AUSTRALIAN NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 3921, 17 September 1875, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NOTES.

An action was tried in the Melbourne Supreme Court recently, in which C. H. Carlsen, the proprietor of the Excelsior Hotel, Jlourkc street, was sued by John Popham, a bootmaker, for damages for allowing a door leading to a cellar to be unprotected. Popham, while walking from one part of the hotel to another, opened the cellar door by mistake, aud the result was that he fell into the collar and got hia arm broken. The defendant asserted that it was the plaintiff's own fault the accident had occurred, and even if it were not so, the plaintiff had accepted LlO 10s in full satisfaction of any injury he had sustained. The jury gave a verdict for defendant.

Intelligence has been received of the d; ath at Liverpool of Captain (Charles Chapman, of the steam-hip Great Britain, from dropsy. Previous to the Groat Britain leaving Liverpool on her last voyage, Captain Chapman was too unwell to join her, but it was bop.d that a few months’ rest at Home would benefit his health materially, and that he would be able to resume command on' the return o! the old steamship. The result, however, has proved otherwise. Captain Chapman, although he had held command of several large Billing ships, was best known in connection with the Great Britain, in which he was a tried andjtruaty officer under the late Captain John’Gray for years. On the death of Captain Cray, Mr Chapman was promoted to the command, and retained it until laid aside by the malady which cut him off The popularity acquired by the Great Britain during the long regime of Captain Gray did not suffer in any wise while Captain Chapman was in charge, and be was as careful and vigi'ant over the ship, and studied the comfort of the many passengers who voyaged by her as faithfully and judiciously aa bis old master, with whom ho was in perfect accord while they sailed together.

The annual festival and distribution of medals and eertilica es in connection with the Victorian Humane Society last week attracted the largest assemblage ever seen in the Town Hail. Thousands of persons were

unable to obtain admission, and fully 5,000 people were present. ir Redmond Barry presided, and presented the medals to the recipients. After the ceremonial there was a very successful musical performance, which was vastly appreciated by the audience. The collection taken realised 1/42, but numbers of persons were unable to reach the subscription plates owing to the crowding. At a picnic given to Mr Anthony Trollope on the Warragamba lately we learn from the ‘ Sydney Morning Herald ’ that his health was proposed by the Coief Justice of Few South Wales, Sir James Martin. In responding, Mr Trollope said “1 am very grateful for the kind and generous terms in which my health has been proposed and acknowledged. Throughout my hfe I have always had an ambition rather to be thought a good man than a great one—to be kindly remembered rather than to be admired. I find myself surrounded to-day, at this party in my honor, by many who when I last visited this Colony did everything to make my stay here a happy one. i feel that lam in the midst of old and dear friends, whose sympathy and kindness it will be quite impossible for mo ever to forget. Since I was here last I have, among other things, published the book which has been referred to in so flattering a way by my friend Sir James Martin. Not one of you, gentlemen, knows better than myself the defects of that book. It is not an accurate book, it is not an exhaustive beok ; but it is an honest book. J t betrays no confidence, I am certain. It wounds no sensibilities, it contains nothing of which I feel ashamed, and I am sure it contains nothing which could give any human being pain. Gentlemen, among the prec ous recollections of my life I shall cherish th s friendships which I have formed in this country, and I live in the hope of seeing you all again if I shall be spared to revisit the Australian Colonies.”

“ iEglea” says :—“ The * Western Australian’ is a snug thing in banks, it declares a regular dividend of 20 per cent, per annum, and a yearly bonus of like amount. There isn’t another bank iu the big Australian Colonies which pays its proprietors to well. l>ix months’ bills are discounted at 10, and the interest allowed on six months’ deposits is 2 per cent 1 (The management doesn’t value one pinch of snuff the adv.ee of old Polonius not to borrow or lend.) These quiet West Australian bankers show prudence. They don’t boast of their profits. They don’t make any display of their reserve fund. They talk with dreamy generality about timber and pearl-shell, and furnish figures to their shareholders only. They don’t want to attract notice, for fear of further opposition.’’ The tenth report of the Board of Visitors to the Melbourne Observatory has bees presented to Parliament. It stated that the instruments were all in good working ordea. The great Melbourne telescope had been confined as much as possible to the work of drawieg the nebulce and mapping the neighboring stars. One nebula had been discovered which was not to be found in any catalogue in the Observatory. The best mode of lithographing the nebulce was still under consideration. One photograph of the moon, in the opinion of the board, surpassed in beauty of outline and accuracy of definition any hitherto taken in the world.

Within the last few days, Carroll, the exmember for Ararat, and the notorious O’Ferrail, have been added to the number of prisoners at the Pentridge Stockade. It is rather a curious circumstance that the former visited the establishment some months ago as a member of Parliament. He was shown over the department, and appeared to take great interest in the general working of the establishment.