MELBOURNE TOWN TALK.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1914, 9 August 1888, Page 2

MELBOURNE TOWN TALK.

(from our own correspondent.)

Eighty-eight will certainly ba aD annus miraealis In the hißtory of V.otoria, foe . not only is It marked by its present Oen« ' kennlal Exhibition, bat is furthermore noteworthy from the f »ot of there being tbe largest surplus In the revenne that has ever blessed any colony. The Pr9«nfer astonished the Colonial world last week by announcing what is praotioally a two million tarplus, and naturally Dotbiog baa bean talked ab at since bat the wonderful prosperity of V ofcorla. There has been ■tothiog like, except Derhaps In the United States, and when. ,. one. tbinka of the •haidful of people we bava In t h e colony -r-oimp»red to HJnropean countries— it is certainly m >Bt astonishing and gf*Ufying. I only hopo it wWt turn the heads ofthe public functionaries. On every baud I hear the til «st of tali ta'.k on what la to be don*. V.ctoria is to show tbe way to progress to the whole vrorld. Melboarna is to be transformed into tha moat beautiful city extant j irrigation, drainage, hulldiog«, railway*, everything la going to be done wi.h ouc immense wealth, and everybody p'eased. Bat, poor Duaoan Gillies ? Never was man placed m suoh a position before. By bis friend he la m*de to usnrp the powers and p lvtleges of Providence Itaelf, by hia enemies (and oar Premier's are not few), he is made the 6b j act of lnoreased envy and enmity. Hia Is a martyr. He has shaken hands at the least with a thousand well- wishers since the publication of hia ncarvelloua balance-sheet ; he has had tbe words "budget" and " surplna" hotled at him, whispered at him, simpered at him, expounded to him, shouted at him, and eulogised to him, that I am sure It would be dfoidedly unsafe to mention them now m bis presence. Never before has an Australian Premier had tuoh a triumphant roh'io enact, and never before bas he had sued oause to cry "Spare me from my friends." The lait deadly blow caire from a lady, as he told me himself pathetically. Four days tad elapsed, *nd he thought it was all over, and Dcoepted an invitation to dinner. That all important meal was satisfactorily got through, and be was feeling that genial glow whioh comes to the m»a who has dined well, when the hoit gave the signal for the gentlemen to rejoin tbe , ladies m the drawingroom. The Premier esconced hlnjsalf m an easy chair, quite prepared to enjoy himself m a quiet way lidtening to the piano, when a lady crossed over tbe room and took the next seat to him "Oh, Mr Gillies," she said engagingly, -'I hear everybody talking about tha Budget and the great surplus and all that. Now, I am sure you Parliamentary gentlemen know all about those things. Do tell me What is a Budget V Poor Djnoan fi jd, and the innocent old lady can't think even now why he left her bo abruptly, ' That one item m connection with the Budget— the intention of the Government to dispose of the Kewand Yarra Betid Lunalio Asylam reserves— has paused a good deal of talk and discussion Of course we know it wili give qs another million to help u« on; but people are say. ing what do. we want with this when >c have one, or nearly odo already. : An agltaton Is being got up to petition the Government to havo them reserved as a public park, and with this I cordially sympathise. The two estates are contiguous, on opposite sides of the Yarra, [ together, I think, aome 750 acres. What a grand recreation ground this would make for Melbourne. As we are mno want of the million purcbasa-monej we would get for it, why shouldn't it be so ? la twenty years' time the land for many miles round that part will be densely populated, and then the benefit would be felt. The question resolves Itself into this— hygienic precautions for oar ohildren or more nggrandißemont for the present— and I am afraid, bnowiDg Melbourne and Melbourniteß an I do, that the money faotlon has it.

On Wednesday the Exhibition opens, and Melbourne is to be given over to revelry and merry-making. It will certainly be a redlet'er day In the annals of the city, for never before has there been occasion for bo muoh rrjiicing Of course, the announcement of. me splendid condition of our finances gives a certain eclat to the pro ;eedings, and the* Premier waa very clever to get his figures ready m time, for It Id a measure condones to the country for the great amount the Exhibition will cost us before it is all over. I glvs great praise to tbe secretary, Mr Lavater, for the strenuous efforts be has mado daring the last week or two to get things shfp-Bhape m the building, and I am aorry enough he has not been able to do more than he has. But he has had to fight against thd inertia and want of experience on the part of the Commissioners, and the dilatorioesa of .exhibitors, and I feel sore not one lota of blame is attributable to him for the Bhameful state of general unpreparedneaa the place is m.

I went to heat Mr Oo wen's Exhibition Orchestra at tbe Melbourne Tarn- Vereln on Wednesday laat, and I moat confess to befog perfectly oharmed with what I heard, No matter what anyone Bays, tbere cannot be the shadow of a donbt bat that Cowen 1b one of the masters of muslo. I never beard better orchestration ; I never saw better conducting. Quietly and calmly he uses hia baton, but he (a In auoh perfect accord with the payers, and baa them under each exquisite control, that the effects come from himself and not from them. Certainly his stay of ten tnonthfi m Melbourne will do a great deal for cb In the way of "musical culture, and hie concerts will be very welcome; addenda to the other attractions of the sbbwi Apropos of muslo And, musloiaDS, we have a very wonderful exponent of the art In the person of Hen Benno Soherek, also a Jew (for Mr Gowen is one) who has, until lately, been conductor for Amy Sher win's English Opera Troupe. I heard thi« gentleman perform a few evenings ago at the German Clab. Among other astonishing things be did was to play " Home, Sweet Home" on the piano and violin at the same time, using one hand for the piano and tbe other for the violin* bow. He rested the violin against the piano, and nsed Mb chin to do the "finger* ing" part. Afterwards be played the air with one hand and one foot, striking the notes with his boots with with marvellous preoislon. Strange tricks these, and I don't suppose any of my readers will wish to emulate them.

In these days of modern enlightenment It is seldom one meeta with people who are wholly behind the times. jsqt a tragedy— Btrange and horrible In its i natnre — occurred In a Melbourne suburb on Monday n'ght, due wholly to Ignorance on the part of the victims. A family named Dick took a house m Malvern, and being quite unused to gas, one of them Beeraa to have palled the ohandeller to its fall length before going to bed, thus allowing the gaa to escape, Then ensued such a horrible and silent tragedy that It makes cne sick even to think of it. Silently and without woralog, but with deadly effoofc, the noxious fames filled the house. Under Us mephitio Inflaenoe tbe oooupauts sank into unconsciousness, whioh In the case of two was to know no awakening. Twenty-four houri'afterwwds one of these unfortunate people woke to consciousness, and dragged herself m a fainting condition to a neighbor's house. Through her the others were rescued, one child already dead and a aeoond to follow. The others there la some hope for, though it Is but a hope. I don't think I ever read a more pitiable story than this ; Zola never wrote anything more ghastly or horrible. These poor ooontry people were not to be blamed for being ignorant of how to turn off the gaa, and yet on ttat trifle, of Inexpedeuge. res'.gd tb«

happiness, the well-being, the life of the whole family. Ah !my friend?, I say with Addlson : The ways of Heaven ac dar tricate, Ptzz'ed m mszss and perplex and with errorß, Oar understanding traces them m yin, Lost and bewildered m the fruhkes Boarcb.