
the tobacco districts to the north-eastward,
with the view to gathering material for an
amended Excise Act next session. The
Minister of Lands went off on Thursday to
the westward with a professional staff to
decide whether Lake Condah can be drained
and converted into an agricultural settle
ment. Mr. Levien, the Minister of Mines,
has during the last two or three days been
roaming through the Daylesford forest to
learn what should he done for the conserva
tion of timber. Two Ministers are in New
Zealand, and when you get to the end of the
list you find that during the major portion of
the week there was but a single member of
the Government in town—Mr. Service.
The calm is so profound that we are almost
beginning to believe that it will last for ever,
ana politics cease to be a topic of interest
It is a dull period for the newspapers, which,
in order to keep their leading columns filled,
have been obnged to make excursions into
New South Wales and South Australia. The
report of the Royal Commission on Education
would furnish welcome pabulum, but the in
cubation is going on at an exceedingly slow
rate. The Commissioners meet once a week
to ponder over the evidence they were two
years in amassing. It is possible they may
report against tbe Catholic claims for a sepa
rate grant. They are about evenly divided.
Two are absent—the Chairman, Air. Rogers,
Q.C., who is acting as a Judge for the Tasma
nians, and Air. John Afacgregor, who is laid
up with serious illness. Aleantiine the de
partment is preparing to carry outthe changes
recommended by theconference of Inspectors.
The views of tbe Commission on the religious
question are what we most care about. If
they report against the current system I donot
think the Government will take any notice
of their remarks, but the Catholics will re
joice and use it as a handle on future
occasions.
According to the accounts separately given
by the masters of the s.8. Adelaide and s.s.
Wairarapa of the steaming match they had
down the harbour last week there was no
racing, properly so called. It was a mere
coincidence that the two vessels happened to
be going to sea at the same hour, and that
both were in a tremendous hurry to reach
QueenBclifle. There have been several marine
contests in Victorian waters since fast
vessels were brought into the coasting trade.
The two Geelong boats were hauled up for
racing some weeks back, and coming into
collision when rounding the b'ghtship. A
trial of speed occurred between the Adelaide
and the Pateena soon after the arrival of the
former from England, and the Adelaide won.
The Messageries steamer Salazie and the P.
and O. steamer Clyde raced to the Heads the
last time they were on their outward trip.
An occasional spurt in the open would not be
objectionable, but two vessels cannot com
pete with safety in the narrow channels of
Port Phillip. With empty vessels captains
and owners may race as they list, but
when they have a number of timid men,
women, and children on board the deli
cate nerves of this class of passengers
onght to be taken into consideration.
Pacing, as a form of advertising, may he
conducted in such a way as to be dangerous;
and none of us would like to lose our lives
for the sake of having it clearly determined
whether the South Australian, the New
Zealand, or any other Company has the
fortune to own the fastest boat in the
southern seas. One passenger by the Waira
rapa, who has just returned from New
Zealand, writes as follows: — " When we
struck each other, a young man on board the
Adelaide jumped right imo my arms, and we
took him on to Hobart. He had a wonderful
escape from falling between the two vessels,
men he made his spring one of hii
as when he made his spring one of his fellow
passengers caught hold of his coat-tails, and
called upon our stranger to pull him on board
the Wairarapa, but luckily he made a good
jump, as the vessels were just parting when
he took off. One of our passengers wanted
to leap on board the Adelaide, but his wife,
who was standing near, caught hold of him
and held him back. He was ia a very
delicate state of health, and going to New
If! ' "
Zealand for change of climate. If he had
not been held back, I think the chances were
20 to 1 against his escaping without injury,
as the vessels only remained together for a
few seconds. An old man of about 80 years
of age, who walked with the assistance of
two sticks^ managed to get down to the
ladies' cabin, and informed the people that
he had run down to save his wife, who was
about the same age as himself. The poor old
gentleman thought we were going down, and
would not desert the old lady."
The Steam Navigation Board have no
power to prevent racing, and can only inter
fere where grounding or collisions occur.
The damage to the Wairarapa, however,
gives them jurisdiction. One fact which
does not seem to have been sufficiently
brought out is that night set in before the
contest had been far advanced, and the boats
were completely in the dark. A fog pro
videntially descended on them just as the
climax of danger was being reached, and
compelled the captains to drop anchor.
Possibly wc should not have heard a word
about the affair if it had not been for the
accidental circumstance that a Melbourne
newspaper reporter was on board the New
Zealand boat. His professional instincts
induced him to give publicity to an occur
rence which ordinary passeugers, after a
little grumbling and threatening, would have
forgotten on landing. The Wairarapa will not
be pack for a month at the earliest, and
until then the enquiry must wait.
Mr. Bent, the cx-Coramissioner of Bail
ways, gave a lecture to his constituents at
Brighton on Monday on the " Wonders of
India." His qualifications for entertaining
an audience are limited, but Mr. Bent was
full of matter, and prattled on in a jerky
style for two hours. He is an orator who
despises consecutive thinking and talking,
and never bothers himself with notes. When
at a loss for something to say he repeats a
previous statement. The wonders seen by
Mr. Bent were commonplace. He went to
Calcutta, with his friend Mr. John Woods,
to attend the opening of the Exhibition and
take a run through the principal cities for
the benefit of his health. Mr. Woods has
not yet come back. He may have been de
tained by the hope that he would get a gold
medal for the brake Mr. Thow thought so
well adapted to Victorian wants, though not
up to the South Australian standard. Mr.
Bent saw the mongoose in India, and
he warns ns against allowing this
species of vermin to be introduced
into Victoria to destroy rabbits. The
mongoose may or may not eradicate the
rabbit, but it will surely spread on its own
account. The rabbits are breaking out again
in Victoria, and we hear that they have ex
tended their onward march far into New
South Wales. It is on record, 1 am told,
that during the late drought in the mallee,
they swam the Murray in thousands. The
only thing to arrest their progress in the
interior is an epidemic; but we nave not yet
been told of one which would confine its
ravages to the rabbits alone. South America
was overrun in part by a similar pest—I
do not at this moment remember its name
many generations ago. It disappeared, no
body knows how. The rabbits are enjoying
themselves too well in Victoria to think of
deserting us wholly. West of Geclong there
is a considerable breadth of stony rises—an
ancient lava field—whence it would take
thousands of pounds to eradicate them. The
soil is too poor for cultivation; it
will grow nothing but the commonest
ferns. When Mr. Richardson was in
office for twelve months as Minister of
Lands he pooh-poohed the idea of the rabbits
being an evil. They were a bogey invented by
the squatters to prevent the Government
from asking a fair rent for the land. Mr.
Madden, his successor, who was better in
formed, carried on vigorous measures for
twenty months. He was succeeded by Mr.
Tucker, the present Minister, who shared
the faith of Mr. Richardson, and took a
reduced vote from Parliament for suppressing
the nuisance. Mr. Tucker has changed his
opinion during the last few months, and
legislation is promised next session. The
mongoose and the rabbit have led me away
from Mr. Bent; but there is little more to be
said about that gentleman's performances as
a lecturer. He is to make a second appear
ance shortly. Mr. Bosisto. the official repre
sentative of Victoria at Calcutta, is a man of
scientific tastes, and will bring back valuable
hints for our guidance. He is to be ban
queted by his constituents on his return.
The Protectionists are disappointed at the
poor show made by the manufacturing firms
in the prize-lists at Mr. Jouberfs Exhibition.
Most of the gold medals have been given to
exhibitors of wool and agricultural products.
The manufacturers figure principally in the
bronze list.
Mr. Thomas Bolam, the late Inspector
General of Education, died on the day that
his new appointment as Inspector of .Scores
was announced. It was a great come down
for him. After the disclosures in the divorce
suit tried about six months ago the Govern
ment were obliged to withdraw Air. Bolam
from the Education Department He held
an exalted position, being second in con
rnand. His was an unfortunate case, and his
latter days extremely miserable. In former
yearB Mr. Bolam had to take leave of absence
frequently; while suffering from temporary
hallucinations, or, to use his own phrase
ology, when he was "off his chump." When
the Greer tragedy occurred at the Opera
house in 1880 Mr. Bolam went about armed
with a revolver to shoot some one who was
not then in Melbourne. Whether he was the
victim of delusions or had a real grievance he
must have lived a miserable existence for
sometime past, and more especially since the
negative result of the divorce suit, in regard
to which the Jury did not agree. His
financial embarrassments were also talked
of, and people had grounds for inferring that
Mr. Bolam had committed suicide when
they heard of his sudden demise. It
was shown at the inquest that it
had been his wont to take chloro
dyne as a medicine, and had cause for
resorting to it in the present instance,.
He took an overdose, and the post mortem
revealed the fact that the organs of the body
were not in sound enough condition to resist
the effects of the laudanum. The result of the
divorce suit was a severe blow to Mr. Bolam,
and if lie could have commanded the neces
sary means he would have hod the case Bet
down a second time. The co-respondent in
tended to have compelled him to proceed to
trial again, or pay costs. Friends intervened,
and persuaded husband and wife to become
reoonciled. They had. been living in the same
house for three weeks when the above fatality
occurred.
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