OUR MELBOURNE LETTER.

Evening Star, Issue 3920, 16 September 1875, Page 2

OUR MELBOURNE LETTER.

Milboubnb, September 9. Once more we have an Exhibition. It does not cm ate much excitement. The ooening day certainly did make a difference in the appearance of the town - there were uniforms moving about the streets. Some of the leading shops were closed, and the lestamants w«re very busy. The closing of Government departments and banks was rather a nuisance, but, on the whole, business was not much checked. The ceremony may be described, completely and exh*ustivelv, in one word—"crowd." Season tickets were cheap, and many people bought them merely to see the opening. Mr Justice Ban read a lengthy address—perfectly inaudible to the audience at huge. I suppose he does not get many opportunities to lecture his ' hief (who, as Acting-Governor, opened the show), and so made the best of this one. My frieni Grallator amused himself during the long intervals between the pompous sentences by "cramming" an innocent "free selector" just in frent of us. " Now he's done," said ttusticus. "By no means," said my friend. " he'll begin again directly. There, don't you hear? He's giving it all ever again in .Ta in honor of the Niphon Commis sioners." I cannot transcribe the ejaculation with which this veracious news was greeted ; suffice it, that despairing resignation and helpless rage were finely commingled. As was said by an English Judge, quoting an ancient case where one of his predt-cessors had on the Bench broken out with an oath at some great injustice that came before him, " I heartily coincide with the sentiment, though I cannot approve of the language in which it was expressed." What did I see? Nothing at all that day. Who ever does see anything on a " first" day ? I went and tot lunch. Oh, 3'cs, though—l did see something—the most conspicuous object in the place, like Naboth, "set on high among the people," and like a Pharisee Baying his prayers "to be seen of men" —and women too. A common broom stuck in the highest point in the building over the Governor's head—l suppose by merit raised to that bad eminence: for surely they mieht have found some more appropriate place for it. Bnt perhaps it was the product of a local maker, and in that case Reserved a motto. Homebody suggested, as appropriate to the scholarship of our Protectionist Tories, some such macaronic device as "Magna est Native Industry ct prccvalebit." Another moved an amendment, having a double reference to the present state of political affairs and to the siguin.-ance of a broom at a snip's mast head—" Vendendum est." But this last ap- | proaches very near the limits of seandahim magnatum Seriously, the Exhibition is a success, but rather as a commercial than a spectacula affair. The general effect is richer than that of shows, but there is no very striking or centra feature. Everything is good in its way, ami the general improvement of tone and style i;. colonial productions is very noteworthy. Th<re is not that rudeness and coarseness of' attempt to emulate superior work that was formerly apparent; the emulation is there, but it sucthe ars celare artem. New features are plentiful. The manufacture of microscope:? and telescopes is tie most imposing of them, but there is hardly 0 line of ten yards without something equally important being met with, though, perhaps not equally showy. The carriages are not nearly so numerous as in the last. Exhibition, nor so flaring in style. Two, however, are very luxurious. Thj chief poiut I noted about these was theii great height _ from the ground the wheels being high, elliptical springs and C springs being combined, and a general largeness of feature, all contributing to .this result. The principal novelty is a large collection of Japanese articles, many of which are for sale, and some at prices that seem very low compared with what has hitherto been asked for such things. The student of art as applied to design finds here aome very interesting studies, especially in the use of bare geometrical forms, mostly placed "nsymraetrically and treated in odd color combinations. Wome of the shapes and ornam- ntation iu ceramic ware, however, raised a suspicion in my mind that a special class of goons is being prepared to suit European tastes. An amusing discussion has been going on in the ' Argus ' between the reporter for that print and an anonymous critic as to the real character of some cop per articles in this collection; one says they are "lacquered," and the other that they are " enamelled." Strange that such difference should be, &c, ; but the barrowloads of second-hand learning that each trundles out are the best of fun. The dispute promises fair to end in a " draw"—as to the merits s.f a French book. The original subject has already nearly disappeared from the disputant's view.

In one point v.hi* Exhibition comes short of its predecessors—the music. No new ode, no great performance: not even a march has the "International Exhibition of 1575" at Melbourne evoked. (Do you note the grandiose ad jective ? We are no longer " intercolonial," if you please: that is far too modest. Nothing but "international" is big enough for us now.) But then we have no Horsley to write for us. Perhaps ' Punch ' hit another reason, when, in his cartoon, he set out the Exhibition as a rival to De Murska and Kistori. The interests of theatre managers have as good a right to be "protected" as sack-makers. De Murska has just finished her series of concerts " before going to Adelude " which means, I suppose, that she will give another set when she comes back. On Monday she is to sing in the " Creation" with the Philharmonic Society. Her audiences have been immense and e-.uhusiastic, and she deserves them. The labor and persevorance she must have bestowed on her voice to bring up execution to such a pitch positively frighten me to think about. But I rnuht be honest: :he voice is worn. How could it be otherwises ? Such immenfie practice, and a number of seasons iu Loudon, would tfll on any voice. lam bound to say, however, that I think over-traininp hag more to answer for than public singing. It is like rowing. VVe all know what mischievous results _ fallowed tho old eystem, and how totally it ha« been abandoned in consequence. VVe know what beneficial r. suits flow from Ling's system of gymnastics, based on the principle of j/entle but systematic exercise rather than violent exertion ; why should not, the same apply to the voicw? Mr Lunn, in his little book just issued, follows a similar line of reasoning, and it 6eems to be sound.

Ristori does not apparently draw such great i houses, though 'her play is very Sue, and facial I expression peculiarly good. I do not much | wonder, bhakespeare is not gesticulation and face pulling. We hive him in English : whj should we run after a trauslation which morr than half of us do not uuderstand at all, and the remaining fraction comprehend very little better? I often think that Italians must holi us English to be the most foolish people living. We _ have a tongue as musical, a national music finer, and singers and composers—well at letist, as good as theirs, yet our people, our music, and our very mother tongue are neglected for Italian. Mr Berry and his Ministry are re-elected, have taken their seats, and complain bitt-riy ihat the outgoing Ministry did not leave then policy in the official pigeon holog to supply the i'lotectionist lack, i t . brains. In reply ;.. this doleful ditty, Mr Kerford (the ex-Premiei) made a speed) that quite surprised a great many of us. We did net give him credit for .-o much wit, so much readiness in repartee, and such adroitness in taking the exact cue fitting to his new position. It is probable that tha Ministry will he let alone till thev hav«> dorrho " diity wuriv," -i.-. I hiu\*\l before We ar« iu tu« midst of a very serious epui«mio, and I fear you will soon be "in for it"

too, for it is very " oatchlng, 0 as the old wotnen ' say. This dire disease is called " Spelling Bee,'' and it produces the strangest symptoms. The unfortunate patient instead of talking whob words at once like ordinary mortals ejects their separate letters disjoin t»dly. It is a happy circumstance, however, that these attacks can generally be foreseen, and if not averted can be mitigated by any considerate bystander who will start a new topic for convention. But. one fori* of the fit manifests itself in tl.e evening, when a number of sufferers congregate together for the express purpose of displaying their verbicidal propensities. In mercy to theiu (perhaps) and to have a Jaugh at their expanse (more probably), the general public flock in crowds to these strange exhibitions, and oven pay money to be allowed to witness them. Palliatives are provided in the shape of a big dictionary, prices—sometimes valued at such large sums a* from L2 te JjlO—two examiners, and a referee. The jush of patients to the platform is great, unless meant be taken to select tnem or to restrain their eagerness, and sometimes 200 present themselves at once. The paroxysm in every case subsides as soon as the unfortunate make* a mistake in spelling. He also subsides. One by one they sink to ie->t, like the iitt.i»» w»rcs in Tom Moore's poem, nntl the on<; who helds out longest* gets the prize, and then they all go home.