VICTORIA.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 8, 25 November 1863, Page 5 (Supplement)

VICTORIA.

('FHt»I OUR OWN COBBESPONDENT.) Melbourne, Nov. 10th. "Mr Chsifles Farewell, the* ex-Town Treasurer, has^ust brought an 'action against the 1 Mayor and Corporation, to recover £5000 damages for malicious" prosecution on a charge of embezzlement in October, 1861. Plaintiff deposedthat in that year he 1 was suspended,' and 'shortly after dismissed ; I that so far back as 1859 a deficiency of £800 1 had been discovered in "his -books 'by the auditors, which he could, ridb explain, and paid the amount himself. That & further sum of £501 was, in -July, 1861, found tobe ■wan tingjf or" which he could hot inj any way account, but denied any complicity in its Sisttppearanc§; some accounts might have been •paid twice, arid no vouchers obtained. He appeared on the 22rid October,; 1861, before Mr Hackett, a"t tlie Police Court, to an infor-mation-filed'bythe .City Solicitor, but which was not proceeded with, and for this prosecution he claimed damages. The jury found that the Corporation were fully justified, under the circumstances, in acting as they .^had done, and returned a verdict for the defendants. How this person could'have been so ill advised as to commence proceedings af tr: r sudh a lapse of time, and with such tfacts, as admitted by himself,, is inconceivable — the books iproduced in Court, kept by him as treasurer, -showing, frpm the incoherent non- , sense scribbled in them, evident marks of inebriety, while his continuous state of intoxication both before and after his dismissal -from office, was matter of public notoriety for years past ; why the criminal charge was abandoned, is one df the lost secrets of that focus of jobbery file Melbourne Town Council. Alfred Dixon, aged eight years, eldest son of Elijah Dixon, who recently murdered his wife and two female children at Cherry Tree Flat, near Ballarat, died on "Friday, in the Benevolent • Asylum there, eviderttly tfrom grief at the melancholj. event, the poor child haying been in a desponding state since his admission, nor could -the medical attendants .-and officials prevail upon him to join in tke vsports of the other inmate children. YH: M. transport Himalaya, anchored *in .Hobson^s Bay. on Monday stfternoon, tfrom 'Colombo, having on board the officers aud men' of regiment, 860 strong, under; the -command -of Meat. Colonel R. Waddy, 'C.8., r en route fbr Auckland, to reinforce General Cameron— she reports that the 43rd und 68th regiments from India were "to follow in a few daya after by the Airacari and Lady 3bcclyn. Her commander T is Captain Edward Ln-t^, whose -urbane manners have Tendered •him already , a great favorite, he having courteously thrown open this magnificent vessel •to the Inspection ;ofY the public, all Visitors experiencing the greatest -courtesy from himself and officers-'-ancl so large a vessel never having before entered these waters, the -curiosity to see her was universal, which was achieved easily by the small bay steamers ■plying "t© .*and fro, at comparatively moderate charges, the-' -stortay state of the weather rendering open Boats rather an unsafe mode of transit. - A more magnificent specimen Of marine architecture cannot be conceived, her burthen being 4000 tons, and the length Of. her deck, which is flush, spans 375 feet, 'forming a. splendid promenade. Nothing could more forcibly illustrate -the power of system. and discipline,, than the perfect order which prevailed, and the precision with which every regulation was carried out ; !"no small proof of < the? administrative skill of both the naval, arid military authorities on board, especially When' the fact is taken into consideration; that, besides the troops, there were upwards of fifty women, as many children, (both fertile elements of confusion); and sailors and marines to-the number of over two Kurifrred/tofillup the space,' and ieQuiring- daily providing for. The contrast between .the. safe ty-and comfort of such a vessel, pompared'with the rotten old merchantmen formerly used as transports, is a most gratifying proof of improvement in military .management, and that official corruption can ; no longer combine with iriercantile rapacity, to endanger 4he lives of those whOm 'we send jforthYto .fight our battles and maintain the national prestige. Advantage- was taken of her' stay 'here to preserit the'regiment with a new set, of colors, which was done on Friday with the.usual ceremonies, by the lady of the Colonel, Mrs Waddy, who is an Australian. Two "former officersof the regiment, Colonel and Lieut.-Colonel Anderson, being resident in Victoria the "; firist named officer having been at one time in command ;gf the^SOth', and Old 3oei"' a?To rendered the time aad place tnqre appropnateY "Want of space pieclUded the invitation of many visitors, but the proceeding, though; brief, was an imposing <me, the men being placed rouud ;the deck -ax deep, many of !them:rlndian; and -heroes, * decorated with various hardly-won medals. The lady presented the "new-colors ia« start but spirited speech, in which sfce avowed her belief that they, would ,alwaysjremain-safe in therregiment's- custody, and that ;the; meu wonld never cease to uphold and deserve their old name of the ■* Fighting •Fiftieth;^) Am yy , z ■ ■ ■ A melancholy accident -occurred lately at the Sandridge !i Kailway /Pier. A man named James* Pearson^ "who T had been for several years- in 'the '" eiriplby. .of the Railway Company 'as foreman of the. Pier, in jumping Off the wharf to iesoue ia^ bby'wbb had fallen into., .the . I^^^ '*^ a severely as'tb cause. his,. deathYwHe^iean-es a wife ; y(eneeinte) and, child wholly unprovided for. ! Mr Andrew Sutherland has been appointed : a Director of the National Bank, in : the room of- Mr George Rolfe, resigned, ■y In^consequence of a recent case of stabbing, for which two. sailors- -named James Murray and George Stewart have received sentence, of one year's hard labor on the road 3, 'the GATern-qaefat' Kave* issued an... order/ in the ■fGasetteytiiat no sailors 6hall ibe ; peimiilted to i come' on shore with iCiasp or dagger: knives in 'theiripbssession.und-.the.Wat^^ to 'notify tbe-regula'tion to all' masters of vessels entering the harbori' ■ :>y^.- --~ TAu;ihquest"iwai held viri theYhospital upon' tHeijiid^ -bf Cliaries^Clarfc; wlio died froiri injuries sustained in a fight on the.'preceding 'Surida^i'ar Greensb^ laborer of the" nain,e of- Boyle, both being employed upon the dairy iarra of Mr Anderson. The untimely "M ih : great measure,' to his obstinacy, as both

his antagonist and the bystanders begged Tlim I to desist,^ which he refused, having the best ofthe encounter.. Death resulted from injury to the spine caused by his falling undermost. A verdict of manslaughter against Boyle was returned, as a matter^of course— although he was little to blame in the matter, having offered' to give in and shake hands over the quarrel., y 'The construction of a Graving Dock is m agitation here, AMr Morel, who is in Melbourne now, as agqnfc for Clark's Patent, ■offers to construct one upon the, " Hydraulic an4*Pontoon " principle, capable of receiving two- Vessels at onee t for £72,000, whereas, MrWardill, the Government Engineer, i& favorable, to a fixed, stone dock, his first estimate for which was though he offers to construct 'one capable of ultimate extension, for £100,000. As_Mr Wardili's proposed dock will only hold one vessel, and will cost so much more, it is. probable that with the ' usual fate of Government constructions, the r worst and mo3t expensive plan will be adopted. On the' fifth instant, the usual display of hideous figures by day and pyrotechnics at night was attempted by the juveniles, but the clerk of the weather put an arbitrary stop to the manifestation of young Victoria's ultra-protestantism, by showering down buckets fuli v of the heaviest possible rain. Tlie customary festival of the Loyal Orange Lodge was held at the Protestant Hall, which was the only noticeable demonstration. Numberless political Guys have crowded our streets for the last few<lays past, in the shape of forlorn deputations from every part of the country seeking Ministerial relief for bridges and roads carried away by the floods, one and all receiving the same answer. " no 'funds," — the late Act liaving transferred the Whole control to the local boards— the revenue derivable being quite insufficient, a special vote.will have to be sought from Parliament when it meets, a delay which affords a dreary prospect for the future, should the foul: weather not abate, of which there is little hope seemingly, as a fourth flooi is announced . in. the Murray, and throughout the country the cry of distress is universal. The city elections took place on Thursday, but the voting being by ballot, under the new act, little excitement was displayed. In Smith Ward, where the keenest contest lay, the retiring member, Mr Weedon, was reelected, polling 390 to Mr J. F. Arnold's 318. In Bourke Ward, a like result took place, Mr Grant 'being .re-elected, by 54 i to Mr Jas. Phillips' 401. "In Gipps Ward, Mr Joshua Cowell, a new candidate, polled 573 to retiring Councillor Hughes' 551, but the presiding Alderman, Keeley, a furious partisan and firebrand in the Council, refused to declare the poll, saying that some of the papers were improperly signed, and that the should hold a scrutiny that night, and announce the result in the morning — this dodge proved unsuccessful, as only one vote was struck out, leaving a majority of 21 for Mr Cowell, who was declared duly elected. A man, named Peter Miller, was accidentally killed in Gertrude-street, Fitzroy, on Tusday, *by the falling in of a <laige quantity of earth, while engaged with another man in excavating a cellar. A wife and four children are left -to deplore his loss. The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria commenced its Fifth Annual Session at the Scots' Church, in Collins-street, on Thursday evening, when the Rev. S. Kelso, of Portland, was elected Moderator— being a representative of the Irish branch of the Denomination. Mr D.F. O'Connor, the somewhat notorious Inspector of Weights and Measures, appeared at the City Court to answer a charge of ■< -perjury, he having sworn on a late occasion that a certain steelyard used by Mr T. K. Bennett had not been stamped by him, the Inspector, whereas, the reverse proved to be \ the fact. The Bench, however, dismissed the 'case, on the flimsy ground that they did net thiHk he had knowingly sworn what was false. „Her coaling being completed sooner than anticipated, the Himalaya sailed on Saturday, at 2 o'clock p.m. The man Murphy who murdered the police-constable at Warrnambool was executed, pursuant to sentence, at Geelong Gaol, on Fiiday. Owing to some mismanagement, the drop, in falling, struck the wretched man in the face, causing him to bleed, and it was upwards of ten minutes before his struggles terminated. The Mayor of Melbourne, Edward Cohen, Esq., was recently presented with his portrait by the ladies, as a polite qitid pro quo for his fancy ball. Our political world is completely dormant, and no hint transpires as to what Ministers are doing, or intending to. The usual iv- , moars of dissensions in the Cabinet abound ; Messrs Heales and Sullivan being about tj retire in consequence of differences on the everlasting Land Bill, but as this report is only to bi found in one of the Melbourne • journals, the sole supporter of the late Ministry; whose whipper-jn is the proprietor, you may affirm, with Sir Charles Coldstream, that " there's nothing in it.""