This issue of the Australasian also includes:
An advertisement for St Paul's Magazine, 'a new monthly magazine of fiction, art and literature, edited by Anthony Trollope and illustrated by J. E. Millais.
An advertisement for the London monthly The Young Ladies' Journal. The advertisement states that the magazine 'contains suitable reading for families, ... interesting to everybody at home and abroad'.
An advertisement for the London Journal.
H. T. Dwight, Bookseller, 'near Parliament, solicits inspection of his stock'.
Probably about Newman's grief over the sudden death of his sister, Mary Newman, in 1828.
Q. writes that he has been 'much abused lately' following comments he made regarding 'the "Author of Orion" [R. H. Horne]'. (See also Q.'s article in the Australasian,11 April 1868, for his original comments, and a further response on 9 May 1868.) He then goes on to reflect on watching the theatre from 'the sixpenny gallery' and commends the experience to his readers (whom he suspects are mostly of the 'porcelain of humanity'). Q.'s final topic is news that a literary club is being mooted for the city of Melbourne; he hopes 'it will come to birth'.
Among the editor's topics of the week is a comment in response to a correspondent who wishes to know 'why a bronze statue of Shakespeare has never been erected in front of the Public Library'. Apparently, money was raised for such a statue during the two to three years prior to Shakespeare's tercentenary (in 1864), but 'enthusiasm flagged'. The money was instead directed to the foundation of a Shakespeare scholarship.
The Australasian opines that the saga 'presents another of the many instances occurring in this colony wherein large expectations end in very disproportionate results, and we are now about as likely to have a colossal statue of Shakespeare in Melbourne as we are to have sub-marine railway to the Island of Desolation'.
Jaques reviews productions of Hamlet and Much Ado about Nothing at the Theatre Royal, and Under the Gaslight at the Duke of Edinburgh Theatre, focusing particularly on the quality of the acting.
A round-up of theatrical news from England and America (noting connections with Australia), including the death of English actor Charles Kean.
An advertisement for Charles Haddon Spurgeon's sermons 'in large quantities', available from Buzzard, Melbourne.
