Our Sydbey Letter

Otago Witness, Issue 1480, 27 March 1880, Page 8

Our Sydbey Letter

(FROM OUR OWff CORRESPONDENT.) POLITICAL.

The Assembly is busily engaged on extra taxation legislation, and has passed the Stamp Act, which is designed to come into force en the Ist of April. The Legislative Council, however, suggests an amendment, which Sir Henry Parkea deolines to entertain. He holds it to be the exclusive right of the I Afs^mbly to say what burdens shall be imposed upon the people, and will not allow the Council to infringe that privilege. In ' this state of mind he has laid the returned bill by, and haa reiutroduc id and passed the measure in its original state, in which it will be brought b afore the " Lords." Iv discussing tha Estimates the other night, on the occasion of the it ;m for vice-regal expenees aud salaries, there was some blunt j spe iking, which probably Lord Loftus will not relish. Hi 3 Excellency had sentamiaute I to his Executive stating that in consequence of the Exhibition m.l obher things he requived an assistant private secretary, and fine Executive, ia a docile spirit, accordiogly put d)wn a sum for that official oa tho Estinufees ; but the House would not hear of such a direefcioa being i complied with, and thought there was quite sufficient secretarial service paid for by the country already, and disallowed the item. The aide-cVcarup next came in for both chaff and reduction in scraw, which j was ovea worse. Since the Imperial Govern. tnen& withdrew their military aide-de-camp, unless at the expense of the Colonies, we have bsen paying £730 a year for tho ornamental offic9r who discharges the onerous duties of that office, and this sum being coni'idered in «xc-.53 of tha gratification d«rivecl f^ona p messing him, the lTouse | struck nff his forage money, amounting to ' £175. aad wouldn't hear of a vota for pro- | posed increase nf s 3row. It is amusing to nota how suddenly the Parliamentarian mind caa veer from one extreme to another, i Up to the present sitting the discussion of the Estimates has been marked by a process of tacking on, but bow tint the duty of imposing tixes stares them in the face — the necessity of so doing having always boon apparent, though ignored— we find a red-hot zeal forpotty refcreuchrmn'jg. Absurd, however, as the spectacle may be, it is a sign of ecouomy in the future, for which wo mzy well be gratsful. The London agency of the Colony promises to be a fruitful source of future Parliamentary bullyragging, judging from the threatened acticn of tho late Agent-general, Mr Foster, who hss jasfc delivered a diatribe before the Colonial Assoaiation in London, in which he nude a most virulent attack on Sir Henry Parkefl and the members of tho Cabinet.

Mr Foster is an inveterate and irreconcileable enemy of the Premier, Sir Hanry Parkcs, and threatens a full justification of his own conduct, ia respect o? which he has been m lerseded, on his return to the Colony. At the last Sydney election, the other day, ho was nominated in Ma absenca against a MitustarialiKb for the B9at vacated by Mr Stuart. «n<i would havo coateatcd it probibly with succeaa had n r >t a sitting maruber undertaken to retire from his constituency, on the arrival of Mr Foster, in his behalf. Ho is an able man, incorruptibly honest, conatitutionally^crotchety, wid wholly incapable of running ta ft team. From papers ju«t laid on the table of th/i House, i!; appears that in Octobar last the post of Agent-general wai offered under flittering oircuinijtaucoa by Sir Henry Parkea aurl the Cabinet to Sir John Robertson. The veteran at once dedined the tempting opportunity, on the ground that he had plenty of euergy left to urge the political views with which he had commenced his Parliamentary oarear, and that in fact he would, so to say, die on the Hoov of the House. Speaking of his own career, aud tho " go " vat left in him —ho ia now 04 years oi (*ge— he wrifce.B to the Pre«

mier :— lt Only this morning I returned from a journey of 600 miles from the north-west, more t&an 80 miles of wh'ch was made on horseback, the whole performed between Friday, a(i H o'olock p.m., and 5 a.m. oa Tuesday, without phyatcal inoonvenienoe.

AN OLD LANDMARK. An interesting ceremony was performed Ust week ia laying the foundation atone of a new lighthouse at South Head, to replace the veteran structure erected in 1816 This old guide to mariners gave the firsb welcome light seaward throughout the whole range of Australia when only one aettletnent exist ad, <»nd when the entire population did not exceed 20,000 souls. A brilliant gathering was, assembled to mark the auspicious event, including Lord Loftus, the Governor, the members of both Houses of Parliament, and most of the representatives visiting the Exhibition. The new light will be 69 feet in height, and from high-water mark 346 feet. It ia described as " the first order of dioptric or holophotal revolving white light, with one and a-half minute intervals between the flashes, having all the latest improvements, and being one of the most powerful lights ia the world." It is estimated that the two engines which are to be employed ia driving two magneto'electrio machines for the produotion of the electric light will be sufficient, when oacasion requires, to provide alight 18 times stronger than that of the ordinary oil lamp, and that the new electrio light will seoure a sea-ran^e of at least 25 miles, bub by reason of fch9 luminous effect it will produce in the atmosphere it will be S3en at sea at a much greater distance. At ordinary times, and by the force of only one engine, the light will be nine time 3 that of the ordinary oil power ; but in murky weather, by the employment of the tivo engines, ie can ba made 18 times that of the ordinary light power, aad there is no light light power known in England, or in any country in Europe, whioh will be 90 power* ful as this when erected.

socrAt.

Colonial travellers will welcome tha newa that the extension of the Great Southern Railway will be completed by the oontraptora—Cornwall, Mixner, and Co.— within oontraot time— that is, before the end of the year. In Septambsr the line will ba opsned within 16 milas of Albury. At present the visitor wishing to make the round journey from here to Melbourne by sea and reluming by laud., or vice versa, caa now do so, arrangements having beon made between the two railway departments to facilitate that end. First-class tickets are issued from either end at £5 each, entitling the holder to make tho journey between Sydney and Wappa by rail, Wagga and Albury bj coach, and Wodonga and Melbourne by rail, <be whole journey being accomplished in about 42 hoars. The Jury Court has been occupied during the last 10 days ia tho trial of a slander case possessing unusually delicious details, whioh afford unabating excitement and interest to our metropolitan gossips. It originates from the great Dibbs and Dibbsdivoroe cause, and is an action brought by Mr Shepherd, a youthful bachelor solicitor, against George X, Dibb^, ex M L A , and well known as a colliery owner and shipping merchant, for that the said G. R. Dibbs had charged the plaint ff with adultery with tbe wife of hie, tho said G. R. Dibba', brother, and had threat mcd to make him a oo respondent in the Divorce Conrb proceedings. The case is full of nasty details of high life in Sydney, so muoh so that tbe Judge hai prohibited the sensational publication oJ the evidence ; and Mr He^too, one of the proprietors of the Evening News, has been cited before the Coarb for breach of the Court ordw. The foundation of a Technical College in connection with our Mechanics' School of Arts has proved a great aucoeaa, aud deserves attention, at the hand* of those directing your institution in Danedin. It was projected ia 1873, but matared only last year, during which 478 stuJents availed them£elve3 of its educational advantages. Tho*"e are classes ia chemistry, m%theinatic3, mechanics, architectural, mechanical, and freehand drawing^ geodesy, languages, elocution, arithmetic, phonography, aad photography, and a degree of Associate is conferred after threa years attendance on lectures. Additional olassee, comprising navigation, mining, botany, teleRraphy, woolaorting, geography, cookery, domestic economy, aad other practically useful branches of knowledge are now being added. A course of weekly popular lectures, to which members are admitted free of charge, are now being delivered, and draw large audiences. The following are some of the subjects of the lectures .-—Great men and great books; photography^ conservation of energy; light and its revelation; food aud the prosess by whioh ib ia transformed inta muscle, bone, and brain waste; modern fittings, and improvements in the steam-engine, and many others of au equally instructive nature. During the Exhioitioa several addresses have been delivered by genblemea representing from Horns the larger exhibits, of British manufacture, aad last week we had a lecture from Mr Edwards ou the hardware of the Garden Palace Mr Edwards represents the largest hou*e in Birmingham, and having made tha manufactured iron branch the study of twenty years, was enabled to point out a variety of intaresting matter relative to the strides made during that period. In comaaanting oa oar Colonial efforts in this particular region of manufacture, he said ha coull asa no reason why the Colonies should int in » fevp years be able to turn out as good articles as cooie from the moat accredited English establishments. Ha particularly allude-i in terms of warm praise to A. and T. Burt'a exhibits of cjppor-work m the N-w Zealand court, which, ho said, were as highly and perfectly fiaishel, and quite as good as anything that caa coma from an English workshop. On December the 31st our saviuga bauk held one million five hundred and ninety thousaud pounds on deposit. This .arguea well for .the condition of tho New South Wales working nnn. An old Sydney resident, Mr J. H. Chains, for many yea^s a partner in the city firm of Mower aad Co., wool-buyers and general merchants, now represented by M 'Donald, Smith, and Co., lately died in London, By his will he bequeathed, £100,000 fa the Sydney University,

Thtt premises occupied by the Union Stoam Ship Comp'iQy in Pitt street had a narrow escape from deutruolioa by fire oa Thursday moroiug last. The ihmos were observed isavsing "from au tipper stsrey afc about G a in., but owing to the promptitude of the firß brigades the fire waa extinguished before it had worked ifca way to the lower quarfcer3. It seems to have arisen amongst some" old papers and lumbw in- a spare room on the second floor. The success of the motor tramway running bstween the railway station and the northern part of tho city has moved tho Ministry to provide for a large extension, aud a bill ha 3 passed its second reading for tho construction of tho system to the following points :— Hunter street to Padding ton, 2£ milps ; a line traversing Oxford street to Surrey Hills, ■If mile; Darlinghnrst; to ftandwick, 3| miles ; Darlinghurst to William streat, if milej and Paddington to Waverley, 1$ mile This is styled the South-eastern saction, and will oost £112,000 The paaBengur traffic is estimated at" £5700 par day, or £2 050.500 per annum, giving a yearly revenue of £28,105, out of which ia deduced 66 per cent, far working expens33, leaving a surplus of £9368,' or '8 per cant. The Southern and Western section will comprise a line from York street to the Glebe, 2J miles ; from Pdrramatfca strr et to Waterloo, 14 mile; Gleba to Glebe Point;, 1J mile ; Newtown to Mamckviile, 2£ miles; -at a total cost of £90.675. The pansenger traffic of this branch is estimated an 7400 psr day, or £2,000 000 per annum, yielding yearly £33,762, less 66 per cent, working expenses, and leaving a surplus of £11,254, or 12 par cent. A lino'io also projected between Campbelltowa and Oamden, a distance of eight mile?, thus comprehending the most important . suburbs of the city. Tho total proposed cost is £236,875, whioh the Government is prepared to appropriate to construction forthwith. A deep wail on this aoore is heard from the Omnibus Company, ' who for some years have nursad the project of suburban tramway accommodation aa their own, and they now claim to be heard at the bar of the House by counsel in support, I assume, of their piior right to tho large yearly pr.-fifc which the scheme will produc9. There is, however, very small chanca of their efforb being successful, for indeed it is generally felt that the soon w the old omnibus regime, with its inconvenienoes, dirt, untidiness, and nnpunotuality, is a thing of the past; the better.

AMUSEMENTS

Never before has Sydney been so excellently and variedly catrced for. Prom 2to 5 in the afternoon lovers of instrumenal music are charmingly eater tained in the Garden Palace. At night wo have the Carlotta Pafcti Concerts, with Signer Orampi Colley, the excellent baritone artist ; Mr Erneßt de Munck, the marvellous violinist, and Signor Giorza' on the phno. Madame Patti retains with wonderful fidelity the amizing powers of voice and execution which made her years ago famous in Europe, and her rendering of " The Tempest," and oth«v favourite and familiar music deservedly creates unusual enthusiasm.

Sam Emery ia announced in farewell performances at the Theatre Royal as Captain Cattle, in Andrew Holiday's close adaptation oECharles Dickens' work "DombeyandSon," entitled "Heart's Delight." This is one of tho exceptional canes in which the creation of Charles Dickens ia presented with the full mellow flavour of his geuius, and iv seeing Eiaevy, one really Bita in the parlour presided over by the little midshipman, and may be said to be tha friendly dropper-in ou old Sol GUI. Letters patent have boea granted to Mr J. A. M'Killop, of the Commercial Bank, Car coar, for an improved form of banker*? cheque, which is calculated to foil to some extent attempts at forgery. Tha improvement ia in the form of the cheque, the line for pounds, shillings, aud pence being separate, and the words and figures "under L— -000 " occupying another line, so that the drawer, by the insertion of a figure and the crossing of a nought, can declare ia round numbers the nearest value of tho cheque he draws.

:lling: !ON, Mai vital sti •cii l l Jtn. The following an February : — i the .tislics for Total Birtlis. Total Deaths. Proportion of deaths to 1000 of population. Auckland Wellington Ohristchurch Duncdiu Thames Napier ■\Vanganui Nelson ftydenham Lyttelton Timirii O.vau, -it itohiii'ci (' "Ol 1 'VUll luvcvciraill 15 17 78 41 So 48 62 31 14 2 27 8 19 10 14 12 38 19 17 C 20 !) 14 G 12 — 0 4 15 4 437 217 1-13 1-90 3-17 1.29 0-34 1-20 2-40 1-70 2-41 1-61 2 '3d ris l-ofi 0-93 'iV-.l