OUR MELBOURNE LETTER.

Evening Star, Issue 4238, 26 September 1876, Page 2

OUR MELBOURNE LETTER.

September 18. The long continued calm weather which we enjoyed has been succeeded by veiy heavy storms. The equinoctial gales seem to have taken the form of a cyclone during part of their continuance, which passed over Jervis Bay—about ninety miles south of Poit Jackson—a week ago. The City of Melbourne, bringing racehorses of immense value, was driven back* to Sydney very much damaged, and with the Joss of all the animals but two. The Dandenong, hence to that port, had her propeller broken, sprang a leak, and foundered, drowning nearly fifty people. >ke belonged to the same owner as the Barrabool, which suffered so much damage a few weeks before, in collision with the Queensland, when the latte* was sunk. The disasters have thrown a gloom over the community, and yesterday allusion was made, in a majority of the churches, to the events. Some anxiety was felt for the AlLambra, which has, however, been allayed by the telegram in this morning's paper, anuounc • ing her Bafe arrival at Hokitaka. The path of the chief storm seems to have crossed Jervis Bay just as the City of Melbourne and the Dandenong were off that point, and to have been comparatively narrow. "Whilst the wind has certainly botn boisterous here it has not been more so than you frequently have it in Dunedin. The rainfall which t\acompanied the gales has been insufficient to compensate for previous dryness, and tha wind rapidly evaporates the moisture. Today a strong northerly breeze blows, portending dust in the city probably for all next week. Whether to avoid dust or to lessen the cost of repairs by substituting a more elastic road for previous constructions, our Corporation Engineer has been making rathier extensive alterations. Street crossings are being pulled up and put down again and lengths of street reformed as to their wheel-traffic surface. Asphalt in one form or another seems to be used, and'certainly it is a success so far as the footpaths are concerned ; but I fear it will not do so well on the other part of the road. The Hawthorn Bridge has just been re-laid with it, but the heavy traffic on narrow wheels cuts it up very much, unless a big roller is kept almost constantly at work upon it—of course a very costly business. In speaking of marine affairs, I intended to remark that iMr Stephen's indestructii.le boat has been urought under public notice. Your readers may remember that about a year ago Mr Stephen (who is a solicitor), struck with the loss of life caused by the crushing of ■wooden boa*s alongside ships in the open tea,, constructed his lifeboat—which seems sotmewhat to resemble the Rev. E. L. Berthon-'js " collapsible " lifeboat—and two fishermen set sail in her for Sydney. They did not get so far, because of the very bad weather and their boat being bo slow; but they did enough to Bhow that the boat could do all that her maker claimed for her, and more. Mr Stephen now points out that if his boats had been on board the Dandenong, instead of the ordinary expensive wooden things, probably every life would have been saved, since a barque lay near enough to the steamer for boats to pass and re-pass, and the reason why mere were not saved was because all the boats were destroyed by striking against one ship or the other.

If our Legislature were capable of acting for the public interest they would at once lay aside these quarrels and pass a short Act of one clause to compel all passenger ships to carry these cheap boats in sufficient numbers to carry everyone on board. But our legislators do not go that way to work. Every, one is thoroughly sick of them. The Electoral Bill is beiog fought through inch by inch : all sorts of amendment are proposed to give pretext for debates, delay, and talking the measure out, but it is of no use* Sir James M'Culloch's firmness, though occasionally prone to run into stubborness, stands him in good stead, and the Bill will probably pass. Frequent allusions are made to an unconstitutional compact, to the "forty," and to the "suspension of Constitutional Government." The explanation of these is given by public rumor, but of course no one knows whether it is true or not—probably not, since everybody asserts it the rumor is that before the present Cabinet took office they had a pledge (some even go so far as to say a written plenge) from forty members to support them. As this is a clear majority of the House* even putting the Speaker and Chairman of Committees down as Opposition, which, of course, is not a right presumption, it would make the Government right for the session. In the meantime, some show is being made of an endeavor to do work. In the Upper House, Mr Anderson has initiated a Bill " To improve the jurisdiction and procedure of the Supreme Court, and for other purposes connected therewith." The Bill provides for the concurrent administration of law and equity,; trials of matters of fact before a judge with or without jury or assessors, as the parties may arrange ; provides for divißious of the Court and distribution of business ; regulates procedure in all the branches; and absorbs the Court of Mines. The fifth and last schedule is a voluminous set of rules of court. The who'.o is modelled on the English Act. f uch a useful measure has not the least chance of passing. The opening of the Athenaeum on Sunday is again causing much excitement. The committee brought up a set of new rules, and in them attempted to pass one that au - thorised the opening. The subscribers rejected it. Then the committee attempted to open the Institution of their own power and when objection was made, replied that as the new rules were passed the old rules (which provided against Sunday work) were de facto repealed, aud that as there was no law at all about it now they were free to act as they chose. Judge Cope, who was in the chair, upheld this ruling. Then it was proposed to take a ballot of the subscribers to decide the matter, and this is being dene. Meantime, couusel's opinion has been taken aud is very stron.- and derive that as the •■■■ •> " --■ <vv -'- < ■' • ••;.<■'-■ :•■<■ old •.•;i.*:w;ni;j.:.v-, ■n.-j .-.:■• !: . -. Mj-wi-'c at &IL about the Sun Jay openiug, the eld provision iB still in force. JSeveral very influential

men aro agreed that if the ballot decide to open the place they will apply for an injunction, Binc3 they are advised that th 3 ballot is beyond the powera of the committee to order, and that as the rules of the Institution do not provide for such a mears of taking an expres&ion of opinion the result will not bind any member.