24 JANUARY 1880, Page 3

The Times' letter from Melbourne (published in the issue of

last Saturday) is written in so violent and truculent a spirit against the present Administration of that colony, that one can hardly trust it for the most common-place details. It admits, how- ever, that the result of the appeal to the people on the reform of the Constitution is very doubtful. Our readers are aware that we object to the proposed plan of submitting questions disputed between the Legislative Assembly and the Legisla- tive Council to a popular pl6biscite, as decidedly as we could object to any proposal which seems to us of an unconstitutional nature ; but it is obvious that the fury of the Times' correspond- ent is directed, not against that proposal, which he mauipus lates to influence English opinion, but against the proposal to return gradually to a nominee Legislative Council. We believe the latter proposal to be both wise and in tendency Conservative,—of a nature to restore to the Council the only kind of weight which it can exercise with advantage under a Democratic Constitution, but to restore that weight in full measure. We would warn our readers against confiding too much in these virulent diatribes, evidently proceeding from the pen of some bitter partisan.