OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

Evening Star, Issue 7470, 14 March 1888, Page 4

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

[From our Melbourne Correspondent.]

Melbourne, March 5. the amenities of a coroner’s court,

The law regulating inquests in Victoria seems to be exactly the same as that which is in force in New Zealand, and is alike unsatisfactory in not affording barristers any status at an inquiry. When a professional gentleman does appear to watch proceedings on behalf of a client he is under a compliment to the coroner to be allowed to put a question to a witness, or indeed say a single word. The coroner has supreme and exclusive control of an inquest, and clothed with his functions in such an unrestrained manner he is apt to become a little autocratic in his style, and unless a professional gentleman conducts himself with becoming meekness he is apt to suffer. A few years back, when Dr Hocken was coroner for Dunedin, many a tussle did he have with the lawyers regarding their right to appear and examine witnesses as in an ordinary court of law. Something very similar to what has often taken place at Dunedin inquests occurred at an inquiry at the Melbourne Hospital lust week. Dr M'lnerney presented himself at an adjourned inquest, and intimated to Dr Youl, the coroner, that he desired, in his capacity of counsel for the representatives of the deceased, to call witnesses and examine them. Dr Youl interposed, saying that the counsel could not conduct the examination-in-chief, adding that he could do it much better himself, and that counsel could not appear without permission. After a pause, Dr M'lnerney said the remark of the coroner was most offensive, whereupon the coroner rejoined that if counsel spoke in that way he would be removed. Dr M'lnerney observed that he must do his duty, but on Dr Youl reiterating that he must obtain leave before he could examine witnesses counsel remained silent. After lunch Dr Youl motioned to Dr M'lnerney to take a seat beside him, evidently with a willingness that the incident of the forenoon should be forgotten, but Dr MTnerney was not so easily placated, and declined the seat "with thanks, after having been insulted.” Dr Youl repudiated having had any intention to offend, whereupon Dr M'lnerney retorted that much offence was conveyed in the imputation that a barrister, whose profession it was to examine witnesses, could not do so as well as the city coroner. Dr Youl said he had been examining witnesses probably before Dr M'lnerney was bom, and that it* was absurd for counsel to come in to prosecute in the middle of an inquest. The ‘ Argus,’ in a leader on the matter, says that Dr Youl, in taking up the position he did, acted quite within ms rights, but raises the question whether the statutory power to appear by counsel should not be extended to coroners’ inquests, Failing that, it would at least seem desirable that the usage on the matter should be so well

defined and so clearly understood that there Would be no ground in future for misunderstandings between coroners on their dignity and too intrusive lawyers. RAILWAY ACCIDENT. An accident, which created some alarm in Melbourne, occurred at the Canterbury railway station on Friday night last, between a passenger and goods train. Both engines were thrown off the rails, and several trucks were smashed, but fortunately no passengers were seriously injured. The guard of the passenger train, however, received a rather severe shock. The circumstances in Connection with the collision are as follows: A special goods train left Boxhill at 9.45 for Camberwell, and was timed to reach the Canterbury station so as to shunt on to a siding and allow the 9.25 passenger train from Melbourne to pass. The driver of the goods train, in entering the Canterbury station, found that the Steam brake did not act properly, and as the train went on to the siding at a very quick rate it struck four empty trucks and drove them forward down the incline on the Melbourne side of the station, and over the points on to the main line. It was just at this time that the passenger train from Melbourne arrived, and, although it had slowed down, it collided against the trucks with considerable force, and drove them back on to the goods engine. The trucks thus caught between the two trains weie forced on end and thrown off the track in a shattered condition. The engine of the goods train, which was running bunker foremost, was thrown off the rails, but was not much damaged, and the driver, fireman, and guard escaped without injury. The engine attached to the passenger train, however, received considerable The passengers were thrown from their seats by the collision, and naturally were very much frightened, but none of them received any injury bf consequence. The guard (Mr R, J. Edwards) was thrown down violently by the accident, and was conveyed to his home suffering a great deal of pain. He complained particularly of a severe pain in the back. When news of the accident was received at Flinders street station a special engine, with a casualty van, was despatched to the scene. All necessary appliances for putting tie engines on the line and making repairs were also taken, and everything was put right by about 2.30 a.m. SERtOUP lire.

A fire, which is estimated to have caused damage to the extent of nearly L 40,000, occurred in the soft-goods warehouse of Messrs Savgood, Butler, and Nichol, on Wednesday evening last. The fire, fortunately, was limited to the back portion of the building ; otherwise a stock of the total value of L 160,000 would have been in danger. The fire broke out in the openingup room, and a lift acted as a flue to convey the flames upwards to the ground and first floors. On the latter flat they were soon extinguished by the fire brigades, who promptly turned out, and were afterwards gradually driven back to the basement. As soon as the flames had been driven back from the windows and doors at the rear of the premises, an entrance was effected to the building by battering down the doors and smashing several of the bars guarding the windows. Protected by smoke jackets, into which air was pumped, the firemen, step by step, forced their way into the burning warehouse, and gradually subdued the flames. The origin of the fire is a mystery. The value of the stock in the portion of the building which was burnt is estimated at from L 36,000 to L 37,000. There is an insurance of L2C,000 on the stock, which is divided amongst the following offices: Colonial Mutual, LI,OOO ; Union of New Zealand, LI,000; Commercial Union, L 3,000; City of Loudon, LG,000; Alliance, L 4,500; Derwent and Tamar, L 2,000; Victoria, L 2,000; New Zealand, L 2,500 ; Northern, L 2,000; Scottish Union, LI,OOO. The fixtures are insured for LI,OOO in the Union Company of New Zealand. The insurance on the building is L 4,000, divided as follows :—Colonial of New Zealand, LI,OOO ; Equitable, LI,500; Colonial Mutual, L 2,000.

TRAMWAY ACCIDENT. A sad accident occurred on the Richmond Hue of tramway last week. As a car was proceeding along Flinders street it met a dray which was loaded with planks of timber, the ends of which protruded some distance over the vehicle. The dray was in the act of crossing to get off the tram track as the car neared it, and it appeared certain to the driver and several passengers on the dummy that the dray would have ample time to get clear of the track without the car stopping. The dray crossed the track in front of the tram in a diagonal direction, and just as the foremost part of the dummy seemed to ho clearing the last length of timber the horse, either through the driver pulling the wrong rein, or from some other cause, swerved suddenly to the left. The result was that the ends of the timber describing an arc came into collision with the dummy. The front stanchion was carried away, and a portion of the top rail and wire guard broken. Two persons occupying the first scats on the right hand side of the car in some mysterious way escaped contact with the limber, but the next passenger to them, an elderly gentleman, was struck just above the region of the heart, and knocked clean off his seat upon the track —the tram at the time being still in motion. The man fell, the back of his head striking violently on the wooden blocks. By this time the car had been brought to a standstill, and a general rush was made to render the injured passenger assistance. He lay apparently dead, and was picked up and carried into a chemist’s shop. For the space of half an hour .the man remained quite insensible, but at the end of that time he had recovered sufficiently to be able to state that his name was C. J, Vance, and that he lived at St. Kilda, He could, however, say nothing more, and from the fact that he was expectorating blood it was surmised he had sustained some internal injury. Later on he became again insensible, and was removed to the Melbourne Hospital, where it was ascertained that he had suffered concussion of the brain. Everything possible was done at the institution to bring him round, but he gradually sank, and died the same evening, At the inquest a verdict of “ Accidental death” was returned. The deceased gentleman was a barrister-at-law, and was sixty-six years of age.

THE CHINESE QUESTION. The restriction of Chinese immigration to Australia continues to engage a large amount of public attention. A bit of a "scare” has been created lately by shiploads of Chinese being landed at Port Darwin, where there is no poll-tax, and journeying to the goldfields in the Northern Territory. It is stated that in this portion of Australia there are already 6,000 Chinese to a white population of 1,000, so that there is a palpable danger of the Celestials becoming too numerous and having things all their own way. There was a rumor that the Chinese Government contemplated emigration operations on a wholesale scale, and there has been a good deal of agitation on the subject. Such pressure has now been brought to bear on the South Australian Government that a proclamation has been issued, subject to sanction by Parliament, declaring all ports in China or Chinese dependencies to be infected. Quarantine on vessels will accordingly be required at Port Darwin for twentyone days in the case of all Chinese, who will have to pay a poll-tax of LlO per head.

THE ROBBERY OF CANCELLED NOTES. In the month of December last a number of cancelled LI notes were discovered to have been robbed from the Bank of Australasia, Melbourne, and put into circulation. At the time suspicion fell upon a messenger who had only just left the employment of the bank, but though his movements were closely watched by the police he did nothing to compromise himself. Recently, however, a cabman identified this man, whose name is Sydney Jenkins, as having given him one of the cancelled notes, and he has been arrested.

ANOTHER CASE OF BABY-FARMING. A terrible case of cruelty to a child formed the subject of investigation at the Albury Court of Quarter Sessions. Joseph Frauenfelder and Maria Frauenfelder were charged with maliciously causing bodily harm to a little boy, the illegitimate son of a relation of the female prisoner. The evidence went to show that in November last, the child being then seventeen months old, was placed in care of the defendants, who received LIS to maintain it. After a short time tho neighbors began to notice the cruel treatment of the child. The latter used to be left to stand in a nude state in the yard on chilly mornings, and was washed with a

hose. It was frequently left standing in a box in the yard for long periods, was very insufficiently clothed, and was taken out at night to sleep in an outhouse, with one or two flour sacks to cover it. Ultimately the child, which had originally been a strong, healthy infant, was reduced to a state of imbecility, having no power whatever over his limbs, and became, in fact, an idiot. The jury found both prisoners guilty. Joseph Fraaenfelder was sentenced to twelve months’ and the female prisoner to six months’ imprisonment. THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL. The reproduction of ‘ Dorothy ’ at the Princess’s has been a pronounced success. ‘ Faust ’ was put on for Saturday, and how the company will get on in serious opera rs.nains to be seen, I was unable to get to the theatre on Saturday evening, so I must reserve any remarks concerning the performance until next week.

Mr Warner’s impersonation of Coupcau in ‘ Drink ’ is a sadly realistic one, and the drama attracts large audiences to the Theatre Royal, although the number of circle patrons is limited. ‘ Brighton ’ is now being played by Mr Harry St. Maur’s Company at the Alexandra. The piece is a farcical comedy of the flimsy construction which characterises so many of the pieces which have come into fashion lately. It is very laughable, and attracts audiences who leave the theatre well satisfied with the evening’s merriment. ‘ Ingomar ’ was produced at the Bijou on Saturday, with Miss Jenyns in the part of Ingomar. Madame Simonsen writes as follows concerning her husband’s present visit to Europe: —“Mr Simonsen proceeded to Europe on the 22nd of this month by the French steamer Yarra. He proceeds direct to Spain, in order, if possible, to secure for the colonies ‘ The Estudiantina.’or 1 Spanish Students,’ a company of instrumentalists (all Spaniards), who illustrate the Spanish music, orchestral and vocal. Anumber ofpersons, among whom is Mr H. Harwood, who heard them when last in England, say it is one of the most wonderful things they have ever heard and seen. From thence Mr Simonsen proceeds to Paris, London, Brussels, Hamburg, Berlin, Vienna, and Milan, to organise his second Opera Company (the first having just gone back to Italy). It Is his intention to form a company both English and Italian, so as to be able to produce English as well as Italian opera, As he says, he does not trust to anybody to cater for the Australian public, and goes himself to choose his artists. The last combination that he brought to Australia, and with whom he had a successful run of fourteen months, of which seven months alone were spent in Melbourne, is a sufficient guarantee that his next company will be fully equal to the last, if not superior. It is also Mr Simonsen’s intention, should he come across any novelty, musical or dramatic, which he thinks might prove attractive in the colonies, to enter into arrangements with them to visit the colonies. He intends to return about the end of August, and open at the Opera-house, of which he has become the lessee, on or about September 8.”

GENERAL. Tiie selectors in the northern district of New South Wales are suffering from a plague of mice, which are said to literally swarm in millions, destroying crops as they advance. The following paragraph is from the Melbourne ‘Punch’:—“That talented young story-teller, Mr Fergus Hume, of ‘Mystery of a Hansom Cab ’ fame, is going Homo by the Iberia at the end of next month with the intention of prosecuting his literary labors in London. He has entered into a partnership with Mr Phil Beck, the well-known actor, and together they mean to write and produce plays in the Old Country. It is a plucky step for a young fellow to take thus to launch himself on the sea of literary endeavor, and we wish him all success. He takes Home with him the manuscript of a new novel called ‘ Madam Midas,’ which treats of mining and miners in the now famous Sulky Gully country the happy hunting ground of Miss Cornwall, who has earned the soubriquet of ‘ Princess Midas.’ ‘ The Mystery of a Hansom Cab ’ has been very successful in England, 50,000 copies having been reported as so'd. It is also being dramatised by a well-known London playwright, and so Mr Hume has a good chance of winning fume and pecuniary reward.”

The Rev. \V. Allen, the author of the prize Exhibition cantata, was dux in elocution at the Scotch College twenty-seven years ago.

A girl has been working as a man on a station at Oxley recently, but her sex - was revealed through her taking a few glasses of grog. The liquor caused her to go into fits, lasting an hour and a half, and her shirt was opened to throw water over her. It was then discovered that she was a female. Private letters have been received from Rome, dated January 24, conveying the information that upon that day Dr Kirby, Archbishop of Ephesus and Rector of the Irish College, Rome, at a private audience with the Pope, laid at his feet a large number of offerings which had been forwarded to him from Irish sees and also from Irish bishops administering dioceses in Australia. In acknowledging the gift, the Pope was deeply touched by the generosity shown by the various donors. Among the amounts presented was the sum of L 3,400 from Cardinal Moran, being the offerings from his archdiocese and also from the dioceses of his suffragan bishops. The Archbishop of Melbourne also forwarded the sum of L 2,000, as the result of the offerings of the archdiocese of Melbourne. The Bishop of Dunedin (Dr Moran) forwarded L 42, as supplementary to that which had been previously sent.