NEW SOUTH WALES.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1719, 23 August 1879, Page 3

NEW SOUTH WALES.

Sydney, Bth August.

It ■would, I presume, partake of the character of disloyalty to give any event precedence over the arrival of her Majesty’s representative. The colony no longer groans under the indignity of having only a Lieutenant-Gover-nor to preside over its affairs. Lord Augustu„ Loftus has done us the honor to arrive, and could not have met with a more flattering reception than was accorded to him, unless indeed, he had been a successful cricketer or a champion sculler. The Californian mail steamer, with his Excellency on board, arrived on the afternoon of Sunday, the 3rd instant, and taking a detour into Farm Oovo, where the men-of-war have their moorings, opposite Government House, stopped there until Lord Augustus disembarked. A very considerable crowd had collected to see hie Excellency land. But by a fiction of state, all and sundry were supposed to believe that only the grosser substance of the Governor had come ashore. The divine part, the commissioned identity into w hioh Royalty bad breathed the breath of life, remained still afloat, and accordingly the body of Lord Augustus returned on Monday morning on board, and reuniting itself with the Vice-regal essence, proceeded to approach the shores of New South Wales with due pomp and circumstance. In short, Lord Augustus Loftus slipped ashore as soon os the steamer arrived, and slept at Government House ; but His Excellency the Governor of New South Wales did not land until Monday forenoon. The day was bleak and gusty, and the holiday aspect of the town was not at its best. At the wharves, indeed, the ships had flung to the winds all their gayest bunting, and in the city these who had flags and flagstaffs duly displayed them ; but there was no attempt at special decoration. The shops were not all closed, and those that were had stuck up notices to the effect that they would re-open at one o’clock. The only section of the community which threw itself into the holiday sentiment without any reserve was the civil service. Those truly loyal individuals sacrificed everything to their zeal, and unmurmuringly closed] their offices for the day with a thoroughness and unanimity which redounded to their credit. I am •unjust. The civil servants were not alone in rising to the occasion. The volunteers also turned out in full force, ready to lay down their lives for their vice-sovereign. Together with the Permanent Artillery Corps, they guarded the landing place, and lined the route thence to Government House. Colonel Richardson was in command, and was assisted by a brilliant staff. It is gratifying to be in a position to state that no member of that staff fell off his horse, and the statement has boon rendered requisite _ in ■consequence of Mr M’Blhone, M.L.A., having insinuated that falling off their horses •was a failing common to the field officers of our force. The Governor, on landing, was met by the Mayor of Sydney, who delivered an address remarkable for its sensible brevity. Its delivery occupied just about thirty .seconds, and the Governor’s reply little longer. The latter was entirely successful. It must be understood that it has come to be regarded as de rigeur that every new arrival shall say something about tho charms of our harbor at his earliest convenience after landing, Lord Augustus did not disappoint us. Ho stood almost immediately over the mouth of one of the principal sowers which discharge into the harbor and are gradually filling it up with filth, and he there made the regulation remark, about “ This enchanting ■pot.” Ho meant Port Jackson generally, however, and hod no intention of expressing an affection for the neighbourhood of sewers. Arrived at Government House, his Excellency was sworn in by the Chief Justice, Sir Junes Martin, who is in an aggravating state of health, being too ill to perform his duties qq the Renob, but quite well enough to dxa-

charge all the ornamental functions of his high position. Mr Justice Hargreaves has also been invalided, and till within the lust few days Sir James Manning and Mr Justice Fawcett have had the work of all the Courts to discharge as best they could ; and manfully they have laboured to keepjdown a constantly augmenting accumulation of cases. The Government obtained power towards the close of the session, as I apprised you at the time, to appoint a temporary additional Judge, but they have evinced no disposition to be expeditious in the matter. It is little more than a week since they made their first open move in the matter by offering the appointment to Mr M. H. Stephen, Q. C., who declined to relinquish his remunerative practice for a temporary appointment less profitable. After a pause of a few days, it has at length been announced that Mr Windeyer.the Attorney-General,has accepted the position. His successor is Mr Robert Wisdom, barrister at law aud member for Morpeth. This gentleman is an experienced politician, having been a member of the Assembly almost continuously since 1859, and daring that extended period he has been several times offered a portfolio, but hitherto has always declined office. Mr Windeyer'a elevation to the Bench has, of course, involved his retirement from the representation of the University of Sydney, for which he was member. There are already three aspirants for the succession in the field, namely, Mr Henry Dangar, a gentleman who has before participated in political affairs, and enjoys ample means and a social influence and position proportionate ; Mr Edmund Barlow, 8.A., barrister, who may be regarded as representing the young graduate element, and bears the reputation of having considerable ability ; and Dr Renwiok, a medical man and member of the Senate. The two former are apparently most strongly supported, Mr Dangar, although in no way connected with the University, having the countenance of most of the grave and reverend signors, while Mr Barlow, who derives his degree from the University, will have brisk support from his contemporaries. Another election is in suspense, at Bathurst. Mr W. H. Sutton fulfilled his intention of retiring at the close of the session, and two candidates have been nominated to strive for his place. One of these is aMr Dalween, a local man and a Roman Catholic. The other is Mr Combes, our long-lost Commissioner, who recently returned after a course of wanderings over America in pursuance of some indefinite commission given him to make inquiries into the working of school systems, on the termination of his functions at the Paris Exhibition, Mr Combes has represented Bathurst previously, and will most likely be successful in his candidature on this occasion. He is a born politician, and the fashion in which he has adjusted himself, with the object of securing acceptance on this occasion, strengthens my surmise that the education question will, next session, be utilized to stave off all risks of political combinations to oust the Ministers now in power. Mr Combes, who has a most sensitive aptitude for discovering the drift of public opinion, as all such men have, has hitherto been a supporter of denominational schools. In his electioneering speech just made, he absolutely recanted. The feat was done with consummate dexterity, by referring to Archbishop Yaughan’s Pastoral as the instrument of his conversion; its arrogant pretensions having had the effect of repelling Mr Combes and opening his eyes to all the consequences, &c., &c. From the decided fashion in which this political weather-guage has shifted and now stands at “ Yery Protestant,” I regard it as probable that the Premier will meet Parliament next session with two useful strings to his bow, viz., Reform of the Legislative Council, and Abolition of State aid to denominational schools, and will thus shelter himself from the perilous necessity of taking his stand upon any question of domestic legislation. There are a number of matters which otherwise might prove very troublesome to the Ministry, although the interests of the colony require that they should be dealt with. Among these are the land laws and licensing reform—both awfully ticklish questions to deal with, and both urgently requiring treatment. I am disposed to presage that Sir Henry Parkes and his colleagues will exist for one session on the education agitation, and will keep the constitutional reform affair on hand for their subsistence when the educational matter is exhausted of all its nourishment. At present nothing else is listened to except the disputation about the pastoral, and indeed the public in the metropolis, at any rate, gets little chance of listening to anything else. The newspapers—the “Herald” especially—are full of it, and not an issue appears without one or two leaders and several columns of letters from dissenting ministers, chiefly. The official opening of the Exhibition has been formally and definitely fixed for the 17th September, and it will require most streuons exertion for the show be anything like arranged by that date. Till two or three days ago not a single package had been opened, and even now only three departments are at that stage. Among those who are already getting on with their work is the representative of your colony. Dr. Hector. Queensland is also at work and one other, but the rest are only now getting things ready for a start, and the interior of the building is a chaos of piles of cases, heaped up one on top of the other, without reference to their ultimate location or the order in which they will be required.