The Express.
London, England, 1847-05-03 00:00:00

COLONIAL

WESTERN AUSTRALIA.—From this colony we
have received complete files of newspapers from the 16th of
September to the 30th of December, 1846, and letters to the
2nd of January, 1647. Their news is the most satisfactory
we have received from it.

It is with regret that we announce the intimation con-
tained in the latter: " Our governor is dangerously ill; in
feet, it is generally believed that be cannot last much
longer." The illness appears to have been of long continu-
ance. So early am the 14th of October last the Inquirer
noticed that Governor Clarke had been " mat dangerously
ill," that " much anxiety and alarm prevailed," and that
"it is feared his excellency will require, for some time at
least, great care and freedom from the anxieties of business."
I The colonists appear to have been much pleased with their
new governor ; the paper from which we have just quoted
{Amerce, "seriously as his government has been impeded by
illness, yet he has succeeded in winning the respect and in a
great degree the attachment of the pubuc."
The Hon. Peter Brown, colonial secretary, died on the
bth of November last, after a lingering and painful illness of
many months' duration. Mr. Brown had been aasoinated
with the settlement front its first formation, and had dis-
charged the duties of his office without intermisaion from the
tine of his arrival in the colony, a period of eighteen years.
He was in his 49th year; a native of Dumfriesshire.
The harvest of 1846 was concluded towards the end of De-
cember. Westward of coast range, the return was under-
stood to be lair, though the Swan farmers had suffered in
some instances from the late period at which the rains of the
season fell, and in some front late sowing. The effects of
these two causes were more severely felt to the east of the
range, where from one or the other cause the crop was be-
lieved to be deficient to the amount of one-third. The
whaling season had closed the following estimate dies yield
is from the Inquirer: Fremantle Company, 41 tune;
Messrs. Habgood and Vineneb, 40; the Thetis, 28; Hurford.
Penny, and Cheyne, 80; in all, 186 tune. Of this we estimate
45 tuns of sperm at 601. per tun, 2,7001. ; 80 do. black at 201.,
1,6001. ; 61 do. humpback at 301., 1,8301.; in all, 6,1301.
To which it we add 7001. or 8001. for bone, wo shall have a
total of nearly 8,0001. gained to the colony this year by
whaling only, and we earnestly hope that the return
of the -Merope may add very largely to the sum total."
Cheese, bees-wax, and dried fruits are being added to the
produce of the settlement. The trading industry of the
colony was keeping pace with the productive. The Vixen
bad just returned from a trip to Ceylon, and was about to
make another with a cargo of sheep, horses, sandal-wood,
&c. The intercourse with Mauritius continued to be actively
pushed, though complaints are made of the heavy customs
and other dues in that colony, and obstradiens ini•fplied to
prevent the despatch of lumin'. Mr. Sim** bed
several hogsheads of colonial wine to the mothers dltdaY
and King George'. Sound from Fremande. A tee vend,
of 100 tons, was launched at Fremantle In the basin* et
October.

As in the province of South Australis, the development
of the mineral wealth of the colony was engaging much
attention at Swan River. On the 16th of September lag, a
company was formed, for the purpose of asarrtaining and
working the mineral resources of the colony. About 3,000
shares (of 21. each) ware taken before the 30th of lit
month.
The Disputa (by which we received our letters sad
papers) has bright home a considerable quantity of lead
one, band in the Da ding range, near the river Canning,
about 111 salts Sim Pm*, and little mare host the ship-
Eteper' of !remands. Good specimmis of copper ore
s 11111111 l band k abmaione, near Per*. It woe an-
nounced Mt* made mem of the 23rd of Dember La
that dada whiled bow barbs far cool es the Murray
(smith of Path) bat IMO apes a ram of ingoder quality
to any proviendy band, st • d 111 ME Item the aor-
tae», and- that they had she *wowed I Will al metal,
believed te be ole•
Bat the mese* modlumeat was oomoionad by Os dis-
covery of aa Wane bed, of Am bigamies' red to the
north of Perth. It woe Noosed i the month of lewd
or
,Umnber, lb. Mom Groom, who darted ken the
sefferniuslart of the ediay ea ths- 7th of the lonaer, end
to, It the
a Zled of the lam ninth, having Sa-
wa& *the innitimll,lo mate by eemputatios. During
IW ememolsa. tho steel mat ditemord. Great care war
Won le aosesel as tho mused pita dm knowledge
of moist pashion, bin Or gommmod adisonar was
domatehod ti the . dim tore semi dmoo. It is
however umbasland tois *mid on the lonia Mori about
200 miles north of Ftensmade. sad IN idles Imbed. The
dimmers bead* the cowry fabirwaing between the
odium end sad Ow sea al am aced kr a canal, bat so&
dimly do ilve a dam read.• There wore two of
mi. ma med the ether S lad dad ; Me immediate liese if
nearest data baits tad ordidona, blink dale, whits any,
6 feet ad, red .4trao•liedt obale.widtsolod; 6 bet mal
red mmicalom Ida* in* wlthe day; bare *a drabbe!
• beefed, e Omer the nom coal mom wen satebdis. The
fret 100 bet of demb was red sand dam^ The alma of
*a monad hip of the gmerameat taboener WU 10 IMBOkil
CVthe isil sisal
boats IMO mit warm to the men. In
hosi thark bat " thelisperemil to be ilTea larger
sod** dm bad aped the seal of aandlent
opollty." alb whirr oft. et lt i Pressirde
*the Mk of Deenshor bd. The ammualsollos TIM the
Rest was of a Yr imikeace, along a Rare dint final,
and otababild to dm good hard rood damn say oath,.
of espital.
fbandy dirt Importosse den the MAW of thistles' is
the diemeary thot • mot
iasiVr shod of las ama
onsotry.,eadeb to the
northward Ole 111Memmad liy= I
the didades by Gan* fismeal a en
with bb amonat eery porabodar.'" The party
dhows/el a moll Molnar, anildole be *me sok
awe Men 15 het weamodont 11 aim aortk of
• . Thiesamily inamdloto shift of
Bay le mimed* horam• bog loader am* tho pod
remind gib
_oth M stmt. The nadir we mall,
mem Ittathey mhos& • Shaft etinkora a tall,
slide& limb. US a • nem IRONY intiman,
Mae my *at with an that antlionak. Dr. Inieh-
bratt, wham redo ham Illomtem b along
h.orl6o=ltelL ow the Obis I: at Ike Irra:
deire, as term to *a heads el Ore wain,

will sot iespeobably wear the coast about this point oa kis
adventurous expeffition to Owes River.
NEW ZEALAND.—The Times, on Saturday, pub.
limbed letters from Auckland, from" our own correspeaskeo
They state that the act of council re•imp•sing customs'
duties had raised them nearly 100 pow cent.; but that it
" don not seem to have created the -.lightest dimatieseue,
amoeg any one here. The feet is, they all think that 01,
will make good use of it, and not throw it away, as his pre,
deceesors have done." This would, indeed, be gratify*
intelligence, as showing that public opinion was towed
tight at Auckland, could we believe that the letter wise
really written there. But it is difficult to imagine that they
are, when we find the writer stating that the governor Ira
about to dart fur the south, " either to attack Baum*
or come to some amicable understanding with him," tad
that, by the latest news from Wellington, " Rae peribb bad
mustered 300 new followers to his tribe." Now, every Na
son in Auckland was aware that Raupersha snit taken pri„
saner is. August last (the last accounts from Wellingtoestda
that he was still detained on board the Calliope on the 6th
last December), though the intelligence may not yet bars
reached P rinting-baud-square.