VICTORIA.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1635, 17 May 1879, Page 3

VICTORIA.

[PEOM OUE OWN COEBESPONDENT.] May G. Poor Mr Berry is to bo very sincerely commiserated on the total collapse of the high expectations with which he arrived in London only a few short weeks ago. Laid up with rheumatic fever, ho has enough to dwell upon in his retirement, and to supply food for bitter reflection, in the failure of his every attempt to gain the support of the Imperial Government in his struggle with the constitutional party here. Sir Michael HicksBeach rejects his (Mr Berry’s) proposals, which, he says, could only be entertained in an extreme emergency, and recommends such a reform of the Upper House as would subject it to dissolution. This reform the Council has always " been quite willing to accept, and indeed offered to accept. Also a scheme of reform including this was proposed by the Opposition in the Assembly, so that Mr Berry’s pretensions are fully met, and put out of court by antecedent circumstances. Also in regard to the loan, the success of which has been so industriously ascribed to the Chief Secretary’s presence in London and active intervention in the floating of it. It now turns out that Now South Wales, without the aid of a special envoy, has made a much more advantageous arrangement with the British capitalists than we have done. The Victorian 4£ per cent loan realised only £97 17s 8d not, while our neighbors, at 4 per cent., averaged £9B 9s 2d, which with interest added for the use of the money till July makes the New South Wales price at the lower interest about £1 better ttian ours at the higher!

We have lost two notable men within the past few days, Captain Cole, a representative of the Central Province, and a good colonist of very old standing, and Mr Geo. Harker, who for some years took an active and ussfui part in the public life of the colony, but had been for some years living in retirement. Captain Colo is likely to be succeeded in the Council by Mr Larimer, a sound constitutionalist and useful citizen—the same whom Ministers recently put off the Harbor Trust, to make room for a hanger-on of their own.

In regard to the harbor works, our Commissioner of Railways is doing his best to hamper the roceedings of the Trust. Ho has an improvement scheme of his own, which he prefers to Sir John Goode’s scheme, and this he persists in going on with, without the sanction of the Legislature, and with the money of his own department grossly misdirected. Truly the activity of this administrator is a very dangerous feature in the colony’s public affairs. We have often had to complain of inertness or supinoness on the part of our Ministers, but their indolence was blameless indeed in comparison with Mr Woods’ dreadful and fatal industry. There have been some serious failures within the past few days. Mr Joseph Aarons, who built a beautiful bijou theatre, called the Academy of Music, a few years ago, has gone for upwards of £60,000, and it is a wonder to everyone how the money has been absorbed. It is true that ho ran the place himself for a considerable time to rather poor business, but then it is not to his “ talent” that he stands indebted. It would bo difficult to owe so much to singers and players. The theatre is understood to have been built wholly with the funds of a Building Society here which docs a largo business, and Mr Aaron’s stoppage may give it a shake. The institution pays 7 per cent, interest on deposits, and to place the money at a profit, and pay working expenses, must necessitate the running of some ruk. Another failure is that of Mr Asche, of the Union Club Hotel, for above £20,000. He was understood to bo a warm man.

As against those untoward occurrences, it is to be mentioned that our last harvest has turned out to be pretty good, and that there are many symptoms of a great revival of our mining industry. In fact, the revival is already accomplished. Excellent yields have been obtained from quarfz raised from old Ballarat claims long worked only in tho alluvium, and the opinion now is that, wherever gold lias been found in the drift, there also it will be found, if searched for, in the adjoining mother rock. It is true that wo are a little given to running into extremes in regard to our mining prospects, and that people who a week or two ago would not have touched quartz with a ten foot polo, now see in it “ a potentiality of wealth beyond the dreams of avarice.” But, notwithstanding our versatility in this respect, I think the present “revival” genuine and likely to last, with t he best effects ai on tho trade of the colony and to the substantial gain of the working man. To-day’s London telegram informs ns that there is a probability that the Prince of Wales will bo present at Die coming Exhibition, though rot at the opening of it. This news will stiiK* late our efforts to get, ready for tho great show in good time, and to hive all our arrangements very complete. For if the

Prince cornea ho will no doubt bo attended by a great retinue, and the Exhibition will obtain a world-wide repute. Already the Exhibition building is well advanced and there are preparations on foot in various directions. This city is not at ordinary times too amply provided with first-class hotel accommodation, and this it is anticipated will prove quite inadequate when the show is on. Accordingly, there are proposals afloat for the erection of additional grand hotels. • A very large new club home is approaching completion in William street, between Collins and Bourko streets, for the accommodation of pastoral tenants, stock and station agents, wool, hide, and tallow men, and their families. This last is quite a novelty in Melbourne club life, and should prove a convenient and pleasant one. Tbo principal promoters of the new establishment are understood to be gentlemen discontented with the Melbourne Club, partly on the ground that they cannot got into it. The William street institution will make the fourth regular club in this city, besides several small associations maintained for special uses. It is also partly owing to the approaching Exhibition that there is a good deal of promiscuous building going on here at present, notwithstanding (lie unquestionable dullness of the times. Some really splendid business premises are springing up, and the blanks that have so long disfigured some of our principal streets are rapidly disappearing. Also the Prince’s expected visit is stimulating enterprise in another direction. This week the keel of a splendid cutter yacht for the Hon. Mr Clarke is being laid. She will be of thirty-sixtons, will cost upwards of £3OOO, and will bo fitted with a royal saloon. And oddly enough there is to be launched this day a schooner yacht of the same tonnage, the property of a bootmaker who was yesterday sued for the maintenance of his wife. But this gentleman is popularly regarded as a public benefactor, because he runs a boot factory, and with part of the proceeds maintains yachts, while Mr Clarke, who made his money by occupying the waste lands of the colony, to everybody’s advantage, is regarded as little better than a grinder of tbo faces of the poor. Strango hallucination, that the mi» who, aided by foolish and iniquitous laws, dips his hand freely into the pockets of others, and squanders his 25 per cent, premium which he thus obtains, is the friend, and the other man who, or rather his father before him, earned his money in a way that injured nobody, is so notably the reverse.