Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-01-20
AUSTRALIAN ENERGY.
SOME PROMINENT FEATURES OF
 THE CITY OF MELBOURNE.

SOME PROMINENT FEATURES OF
 THE CITY OF MELBOURNE. Hill and Down Dale"-Business Build
 ings-A Genial Enthusiastically Af-
 ternoon-Cumpulsory Education.
 The first feature which catches the eye of the traveller on arriving in Melbourne is the fine appearance of the streets as to width and construction Several different methods have been tried in constructing roads, and as the city corporation is very wealthy no ex- pense has been spared to make them level lasting and solid. Macadamizing was tried and is still in use in many places, but in con- sequence of the constant care needed to keep it in repair and the quantity of dust which arises from its use, is not considered as a good method Asphalt is also used and makes fine roadway, but in summer the ex- treme heat softens it, causing an ugly ap- pearance where there is much traffic. The latest and best method is the cube block sys- tenn, which, besides making level street, re- quires but little repair and does not cause much dust; it is, however, very costly, and
 
 very great.
 When Melbourne was first founded the city proper was about a mile square, being divided into blocks by streets run north and south and east and west, seven each way, making thirty six blocks. These blocks are subdivided by narrow streets, one chain in width, run on the same principle as the wider ones, the names being the same with the prefix ''little," as Collins street, Little Collins street, etc., and, the streets running ill direct lines, a center is designated above and below which the street is known as north or south, or east or west, as tho case may be, the numbers of buildings also run ming from this designated line.
 UP HILL AND DOWN.
 Melbourne is all "up hill and down dale," Elizabeth street, which divides the city into east and west, being the lowest part-so low, in fact, that during heavy rains the at other times sluggish running channels assume river like proportions, making the streets impossible for pedestrians. As, however, such occurrences are rare no steps have been taken to prevent them. The highest point in the city is Carlton Gardens, the site of the international exhibition building of 1SS0-S1, from the dome of which building an exten- Sive view is obtained of the city and en- virons, the eye stretching away over miles of undulating and well populated country in one direction, and over the sparkling and placid waters of Hobson's bay, studded with vessels from all parts of the world. in the other
 The business buildings of Melbourne are he pride of the city, fit to adorn the first cities of the world, presenting to the sight solid masses of masonry, worked in the most artistic styles, stretching from street to street as far as the eye can reach. Collins street, the business center, the home of the stock broker, financier and speculator, the center of fashion, folly and wealth, in the morning devoted to the rush of business, and in the afternoon to the hirtations and gossip of the belles of Victoria, is majestic with its struct- ures of marble, sandstone and granite tow ering on every hand The Union bank, Stock Exchange, London Chartered bank, Land Credit bank and numbers of other institu- tions of wealth and magnitude, to be seen at one glance, represent in aggregate cost hun dreds of thousands of pounds, and impress one with the sense of solidity, wealth and permanency. And so it is throughout the city. Everywhere tie eye meets with build ings erected to stand for centuries, if need be, strong, massive and artistic.
 THE GENIAL CLIMATE.
 The genial climate of the country has the seme effect with Melbourneites as with the inhabitants of all other Australian cities, creating great desire for out of door amuse- ments, which is one of the most noticeable features of Australian life. Saturday after noon is set apart as a kind of weekly half holiday, the merchants, manufacturers and others so arranging that their employees are free from noon of that day until the follow ing Monday morning. Of course, there are exceptions, where certain occupations require the presence of employees on Saturday even ing. From those buildings, however, where the proprietors allow the half-holiday will be seen streams of young men and women, boys and girls, rushing away as soon as 12 o'clock, noon, arrives, first to dinner and then recrea- tion of some kind - boating, swimming, cricket, lawn tennis, etc., during summer :; football, lacrosse, etc., during winter occupy the youthful minds of thousands of workers while the more wealthy class have hunting, yachting and racing. The whole community seems to have mania for athletic sports, the government providing suitable grounds ''galore."
 Amid Melbourne's pleasure propensities, however, it must not be supposed that the welfare of the coming generation is forgotten far from it; education is made compulsory, all children between the ages of 5 and 15 years having to attend one of the numerous puOAIS oCAOolo, CO COIuply SuUJcCU1lSS parents to a nominal fine; exceptions are made where a doctors certificate finds the child unable to undergo the fatigue of five hours school per day; also satisfactory evi- dence that the child attends private school, exempts from attendance at public one Education is a branch of the civil service, teachers entering as pupil teachers and work ing upward by promotion and examination, and the school buildings are the pride of the localities where they are situated. The wealthy class are also very liberal in their subscriptions to the various private schools and colleges, institutions where young man or young woman can be ftte1 for any path in life.-Cor. San Francisco Chronicle. A Victory of Peace.
 Even now a bloodless revolution is going on throughout the Transvaal. The inroad of English and English speaking colonists is an- glicizing everything. The telegraph is open to Barberton, and when the Dutch conces- sionnaires continue the Delagoa Bay railway to Pretoria the rapid means of communica- T n, o11 AL