The Express.
London, England, 1853-12-03 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

Singapore advices, by the last Overland Mail, re.
port the arrival of several vessels from Australian porn,
with dates from Sydney and Melbourne to the uth Septem-
ber. The Lieutenant Governor of Victoria hail intimated
his intention to submit a bill to the Council for abolisluag
the license fee, and it was conjectured that a gold duty
would take its place. It was also stated that the Governor
proposed levying a duty on sugar. &one of the claim,
about Ballarat were yielding enormous quantities of gold.
One party at Prince Regent's Gully washed oat in six
hours 90 lbs. weight or goid, and in three days had obtained
1,90 ounces. The Geelong Admirer,. states that the
hole was expected by the party to yield at least 10 to 12
cwt. A. splendid nugget, waighiug 114 ounces 10 4wts.,
had been found in this gully, at 25 feet depth. The
yield of gold for the week ending 21th August had beta
unprecedented. In the neighbourhood of the Cansdive
Gully, observes the local journalist, such a ql: .ntity of the
metal had been taken out, that we feel a digt,:race la iiteet.
ing it. From 1401bs. to 15011 m. have bets obtained at
short time from claims in this quarter. In addition Male
the vein at the gravel pits has been recovered, cad 6711 n.
weight was taker. from one bottom without drivuig. The
Legislative Council of Sydney had agreed to raise 100,0004
on debentures, secured on the territorial revenue, winch
amount was to be expended in keeping up the stream of
immigration to the colony to supply the great want of h.
boor. The wharves were crowded with goods, the rate of
storage extravagantly high, and several vessels had beet
at anchor one month, with full cargoes on board, %idiom
any attempt being made to discharge them.

EDe Court.

--* -

OSBORNE, DEC. 2.
The Queen and the Duchess of Brabatt walked
yesterday in the grounds at Osboriw.
Lord Alfred Paget has succeeded Lord Charles Fitzroy ss
Equerry in Waiting.

The Commissioners for inquirinf into the state of the
Corporation of the City of London held n meeting yester-
day at the official residence of :he Fir,t Lord of tie
Treasury in Downing•street. The cornriii‘ei,tners Remit
were the Right Ron. H Labutschere au.l G. Cornwall
Lewis, Esq.
Despatches front the Governors of the West Coast of
Africa were received yeeteriay ut the Ciihintal- office.
Despatches were sent last evening tram at... Colonial-AM
for the Governor of Cantle.

The Lords of her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy
Council sat yesterday, and resumed the bearing of the
petition of the States of the Island of Ji rsey. The lords
present were: The Lord Chancellor, Vt'count Pshnerstos,
Secretary of State for the Home Department, the Chin.
cellar of the Duchy of Cornwall, the Lords Justices Knight
Bruce and Turner, the Judge of the Admiralty Court, sad
Sir J. Patteson. The Hun. William Bathurst, Clerk of the
Privy Council, attended. The case was adjourned.

The Earl of Derby is suffering, from a severe
attack of his old enemy, the gout. The effects of this
latest visitation have, it is stated, been more serious upon
the noble earl's general health than those of any previous
attack.

WITHDRAWAL OF a QUEEN'S LETTEits."—The
Morning Marald of yesterday says:—" We Itarti, on what
we deem to be sufficient authority, that the government
has come to the determination of withholding the mad
' Queen's Letters' front the Society fruni Propagating the
Gospel in Foreign Parts, and from the N ttional Society. It
is not for us to impugn this dezisimi. We are aware that
these two societies have for some time past been charged
with Tractarian leanings."

MILITARY APPOINTMENTS AT THE CAPE.—Lieut.•
Colonel Cooper, 45th Regiment, has been appointed Com-
mandant at Natal, Cape of Good Hope, vice Colonel Bays.
Lieut.-Colonel Cole, Ittlal Engineers, has been appointed
Commandant at Cape 'lowa, vice Lieut.-Colonel Ingilby,
Royal Artillery. Lieut.-Colonel Sutton, Cape Mounted
Rifles, has been appointed Commandant at Graham's Town,
Cape of Good Hope. vice Maj 'r Burnaby, Royal Artillery.
Major Donovan, Cape Mounted Rifles, has ceased to be
Commandant of Queen's Fort, Cape of Wed Hope.
Brevet-Major Tylden, Royal Artillery, is no loneer Com-
mandant of the Victoria district, Cape of Good Hope.
Lieut-Culonel Bissett, Cape Mounted Wiles, and Lieutenant
Gawler, 73rd Foot, have been appointed Brigade-Majors at
Natal, vice Lieutenant Whitmore, Cap, Mounted Rides,
and Lieutenant Fleming, 45th Regiment.—Brilish Army
Despatch.

THE CORONER FOR MANCHESTER AND TUE
POOR LAW OFFICIALS.

At the weekly meeting of the Manchester Board
of Guardians, held on Thursday, the clerk read a letter
from the Poor Law Board, requesting an explacation of
the circumstances connected with the retusll of relief to a
woman named Ellen Swindells, deceased, on whose body an
inquest was held last week by Mr. Herron', the coroner for
this city, the jury recommending that a copy of the deposi-
tions be sent to the Poor Law Board, in order that
inquiry might be made. A letter was then read
from Mr. Whitney, the relieving officer concerned,
stating that the deceased bad relief from him for
several months, as ordered by the guardians, but which
owed in May last, owing to her removal into Mr. Barrio's
district. In August last she again came into Mr. Whitney's
district, and her daughter applied in her behalf. There
being no order on the books ter her permanent relief, Mr.
Whitney at once visited the case, and found her issiding in
a small room by herself. When he entered she was stag-
gering across the room, apparently very ill, and he assisted
her to a seat, as she appeared to be falling. lie
told the daughter that her mother had better
came into the workhouse, where she could have
proper attendance, as he considered it waft for
her to remain where she was, and he had been informed
that she and her daughter did not agree when living to-
gether on a previous occasion. They did not accede to this
proposal, and he beard tiothing more of them until Monday,
the 21st ult., when the daughter came in the forenoon to
have her mother's name entered to go before the guardians,
stating that she had fallen in the street about ten days
before, and been hurt : but she did not request immediate
attention, or plead urgency, nor did Mr. Whitney knowahe
was there until she came before him. There were
above two hundred applications to be disposed of that morn-
ing, and he subsequently learnt that when the daughter
returned home she found her mother dead. Ile entered
the woman's name as requested, and visited the cue be-
tween one and two o'clock the sante day, but found her
dead. The clerk then read a statement, showing the re-
sult of his own inquiries, which corroborated the statement
of Mr. Whitney. As the woman had not been well, the
guardians had considered the workhouse the most proper
place for her until she recovered 51r. Whitney had celled
upon those whose natural duty it was to look atter her (the
daughter and her husband, who was a dealer in coals), sad
they declined to do anything unless paid, as it were, to do
so, although it did not appear that they were unable to
support their parent. These facts, he said, might have been
elicited by the coroner, if he hail been disposed to summon
the relieving officer. Mr. Hodgson said the question was ea
important that be thought the Poor Law Board ought
to send an inspector, or direct the inspector now in this
city to Inquire into the ease, as well as the other car
which had lately occurred. Mr. U. 11. Rickards said there
was something more than the mere satisfaction of the Poor
Law Board with regard to three ewes. There appeared to
be a very strong animus on the part ‘,l the coroner against
the administration of the otters of the board. The board
had every desire that the conduct of their officers should
be fully investigated, but untortunately where their con-
duct was impugned they could not avoid feeling some de-
gree of partisanship ; and therefore, in order that justice
might be fully secured, it was desirable that such matters
should be investigated by the inspector.