MELANTHIUS, a noted Greek painter of the 4th century B.C. He belonged to the school of Sicyon, which was noted for fine drawing.
MELBA [Nellie Porter Armstrong] (1859–), British operatic soprano, née Nellie Porter Mitchell, was born at Burnley, near Melbourne, Australia, her father being a contractor, of Scottish blood. She sang at a local concert when six years old, and was given a good musical education. In 1882 she married Captain Charles Armstrong, and in 1886 went to study singing in Paris under the famous teacher, Madame Mathilde Marchesi, whose daughter, Madame Blanche Marchesi, also a famous singer, was associated with her. In 1887 she made her début in opera at Brussels, taking the stage-name of Madame Melba from her connexion with Melbourne. In the next year she sang the part of Lucia, which remained one of her famous rôles, at Covent Garden, London; and, though critics complained of her coldness as an actress, her liquid voice and brilliant execution henceforth made her famous as the greatest successor to Patti, in pure vocalization, on the operatic stage. She maintained this position for over twenty years, her triumphs being celebrated in every country.
See the “authorized” biography by Agnes G. Murphy (1909).
MELBOURNE, WILLIAM LAMB, 2nd Viscount (1779–1848), English statesman, second son of the 1st Viscount Melbourne, by his marriage with the daughter of Sir Ralph Milbanke, bart., was born on the 15th of March 1779. His father, Peniston Lamb (1748–1829), was the son of Sir Matthew Lamb, bart. (d. 1768), who made a large fortune out of the law, and married Miss Coke of Melbourne Hall; in 1770 he was made baron and in
1781 Viscount Melbourne in the Irish peerage, and in 1815 was created an English peer. After completing his course at Trinity College, Cambridge, William Lamb studied law at the university
of Glasgow, and was called to the bar in 1804. In 1805 he married
Lady Caroline Ponsonby (1785–1828), daughter of the 3rd earl
of Bessborough. She was, however, separated from him in
1825. Lady Caroline Lamb acquired some fame as a novelist
by her romance of Glenarvon, which was published anonymously
in 1816 and was afterwards (1865) re-issued under the title of
The Fatal Passion. On entering parliament in 1806 the Hon.
William Lamb (as Lord Melbourne then was) joined the opposition
under Fox, of whom he was an ardent admirer; but his
Liberal tendencies were never decided, and he not infrequently
supported Lord Liverpool during that statesman’s long tenure
of office. During the short ministry of Canning in 1827 he was
chief secretary for Ireland, but he afterwards for a time adhered
to the small remnant of the party who supported the duke of
Wellington. The influence of Melbourne as a politician dates
from his succeeding to the peerage in 1829. Disagreeing with
the duke of Wellington on the question of parliamentary reform,
he entered the ministry of Grey as home secretary in 1830.
For the duties of this office at such a critical time he was deficient
in insight and energy, but his political success was independent
of his official capacity; and when the ministry of Grey was
wrecked on the Irish question in July 1834 Melbourne was
chosen to succeed him as prime minister. In November following
he had to give place to a Conservative ministry under Peel;
but he resumed office in April 1835, and remained prime minister
till 1841. He died at Melbourne House, Derbyshire, on the
24th of November 1848.
Lord Melbourne was without the qualification of attention to details, and he never displayed those brilliant talents which often form a substitute for more solid acquirements. Though he possessed a fine and flexible voice, his manner as a speaker was ineffective, and his speeches were generally ill-arranged and destitute of oratorical point. His political advancement was due to his personal popularity. He had a thorough knowledge of the private and indirect motives which influence politicians, and his genial attractive manner, easy temper and vivacious, if occasionally coarse, wit helped to confer on him a social distinction which led many to take for granted his eminence as a statesman. His favourite dictum in politics was, “Why not leave it alone?” His relations with women gave opportunity for criticism though not open scandal; but the action brought against him in 1836 by Mr George Chapple Norton in regard to the famous Mrs Caroline Norton (q.v.) was deservedly unsuccessful. The most notable and estimable feature of his political conduct was his relation to Queen Victoria (q.v.), whom he initiated into the duties of sovereign with the most delicate tact and the most paternal and conscientious care.
Melbourne was succeeded as 3rd viscount by his brother, Frederick James Lamb (1782–1853), who was British ambassador to Vienna from 1831 to 1841. On the 3rd viscount’s death the titles became extinct, but the estates passed to his sister Emily Mary (1787–1869), the wife of Lord Palmerston.
See W. McC. Torrens, Memoirs of Lord Melbourne (1878); Lloyd Sanders, Lord Melbourne’s Papers (1889); A. Hayward’s essay (from the Quarterly Review, 1878) in “Eminent Statesmen” (1880).
MELBOURNE, the capital of Victoria, and the most populous city in Australia. It is situated on Hobson’s Bay, a northern bend of the great harbour of Port Phillip, in Bourke county, about 500 m. S.W. of Sydney. The suburbs extend along the shores of the bay for more than 10 m., but the part distinctively known as the “city” occupies a site about 3 m. inland on the north bank of the Yarra river. The appearance of Melbourne from the sea is by no means picturesque. The busy shipping suburbs of Port Melbourne and Williamstown occupy the flat alluvial land at the mouth of the Yarra. But the city itself has a different aspect; its situation is relieved by numerous gentle hills, which show up its fine public buildings to great advantage; its main streets are wide and well kept, and it has an air of prosperity, activity and comfort. The part especially known as the “city” occupies two hills, and along the valley between them runs the thoroughfare of Elizabeth Street. Parallel to this is Swanston Street, and at right angles to these, parallel to the river, are Bourke Street, Collins Street and Flinders Street—the first being the busiest in Melbourne, the second the most fashionable with the best shops, and the third, which faces the river, given up to the maritime trade. These streets are an eighth of a mile apart, and between each is a narrower street bearing the name of the wider, with the prefix “Little.” The original plan seems to have been to construct these narrow streets to give access to the great business houses which, it was foreseen, would be built on the frontage of the main streets. This plan, however, miscarried, for space grew so valuable that large warehouses and business establishments have been erected in these lanes. Little Flinders Street, in which the great importers’ warehouses are mainly situated, is locally known as “the Lane.” In the centre of the city some of the office buildings are ten, twelve or even fourteen storeys high. The main streets are 99 ft. wide, and the lanes somewhat less than half that width. Round the city lies a circle of populous suburbs—to the north-east Fitzroy (pop. 31,687) and Collingwood (32,749), to the east Richmond (37,824), to the south-east Prahran (40,441), to the south South Melbourne (40,619), to the south-west Port Melbourne (12,176), and to the north-west North Melbourne (18,120). All these suburbs lie within 3 m. of the general post office in Elizabeth Street; but outside them and within the 5 m. radius is another circle—to the east Kew (9469) and Hawthorne (21,430), to the south-east St Kilda (20,542) and Brighton (10,047), to the south-west Williamstown (14,052) and Footscray (18,318), to the north-west Essendon (17,426), and Flemington and Kensington (10,946), and to the north Brunswick (24,141). Numerous small suburbs fill the space between the two circles, the chief being Northcote, Preston, Camberwell, Toorak, Caulfield, Elsternwick and Coburg. Some of these suburbs are independent cities, others separate municipalities. In spite of the value of land, Melbourne is not a crowded city.
The Parliament House, standing on the crown of the eastern hill, is a massive square brick building with a pillared freestone facade approached by a broad flight of steps. The interior is lavishly decorated and contains, besides the legislative chambers, a magnificent library of over 52,000 volumes. At the top of
