MELBOURNE GOSSIP.

Evening Star, Issue 3364, 1 December 1873, Page 3

MELBOURNE GOSSIP.

It must have been through an oversight that no collection-boxes were placed in the hotels on Hospital Sunday. This suggestion emanates from an admirer of the Licensing Act. The Mack hat—what else can wo call it but the belltoppcr?—is being worn outrageously high in the crown just now. Anything move ugly cannot be imagined. Is this a rvdudio ad ah.siirditni, prior to some reform? It is understood that the principal object of Sir Charles Cavan Duffy's visit to I'iumpe is the publication of a book, upon which he has been engaged for several years past. Whether it is memoir or history rumor sayeth not. One of our leading suburban doctors announces that he has made special arrangements for the treatment of the largely increasing class of sufferers from disease of the spine. r l he fact may not be generally known that overwork at the sewing-machine is responsible for most cases of this distressing ailment. A new caricaturist of singular merit has arisen here, or been imported. He is of the “ Vanity Fair” school. The perfect maimer in which he took off Mr John Thomas Smith in the Wvekni Tunc* has been a pronounced “ hit,” both for himself and the paper. His talents are likely to be in high demand. His name, however, is strangely kept a close secret. Here is an English item, which perhaps you have not encountered ; A fashionable journal in Eondou reports that one of the loading operatic artistes, supposed to he Madame Nilsson, refused to sing before the Shah of IVrsia, because he came very late to the concert, and kept everybody waiting. In consequence of this spirited conduct, an exalted royal personage has ordered that the operatic artiste referred to shall never henceforth take pari at any concert in tire presence of royalty. - -New Zealand Ihndd. A frara.i at Home, in which Herr ikuidmann was concerned, has been going tlie round of tbe papers. While in Australia lie did not make himself beloved by the actors with whom he appeared. On a certain occasion, the play of “ f phe Kobbers” was to be dune. At rehearsal Mr Jiamlmaim was impressive in his advice to a "•entleman. not altogether a tyro at the pi<>fessioii, as to how he should play the small part of the rubber whose business it is to rush in and infoim his captain, Dc Moor, that the soldiers are coming up in thousands. Mr Hand munn informed this gentleman that he might, if he chose, make the pmt a little humorous. The nmht came, and Dandmann swashhuekled through De Moor with all his vigor. At last it veathed tbe comic ««T * tw» to co»ip w

his announcement, and truly he had made himself up in a “hnrnorona” fashion. In addition to a most ridiculous costume, he wore a w'K which presented nothing but a bald pate; with perchance three single hairs on the top, not one more. “ The soldiers, captain !’ shouted he. ‘‘How many, knave?” inquired Baudmann. “ Mure than the hair;; of my head I ! was the yell in reply, amidst shrieks of laughter from the audience. Biuidinann went frantic. Signs of the march of railway reform are visible at the Spencer street railway station, in the shape of the light little engines and small carriages for the cheaply made lines. Alongside of the other rolling stock, the huge grinding engines and six-wheeled carnages, the new-comers are veritable minnows among tlic tritons. The new carriages are very similar to those on the Hobson’s Bay line, and the directors of that concern may expect to lie relieved from the anticipation of the perennial worry as to why they don t afford luxurious accommodation like the "V ictorian railways. In fact, it seems that Hobson s Bay has the advantage, as regards the new Government stock, judging from samples. The Sunday Evening Free discussion Society is a novel institution. They meet in the Trades Hall, and on a tine night there will be perhaps 150 gentlemen, ladies, and children present. The subjects have the widest range. One night they will set up a theological dogma for demolition, and the next they will perchance debate the question, “Shall knaves, impostors, and humbugs be our legislators?” This is the actual subject they debated a few nights ago. It was made the text for vehement demands that the Public Library should lie opened on a Sunday, The proceedings are always wound up with some lively pianoforte playing by a lady, as the audience go out. Then we have the progressive Spiritualists meeting on Sundays in another place, and the Christian Spiritualists in a third. 'Talking of Spiritualists, it would appear from an advertisement inserted in the papers tin's week by one of the prominent “mediums,’' that he lias been very shamefully befooled by some malign agency. He offers Lb reward for the restitution of four of Ids children (giving a fad description of each), with a quantity of furniture, winch, he says, was stolen with them from bis house. “ What, all my pretty chickens and their dam at one fell swoop?” says the Enitinu Htmhl in a humorous article on the subject, and then adds that no reward is offered by the advertisement for returning the dam. But, really, what an ironical event the affair is! The medium under notice, who goes into trances, has been telling people what was going to happen to them ; and yet he could not foresee an occurrence so intimately affecting himself! Borne persons experience great difficulty in getting rid of money. We have in our midst a genial individual named Air Abraham Hicken, who has done some prize-fighting in England, America, and Australia. Mr Hicken does not appeared to have been enamored of the ring, for although he scored a victory nearly every time he turned out, yet his list of fights is not very long ; and he has now subsided into an hotel-keeper, of very quiet anil unassuming manners. To he sure, he keeps a little roped circle in a room upstairs, where sparring is taught by a. I’rofes&or. Air Hector "Wilson, one of our moneyed young men, lias just felt it his duty to present Air Hicken with a massive gold belt, costing about L2bo, all out of his own pocket, in testimony of his appi eciation of Ah Hicken’» “ gallant tights ”in the past. This is not an isolated case of money plethora. One of our importers said, some months ago, at n shareholder’s meeting “ For my part, I’m sick of making money!”