OUR MELBOURNE LETTER, (From Our Own Correspondent.) January 16

Otago Witness, Issue 1980, 23 January 1890, Page 26

OUR MELBOURNE LETTER, (From Our Own Correspondent.) January 16

SUICIDE OF AN ACTOR. News has been received from Ceylon tbat Mr Philip Beck, the well-known acfcor, committed suicide at Ceylon on Christmas Eve. while on his way to England. From the report published in tho Ceylon Times it Appears that shortly after tho arrival of the R.M.S. Pundua at Colombo on December 24, Mr Beck, who was a passenger, shot himself through the head with a revolver. An inquest was held on the same day, and from the evidence given it appears that the deceased since joining the ship at Brisbane had been drinking rather heavily, and that three days before the sad occurrence the captain of ths vessel had given orders to limit; the amount of liquor supplied to him. • The unfortunate actor was fouud dead in his cabin lying on his back, his head resting against the washstand, with the revolver in his right hand. There was a pistol wound in the temple above the right ear, and the bullet had passed through his bead and out at the other temple. The coroner's jury returned a verdict of death by suicide, finding that there was no evidence to show any reason for the act. Mr Beck was probably best known in Australia through his impersonation of Oaston Vandeleur, in his own dramatised version of Fergus Hume's story, " Madam Midas," which was produced at the Alexandra Theatre, Melbourne. For some time there was a literary partnership between Mr Hume and Mr Beck, and at the centennial celebration a poem by tho two was published in the Argus. EXPORT OF BUTTER. The Government dairy expert has reported very favourably concerning the export of butter during the past season. He says:—-" We havo shipped 860,0331b gros3, just about the quantity which it was stated at the last dairy conference was our annual surplus for the best two or three years past, and has, comparatively .speaking, previously been going to waste for those years. From oable news to hand of the first three shipments out of six sent, our factory batter realised £5 10s and £5 10s per cwt, with an unlimited demand for this quality of butter, showing a clear profit on the Victorian ruling rates at this season of the year of about £25,000. Sorely this must be highly gratifying to the farmers and their industrious wives, and ought to stimulate their future energies, when they know that there is now a certainty when our colonial' market is likely to be over-supplied, that they will have a remunerative British market to still further develop an industry which is as yet only in its infancy."

LARRIKINISM.

This is too mild a term by far for some of the outrages which have recently been committed by roughs. A constable named Bremner, who was passing up Collins street dressed in plain clothes, was most savagely assaulted by two, men, who knocked him down, seriously injured his jaw, fractured his skull, and left him lying insensible. Fortunately they were arrested. A pugilist named Barnes, who came from Sydney, fell into the hands of the Philistines. He got into an altercation with some roughs, and the result was a challenge to fight one of their number. An adjournment to a backyard followed. When Barnes appeared to be getting the best of the encounter the whole of the gang set upon him and assaulted him most savagely. He was eventually taken to the hospital in a pitiable condition. Up in North' Melbourne, also, a scavenger who was goingto his home early on Sunday morning was attacked in the most unprovoked manner by a couple ' of half - drunken young blackguards. He was kicked, had his teeth knocked out, and left lying senseless in the gutter. The Bench gav&-tse principal offender six months with hard lab'tyrf, and added two periods of solitary ocmfin^fuAt of seven days each.

THE INFLUENZA.

Some alarm is beiug manifested lest the epidemic of influenza now prevailing in Europe should reach our shores, and some rather absurd suggestions are made as to preventive means. An M.D., writing to the Press, declares, however, that the disease cannot possibly be averted by the adoption of any measures of disinfection or of quarantine. If it is to come, it must just come. Ho points out that we had a very serious outbreak of the disease in this colony about four winters ago, when it was denominated " fog fever," because very for/gy weather prevailed about th". time it broke out. He addß : — " The disease is best known and distinguished as ' influenza,' or • epidemic catarrhal fever.' and is due to somo f pecific morbid poison or contagium, the nature "f which has hitherto eluded discovery. It is characterised by c»tarrbal symptoms, aching pains in various parts of the body, and great prostration of tho vital powers. 'Its chief danger consists in the liability of the lungs to become implicated, especially when it occurs in the cold season of the year. Different epidemics are found to vary greyly in severity, and consequently iv fatality. They prove more dangerous to the young and old, especially to those of feeble constitution or suffering from chest complaints."

FATAL CAB ACCIDENT IN HOBART.

Mr John Lord, M.L.C., was killed in Hobart on Monday by beiug thrown out of a cab. Being in ill-health, he was in the habit of going for a drive every afternoon, nsually to the domain. On that afternoon, when in the domain, ode of the horses grow restive, swerved, and broke the pole. The cabman got down anc^ tried to seize the horses' heads, but they got away and dashed down Liverpool street, with Mr Lord in tho cab. Near the railway station the cab came in con* taut with an obstacle, and Mr Lord was thrown violently out, and so seriously injureil that he died as «oon as he was carried homo. The horses got under a verandah further down the street, and one of them broke its leg and was shot. Mr Lord was a very old and respected resident. He was elected member for Hobarfc Town in the old Legislative Council prior to the introduction of responsible government on July 17, 1855. • '

MISCELLANEOUS.

Tho system of education at the public schools of New South Wales is being extended, so as to embrace technical education after the plan adopted in England and on the Continent!, Thq

first of the workshops for the use of public schoolboys is to be erected in connection with the Fort street school, and similar adjuncts will be provided for some of the principal country schools.

The unemployed difficulty has cropped up in Sydney. It is said that there are 400 men out of work, and a deputation has asked the Minister of Works to provide relief work. A big find of stolen property has been made in Melbourne through the arrest of a burglar (a New Caledonian cxpiree), who gave the police information. The und was made in a general dealer's shop on the Port Melbourne road, kept by a man named Woods, who was alway regarded as a most respectable man. However, when the polioe ransacked his premises they found a vast assortment of articles, from watches and jewellery to tobacco and kerosene. Altogether fully £2000 worth of goods was found, and it is anticipated that many recent burglaries will be accounted for by this discovery. At Ingham, in Queensland, an escaped convict from New Caledonia, who was recently arrested, •escaped from the lock-up on Tuesday afternoon. The same night two black trackers came upon him at about 9 o'clock and tried to take him, but he knocked both of them down and got away. During the night he doubled back, scaled the palisading, entered the constables' quarters, took two loaded revolvers, a loaf of bread, and some of the constables' clothes, and got away. Being a determined and powerful fellow, and well armed, it will be a difficult matter to take him alive.