The Express.
London, England, 1853-10-29 00:00:00

NEW SOUTH WALES.

The Immigration Agent has just submitted to tl.e
Governor-General his annual report on immigration
to this colony (for the year 1852), accompanied by a
series of returns, showing in detail the statistical
information referring to the same. This document
was published in ixtenso in yesterday's SmineY
Morning Ilrr rld. It shows that during 1852, 18
immigrant ships arrived in this colony ; of which 14
landed their passengers at Sydney, and 1 at Moreton
Bay ; that the total number of emigrants embarked
was 5,01/6 ; the number landed was 4,981; the births

on the veyage haring been 83, and the dea. hs 198 :
itb, &mh
and, 61
and 45 were u 2 were adts ; 9 were between the
ts et 1 7,under 1 year. Tile
„wore mortality w'^ thus at the rate of 4 per cent.
Of the 1.9'4 who .:rrived, 1,1;34 males
abd 1.910 tensely', making a total of 3,311, o are
glove the age of 11 years. In additiun to these
LL.. Lei
the cost of wose pasaged to th,.
LL,4 ilcfraye Iby the government, there also
arrived the iiumigrants enumerated in the itsg
pleagrayl:, who wire introduced from Gcruiany
wahr t:.e Notation., of April 7, 1817, the coat of
et!: ..e hither has been partially defrayed
by the goverument —ll years and upwards,
Baths. 121: kaiaks, 1.20. Between 1 and 11, males,
40: femaks, 19. l oder 1, make, 8; total, 319. The
cost w the eulutoy of its:emit:el:lg those immigrants
hi; been 23.54/.,wlmh, when added to the amuunt of
ear, account of imusittra-
Con Jur' ti.e same periud, from the United King-
t .1. 'Luse a tots!. cxpenaiture during the year
ni Joint of rig4sted immigration Lio this c0i'7,747r.
i'7,747r. 2.. 9;1

The report ireludes a return. which shows that
dti:::g the fifteen ye:irs eliding the 31st of December
Is", I; ;.212 assisted inimigrauts and 1,;81 nesssistrd
di:to Lev.. arrived in thi, tniuny ; and also, that the
bum paal for the passisgeri of the assisted immigrants
lac:tiding the test of ealleetiun in the case of thou;
intl.:Need under the hainty setem, and those Intro-
dvell from the comment k.nrope under toe regu-
lations of the Tth A:ail, lel7, was 99.3,bbb1. ISti Old
Anethar step in the extension of steam navigation
is about to take place. 'fhe Peninsular and Oriental
enspany have annuni...d their intention of placing
die steamer Attu on the line between New Zealand
and Sydney.
THE NEW CONiTill'f lON FOR TUE COLONY.
Oa the 29th eh. (rays the Sydney 1 ruid) Mr.
Wentworth, as chairman of the eeloct committee of
the Legislative Council, appointed in May last to
prepare a cuestitu'itio 10: New South IYales, ',relight
up the report of the conerittee, and a bill, and the
draft of a prop— •I act of the imperial parliament,
which will be necessary to give it legal validity. In
submitting' to the house the bill to confer a constit it
Conon tat: colony, and to grant a civil list to the
Qaetn, foe committee stated in their report that they
had found it necessary to suggest some alterations in
es.c measure brought up by the committee of the last
session : they fully cuncureed nut only in the scheme
of legislation recommended by that committee, but
also for the most part ir. the provisions of the proposed
tut of parliament, anal the bill to be appended to it as
a schedule, by which, unitedly, this new constitution
is to be legalised and established. The committee
observe that the mos! important alterations made in
the measure recomuiroded by the committee of last
session, relate to the constitution of the legislative
council. and the civil list tobe granted to her Majesty
upon the surrender to the colony of the waste lauds
and royalties, which are, at present, vested iu the
. . . . .

The committee then submit that, actuated by the
views so set forth, they have introduced into the bill
" to confer a cons i tut tt,n on the colony, and to grant
a civil list to her lii.jtisty," too clauses, which to a
certain extent are framed in accordance with analo-
gous clauses to be found in the imperial act 3 George
111., c. 31, "for making more effectual provision for
the government of the province of Queb.:e."
With respect to the elective franchise the com-
mittee recommend a very large extension. They
submit their opinion tLat. in addition to the fran-
chise established b 1 the 1:1 and 14 Vietor's., e. 39, the
right of voting for the- Jection of members of the
Assembly should be given to all persons having room
or lodging, paying for their board and lodging,
or 10/.. a year for their lodging only; and, in recom-
mending this, the committee express their telief that
such an enlargement of the franchise, in combination
with the franchise now existing, will be a very close
approximation to universal suffrage.
rhe committee further recommend that the num-
bers feinting the assembly shall not exceed the num-
ber of the present Legislative Council, and that the
eighteen additional elective members who will be
suletitwed for the nominees shall be distributed
among the electoral districts constituted by the Elec-
toral Act of Mil, in strict accordance with the prin-
ciple of distribution established by that act.
To one important feature of the bill, the committee
particularly invite a:tendon, viz., the I:th clause,
which contains a power to alter the present electoral
divisions' as well as the apportionment of representa-
tives to be chosen by each, whenever there shall be
the concurrence of a majority of the upper house end
of a majority of two-thirds of the lower house of our
future parliament in favour of any such alteration.
The committee submit that this provision is ample to
meet any possible requirements of this kir.d that
may from time to time arise from the various con-
stituencies of the colony.

They further draw attention to another clause of
the bill, which reserves a full constitutional power to
alter the proposed form of constitution whenever
there shall be a majority of two-thirds of both houses
of parliament in favour of any such alteration, re-
serving to her Majesty the right of assenting to or
dissenting from any bill for this purpose that may be
presented for the signification of her Majesty's plea-
sure thereon.

M ith this report the bills referred to therein were
presented to the council, and the discussion of the
whole question was opened on the 9th of August,
when a call of the house was made agreeably to
notice. In the meantime an attempt to protest
against the form of constitution proposed by the
select committee of the legislative council has been
made by a party in Sydney, who, having convened
a preliminary meeting moved and carried the fel-
loui3g resolutions :

That this meeting visws with surprise and strong feelings
of nppo.:',on the saunas proposed for the political constitu-
tion of the colony, especially in respect to tho establish-
tent of an Upper House of Crown Nominee., and f-e
unties of en anpriceilintcd hereditary orar of mlonial
nobility, and sun the manifestly unjust distribution of the
ants by 'hien the preterit representative system is sought to
be slut ded. _

The! in opinion of this meeting the inhahitante of the
calmly shoidd be to le.iemt.lo forthwith, to record
their protest against a neraure so repugnant to the feelings
of Bneust.. subjects. and fr.ught with so much danger to the
political rights at the people.
That the usdermi ntioncd gentlemen be appointe.l a coa-
lmine*, &c.
That the committee be instructed to communicate, by
their secretary, with such country gentlemen as may be
deemed favourable to the great objects contemplated by this
meeting, with a view to securing their cooperation, and
originating similar movements in the country districts.

. .
Last the Local Legislature has had under its con-
siderstinct the important principles embodied in the
proposed form of a new constitution, it has dealt a
heavy blow upon that municipal franchise which,
for eleven years, Sydney has so sadly misu,ed, The
corporation of Sydney has been universally declared
to be a nuisance, and an attempt made by Mr. Thor-
low (a member for the city, and also one of the most
active members of the corporation), to introduce a
measure which might be called the "Sydney Corpo-
ration lteform Bill," has been rejected by the council
by a majority of 27 to 3: and Sydney's municipal
institution is accordingly doomed.