The Sun.
London, England, 1858-06-16 00:00:00

MISCELL 4NEOIIS.

Since the date of our last summary, the colony
has suffered a serious, and, for the present, at lea, t,
almost irreparable loss, by the death of two of the
ablest philo-ophical chen:ists in Australia—Count
John Dembinski and Dr. John Maund. The for-
mer, who was son of the distinguished commander-
in-chief of the Hungarian patriotic :limy, in the
campaign of 1850, had made 11 i ms,-If a colonial re-
putatien by his scientific attainments ; his sng-
gestions on the subject of the dissolution of anti-
ferous quartz by common chemical agencies,
and which originally appeared in the columns
of this journal, having particularly attracted
the at entiou of the Au4ralian
Count Dembinski died on the 24th of March
undtr circumstances which calle i for the inter-
position of the coroner. At the inquest it tran-
spired that the pecuniary position of the unfortu-
nate gentleman was lamentably beneath that to
which the name he bore, and his character and
talents, enti,led him. The fact seems to bare .ef-
fected his mind, the more so as his high s nsr) of
honour not only forbade his placing himself iu
the position of a debtor, but even restrained him
from waking his frierLis acquainted with the em-
barrassments which were breaking his heart. Ise
died rather suddenly, at the residence of a Catholic
clergyman, the Rev. J. Bleasdale, where he had
been lodging for a short time ; and alth nigh it
appeared from the evidence at the inquest that he
h id made tome remarks to a person from which it
might be inferred that he intended to commit
suicide, and that poisonous alkaloids, such as mor-
phine and atrophine, had been in his pcss,ssion
shortly before his death, the disclosures of the
autopsy did not justify such suspicion as might
previously have been excited of his having coLn-
mitted self-destruction. Dr. Bi ownless,. who had
attended him a few days prior to his death for
gastric fever, was of opinion that the cause was
attributable to extreme mental anxiety acting upon
a body previously weakened by disease ; and the
jury, after patiently investigating the circum.-
stances, decided that there was not sufficient evi-
dence to show the cause of death. The deceased
was thirty years of age, and was much esteemed
by all who had made his acquaintance.
The decease of Dr. Maund inflicts a less upon
this community such as will be most severely felt.
The deceased gentleman occupied a prominent po-
sition in the front rank of the medical profession
in the colony, while his more public services as
chemical analyst to the government have made his
name honourably familiar through the length and
breadth of the land. After a brief illness of a
week, originally produced by a slight febrile
attack, but rendered serious by the supervention
of dysentry, he expired at his resi,leuce in
Latrobe-street on the 7th instant. Hi re-
mains were followed to the grave by a nume-
rous body of his private friends, whoa 3 grief
found an echo in the bosom of every Victorian
colonist.

The complete destitution of the Corporation of
Melbourne, in respect of funds to pay for the un-
dertaking of necessary works, coupled with the re-
cent refusal of the legislature to improve the con-
dition of the corporate purse, has suggested a
movement which at present bids fair to culminate
in the "crumpling up" of the city. Several of the
wards, finding that the suspicion of being in bad
company has seriously affected their own condition,
are contemplating separation from the city proper,
and setting up for themselves, by establishing in-
dependent municipalities-, a course which is open to
them under the provisions of the Municipalities
Act. Whether the separatists will be able to carry
their point remains to be seen ; the movement,
however, is being vigorously pushed on, and
Ahint finds
many supporters, local and otherwise.
thrown out by Mr. Duffy, the other night,.y that the
government contemplated placing thet
t
performthe
corpo-
ration iu a position to enable t
duties entrusted it, may, however, have
801110 effect
The city
in breaking the force of the agitation.
was shamefully used by the late government, but
the men in office beingas'nractions continue torus -
the public so long as heir
ed of the patronage of
them, have no cause to
tify its being extended to
wish the dissolution of the corporation, that an y
may increase their adherents by finding places fer
them, by the establishment cla city commission on
the ruins of the City Council.
Robberies, with vioknce, or in colonial phrase
" sticking up," are still rife in seine of the country
districts, but Melbourne has, of late, been mode-
rately exempt from the perpetration of the more
serious crimes. Mr. Lionel Levi, who had come
under the ban of the police, in consequence of a
presumed fictitious credit from the London bank-
ing firm of Smith, Payne, and Smiths, having
been thrice discharged from custody through failure '
of evidence, has at length been committed for trial,
on the information of the Solicitor-General, for for-
gery. Mr. Samuel Calvert, a well-known wood-en-
graver, has also fallen under the frown of the law,
in consequence of his being suspected to have em-
bezzled a number of sheets of postage stamps, which

were entrusted to him to be gum,
'.ated. It is said, however, that the
to alter the charge to one of illegal
The American ship Tornado has
riety through the breaking out of
'board, during the voyage out from _
'Some of the crew were so violent in their ,udu,_
to the mate, that in a scuffle which took place coca
after the vessel left port, ho was comdelltd, in self-
defence, to fire his revolver 'at his assailants. Two
of the ringleaders were shot, of whom one shortly
afterwards died ; and the other, although severely
wounded, has since nearly recovered. An investi-
tion into the circumstances of thn mutiny was held
on board the vessel shortly after its arrival in Hob-
son's Bay ; and the 'United States consul, who pre-
sided, cummittel eight of the crew to custody, with
the intention of sending them to America for trial.
A question has, however, since a'i ea as t,) the
legal compe of !-'‘e consul to e such steps ;
and last night certain queries were put to the At-
torney-Gen?ral in the Legislature relative to the
cas, in _

Hob on's Bay has been long known to be in-
fests(' by sharks; but their p•e;eace until re-'
cently has not been acc-impanied with fatal
results to the bather. A few weeks ago, however,
this immunity was broken in a shucking manner.
A seaman, one of the crew of a Swedish barque
which was lying at anchor off Williamst inn, was
ba.lfncg by the fide of the v, ssel, when a huge
hark nose at him, and seized him by the I.g. The
poor fellow was dragged a short distanes under
water, but was eventually rescued by his ship-
mates from, the j tws of the fish, although not
until the ferocious animal had completely stripped
the flesh off . the bones of his leg. 'rho wOitoded
wan died shot tly after from the effects of exces-
sive buitnorrhage. • The shark is stated to be
twenty feet- in length ; and although numerous
attempts hOe.. been-made since the occurrence of
the catistr,phe.just..tTlated..tO capture it, nons has
yet resulted in success.
The Rev. Mr. Biuney, with several other minis-
ters, arrived in the Stilt .na on the 39th ult. The
rev. gentleman preached at St. Kilda, for the first
time on Sunday last, and his sermon has since
been published under the tit!e of " Be Men."
A grant of money has been made by the legisla-
ture for the purpose of founding a model farm in
the n'iighb.7,urhood of Mylbentne ; but the site not
yet been decided twon, nothing has been
(Iona: The P. PitiliiiVartriera' Society' wish to
have;* piece .a.ianclwt 11 adapted to their, purpose,
wAich they have selected, and which is within three
n-1.41. a of town; bnt as it comprise.. a portion of one
`Cif the parks, th.-ir application has been refused for
the present, ihough.as the public would have ace( S 3
at all tines to the model firm, there does not ap-
pear any very good mason for objecting to Bice up
a portion of a teierve made for purposes of health
and rrcre ttion to the purpcse4 of the association.
The South Auat'alian portion cf the mail for
England by 1.1,e Victoria, has been ',Taught round
by the Havitah, and comprises 53 boxes, and 17
bats.

The royal mail steamer Victoria left Sydney at
9.30 a.m. on theilth inst., and anchored in the
bay yesterday, about 9 a.m., after contending
agait st head winds during the passage. The con-
dition and arrangements of the vessel fully jus ify
the ilatt,-ring notice of her which we republished
from the Sydney Morning Herald, in our issue of
yesterday. She has but little cargo on board, and.
none for this port, but has a large shipment of
gold from Sydney.

NEWSPAPER
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