THE HEAT IN MELBOURNE.

Globe, 15 February 1876, Page 3

THE HEAT IN MELBOURNE.

The heat during the laßt four or five days (says the Argus, of the 31st) has been-very trying, after the long period of cool, or rather cold, weather that had been previously experienced. Saturday Sunday were both very hot days, bringing.recollections of the severe heat of last January. Though the temperature, as marked by the thermometer, was not so high, the heat was of a more oppressive character, and the time altogether has been quite as disagreeable as the memorable five days of last January. As recorded at the Observatory, the temperature on Saturday was 102 deg ia the shade, and 142-2 deg in *e sun; and on Sunday, 102'9degin the shade, and 139 sdeg in'the sun. In the country districts the heat has befcn intense, and sunstrokes have been numerous both in the country and in Melbourne. In one respect matters are much better this year tflan they were last. Notwithstanding the uuusual demand for water, the supply in the Yan Yean pipes has held out, and up to the present time we have had-* ao complaints of the want of water, • .•••:--■■,

SWIB ST(JB \w It was a bright clear njflfl remember it long enough) 'JM journey—twelve eight on foot and four on M armed to the teeth—the thirteenth. Some to each other that this was a bad nurflM start with ; but the though* of kept them from saying much.W I can aeM whole thing now aa.it. it had? just happeiH the great green plain stretching away S the sky—the sun rising in all its glory-M painted front Jf the rancho, with its jfl white verandah—the horses pranchinJH neighing as if they quite enjoyed it—in their broad-leaved hats and white tjffl with their* red' scarves twisted rounds waists, -and the carbines slung cvejfl shoulders—the wild figure of the darting his grey black eye% restlessl|M fro, like a bird of prey—the senora fl in the balcony, kissing her han<M master as he turned in hig. saddkw her a good-bye. Ay de mi!' If I Ui lfl then what was to come of that djM I'd have driven my that Indian dog as readily as efl tortilla [wheatencakej. - \fl Away we went, as merry a fl could find on the Pampas thiX there were many jokes ;>mong.J what they would do with sowrl| when they got them. Some said shoe their horses with U silver <#» Pizarro did when hi earn© bijpffrom Peru; and some were for making golden caps and girdles, lihwijjemtodo Ccrtez after the taking of Mexifebi; ]""i'< :JV/ And so, for the/prat day,)«Verything went gaily proach the their greft shadow seemed to press down all our fun and spirit, and we grew an aileut as. so many monks. And indeed it 'jgas rib woadejr.fifow now the green ! tgTade away behind us, and the ground 'got rugged and broken, and greats rocks** piled themselves up on either side, round which the cold winds y moaned drearily; and here and. therf m f mountain goat peered at us over the aage, of I j the precipices, and fled away with a- 'twffi cry ; and overhead a vulture came his wide wings, and then flapped ftwtfcSfc a hoars/scream, as if scenting prey j »oM far away vm- front of us, the great tNMt§|, mountains rose up, grim and ghostly<jSjP| silent, ilike the*army of Death. Even any master was silent and moody—he who always* had a cheery word for us; and heart beat as it had'nt done since I was taui/* years ©jLi. • «Lf^ Suddenly there was a great cry from they forergptt, men, ■whioh, sounded strange and " Then we all shouted OT : 3aߣe, anc. the horsemen spurred their beasts, and the toot- S men mended their pace, and we all *§M»,.i s\)eed to reach it.g But when we got t«pA~ wefound it so steep and stony, that we ipt u forced to leave our horseajbehind. and claiulr - as the Indian had deJiMMI ffTbiit by«?the breadth and depth °M HM* I i u :^Aß^ : it to be no mere channel of a river,JHiii^Hfepr^|^^^faMw:-,-been perhaps in the time*o™ But justiii the thought came inH the Lndiat, vrho for some time loookinr very strange, and over Insenoulder every now and then, 1 brok; out with a scream that 1 never oaaoAes ! he cornea! the. r»imtains I his feet, and hiseyesjffere like his secrekgdaces ! Tim ijiadow • bfnllLSud^^ver 1 We are.4ost! /TherrJ«ftv it oumd mjj/olly for /hot aiaj|g|yhfifoTfejffiW» ooald to no lnisman wall nad^' We ill looked at each other in diaitwy; , >bdt before any one could say came a dull crash far up in the •fflMhen a deep booming sound, which X-hadfl rd r too often not to recognise it at oto^e.' iV Ctied out like a madman, and ran f orator J J f(l happened to be a little try and save ray master was too late. In an instawfc- \ "the v^olft t ™ length of the gorge above 4ns broke into Whirl of flying spray, and a great dark came plunging down upon us, as if the mountain Avere uprooted at once. I time to spring like a cat .uttoa* of thaJffl cliffs, when the wh<tfe valley pne iroaring, leapibg waterfalhs of which lashed me even broken its. daia||«Hß into ita.'old course again; *■ v na»i|(ser, , ..and. my coiteaite«4aD|[H \illain who led all into fIM swept from the earth, aa.jpHliey xH been! All. that night I clung to the ledge, hsU ing to the roar and champing of the torrent below me, and feeling toe veryJrock itself shake at every stroke. the dawn would never comef Vhenit did, I saw in a moment thafe the y*ck Ly whijln I had come was imjjjipsdde foteverni'wS and that my only chanOelwai the (3uTs to the very top, to get back other way. How I did get «last,; I don't know to this day; but this I db%now, that tfaring; that night I made vow that?,. Jet me-. once get back aHve, -I'dlnever se€foo» on, those hUJs ; I don't. kt»ow thais; v thing on earth t]hat could temji.me to-break. my word. , - -

■2nd the ■HHPBWWI-5, ■ble of the Legislative Assembly ■peara elsewhere, and will no ■r with interest. It is stated that H and constant increase is appa- ■ numbers attending the State of the prevalence of infecdiseases during the last eighteen ■nfchs. While the total number of pupils ■olied in' 1872 was 135,962, with an ■erage attendance of fi«,436, the numbers Kd risen in 1874 to 216,144 enrolled, and in average attendance. The number in the colony of school age in ■l was 277,678, and, allowing for those who fended more than one school during the k, 188,380 distinct individual children ■tided the State schools during the year, ■ddition to 24,190 children who were Btendance at private and other schools. ■timber of schools in operation on 81st ■, 1875, was 1196, with 113,249 scho■average attendance, and the number ■ren who up to 31st October, 1875, ■ined certificates of education up |to ■)ulsory e+sndard was 10,436. The ■•at, the report says, may now claim ■brought the means of education reach of most of the children in ■ As to the cost of the departBappears that the expenditure be■e Ist July, 1874, and SOth June, ■Ts £565,911 17s Bd. Of this amount 7s od was paid as salaries to teachers, and £173,917 16s was expended on buildings, sites, fences, furniture, &c. The Greatr%)uthern Railway of New South Wales is nearly completed to Yass. The Courier writes:—" It may surprise some to learn that communication direct to Sydney can now be effected (on the contractors' engine to Gunning) from within a few miles of Yass. The rails are now laid to within six miles and a half of the works at Manton's Creek, and the engine and trucks are constantly running on the laid portion carrying the rails for the uncompleted part of the line. The rate of progress in rail-lay-ing is about one mile and a quarter each week, and the entire distance to the Yass ■tation to be laid is something under thirteen miles. The rails will be laid to the Yass station at Bango by the end of March." Upon Sir Julius Vogel explaining the nature of the arrangement he had made with the Bank of England for placing New Zealand stock on the London market, Sir James McCulloch telegraphed to the bank at home for full information on the subject, wrote by the outgoing mail, with a view to ascertaining if a similar arrangement / could be advantageously made for Victorian ~ ;? itock.

I The Hon J. S. Farnell, a NewJgAuth Wales ijjjftolitician of sixteen years' standing, and for 4 considerable time Minister of Lands and |Spines, was entertained at a banquet at 'Sydney on' Saturday, January 22nd, in re- ■ oognition of his long continued public serThe Hon Thomas Holt, M.L.C., octhe chair. During the evening (says |fhe Sydney Morning Herald) an address laras presented to Mr Farnell, together with a 'Testimonial, consisting of nearly £IBOO. The chairman mentioned that the testimonial Mad been raised by contributions from all Glasses in the community, and in subscriptions of from Is, upwards. He had been as a favor to take cheques from persons who deairedto contribute, and who had been unsolicited. Abfetter proof of Mr Farnell's strict impartiality! could not be found than ■onal purchasers and coattrbuted, and all li"."*~On!y the previous ed a cheque from a Is an inch of land in >t likely to have. It ispect to Mr Farnell. lervice was presented anft occasion, ays he Argus of the a authorities, that the s of yesterday to the I been mace of £2500 worth of jewellery and watches wiich were attempted to be smuggled from Sydney by the steamer Wentworth on Tuesday last was not correct. It has been shown to thesisfaction of the Commissioner that no afc' em P t was made to defraud the Customs, that the parcel containing the articlesv'as intended for transhipment to New Zgjland by the B.S. Omeo. The goods were safiples belonging to a commercial traveller for a Sydney and Melbourne firm, who was on his way from Sydney to New Zealand. The value of the articles was £I4OO, and not not reporting the intendeotraDshipment to the Customs. In connection with this matter it is stated that tHe Customs authorities having received information that some jewellery would be ' smuggled into the colony from New South Wales by two female passengers in the Wentworth, had the women searched on arrival at Melbourne by a female searcher. Nothing was discovered on the women, but a tin box of jewellery, belonging to the comtraveller referred to, was found cabin table. This is said to be' Bpt time a female searcher has been Krito requisition by the Customs at

Ergp Higinbotham delivered his his constituents at Prunsnuary 31st. The hon gentleman's s a rehash of his recent Parliaittexances, He warmly supported i policy, b«t disapproved of the atg made on the part of theminority to override the majority, and said that as he could not vote with the M'Culloch Government, there,*as. no course open to him but that of rearing from Parliament. Mr HiginWham was] asked, in view of a probable change in the tactics of the stonewallers, to aiJjw himself to ,be nominated for the con»cituency again, but he distinctly declined to entertain any such proposition. A vote of thanks was presented to Mr Higinbotham for his address, and great regret was expressed at his determination to retire from nnlitical life.

district from forming a lodge was the want of a suitable place in which to meet. This difficulty now happily did not exist, as Dr Pearde had very kindly offered the use of a large and most suitable room in his house, which a very small outlay would make a handsome and commodious lodgeroom. There was a separate passage and a good ante-room adjoining. As to furniture and regalia, he considered the best thing to do was to start the lodge as inexpensively as possible, and when their funds increased to send to England for a complete set of the best regalia and lodge furniture. This would cost about £6O. A full but inferior outfit for a lodge could be £33, but he was of opinion that it wou'jd be better to wait a little, put up with teniporary furniture for a-time, and then when the funds of the lodge increased get the best they could.. -It was then proposed by Dr Pearde, seconded by Mi Beecher, and unanimously carried—" That immediate steps be taken to establish a Masonic Lodge in Aifcroa." Mr Latter then moved, and Mr F, Houghton seconded a resolution—" That the annual subscription to the lodge be £2 25." This motion was agreed to. The next resolution was moved by Mr Justin Aylmer, and seconded by Dr Pearde, " That the fee for initiation be £5 5s ; this sum to include the fees for passing and raising." Considerable discussion ensued on this question, and the bylaws of several lodges were examined as to the amount of fees usually charged. It was finally carried by a large majority, upon an amendment moved by Mr Fenton, and seconded by Mr Beecher, "That the fee for initiation alone be £5 ss, and that there be a further fee of £1 Is each for passing and raising." The name of the proposed lodge was then discussed, and it was resolved that it should be called the Akaroa Lodge. The regular monthly meeting was fixed for the Tuesday on or before full moon. The Rev W. H, Cooper was then chosen as the first W.M, of the new lodge, and Messrs McGregor and Gum as senior and junior wardens. Mr J. Scarborough was appointed unanimously treasurer and secretary, and the W.M. elect and officers appointed were authorised to take immediate steps to have the lodge consecrated. The petition to the Bight Worshipful the District Grand Master was then signed by seventeen brethren, and a vote of thanks to the chairman concluded a meeting which, from its unanimity and harmony, augers well for the success of the proposed lodge.