AUSTRALIAN NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 3826, 29 May 1875, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NOTES.

The members of the Yictorian bar are about to take steps with a view to the mitigation, if not the complete removal of a cause of grievance under which they admittedly labor in commo:o. with the superior branch of the legal -profession in the other Colonies While baj.-ristera belonging to the English bar are free to practice there, or in any of the Courts of her Majesty’s dependencies, those who art* admitted in Victoria are denied that privilege, although the present educational stand, ard is fully on a par with that of the old country. The whole m the Victorian bar ha ve petitioned the Home Secretary, asking is he Imperial authorities to introduce a Bull into Parliament with a view to giving Col onial barristers the same status and privilege s as those at Home, where the educational standard is equal and where the two bra niches of the legal profession are not amalg fcmated, as in New Zealand. Heavy damages were g tven in the Sydney slander case of Watson v, Watson. The plaintiff recovered 12,500-. The Rev. Charles 01; uck commenced his services in the A themeui n Hall, Melbourne, on May 17. Neither i revelations of belief nor justification were attempted, for the rev. gentleman said none were needed, as he was addressing a congregate an by whom, or to whom, words of sev >ra ace had never been used. The morning sermon was on Unsectarian Christianity, in f the course of which the preacher admitted, the necessity for ♦ecclesiastical institution while deprecating the formulating of rigid c reeds. He urged that no topic of interest to ir tamkind should betabooed as unfit for the pul pit. His hearers were warned not to expect at iy startling novelties worn him, but were promised that, so far as be obtained any fresh %Iht, the congregation ■should bo taken into hi s confidence pretty freely. There was nothc ing approaching the sensational in the discos irses, for they were such as might have been, delivered from any pnlpit in Christendom b; y any preacher who was not a stickler for cr< leds. The affairs of Christ Church, for thali is the name MClarks congregation have chosen for them selves, are at present managed by a provisional committee, comipi.ising about twenty gentlemen, and the indention seems to be to occupy a place midwajr between the Baptists and the independents, leaving the question of adult baptism open to individual members to do as seems good in their .own eyes. Ihe following were the resolutions carried at a meeting at Sydney for the purpose of urging upon the Imperial Government the £°-l° y u aßnexin 8 New Guinea to the British Crown. Dr Lang moved—“ That, in the opinion of this meeting, the resources of the extensive island of New Guinea should not remain beyond xhe reach of legitimate and commercial enterprise; and as the inhabitants cannot ranch longer continue isolated from trading operations, the immediate occupation of the island by a civilised power is expedient, alike in the interests of humanity and commerce.”' Sir John O’Shanaasv if 0 r e fl47*j T i lat ? reat Britain the nation best fitted for the work of colonising New Guinea; and that the a; onexation of the ternary not yet occupied by a foreign power is desirable in the interest! j of the whole Empire, as well as that of her Majesty’s Australian dominions—especially in view of the recent establishment of stoam communication between these Colonies, the East, and the mother country by wav of Torres Straits.” Mr C. Whitworth is to be presented with a testimonial previous to his departure for ■angland, in the Northumberland, on June 20. At Geelong, on the 16th inst, a body of twenty police made a desoent, at one in the morning, on an hotel, and arrested Albert mons, landlord, for keeping a common gaming-house, and the following persons for found there, who were handcuffed in ’\yr«r mar ?bed to 1/he watch-house : clerk t oi ? er s hViward Ebonstrom, Er ? r ? 1 J er pi inter; Peter RobilWillianf'i jMne * Fewster, printer; ? 18ho1 ®* grocer j Thomas Daley, bilS 'niT 68 °t*’ Jolnjer ; Charles Reed, MiZi p ker , ; James Bbwkbum. clerk lahmSr 1 P T urcel * g™ ol *; Joseph Cocking, ' laborer; James William. Bibb, saddler-

James Cox, laborer. The game consisted of fear men playing Yankee grab, a shilling in, the winner to pay for drinks for all. Most of them held respectable positions. Not one professed gambler was arrested. Simons was fined L 250, and the others L 5 each. A Cooktown telegram says :—William Smith, a carpenter, has been drowned in a well. It is supposed he committed anicide. He leaves a wife and family in New Zealand. Theatrical affairs have been unusually quiet in Melbourne daring the month At the Royal Mr George Coppiu has been appearing in a round of his favorite characters, Toby Twinkle, Mawworm, Aminadab Sleek, Mr Mould, and others, Miss Helen Paget, a new actress, recently imported, made her bow at this theatre recently, but with only tolerable success. Mr Davies, a ventriloquist, has established himself quite a favorite. It is proposed to produce Bouoicault’s new piece, “The Shaughraun,” at the Royal shortly, for the purposes of which a Mr Wheatleigh, an American, and Miss Carey have been engaged. At tnd Opera House “La Periehole ” has had a goou run. Other novelties are in preparation. if its Amy Stone and her husband continue unattacf? During the month Mdlle. Claus gave her farewell concert in Melbourne, and has since left for California. The only interesting item in aquatics during the month was the sculling match between Messrs Bell and Christie, the la* ter the* well-known detective, and one of the best athletes in Victoria, for a trophy of L 26. It may be remembered that in the first match between these gentlemen Bell proved the victor, but it was asserted by Christie that this was principally caused by his being out of condition. He, therefore, again challenged his opponent. The second contest resulted in a foul, and the judges decided that it should be rowed over again. The third race took place on Saturday, May 8, and excited a good deal of interest. Christie was rather the favorite on this occasion, as Bell did not look in such good condition as when he rowed the two previous races. The result proved that on this occasion Christie was the best man of the two, as be won the race by at least three boats’ lengths. After the race it was agreed between the competitors, that each having won a L 25 prize, they should put the two amounts together, and row a final race for a LSO trophy. The Melbourne committee who have undertaken the raising of local funds in aid of the testimonial which has been lately initiated in London to the great Jewish philanthropist, Sir Moses Montefiore, lesolved that the appeal for subscriptions should not be confined to members of the Hebrew faith, as the venerable baronet has always exerted his influence iU the cause of humanity without regard to class or creed.

A novel immigration scheme has been 1 adopted by Western Australia. Acting npon the principle that it is easier to obtain fresh population from its neighbors than the other end of the world, the Western Australian Government offers to pay the passage-money, not exceeding L 6 per head, of suitable male adults from Victoria and the Australian Colonies generally, and to afford assistance in the same ratio to their wives and families. After two years’ residence each adult immigrant will be entitled to select fifty acres for himself, and twentyfive acres for every member of his family between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one, provided that no family obtain more than 150 acres in the whole ; and at the expiration of three years, if certain conditions of fencing and cultivation have been complied with, they will receive a free Crown grant of their allotments.

A man was recently brought before the Police Court iu Sydney, suffering from a strange hallucination, caused no doubt by drunkenness. Selby was the man’s name, and having asked and received permission to make an address, he said—“ lam the wisest man on earth, but men force me to earn a living as a common porter. I wrote to the managers of the theatres, and I told them if they only let me go to the stage and show what I could do, in less than five ninutes I would prove to them that I was the greatest wit, poet, and actor on earth. But they didn’t send me an answer, and actually refused to see me.” The Bench proved to .him that if in less than five minutes he didn’t .oay the sum of ten shillings, he would perform in Her Majesty’s theatre at Darlinghui-et for foun nights, A very novel arrangement of religious, legal, and publican elements existing at Wilcannia is described by the correspondent of the ‘ Central Australian,’ a journal published at Bourke :—“ Divine service is conducted on Sundays in the large room of an hotel, and the same room is also used for a police court, and is only divided from the bar by a thin brick wall, so that a noisy drinker can be heard ‘ blowing ’ how many sheep he has shorn or could shsar, and how his horse, the finest ever ridden, could have licked The Bar b—only for but; and the noise of the inebriate can sometimes be heard issuing from the bar whilst prayers are being offered. Thus, without speaking disrespectfully, an effort is being made to save the souls of men (and of women, too, I suppose) in one room, while in the room adjoining men are doing all they can, or what whiskey can do, to kill their own. The same inconsistency is observable on court days, f* I have seen a man tried and fined for being drunk and disorderly, whilst others in the next room, by their inebriate bawling, maliciously called singing, were fast preparing themselves for a timely interview with the presiding * beak,’ perhaps the next day.”