OUR MELBOURNE LETTER.

Evening Star, Issue 4188, 29 July 1876, Page 2

OUR MELBOURNE LETTER.

Melbourne, July 22

Sir James M'Culloch's statement of finances bas not yet been made, though Thursday last (day before yesterday) was announcfcd for it. Some necessary paper could not be got ready, so it was postponed till Tuesday next. Meantime a httle interest has been excited in the Assembly by a proposed amendment on the Education Act, which is intended to make compulsion a reality, and not as now, a name and nothing else. Mr Macßain, a valued supporter of the Presbyterian Church, has given notice of a motion to amend the Ace further by allowing religious instruction to be given before school nours, and not as now, exclusively after them. There does not appear to be any real reason why this cannot be done under the present law, but the department refuse to permit it without proper legislation on the point. It will not make much difference to anybody. On the day when Parliament was opened, on 3 of its members died. Mr Thomas, who sat for Sandridge, had been for some time ill and his removal opened the way for a trial of strength. Dr Madden, who still retains a seat in the Cabinet, though defeated in Ins attempts to Ret into the House, now offer* himself as a Freetrader. That most comical of all apparitions in the political heavens, Mr William Qaunson, opposes him,

to split th. son by ona w L You mu y B» u g e Mr Gaunnot on think ol>;l T ntS - hat *" owa their Sr an ? eS ma r be gathered from K.W Ct Tea± 1S a m G bodv Mi. T ir e Chairman of that didate W J -:?T* hh > was P ufru P a candesS ' f Wlthdrawn > toe Leagne evidently t/Z best man ' but not caring enough tS?* M L? au ?« 0n to spare him that annoyKf J Wb A le * he Bhould chance to slip in no JK-r + th M W0 other candidates-his only triumph of their ««principle." w lure i* 8 occurred, that of ^ d Co - th« °S*°P M »?* mto the hands of one of the official assignees-a Mr Halfrey. At the creditor.' meeting they resolved to vest lLif-wi assi S aees of their own-Mr S?A°V ecretar y of the sugar company, andMrPrell a merchant. But the offiS ShA^!"* made an order »** caUi *g ™ SS? *° W cause why he should not d! so, did he give way. Amongst other causes

Although the verdict in Learmonth v Bailey virtually settled the case, Mr 1 earmonth prolongs the contest. Evidently there is strong feeling in the matter, and as his pwae is much longer than the defendants' it is a matter of vital impoitance to them to get hold of the money now lying in the hands of the Courts' officer, the produce of the mme during litigation; this Mr Lear month of course opposes aa it would " feed " their case on appeal to the Privy Council, so all sorts of orders and appeals against brdera are Uyiug about. The new Lunatic Asylum Board have not

ejen yet reported. After taking mountains of evidence on all sorts of charges by all sorts of people, they have got hopelessly bogged (at least so it would seem) in the mass of official sentences that seem inevitable to such a body in presenting their conclusions. Meantime the 4 Argus' has forestalled them, and this morning appears the first of a series of artioles by the "Vagabond," who professes to have served for a month as a warder at Kew and Yarra Bend. Written in a smart style, very clear, and unfettered by the responsibilities of a witness, the " Vagabond hj has another advantage in having seen the inside of that Asylum life which Boards and authorised means of inquiry can only see from the outside. Per contra, there are no means of checking such statements as he-makes. From the very necessity of the case they must rest j on his own unsupported word, and as we do not know him by name, have ne guarantees as to his character, and see that his temptation must be great to follow Lord Macauley's one blunder, and " sacrifice truth to effect," a very liberal discount should probably be made from his state-1 meat. This seems to be the true decision to arrive at, since several statements, made m a similar way by the same writer in regard to the Benevolent Asylum have been subjected to a searching scrutiny, and, if not disproved, have certainly not been fully substantiated. The " Vagabond"" is an imitator of James Greenwood, the "Amateur Casual," who gained a celebrity a few years ago in' London. His previous articles have been on the Model Lodginghouse, the Immigrants' Home, and the Bene-

volent Asylum. Another investigation now going on and exciting some public attention is that relating to a certain Chevalier Bruno and the occupation of some Crown lands near Benalla. It seems that early last year the Italian Consul introduced this gentleman to Mr Casey as a sericulturist, anxious to get facilities for establishing a large silk farm in Victoria, and to import skilled Italian labor, machinery* and everything to set up, not merely a grahvgrowing or ooooon-producing farm, but a regular suk manufacture, 1 Mr Casey severed6,ooo acres from a run", gave Bruno leave to occupy and cultivate 500 acres of it, and promised that if that area were satisfactorily planted with mulberry trees, he should have a thousandacres more. As no rent can legally "be demanded for a " silk farm," the department issued a "grazing license" to Bruno in order •to secure a rent from him: He pays 6d per acre per annum. . The former pastoral tenant paid little more'than half that. An agitation has been raised in consequence of Bruno's issuing a prospectus of a 7 public company representing the whole 6,000 acres as given to himself, and proposing to make money by agriculture and grazing, as well as silk culture. Special stress is laid upon the advantages said to be given to Bruno over those possessed by a kindred venture at Mount Alexander, undertaken by a company of ladies. As far as I can see the case is in itself a mere stalking-horse, and will come to nothing. It is intended, I think, to cover a political attack on Mr Casey, and to prevent, by anticipation, his return to the Lands Office in Mr Service's coming Ministry. But very possibly Mr Service is not " coming ' just yet—the Stevenson case notwithstanding—for if Sir Jas. M'Culloch can make a good case of his Financial Statement on Tuesday (which, it is said, he certainly will dc), he may stand a chance to keep office. The breakage of the telegraph to Banjoewangieis being 1 claimed by the American Fenians as a triumph of theirs, and intended to secure the escape of their fellows. The 'Age' this morning falls into that trap, and pulls a long face over it; but the ' Telegraph,' in a sensible article points out that there has been no proof as yet that the cable has been intentionally cut, and that if it had been, the expense necessary to fit put a ship with grappling apparatus, &c, to pick up so deep a cable is too great for the Fenians to have undertaken. But there is fcr the first time in public a recognition of the real danger that we are in through depending for news on a cable which a hostile power could sever beforehand, and pour its broadsides upon us before we knew that England was at war.