OUR MELBOURNE LETTER.

Evening Star, Issue 4213, 28 August 1876, Page 4

OUR MELBOURNE LETTER.

■'■'■ -. •". •'•■' - ; August 19. 6u± Victorian climate has become proVfrbial for its rapid and extensive changes of iemperature. My last closed with a reference fe tmseasonably warm weather. Now I liave to record the -return of winter signalised '-- tjy a fall of snow in high-lying districts, and *'~ irirtt or biting days of northerly winds down' here. rtynetort had a fall of ten inches fcf Snow on Wednesday night. ... Oar Health Society is distinguishing itself above the ordinary rnn of such bodies by doing something. A course of lectures is *" announced, and the name of Mr (gibbons, an analyst}! ,is' mentioned; as .heading the list. Another and a very good step has been taken, vis., to teach'the lower classes something of ■ 'fagiene and economy., At the Gospel Stall, lattte Bourk© street, Dr Gould lately delivered a lecture on ''Food and what be- •: tomes of It." The" hall is, situatedin the Bejjrtof a dense population, comprising, many v Mttringpeople far from being criminal, bul wasteful and ignorant. Simple but scien fifto explanation of their own waste and ho\* 4S» mend it*,''while securing more enjoymenl Item the ecooomy seems well calculated t<

~.. , f se*i*fi% them indirectly "as well "as directly, even mote - in the former way im fa the; latter. '"'"''. \ ffifJaJtft&'s sham motion of want of con-' '"" ■•«atce in the Ministry was defeated after a tfeflte debate—tame, however, not for want One of the most telling Speeches that have been made for a long ini fa the House was delivered by Mr G. f. Smith. This gentleman, who sits for South Bourke, has been for a very long fime paSt absent from the House by reason '-■'■■'■ it ft very severe and prolonged attack of Rver disease. Contrary to all indications he geems to rallying, however; and signalised i: - Ms return.to political activity by a trenchant .' attack, with even more than his old power ,' i: itptafiia a man of ability) upon the trucu- ' lent party of the Opposition. He laid bare ♦wo or three dirty little dodges of the NaKoaal Reform League and their special representative, Mirams, and gave the " oity " it- - Collingwood. rather a bad character. yfryt** did not; attempt a reply, but moved the adjournment-of the House, in order teget^'^meto;prepare one; Of course jthr . refutation -fell flat as dish-water wh en it id id ■ J;- '' j*Wmj^ r ifnd : asit consisted.mostly of figures to the" number of arrests'in CoTKngwood was dull at the .best. Nothing but a very „.-, ti witty and ;.sparklfag ;speec.h on the. spur of * v ' 'Hie moment" could have availed against Mr .Smith,.and you might as well expect wit and •Mrkle fronvft payirigstone as fromTVfirams. Kit th'e'Age'caught" it "hofinMr Smith's

•nalaught,rand his remarks:were the more ] felling because he.was for a long time on its wrote in its columns still longer.. ( H* therefor© knows "the secrets of: the »- and the accufacy of -hitf state-- " |; r ' ''^titisiLtorlia.B nbtobeen gainsaid.- Oile. : wbuld £."' : .SSpfc^TejOpifyith.disj^sVfromthe : ■'Age'for v ; «Termore'wheri he learns on suctf: authority who advocates Protection so Unscrupulously is a thorough going Ifrees.! :oi Inder* ButJ suppose the sense p£literary -.'re the question as.nohigher -:-• i «s%ia i -- : 6f' propriety) is rather-dull in such B<»otian intellects as can hold Protectionist " " *i»WPi for as yet no sign of reprobation has %rtn'nuidVandthe *Age 'brays behind its ttask as heretofore. -

S oO'jH ia.T§ty rarely that personal violence" is offered In qu£. sheets, to respectable' people, fcut a case of the sort did. occur last week. The Univerefay Athletic Club gave an enrr .-fecftiinment afcthe Athenseurn, to which Sir \G&"*£<? afid Lady Bowen were Hivifedj The s£;: .OpteraQrsßenttiie day at Mr Clark&'s at a ' l&ooting ittrioh; and his" "train did hot arrive. in town till an .hour in the ovoning'too late to permi}b' f .hif( "piesenee "at the Atkenjeum. Lady-^wenTand her daughters however went. Her :had just been handed from her carriage by Major .Pitt, ancf was' Crossing the footpath to enter the building; trhile th*r> *-M£j or handed out -the younger a woman darted from the crowd, aeized Lady Bo wen's hair> puUdd it from its fastening, and lettnfg'it' -stream, upon her ihonldera,streamed'outcome abusive non, T;h£*."is"sailaht was'of'/course arrested Aft onde"' and Lady Bowerifeth'rnel home without witnessing the entertainment, ''.T- i tt*rdgh(Withftut : :a.uflering any. : serious hurt. s'.'fii r ? qn ibeing/hrought, before the **'- was a lady> was no "actress," and would not tolerate being irij'>ojjtated by Lady Bowen. . .It appeared that she' TiaiJ'Tepeatedly applied' for charity" at -nv.. but, having been relieved was refused on a iecp/bd application. vlt.:n'JSharWag reminded" for medical examination, ••rtv..'iiif6 n ri(Lr l to bq.;, insane* and-sent.'to the Kew Asylum. -. •' '.....-, ... 1 see that some remarks ~. JlL<bf mine Mve'" incited a lady to write you a dated Augusfcl, and signed "" Dolly "v"!"" I sincerely sympathise with her feelings and respect her motives. I hope her «3 3 r%TJgg§&tion' ifchat visitors ; who; desire to do " ; -tf- g6©cfcshould ifliak'e "themselves* thoroughly 9l? '•"'■ kind of cases" they try to relieve; but I am rather, doubtful, as to whether those'"inquiries would result "exactly as'sheseems to think '■'■ Willing as Mr wu^^^J^me^ may be •to afford every opportunity " "it, to become acquainted iJirith the treatment of ~~~~~ —his-patients, X do-not-think that excitable or U6p3epfiQ" satipnts;-could; be safely trusted to talk to a kqy.visitor "hot in the presence 6f attendants but by* "themselves," as your cor : sc : " ' freroondant-stiggests. .Perjhaps the visitor K f^.' ; ,'Jtntjpite :iearn: by ; actual, .experience how 'f £ -in: the.treatment . at. the ih- "' j*jaa^8 f jEera.on r would be called cruel and As to "the treatment of patients' lwuLhav.e..ilucid intervals much may be said 'J.i'£iiLKift.>J)otit sides. "-But "the "/matter iuay be shortly andjsjharply JBumme\i up'thus: that M\k r|a+vjma asyjuinl supported . by. the State it would be' simply impossible to provide for ''** 'f'' the-unending removal of patients at the un- :" .'- i ; '~;cert?ini intervakv when ; access .di mania *oi 4* : lp6%QX$. 1 ' The .incalculable,.expense alone •L v prevent 1 it, if -there were no other " j As, fi> ; the inference^that-there is of getting" a- correct 'Statement, it' nearly" what I meant, but not quite. "—"; If-I-may -ba allowed^to put it in my own 'tei*<w<k&a}l: Would,-say?.that the/eis yery littlechance.9f(iOUr -.being-certain' tliaV we do get correet statements'; "slfVery important dis- *&" wtoi-serious' ~ charges against attendants; and" tse inffic-* * iSoo,i ii¥ punishment -to -.the. extent.;6"f rtaking away the livelihood as well aB the character of a number "> ;: - • - •v*fibh,rßpt the wnole' question of these State estebUahments..!or the care-of those who cannot « f*iE& "fcjar ifthwnselyes vwßether Orphan Asy- „ Ji.ums, Industrial 'Schools, Hospitals for ~\T-...i f : at in the'light of facts. ' '• Tire ,s rßp'6rti'ofr.M* I)uttean, head of -the. ,iy .[;i'o^ n^u^ Schools Department, shows snch ta r have.heen;gained ly fche "hoarding-out" system that the adop- .. ttofl of a at- least: "a great ' m ■"• •fea%y?«i l institutions is .being *J^^!^lWMßte«adxoca|e4., ( /fhe present position of <^,. V r, the ,; ;^n«fvbi^" , -Asylum -*■- both •. selling ! their gfqvffid {and lookihgnout for fresh site3r-r- --- ~~-si^ce'jijinstetS'of'"buildingctw.o-largfc and •?s«i o7fe^l^p^«j- make-two-for 1 even. Mop, the public wiUW^eatfg"tow*» /4 *-r; \ ..,,

Ihe htevenson case has at last advanced a Lstep. The Crown Solicitor has sent a draft case to the magistrates, but without* sending it for perusal, as is. said to be usual, to Jthd defendants' . attorneys. Whereupon ' the latter make capital of the affair for their clients, writing strong remonstrances to the Crown Solicitor and to the Bench, and publishing their letters in the daily Press.