SYDNEY LETTER.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 6329, 25 July 1881, Page 3

SYDNEY LETTER.

(FROM OCR OWJ. CORRESPONDENT.) Sydney, July 9.

The Church of England Synod_ has been holdin" its annual convocation in Sydney durin"° the past fortnight, and the reports of the proceedings which have appeared an the daily Press do not tend to inspire one with a very exalted opinion of the charity, and gentleness and meekness of our Christian teachers. The" gentlemen who took part in the various discussions appeared anxious to emulate their brethren of the Legislative Assembly in the coarseness of their language. Tho retort courteous was largely superseded by the lie circumstantial, to say nothing of the lie direct. “I’ll take my oath on the matter,” quoth the Rev. Mr. A, and “ I’ll take my oath on the contrary,” rejoined the Rev. 8., in true lu quoque style. Several members thought several others should have been turned out of the House, and had it not been for the conciliatory character of the Dean of Sydney, who acted as President, there’s no knowing what might have been the outcome. The moat remarkable resolution submitted was one by Mr. Clarendon Stuart, in the following terms ;—“ That in the opinion of this Synod it is both seemly and desirable, in true loyalty to the principles and doctrines of the Church of England, that her ministers should take no part, directly or indirectly, by their presence or otherwise, at meetings of a religious character presided over by dissenting preachers or called in dissenters’ interest.” Of course the resolution was defeated, but it is a melancboiy fact that eight gentlemen were found sufficiently intolerant and bigoted to vote for it. When Shylook was invited by Bassanio to dinner, his reply was:—“l will buy with you, sell with you, talk with you, walk with you, and so following, but I will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you ;” and truly we appear to have some Shylooks in our midst yet. One matter elicited during the proceeding# was that there were some married clergymen in the service of the church in receipt of the magnificent salaries of £165 a-year ! and yet the church deplores the lack of efficient men. The inquiry into the wreck of the Queen of Nations has terminated in a conviction of the captain on the charges of drunkenness and carelessness which were preferred against him, and he has been punished by the Marine Board with tho suspension of his certificate for twelve months. When we reflect that a good ship has been lost, -C30,000 worth of cargo destroyed, and a human life sacrificed through the drunkenness of the captain, and that the suspension of his certificate for twelve month# ia considered an adequate punishment, we may be pardoned if we entertain some doubts as to the sanity of the tribunal which investigated the matter. The ship has broken up and disappeared, and most of the cargo has followed her example. The cause edibre of Shepherd and Dibbs has again been occupying public attention. It will be remembered that Shepherd obtained a verdict for £2OOO against Dibbs for slander ; Dibbs made up his mind that he would not pay the amount, so he sequestrated bis estate, and went to gaol for twelve months. A few weeks ago he emerged from the calm shades of Darlinghurstwith a triumphant step, but Shepherd was on his track, and appeared in the Insolvent Court to prove his claim for, £2OOO and costs. Dibbs pleaded that he had satisfied the judgment by his incarceration, but the Court decided differently, and an appeal to tho full Court baa terminated similarly ; consequently, Mr. Dibbs has had his imprisonment for nothing. The Minister# for Public Instruction and Public Works—Sir John Robertson and Mr. Luckey—have returned frem their tour through the Clarence and New England districts, and, like the historic Duke of Gloster, have |oome back with their "brows bound with victorious wreaths.” They travelled about 1000 miles in twelve days, attended numerous banquets, interviewed countless deputations, made no end of pleasant speeches, promised, unlimited bridges and roads, and one railway. Each Minister also took the opportunity to deliver an important oration on the business immediately connected with his particular department. As the central figures in a provincial tour immediately prior to the opening of Parliament, the Government could not have chosen two better representatives than the genial Sir John and the harmlessly amiable Mr. Luckey. The Municipal Council is being constantly dragged into public notice. At one time it is a rotten foundation, at another an imperfect ceiling. Now and then it becomes impecunious, and but tor timely assistance from the banka would have to declare itself bankrupt. Its latest trouble is the telephone in connection with the waterworks. The pumping station is at Botany, and the principal distributing reservoir ia in Surry Hills, a distance of about four miles separating the two. To facilitate business the Council has had telephonic communication established between the two places, and a few days-ago the Mayor and a select party paid a visit to Botany, on which occasion the officer in charge thought it would be a good thing to show bis Worship the wonders of the telephone. Accordingly the resident engineer intimated to the person in charge at Surry Hills that the Mayor was present, and would like to receive a communication. Without further ado there came hick the reply, “What are you talking about ? Send up 20 No. 7 men’s elastic sides, and be sharp about it.” Thing# were evidently a little mixed, and the conversation was not resumed. ,

Mr. Forster, the member for Gundagai, and lately Agent-General for the Colony, has been giving his constituents a taste of his oratorial quality, but it must be confessed that his speech was rather disappointing. He appears to be neither a Ministerialist nor an Opposition member, but conceives it to be his duty to keep a sharp look-out on the proceedings in Parliament, and to take certain steps if no one else is to bo found doing so. This is not a very pronounced position for one who is regarded as the bitter opponent of the Ministry in the House. Mr Forster appeared to attach most importance to “ the slap in the face ” ho had given Sir Henry Parkes on the occasion of the election of a senator of the University some time ago. It should be explained that when Mr Forster left for England to assume the office of Agent-General, he was a member of the University Senate. No notice was token of his absence by his brother senators until he was relieved of the Agent-Generalship by Sir Henry Paikes, at which particular juncture it was discovered that he had forfeited his seat, which was accordingly declared vacant. This proceeding did not attract particular attention until Sir Henry Parkes was proposed for the vacant seat by Dr. Badham, the Professor of Classics. As everybody knows, Sir Henry is a, self-made man, and has little respect for the Queen’s English ; when therefore , Dr. Badham extolled him as a man of eminent culture, a good many people came to the conclusion that the matter was 11 a put-up job Mr. Forster was accordingly nominated in opposition, and succeeded in snatching the coveted honor from the bands of the Knight of Falooubridge.; Speaking of the University reminds me that the matriculation examinations have just been concluded, and have resulted in . the admission of 53 new under graduates. This is a larger number than usual, and affords some indication that our Alma Mater is beginning to be more highly appreciated than has hitherto been the wont. The absence of proper facilities for the study of medicine and law, however, is a serious drag on the usefulness of the institution, and until these have been supplied, we must expect to play second fiddle— longo ihter-. xdtto to the sister institution in Victoria. The small-pox scare has almost died out, and there has not been any fresh case in the city during the last fortnight. The patients at the quarantine ground are progressing favorably, and probably in the course of another week or two the visitation will be remembered among the things of the past. Of course, the small-pox attack has started a discussion on the merits of vaccination ; and the daily Press has been liberally supplied with letters pro and coil. It is hinted that the Government intend to introduce a compulsory vaccination Bill; and, as a foil to 'this, there will be an anti-vaccination league started in the city. "We shall probably have a lively time of it ; for all discussions on vaccination invariably bring to the surface a few_ norccaux recherche concerning the capacity of vaccine lymph to transmit diseases. Intimately enough connected with vaccination is the question of the Chinese, which is still a favorite piece dc resistance with stump orators and snch like. The Ocean, though she had no case of illness on board, was sent into quarantine with her cargo of 450 Celestials; and after reposing there for a week, has gone into Melbourne with her living freight, where she will probably be treated in a similar manner. A curious incident occurred at Newcastle a few days ago in connection with the Chinese question. Ever since the small-pox broke out the Chinese vegetable hawkers have not been able to do any business, as the people were afraid to buy vegetables in which they were [quite sure the germs of discasojwere lurking. The Chinese

gardeners of Newcastle, with a view of making a virtue of necessity, held a meeting and determined that they would hawk no vegetable# for the space of a month, and this turned the tables on the anti-Chinese deolaimer#, who immediately felt deeply injured at their inability to procure vegetables. A strong protest was made against such an arbitrary proceeding, but the Chinkies were resolute and would not yield. It is understood, however, that they have been Belling their vegetables to European purchasers, who do the hawking on their own account, and so the matter is settled. The return of the revenue and expenditure of the colony for the quarter ending 30th June was issued from the Treasury on the Ist inst., and exhibits a remarkably satisfactory state of affairs. The total revenue for the quarter amounted to £1,690,520, being an increase of £514,384 over that for the corresponding quarter of 1880. There is an all-round increase under almost every head ; in the Customs an in urease of nearly £50,000, land sales £265,000, and railway receipts £94,000. The disbursements for the quarter were £1,653,171. The revenue for the first half of the present year has been £3,083,706, being an increase of £979,149 over that of the first half of last year. When Mr. Watson made his financial statement ht estimated the income o' the year to be £5,440,670. He has alreadyreceived much mole than half that sum, and the pastoral rent# all fall in at the end of the year, so that it seems highly probable that the revenue for 1881 will be not far short of a million sterling in excess of the estimate. An interesting return has been compiled of the speeches made in the Legislative Council and Assembly during the last session. In the Council, a 30 days,’ session produced 300 speeches, but in the Lower House a session of 60 days was much more prolific, as the records show that no less than 2315 speeches were made. Sir Henry Parkes heads the list with 182, while the irrepressible member for the Hunter, Mr. Mcßihone, ia proxime accessit with 120. Nobody else reached the century ; nine members indicated their title to a capacity to speak by addressing the House once, and there were a round dozen of silent members. .

Parliament was opened on the sth iest. with the customary formalities. The speech of the Governor was somewhat disappointing. The chief Bills promised are those to deal with Chinese immigration, the sale of liquors, the extension of municipal government, amendment of the mining laws, cons rvation of forests, technical education, and the navigation laws. The Bills to deal with municipal government and the liquor traffic have been introduced and read a first time ; the latter embodies the principle of local option. A# aa evidence of the thirst for information by which the members are afflicted, it may be mentioned that on the first regular sitting-night notice was given of 130 questions. We are to have the Detached Squadron with the Princes here next week, and we shall be surfeited with gaiety. There are already advertised some half-dozen public bails to be held during the present month, and on the 15th inst. the Mayor of Sydney will give a grand citizens’ ball in honor of the ; visit of the Princes.

The first prosecutions under the compulsory clauses of the Public Instruction Act took place this week. Two parents were proceeded against for neglecting to send their children to school; one was fined ss, and the case against the other has been adjourned. Just as I close this letter information comes of the discovery of several fresh oases of smallpox. The first of these is that of a Chinaman, for whom the police have been searching for three weeks without success. About three weeks ago, a Chinaman was discovered at Waterloo suffering from the malady in a bad form. It was known that be had been recently removed to Waterloo, from some place in the city, by one of bis countrymen, but no clue could be obtained of the man or the house. Now a Chinaman has been discovered at Druitt Town, about fifteen' miles from Sydney, suffering badly from small-pox, and this man turns out to be the one who had removed his infected countryman from town to Waterloo. He was to have received £4O for the service rendered, but the approach of the police frightened him, and he took refuge with a Chinese gardener at Druitt Town, where he has been discovered. Two other cases of European women bear a much more serious aspect.. The sufferer in one of these is a young roamed woman living at the Glebe ; the other is a girl of about twelve years of age, residing in Snssexstreet. The appearance of the disease simultaneously in two different quarters of the city, and in the most densely peopled portions thereof, has naturally given rise to considerable alarm. Should the malady obtain a footing in these purlieus it is difficult to conjecture where it will end.

The Orient steamer Cuzco, which arrived here a few days ago, brought a consignment of frozen fish from England. The supply was sold by auction, and brought from la. to 4s. per pound, - As a consequence of this, the various cafe menus contained the items of English salmon and turbot, but as the prices opposite each were 2s. 6d. and 3s. respectively, the demand was not in excess of the supply. It is not likely that the trade in frozen fish will be successfully developed : it’s something like taking coals to Newcastle. ; '