The Northern Daily Times. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-12-30 00:00:00

POREIGN INTELLIGENCE. FRkNCE. PARIS, SUNDAY EVENING. It is now beyond all doubt that the Conference Rill meet to-morrow, the 29th. I understand that Russia is the power to whioh the Pays referred Yesterday as having yet to send an answer on a matter of " detail " before the plenipotentiaries • v C i.!!lld proceed to work. Lam told to-day that the „ing alluded to is the formal consent of Russia to con ioromise which it is alleged has been entered Into about Bolgrad. A statement made by a Bel 4jan journal obtains credence, although I will not Cr edit it till the fact shall leave no room for scepti °isn't What is said is, that the English cabinet, while sticking to their text that they will not c"m Russia any compensation for giving up h (Agra& will nevertheless consent to her t av ing one hundred square miles of terri ,_orY whi c h she was never intended to h ave , Von the con di t i on that it shall not b e sa id t o a c ompensation for Bolgrad. This is what is 1 , 0 ,,t by the compromise. Russia's anal answer, t „„lon it is not doubted will be favourable, is i:Pected to-morrow, and in that case the Con 3ortellt2ces 'nifty very possibly meet on Tuesday, the oria. :, If they do, the protocol recording the t rumg will be signed on the 31st, and then the t i e l s ti s ,.ng will be adjourned over New Year's-day. .word of Brussels, however, being very pro br n ot in possession of the latest news, only k_euleates that the meeting will take place in the .. ; 0 1 3 t fortnight of January. At all events not a the Conferences of doubt is expressed in official circles that ,rilr'econferences will really take place almost and that all parties are agreed as to the s sue. last TheNord of Brussels affirms that within the . in th few d e aYs a remarkable change has taken place t attitude of Lord Palmerston s Government . given less irritable about the Conferences, and has Isoatntriwbiusedeounsels to Switzerland." This change by the Russian agent to the fact that suffi a l ian .Fe with Austria can be formed upon a of p„ - `atty firm basis to stand against the alliance h lo , ; "lnce and Russia, and also to the necessity of iih o " . ng seine tangible result of the negotiations to it is , t ° parliame n t w h en it me ets. The Nord says T er _ ' eertain." that " immediately after the Con , Eerces the English fleet will evacuate the Black Th e the Austrian troops the Principalities. havec Nouvelliste de Rouen says :—" Within the tw days three Prussian officers in uniform . rvet -en going about in the arrondissement of at th °, to buy horses. On Wednesday they were liceo e them to s e e l 'auville market, where several dealers came by appointment. These officers are • L ore ra Panied by three interpreters. They select 074, ar d the • t _ w es flt b o th for draught and saddle, and are to purchases to Prussia before the end the m on ir th. AUSTRIA. VIENNA, DEC. 26. shedthree weeks ago France proposed to Eng t he "' and Austria that a piece of land lying between trib„ lll3 Pe.r part of the river Yalpuk and one of its :s at i o -a pee should be given to Russia as a compen• Go - R n BolgTad. The British and Austrian i nm v-r nment were of opinion that it was of little tar porta o ,„ " whether the Upper Yalpuk or its tribu co strongly the formed a part of the new frontier line, but tatisf ation. objected the use of the word flipen t • to Several days were spent inun: toll' discussions, but at the beginning of B et s tl week (Probably Sunday 21,) it was definitively ed between En land, land, Austria, and France, ettl e t A lle Bessarabi an frontier question should c of i be A person who is generally well-informed lo w " " la passing behind the scenes gives the f oi. b ee , n g count of the arrangements that have j ust tO lnade at Paris First, both the Boigrads are b an e „Z e de d to Moldavia ; second, the Delta of the lu r i." and the Isle of Serpents are to bo ceded to and Russia is to retain possession of the —e o of as a , land between the Yalpuk and its tributary h ar e n Goof for Old Bolgrad (Tabak). T o bet about 180 b e O ' the above-mentioned territories is said to f square miles, with a population o t he foregoi ng ' 8 ,000 and 10,000 souls. In order to make add ~?r eP illo' information complete, it must be e 't that the Russian Ministers at Paris do not o bject to the terms proposed. PRUSSIA AND SWITZERLAND Th e Frankfort Journal of Saturday last gives . the 4 %%in g news from Berne, dated on the previous ay (Frida) The Federal Council has received a proposition arran gement from tho Emperor Napoleon. in g T . h ° Popular enthusiasm is continually increas ` The S w i ss Confederation is organising f or t h e et ence of th e nat i onal soil. `• Milit ary preparations are actively going on. appeal has been made to Swiss women to pro "e for the service of the ambulances." * 0- privat e l e tt er f rom B erne of the 24t h s t a t es i s'at on that day 15,000 troops were pl ac ed en echelon f r r u ta Basle to Rheinfelden Liestal, and as many '2,11 Rheinfelden t o S c h a ffh ausen. 1- ) -t Tb he P resse pu b lishes the following letter f rom ' Je rrie of the 24th : — 4 ~e military preparations of Switzerland e an importance far exceeding all that was ti 'n 1838 and 1847. The popular demonstra o ns are suc h as do not a ll ow the slightest doubt ` be li en ,. entertai ne d o f the unanimity of the national i nd 'u The cantonal governments and nent.private • ivi duals vie with other in enthusiasm and sac• th l3 ; and th e F e d era l C oun cil receives every day se, - „ lno st satisfactory assurances of devotedness, 11, °1 Panied. by offers of service an d mone y . e c h - p ' . i e are at th e p resen t time already 15,000 men "tod`"ed on th e li ne o f Basle-Rheinfelden•Liest ali 'Ph as many from Rheinfelden to Schaffhause have ohs gymnastic societies of Switzerland e e all . offered their services, and there is e or e ,, n t'on of forming all the members into a special bus. Itia calculated that there would thus be ready Iti n rY of 2,000 young men, accustomed to every i 14r en ,. °f bodily exercise, and capable of rendering t e tc,,,;'eet service to their country. In all the can °Meers of every rank, freed from military 4, 'Pe, offer themselves for any duty that may be att n ?d, and in all cases their offers are at once ,the e r ,',.," ed • According to the Federal constitution, nead - lination of the general in chief and of the It 6 ° ' the staff belongs to the Federal Assembly. howeve r , universally b e lieved that Gener al a °4l. will be appointed, and he has arrived here Th e lerin tend an d direct the military preparation s. the 1 -°wing are some of the superior officers of e hgin ei eral staff.---Commander in chief of the ?Ilili ee pre, Col one l B uc h wa ld e r; commander in e h i ° ' the a r till ery, Colone l F esc h er ; commander ?te rtib er ef the field train, Lieutenant Colonel Wur qac„,,erg ; comm an d er i n c hi e f o f the waggon train, , ornar o ; auditor in chief, Gonzenbah ; Pl ll4 ."' l t etqary in chi e f, Aby s ; physician in chief, Dr. I ,oo o e *a 'veterinary surgeon in chief, Neeff. About e, , h atoi °l lcera, sub officers, and soldiers of the Neuf ,rnountains have sent an address to the fav ou 'aL Government, in which they claim, as a 1 % to be pl ace d i n th e advanced guard, if an The neat should t a k e pl a ce with the Prussians. t 4 th eral Council has referred this application cu t , e tnilitary department. A report is generally c'e llt e nt here that the Federal Government has b e i j acted a very c o n siderable loan, the amount it ig s• said ted as high as 50 millions of francs, and that two London Banking houses have O A Fed to place the greatest part of it." pr 'ette r , from Berne, of the 22nd, in the Journal 1, 4n1 . ,,tf0rt, says ° day, the first troops passed through this . th e w with drums beating and colours flying, on Oist ri w aY to Basle. The inhabitants of the rural th e n ets are flocking in here old and young, to get 11 '0141 1 "a inscribed at the enlistment offices. It Ivhie be difficult to describe the general enthusiasm Franh prevails. ]tter rrom Berne, in the Post Ampt Gazette, of tfort. It • ' says -- th e is certain that that the unanimous vote of Itai i 'rand Council of Berne in favour of the nlited military credit demanded by the Federal THE NORTHERN TIMES.---LIVERPOOL, TUESDAY. Council has produced a great impression on the diplomatic body. Surprise has been particularly excited by the fact of Director Funter, so well known for his conservative sentiments, and the aristocratic M. de Gogenbach, the intimate friend of Count Pourtales, having both defended with warmth the cause of Switzerland." The Swiss papers publish the report of the Council of State of Neufchatel to the Grand Coun cil of the canton on " the royalist insurrection of the 3rd September, the repression of it, and its consequences up to the month of October;" but though it runs to great length, it adds nothing to the facts already known. On the other side, a letter from Berlin states that, when the news became known that the order for mobilisation had been decided on, the money market in that city fell considerably, every one offering to sell. The Bourse Gazette, of Berlin, and the New Prus sian Gazette, announce that as they consider it a patriotic duty, iri the present critical state of affairs in Prussia, to give as little information as possible concerning the military movements of the Prussian forces, they shall abstain from touching on such questions for the present. • It is mentioned in a letter from Stuttgard, of the 23rd, that several Prussian engineer officers had passed through that place on their way to make military surveys of the country through which the Prussian troops would pass in South Germany and on the Swiss frontier. It was rumoured at Berne on the 23rd that the Baden Government has given permission for the passage of the Prussian army through its territory. PERSIA. The Teheran Gazette of the 7th Raby-el-aouel (sth of November) announces that the siege of Herat was undertaken to prevent the Governor, Esa Khan, from surrendering the town to the Emir Dost Mahommed Khan. This proceeding, the Gazette adds, was perfectly consistent with the treaty of Herat concluded between Great Britain and Persia. Notwithstanding all that has passed, the Persian Government has not lost sight of the preservation of its friendship with Great 'Britain, and is ready to withdraw her troops from Herat on condition that the British Government take measures at Ca udahar, Affghanistan, and Herat itself to secure that each of those countries shall remain for ever under the rule of its own Govern ment. SPAIN. MADRID, DEC. 24. The Marquis de Constantia is charged with the Ministry at War. The Jesuits who were at Majorca are removing to Loyola. Several sacred orders have been conferred upon bishops in the provinces. DEC. 25. The persons compromised in the affair of the republican club which was lately discovered have been sent to different parts of the kingdom under the surveillance of the authorities. Letters from Rome state that the Pope has expressed his satisfaction at the nomination of M Mon as Spanish representative at the court of Rome.. The news of a Mexican general having arrived at Madrid to ask for assistance for Santa Anna is false. THE ARMY OF PERSIA. In 1834 there appear to have been in Persia eleven millions of inhabitants, nine of whom were Tadjiks or bona fide natives, and two of wandering tribes, consisting of Turks, Arabs, and Kurds. The military forces were then composed of :—lnfantry, exercised in the European manner, 10,000 ; regular cavalry, 4,000; artillery, 850; irregular cavalry, 80,000; militia, 150,000; total, 244.850. Austrian officers have instructed the Persian troops ; and it is said that one of the great objects of Russia of late years has been to have these instructors replaced by Muscovites. The Persian army at the present time is composed of two distinct parts —the regular army (tountann), and the irregular (toafendji). The former, in time of peace, consists of 50,000 men, increased when war has broken out to 70,000. Two regiments of infantry form a brigade, two brigades a division, and four divisions a corps d'arnzee. The sertif (general of brigade), and the serdar (general of division', answer to the same rank in European armies. The regiment bears the name of the town or district in which they were raised and have their depot. The artillery, which is partly organised on the English system, consists of three regiments of nine batteries each, of an effective force of 4,000 men, including 160 officers, and 5 ; 000 horses and 1,009 camels. The eng i n eers are composed of 120 men ; the pioneers of seven companies containing 840 men ; and the waggon-train of 1,200 men. The regular army, properly so called, has no cavalry, but a body of 10,000 men has been detached from the irregular fel ces and annexed to the guard, The cavalry (korcheni saevare) com prises, in addition to the 10,000 horsemen of the guard, 190,000 men, who constitute the numerical force of the Persian army. They are excellent shots, but use the sabre too little, which eircum , stance renders them far inferior to the European cavalry. Thus the whole Persian force, as set down on paper, gives the following numbers : Regular army, 50,000 ; militia, 20.000. Irregular army :—Cavalry of the guard, 10,000; ordinary, 190,000; infantry, 90,000—total, 360,000. Here, then, is a State of 11,000,000 of iwhabitants, with a nominal army of 360,000 men ; an amount out of all proportion with so small a population.— Galignani's Messenger. INDIA. No intelligence had been received at Bombay of the Persian expedition. A force of 5,000 men was marching from the Kohat frontier towards Cabul. Severe conflagrations had taken place at Rangoon, Kurrachee, and Bombay. The Guicowar of Baroda died on the 19th of October. • Disturbances had broken out in Kimedy. Exchange at Bombay, 2s 2'7d; at Calcutta, 2s I'-4-d. Freights had advanced. Exchange at Madras, 2s 2:d. At Hong Kong exchange was 4s 73d to 4s 8d; at Shanghae, 7s sd. HONG KONG, Nov. 16. Exports of tea, 29 500,000 lbs ; do of silks, 43,800 bales. Exchange, 4s 8d at Canton, and 7s 5d at Shanghae. Silk settlements at Shanghae 53,000 bales; prices have advanced 40 dols, yet no great supplies are attracted. BOMBARDMENT OF CANTON. • TItIESTE, Dec. 27.—The steamer America arrived here to-day. at ten p.m., in 147 hours, from Alexandria, which port she left on the 20th Dec. The India mails had arrived there with advices from Bombay to the 3rl Dec., Calcutta the 22nd Nov., Madras 27th, Ceylon 29th, Hong Kong 15th, Shanghai, 6th, Melbourne 20th October, and Sydney 15th. At 11 a.m. on the 20th, neither the Ripon nor the Valetta was in sight. A serious collision had taken place at Canton between the British authorities and the Yeh, the Chinese Governor General. A lorcha, under the British flag, at anchor off Canton, was boarded on the Bth Oct. by a Chinese force, and twelve of the crew seized. Consul Parks proceeded on board, and was insulted and threatened with violence• Remonstrances made to Yeh were treated with contempt. On the 21st October the matter was placed in the hands of Admiral Seymour. Hostile measures commenced on the 24th October. The forts of Canton were taken, and several of them destroyed. Yeh.persisted in rejecting Admiral Seymour's demands for satisfaction, or even an interview. On the 27th October fire was opened on the city walls and on the Governor's palace. The city walls were breached on the 29th October. The troops penetrated to the palace, but were withdrawn in the evening. The loss was three killed and twelve wounded. Attempts at negociation continued fruitless, and on the 3rd and 4th November the whole city was bombarded. On the 6th November twenty-three war junks were attacked by the Barracouta, and all destroyed. Time was again granted to the Chinese, but no signs were given of submission, According to the latest accounts the Bong forts had been captured. The factories had been almost totally vacated by the foreign community. Property to a large amount had been destroyed by fire. Commerce was at a standstill. AUSTRALIA. ARRIVAL OF TIIE REI) JACKET. Yesterday afternoon the Australian clipper ship Red Jacket, Captain O'Halloran, entered the Mersey, bringing the Australian mails of Septem ber 29, gold to the extent of £520,000, and 155 passengers. The Melbourne Herald of September 29, alluding to the departure of the Red Jacket, says : The R.M.S Red Jacket received her passengers and gold on Saturday, and was perfectly ready for sea, and cleared at an early hour yesterday morning. The wins was adverse and the service of steam was engaged. The gale, however, increased with very heavy spans, to such an extent that it was impossible to get her under weigh until 4 p.m., when it moderated. We must state, however, that the agents were untiring in their exertions to procure extra steamers, but in consequence of the principal tugs being laid up for repairs, they were unable to procure them. The Red Jacket takes 153 passengers, and 134,000 ozs. gold. We have before recorded with pleasure the beautiful order in which the vessel has always been kept, which speaks highly for the ability and attention of Captain O'Halloran and his officers. • Among the arrivals out at Melbourne—the Tornado, Almone, Beethah, Saldanha, and Morning Light (the latter vessel in 72 days) from Liver pool; the Victoria, Admiral, Moses Davenport, Athletae, and Zoboab, from London ; and Czar, from Greenock. _ _ We take from the Melbourne papers the follow• ing summary : POLITICAL AFFAIRS• At the date of the Red Jacket's departure, the people of Victoria were in the midst of the elections. Those for the Upper House had been completed ; and of the members for the Lower House about one third. were elected. The remaining elections would extend over the month of October. The Melbourne Age says : The public interest exhibited in the Tipper House elections has been as nothing in comparison with that felt in those for the Lower ; and the members returned for it are, with few exceptions, men of very little perional weight in the oountry. Most of them, indeed, although old colonists, are quite new to political life; and the very names of some of those returned for the remoter districts, are unknown in the metropolis. In point of fact, the main qualification of the majority seems to be the possession of the £5,000 required by the Constitution. There is not one man of striking superior ability amongst the entire thirty. The same paper, alluding to the composition of the upper house, remarks : There was much apprehension before the elections that the squatters would st ain every nerve to gain a majority in the upper house, with a view to securing a favaurable set tlement of the question relating to their future occupancy of the waste lands, and also of " compensation"• for alleged losses, to which they have been laying claim. The result, however, has dissipated every idea of that kind, for of the thirty members, only four are actually squatters, and only three or four others are directl y connected with the squatting interest. About one half of the whole number are merchants or traders, and about one fourth are landowners. As to their political principles, the majority are in favour of a reform of the new constitution; about a third of the whole are declared opponents of state aid to religion, and most of them profess to be supporters of liberal and popular mea sures. There is nothing positive in the appearance of the new council, and certainly nothing aggressive in its character. The only distinct characteristics it p'ssesses are respectable mediocrity, and a kind of dignified neutrality of political sentiment, which is not unbefitting a house de signed for the passive duties of supervision and check, rather than for active duties of constructive legislation. It will be a very quiet, very grave, but exceedingly dull body, as nearly approaching total insignificance in its political influence as a senate can possibly be. Respecting the elections for the House of Assem• bly, we are told that the public interest felt in those had been most intensely excited by that for the city of Melbourne. There were five seats to' be contested, and for these ten candidates appeared. They were, Messrs O'Shanassy, Greeves, Stawell, M ichie, Langlands, M'Culloch, Moore, Heales, Ebden, and J. T. Smith, Mayor of the city. There was a special interest pertaining to every ono of these candidates. Thus, 1111.. O'Shanassy was the acknowledged leader of the popular party for the past five years ; and it was interesting to watch how the people would testify their sense of the value of those services by which the political rights they were about to put in exercise had been mainly won for them. In a lesser degree, Mr. Greeves had claims of a similar kind on the electors Messrs. 111•Culloch and Moore were the representatives of the mer cantile interest. Messrs. Langlands and Heales were the favourites of the working classes. Mr. Michie was a leading member of the bar, with strong popular sympathies and superior abilities. Mr. Stilwell, the Attorney General was the repre sentative of the present Government and of the Downing street regime. In his person was to be tried, or rather, should have been tried, the grand question, whether the people accepted or rejected the present Ministry, who had constituted them selves " responsible," and against whom lies a heavy charge of political delinquency. Mr. Smith, the Mayor, had been rejected by the electors of the Central Province, and he was seeking consola tion in an appeal to the citizens. His personal character had been very severely handled by the press in the course, of the previous con test, and not without good grounds ; and in order to re-establish his social position the gaining of a seat in the Assembly was absolutely essential. Hence the eagerness of himself and Ws partisans to attain the object was excessive and even painful. It was social life or death to Mr. John Thomas Smith. As to the other candidate, Mr. Ebden, the personal interest lay in his being an old colonist of good standing, and an officer of the Government in former days, with some reputation for administrative ability, and a leaning towards popular principles. We have stated these particu tars because the result of the election has shown that the special personal interest felt in the candi dates individually, and not their respective political principles, was the thing that really determined the election. The vote was by ballot, and the Melbourne Age in its issue of Sept. 27, remarks : It must be confessed that the first experiment of the extended franchise and the ballot in Victoria, has not been so very decisively in favour of those great principles which the people ought to uphold, and which they have spent years in the struggle to establish, as it should have been. But neither can it be said that this first experiment is a conclusive attestation of the unsoundness of the popular principles of extended suffrage and the ballot. To think so would be a very hasty and rash conclusion. The real fact of the case is that the election proves nothing but the extent of exertion made by each of the candidates, or by their friends. Tbere was no pitched battle on the ground of principle. The only question specifically raised was that of State-aid to religion ; but it seems to have been discarded on both aides. Many Anti-State-aid men voted for Mr. Stawell, and thereby left Messrs. Langlands, Heales, and others, in the lurch. Phimpers seem to have been given very extensively ; and it is believed that it was by their aid that Messrs. Smith, Stawell, and O'Shanassy got in at all. The only two whd have gone in on general grounds are Me,srs. Michie and Moore ; and their success, as was very candidly admitted by Mr. Moore, is due less to their positive than their negative merits. They had no enemies as the others had. What the ultimate effect of this election on the future political career of the colony may be, it would be premature to speculate upon. With regard to the other elections in Victoria we copy the following from the papers just quoted : The government party have certainly been, so far as the elections have gone, successful in getting in their candidates. Thus, at Sou th Melbourne, Capt. Clarke, the surveyor general, won the election against Mr. Blair, a Melbourne journalist of popular principles, although the majority of the electors there • were avowedly _in favour of those principles and opposed to Captain Clark's. The issue raised was not one of principles at all any more than it was in the case of Melbourne. So again, Mr. Fellows, the solicitor general, gained his election against Mr. H. S. Chapman, a tried and trusted, and most valuable popular representalive.— At Geelong, Mr. Sladen, the Colonial Treasurer, has got the second place on the poll. Three other members of the Government have the contest still before them ; if contest it may be called. Mr. lTaimes, the colonial secre tary, is canvassing South Grant. He meets with no serious opposition. Mr. Childers, collector of customs, is unop posed at Portland. Captain Pasley, the colonial engineer, has several competitors for South Bourke ; but the probabi lity is that he will be returned. Mr. Foster, the ex-colonial secretary, was returned for Williamstown without a contest. In Collingwood and in Richmond, two suburban constitu encies, the contest seems to have been mach more one of principles than in any of the places just mentioned ; for in both a liberal candidate was placed as the bead of the poll. At Collingwood. Messrs. Harker and Embling, both liberals, defeated Mr. NB .eket, who, in spire of all be can say to the contrary, is regarded as a man of anti-popular and anti , progressive sympathies. At Richmond, Dr Bvans, the leader of the poll, professrs extreme democratic opinions, but the other member, Mr. D. S. Campbell, is the other way. At Geelong there has been a keen contest, but it resulted in the triumph o( the liberal cause ; for, though Mr. Sladen stood second on the poll, the other three, Messrs Fyfe, Read, and J. H. Brooke, are of decidedly democratic sentiments. The success of Mr. Brooke is the more remarkable, as he laboured under the disadvantage (we had almost written crime), of not being a local man, and of having had to.contend against an unusual amount of viru lence. At Brighton the liberal candidate, Mr. J. D. Wood, bas been defeated by Mr. J. B. Were, who cannot be looked upon as a man of progressive sympathies in any sense. Up to the present time the results are, upon the whole, encou raging, and lead us to hope that responsible government will not be allowed to dwindle into a mere mockery of empty phrases, without reality or meaning. THE GOLD FIELDS Vrom all quarters of Victoria the prospects of the gold fields are most encouraging, although from the combination of a variety of causes the escort returns had fallen off. The following is the weekly amount of gold sent by escort during September, as compared with the corres ponding weeks in the year previous :- 1856. 1855. oz. dwt. oz. dwt. The week ending Sept. 76... 36,021 0 51,359 0 ” 13... 55,254 0 47,553 0 ft If 20". 41,671 0 48,698 4 ff „ 27.. 40,483 0 49,126 17 Total ... ... 173,429 0 196,837 1 It will be observed there is a slight decrease on the month, as compared with the same period of the previous year. The average weekly receipts for the thirteen weeks ending Sept. 27. is 44,805 oz., and for the thirteen weeks, previous of the same year, 46,975 oz. ; or to take the monthly average for that period, 145,616 uz and 187.900 oz respectively. Or, taking the average •of the last fonr weeks, we have 43,357 oz, and for the four weeks previous of the same year, 47,257 oz ; so that whatever way we view it, the month of September shows a decrease. The total amount of escort returns for the present year, up to date, as compared with the same period of 1855, shows, however, a different result . _ _ _ Total to September 27... 1,941,391 oz 1,528,762 oz. Thus there was a considerable balance in favour of the year, though the monthly and quarterly returns were decidedly against the Victorians. Referring to these returns, the Melbourne papers agree in stating that there is No reason to be dissatisfied with the result ; however, on the contrary, we have reason to congratulate our selves that matters are no worse, considering the adverse circumstances we have been labouring under for some time. The excitement about the gold discoveries in New South Wales, that was mentioned in our last summary, and which was diminishing our mining population at the rate of several hundred per week, bad scarcely subsided, when a fresh cause for excitement appeared, in the shape of new diggings nearer home • and for one hundred that went to Sydney. one thousand rushed off to Dunolly. This has been the most gigantic rush we recollect of since the Ovens diggings were opened, and throws far into the shade the more recent rushes to Fiery Creek and Mount Blackwood The population of Dunolly is now estimated at between 30,000 and 40,000. There is no Government escort from this place as yet, so that we can only guess at the amount of gold forwarded by the amount of the escort from Maryborougb, from which place Dunolly is distant only 18 miles. And as that amount is still a mere trifle compared with the immense numbers of people there, the diggings cannot be considered very successful, and many are leaving. The fact of our receipts from the diggings still keeping so near the average under those circumtrances, only proves the reliability of our resources. Our mining population, estimated at 100,000, and 40,000 of these, or nearly one half, have been perambulating the country, from Melbourne to Sydney, and from Sydney to Dunolly, for the last few weeks, all the time doing little or nothing in the aggregate, and all the time our exert returns scarcely affected, only shows to whom we must look for a steady supply of the precious metal. One thing is evident, —it is not the rush going part of the diggers that help us much. Our supply must come from the puddling machines, quartz miners, and those generally engaged in operations that require the adoption of more settled habits of life. But the chief obstacle to success on the gold fields, and the immedia• e cause of the instability of our mining population, is in the want of a system of mining regulations suited to the times. The twelve feet square claims, however suitable they might have been when gold was more abundant, are now a great impedi ment to progress and en'erprise, compelling men to trudge on in the old style, and causing needless waste of time and labour. Oaily allow claims large enough to afford a profitable investment to capital and labour, and the yield of our gald fields will very soon be doubled. One feature of the diggings which strikes a European as peculiar is the number of Chinese located there. Remarkable as this singular people are for their plodding, industry, and perseverance, they are scarcely a whit behind our own population in energy and enterprise Tuey have entered largely into mining sp ecu l a ti ms , an d invariably adopt the latest improvements in their mining operations; they are to be met with at every ru.h from Mount Ararat to the Snowy Mountains ; they sit beside us in every caach to or from the diggings, and like fast travelling as well as the smartest of us; they carry on a considerable trade on the roads, are the owners of horses, teams, and puddling machines. That they also obtain a fair share of the gold raised on the diggings is well known there ; but that they figure so largely at the Custom-house as exporters cf that metal, is known only to a few." TRADE AND COMAtERCE. Under this head the Melbourne Age remarks : Throughout the whole of the present month trade bas been in a somewhat torpid condition. chiefly owing to the fact of the roads to the interior still remaining in a bad condition; and in couscquerce a vast quantity of country orders lying unexecutcal. Meanwhile the imports have been pouring in, in vast quantities, from Britain and else where, to all appearance threatening to create as complete a glut in some departments as we experienct d eighteen months ago or more. Happily, however, the general prosperity of our mercantile houses is such as to prevent the necessity of forcing sales at unremunerative prices, while the necessity of replenishing the low stocks on the gold fidlds v,ill sooner or later relieve our superabundant supplies. A glance at our shipping columns will show the immense shipping arriveli wi' ',am the last thirty days, as well as the tonnage they represent. Probably at no period of the colony's existence has Hobson's Bay presented a more crowded and animated appearance than it does at present. The respective values of the imports and exports for the four weeks ending the 20th instant, are displayed below : Imports. Export.. Week ending 30th August. £259,092 £386,708 DJ. 6th September 190.141 172,204 Do. 13th September.— Do. 20th September 665,072 126,381 £1,500,537 £1,030,575 It will thus be seen that (as for several months past) our imports exceed our exports ; but as the gold entered for export by no means represents the amount actually raised, the difference between the inward and outward entries is not really so great as here appears. The amount of Customs duties paid within the same period appears below : For the week ending 30th Aug, .... £25,740 5 9 Do. do. 6th Sept. 22,742 12 7 Do. do. 13th Sept. .... 28,249 10 3 Do. do. 20th Sept. ... 25,917 11 0 In commercial maters generally there has been consider able activity. Through the conjoint instrumentalility of the Press and the Chamber of comra?.rce, several very important regulations have been established calculated greatly to facilitate public business, and, indeed, to benefit the whole community. Ono of the principal of these is the more rapid delivery of the mails from the United Kingdom. It often happens that contrary winds entirely prevent the ships beating up the harbour, whereby the merchants and inhabitants generally have not unfrequently been kept out of their correspondence f r several days. In order to obviate this, the government have been induced to station the Victoria seam war sloop at the Heads (or mouth of the harbour) so that she may bo in readiness to bring off the mails us soon as a vessel arrives. The Victoria is also intended to hold herself in readiness to render assistance to vessels entering the port, and, in fact, to make herself as serviceable as possible to the mercantile marine, when otherwise she would have been lying idle in the upper har bour. The necessity of such an arrangement has of late been strikingly exemplified. The Lawrence Frost, a fine Liver pool vess,l, had j E;t entered the Heads with the pilot on board, when she drifted on to a shoal, and lodged deeply in the sand. Being very heavily laden, she gradually sank deeper and deeper, until the sea made a clean breach over all her decks. It was feared that the would break up, and have to be abandoned, but by the aid of pumps and lighters she was gradually floated, brought up to the harbour, and her injuries effectually repaired. Had the Victoria then been stationed at the Heads, there is little doubt but that the vessel might have been got off at once, without any damage either to herself or her cargo. Favoured by nature in the possession of a splendid land-locked harbour, Melbourne yet suffers the incon venience of being situated several miles up a river, which by reason of bars and shallows, is incapable of affording a passage for vessels of great burthen. H r merchants have therefore been obliged to discbar# the cargoes of such vessels by means of lighters, which at great cost bring up the goods to the city wharves. To avoid this inconvenience, it was some years ago proposed to con struct a ship canal from the city to the bay, and docks in connection therewith. The great expense of the under taking caused its abandonment at the time. Since that period the trade of Melbourne has scoired such immense importat ce that it has become absolutely imperative to adopt measures for the improvement of the water communication, and for the discharge of vessels of magnitude at the wharves of Melbourne, A few days ago there was a large meeting on the subject held at the hall of commerce. There was every unanimity as to the necessity ofsometbing being done, but a difference of opinion as to how it should be done— whether there should be a canal formed, or the river widened and deepened ; and whether the works should be constructed by the government, the corporate body, or by a harbour trust. In order to settle these points, a committee was appointed to report upon the matter, whose decision will, we believe be acted upon with as little delay as p oss ibl e . Meanwhile the railway pier,which has for some time been in progress, and now extends far into the deep water of the bay, affords accommodation for a limited number of vessels to d;scharge their cargoes at once into the railway trucks, whereby a saving of about 2s per ton is effected upon the old method of carriage by lighters. The Montmorency was the first vessel of size which discharged at thts pier, and since that several others have been on the berth, and rid of their c irgoes with perfect success and safety. The news of steam postal communication having been de finitively resumed by the English government, has given great satisfaction. There is now a chance of having our mer cantile correspondence conducted upon a proper foo ing, both as regards rapidity and regularity. As if to signalise the greatness of the benefit about to be conferred on our commercial interests, our mail ships have of late been even more irregular and uncertain in their arrival than usual. The Seidman, with the mails of the sth June, was over a hundred days on her passage, and did not deliver her letter bags till the advises by the Golden Era had been in the bands of our merchants fully eight days ! The ab. surdity was rendered complete by the arrival a few hours subsequent of the Morning Light, with the letters of the sth July ! The important subject of railway communication with the Interior is attracting much attention. The construction of the great lines have been taken in hand by the Govern ment, and a railway board have been appointed who are understood to be busily engaged in arranging the prelimina ries of these important undertakings. Tenders have been accepted for a portion of the line between Melbourne and Williamstown. f r Messrs. De Pass, Brothers and Co., have contracted to supply the rolling stock from Eng land at a commission of 1 per cent. on , the English cost. Tenders have been invited for portions cf the Melbourne and Mount Alexander line, and that between the Metropolis and St. Kilda is in rapid formation. The Geelong and Melbourne line is also making way. With reference to the great lines, there exists a difference of opinion as to whether they should at first be constructed on an economical plan, or at once laid with costly lines which will involve the employment of more capital and labour than we have at disposal. The communication between Melbourne and the Murray (which seems to be indispensable if we are to preserve the trade of the gold fields with the metropolis) has for some time also been contemplated by tho South Australian.. It is scarcely probable that two lines to the same district, though in different colonies, would be sufficiently remunerative to justify their formation, but it behoves us to be on the alert, and immediately open communication with a district where the adjoining colony is already attempting to cut us out. Our roads to the interior are in such a wretched state from the heavy rains that at times they are scarcely passable, and if they were, the distance is so great that the land carriage by means of drays grievously enhances the prices of provisions. In default of great rivers from south to north, we must have railways. The Adelaide merchants are still actively prose cuting the trade on the Murray, though many dispute that in the long run they will find it prove remunerative. Time will show. If we are not progressing very fast with our principal railway schemes, there is unch doing with the telegraph. Arrangements have been entered into between the Govern ments of Victoria and South Australia for the formation of a line between the two capitals, and a portion-of it is under survey and actual formation. It is intended ultimately to connect Sydney, alai the Tasmanian Government are taking active measures for the formation of the line between the northern and southern extremies of that islacd. The Hobart Town Chamber of Commerce have expressed an earnest desire that the two islands of Tasmania and Australia should be connected by a submarine cable, and seem certain that the Government of the former place would be willing to bear their proportion of the cost if the propositicn were acceded to by the Government of Victoria. In the circular of Messrs. Mackay, Baines, & Co., issued for the sailiug of the Red Jacket, we find the following:— Since the date of our last report, we have little change to note in the prices of imports. The long continued rainy season must now soon terminate, but the occasional heavy showers still operate in impeding carriage, and prevent the execution of orders for the interior ; and the markets are consequently still dul.. The elections for our New Parlia ment have excited great attention, and added in some degree, to the dullness in mercantile affairs ; while the excessive and continued arrivals of gooods from both British and foreign ports, cause purchasers to hold back as long as possible, in the hope of bnying at reductions on present prices ; and when the enormous arrivals already to hand (exceeding 14,000 tons in as many days), as well as the large supplies known to be on the voyage are considered, it is but natural to look for a decline in the almost nominal rates now ruling. The stocks in the country and the diggings are, however, daily decreasing, and reckoning the population to be supplied (as soon as the opening of the roads renders damage unlikely, and rates of cartage reasonable) at 200,000 souls, the markets will be relieved of a large portion of its surplus stock. Holders at present are tolerably firm, and should they not give way, the decline may not be of importance; though, as we have already remarked, some reduction will, we think, occur in many articles of con sumption. -- MELBOURNE MARKET.—SErr. 29. • GROCERIES, &c,—Candles are of moderate sale ; Is 24d for Price's Belmont is the highest value. Dried fruits are without alteration, esvpt apples, which. from considerable imports are not worth more than 63 or 61d per lb. Of hops a sale is reported at is 31 best Font. Odmen's stare con tinue much neglected, and the stocks being considerable, we see no prospect of amendment for these articles at pre sent. In spices we have no change to report. Owing to arrivals of salt, the article has given way, £4 for coarse being the top price. English soap is all but unsaleable, and quotations are quite nominal. Teas cantinue very steady ; fine green and scented teas, being scarce, bring rather advanced rates. Coffees are firm ; a cargo is to hand this afternoon, per Sailor's Friend, but of course is too late to affect the market. Sagars arc still in good demand and very firm, and the better sorts are looking up. The loss of the cargo per Mountain Maid (that vessel having bean sunk by collision with the Qieen steamer) has rather strengthened the market by depriving it of this, just now, required addition to our stock. On other articles we have no remark to make. LlQUORS.—Spirits are not quite so firm as when last quot-.d. A good business has been done in Rum, but the article is again quiet. Old Tom, although in fair demand, is a trifle down. Brandy is of rather heavy sale at quota_ tions, or perhaps a shade lower. Whisky has decidedly fallen in value, and the highest quotation does not exceed 5s Gi per gallon. In Sherries several transactions have taken place in fair medium qualities, but without alteration in prices. Ports are steady, but not much doing ; and in light wines we do not hear of transactions to any amount. Bulk Ale is in brisk demand at former rates; £lO for Bass No. 3, and other brands in proportion being the ruling price. Porter in bulk remains without inquiry. In Bottled Beers a fair trade has been carried on at quotations. We hear of considerable sales of Marzettes half porter and half ale, at Its ; and a quantity of Harper's, porter only, has changed hands at I Is 3d per dux. BREADSTUFFS, &c.: The flour market is in a state of almost unprecedented dullness, and at present prices nothing is doing; the general impression seems to be that stocks in the ports from whence the market is chiefly supplied are very much heavier than was calculated on, and although the opening of the roads will afford great relief, no one appears to venture on purchases beyond ab solute requirements. The heavy imports of Scotch oats shook the article, but owing to the large demand for colonial oats, the former have rallied, and are now saleable at 5s 10d to 6s. Rice. Notwithstanding the amount of stocks on hand, this article is firm, and when the traffic to the diggings commences, the great amount of Chinese population will induce a large demand, and prices are therefore not expected to decline. PROVISIONS, &c.: Good English bacon and hams are in fair demand. The latter are, however, easier in price, in consequence of very large arrivals. Cheese of good quality and in prime condition maintains its price. Butter is quite neglected. It is held at is to is Id, but we hear of no sales at these rates. The arrivals of this article of the season's shipment amount to no less than nearly ]3,000 firkins, and as fnrther supplies are expected, a decline may be looked for. The large stock of old butter is of course unsaleable, and when the warm weather sets in will become valueless. PAINTS, OILS, and COLOURS offer no remark, but will be more in demand at the close of the rainy season. METALS : Little is doing. Sales of Staffordshire iron en dull, prices bel linaodme in at al f 15 Ipnerttoinn. plates Hoo a furtherpiron is. p reductionartilarly has occurred, and they are not worth more thad 15 per cent advance on invoice. BUILDING MATERIALS : These generally are without much alteration. Slates have declined slightly. Timber is steady as quoted, and a fair business doing. BOOTS AND SHOES of suitable sorts are in lair demand. and meet ready sale, at prices according to assortments. Sovx GOOD 3 : No demand for the interior, for soft goods, having yet been exhibited, we cannot report any improvement in prices. Shipments coming to hand are heavy; but holders show no disposition to force sales. Surnates Hardware. No change has occurred in prices. Gunpowder is dull of sale. Blasting sorts par ticularly, are almost unsaleable even at the low rates quoted. Bagging has fallen in price, also three bushel bags, which have been sold at from 15s to 17s. Woolpacks are heavy at 4s 91 to ss, lirht 4s to 4; Gd each. Coals are easier; English £2 to £2 103, and Newcastle, Maw., 333 to 38s per ton, both in the Bay. GOLD: During the past two or three weeks prices of gold have remained firm, viz. :—Castlemaine and Bendigo, 764 61 per ounce; Maryborough, Kororg, Avoca, and Danolly, 76s per oz; Ovens, 76s 61 pert z; and Ballarat, 77s per oz. There has been a good demand for shipment per Red Jacket, and the supply has been fully up to the average. The Escorts this week bring the first parcel of gold from Geelong, the pr..duce of the Steigli+z field, and we are glad t) perceive that the government has, at last, acceded to the requirements of that field, wltich ought to have been so provided some time sine , . .We are constantly receiving reports of the richness of D _molly, bat must say that the increase from the neighbouring fields does not bear out the reports. The amount from Maryborough and Fiery Creek is 9,642 ources, and the population at Dunolly alone is said to be over 40,000 persona ; but, no doubt, a large quantity of gold remains in first hand en the Lid, until our tardy government puts on an escort from there, instead of as at present obliging purchasers to carry it a distance of twenty miles to the nearest escort office. WooL : Very little offering with a decided disinclination on the part of shippers to purchase at late rates. The re* prts of the July and August sales are looked for with con siderable isterest. TALLow : Beef and mixed, £3,5. to £36 ; mutton, £36 to £37. HIDES There are not any town cured hides in the mar ket. Transactions within the past few days have been done at from 5s Gd to 168. Country hides, 103 to 133, according to condition and quality,. LABOUR MARreaT.--The Market keeps well supplied with labour of every description. Prices firm at the under quotations : —With rations—Married couples without fami lies £7O to £BO, per annum ; do. with families, £6O to 63; gardeners, £65; grooms. £5O to £6O ; stock-keepers. £5 to 60 de.; shepherds, £3O to £35 do.; hutkeepers, £25 to £4O; ploughmen, 25s per week; farni labourers, 22s to 224 6d; sheep shearers, 16s to 18s per hundred sheep; cheep washing, 25s per week ; mowers, 8s to 10s per acre; reapers, 18a to 20s per acre; threshers, 8d to 10d per bushel ; bullock drivers for the roads, 30e per week ; bullock drivers for farms and stations, 25s per week ; horse-team drivers for roads, 25s to 30t per week ; hay cutters and trussers, 35, per week or 7s per ton; men cooks, 20s to 45s per week; waiters, 20s to 301 per week ; blacksmiths, 50s to 60s per week ; carpenters, £2 per week; rough carpenters, 30a per week. Without rations : —Blacksmiths, £4 to £4 lOs per week ; carpenters, 12s to 15s per day ; masons, 14s to 15s do ; plasterers, 141 to 15a do; quarrymen, 10s to 13s do; labourers, 8s to 10s do; pick and shovel men, 104 per day on the roads, wood, water, and tent found; stone breakers, 7s per yard, com positors, Is 40 per thousand; pressmen, £4 to £5 per week. SYDNEY, Sept. 22. GOLD: The amount of gold is s ued by the Sydney branch of the royal mint during the week has been 15,000 sovs. The amount of gold dust imported into the same establish ment during the week for the purpose of coinage has been 4,464 ounces. Of this quantity, 1,346 ounces were received from the Rocky River diggings. The western and southern escorts arrived on Friday morning at the colonial treasury, and delivered the following quantities of gold dust : —West ern : From Bathurst, 1,050 ozs ; Sofala, 251 ozs 9 dwts 4 grs; Tambaroora, 198 ozs 18 dwts ; Louisa Creek, 685 ozs 16 dwts. Southern : From Braidwood, 333 czs 3 dwts 8 grs. By post during the week, 626 BEEADSTUFFS : here is no alteration to report in the wheat and flour market. Flour is held at £2B per ton of 2,000 lbs for fine, and £26 for second quality. Wheat brings 9s to 9s 6d for good samples. "LA.IINCESTON, September 24. The flour market still remains depressed, none but small parcels for home use have changed hands lately. Oats have considerably advanced in price, and at present there is a brisk demand for good samples at 7s per bushel. Very little wheat has been brought in from the country for some time, and as high as 9s 6d per bushel has been given for one prime parcel, but 9s to 9s 3d is still the average price. FLOUR, per ton of 2,000 lba : Flue, £23 to £25 ; seconds, £2O to £23. GRAIN : Wheat, per bushel, 8s 93 to 9s 31 ; oats, do, Gs 93 to 7s ; barley, English, none for sale ; ditto, Cape, 6s to 6s 63 ; bran, is 93 to 24 ; Pollard, is 63 to is 91. HOBART TOWN, September 22. In consequence of large arrivals of breadstuffs at Mel bourne and Sydney, coupled with the large quantities (say 11,000 tons) as stated to be still available for export at Adelaide, and the arrival of the Southern Cross from Talca huano, with 12,000 bushels of wheat for this port, our market is very unsteady, and prices are decidedly tending downwards: Some samples of good colonial wheat were placed at the close of the week at 10s Id per bushel, and some choice parcels realised 10s 4d per bushel, but buyers are exercising much caution in their purchases. Flour is also a shade lower, and may now be quoted at £26 to £27 per ton ; but we think it would be somewhat difficult to sell even 10 tons at these quotations. The city of Copenhagen was visited by a very ex'ensive conflagration on the night of the 20th inst., originating in the manufactory for the preparation of chicory, situate in the immediate vicinity of the Exchange. THE LATE FATHER MATHEW•—We are happy to under stand that, at length, a requisition calling on the Mayor to convene a meeting for the purpose of taking immediate steps towards getting up a memorial to the good and lamented " Apostle of Temperance," is in course of signa ture. —Coth Reporter. EXPORTATION or OLlVES.—Cardinal Antonelli has pub_ lished a notice in the Roman Journal of the 20th instant, to the effect that in consequence of the deficiency of the last crop of olives, the exportation of olive oil is prohibited, and the free importation into the Roman States of that article is permitted until further orders: DEATH FROM THE EXTRACTION OF A TOOTH.—We are sorry that we have to record the death of Mr. John Egan, Farnham Ro'id, near this town. It appears that the de ceased, who was a clerk in the office of Mr. Brush, agent to Lord Farnham, and was respected by all who knew him, for his mild and unintermeddling disposition, got a tooth ex tracted some time ago, from which an abscess of the jaw resulted, ending in his death, notwithstanding that all which medical aid could do, was made available for him.— Anglo-Cat. A NEW RAILWAY CARBIAGE.—A railway is proposed to be constructed near Lyons, on steep gradients, with a v i e w to avoid deep cuttings and embankment, or tunnels, and to test a new system of carriage, invented by M. Bourget, civil engineer, for working it. A break placed under the carriage holds on to a third rail, when the train stops, bat when in motion, the part which seizes on the rail, opens by the effect cf the onward movement, and closes with great force the moment the train ceases to go forward. It is stated that a number of trials of the plan were made by the Council of the Pouts et Chaussees, and that they sanctioned the employ ment of the system. The Lyons journals state that the shares issued for raising the necessary capital to execute the line, were subscribed in three days. Lola Montes returns to the Atlantic States from Cali fornia. A California paper says :—Madame Lola Montes will leave to-day, in the Orizaba, for New York. Since her departure from New York, she has been to Australia, where she met with remarkable success, and has drawn houses in California, both before her departure and after ' her return, such as few artistes who have visited us have done. She goes to New Yors, we learn, for the especial purpose of providing for the education and care of the children of her former agent, Mr. Folland, who was drowned on the passage from Australia. It will be re membered that her beautiful collection of jewellery was recently sold at auction, the proceeds of which were to be devoted:to this purpose. INCIDENTS OF THE LAST EXECUTION.--OUT Leeds corres pondent sa3 a the noose was observed to have slipped from its proper position under the ear, and was seen up the side of the face, and appa ently beyond any influence en the windpipe ; and the struggles of the convict displaced the lower part of the cap, and rarely exposed his agonised features to the crowd. Every instant Hannah's head was thrown back again and again, with a frightful and convul sive moti on . Hi s bands, which held the prayer bood, we re alternately con t rac t e d an d relaxed, and at length the book fell, its leaves fluttering in the wind as it dropped to the ground. His agonies were frightful. The whole body quivered, and the throes of the dying man were so despe ra t e that his trunk swung to and fro for fully three minutes. The officials of the gaol, as if the dreadful spectacle possessed a special fascination over their disciplined nerves, stepped to the edge of the fall, and peered curiously and shudderingly upon the struggle for life below. The crowd in the mean time had become fearfully excited. Expressions of com passion for the culprit were intermingled with execrations on the executioner, who had so disgracefully mismanaged his task. Cries of " Hang up the executioner !" " Hang up Jack Ketch !" were the latest which attended the exit of the guilty spirit from its earthly tenement.