The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-21 00:00:00

GREENWICH POLICE COURT.

Mr. Roper was this day, in accordance with the
last remand, placed at the bar.
Mr. Scudmore, solicitor, and Mr. Lendon, secre-
tary, were present on the part of the Kent Fite
Insurance Company. Mr. Ingle appeared for Mr.
Roper.
' The most important witness examined was the
girl Elizabeth Waterfall.
She deposed that on the night of the fire she
went out and bought some turpentine. Her master
gave her sixpence to pay for it. She brought half-
a-pint. He did not tell her to bring that quantity.
She brought half-a-pint because she thought the
furniture she had to clean would take that quan-
tity. When she went out to buy the turpentine it

BANQUET TO THE MAYOR OF

MELBOURNE.

Sir John Rateliff, Mayor of Birmingham, enter-
tained Mr. Smith, the Mayor of Melbourke, Aus-
tralia, at a grand banquet at the Royal Hotel,
Birmingham, on Tuesday evening.
About two hundred and twenty gentlemen were
present, these including nearly ail the members of
the Town Council, many of the magistracy, most
of the merchants and manufacturers connected with
the Australian trade, and in other respects tho
mercantile community of Birmingham was well re-
presented.
" Prosperity to the British Colonies," coupled
with " The health of the Mayor of Melbourne,"
was toasted by Sir J. RATCLIFF, and very warmly
received.

The Mayor of MELBOURNE replied, and in ac-
knowledging the toast said—l have the honour to
be a native of Australia. You have glanced at
what the Australian colonies should be ; but in
saying what they ought to be, you have said what
they really are. For what are they ? They aro
simply the offspring of the British people. (Hear.)
I claim to be a British subject, and I claim Eng-
land as my country. (Cheers.) In making this
claim I believe that I only echo the sentiments of
my Australian fellow-colonists. (Hear.) I am, as
most of you are aware, a native of that country.
My mother was a native before me ; and therefore
I may say I am almost thoroughbred. (Laughter.
Be this as it may, we look at ourselves as part and
parcel of England, as living under the English con-
stitution ; and though we are now only little bant-
lings, yet we ask you to treat us as dutiful and
loving children. We have not yet given you any
men to fight your battles ; you have not yet asked
us for them ; but I beg -to say that if England was
in danger to-morrow there arc more than a hundred
thousand British hearts in Australia who would
rush to your assistance. (Much applause.) I will say
nothing of her gold, but I believe that if you required
half her wealth to support your war, and maintain
the character and honour of England, you would
haVe it readily sent you. (Hear.) No man has been
in a better position than myself for knowing the
feeling of my fellow colonists_ Some years ago,
when difficulties arose with regard to matters at
the diggings, and the peace of my city was threat-
! ened.2for I was then mayor, as I am now—the
simple mention of the matter in the newspapers
made more than two thousand gentlemen come for-
ward voluntarily and enrol themselves as special
constables. I believe you misunderstood us, or vou
would have known us better long since; and I
would direct the attention of the British commer-
cial world to one matter which has done much to
deteriorate your interests. For the last four or five
years, notwithstanding the large subsidy given by
our colonial parliament to support a mail commu-
nication, a rapid, certain, and direct means of com-
munication is still among the things of the future.
The carelessness of England in this respect is felt
keenly by your own flesh and blood in the Austra-
lian colonies. I could tell you of numberless in-
stances where mercantile men have had their cha-
racter blasted as the result of the indifference mani-
fested on this important matter. (Hear.) Having
had one or two interviews with gentlemen in office,
I believe I may say that the present governmext
are alive to this, and that we may expect a better
state of things ere long. (Cheers.) As to the pro-
gress of the colony oeVictoria, a few statistics will
show you better than any words of mine. As you
arc aware our colony is a very young one. When
I first went to Melbourne from Sydney, 20 years
ago, bricks and stone were not known, there being
only a few wattle and daub houses ; but in 1851 the
revenue of the corporation of the city had reached
£85,000. The imports were in that year £3,000,000;
in 1856 they were within £l,OOO of X 15,000,000.
Their exports were in 1852, £6,000,000 ; in 1857
they were X 11,000,000. The revenue of the colony
was in 1851, -e400,000 ; in 1857 it was £2,900,000.
Their expenditure in 1851 was £410,000, and in
1857 it had reached £3,250,000. (Cheers.) We
have in Melbourne a full-fledged corporation—
mayor, aldermen, and councillors. In 1813, when it
was established, the revenue of that body was £1,500 ;
in 1854 it was £75,000. They have now streets a
mile paved with stone brought all the way
from Scotland, and some of these will bear com-
parison with anythinglouilldhaEvnegalt yet seenendinegLeonnerdaotne.
Why, indeed, s
wherever they went ? I believe that Britain, in
establishing these colonies, is simply obeying the
behest given to the first man, " Go forth andinul-
tiply and replenish the earth." Her rule is the
most free of any ; it is, in fact, the essence of
liberty.; and I believe that if ever there is iikuni-
versal tongut, the English will be that :044F.
(Cheers.) In Australia the Sabbath day i6ctft4l
observed ; indeed we are quite Scotch in tiiig :pttit
titular. (Laughter.) As regards education I
may mention that our Legislature, of which I have
the honour to be one, as member for Melbourne,
last year, devoted £2,000 to that purpose. (Cheers.)
On this point Mr. Smith enlarged, and in coxclu-
sion went on to say that when he got back to his
own dear city he would not fail to let the people of
Melbourne know what a reception he had met with
in Birmingham. He had been obliged to decline
many pressing invitations, but the kind and hand-
some manner in which, on his landing, Sir John
• Rateliff asked him to pass a short time in Birming-
ham was such that he felt it would have been un-
grateful for him to refuse his hospitality. He should
do what he could for the trade of Birmingham in
Melbourne ; but he playfully cautioned the mer-
chants and manufacturers present that Australian
folk knew the difference between good creditable
Birmingham stuff and that which in bygone days
went by the name of Brummagem. (Cheers.)
" The health of Sir John Rateliff" was toasted by
the Mayor of Melbourne, and drunk with that cor-
diality so deserving of the munificence and public
spirit which has
_marked Sir J. Rateliff 's dual
mayoralty.

We understand that Mr. Bates, the convict
banker, 11A6 been released after nu imprisonment of three
Teen.