The Express.
London, England, 1864-10-17 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

AGITATION ON THE CONVICT QUESTION.
We have received advice* this morning from Mel-
bonnie to August 25. Parliament at that date was
within a few days of dissolution, the returns to be
completed by the middle of this month. The tran-
sportation queetion was absorbing public attention
to the exclusion of almost every other topic. The
Melbourne Age says :
The anxiously expected reply of the Colonial Secretary to
the remonstrance of the Victorian government arrived by
the last mail. It announced bluntly that no further oonom-
slow could be made—in other words, that transportation
to Western Australia is to continue in spite of us.
Oar government took the earliest opportunity
of announcing their intentions for the future.
On all hands it is admitted that the time for remonstrance
has gone by. If the representations already addressed to
the British Government and people have failed to convince
them of the enormous wrong they propose to indict, it is
useless to repeat the same method. Determined to us.
their utmost efforts to prevent this intolerable wrong, the
colonists are prepared to enter upon a cons of capstan.
tient' rseistance, and they look to the government to lead
the movement. Mr. M'Culloch.the chief secretary, accord-
ingly announced that he intended to give notice to
the imperial government of his intention to terminate
the mail contract with the Peninsular and Orien-
tal Steam Company at the end of six months,
unless such changes were made as would prevent
the steam-ships calling at King George's Sound, or any
other port of Western Ansteali♦ By a line of powerful
vessels the mails might be carried from South Australia to
Ceylon without coaling. If the Peninsular and Oriental
Company and the imperial government--one or both—de
cline to accept this change, the colonist' are prepared to
trust to some other method of maintaining communication
with Europe. We cannot resist without inconvenienoe, and
by voluntarily submitting to an interruption of the mail
service we do something towards proving our sin-
cerity and unanimity. The ()Met Secretary farther an-
nounced that be had Issued circulars inviting the neigh-
bouring colonise to send representatives to a conference to
devise measures of defence. On the assembling of parlia-
ment a bill will be presented to prevent the influx of per-
sons from Western Australia, and probably also se prohibit
commercial intercourse. In this way the convict
settlement will be severely punished for the as-
sistance it has rendered the imperial government
in the prosecution of its unjust schemes. We
shall see whether complete isolation will be tampon.
sated for by a supply of convict labour. That Western
Australia cannot support the population it is proposed to
favour bar with, if compelled to keep them after the
expiration of their sentences, is proved beyond doubt. She
counts upon distributing them over the other colonies as
soon as they are free. The moment their labour PONS to
be that of serfs, so soon do they become burdensome. The
propped& of the Victorian government have been warmly
acquiesced in. More violent courses have been ream-
weeded, but the colonists are resolved to proceed firmly
and moderately. We noticed, last month, the scheme
of Mr. Edward Wilson to ship convicts mid
expires to England, by way of retaliation. It was
generally believed to be impracticable, and, under
present ciroumstanose,uawarrautable. Although oaorlosumod