Our Sydney Letter.

Otago Witness, Issue 1499, 7 August 1880, Page 8

Our Sydney Letter.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Sydney, July 15th. SOCIAL. Mr Farley's death in the Infirmary has been the subject of much excited altercation both ia and outi of Parliament. A further inquiry was held in the Infirmary, but nothing material was elicited. The neglect in leaving the unfortunate mau ia a public institution without making any inquiry for the friends ■who were almost in tha immediate neighbourhood, rests between the officers of the institution and the police. The mystery of the stolen watch has been partly cleared up by the wennn who pawned the article. She says she found it within & few yards of the spot where Farley was picked up The broken watchguard leaves, however, suapioions of foul play. The woman stands committed for trial, but so far there are no grounds for impugning her story, and as she has hitherto borne a decent character it is hardly likely she wiil Vie convicted. Mrs Farley appeared oa the Infirmary inquiry. In reply to a question put iv the House, a Minister stated that although the traffic on our tramways had decreased since the closing of the Exhibition, the present earnings, after deducting working expenses, were equal to 17 per cent, on the capital expended. The Randwlck tramway is now in course of construction, and will be ready for traffic in good time for the next Randwick racing. The practical member of the contracting firm who are constructing it is Jerusalem Smyth, who will be remembered aB having been a citizen of Invercargill. On Sunday, the 20th ultimo, heliographio signals were exchanged between the western tower of the International Exhibition and Katoomba, on the Blue Mountains. The signalling waa a perfect success, and a continuous conversation was kept up between the two places— distance about 75 miles— the longest probably yet. attained in any part of the world by the heliograph. A boot-manufacturing firm havo offered £100 ia prizes, to be distributed provided all their accounts are paid by the middla of next month. EDUCATIONAL. The following are the classifications of tho sohools opened under the Public Instruction Act:— FW.-o3as3 Schools.— All sohools in which the average daily attendance is noli less than 600 in three departinerits-boyo, girla, and Seoond.olas3 Schools.— Not less than' 400 children m.r more than 600, Tlnrd-olads fSVuooia.— hot less thin 300 nor more than 400. Fourth-class Schools,— Not less than 200 not more than. 300-

Fifth-olass Schools.— Not less that 100 nor more than 200 children. Sixth class Schools. —Not less than 50 nor more than 100 children in one department. Seventh-class Schools.— Not leas than 40 nor more than 50. Eighth- clas* Schools.— Not less than 30 nor more than 40 children. Nintb-olasa Schools.— Not less than 20 nor more than 30 children. Tenth-class Schools.— All public schools in which the daily average attendance does not exceed 20. If a school fail to meet any one of the conditions before specified for its class, the Minister may remove such sohool to a lower class. A teacher may be removed from the sohool in which he is employed to another of a lower class, should he fail, through any default on his part, to maintain the requisite number of pupils in average attendance, or to satisfy the conditions of the standard of proficiency. Among other Acts assented to by the Govfrnor, aa announced on Tuesday, are The Irquor Licensing Suspensory Act, which precludes the establishment of anymore city and suburban houses for 12 months ; and an Act to amend the practice of the Supreme Court in its equity jurifdiction, the provisions of which I shall refer to ia my next letter. Parliament stands prorogued to the 31st August, but it is not probable there will be a resumed sitting, and we are anxiously expecting a dissolution. SPORTING, A cablegram received here announcing Hanlan's illness from gastric fever has caused cont-Merable dismay. Even, however, should Hanlan forfeit, it is understood that the sporting men at Home will arrange so that Trickett may try other .conclusions. With reference to the effect; of climate, a correspondent writes to the Sydney Daily Tdlegraph :— "I sea that the general impression is that should the race take place in November, the climate at that part of the year at Home will ba all in favour of the Canadian, bo much so that our man will be considerably handicapped. Now I venture to say this is a mistake. Speaking from my ovn observation, I Bay that the Canadians, as & rule, feel our cold weather at Home far more than we do ourselves, the dampness in the atmosphere being a oondition of things they are un&coustomed to, and one which is particularly trying to any009 coining out from the delightfully invigorating and bracing cold of that country. On the other hand, those Australians I meet at: Home have noli appeared to feel the cold any more that the Britisher, and enjoy good health equally in the villanous cold, damp weather which usually characterises our winter months, and those few days of clear frost which moßt people appreciate." Jack Thompson, the bookmaker, goes Home to keep Triokett in his training. Passing along George street the other day I observed Ned Devine's six-home coach that whilome travelled to Waikouaiti and Palmerston ; it was in oompany with Abbott's four-wheeler that was on the Dunstan road, and botli were ticketed " For sale, this day, at 11 o'clook." Alas for fallen greatness ! Fraser and Co. put them up without getting a single bid. QUEENSLAND ITEMS. A deliberate and apparently premeditated murder was committed on the 24th June. John O'Neil, a sub contractor on the Sfcanthorp railway works, was shot dead by a Laeoar workman. Id is intended to demolish the prenent Queensland Theatre, and to erect a commodious successor, the plans of which aro in preparation. The total sum contributed by the Colony to the Irish Famine Relief Fund amounted to £11,565. Thie, tested by population, is larger than any other contribution from the Australian Colonies. Mr H. LeEtrange, the hitherto unlucky but always plucky teronaut, has, by permission of the Association, stored his great baL loon in Bowen Park, from whence during the .Exhibition he intends to make " free" 'and "c^tive" ascents, This air-cleaver when fully inflated will contain 33,000 ft of gas, and meatrares from the bottom of the car to the top of the balloon 40ft. The revenue returns just issued show a j total revenue for the quarter of L 409,334, being an increase of L 58.327 as compared i with the corresponding quarter of last year — principally iv customs, excisa, and land revenue, mining, railway receipts, postage, &c. The total revenun for the year shows an increase of L 20,669. The expenditure for the quarter was L 531,577, against I L 520.827 last year. For the year the expenditure was L 1,673 ,695, against L1,678,63l last year. The decreased departments were those of the Colonial Secretary, Minister of Justice, Colonial Treasurer, Public Works, and Auditors'. The others were somewhat ! increased for the past quarter. The deficit on the 30th June of the present year was L 239.006. A curious mistake was made by the Queensland "Haneard," which caused considerable merriment. In the place of the speech delivered, the publisher gave one that had done duty on a previous occasion. COMMERCIAL. An establishment haß opened here for the sale of Indian teas. A Tea Guild, composed of the leading agency houses in Calcutta, propose to hold a series of tea seances in the Melbourne Exhibition, and have determined to push the trade in that artiole in Australia, regardless of expense. The Newcastle coal export improvas. Last week it amounted to 26,589 tons. With regard to the adjustment of the rates fixed by the Stamp Act, the representatives of the principal commevcial firms in Sydney have agreed to the following resolution : — "That in compliance with the provisions of the Stamp Act, all transactions wherein the purchaser requires a term of credit, thereby necessitating tho use of a promissory note or acceptance, the vendor shall (for the convenience of the purchaser) have the impress duty stamped on such promissory note or acceptance, but tho cost thereof shall be added as a charge to theinvoics or statement of account to which such promissory note or acceptance may refer." Loarmontb Urofcb'ira, runholcWs, aro sahl to be negotiating with an English firm for the sale of one of thoir pastoral properties for a lump sum of £706,000. The property

inoludeß 330.000 acres of freehold, 200,000 sheep, and 5000 cattle, with plant, &c. During 1879, 1,003,635 bales of Colonial wool reached England, against 951,185 for 1878. Of the former quantity New South Wales and Queensland are credited with 188,907 bales, Victoria with 309,614, and New Zealand with 184,877. The stock-in-trade and assets In the estate of Cohen and Co,, of the Monster clothing establishment ia George street, valued at £19,700, has been sold by tender for £10,000. The business still continues under the direction of Cohen and Go. AmoDgst the Melbourne insolvencies I notice that of William Filgate, the racehorse trainer, of Ascot Vale. Liabilities, £6277 ; assets, £1.