and for superior quality and finish, w e doubt if any house in London could excel the hats n o w exhibited in his shop for lightness of texture and elegance of shape." The South suburban traffic, so far from progressing, appears to have adopted the crab as a model, by going backwards, for in October, 1850, the eve of the Separation rejoicings, the daily Brighton 'bus had shrunk into a tri-weekly, as evidenced by the following notification :— J. MOONEY B E G S to inform the Public that he intends running his Omnibus to and from Melbourne and Brighton on the following days, namely,
FROM BRIGHTON. The Brighton Hotel, on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, at half-past 8 o'clock in the morning.
FROM MELBOURNE. Mr. Chitty's Horse and Carriage Repository, Lonsdale Street, and M r . Sugden's Royal Mail Hotel, Swanston Street, at half-past 4 o'clock in the afternoon of the above days. Fares, T w o Shillings each way.
Years have flown by, and Brighton and Melbourne and the two hotels remain, but the 'buses and Chitty, Sugden, Mooney, and the horse repository have all gone to their account, and little more is known of them than if they had never been. In the vehicular traffic, as well as in everything else appertaining to Melbourne and its suburbs, marvellous changes have taken place; so m u c h so that in musing over the now and the then the mind feels as if almost incapable of comprehending the reality. A sad event arose out of a birth of twins at Collingwood, on 20th July, 1850. A Mrs. Buckingham resided near the Rose and Crown Hotel. She was 26 years old and three years married, and two days after her accouchement, in a paroxysm of puerperal mania, she sprang out of bed, and with her husband's razor nearly severed her head from her body. T h e husband, w h o was well known, received m u c h sympathy. In October there was a great scarcity of coal in town, when the price ran up to ,£2 10s. per ton, in consequence of the demand at Newcastle (N.S.W.) for coal to ship to California. O n the 20th eleven prisoners broke out of the Geelong Gaol, where they were all incarcerated in one cell. T h e door was opened for some purpose by the keeper, w h o was knocked down, and with two turnkeys was secured in the room vacated by the runaways. There was a police sentry posted outside, w h o captured three of the gang, but the others made good their escape, and were never re-taken. Lieutenant-Governor Latrobe held a levee at Mac's Hotel, Geelong, on 3rd September, where some ninety persons attended, and an address was presented from the T o w n Council. Mr. Richard Spence, a corn-dealer in Swanston Street, next to Germain Nicholson's, was a well-to-do individual, with a wife and three children, and one of the last m e n in Melbourne, to all appearance, likely to make away with himself. O n the 18th October he was found covered with blood, and a large Dover knife in his hand. Drs. Wilkie and Greeves were promptly in attendance, but the unfortunate suicide died soon after. N o reason, positive or presumable, could be assigned for the deed. T h e daughter of one Michael Reynolds strayed into the bush near Fiery Creek, and notwithstanding a weary and heart-rending search, all traces of her were lost. She was only a child, and was supposed to have either perished in the wilderness, or fallen into the hands of the Aborigines. In November, 1850, a white girl, about ten years old, was observed with a tribe of blacks in the same part of the country, and it was believed to be the lost youngster. Though a reward
