The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-01-26 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS.

CONVICT DISCIPLINE AND TRANSPORTATION. 7
" Further correspondence" on the subject of convict dis-
cipline and transportation in the Australian colonies has
been printed (as a blue-book) by order of both Houses of
Parliament, in continuation of papers presented in
March, 1857. The papers before us include half-yearly
reports and details on the subject from the Governor of
Western Australia, and the reply of the Colonial Secre-
tary. From Tasmania an address of the Legislative
Council was forwarded to the Colonial-office in January,
1857, protesting against the revival of transportation to
the northern part of Australia, and in May, 1857, the
House of Assembly's address against the revival of trans-
portation to any port of Australia, was transmitted to
Downing-street by Governor Young. The Assembly ex-
pressed a belief that the obnoxious measure would cause
universal discontent and induce deplorable consequences.
Mr. Labouchere replied (4th May) to the effect that no
plan for the formation of any convict settlement in the
northern part of Australia was in the contemplation of
the Queen's official advisers. The second address against
the revival of transportation to any part of Austra-
lia is simply acknowledged by the Colonial Secretary
of State, without comment. The papers from New
South Wales refer merely to estimates of expenditure.
As regards Victoria, it appears that an address to the
Queen from the Legislative Council of that colony was
forwarded by Sir H. Barkly to Downing-stiTet on the
7th of May, 1857, praying that no measure might be
sanctioned for the transportation of convicted felons to
Australia. The Legislative Council of Victoria, advert-
ing to the attraction of the criminal element of society
to their colony by the gold fields recently discovered (to
such an extent as to form one-sixth of the adult male
population), assure her Majesty that unless the landing
of felons on the coast of any part of Australia be pre-
vented, order will perish, the most frightful crimes reign
paramount, and the gold and wool exported to England,
and the vast employment thereby created, be seriously
endangered, if not destroyed, by the convict element.
The argunientum ad hominess is also adduced, it being
asked how, if the mother country cannot bear the
ticket-of-leavers in its society, even after a probation of
months and years, a colony of limited population can pay
for the coercion and punishment of home offenders.
The address thus sent was "received very graciously"
by Her Majesty when laid at the foot of the throne.
GOLD IN AUSTRALIA.-A blue-book of further papers
on this subject was on Wednesday issued from the press.
It supplies the usual monthly returns of the gold dis-
coveries. A comparison of the produce of the diggings
of Victoria in 1856 with 1855 is pronounced by Governor
Barkly to be in every respect satisfactory, the number of
licenses exhibiting an increase of from 5,530 to 8,8)2, and
that of the gold forwarded to the ports, from 466,859 oz.
to 471,186 oz. It is inferred from a review of the returns
that neither the results of the moment, nor the prepara-
tions for the future, indicate any decline in the gold pro-
duction of the colony of Victoria. The average export
for the past five years is estimated by Sir H. Barkly at
fully 3,000,000 oz., worth at the very least £12,000,000
per annum; nor is there reason to doubt that this aver-
age will be sustained for a very much longer period. In
New Zealand but little had been received from the dig-
gings up to the 17th of April, 1856.