The Express.
London, England, 1851-09-18 00:00:00

JAVA.

The new

BATAVIA, Jtr.i 21.
has published a decree

which concedes to British ships die following-privi-
leges:-1. To British vessels is granted the. same
freedom which, by. Art. :1, Sec. 1, of the law of the
19th June, 1843 is given to Dutch ships; and 2.
Placing British ships on an equal footing in the cote-
' nies and Dutch possessions, save as to the coasting
trade of Netherlands lndia.—M. Senn Van Re-el,
formerly Dutch consul at Canton, and lately
receiver-general of taxes at Samarnug, has
been dismissed the civil service, for venturing, in
some letters addressed direct to the King, to reflect
on the principles and conduct of the. Indian govern-
ment in fiscal and revcnual matters, " in a manner
and with aumments offensive to the government of
Netherlandandia, and with the evident design to in-
spire the king with distrust of what is done in Nether-
lands India, and inure particularly in Java." M. Van
Basel, however, in consideration of past services, is
allowed a pension. Accounts moved from Am-
bovna notice that the greater part of the officers and
soldiers were under medical treatment. The natives
were also suffering from disease.—A new company,
at the head of which is placed His Royal Highness
Prince henry of Netherlands,has been organised for
the purpose of working the tin mines on Biliton,
where it uppea a tho ore is found in considerable
quantities.

[For China markets see last page.]

THE GOLD DISCOVERIES IN AUSTRALIA

Our Singapore correspondent, after giving ex-
tracts fully confirmatory of, but adding little to, the
news already published as to the gold discoveries near
Bathurst, says :
Since writing the above additional information
was received from Sydney, by. the Oriental, arrived
at Batavia, not merely confirming the truth of the dis-
coverics, but clearly proving that even rumour itself
had under-estimated the extent and value of the gold
region. 'the goverument itself, satisfied from the
official report of Mr. Stutchbury, has moved in the
matter, and has put forth a claim to the precious
metal its the subjoined proclamation:

Proclamation of his Excellency Sir Charles Augustus
Fitzroy, Capt:tin-General and Commander-in-Chief of
the Territory of New South Wales and its Dependencies,
Vice-Admiral, &c., &c.
As according to law all gold mines, and all gold its its
beds, within tho territory of New South Wales, whether in
and upon the lands of the Queen, or on the lands of private
individuals, her Majesty's subjects, are and is the property
of the Crown; and government having received informa-
tion that there is gold in anti upon the territory of the
county of Bathurst, and therefore within the government
or territory aforesaid, and that a number of persons have
emannenced searching, or intend to commence searching
and digging for gold on their own account, and for their
own use, without basing obtained permission from her
Majesty, or from any other authority fur that purpose.
'therefore, I, Sir Charles Augustus Fitzroy, the afore-
said captain-general, do hereby make Publicly known anti
declare on behalf of her Majesty that every person who
shall take gold or metal from any property within the
aforesaid territory, and any person finding gold in the unin-
habited parts of the said territory which has not yet been
disposed of, or ceded by the Crown, or shall search or dig for
gold in and upon such territory, will be punished according
to law. And 1 further publicly make known by this pro-
clamation, and declare that upon receipt of farther infor-
mation upon this matter, such regulations shall be made as
may be considered just and decisive, and shall be published
as soon as possible, whereby the conditions will be mado
known on which by tho payment of a reasonable sum licenses
shall be granted.
Given under my hand and seal, in the Government-
house at Sydney, on the twenty-second day of May, in the
year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty-one„
anti the fourteenth of the reign of her Majesty.
CHARLES A. 1,11 ZIIOY.

By order of his Esttllcn.y,,
God save the Queen.

Although this proclamation wes issued on tho
publication of the discovery, the government had
taken no step to carry out the licensing system, ap-
parently sensible that the means at their command
were insufficient to compel parties to abandon their
rich and selected spots, In the existing maddened
state of public excitement, it would not bo prudent
to act on the right the crown has asserted, and Sir
Charles Fitzroy will probably content himself with
the publication of the crowns right, until he receive
instructions and the means of enforcing them from
the home authorities.

Accounts received from Sydney to Juno sth, aro
full of the gold discoveries. lhere were about 16,000
to 20,000 persons employed at the diggings, com-
prising all classes, from the polite professions to
handicraftsmen, run-away policemen, and seamen
from the shipping. Indeed desertions from the
latter were so numerous and frequent that vessels
were quitting, for fear of similar desertions and the
destruction of shipping as occurred at California, in
consequence of whole crews flitting to the mines. At
Sydney labour had advanced fifty per cent., but up
to the above date accounts of the gold finding had
not reached the sister settlements. The gold range
of the Blue Mountains extended nearly 400 miles in
length, and about 40 miles wide.
On May 27, several gentlemen returned to Sydney
who left that city ton days previous, for the purpose
lof ascertaining the exact nature of the recent gold
discoveries. Mr. Hindson and Mr. A. C. Brown (of
the firm of Mart and Brown) conveyed to Sydney
gold valued at 1,0001. This parcel included two
lumps, one of which weighed forty-six ounces, and
the other about twenty, nearly pure gold, having but
small portions of quartz attached. The large speci-
men and the smaller one, together with several pieces
of about one ounce each, were found in one hole, by
a person named Henderson, residing in Bathurst.
On May 24, a Bathurst blacksmith found eleven
pounds weight in ono hole. "Indeed," the Herald
tritely. observes, " there is no doubt that the creek in
which the principal body of the miners is now em-
ployed is richer than any place that has been worked
in California." From the same source we learn
that the largo pieces above noticed aro found
in a bed of slate, which forms a sort of chain across
the Summerhill-creek at the place where it is joined
by the Lewis Pond-creek. On this bar there is a
thin bed of boulder stones and pebbles, and on ro-

W

moving them a bed of mud a few inches thick is seen,
which is cleared away and discovers the slate, which
Is in vertical layers; and i• the interstices between
the layers of slate the gold is found in lumps. The
earth on the banks of the creek is found to contain
scale gold, which is obtained in the usual manner by
'mating the soil in cradles, which allow the gold to
drop to the bottom as the soil is washed oat,—on the
whole, perhaps, a more profitable employment than
seeking for lump-gold. Every one competent from
scientific and local knowledge to form an opinion
expresses the belief that gold will be found in many
other di.tricts besides Bathurst, their geolottiad
features being the same. Indeed the Herold hints
that already gold has been discovered at Lamb's-
valley, near )laitlantL
Consequent on these discoveries the prices of all
articles of consumption had advanced to an unprece-
dented height, among which we may enumerate
Boer hum 210. to 30/. per ton, and difficult to be
cured at the latter exorbitant rate ; wheat,
4s. Gd. to 10s. per bushel; butchers' meat, from 21d.
to sd. per lb., and other articles in proportion. What
Willi* the result of the changes it is scarcely difficult
to conjecture: certain it is the country will be popu-
lausl. From the neighbouring colonies there will
be an 1111110diate aCCef,4 of those hands, and within a
few months thousands wilt bo hurrying from their
fatherland: so that, nn a moderate estimate, the year
1851 and lea will add at least one hundred
thousand persona to the population of New South
Wales. One letter says:
vulva Bathurst on Saturday, and found the gold
m1:.1.1. still more vitiLmt than in Sydney, and much ins
cre.,eil by the arrival of a man with a !ince of gold 31 lbs.
ve:zlit, which lie turned up, as he says, like a root of
poutoi-. It hail such :in effect upon him that he corn-
mi nerd filling his pockets with stones, thinking it all gold,
and to-day covet has not recovered so far as to be able to eat.
It i, ...Aka up, and as his partners have made hint swear
not to open the parcel until they are all present, I have not
sixit it, but there is nn doubt of its being there.
_ .

With the view of checking desertion for the mines,
the government G0:,./te, May 27, contains a notifica-
tion from the governor, directing that any person, of
whatever grade, employed in the public service, who
shall resign his post during the existing emergency
will be noted as ineligible to serve again, and will
certainly not be re-appointed. But, notwithstanding
this notification, the desertions continued, thinning
every department, and leaving the police force far too
weak for its duties.
Br. Lang had been found guilty of libel on Mr.
leeley, Ni.L.C., on April 25. lie was brought up for
judgment, and sentenced, upon the first count of the
indictment, to be imprisoned in her Majesty's gaol,
at Parumatta, for the term of four calendar months,
and to pay her Majesty a fine of 100/., and be further
imprisoned until the sum be paid. On the second
count he was sentenced to be imprisoned in the same
gaol for the same yeti xl, to commence and expire
from the former term of imprisonment.