MELBOURNE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1343, 25 August 1877, Page 6

MELBOURNE.

August Ist The principal matter which has come under the consideration of Parliament has been the Government railway scheme, and this, so far as it departs from that of the former Government, has got into a dreadful muddle. The chief problem has been, how to bring the Gipps Land railway from Oakleigh into Melbourne, Tbe reasonable answer is, either to purchase the Hobson Bay Company's railways, which could bs worked at a sufficient profit to pay, or more than pay, the interest on tbe necessary loan, or to take running powers on the railways, which wonld co3t practically nothing. But as the members of the present Government when in opposition last year distinguished themselves by great opposition to these pro posals they were not to be thought of, and some other way has to be found. The Government has happily found one, which possesses great and special advantages. It is a new route discovered by the unassisted engineering talent of the Minister- of Railways. It would pass along a street of the city on a viaduct, pass at a level crossing over one of the most frequented avenues to the city, run past the Observatory, and destroy the working of many of the delicate observing instruments, go through the Government House Domain, and cut rp and deface the beauty of the Botanic Gardens. A line possessing so many attractions as this afforded to tho Ministry an Irresistible opportunity of humiliating the city of Melbourne and bringing fts proud citizens under the heel of power. It is an indication of the unfortu nate state of feeling prevalent in this com mnnity that any such project as this, aa it becomes known to the citizens of Melbourne, gains proportionately in favour with country members, most of whom are animated by a mean and illiberal jealousy of their own metropolis. I never knew a similar feeling existing in any other community, and it must be taken as a result of the petty class and local sentiments which it is the object of many of our politicianstofosteranddevelop. Inthemeantime, the jobbing procedure of the Ministry in other places k stirring up a strong feeling of distrust in different parts of the Colony. For instance, a line is proposed from Ballarat to a place called Gordon's, aud all that can be said in its favour by one of its advocates is that, unless it is made soon, the declining population on its route will render it useless. So that the line is to he built for the purpose of taking away people who wish to leave a decaying district, surely the strangest reason for constructing a railway that was ever heard of. Yet this line the Government propose to build, and do so notoriously to give another railway to B&llarat. » town which has distinguished itself by sound liberal opinions for many yean. Then Geelong is another great centre of Liberalism, and besides, enjoys tbe unique distinction of returning Mr Berry. So Geelong ia to have two new railways, besides those it had before and another just opened. The new ones are one to the racecourse and one to Qneen&cliffe. It was at first stated that the Queenscliffe railway wonld not be provided for unless required for tbe defences, and a good deal was said of the extreme disinterestedness of Mr Berry in only giving his town one railway when he might Have given it a dozen. But the railway was wanted for the defences, and now it is included in the Bill, so that Mr Berry's patriotism does not cost him anything. In the meantime other country districts which have been very Bcurvily treated are grumbling loudly. However, as we are only a little way past a general election, nobody cares how they grumble. There is a likelihood, though, that a good deal of this railway jobbery, and the barbarous defacement of the Botanic Gardens in particular, will be struck out of the Bill when it comes before the Council, The Elections and Qualifications Committee has been sitting two or three weeks considering some of the numerous petitions that have been referred to it. Most of those are based on the alleged disqualification of the sitting member as a minister of religion. The first case was not a very strong one, the member having been only a Wesleyan "local preacher." In this case the Committee with little difficulty found the member duly elected. In the next case the member was a registered and acting minister of the Congregational Church, and had acted in the solemnisation of marriage until just before his election and while nominated as a candidate. It took the Committee rather more of an effort to swallow this member, but in defiance of law and facts they again resolved by a strict party vote that the sitting member was duly elected. The third case was a rather peculiar one. It was a petition against Dr Macartney, a gentleman who, in the course of a very varied career, held at one time the position of ordained clergyman of the Church of England in Victoria. Some 10 years ago he quitted the Church, having, as he stated, outgrown many of its doctrines, and requiring a sphere in which his intellect wonld find more room to move than it had within the confined limits of theology. He became a member of Parliament of a not very dignified character, and afterwards west away under not very brilliant circumstances to Fiji, then the general Alsatia of the Southern Hemisphere. He was again returned to Perth at the last election, Borne curious domestic revelations having recommended him to the electors of South Gippeland, and was then petitioned against, on the ground that, as a priest in holy orders, he could not renounce his ordination, and was Btill a minister of the Church of England. The Committee, after taking evidence on the matter for some days, decided that, on the principle " once a # priest always a priest," Dr Macartney tt as still a priest, and therefore a minister of the Chnrch of England. Thus, on thid curious piece of middle age ecclesiasticißm embodied in the Canon Law, and as such adopted by the Church of England, Dr Macartney was declared to be disqualified for election to the Victorian Parliament. - The report of Sir W. Jervois on the subject of our defences in modelled very much on the plan of his scheme for the defence of Sydney. We are to lay down bars of torpedoes at the Heads across the navigable channels, and construct two ports on the shoals and two batteries on the opposite shores. Sir William Jervois thinks that at a cost of L 350.000 we could make the Heads impregnable to an invader. Should the enemy land a force at Western Port, and try to march overland to Melbourne, he points out how we could readily send our field force to Frankston, on the eastern ride of the bay, land it under cover of the guns of the Cerberus, and make an attack on the flunk or rear of the enemy that would annihilate him without difficulty. Indeed, after reading the report we feel rather indifferent about marauding squadrons and the chance of predatory^ visits, and view the possibility of then* coming as an opportunity of giving effect to the beautiful plans of defence which Sir William Jervois has laid before us. But, Sj. taking seriously, the masterly character of the report and its practical adaptability to our needs and means, have given great confidence to the public mind as to our capability of defence, should the Government take up the

matter in an equally practical manner. The capital cost of carrying out the scheme is L 350,000, a mere trifle when it is remembered that at 5 per cent, this would be only L 17,500 per annum, very little out of a revenue of of L 4,000,000. The maintenance cost of the force is stated at about L 75,000, or somewhit less than we at present spend on our military and naval defences. Sir W. Jervois is now on his way to Queensland, to inspect and report on the defences of that coast. With a Protectionist Ministry in power, and tariff changes in prospect, it may be readily understood that our protected manufacturer" are on the lookout for more protection. They are coming in deputations daily to try to get some unfair advantage out of the consumer, and are utterly regardless of everything save their own particular object. Then we haye the curriers and leather makers sending a depu- I tation to ask for 20 or 25 per cent, duty on imported manufactures of their trade, without reference to the fact that the protected hodmaker would have his industry ruined if he had to work on heavily taxed raw material, unless he could get say at any rate 50 per cent, on his goods. Their demands are greedy, inconsistent, conflicting, and only agree in oiie particular — that they all prefer dipping their hauds in the pockets of the public to trying to earn an honest living for themselves. The heart* of Melbourne ladies are now fluttering in consequence of the Mayor being about to celebrate his year of office by a grand fancy dress balL Fifteen hundred invitations have been issued. Already the drapers are awake to a sense of the importance of the occasion, and complain of the short time — a month — allowed to complete orders. As is usual in entertainments of this kind, the disappointments have been many, 3000 cards having been left on the Mayoress, while she is only able to invite half j that number of gueats. We have entered on the procJsed season of Italian Opera, which bids fair to be a great success, in consequence of the very favourable debut of the prima dorm*, Signora Antoinetta Liule, who is delighting all who have seen her with her impersonation of Alice in " Roberto il Diabolo," in which she made her first appearance on Saturday night. Signora Liule is a fine commanding looking woman, rather above middle height, with a magnificent voice of great compass, clear and ringing as a belL In addition to these advantages, she is a good actress, sustaining her part with force and vivacity. There is reason to believe that when the weariness of her voyage shall have worn off we shall admire her voice still more. But taking her as we hava seen and heard her, she is undoubtedly equal to any prima donna we have ever had iv Melbourne. She is supported by the Opera Company lately at the Theatre Royal, and more recently at Sydney. Our old friend Signor Giorza is conductor, and he has under his control one of the finest orchestras we h*ve yet heard at the Opera House. At the Theatre Royal Mr Dampier has made farewell bow, and {roes to Adelaide to fulfil a starring engagement. During the last week of his appearance he played a leading part in, anew piece written by Mr Garnet Walsh, entitled "Humble Pie." The piece was well snubbed by the critics, it being a mere rehash of " Our Boys," with the characters slightly altered, and newly named. Mr Walsh wrote to a leading weekly journal, trying to prove that he only did what has been done by every dramatist, from Shakspeare to Mr Walsh. Miss Ada Ward played the first night of an engagement on Saturday night, when she appeared as Rosalind, and on Monday night as Mercy Merrick, in the "New Magdalen." She is to play as Lady Macbeth and as Portia during her stay. She is supported by Mr Chaplin. The Academy of Music is just rubbing on with, I am afraid, not much profit to anybody. With regard to fashions, there are two entirely new styles, that promise to become popular in a very short time. The first is a costume called the Breton, which consists of a skirt made in the usual style, but the bqdy takes the form of a long jacket, with a waistcoat six or eight inches shorter. This style is always trimmed with pearl sequins, put on three close together and overlapping each other, then a space, and three more sequins, and so on. It will be very suitable for Bpring | and summer dresses, and will, no doubt, prove to be the style for the coming season. In mentioning another new style, I referred to the narrow embroidered silk bands, imitating silk crewel work, and sold by the yard. There are soroe very pretty designs of flowers, worked in their natural colours, and for trimming a black dress they are very elegant. Already our shops are opening spring dresses, and the shopmen are trying to persuade their lady customers to buy prints and cambrics, assuring them that the best patterns go quickly ; but ladies still cling to their cloth jackets and warm merinos in spite of weather that we would almost imagine to be summsr. Indeed, the weather is far more like that of summer than of midwinter, and unless we soon have a change, and get the rains while there is yet time for them to give the ground a good soaking and fill up the water-holes, the out-look for the ensuing summer will be a very unpromising one.