The Express.
London, England, 1852-04-14 00:00:00

THE AUSTRALIAN HOLD FIELbs.

We have received by this arrival Sydney pipe, t,
10th January. 'rho Sydney Slapping (Ai:,
December, after passing in review the events
have occurred since the discovery of gold in the *t.
Lb:meat, says :
It is estimated by competent judges That not man
10,000 men have been engaged on our mines, and tlistn,,,
are now leas than 6,000 spread over the various
The great body of oar miners are in town spenitiuz
was, and, therefore, it is not rem I, I ar-d.i.e Lad our e... 1
should appear to decrease. There has arrived thi.
escort—from Ophir, 3 n oz. ; Turon, 3,390 oz.; 1;41,..,.!
0.18 oz.; and by post—fmm Braidwood, 912 oz.: s
227 oz.; Bathurst, fiegi oz.; tioulburis 122 oz.; and
8 oz. ; in all 6,240 ox.—worth about 24001. The
from Victoria by the overland mail yesterday wa,
equal to the last week's. The (aeon bad hroußk
, Melbourne, from Alexander and Ballarat, 19,210..,
liero had sailed for London with 20,731 oz., and tIA u.
bonnie wee about to sail with 40,000 or. The iivav y,
steamer, would bring up here about 12,1.000 oz. 'the
had fallen considerably in consequence of the Lau,.
during the exchange to 8 per cent. discount, and
to advance over cis. per ox.
The Sydney Morning Herold of Jan. ,
the heading of " Four Tons of Gold," has 11..
ing:
The Kate, which yesterday soiled for England..
from our shores upwards of two tons of gold ; .in
bourne, which sailed from Port Phillip tut w,,
board nearly two tons and a guilder. It is pod,
both these vessels will reach England übee. tli.
April, and the report that four tons and a quart. r
has arrived from Australi wi:l odd to the 50... ,
which the previously received news will have c.o.
Steamers once in two months, indeed!—a QOM/ t,
Mendel, morning, at four o'clock, ris the Cape, and !.
every '1 hursday morning, at nine, via Panama, will
great deal nearer what we shall require ; and ill for
hamentary grant, why, if it is nut given freely and qud
we have no doubt the vaareogerN mails, and speci. w.
amply pay a well appointed line of first•elass
whenever they may be laid on.
The following are items of news from the Victigic
gold diggings :
Of the richness of the diggings at Monut Ale:ander tlars
is not a question ; but the total want 44 that gout .'tali of
life, water, had compelled thota,an is to alundou
search for gold ; whilst the lora:ids of threat. lad
to thin the ranks of those who remained. We take the
folllowing extracts from the cunonunications of the cone-
spoodents of the two daily journals:
The correinondent of the dryers writes thus
my return from Melbourne people !lave left by than-
sands ; many parts of the creek which were tornully
crowded with tents are now almost tentless, and, auk- rsx
comes soon, will be entirety deserted. Thin: Are
many complaints of poor success, same not oak.
ing sufficient to clear their daily expel... s, stale
there are few who can say they arc liar ecLL
There are snore reasons than one for these complaints. the
heat is so excessive that few can work in the can, tie
ground has become so bard fur waist of rain, that nolaz
but is pickaxe can break it, and fur the same nave yoa
cannot wash without puddling ; and lastly, the wit. r Lis
become so thick that nothing but heavy gold can lo; ob
Dined."

The Melbourne herald thus reports the an ival
last government escort, on Wednesday, the :3.4 -
" The Mount Alexander escort brou,dit .lowa v..t. r !,v
883 lbs., 2 ounces. and 10 pennyweights, or ,f
gold ; the escort from Ballarat only the noinind au:int...A
3 lbs., or 36 ounces. The accounts trona the Mount manna
the report of our own correspondent, contained in his kit r
inserted in yesterday's Herald, via., that thousands an r•-•.•
turning as fast as they arrive, owing to the scarcity .1
water. The Ballarat escort will be dixontiuued from
date."

The correspondent of the same paper writes as fo'.:oat
from Mount Alexander :—" These diggings are sow eon.
paratively deserted; large numbers left last week—may
on Wednesday, and several more will be otf to-day. Tie
want of water is the principal cause of this emigrating, br
though a great many are gone holiday Iccepiii4, yet aid
the water lasted out a great many would hare resumed
steady at weak. The excessive bad weather for this woo
past has caused considerable illness. Within the Luton
or three days we have load thunder and lightning, =3 br.
very little rain."
According to Mr. Paterson's last gold circular, December
29, the price of gold, which during the previous week Ina
ranged from Sts. to S6e., was stated to be 56a.

PROPOSED NEW PENAL SETILEMENT.

Sir James Nlatheson, IMP., proprietor of the
Island of North Rona, has offered it as a gift to goviruni a
for a new penal settlement. This island is situated in thi
Atlantic, in latitude 59 deg. 7 min. 15-48 see., and loucield
5 deg. 48 min. 50-45 sec. west. It forms part of the Lewis pro
party). It lies 38 miles N.H. of the Butt of Lewes. finning
nearly equilateral triangle with it and Cape Wrath. It
highest point is 360 feet above the level the sea. On a dear
day Cape Wrath and the Lewes and Harris Milian berm
'without glasses. The island resembles a long-necked de
canter, with its neck towards the north. Its greatest leapt
is nearly a mile, and its greatest breadth the same. At it
north end about half a mile of its length vino
in breadth from 10 to 20 chains. Half of Iha
portion is stratified rock, without a partick of
vegetation. The eastern shore of this part slopesgently
to the sea; the western, though rugged and broken,
is but 90 feet in height. The southern portion of the
island is broader and more elevated, averaging three-
quarters of a mile broad, and the two bills not less than 350
feet high. The seaward bases of these bills form precipi-
tous caffs, inaccessible in many places. The nxke round
Rona are few and small. Gouldig Brag and Gouldig Mohr
are the only rocks, more than two chains from the show.
Another small rock, seen at low water, near the SM.
point, is dangerous to navigators anchoring in the awls
bourhood. The soil of lions is goal, and the pasrare,
though not luxuriant, is beautifully green. Exception:
60 acres the whole island is arable, interspersed with a few
small rocks. A small part of the south side bad been re:.
tivated, and produced excellent barley. It is now rote.
as a sheep farm. There are five or six ruinous huts upo:
it. The smallest is said to have been a church. There a
also a graveyard, in which is • ride era..., without say
scription. There are neither rats nor mice, sad
very few birds in the island. There is no peat ern
and not much sea-weed. There is sufficient sprier wri•
on the south shore. Seals arc numerous, but not i.e.,
killed, and cod fish are abundant. The tide' rise fez
live to ten feet, and the south wind prevails. The he
landing places are Poul Houtham on the south. Skilshr,
the west, and Gewsh Sthu on the east. So well drelters
is Gevah Sthu, that three vessels anchored at its mouth
years ago, and remained one night. But such a dinar h.
not occurred before, and has not been repeated since. I%
island contains 270 acres, three-fourths of which are arabie
Some years since it was inhabited by several families•
lived by fishing, and on the produce of the soil ; bat:
attempting to land on a stormy day, all the men were lz
b' the upsetting of their boat. Should government scro7.
Sir James Matheson's offer of this island as a convict pris.
and penal 'settlement, it will combine the adratttqesl
Portland pso n and a penal colon in New Set.:
Wales, being near enough to be controlled '1
the home authorities through directors of un.ol
for Scotland, or thauugh a separate hoard of commission:
and from the small size of the island, and its loneliniss...
would have all the terrors, and none of the attractions,
tt
transportation to Australia. The cost of maiatsiain; s
convict abroad is 401. • year. The cost of maintainirq
convict in Rona would not exceed 151. a year, and th.°'
1,000 convicts far four years would save 10a,efill.
climate and soil being favourable, the arable putts of lbws
might be cultivated by the convicts as a garden farm r,'
would be a good training for such convicts as might aTfter
wards emigrate, and it would considerably ditaiaish
tN
expense of the establishment. All other et Ltt"sr.'
usual in prisons, could of course be done at lions. al's
prison made of galvanised iron may easily la ermored i
prank
one place to another, a great difficulty is obviated
the expense of buildings, which, after serving their purl'
in one locality, became useless, as now the trader frau
; one locality to another is provided for.—Obserrer.

COMPLETION OF THE ELECTRIC TELEGRACII
THE EIi,ISTOL CHAN,IEL.—The 'Electric Teleirarh CI
pany have just completed their through range of win.
miles, from London to Bristol, In addition to the micAll'
tages available thereby, as regards the immediate tows!
sion of shipping intelligence from the Bristol Channel•
completion of the communication ',places the onnalcn*,
community of Bristol, and then djacent west of Etst:rf
districts, in direct telegraphic communication not ouly
London, but by. means of the eroes-country stretch of to'
graph, already in existence between Bristol and GlaucteA
and Birmingham and Derby, connects the west of Enelar/
with those towns, so well as with Liverpool, Manche;.;
the north of Scotland, and the whole a England. So
hundred men are now employed upon the link sso:"1
to he completed between Bristol and Exeter, of
miles, and which it is expected will be tiai.hcd hrla,'
and so complete, with the exception of minor coninieno,o
the telegraphic network of the country. •
EAST ANGLIAN ILAILWAT,—A proposition is
laid before the proprietors, at their next meeting, ,*1
expediency of the approprbition by the Laitcra
. the Loot Anglian line.