The Express.
London, England, 1852-08-09 00:00:00

THE AUSTRALIAN DIGGINGS.

In the Melbourne Morning herald of the 2nd ofl
April last there is an official statement of the num-
ber of ounces of gold which arrived in that town and
at Geelong at periodic times from the 30th Sept.,
1831, to the 31st of March, by the government
escorts. This statement is interesting, as showing
the enormous and increasing yield of the Mount
Alexander diggings.
Data of arrival at No. of ounces of Gold by Go-
Melbourne or verament Escort.
Geelong. From Ballarat From Moont Alex-
-1861.
.......Digging
ander Diggings.
Se 30 ......... 21
Oct.e2
8
15
22
29
Nov. 5
12
15
26
Dee. 3
10
17
MN
24
WM $1
355. 6
12
19
28
Feb. 3
10
17
24
27
21,
Marsh 31
Total 32,285
Many of the Melbourne journals brought by the
fiteboahmth are entirely filled with advertisements.
A chamber of commerce had been established at Mel-
bourne, and a statement had been published by them,
which contains an elaborate view of the condition
and prospects of the colony of Victoria. According
to this able document, whatever temporary inoon-
yeniences the colony has suffered, and is suffering,
from the sudden discovery of gold, are likely to be
amply compensated by its future extension and pree-
Iperity._
.. -

- The following are extracts from letters received by
the recent arrivals :

Dintsoozwi, Aran. 4, 1862.
The condition of society here exceeds anything ever
known, excepting, of wane, California, the utter reckless-
ness of the inhabitanta of every class, but more especially
the workiag classes, is truly marvellous. Your previous
Was an honked Muss sad looms; yea feel yourself living
to a assalgoa ill While there is tee liege mistake, without
when to lest he it. Ouly few a fellow asking
me 8• 1r taking a ease At ps.Esarose • street; ea-
firraw* ".= au. tr 4047. ' r:1:1,
sethig led 'W u& to hem up. Priem of goods of first
1101111111.1 sieassikresa, but more especially those manatee-
tumid to tho missy. I say nothing of the results of the mines,
aa yea mai leers everything I can write you from the
Usillet the day. And yet with all this apparent wealth,
oatteeelhary aneeneration for labour, you find some
Wide INMAN itch, for instance, as that.' poverty
to a Oeaat to trim ;" and that in times of
ahaoieam lir ty the ratio of crime decreases."
New dgavaiscgFrio Eng. land is correct enough, as ap-
pliedse the very reverse has taken place ; for
with the hemmed wealth the ratio of all manner of crime
hoe imemsd bored far what even the increased popu-
lation we.M or englit to give. And the last extraordinary
mina while, he its audacity, has no parallel even in the
state which, for a while, California had to
, is the plunder, in the middle of the night,
gi bead of twenty armed edges, of • gold ship ; they
undid off in safety eight theeterl some odd hundred
actor of gold, amounting in value 16110400 i. This robbery
was anninitted a few evenings ago, and, so fat, no tidings
of the perpetrators.
Port Philip, March 31, 1852.
Tito town is surprisingly fins as regards the width of the
mute and the floe surrounding country. The people at
present are the most vagabond set of fellows in appearance
that you ever saw • their principal amusement seems to be
Gabbing it, and becoming temporary proprietors of horses.
Cab fare is at the almost incredible price of two guineas
an hour, with no hope of ever getting a cab at all unless
you have the orthodox moustache, long beard, striped
, shirt, and general devil-may-care appearance of • successful
I miner. Everything here has the appearance of • bustle
that is unnatural. House rent and lodging are enormous.
There are a few hundred canvas tents out on the out-
skirts, and well may people be driven to this dilemma when
in one day twenty-one sail came hither, bringing between
two and three thousand souls.

STEAM TO Anirriuma.—The Peninsular and
Oriental Company's screw mail steamer Forme's, left
I°6
for Port Phillip and Sydney on Saturday, to
be es the mall station between Singapore and Ami-
ne was filled with passengers, and she took out a
Melyn elliellit of specie. Amongst her passengers were
several Inesential persons in connexion with the Australian
easeem who, with their families, are gone out to reside
in Australia. Amongst the passengers also was Mr. Gettie,
the senior surgeon in the Oriental company's service, who
has given up his profession and is about to engage in mer-
' caned' pursuits in New South Wales. Through the kind-
ness of the company and Captain Engledue, the company's
Southampton superintendent, several young men of that
town were allowed to wort their peewee out to Australia
in the FOMOSIL Some hundreds of persons were in the
Southampton docks to witness her departure. At one
time the crowd was so great, that ingress and epees. to and
from the ship was almost impossible. The Formosa took
out about a dozen hags and boxes of letters and news-
papers. She is the be steamer which has left England ,
for Australia. I