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On this Page 5
OUR VICTORIAN LETTER.
[From our own Correspondent.]
Melbourne, December 26.
Our vexations never cease. The pot of
our political troubles seethes like a witch's
cauldron and boils and bubbles as though
influenced by a perpetual volcano. The
House is no longer sitting, but rest is denied
us; the forum is exchanged for the stump.
Payment of members was passed a good
while ago, and the Reform Bill bas bad an
effective opiate administered to it, but wo
bave really gone from the fryingpau into
tbe fire, for "Tbe Embassy*' bas come to
tbe fore with such force that there is no
peace passible on account of it, and the
clatter of interminable words bas become
" monotonous'* in Mx. Twain's very emphatic
sense of that term. When the Upper House
declined to look at Mr. Berry's Beform
scheme tbe latter said—" Then we will bave
an wubassy.*' " What will you do with it V
was asked. Tbe only reply to which
i question, put as it has been in a variety of
ways, has been simply—'• We will go to
London.1 * First tbe Beform Bill itself was
to lie '* carried to the foot of the Throne,"
which was a fine phrase, and was to be
taken as meaning something terrible.
Then this idea was abandoned when the
ridiculousness of it was made to appear,
and foT some time Mr. Beny was as silent
as the Sphinx as to what be really would do,
when, as if by a lucky inspiration, the
notion of an " Enabling Bill" became the
order of the day, that is, a BUI to enable
Mr. Berry and his pliant majority to do
what they pleased, asking no permis
sion of anybody, and having no respect for
anything'but his "great party." Mr.
Service, for the Opposition, said—"The
Embassy is a ridiculous iuus, n and Mr.
Munro, wbo sat directly behind the
Ministiy, and who has been a sort of king
maker in his way, said ditto, while
friend and foe have conspired, without pre—
agreement and from eheer force of reason,
to reiterate the same sentiment in season
and out of season and in all sorts of ways,
and tbe entire Press of the colony, with a
solitary exception or two here and there,
which bas been readily understood, has
spoken to the same purpose. But all this
has not been enough. A defeat had been
suffered, and something in the form of a
diversion was needed. Retreat was in
evitable, and something was required to
cover it. The abortive Reform Bill had
been blocked, and the Embassy was a sort
of popular set-off, about which all sorts of
wild suimises and strong promises might
be made, and therefore as something
simply better than nothing the Embassy
was the only thing. Moreover, one
never can tell what may turn up.
Au official trip to England was
worth something for itself, and worth
still more for what it might possibly lead
to. When all this was settled, and the
berths of the ambassadors taken in the
li M.S. Assam, sundry disquieting rumors
arose as to the contents of a communica
tion which the Governor had received ou
this subject from the Home Office; but the
Governor was in Gipnsland, alternately
taking his pleasure on the lakes and shoot
ing kangaroos, and the despatch could not
be made public until after his return.
Duricg these few important days wbich
intervened the Chief Secretary and his
friends were committing themselves deeper
and deeper by long, loud, and strong public
utterances as to the wonders which were \
to be achieved next session by aid of the
r.ew powers which were to be secured from '
the Colonial Office, and when the ominous
despatch was given to the papers, and it
was seen how dead it went asainst Mr.
Berry's pet scheme, there was a feeling ]
of blank consternation in the ranks
of the faithful. They were staggered,
however, only for a brief space. The Go
vernmeut organ faithfully eliminated all !
that did uot fit in to the foregone purpose,
and with an ingenuity and courage worthy
of a better cause strove to show that the
State paper was, after all, more favorable [
than unfriendly : and so it has been decided
that the snubbing of the Secretary for the i
Colonies notwithstanding, representatives !
of a section of one House of the Legrisla- i
ture should proceed on their mission. How
they can even by the most forced construc
tion gather encouragement from the words
of Sir Michael Hicks-Beach it is hard to j
imagine. Of course he does not bluster
and threaten and forbid them t!ie doors of
the Colonial Office, but his meaning is yet
so plain that he that runneth may
read. His dispatch reminds oue of a
story told of Lord Palmerston. When
this astute statesman was Secretary
for Foreign Affairs the Emperor Nicholas
of Russia advanced, as a plea for an
aggressive interposition, that the mem
bers of the Greek Church, of which he was
the head, were oppressed by the Turks, and
required to be protected. " What will you
say to him ?" said a friend to Lord Palmer
ston. " I will tell him," said he, "togo to
all the devils, only 1 have an uncommonly
clever secretary who will know how to put
it in the politest language." Sir Michael's
refusal is all but point-blank, but he put it
in the politest language, that is all. What
he does say in effect is that an appeal to the
Imperial Parliament might not be out of
place as a last resource, but there is nothing
to prove that such au exigency has arisen,
but that there are clear indications to the
contrary; that such an appeal to have any
weigbtj and to be of any importance,
must be from the entire Parlia
ment as composed of two Cham
bers, and sot from the Assembly only
and that the Colonial Office will not con
tiavenetUewholelogicoftUefreeiasti.ut.o_.
of the colony by Interfering Until all local
resources have been tried and failed, and
then only by way of rendering auch assist- '
ance as may be sought, not by a party bnt
by the country, and which would bave for "
its direct object not to govern for tm, but to
help us to govern ourselves. If Mr. Berry
could bite the Colonial Secretary and infect
bun witb his own madness, the latter might
interpose as desired, bnt certainly not other- '
wise. He could not do so without stulti
fying all the latest and best traditions of
the Colonial Office, nor without shaking our
iaetitutions to their foundations.
'.The Embassy, feeling tbeir weakness,
bad resolved that tbeir friends should make
a groat popular demonstration in their
favor, to the end that they ought not only
be accredited by tbe vote of their party, bnt
also be in a position to ssy—See here, bow
entirely the public are witb as! Itw_
resolved, therefore, that there should be *
banquet in no less s place than tiielaxn*
room of the- Town Hall, where tbe gooa
were to feast, while tbeir wives and their'
wives* friends -right be permitted to enjoy-'
the spectacle from the balcony, where fruits
were to be distributed. The souls of those'
in authority on this badness were toadied:
by a not groundless fear that tbe banquet
would not be of the proportions desired,
and by way of making sure of their object
tbey made it an order of the Cabinet that
a ticket for the banquet should not only
admit to the feast, but secure free pa?sago
and return as well on any of the
railway lines; that is to say, x
ticket costing- 10s. should frank a
friendly Liberal all the- way, say from
Portland te Melbourne and back, the ordi
nary railway fare being between £4 and £5,.
and be an open sesame _ar him at the
Town Hall as welL This ___. policy was
not without its admirers, bn% sooth to aay,
tbey were of limited number f-the greater
part lifted their bands in dismav and asked
whether tbe deluge was really to come'
next. It took away the breath even of tha
Government organ, which, seeing that this -
part of the programme was too much for
the long-suffering public conscience, went
in dead against it, and the Ministry save
instant proof of the potency of the power '
behind the Throne by saying that they'
would pay tte extra fares themselves.
When they do may I be there to see.
They could not do it. The sum
is too inconveniently large, and they have
every reason to know too well the value of
money for that. Tbe banquet was bat a
poor affair, after all; eight hundred wars
guaranteed for to the caterer, wbicb meant
that at least athousand were expected to ba
present, bnt the guests with all the dram
ming up did sot number more than about
half this—not so many some will have it. 7;
While the gay revellers were feasting at
the Town H_U, witb their attendant sap- .„
porters of tbe other sex admiring them
from tbe gallery, another banquet was ____. .
at a notable hostiery in Elizabeth-street., .
which was intended-to burlesque tha first; .'
and indeed did so-to good effect. I have
been tolerably familiar with the labbies
and galleries of Parliament House a
good many years, and during the whole .
of the time "one of the most accustomed
sights bas been the presence of Henderson .
Af ricanus, as he is called. Mr. Hecdexson,.
as yon will infer, is a colored gentleman. :
He has a face a'most Caucassian in form, -
snd a bead tbat is as little like that of a '
negro as possible, but he is an interminable'
bore, and aa voluble as a waterspout.
Whatever question comes to the surface ha
s ready beforehand with a scheme which
would settle the whole business to every
body's satisfaction in a twinkling. If tha
question of reconstructing the universe
were raised be would be ready, witimut
the least notice, with the most ap
proved plan for- carrying this into
immediate effect. _> know of few greater
risks than to address even a casual
observation to bim on any question of
current __terest,for atonce out leapsa huge
imj?_-B_t-_ool__g pocket-book, stuffed with
ominons4oo__g papers, and you are button
holed—fixed in fact before you know where
you are. Mr. Henderson, indeed, to put
tbe case with impartial mildnnga, is con
siderable of a nuisance in a ba-__l_-ta sort of
way, especially to his friends. The mare
utterance of bis name is sufficient to call up
that peculiar smile which I have seeaoa
men's faces in King William-street when
Mr. Bsphael has been named, only he has
not the truculence aad fiery energy of your
representative man. Well, at this sub
banquet Henderson was nominated as ths
third representative in place of Bit
C. G. Duffy, who was to have
gone borne, and a subscription got
up on the spot to pay his expenaas.
The Government organ has exhibited great
irritation over this attempt to throw ridi
cule on the Embassy, *____ng a most sain- ■
ful aud labored pretence tbat this man is
the nominee of the Council, and a fitting
one; but the Council, in fact, has had no
hand in it. Some of Berry's supporters
declare that they will throw (his quasi
amboesador overboard if he attempts to go ■
home witb tbe true delegates. It is said
that he will be excluded because there is
not a vacant berth in the mail steamer.
Af ricanus has been deputed to interview
tbe Governor prior to his departure, is
supplied witb a secretary in due form, and
has been rigged out at somebody's expense
withaneweuitand a loud aluminium watch
chain. How far the joke will be earned.
no one seems to know, but lots of people
are on the qui vive about it, and are waiting- -
eagerly for what Saturday next may bring
forth.
Our police have just now a desperate run'
of bad luck. Ned Kelly and bis gang have
been but once heard of since they com
mitted the threefold murder on the parly
of police sent in search of them three.
months ago, and then, as you. have
heard, they voluntarily presented them
selves at Eusoa, and when they.
departed, after their leisurely fashion,
took with him £2,000 out of the National
Bank at that place. Two hundred police
are now after them day and night. A.
black tracker has been secured from Queens
land and another from Western Australia
of great reputed ability. The very seat
of police authority and control may be said
to nave bees removed to that di _ict, for
Captain Standi sh, the Chief. Commissioner,
has had his head-quarters for some time at
Benalla, and yet there is absolutely no
tidings of the gang any more than if they
had gone suddenly witb Pluto down into,
the nether world. The police are
greatly discouraged by want of success, and
the district is said to have become
more or less demoralised by the same
cause. A married woman was missing
from her home in Gollingwood. under very
suspicious circumstances some months ago.
and not the slightest clue to her where
abouts or probable fate has been obtained*
and as the last and crowning misadventure
tbe man Weibsrg, who was lately arrested
at his homestead in _._pp___d for stealing
a box of sovereigns from the strong room.
| of the mail steamer when on her way from.
j Sydney to Melbourne, has escaped out of
the bands of fc_r policemen who were in
charge o_ him. You may he sure therefore
that the police axe sot just now in very
high spirits i_or the public much disposed
to overrate their abilities.
Mr. David Henry, late of Collins-street,
but now of Her Majesty's Goal, Pentridge,
is quite a character in his way. He has had
the good sense not to attempt at any time
to conceal that when he came to this colony
many ye_re ago he and his wife began with
a basket ea_h, and traversed the country
until they were in a position to set up as
jewellers in Melbourne. While so engaged
he used to attract customers by getting up
elling-cff sales, eo that every Uuee nwntwi


:v «r so tor years be patriotically sacrificed
= 7 Ins stock for the benefit ot the public, and
.1 that h« "mieht retire from business. Then
'7 lttfrided the still more lucrative branch of
; Money lending at usurious rates of interest,
;j, -until he became very wealthy. Hisadver
"7" tisement? were quite works of literary art.
7 like Hoses and Son, of the Minoriea, he
|7 even had a jpoet in his pay. His invitations
p to people who -wanted money were some
t>- times igaite pathetic "Codlin's your
§ friend, aot Short," and he was always
j OodKa. fie was prepared to lend money
■- to aHflorts of people on the easiest of terms,
and without any security to speak of. He
:. wodd lend money Aram six per cent, which
jj was quite true, for his rate of interest was
§ always a long way indeed from that. Many
I yoaxa ago I went on behalf of a friend to
j •_ private gentleman who bad money
|7t to lend «n easy terms," and found
B tnyaeS face to face with Mr. David
p$ Bfihij-fr and when I explained to
7>- bint-ttat my friend's security was both
I ■'' good and ample, and that he would in no
:j. case give more than 10 per cent, for the
7' accoiEmodataon he wanted, I could hardly
:;. fret a word out of him, and within two
'/7 aunutes he literally turned his back on
7 me. Ten per cent, for two months with
chaises added, which would make it
something like 75 per cent, per annum,
was more like his mark- I have watched
bis career with some interest since this
* little episode, and when I have read from
time to time in the papers of cases in
which the victims of this innocent
bave declined to be quietly fleeced,
I have simply said io myself—Mr.
David Henry again! A few weeks ago, as
- yours readers will have noted, in connec
tion with some such case be attempted to
bribe the Jury, and Chief Justice Stawell
who tried tbe* case, and who is a most just
and upright Judge, fined him £500, aud
sent bim to Pentridge for three years for
embracery. The police are now trying to
-work up a second charge of embracery in
Henry's case, believing that while he'wa.
guilty of ibis crime in the law suit for the
recovery of money, his friends were also
, ■ guilty in like manner with the Jury which
tried, him. "Money answereth to all
things," so have thought this man and his
friends evidently.

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