CHIT-CHAT FROM VICTORIA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6566, 2 December 1882, Page 1 (Supplement)

CHIT-CHAT FROM VICTORIA.

I „ OCR SI'EIIAL CORKESPONDRST.] I . Melbockke, November 17. THE WEATHER. it i tf MoK subject the weather, an everyi| £ CO* 1 anJ yet the foremost subject in iSj W o f'people dessicated by hot winds. the ®' n er every window closed to keep & Hie earth parched, the grass p a the atmosphere one of Just, the 1 tbe flies n^ greEsivC and 8 - _; o us - and this in spring, just when dnon's trees have burst into leaf and I deCI and the climate should be such as | U* 0 "' couM excel. \ our citizens who I «[iC(ioD tr J , . ij e ,j us J iave seen us at the | *»' erec jtis no joking matter; looks like a 1 to succeed that of last year, in £o?2 tIC we shall make heary requisitions | && tntter and cheese. "It's an ill--4 V \°*L t Mows nobody good," and so, i there be a change, your traders have i H lf£ f Lon the alert, and they will make I us. Yab.mp. I *f rettyP THE CUP. f . «-ord' about the Cup, though late, I K •,,mie things not generally known; f auctioneer, of Hobart, and » yff fDarebin, has quarrelled with his St ( *? er ? hoW trainer was opposed to !| Ci» er ' no \ nr r for the Cup ; and—like the jiet ors \ e started him iu the interests n? aud could have won in a .jj «f lB3 different weather and anything ;| aaWi . [j ou - Mistaken, owned by a r; fie ■ be it oi served, did the distance I in 3inin. .32sees., and was I JS jj o , a - Darebin, who, his trainer "*KT^6toPF e<s at tuo , " i,ps a 3 in at three, and worked up under ■ i jgnpw t three and a quarter, Commotion jjftn- elf in front as if it were mere % all "nonsense, you know, about % if' dresses on Cup day. I ® e « «—itteu beforehand are dangeous ; $ been stowed away, at least most tCm People begin to say they will ot ® ' nre Qup—there's too much crowd, $ lsre ,°j n( l otber disagreeables. I am afraid I ft*» the hat , it t0 fib " A fa , Ct °, r I The Grand Stand was monopolised i; r ; '*lL, n le who had gone to picnic, munched Q InLdnicbes antl l,lank their beer > with - plv the variation of a half-crown sweep, fifresiwctable people, and very well con- - ["L but scarcely the elite—the cant J $®T o f the papers. On the last day some 3 f~7 e ieiTint dresses—very little esthetic Snochthat was neat and unpretending, if r wondrous creature from Boccacio, who ■V iaW la™ from morn to dewy eve, was ■3 Jlendent in lavender satin. I doubt me 5 jfLhe could sit aoivn. Such a tail, imin length and breadth, extended ■ Ert e gentle breeze that seemed to take a Lin it. She passed and he passed, no, •j ' J .[, e wind, but her cavalier ; and the '"k fjaatared smiled, anil the ill natured ( I Caed bnt still they Kept on pacing. A < I dress it was, but quite too i i' ..jh-ffttid for the footlights. But the i -I (jjjff aW ay from that Cup; the intrusion t ■ -1 J «econd-class passengers, the smashing of I oniage windows, the struggle to save the i ?-*i ufo t'ac rolling of some down the embank- ] --.1 J.;,*;' n-iiicl] I was to'd, but did not see. j. i.'jj jU very good-natured of the papers to i M' ri'Dt everything of the roseate tint, but they i fjßSEced desperately. i ' OUR POLICE FORCE. 1 Sj There was a time when Victoria supplied ' Zialand with some valuable police •J| ffigga; bat such is now the condition of ?®| ssforce that if it were possible to sweep it my and reconstitute ft, it would be to the idrantage of the colony. Everything is-, at • il jjjj and sevens. The Couimission of Ita «i r y, which i'.as been sitting for heaven ly bows how long, have learnt that every- j J jVfra there is disorgauisatiou—the detectires at war with the ordinary con- ' ill liabnkry officers, borrowing money of a ' ? pfclicans, public-bouses in main streets j t : s sndocting a seaudaloua business with im- v ; ; 1 unity. Superintendent Wiiicli, _ whose n 5-f.i position:nd long service entitled liirr. to be | Chief Commissioner, lias had to 1 nSreoa his pension at nfty-five—a lucky f Mow, who may congratulate himself that f ~ fe fell into merciful bands. Well, I had s / 1 leSer say no more about him, or I shall a './.j stoa to dangerous ground. Sub-Inspector f .j-'; Jirner—a promotion from the ranks, a good £ , ] sScer, probably no worse than indiscreet— a :Fj j ia a similar dilemma, but will pull t ijronoh, one eye beint: halt closed, and the a . ' ilbtr seeing ou'ly his long services and ex- v -j -eSeatcharacter. AVhat- is to bo done with I 3. deforce or who is to lu Chief Commissioner g a one seems to kr.ow. Tiie revelations ■ ;l sne been aR discreditable as ominous, and h L-| fa public want to know where we are all 11 C'ijj f.xg. Apropos of the police, the late chief V ; are some offence at tiie. races, and was l jjjrly getting roughly bandied. His health v Eiy have had something to do with it. s tM There ia too much reason to fear that Cap- 1 «V; ilia Standish's future v."ill be a very sad '/ ?r ;i we, and grieve even those who arc unable ' fi.i bitspect him, ' •g| .. DB. MOOP. HOUSE. | To tumtoa more pleasant subject: I know * il.-i tl no man who h;.s ever exercised so poten- fc li'% till and valuable an influence as the present £ Jil Anglican Bishop, Dr. Moorhouse. Greatly ?i?4 opible, cultured, large minded, sincere, j aisest, liberal, and industrious, he lias £ if 1 ? the respect of all classes and religious t ;;|a denominations and the attention of most. t :j|| lieisa vast religious power, using that term < ■l v| ia its best sense, beguiling doubters by his £ : midetation and the charity of his views, aud j j largely influencing the thoughts of the , :> thooghtless. He is a hard-working eccle- ; : =| dutic,. associating hiirlself with every good ; V movement. He dooms no one to eternal | fcrmation, abandons wii.it he cannot ( ,;.V honestly defend, aud makes converts md £ i tanpers dissent by his powerful logic and ; J Hs lamicous mind, lie has done and is i a doing wonders in • tie cause cf religion ; ':.g of sound and rt-. erent investigation. 8 J fpeecii at the opening of the present ] •J, Iw«n Congress has elicited almost en- - :'fi thußiastic commeat bccanss of its ability . : ad the larg--hearted:;.;sj it displayed. The Ppere, whic!: agree about nothing else, have nothing bnt praise for hiin. I must be v'| psnloned if I have seemed to say too much, 1 bat it is impossible to re.-i:-t t'ae devotion to : "isnoble cause ihis grrr.d, good man. f| MR. FORi'iF.S. ■ first of war corresponden Is will shortly « with yon. Here, Mr. Forbes has been loile sncci-i>:"u!, j U e rather to tbe excellence : matter aud his reputation than any , ;:;j s*o*l gifts as a lecturer. Perhaps it is v,| ®"| to the facts of ill-health and having . wmacit, very much of th.it, he has not mach good op;:ii< n ior bimfelf. ' *.'i are general, ; :el von:from men Itptoselves, some of them nnt v.'itlioat dis- | taction, that the special app'.ar:< unable to wlerateany one but Mr. Forbes. The Yoriclc Uabprojected a splemlill reception for hi:n, "'Withdrew, resentful of tl»- treatment it | received. Mark me, e.o one (]: - p"r.-i1.e..; the j ®ost able of special.-, and i;n can see him ! '"bout observing iiis great personal force. » i 13 ~ ' s our " upper crust" spoil men of i -J °' e ' They are not content to be obliging | .'3 » epurteous; they 111 e. t fall down and '/J P - . ari 'i behaving, !:.ay 1 s.;y, snobf «y—iedeed the manner wbieh others I J! s ®'. To shov.- Mr. Forbes' readiness with i ■; 1 he dashed oil' some e-xeellent work ! »f Jirw, and had read his jnr.ofs when I "I th.o^ mrn ' Klve bceti only half way 1 3 Ki'v.] U l ' unatelj-, what would pro--1 e ,Jt ' e " a treat w-.; lost, from some 1 another. He wa, t «» have done the X j^ { P r ' h ®. Argus Herald, but, i f®Wnn*tely, could n^ ! - POLITICS. ® 1 -:erd, all is in an "awlu' I The vcrme.cnt ~K i sts r,-,thor > | u*" ioverns. Here, as in your columns. I "'I Offif, uratloll of its exis: nee 011 entering ! ■4 ' Miii,u as estimat, ' (l at a few weeks ; but, 4 Xl d so-called constitutional partv : I &'M f «Oi.M not rep!:.oe them, and vg i' ie P ou ' : -dr. Perry :,i:d hi» party, 11 ° ' j0 = !l!c ' n ""'d li;"- eolle.-igues still ! ' hc , aira,r ' s of «'>'• '-'ob ny. The »! ri°- V 4 » i: i 1 Haiiw. IS' K)a!: iniilion:j aud 1 ««h^ y , CoUstn:^hll ]si "- which gave 6 t0 e Y er ybody, has helped to keep 1 SatrrMt- i a ß re,!,i 0n all hands that it 1 £ ml bnbe '7 measure to purchase mem--5 ea UnonH*r COaS t'tuencies, aud it has proved ® Bucc «? sfttl - There is scarcely a 1 ? W f ' Cl lm3 not li"e, and ' ®i'J, aS ',' Crt '/? re > (larci - not oppose the I J} 1 * , GovOTmc «i knew- it. The iS "Caistrir J - n a curious one; the 1 '"3 SDd CTr SIrOUS , of '-etliuiug office, back, 1 *Wan and tllC AMe,nl)l y yielding S crisls t,lrcat ened. Sir 1 l'^ a P lcnt y o f tact, but not H ru ple3. He has a Land Bill in

1 hand which would increase the area of selec j tiona from 320 acres to 640—a trnmp car( [ for the elections, which are approaching I Anent the Railway Bill, it may be said tha the measnre has pone to the Legislativi Council, and startling ha\e been the dis closures. Mr. Watson, the Engineer-in Chief, admitted that seven lines had nevei been surveyed, that cost had been onlj roughly estimated, that the works woulc take six or seven years to complete, anc much more of the same kind. llr. Bent, the Minister of Kailways, has recklessly put all authority aside, and the result is such a mess that the Council will either reject the Bill oi weed out the worst of the lines. In another respect the Government is faring no better. It brought in a Bill to raise a loan oi £5,000,6b0 to redeem debentures falling due in 1553-4-5, to provide for conversion, and for inscribed stock to be issued at 3J per cent, for each £105. Financial authorities, and, notably, Sir Julius Vogel, in the columns of the .Argus, dissented, insisting that the Bill was inertdicably defective, and that there should be three separate measures. Sir John O'Shanassy, a fast Minister, with no following of importance, moved tint the Bill hg limited to the £4,000,000 falling due next year, and was defeated by a majority of ten votes. To further stress brought to bear on the Government, Sir Bryan O'Loghlen elected to stand or fall by the Bill. On the contrary, however, he has withdrawn it, and announced his willingness to do the behests of the House. All this is felt to be very degrading, and further that Ministers ought not to be allowed to retain office, but must be permitted. Provision for redemption will never be confined to the £4,000,000 of next year, and the House will supply the schemes of conversion and of inscribed stock. As there is a Government only in name, so there is no dominant party, and so what the result of the elections will be it exceeds mental acumen to divine. Meantime, the election of ten members to the reformed Council is about to take place, and the result is looked forward to with no little interest. CLASSICS AND THE UNIVERSITY. You were at feud some time ago in your leading columns with those who insisted on the supreme merits of Greek ind Latin, irrespective of circumstance. Fou will be gratified, therefore, to learn ;hat the Senate of the Melbourne Univeriity is in accord with you, having conferred j ;he option of German and French being ielected for examinations instead of Greek. \n eminent professor teok up your exact :ontention« that the classics were of little :alue unless studied thoroughly. The I :ourse pursued by the Melbourne Senate ihould teach modesty to the gentlemen in •our midst who would overbear all differmce of opinion with the presumption of .heir ineoutestible authority. THE YORICK CLUB. It; may be mentioned that the Yorick Dlub, the only one in Melbourne which ■xacts an intellectual qualification from its nembers, has taken a new club-house, which s to be sumptuously furnished, and will bus be able to extend increased hospitality o strangers who come within its rules ; and vhilst a luig': accession of members is ex>ected, there is a determination to require ;rent J>ersonal fitness as regards qualifiation. Just now it it is perturbed by some ndiscrent black-balling, but the older and riser heads are playing the part of peacenakers.