The Express.
London, England, 1852-06-30 00:00:00

THE AUSTRALIAN GOLD DIGGINGS.

By the Admiral, from Port Philip, accounts hare
been received to the 31st March, being nearly three weeks
later than those last published. The number el diggers
had greatly incremed at the mines, and some um aptness
was telt as to the ability of the storekeepers to provide a
sufficient supply of previsions during the rainy felll,oll, when
the number would be muck greater. A meeting ..f store-
keepers was shout to be held for the purl ins nt Using the
prices of gouda tOr the winter, and the quantity of previ-
teens that should be bold at once to any one customer.
Many of the neceuniries of lite had already [weenie seam,
1 and prices were gradually advancing. Flour was wile....
at Melbourne at 221. per too. One correspondent remark.
that it was utterly impossible for the sterile, pa-rs to supply
produce in quantities relrquate to the &mewl, and that they
hof already commenced curtailing their sales in order to
economise their stocks. . .

The minas of Mount Alexander remained comparatively
unworkable from the lung drought, but rain was now &lily
expected, and a belief was general that the yield would thin
be enormous. Meanwhile the arrival. in blvlbourix w, re
apparently at the rate of nearly 12,1100 ounces a week, and
as the number of persons employed is stated at about,
10,000, it is evident there must bare Men au ample average
ft

_ niuueratiou for steady labour. After thu ex. itenunt from
the tpl:llltilits obtained wheu water was ace. ssible, it is ;no-
bable that au ounce or an ounce and • half a week for each
man wea regarded with indifference. It is said, however,
that apart from the totals which reached town by the
periodical escort, large amounts were retained by
the miners in consequence of the price having
Gillen to 585., at which they were unwilling to sell.
There were frequent deaths from dysentery, and the
invances of rubbery and outrage appear to have
been very frequent. 'I he strongest reproaches were levelled
at the government for their want of energy in heeitating to
establieh an efficient podee force at any cost, the large inc.
jenny of the people being wo.l disposed and ready to aid all
rational effort+ for maintaining order. A meeting had been
held at the mines fur the purpose of raising subscriptions
for the erection of a church, at which the Bishop of 11,1-
Worm. presided, and the amount collected promised to be
wore then sulticieut. Prices of provisions both at Mel-
' bourne nod Geelong were rapidly rising. A vessel from
London, the Isabella Watson, of 514 ton., had been
•vrecked on enteriug the harbour on the evening of the 21st
March. Nine maroon who attempted to escape in the life-
boat were drowned from the mast of the: ship having fallen
upon them, but the remainder of the passengers and crew,
60 in number, were lauded in safety, chiefly through the
courage el some pilots on the shore. The neglect of the
authorities in permitting an insufficiency of lights on
that part of the coast had been strongly censured.
A Victoria Gold Mining Association had been orablished
fur assaying gold and casting it into bars. The govern-
ment escort of the 24th March had arrived with 13,408
ounces of gold from Mount Alexander, and 74 ounces teem
Ballarat; 202 ounces train the latter place had been left at
0-elong. The price had declined to 585., bat had reco-
vered on the 31st March to 60s. per ounce, at which it was
then quoted firm. The Shamrock had sailed for Sydney on
the 24th March with 4,751 ounces' and the Champion for
Adelaide on the following day with 20100 ounces; the Ben
jamin licape for London on the 26th; the Nelson
and Blundell were to sail in a few day. for London ; the
Stebeubeath for London on the let April ' • and the Medway,
I also for Loudou, on the 20th April. Servants of all kinds
were very much wanted, and numerous advertisements ap.
pear in the Melbourne papers for cooks, general servants,
housemaids, nursemaids, groome, joiners, gardeners, wheel-
wrights, waiters, carpenters, sawyers, storekeepers, eosin-
auts, butchen, and shepherds. The Melbourne Aron, con-
tains no loss than fifty-seven advertisements of this kind,
with offers of "liberal wages." By this opportunity we
have also elates from Sydney to the 23rd of March. The
governorgeneral bad started on a trip to the Areluen dig-
gings. The eccousets front the Turon, Ophir, Brentwood,
end Menu were favourable. On the 4th of March 2,11305.
of gold had been received by the government escort, and
1,212 us. by the mail, making a total of 3,355 ox. The crop
of wheat had been good, and well got in, bat from the ie.
creasing demand for dour, prices had advanced to 151. per
ton, with every prospect of a further rise. Business was
moderately acive. Complaints are made of the system
pursued at present by the banks, who are charged with
causing a great monetary pressure by their enormous
advances on gold. The Sydney correspondent of the Mel-
bourne Argus observes:—" We do not believe 100,0001. of
real property has been employed in the purchase of the
600,000/. or 700,0001. worth of gold shipped from this city.
It has been bought on credit—a credit given by the banks
no doubt at good interest, and with a good security; but
we believe the operation has been a disastrous one to the
colony, and may, perhaps, be a losing one to the banks
themselves. The pressure on the money market is now en
great that none but the most unquestionable paper is looked '
at by the banks." As regards the effect of the gold dis-
covery upon the value of real property, it is stated that
land at Prahrsn had been sold at 311. per acre, whilst ei-
miler dots a few months before had fetched only 121. 10s.
per acre. A shop and house in Bourke-street, 22 feet
frontage by 75 depth, had been disposed of for 6201., sub-
ject to a mortgage of 5001. A station on the La Trobe
River, Gipps Land, with 800 head of cattle, bad been sold
at 2,0001.
From Sydr.ey the dates are to the middle of March. At
that place the price of gold was 61s. flel., and was expected
to continue falling as the supplies from the mines were
daily increasing. The waters were steadily subsiding, and
at Ophir the yield was better than at any former period. A
vein opened on a spot which had been carefully drained at
the expense of two individuals was found to give an average
of more than an ounce per foot. In seven days, from
the day it was opened, 153 ounces had been taken out,
the metal being found in pore lumps weighing from
17 ounces downwards. From the Turon the accounts
were equally encouraging, but both here and at Ophir
considerable quantities were kept back, owing to the low
price offered by purchasers. It was thought that several
shipments of gold would be made to eastern markets, with
' the view of getting a quick and satisfactory return, more
especially as a sum forwarded to Manilla had realised
31. 19s. fiel. per ounce. The rate of exchange was 8 discount.
Heavy shipments to Melbourne had drained the Sydney
markets of articles of consumption, and prices were very
' high; but produce of other kinds was greatly affected by
the pressure in the money market, and washed wools were
selling at yd. per lb. lower than in January, notwithstand-
ing the better accounts that had been received from
England.
The dates from New Zealand were to the 2nd March.

At most of the settlements there were strong complaints of
the scale of government expenditure. The colonists were
also getting up public meetings to petition parliament
against the debt of the New Zealand Company being charged
upon the land fund or the general revenue. The Van
Diemen's Land advice:a reach to the 17th March. The gold
deposits discovered in that island were still unremunerative,
but the pieces obtained were increasing slightly in site, and
there was still a hope that good localities would soon be
fallen in with. A report prevailed of a fresh district having
been found at the Bay of Fires.