Colonial.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XI, Issue 696, 9 July 1859, Page 4

Colonial.

'38TEW SOUTH WALES,

; >The latest news from this colony, which wehave for a time over-looked, is to the 1 l.th. ult. The few topics of interest up to the beginning of Juno mentioned by the ' Sydney Morning Herald' in following ■

NOTES OF THE WEEK.

Saturday, June 4. What with the daily electioneering meetings and the Homebush races, there has been little 'business done during the past week. The races have been, of course, the great feature <>f the week. The extreme fineness of the weather arid the expectation of unusually good sport drew a large attendance every day; particularly on the first and third. Happily, too, there were no accidents from first to last of a very serious character. The principal feature of these races has been the success of the; horses'brought from New Zealand by Mr. Bedwood. This is the second time that Mr. Redwood has brought up horses which have proved victorious on the Sydney■ turf, and all 'honour to him for. his spirit. It is by such an emulation as this between the breeders and trainers t>f the different colonies that the perfection of the Australian horses will be attained and kept up. A detailed report of the various raws has been already ijiven. There are racing movements afoot in other parts of the -country.- At Maitland preliminary arrangements f6r their annual races have been already concluded. They will come off on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4fch of August. At: Woollongong steps :have been taken lor the revival of the local races, which fur some time past have been abandoned. This, we presume, is one of the results of the municipal incorporation of that town. The incorporation of Raudwiuk has been Mowed by successful • efforts to have the scone of the future metropolitan races shifted to that quarter. Ou Sunday last two sermons; were preached by the Rev. Mr. Binney, at the Congregational Church, Pitt-street;- in aid of the funds of that building. At the collections made on these occasions, no less a sum than £008 was gathered. On Tuesday -evening the same reverend gentleman delivered in "the same church an admirable lecture on " English Prose Composition and Public Speaking," in pre--sence of a very numerous and highly respectable anditory. The admission was by tickets, and the sum realised by the sale of these tickets is to goto the building fund of the School of Arts. Its 'tun'ount was £60. . :

Another public meeting of the subscribers towards the of St. Andrew's Cathedral has ■been held, for Ihe'purpoao of raising funds; to roof in that-building. Sir William Denison presided, and the Bishop of. Victoria (Hongkong), who is in Sydney on a visit, was among the speakers. Various .resolutions were passed, pledging the gentlemen present/and the members of Ihe church in general, to,renewed 'exertions for the collection ■of such fnnds: as may bo necessary to open this splendidMiuHding to public worship with as little further delay as possible. • : ■ A meeting of the Wesleyan body.was held at •Baunain on Monday, for the purpose of adopting measures for providing additional chapel accoinmo^ <lation in that township. On the following day a deputation from the Wosleyan Committee of Privileges on .Education waitod' upon the Colonial Secretary to discuss the principles upon which

during the ensuing session of i Parliament, the educational system of. the country might be remodelled; The views of.tlie deputation were;hot.favourable to either of the: systems at present in operation, and they recommended plans of a more comprehensive character. State-aid, they held, ought to be supplied to educational establishments upon the principle rather of co-operation than of support, its amount being regulated, in each casej bythe character of the school itself—that is to say; by iho number of scholars, and the, qualifications of .the master. They further held that any system which did not provide for direct parliamentary responsibility on the part of those to whom its working might be entrusted would be objectionable. The Colonial Secretary discussed ; the \ subject most freely and fully with the deputation and pledged himself to look carefully into the working of the English plans. . ' The long-continued diy weather, pleasant as it has been, lias entailed anything but pleasant consequences in several quarters: Watercourses and springs, hitherto held unfailing, have run dry, and vegetation of all kinds has suffered. Even the Lachlan Swamps, from which the supply of the city is drawn, began to show an alarmingly reduced water-level. But the weather seems at length to have broken.. Yesterday, although there was but a slight shower in Sydney, .it rained very1 heavily in several of the suburbs, and, among others, in. those drained by the Lachlan Swamps. During, the night, and in the former • part of today, there has been heavy and1 well-distributed rain. The weather looks now as if it was going to clear again; but there has,' happily, been: rain enough to freshen un the ;gardens, and;-to supply the wells, waterholesy and swamps for some time to come ■ m . .

My. David Grant Forbes; the police; magistrate of Sydney, was called to the colonial bar a short time since, and within the last few 'days has been appointed to the crovvn prosecutorship, h-endered, vacant, by the retirement of Mr. W. C. Windeyer. The career ot Mr. Forbes as police magistrate has been highly satisfactory to all; except perhaps to some of those with whom he has had to deal judicially as offenders against public peace or/deep-, ram. That his ruhv has been peculiarly; popular with the clerics of his department, is proved by the fact of their having determined to present him, as a memorial of their regard, with one of the most chastely beautiful silver claret jugs that Nwe have yet seen in. Sydney. The retirement of Mr. Forbes from the Sydney bench has been followed by a step which we have repeatedly on former occasions uvged—the elevation of-the chief clerk to the office of a justice of the peace for the purpose of dealing with chamber business...-.; Any man who is fit for the chief clerkship of this department must necessarily be fib for.the commission, and is the fittest person to -be", entrusted ; witli the routine magisterial work of the'office; It is intended^ if possible, to do without a police magistrate,- leaving the work of the bench to be performed by' the mayor and tlie unpaid justices. The thing is worth a'trial, but we do not believe that ifc will be found practicable. The attendance of unpaid magistrates has been found so irregular, that over and over again has the necessity of having a second paid magistrate been urged. How then are they likely to get on without, even a single paid Justice (except the mayor for the time being) engaged in bench duty P Another movement has taken place among the Komau Catholic laity, indicative of dissatisfaction

with their clerical guardians. Mrs: De-iLaoy, one of the oldest and most respected ■of the Sisters ot Charity, lias left for Europe by the Star of Peace, and from' the statements made at a special meeting of Catholic laymen, convened' by circular, and held some days ago, itwould seem that harsh treatment by her ecclesiastical superiors is consideied to have been the cause of .her retirement.^ Incidentally, too, a question of grave^irapqrtanco as to the management of St. Vincent*?' ""Hospital, has arisen, but "of this matter. The Archbishop's secretary has urged the suspension of public judgment upon these questions until both sides shollha've been heard— that is to say, until the counter statements ; of the ecclesiastical superior, now i indirectly, censured, shall have been brought forwa'rd;'\'.Thiß.requestia so palpably reasonable that ho really impartial person will venture to. arrive at a conclusion until he has heard both sides.; The exparte ;case,put Forward is however, !we repeat, a very grave one, and will require to be distinctly. met and refuted; The deducible charges from it may be synopsised under three heads. , 1. That Mrs." De Lacy was unnecessarily degraded and humiliated upon flimsy pretences, but really' in consequence of her not having, been sufficiently subservient to the views of her superiors. 2. That, in particular, she was thus dealt with because she had refused to sigh, without reading, some document that was tendered to; her for that purpose, and which was understood to have had for its object the rebuttal of certain' charges of mismanagement forwarded to Rome against the local hierarchy. 3. That notwithstanding the pledges made of the non•sectarian character of St. Vincent's Hospital, on.! the faith of which large subscriptions were obtained, from Erotestants; the and, t*rayer-bppks placed there for the,use olpatients Mthj with the full concurrence,of Mrs^;;E|e!itjajiy;_were carried away by a priest—the Reverend Mr. Ec0 roh—and were riot replaced until; after-some delay and discussion. We • repeat that these charges are at\ present made; ex parte and must riot; be taken .as proved. . The answer to themhas yet to be heard. In the present instance, however?' the facts in' dispute have an interest ;bey6ri(i'. the pkle of ;the.Rbriian'Catholic body, as they :affect the character of an institution, which/has hitherto been regarded as of \ charitable arid ri6n-sectWiari character. : ' The Second Australian. Benefit Investment arid Building Society has'beeri wound up, having completed all its, work within seven .months less than the ten-years for which it was ; established. Its result will be shown by the^following extract from the report:-— ' v •'.''■'"'"" ' i.' : -''.'■': '~''. '' ■■ ■ : "The sodety has, in■ the, nine years, and five months during which it has been in existence, made' advances to its, 'members amounting, to £18,684 ss. 6c1., of wntcli amount £2744 10s. -has at various; times been repaid bythe redemption of mortgages,1 arid the mortgages on.the. properties; representingthe remaining £15,939 15s. 6d;, ; are, with the exception of one mortgage on which, a small.amount; is.due, riow redeemed: by,the, close of. tb.e..society.' Thus we< see. that this society alone has been the* means of securing property worth upwai%ds of £16,000, which, property is .now,,in possession of its memberSj, freed .and, discharged from every iii-; .cumbrance,'."'..;,; , \' '^] ';■.-' '.."'"'■ ','V ■."'". • . • • :

"The; mergers, holding the 25 unadyanced snares^ sire,; in accordance with rule IX., section, 14, now entitled to receive £120 per share, cheques For 'which, are signed and paid on application.to the secretary.".; ;■'.'.. .-,.■■•:; .' ; :'.;. -\..-■■'-, ;■-V ■•■■'■•■•'' For the, ; £120 per 'share thus receivable but £56 10s. has been; paid, arid that in monthly instalments of lOs.each. The working of this society has been deemed, so satisfactory that another, based upon the same principles! is to be formed forthwith. 1 The corrjespondent oFKth'e ' Gpulburn- Chronicle' reports $iat a: woman had.been found near Berrima with her throat cut. : Several < ; fatal casualties .have also been reported during the weelr. ;David Kenny ; a youth of tliirteen,.was killed at the crossing place .of;the Allyn River, near,Eecleston. He is supposed to have slipped, and the wheel of the dray which he! was driving passed over his neck, o Lewis >L.am-; bert, a child of a year.and eight months, died •■ from sea sickness on a voyage! from the Clarence River to Sydney by the ;<*raftori"steamer. Mr. Brice Henry, .ofJamberoo^was killed by a fall from his . horse \n descending Mount Torry. Robert Hunt; a man of 89, who, -however, still laboured,,died suddenly near Ashfield.. An old man named Hanlon was killed by a ; truck comingin contact with, him when he was recklessly standing on the tramway near Botrs' Wharf. And; finally, a womati named Ellen M'Lean died from the effects of Jongcontinued intemperance at Darlinghvirst Gaol. This was a most painful case. The unfortunate woman was but thirty-two years of age, but seems, from the evidence of her husband, to have been so [incorrigible a drunkard that she would pawn.her ,children's clothes to get liquor. '■.'••;...■■..■,;,-. .The election for Sydney took place on the9th June,.when out of nine, candidates the-four following were elected bythe number of votes opposite their names:-- ;. -•:■■. ■ ■'■■. . ....... ■ Cowper ......;.... 2064 ' Black .;...........;...,...:....;... 1682 Parkes ....;....:.....;..........;. 1654 Martin- ...;....,.........;. ; ...... 1349 There is nothing further of interest in the papers.