OUR MELBOURNE LETTER.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3100, 10 January 1889, Page 2

OUR MELBOURNE LETTER.

(From Our Own Correspondent). :■ Christmas Day was celebrated in the ordinary quiet fashion, a general holiday being, of course, observed by all sections of the community. The weather was intensely warm and tropical, precluding the public generally from taking part in any form of holiday-limiting requiring physical exertion, and confining the greater portion of the'community to their homes, Special religious services were conducted in the various churches during the forenoon, and in the evening • two performances of Handel's "Messiah" were given, one at the Exhibition, and the other in the Town Hall. Marine excursions were made down to the Bay, auda great many took advantage of the opportunity of securing a "sniff" .of fresh air, whilst private picnic parties were held in the suburbs. On the whole it may be said that a;."• merry Christmas" was spent by the inhabitants of the city. • Boxing Day, which is considered the most popular holiday in the year, was favored with fine weather, although it would have undoubtedly been more pleasant had the fierceness of the sun's rays been tempered by a breeze. Among the many attractions of the: day were the races at Caulfieldj the. annual temperance gala, and a cricket match,:; Victoria, v South Australia.. The attendance. at. the Exhibition was considerably increased by. country visitors who had taken : advantage of the holiday train arrangements to visit the city.' The day's festivities'were broughtto an agreeable, conclusion by the production at the various .theatres of favorite dramatical andinusical pieces. Owing to the severe drought which has prevailed; of late, destructive bush fires are. reported from -the country districts," At J3allarat,' Eilmore, arid other, places, great'lossof animal life and property has been occasioned, at.Bilmore.alone the damage being estimated at thousands of pounds. ■/:■. y-^ ; /; :[ - '■■', A terrible doraestio tragedy, ■oe i otiredoniChristinas night 'atßarlby. in the Camberwell distriot, when" an ex-constable'.,, named, John Auglin attackedhis wife. and,brbther-iu-law Iwith a revolver, breaking the brpther-in-kw'fl arin, and \ shooting his wife _dead on performance pf i'this-outrageous act -.was- ;the ; out-' come''of' the .intemperate; habits; : .'of

ciiildretflMi storatiou-'of his oliildreii thisobjectfaiied^lie visited the lidase ofhisbt'otlieivinjaw,' -liisi-wife was speiiding berO&istmag holidays,'; in? the.arni/ he'lirbd tlu'iß© jshpts Lat wifei, two' of whioh entered liar dody/ causing. :;' after"; cbiiimittiiig; thevaeti ■ T^aiked. oooly to tbft police fltation and gave -Himself up?statiiig tbat-bo had; been\fqr6ed to these; measures owing to Jh'eu' baying persecuted him and kepihjs children fromihim.?;? '!:;■':

Bank .defalcations appear. to?be very common just now, immediately j after: the committal ?:6f two : ybiing men, Farrar and jHewitj;, for the relievingofavßank;?in latter was employed of about L 7,00 0: was arrested 6nV'charge; of? appropriating bauk funds,-? to? the?amoUnt of : nearly £20,000.;' Several' minor defalcations have also been reported of late,; wlu'ph v it 'is; walien'themanageinerit of the various banks to greater diligence.- „-. ?' ;j . Cricket,,the,.field eseroise of the! sninmer season, which lias for many years past beoii.a" hobby". in .Vic-j toria, is rapidly being, substituted .by the American invention, Baseball,: the latter game causing quite a stir, in the athletic circles of Melbourne, Interest .in the? new-fangled pastime has been thoroughly aroused by teams 'representing Chicago and All America, who are "doing" the'colonies, as a sort of" initiatory." •"•■ .-, Professor Baldwin, the celebrated aeronaut, is expected to arrive in this city from London hi a few .weeks, The wind, however, has been taken out. of' his' sails by a Professor Batiiolemew, an American, who is at present in Melbourne. The.latter gentleman made. an extraordinary ascent "the other day, which was gracefully executed, and was witnessed by several thousand of people. The descent caused' immense exoitement. Another performance will be made on New Year's Day. ;-" A contingent of Maories,;en route for the Paris Exhibition, have given several" haltas" in connection with Pain's pyrotechnical displays, a?nd have been greatly admired by Melbournites.

Port Melbourne was' the scene of a sensational attempt at murder the other evening, and a fearful tragedy was narrowly averted, A .man named Henry Abbott, the cook of a vessel which was lying alongside the, Melbourne pier, having been engaged for the round trip, the captain had agreed to remit a portion of Abbott's wages to his wife in Liverpool. This action incensed Abbott, who went up to the captain and demanded the balance of his wages and hiadiscbarge. The demand was refused, and Abbott was threatened with arrest if he did not leave the ship, Enraged at this, he drew a pistol, and fired deliberately at Captain Copp, the ball striking him on an angle on the right breast, but fortunately it glided off his shirt without doing further damage, Captain Copp rushed down into his cabin to procure his revolver, but Abbott followed him and fired another shot justas Mrs Copp was coming up the companion way. The ball passed close by Mrs Copp's head, and the flash blackened her eye, but fortunately no other damage was done. Abbott then made off, • but was arrested later on, and will be oharged with shooting Captain Copp jwith intent to murder, Apparently the attempt was a most deliberate one, and the escape of Captain and Mrs Copp was remarkable under the circumstances,

Miss Von Fiukelsteiu, the Jewish leofcuresa, is drawing immense houses to hear her vivid description of life in Jerusalem, whilst the boards of the various theatres' are- occupied by "The World Against Her," "Private Secretary," "-East Lynne," etc., .