OUR MELBOURNE LETTER.

Evening Star, Issue 4239, 27 September 1876, Page 4

OUR MELBOURNE LETTER.

September 18

Tho long continued calm weather which we enjoyed has been succeeded by very heavy storms. Tho equinoctial gales seem to have taken tho 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 tho loss of all the animals but two. Tho Dandenong, hence to that port, had her propeller broken, sprang a leak, and foundered, drowning nearly fifty people. She belonged to the same owner as the Barrabool, which suffered so much damage a few weeks before, in collision wi.h the Queensland, when the latter was sunk. The disasters have thrown a gloom over the community, and yesterday allusion was made, in a major ty of the churches, to the events. Some anxiety was felt for the Alhambra, winch has, how ver, been allayed by the telegram in this morning’s paper, annoui.c ing her safe arrival at Hokitika. Ihe path of the chief storm seems to have crossed Jervis Bay just as tho City of Melbourne and the Dandenong were off that point, and to have been comparatively narrow. Whilst the wind has certainly been boisterous here it has not been more so than you frequently have it in Dunedin. The rainfall which accompanied the gales has been insufficient to compensate for previous dryness, and the 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 rather 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 L 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 ou narrow wheels cuts it up very much, unless a fig 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 Mr Stephen's iudestructii.le boat has been again wrought under public notice. Your readers may n member that about a year ago Mr Stephen (who is a solicitor), struck with tho loss of life caused by the crushing of wooden boa s alongside ships in tho open eea, constructed his lifeboat—which seems somewhat to resemble the Rev. E. L. Berthon’s “collapsible ” lileboat—and two fishermen set sail in her for Sydney. Ihey did not get so far, because of the very bad weather, and their boat being so slow ; but they did enough to show that tho boat could do all that her maker claimed for her, and more. Mr Stephen now points out that if Ins boats had been on hoard the Dandenong, instead of tho ordinary expensive wooden things, probably every life tv ould 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 tho boats were destroyed by striking against one ship or the other.

If our Legislature were capable of act in" for the public interest they would at on e lay a-ide these quarrels and pass a snort Act of one clause to compel all passenger ships to carry these cheap boats in sufficient numbers to carry everyone on board. But our Jegislators do not go that way to work Everyone is thoroughly sick of them. The Electoral Bill is being fought through inch by inch : all sorts, of amendment are proposed to give pretext for debates, del .y, 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 Hill will probably pass. Frequent allusions are made to an unconstitutional compact, to tho “ 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 and the rumor is that before the present Cabinet took office they had a pledge (some ev en go so far as to say a , written plenge) from forty members to support them. As this is'a clear majority of the House, eyeu putting the Speaker and < hairman 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 hill “ To improve the jurisdiction and procedure of tho Supremo 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 divisions of tho Court and distribution of business ; regulates procedure in all the branches * and absorbs tbo Court of Mines. The fifth and last schedule is a voluminous sot of rules of court. Tho who’e is modelled on tho English Act. .• 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 an* thorised the opening. The subscribers rejected it. Then the committee attempted to open the In-titution of their own power, and when objection was made, replied that as' the new rules were passed the old rules (wtiieh provided against Sunday work) were de facto repealed, and 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 done. Meantime, counsel’s opinion has been taken and is very strong and decisive that as the uew rules did not expressly abrogate the old ones as a whole, and did not provide at all about the Sunday opening, the old provision is still in force. Several very influential men are agreed that if the ballot decide to open the place they will apply for an injunction, since they are advised that the ballot is beyond the powers of tho committee to order, and that as the rules of the Institution do not provide for such a means of taking an expression of opinion the result will not bind any member.

An Illinois judgeha? decided that a washing Dill cannot be collected.