New-York tribune., 1868-12-17
AUSTRALIA,


e0CIrry m MELBOURNE AND ON THE GOLD
FIELDs-THE STATE OF LAbok'
rrnov orr SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
,,-,,orpyr Oct 27-Twenty years ago there
- ON the banks Of the Yarra Yarra. some ten
niles from its mouth, barren sand hill, with
boro and there a bowlder Of trap-rock showing
obove the surface. few Adventures lrom
Van Diemans Land had settled upon the spot ana
Iii epster of weather-board shanties marked their
location. Now the sand has disappeared, the trap
r,k has been converted into handsome stores Whcn
- ,,,,,,ssed in no city have seen--and have seen
maryland noble town has taken the place OF 'he
few wooden huts Twenty years ago SIX hundred
acros Of the sand lill were sold for $50 IN gold
have since seen lot of the same land fetch SoVyO
foot Melbourne and San Francisco are IN fact TWO
etios which have sprung mp in q woNdrous manner
througb the same cause but under differences OF CIR
eamsfance which give special interest to EACH
And what most strikes the stranger on entering
Melbourne is tho thoroughly English aspect OF the
,lace ard the English ways and customs OF the
1,ople This is point hich cannot be passed over
fr il is impossible TO foresee how far 1t may lntu
once ,he future OF these colonies. The time VIII
come when they will seek their independence, and
ere can be no doubt that that win be readily grant
cl hv the British Governments but the spirit in
which the request will be made, the shape which the
government of the future nation will take and the
influence which it may exercise in the world are not
without some indications even now.
The land was surveyed and the City Of Melbourne
was planned before any became aware OF the I'M
pulss that il would receive from the discovery OF
cold Itis laid out iIrobOng blocks, not unlike the
upper part # Eew-York. Handsome streets 80 feet
wide run parallel to each other IN direction north
from the river bank. These crossed at right an
ples by others of equal width; but in the original de-
Af,oA loAf cbp kp NJ
ped by private houses and with that view narrow
lane was cut through each block for the purpose Of
erecting stables aud securing back entrance to each
house. But gold came. land became valuable, and
these lanes got led with business places instead of
coach houses so that every alternate street is now
narrow thoroughfare and the slums' of the city
are daily constituted We have therefore, in place Of
regular series Of fine thoroughfaTes an intermittent
state Of thngs-Fenders-st and Little Flendersst.
Collinsst and Little Collins-st. Bourkest and Lit
tle Bomke-st where every little" street is the re-
sort Of small tenants questionable stores and very
questionable people.
In the early days Melbourne was very unhealthy,
This arose partly from the chaotic state Of every
thing when the gold fields were discovered; but
parly also from the inefficient drainage and the bad
supply of water. The former defect has never been
thoroughly remedicd and although the town stands
well thorough sustem of underground sewers is
Btill needed Surface drainage is insufficient 10
carry off the heavy rains that frequent here in
the Winter months, and many instances are recorded
of children being drowned in the street cutters and
their bodies being carried out to sea beyond the pos
sibHiiy Of recovery. But town is better supplied
with fine water. Some - years ago the Government
undertook the construction of an immense reservoir
ct Yam Yean, place about so miles from Melbourne,
aud many hundred feet higher than the highest
n, tha rha xrCVlr was of cOncilpr-
able engineering difficulty, but it was thoroughly
accomplished by constructing huge wall Of earth
and masonry across a natural valley leaving the
mountain ranges 10 constitute the lateral bounda-
ries of the lake The space thus secured is filled by
the rainfall from extensive watershed ana by
numbeTless springs; but there is also the eans, in
case these should at any time fall of keeping up the
supply from river that takes its rise far away IN
the mountains. The water is conveyed TO the
city through q series OF huge iron pipes
and thence distributed to every house. A constant
aud unlimited supply of pure water at very high
pressure has thus been secured to every inhabtant
and Government reimburses itself by the levy of q
small tax As consequence, fre-engines have been
abolished in Melbourne. There is an efficient and
well-organzed fre-brigade and waterplugs are dis
trbuted at very close intervals IN every street. But
on an alarm being given, nothing more is required
than TO unlock the plug, attach hose and the water
Immediately rises by its own pressure TO height Cf
necessary greater than that of any building in tho
city The frequency of the plugs enables the fremen
TO throw an immense volume of water directed from
every side upon the rethat too with the least pos
sible delay As point of interest just DOW to the
people OF NewYOrk. may here mention that for two
or three years after the Yam Yean reservoir was COM
pleted, there We're complaints that the water dis
solved the lead of the distributing pipes, and the
Faculty lost no time in tanning the excitement by
reporting sndTy instances Of lead poisoning. Lead
pipes lined with tin then tried, but they did not
answer, although various forms of manufacture were
used and after numberess experiments and reports
of scientific men, both in Australia and England,
lead got discarded for iron.
The management of the city is in the hands of a
Mayor and Corporation, but the most prominent
citizens DO not coyet municipal hOnors. For some
wears the Mayoralty was Office Of high repute,
mainly ia consequence of the antecedentsOf in
diydual who had been. by the publican interest sue
4cessyely elected TO the duties. This person had
, eumulated wealth in the early days by means not
the most moral and society Stunned hun He sought
TO make amends for this after life by assuming
clerical costume publishing a volume of sermons,
mad appointing to himself a private chaplain. At
IaA = as Mayor of Melbourne. wearing broad, white
neek,tie, and with his sermons under HE arm, and
his chaplain at his side. he went TO England with
municipal address of congratulatiOn TO the Queen
upon the occasion of the marriage Of the Rrncess
ROYAL. He expected TO return 10 Victoria Knight.
il notsa B2ronet bat his reputation preceded him.
His arktecedents OF Of them, were published in
one of 1he London Eapers before he landed; and his
reception at Windsor was necessarily cool. lie was
not Knigl,tsd by the Queen oI5y fined at city
Police Court Tor assauiting and kissing pretty bar