MELBOURNE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1296, 30 September 1876, Page 6

MELBOURNE.

September 11th.

In our political world the ruffianism and violence of last session have given place to a time of dreary uninteresting dulness. The Opposition are as factious as ever, but they do not show it in the same way. They prefer to confine themselves to petty carping, and, when practicable, to petty obstruction} but do not venture to repeat the open, avowed "Stonewall" tactics of last year. As an instance of their method, I may refer to their dealings with the Electoral Bill, which the Government^has introduced for the purpose of remedying some of the most glaring inequalities of the electoral representation of the Colony. The Opposition talked at great length against the measure, each man com plaining that it was wilfully so framed as to damage his particular chances in his distriot. But as the necessity for suoh a Bill was too evident, they did. not dare to vote against it, and allowed ita second reading to pass without a division. However, it is said that they intend to obstruct it in Committee, by the plan of getting up a prolonged debate on each of the items of the schedule, so as actually to talk the measure out of the Parliament. An enlightened and patriotic way, truly, of dealing with a reform, the necessity of which is admitted on all sides. The only noticeable political matters connected with the Bill are the amendments of which Mr Carey has given notice, one of which provides for restricting every elector to a single vote, and thus preventing him from voting, as at present, in as many districts as he may possess qualification, and the proposal which is to be made to give our University the right of returning a member in the same way as most universities of the British Empire. The Governor's birthday ball took place the other evening, and was chiefly noticeable from being the first held in the new Government House. That roomy mansion, of somewhat Brummagem aspect and architecture, looked its best and brightest on the occasion, and the large and splendid ballroom presented a very effective feature. The ball was attended by about 800 couples. The officers of H.M.S. Sapphire, which came down here from Sydney for the purpose, were present at the ball. It is not thought good taste to say much on the subject, but a great deal of disorder and dissatisfaction was caused at the end by the total breakdown of the arrangements made for returning their hats and cloaks to the great crowd of guests. Many, after battling in an excited, disorderly throng for some time, went away deficient of those wraps and upper garments which the night air rendered necessary. That a young man who was lately candidate for representing one or two constituencies on highly advanced liperal principles was rowdy and pugilistic is hardly worth notice. If invitations to such gatherings are extended to such doubtful persons it is not matter for any surprise if they are heard of rather loudly after supper, and in the short hours of the morning. The elections for the Legislative Council, to supply the place of those members who retire by effluxion of time, are in course of being held. They afford little to notice except the curious iil-luck which has attonded the efforts of Dr Beaney, a rotund, bediamonded little surgeon, to serve his country as a Parliamentary orator. The iii-at time he tried to put himself in nomination the attempt railed by his friends being a few seconds too late with the nomination papers, which were not handed in till the clock was striking aix. The next time he managed to get himself nominated, but had to withdraw his nomination paper a day or two afterwards, as he found that he did not possess the qualification required for membership, There is no reason to credit the

dapper little surgeon with any ambition for Parliamentary honours, but he is not insensible to the value of an advertisement, and having advertised in so many forms there was nothing left for him but to (stand for Parliament. He also supposed, too, to have a following of parasites who would be very glad to act as his agents in canvassing the district, and who would make it the most ccstly election ever held in Victoria. The subject would not be deserving of even the briefest notice were it not as going to show the nature of the raw materials ox Victorian politics. The Government wrote by last mail to Mr John Stevenson, the Secretary of Railways, who lately went Home on leave very suddenly, and informed him that since his departure rumours had been circulated about him which would have to be enquired into, as if they were true he could not be permitted to remain in the public service. The letter sent to him was actually an invitation to him to return and submit himself to investigation. It is not, however, very generally believed that he will avail himself of the invitation. Indeed, it is not desirable in the interests of the public that he should, as nothing could be more objectionable than that the reports current on the subject should be definitely stated in specific charges and made the subject of public proceedings, and nossibly reported in full by the papers, to furnish matter of domestic conversation in almost every household in the Colony. The Davenport Brothers have been the sensation of the last fortnight. They have given three performances at the Town Hall, and have attracted crowded assemblages and sent everybody away more or less puzzled. The dexterity and unaccountable quickness shown in their proceedings are something wondrous, and the public are fairly nonplussed by the attempt to explain how apparent impossibilities are overcome with the ease and celerity shown by the Brothers in releasing themselves from their bonds and tying themselves to all appearance perfectly secure again almost instantaneously. Various theories are current on the subject. One is that the " manifestations ". are the work of spirits, of whom a large number, selected for their skill in handling ropes, and therefore presumedly those of sailors or hangmen, are always at the beck and call of the accomplished Brothers. The spiritualists of Melbourne, who have been in a state of de pressed quietude lately, have revived under the influence of such an outpouring of spiritual power as is exhibited at the Town Hall. They go about in a state of triumph and poke friends in the ribs, and ask them what they have to say now. Unless you are prepared to explain straight off how it is done, theycalluponyonto accept the spiritual theory at once, and denounce you as being deficient in scientific perceptions, and in candour if you hesitate. Another class of inquirers, attheheadof whomlbelievestands the very Reverend Dr Macartney, the Dean of Melbourne, put it all down to the Devil, and feel great comfort in seeing the evidence and power of that personage so triumphantly vindicated against tho doubts of a sceptical age. Other investigators of a more materialistic frame of mind have a theory that one of the Brothers, and their colleague "Professor Fay," have three arms each. Thus, when you have securely fastened the two visible arms of these performers, they, when locked up in the cabinet, merely produce a third arm from under their coat, untie themselves, and perform what tricks they please. A quiet, satisfactory explanation, only defective in the fact that the persons referred to have been examined by medical mea, and pronounced only to possess the nominal number of hands. There are many other hypotheses, such as "trick" ropes, trick cabinet, trick rings, and bolts to which the ropes are secured, but they do not help to throw much light on the subject. I don't know how the spiritualists explain the fact, that while the spirits axe actively at work helping the Davenports at the Town Hall, the Fakir of Oolu and his assistants are doing exactly the same things at St George's Hall, by their own unassisted forces. The cabinet trick, with all of the rope -tying business, is done as smartly and as cleverly by the Fakir and his sons as by the Brothers, and the secret of the matter is very well preserved, for, although the two rival seta of performers affect to explain each other's modus ojxrandi, they take care not to explain too much, |and in this preserve the traditional reticence of the conjuror caste.

The Theatre Royal company continue to lose some of its best members, and who will be left to make up some semblance of a dramatic company I cannot tell. The other evening, Miss Blanche Stammers took her farewell benefit. Mr Dampier, who has for two yeara been leading man of the company, is going, and Mrs Scott-Siddons, our latest star, ends her engagement according to present arrangements next week. Every visitor to Melbourne, when he begins to explore the city, is struck with surprise at finding so numerous and well lodged a colony of doctors established at the east end of Collina street. It will soon be an equal occasion for surprise to see how many and what large and important premises are built lower down in Collins street, for the purpose of music shops. Their number and size appear so far beyond the musical requirements of a community no larger than ours. It would 3eem that, if every labourer's cottage, shepherd's hut, and digger's tent in the colony had. a piano, and if these instruments were constantly requiring renewal, the supply afforded by all these warehouses must be far beyond, any possible demand. One firm has begun the practice of giving occasional afternoon concerts to audiences of invited guests ; and another, which is building spacious and handsome premises, intends to follow in the same course. Really, it would seem to a visitor who passed through Little Collins street West, and then along the full length of Collins struct, that the whole community must spend the whole of its earnings in law, music, and physic, to the great profit of the three professions concerned.

Winter is now passing into Spring, and the ordinary -printer's rainfall still keeps cff. There are many symptoms tending to cause the belief that we are at the commencement of a period of great drought, by which the agricultural and pastoral interests will be puttoatevere strain. The rainfall for the current year has been very light. In the far interior, it has been excessively light, and all

the privations of drought have been experienced very intensely throughout the nominal whiter. There were some rather heavy and pretty general rains a few weeks ago, and it was then said that the drought had broken up, But the fall is still far below the average, while the evaporation, owing to the prevalence of northerly winds, has been far above the average. This has been the case during the winter, and the coming summer is naturally looked on to with considerable anxiety. Meat is already very dear, the meat-preserving companies have all stopped working, and butcher's bills have advanced so as to become a very serious item in the expenditure of families in Melbourne and Sydney. Melbourne was afforded something like a pyrotechnic display on Saturday evening by the conflagration of the large chemical works situated at Footscray. As the various masses of chemicals caught fire, the flames would assume different and sometimes parti-col-oured tints, and the general effect was fatbeyond any transformation scene at a theatre. There was, moreover, an element of excitement imparted to the matter from the close proximity of the powder magazine. The question what, if any, would be left of Melbourne were the magazine to explode, has often been discussed in the papers. It might have been settled in a practical manner had the wind been from a different quarter on Saturday night, and the exertions of the firemen less successful. Singularly enough, on the previous night, a fire occurred at fthe lithofracteur works at Footscray. Life in a neighbourhood surrounded by such uncomfortable, inflammatory, and explosive estab lishments, must possess an element of excitement which, perhaps, for some people is not without attraction.