MELBOURNE.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XVII, Issue 24, 24 March 1858, Page 3

MELBOURNE.

[From the Correspondent of the Sydney Herald.] February 18, 1858. — Melbourne has been visited since Sunday by a hot wind of the most enervating description. The temperature has been as oppressive during the night as during the day, and the mosquitos have been in high glee. I never remember to have experienced within the tropics so great a prostration. The air seems to be devoid of oxygen. Thunder clouds are continually hovering about, but the anxiously looked-for storm does not take place. Since my last communication, the Parliamentary business liere has been very dull ; and the Elections' Regulation Bill, with other important measures, have been dealt with in their houses and in a conversational style which it j would be simply ridiculous to term debate.

One topic of much interest is to be brought forward this evening by the Chief Secretary, viz., a bill to amend the law relative to the Sunday trading of licensed victuallers. The present system of closing public houses during the whole of Sunday is a mere farce, since nine out of ten of the publicans put the law almost at open defiance. They do not always allow a front door to remain open for the ingress of customers — but there is, if a front door be not half-open, a side or back entrance. It is understood that the measure to be introduced will allow the opening of public-houses during certain hours on Sundays, and it is likely that publicans would willingly keep such a law

strictly, while they systematically evade the present one. A proposition to open publichouses at all on Sundays will, no doubt, be vehemently opposed by the religious bodies of Melbourne, and this topic alone is pretty certain to add to the length of the session.

Our City Council have given up their sittings altogether, and do not meet at all now. They have no funds at their disposal, and consequently cannot vote any works. The streets are daily getting more and more out of repair, and by the time the Council is in funds at all they will be quite inadequate to repair the mischief caused by delay and neglect.

Affray among the Chinese at Golden Point. — The Bendigo Advertiser of Wednesday has the following : — " The neighbourhood of the Golden Point Chinese Camp was a scene of extraordinary commotion yesterda}\ Soon after one o'clock we observed the celestial village to be hurriedly disgorging its numerous inhabitants, who were running to and fro, and assembling in a state of unwonted excitement on the edge of the Flat between the village aud the crushing engines on the Point. At the same time were seen Europeans running helterskelter from all parts of the Point and Flat towards the focus of the celestial charivari. Arrived on the spot, the cause of the uproar turned out to be a furious battle between two belligerent parties of Chinamen, who had been disputing on some matter not then intelligible to the Europeans. The belligerents pitched into each other with bamboos and picks and shovels, and any other weapons that came to hand, and several skulls were seriously damaged in the affray. One man had a fearful wound on the right temple, from which, as he lay, the blood welled freely forth, while his dress seemed likely to increase every bad symptom that want of air was likely to induce. Others of the wounded were reported to have been carried off the field, but we learn that no fatal or dangerous hurt had been inflicted. When the battle lulled, the victors sallied off to make a razzia upon the tents of the weaker party, but some European miners interposed and prevented the contemplated onslaught. At this juncture some policemen arrived on the ground, and the ringleaders disappeared, nobody knew whither ; the men of batons being sadly at sea amid the clatter of unknown tongues. One enterprising constable, however, went on an exploring expedition in quest of the offenders, and others meanwhile did their best to elicit something intelligible from the multitudinous "nosavees" with which they were received on all sides by the Chinamen. We failed to learn the precise nature of the dispute, but understand that it was some mining dispute or "barney." One or two of the offenders were arvested, and it is probable that some of the Europeans present will give evidence iv the matter.

The Electric Telegraph. — We understand (says the Argus of Tuesday) that yesterday communication by telegraph w 7 as opened with Portland, and that the line will be at the service of the public this morning. We have thus carried our telegraphic arrangements to within twenty miles of the South Australian border ; and as the Adelaide Government are proceeding rapidly with their portion of the work, it is expected that we shall be in instantaneous communication with Adelaide about the beginning of April. Northward the Victoria telegraph has invaded the territory of New South Wales, and if the Sydney authorities had shown something like corresponding energy, our colonial telegraph system would have been by this time almost complete.

Since the above was in type, files of Melbourne papers have reached us per Active.

A destructive fire occurred in North Melbourne on the 25th February. It broke out in a timber-yard, and destroyed a large amount of property, including a saw-mill, and from £<),000*to 5610,000 worth of sawn timber.

A singular affair had taken place at Geelong. The body of a lady, named Mrs. Sarah Bohn, was about being interred, when orders were given to stay the proceedings, and a coroners' jury was summoned, and an inquest held upon the body. The evidence went to prove that only a few days before the lady's death, she had been " brutally assaulted " by her husband, yet the jury returned a verdict of " death from a wound caused by the talons of an eagle hawk." This wound was described by one of the witnesses as " merely a mark as though, it had been done with a packingneedle."

A person named Markert had been brought before the Ararat Police Court, charged with obtaining money from the Union Bank of Australia under false preteoees. It appeared that the prisoner had been employed as a goldbuyer for the Bank, on commission, and he had been entrusted with considerable sums of cash for this purpose, the appropriation of about .£3OO from which had led to his arrest. He was remanded.

Occasional disturbances between the Chinese and Europeans continued, and the Celestials at Castlemaine had celebrated the commencement of the new year with great festivities.

The Melbourne Jockey Club Races, which occupied five clays, had gone off with con siderable eclat. The Great Metropolitan Handicap was won by Alice Hawthorne ; the St. Leger Stakes, of 1,000 soys., by Fusilier ; the Publicans' Purse, of £ 100, by Orphan; the Great Handicap Steeple Chase, of 100 soys., by Walk-over ; the Hurdle Race, of 1 00 soys., by the same horse ; and for the Great Australian Sweepstakes, of 100 soys., Alice Hawthorne walked over.

The news from the diggings was much as usual. Large quantities of gold continued to be brought in by the escorts, and nuggets were occasionally turning up, some of the value of £300. The Age of March 5, says :— " The intelligence from the diggings during the last week has been more satisfactory ; rushes are reported at Pleasant Creek, Dunolly, Ararat, and elsewhere. A few have, as usual, hit upon rich spots, and are paying themselves handsomely, while now and then a lumpy nugget gladdens the eyes of the miner. More animation appears to prevail in many places, and apparently the diggers are in better spirits."

Mr. Haines and the ministry had resigned their offices — a ministerial crisis had ensued, and Mr. Chapman was reported to have been '■ sent for," and entrusted with the task of forming a ministry, his prospects of which

according to the Age, were " somewhat dubious." A series of cheap concerts had been commenced at Melbourne, apparently with good success. The Tasmanian and Melbourne Cricket Clubs played a match lately at Launceston, when the Melbourne Club, in one innings, scored about thirty more than their opponents obtained after having had their second innings,