Melbourne Jottings.

Observer, Volume 9, Issue 523, 29 December 1888, Page 11

Melbourne Jottings.

-* — ■— (Fbom otjb own Cobbespondent.) ■■BHE Coronial inquiry has not tended to fflil throw any Ught on the suspicious JOL circumstances attending the death of the unfortunate young girl, Fanny Perry, whose remains were recently found in an advanced Btate of decomposition in an outhouse adjoining the snburban residence of her employer, Mr br, tf. W. Lewis. It appears passing strange that so many of these mysteries should remain unravelled and the enquiries made by the police prove abortive. ._. * * # * There can be but little doubt that the state of the detective force is no more satisfactory in this oolony than it is in England, where the Whitechapel murderer and others of his ilk continue their fell work unmolested. No material advance is to be looked for until the detective is regarded by the ' powers that be ' as an official quite apart from the ordinary constable, and the section of the service to which he belongs is placed on an entirely different and independent basis. They manage these thingß better in France, where a number of thoroughly qualified men are engaged on the work, each individual being allowed almost complete liberty of aotion. '# # * Probate has this week been granted to the will of the late Lowe Kong Meng the Little Bourkestreet merohant, who recently shuffled off this mortal coil. His estate is sworn as not exceeding \ the value of .£IOOO. The comparative insignificance of this sum has given rise to a good deal of . comment, as the deceased was well-known to ' have been in flourishing circumstanoes, and there is no reason to suppose that he had sustained, of late, any severe monetary loss. Unless, therefore, Mr Kong Meng had made prior to his death, a disposition of the Bubstanoe acquired by him in the course of his long mercantile oareer in this colony, there is obviously some mistake or miscalculation. „ # * * The matter is of some moment, as it involves a question affecting the finances of the colony. Within the course of the past few months, the Treasury authorities have ' come down ' on the executors of two large estates which had been manifestly undervalued. The first of these was that of the late ' Money ' Miller, the second that of a wealthy pioneer colonist, who had long been resident in the old country. In each case, a revaluation of the various properties, made at the instance of the Government, by outside and disinterested experts, was attended with the result that the amount upon whioh duty had to be paid was materially inoreased. # * * The Centennial Exhibition, although it maybe regarded as a succes d'estime, is, it would appear, likely to result in a considerable financial loss to the country. The proposal to extend the duration of the show, and thus reduce the deficit which stares the commissioners in the face, has fallen through, owing to the fact that within a few weeks of the closing, many of the exhibits are due at the exposition to be held in Paris next year. I The novelty has worn off for Melbourne residents, and the majority of the provincial and intercolonial visitors have already perambulated the vast building. * * * There is thus no probability of the amount of the daily receipts being swelled. It may be rank heresy on my part, but nevertheless I venture to assert that the collection of articles on view at the Exhibition is not of surpassing interest. The amount of space allotted to each country bears no proportion to its importance or population. Most of the great European nations send far fewer exhibits than does the smallest of the Australian colonies, whilst others are altogether unrepresented. Hence it is that the educational value of the Exhibition is very much discounted, i and the interest created in like manner minimised, the majority of the articles on view being such as might be seen on any day in the week in the shop windows of the various colonial capitals. # * # Notwithstanding the regulations of the executive prohibiting the sale of articles within the walls of the Exhibition and the examples which have just been made inthe police court of several offenders, the trade still continues to flourish, as must be patent to the most casual observer. In my opinion, suoh a state of things is not to he tolerated. Exhibits have been admitted into the colony without paying duty, the entire Exhibition having been declared a bonded store ; and to countenance the disposal of articles on view would be a manifest injustice to shopkeepers. # » * Moreover, it would be most derogatory and contrary to the raison d'etre of the Exhibition to allow it to be converted into a mere fair.- It is to be hoped that the commissioners will not allow themselves to be deterred from the course, they have after mature consideration decided upon by the hostile attitude of the committe of the British exhibitors, and that they will instruct their officers to stringently repress all sales without fear or favour. # # Mr J Cumming, a blacksmith at Lambton, N. S. W., aged GG has inherited property (by the decease of Sir Charles Graham) in Scotland said to be worth a million sterling. Mr Cumming will probably now be able to perform his part of village blacksmith to perfection. The possessor of a million ought not' to owe any man, and may easily look * the whole world in the face. It is to be hoped that his tenants are not imbued with land nationalisation principles, and that they will not refuse to pay rent, aby no means ' unusual thing in Scotland now-a-days. * * * The union shearers up at Waloha must be a dark and desperate lot. Mr Charles Robertson, who recently sentenced some of their number to imprisonment, little dreamt-good easy man-that vengeance was in store for him. There was, however, a meeting of the shearers at < dead ot night, and, by the dim light of a flickering slush lamp, each man swore never to reveal what had been said at the meeting, nor who was the man doomed by iot to strike the fatal match, lhe next night they— the ink comes from my penin ghastly gouts as I tell of the dreadful deed-got some old clothes and straw and tar and made an effigy of Mr Robertson and burnt it ! Terrible wasn't it ? . # . * * By the way, did you ever consider what a genius the man must have been who first suggested burning in efligy. lam astonished that of all- -the essayists from Montaigne tc ►David Blair, who have made such profound reflections on so many different subjects, not. one of them

has struck upon this question; And what a splendid.one it ib. Fancy one day, in those dim ages of the past— the more of whioh we learn, the more we see their likeness to our own a maddened crowd surging along through the grey streets of some Cyclopean city, bent on having the blood of their best leader and Greatest Man because he had been unsuccessful for the first time, or had happened to temporarily displease them by wearing his nose-ring in the manner of the enemy. *«' c - But another great intellect happens to be on the spot. ** Gentlemen,' he remarks to them iri the antique tongue, the object of our fury has escaped. Even if wg had him he would glory in his torture, and make scorn of us. Let us therefore make an image of him composed of old garments, and burn it on a high place. Then will he indeed be shamed in the gates of the city, and a mockery in the market-place.' The novelty of the idea is irresistible. They act upon it with enthusiasm, and expend their fury on the lifeless bundle of rags. The consequence is that when the man it was intended to represent makes his appearance in public again, he is allowed to go unmolested, and speedily becomes more popular than he was before. A great and subtle, but now not recognised, genius was your inventor of Burning in Effigy.