The Express.
London, England, 1856-03-06 00:00:00

our good old friend, John Turk, has been sully
maligned in this and many other respects, and that,
on purely religiose grounds, he entertains not the
smallest aversion to hie dissenting brothers of the
soil. I wish, however, truth might permit me to add
that this feeling wee reciprocal m all oases and at all
times. If, however, there be a grain of intolerance
in the composition of the Moslem, it is that acute, not
of creed—the intolerance of a conquering race
(ghazi)—which proud title, however, I need scarcely
observe, has been in abeyance for some time, if not
well nigh extinct, owing partly to the force of cir-
cumstances, and partly to certain antiquarian pro-
pensities and conservative habits, incompatible with
the march of time and the spirit of the age.

AUSTRALIA.

(mom ocrl

MELBOURNS, VICTORIA, Nov. 27, 1866.
Of the Australian group, the oolony of Victoria is
eminently gold. produciog, South Australia essentially
an agricultural colony, and New South Wales a mix-
ture of both. Whilst Victoria continues to yield from
eight to nine millions in sterling value of gold to a
population of 300,000, I don't see much chance of
agriculture being pursued as a profession here; for
the rats of wages given in a gold-producing country
will always enable South Australia to compete sae-
ruefully with the prices at which such produce an
be raised in Victoria, and the coast of South America
is close at hand, with its enormous power of supply.
Agriculture cannot now be pursued to soy great
extent in Victoria ; for with the few, com-
paratively speaking, already engaged in farming pun
suits the population will be fully—some say more—
half supplied for the ensuing twelvemootbs, and, of
course, the other half is all that we could grow with
profit or advantage, supposing we could compete
with the neighbouring colony. Of hay, the compu.
tation is, that we have this season grown enough
to supply the demands of the coming year without
any importations from Tasmania, from which colony
we have hitherto drawn large supplies. Compared
with the vast extent of the acreage of this colony the
quantity of land adapted for agricultural purposes is
of limited extent. The best portions are the sides of
three extensive ranges which stretch across the
country, such as the famous Barrabool Hills, between
Melbourne and Geelong. The fist and level
lands are either covered with scrub, and found
to be totally unproductive of anything else, or sub-
ject to inundations to such an extent as to render
them totally unfit for purposes of agriculture. Vast
portions are suitable for putout purposes only ; but
more of this ann. From all the information which
lan gather, I am forced to the conclusion that the
capabilities of the Australian soil have been seriously
over-rated, but ea we have no reliable statistics con-
cerning this colony, I will quote those of South Aus-
tralia. South Australia, as I have before said, con-
tains the bast agricultural land in the three colonies,
and an estimation has been made oa the part of the
leading journal in that colony that the yield of the
present year—which now gives promise of being a
most abundant crop—will average l6i bushels of
wheat per acre. What will you say in England to
each results as thus? I hardly think that the
farmers of some of your fertile valleys will think it
very extraordinary for what is trumped up to be the
finest climate and the most fertile laid in the world.
Taking the yield of Victoria at the same average—a
high cue—is it probable that with our gold resources
agriculture can become a paying pursuit whilst these
continue P There is another rums why the advan-
tages of agriculture to Victoria have been overrated.
For many years to come wages in all professions and
penults must role higher in this colony than in the
other; because when the remuneration for labour
sinks below a certain level the resource of the gold
fields Is applied to; and yet in South Australis,
where wages are lower, and expenses much less, the
pursuit has been followed very tardily, uotwithstand-
Ing that it is the staple resource of the colony.. Take,
for example: Not more than one-fourth of the acreage
of the surveyed portions of the colony has met with
purchesert, and not one-fourth of the land actually
purchased has been cultivated, or attempted to be.
Under these circumstances, I cannot see how the un-
locking of Use land., as it is called, can benefit the
colony to such an extent MIS alleged, and I am mall-
dent that you will sympathise in the opinion that the
land, whisk is not worth 11. per sere, mast be an evil
instead of a good to the person to whom it should be
given, with the seadildon attached of compulsory
cultivation. It is altogether absurd and false to
assert that land In any quantity, sad ia eligi-
ble situations, cannot be selected, for through
the exertions of the Survey department an imams
extent of lead in exam of the demand has been pat
up
he sale, and not having been purchased is now
open for selection at the minimum pries of 1L per
sere, I. Meeks of from 80 to 640 acres. Since wri-
tiag the greseding a return has been issued by the
Survey de ascent 1111 Crown landeepan for selection,
by whisk it awes that the Mal meant so
open he miseliss, in all parts of the ahoy, is no
less thspyikliee mos, sod as softest tboolistssents

ihrfailig—pmebeses-- iieClevetamsed
is the
lard at upset prises minas Os down - yea it.
What Memo st the yet no had to im bad, after
this I And Mr. Minna Hewitt notwithetemling, a
great amber of those allotments adjoin township,
are in eligible situations, and °satin geed apical.
cultural had. Country lots witbia is miles Otis city
wareellsod a short while baek, and failed toattsast par.
chrnme,st 11. per am% TM observation anise this
heed bass already extended te sash • length that
I se simpolled Is Ulm sins weasels ea the pee-
ned interest ad its ashes until my mat. I
mast net leave the saline of agriculture, however,
without remarking that, hem oar position, Minna
ma uses, become a wheat exporting weeny ; the
themes of any market at a less dietaries than 16,000
milts most effectually mule& this.
The trade of the colony Is assuming a more healthy
tone, and a steady demand from the interior has set
in. Some nine or twelve months ago several traders
sent home large quantities of valuable goods for
which the demand was certain to be remote, and
realised a profit on thme purchases, though made in
the colonial market to be resold in London. The
value of this movement, however, was not so mach
the relief which it gave to the Australian glut as the
lesson it reed to English exporters. The time for
speculative operations has now passed, and capitalists
can now calculate with some certainty on making
a return for those goods which are still in
excess, but which will assaredly be wanted before the
clone of the summer. Oar list of insolrencies is de-
creasing. The number of estates sequestrated
daring the past month is 29, and in most instances
the MUM implicated are small. The average num-
ber daring the past year was 29 monthly ; the
diminution, however, is more in the sums compro-
mised than in the number of insolvencies, for the re-
turn to a system of cash, which to a large extent
has been forced upon traders, could not fail to wind
up not only !home whose estates would not meet
their liabilities, but all who could not envoi their
stooks into cosh.

The survey report of the committee of the Legis-
lative Council on railway communioation will be
reedy to lay before the council early in the ensuing
mouth, and the sooner the report is oceepleted the
sooner will the vast local interest at stake participate
in the benefits which will earns from the establish-
' most of railway conomanicatio• with the interim—
the great and indeed only weskit of the colony.
The ripest will most probably take cognbance of
two trash lines of railway from the starting points
of Melbourne and Geelong to the Murray River,
with a comparative view of their soots and advan-
tages. The line to be @sleeted will of coarse rest
with the legislature. The principle of carrying oat
an uteneivesyetem of railways in this colony by
vate enterprise has, after considerable agitation,
received. decisive death-blow by the consent of the
directors of the Melbourne and Mount Alexander
Railway Company to the government proposal to
bay up that imperfect line of road. The proothdiop
of this Ithe have hitherto been condatted so tardily
that the shareholders have beam@ perfectly satisfied
that private enterprise is not sufficient for the par- 1
pole. The goverment proposal is to meet the per-
chase by the issue of debentures having twenty-one
years to run, at a rate of siz per cent, per annum ; but
as capital bore is now commanding ten per mat., the
debentates will, most probably, find their way into
the Leedom market. The question how and through
what channel the debenture shall be negotiated Ina
yet to be sodded on. The terms referred to wen