MELBOURNE GOSSIP.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2489, 23 June 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

MELBOURNE GOSSIP.

[FROM OUll OWN COISKHSrOXnEXT.I

1 r.\iu n vi-it to tho inhibition building twn (lays and was surprised _ a' Urn backward state of everything. It is wellknown now that it won't be opened until the Ist of September, and I have it on tho very best authority that there will bo another postponement until tho Ist of Octobor. There is a good deal of interest being shown in tho election of President vice Higinbotham resigned. At first Sir James Mcßean was thought to be tho chosen candidate, but now it is pretty well decided that Mr. Service is to have the post. That gentleman may well say there is no place like home, for after tho nogleot and indifferenco he met with in England, he has only to return to his own country to jump into tho Upper House and the Presidency of our Exhibition. There is evidently no truth in tho adage, that a prophet is) not without honor in his own country. I am pleased to see that my friend 4t Garryowen " is about to publish in book form, his " Chronicles of Early Melbourne," that appeared in the columns of the Herald, for it is a work of undoubted historical value. Melbourne has undergone suoh marvellous changes, that wo really want some practical reminder of whatit. has been, and the "Chronicles" form a consecutive narrative of the growth and development of the city in all its phases. To read the record is almost liko reading a fairy-tale, so wonderful have been the leaps and bounds to progress. As an authentic record of the growth of the most marvellous city of the world the work will be of interest to others' besides good Melbournites and patriotic Victorians. "Garryowen" himself—Mr. Finn—is a perfect walking encyclopedia of tho city. He knows the history of every street, every old residont, and every public man in the placj. A small old gentleman, groy, clean-shaved, and shrewd to the finger-tips, nothing delights him more than to got a congenial listener to his stories of the "old times." He is one of tho best raconteurs in Melbourne, and being so wonderfully posted up in the history of the city, is the most entertaining company. He enjoys excellent health, and is a favoured guest everywhere, and so one moots him in all kinds of social circles. Ho enjoys the position of Parliamentary librarian, the not very onerous duties of which afford hin plenty of tirao for pursuing those researches which are the delight of his life. His son, also a writer who has lately produced a novel entitled" The Priest's Secret," is tho editor of Punch.

I, like a loyal pressman, in company with some thousand or so other good subjects of Her Majesty, made ray bow, had my name read out ( wrongly of course), and shook hands with Sir Henry at the levee last Thursday. I did not think the assembly as brilliant as that of last year when the Jubilee celebrations lent it a special attraction, Everybody, who is anybody was there, from our Premier in his customary suit of rusty black to the little Vice-Consul of the smallest principality in the world. The ballroom, in which the general presentations took place, was somewhat cold and cheerless, although Lady Loch and her pretty daughters had evidently done all they could to lend a festive air to the place. These ladies were not present, but bright eyes could be seen peering through a leafy screen in the gallery with every now and then a flash of colour, and I was told that mother and daughters were there.

As I say, the assembly did not strike me as being in any way a brilliant one as far as appearances went, and taking into consideration the fact that the men were in all respects representative and eminent, they looked actually shabby and anything but distinguished. Australians as a rule are bad dressers, and I think the present members of the Cabinet are among the worst in Melbourne. The Judges looked the best in their scarlet robes, which tend to lend dignity to the wearer ; and the various Consuls were replendent enough in different and gorgeous uniforms. But besides these, and perhaps a few of the military men, the remainder looked plain aud uuimposing. I have attended levees both in London and in Washington, and I must say a Melbourne levee has always seemed to me to be very far behind what I have seen in England and America. Of course wo have no Court costume (knee-breeches, sword, and so on ) similar to what isrftf rir/eur at Home, nor have we the military organization of America, with its concomitants of gold braid and trappings and red ar.d blue. Still dress is nothing after all, and though an assemblage of auy public men may not be able to vie with older countries in the matter of dress, I think that they can in bruins and enterprise and sound common-sense.

I think the London representatives of the National Gallery here must have been mad to give nearly six thousand pounds for two pictures. It is a fearful amount of money to spend on a couple of canvasses by any modern masters, but devoted to the purchase of a Linnell and an Alma-Tadema, is simply wasteful extravagcncc. The fact is the Loudon Committee of our gallery has proved its utter incapacity over and again, and the sooner it is superseded the better. There is in all probability no collection of pictures in the world which shows poorer results for the expenditure lavished upon it than our National Gallory. A friend of mine—quite a capitalist in his way —has giv'jn me some information which was quire new to me. lie tells me he is a shareholder in p. company privately floated in town to buy the colonial lights of a new Electric light, and that the pur elmxc has been effected. The light is for household purposes only, and he tells me that we in town are very shortly to have the opportunity of testing this new system of household electric lightning. Strange to say, the electricity ia to be supplied in a liquid form, and a kind of lamp used for burning it. If all my friend tells me is true (and I see 110 reason to doubt it), just fancy what a boon it would lie for the country as well as town. Eery house and cottage could have its electric light, and there would be an end to the evil-smelling and dangerous kerosene. The liquid is to be exceedingly cheap, and if it does what is represented it is the most wonderful discovery of this most wonderful age.

.Football, as played under some circumstances, must be very interesting 1 , as may be judged from the following paragraph, which is taken from the fashionable London journal, the Morning Post :—Yesterday, being Easter Tuesday, the people of Workington witnessed the annual fiiotball match between the colliers, sailors, and ironworkers. About 300 men engaged on each side. Tha game is played at Workington every Easter Tuesday, and is probably unique. There are no rules but the men try to throw their rivals into the stream or over the wooden fences which cross the field of play." Barley Wink.—A Erenoli chemist, M. Jacquemin, hits shown that a certain specie* of yeast fungus ( Saccharomyces ellipaoidens) when placed in a tartarised wort of barley, is made to yield a true witie of pleasant taste, and more nutritive than grapo wine, inasmuch as it contains more respiratory elements. Moreover, it alsc contains au albuminoid substance, and a larger proportion of phosphates calculated to restore the nervous system and the b >ny tissues. It differs from white grape wine liy being copiously precipitated by tannin, while a portion of the malt may be replaced by crushed grain which has not sprouted. This wheat or barley wine is said to be equal in quality and cheaper than that of pure malt; and the vinous wort in question is an alcoholic fermentation of a totally distinct character from the ordinary yeast of beer.

Skrdy ('vest: "Landlord, what can you give mo for breakfast?" Landlord: "Nothing ; but if you pay, jou can have steak and eggs."