The Express.
London, England, 1866-04-12 00:00:00

THE OVERLAND MAIL.

By the arrival of the above mail we have advises
from Calcutta to March 7 (anticipated by the
Bombay mail) ; Madras, March 14 ; Colombo,
March 17 ; Hong Kong, March 1 ; Singapore,
March 8 ; Shanghae, Feb. 22 ; Melbourne, Feb.
25 ; Sydney, Feb. 19 ; Adelaide, Feb. 24 ; Auk-
land, Feb. 6 ; Brisbane, Feb. 15 ; &c.
A letter from the government of Bengal to that
of Madras informs the latter of the great prevalence
of cholera in Pooree, and suggests that every effort
should be made to prevent pilgrims from Madras
going to Juggernaut this year. Urgent orders to
that effect have accordingly been issued to the
magistrates of the several adjacent districts, and it
is hoped that few will proceed thither from them.
The Overlaid Mina Mail says that the news
from the ports is somewhat more reassuring than
that which it had to communicate in its last issue.
The rebel leader K'ang Wang having been killed by
a stray shot from the walls of Kia-ying-chow, his
followers evacuated that town, and a body of them
is reported in the neighbourhood of Ch'ao-chow-fu,
which they have expressed an intention of attack-
ing. No news of their further movements has
been received, and the probability is that they will
abandon their proposed course for fear of provok-
ing foreign interference from Swatow.
Our last advises from Victoria announced that
the first two series of elections had taken place, and
that the result was highly favourable to the
ministry. The polling for the third series took
place on Monday, the 29th January, and resulted
m the return of twenty-two ministerialists against
twelve opposition members. This gives ministers
a clear majority of thirty-eight, the relative
strength of parties being—ministerialists, fifty-
eight ; opposition members, twenty. The most
sanguine friends of the government hardly antici-
pated, it is said, so decisive a triumph.
Parliament was opened by commission on Mon-
day, the 12th Feb., on which date the members of
the new assembly were sworn in, and the Speaker
was elected. The choice of the assembly fell on
Sir Francis Murphy, who has occupied that posi-
tion in every assembly that has been convened
under the new constitution. The opposition put for-
ward a candidate for the office, but he was defeated
by 52 to 18, Sir Francis Murphy voting against
himself.
In the Legislative Assembly the address in reply
to this speech passed without a division. In the
Council, however, the speech was not received with
the samefavour. Thatbody adopted what isdescribed
as the unprecedented course of adjourning until
the following Thursday without considering it. On
that day the opposition carried a motion for the
appointment of a committee to draw up a reply.
The reply was adopted by 17 to 7. "It is written
(says the Melbourne Ago) in the worst possible
spirit ; and, whilst anything but respectful to the
Governor, is principally a sarcasm upon the action
and determination principally
the country, as shown in the
elections.°
The Victorian government has invited the go-
vernments of the other colonies to a conference on
the subject of the English mail contract with a view
to ending that now in operation. The South
Australian government have given notice to the
home government of their intention to terminate
the P. and 0. Company's contract for the convey-
ance of the mails to and from Galle in two years.

QUEENSLAND.
Several members of the ministry have resigned ;
but the Brisbane Courier of the 15th March says
that these resignations have been followed by the
appointment of gentlemen who have the interests
of the colony at heart, and are likely to enjoy the
confidence of the public.
The same paper says that the colony is in a very
prosperous state, and that out of the thousands who
have arrived from Great Britain and the Continent
during the past year, few industrious men are now
to be found out of employment. Equal opportuni-
ties are presented to all who arrive : the discon-
tented are those who refuse to attain a position by
ascending the ladder of life rundle by rundle,
but who expect to attain the top of it without
first passing through the ordeal of experience.