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OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

Mklbouenb, November 10.

It neeil hardly be said that all serious matters, fill politics, and all business have had to si aud on ouo side for the pa3t couple of woeka. The Cup has come round and gone. Melbourne has been given over to holidaymaking of the most uncomfortable kind, a kind in which the gaiety has been largely made up of excitement and strain on the mind and senses. But sermons enough are. preached on the Cup. They have no effect on it. It grows as a national festival year by year. This year on each of the four days of the Victoria Racing Club's meeting the railway had an increased revenue from passenger fares. Altogether on the four days about 18,000 people more than last "year travelled to the course by rail. Year, by year the railway management provides : better facilities. A few years ago a first-class rido to the course was on a sheep truck^with seats; a second-class ride one on 'a sheep truck without seats. Now there is nothing of that sort. ■ The ordinary carriages are provided, and plenty of them; the vast crowds are accommodated with regularity and comfort, and everything works with easy smoothness. There has been quite a serious discussion this year about the .'number of people who do actually go to see the Cup. tfhe wildest estimate has been about 150,000, which is of course absurd. The Argus told off men to count the vehicles going in, and the number of train passengers were easily obtained. By vehicle and train the passengers numbered about 70,000; by foot they had of course to be guessed, for entrance is free to the flat, which is always well crowded. It was estimated that 16,000 walked;' but allowing. .20,000,' this would bring the. total attendance up to 90,000. It is. a matter of complete certainty, I do actually believe, that 100,000 people did not this year see the Cup, nor did in any previous year. Mr Byron Moore, the secretary of the club, jealous for the reputation of the Cup as the great attraction of Australia, asserts that 130,000 people were on the course. But i£ they were, 60,000 of them walked*-and this is too great a strain on the belief. None of the visitors to Melbourne walked, that is certain, and the 00,000 would absorb almost the whole adult male population of the city. Mr Byron Moore must submit to the cold logic of figures. At.the very outside stretch one may allow that nearly 100,000 people went to Flemington this Cup day, but no more. Your sporting correspondent will tell you all about 'the great • event now 'it- is over, if he, like the rest, could not do it'- beforehand. Arsenal's win was a wonderful surprise. Melbourne people did not make any money on him. One ladj dreamed that a horse won the race whose name began with the first letter of the. alphabet, and her husband won a little by backing Arsenal (the only horse whose name did so begin) just on the chance of the coincidence turning out a reality. This, of scores of dreams which were backed; was the only one which camo true. The singularly quiet way in which the horse was sent back to Sydney after his victory, without being started in any other race, gave rise to a rumour that'it was not Arsenal who won the Cup, but Off-colour, or even, some people had it, Martini-Henry. Sporting men, however, knew the horse too well. There could be no truth in such a statement. Arsenal did win this year, though last year he was last, or nearly so. ■ With four governors in the city it may be imagined that gaiety was at its height. The papers had to record nothing but a round of garden parties and- balls and dinners at Government House, where Sir Henry, and Lady Loch had a numerous party of guests. In the city at the various clubs there were invitation dinners almost every evening" and at the suburban" residences of our merchant princes there were numberless parties and pleasurings. For the great body of the public there was so wonderful a variety of entertainment at theatres and concert halls that choosing became a difficult: matter. There were four theatres,' each with full and capital companies, and three concert halls wh ere the Federal Minstrels, the Raynor Bros., and suchlike people were performing; a circus; the magician Dr Lynn, from the Egyptian Hall in London; Mr Locke Richardson, whose Shakesperian readings are the highest treat which Melbourne people:perhaps ever had; one of the Liedertafels gave a public performance on Derby night, and the two gave performances to subscribers during the week; and there were several concerts, besides a grand Roman Catholic bazaar in the Exhibition Buildings, the Japanese Village, and so forth. Melbourne never before had so big a collection of public entertainments at one time.' The holidaymaking can scarcely yet be said to be over, for yesterday was Prince of Wales' Birth:day, with its military review at Fjemington, a suburbain race meeting, the England v. Victoria cricket match, a regatta on Albert Park lake, sports gatherings on two public grounds, arid ever so many steamer excursions; whilst at night the new mayor gave a dinner in the Town Hall, which the Governor arid Ministers attended. There1 surely never before was so much holiday-; making crowded into so short a space of time as has been the case in Melbourne lately.

New South Wales has lost a very. dis? tinguished man in Sir James Martin, her Chief Justice, who has died after a brief ill; ness, and at an early age. Mr Fronde declared him to be the most notable man he" had met in the colonies. He began life in New South Wales, having emigrated from Ireland when a lad. He went into the law, and became editor of a newspaper, and when' 26 years old made his first attempt, to get into Parliament. He was accused of great presumption in making such an attempt, arid bore himself; towards his opponents in a very violent and aggressive way. But age toned down his egotism, and; his natural talents brought him to the front. He was a man of strong individuality, whose character is thus sketched by one writer:—" " Ho was a very lazy man, but had an JimV' mense capacity for work, and would do more, in 12 hours than many plodding conssientious* men could do in as many days. It was diffi-. cult to get him to look at his briefs, but"' when he did look, a rapid glance enabled, him to master the situation. I have heard asolicitor say that it was no use bothering' Martin beforehand, but that if it was pos-" sible to catch him directly after breakfast, a .quarter of an hour's ride down to the court' in a cab was all that was necessary. He was: a good listener when he was in the mood,' and took in everything. He was just^as indolent and careless about his privateaffairs. He was unmethodical, ignorant of, the value of money, careless of accounts,never paid debts till he was forcibly reminded, and was as hospitable and lavish aa any Irish gentleman of the old school." JJis ' death is deeply deplored in New South Wales, where no fitting successor can be seen. The real cause of his death is asserted to have been overwork. :. ■ -

The accounts from the South Australian' rush at Teetulpa, or Waukaringa, are more favourable! Prospecting has been extended, and in one or two gullies good finds have been made. One man has found 2ioz in a hole only sft deep, The gold was nuggety, one piece weighing 4oz. The gully in which this was found has been rushed, and a little gold has been found in adjoining claims. Brady's Gully, in which the first finds were made, is nearly deserted; The anticipations of Teetulpa turning out another Bendigo are. not likely to be realised; but it is evident: that there is a good deal of alluvial gold in the locality. •. '■'• ; ~'.

A'strong anti-Chinese agitation has been raging for the past few months in Queensland on the Charters Towers diggings, and in the Northern Territory of South Australia. The Chinese can outwork the European in those hot climates, and he usurps what are known as " poor men's diggings." Tho European passed them over in the earlier days, and now when he wishes to return to them he 'finds the Chinamen in' possession. On several occasions the Chinese have been illtreated. By publio meeting and otherwise the Chinese "question has been kept in the foreground.- r Very strong talk; has been indulged iri.Yand altogether things have been. made unpleasant for the patient Asiatic. But the Chinaman has now appealed to the Queensland Parliament. He is alarmed for his property and life, and if Parliament cannot devise means of protecting him he asks for a free passage to his own country and a refund of the poll-tax he paid for his admission to

tho colony. The Chinaman takes a fair and reasonable view of the case, and the petition, will probably cause the Queensland Parliament some serious consideration.

_ —It has been discovered by a Chicago physician that suburban life is apowerf ul provocative of dyspepsia. Men are like animals, and must eat their meals quietly and leisurely to Bceure a perfect flow of the gastric juice. He who bolts his breakfast with his mind on the time-table and his eyes on the clock, and further outrages nature by a sharp run to catch the traia, must soon or late expeot to pay the penalty. —How many people have any idea of the enormous capital invested in British railways ? The railway returns just issued show that there was open for traffic at the end of last year 19,109 miles of railway, that the capital authorised in railway stock is £927,750,000, and the oapital aotually paid up £815,858,955. The total roceipts from traffic were £66,644,967.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT18861117.2.32

Bibliographic details

Otago Daily Times, Issue 7722, 17 November 1886, Page 4

Word Count
1,672

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER. Otago Daily Times, Issue 7722, 17 November 1886, Page 4

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER. Otago Daily Times, Issue 7722, 17 November 1886, Page 4