The Express.
London, England, 1858-05-04 00:00:00

VICTORIA.

The following are extracts from the summary of
the Kilbourne Herald of March 16:

One peat event has signalised the political history of the
past month—it is the fall of the *mond Haines ministry, end
the reinstatement of Yr. 018 hammy at the head of the

edministratica. The immediate cause of the retirement of
the late ministry from office was a vote of the Assembly, re-
jecting Mr. Haines's scheme for apportioning the electoral
districts under his new Reform Bill. Having carried the
clause embodying his new principle of giving representation
to minorities, but only after mach sharp discussion, and by
narrow majority, Mr. Haines's proposed plan for •
re-distribution of the general representation came
on hr discussion. The plan gave much disestishction
lo the great body of the ministerial supporters, since its direct
dint would have been to absorb many of the rural consti-
tuencies of which they were the representatives. Hewn
when the schedule was moved fur adoption, • strong opposi-
tion to it wee at once avowed on the ministerial side; and
Captain Clarke, formerly surveyor-general, and member of
the first Haines ministry, moved en amendment, amounting
in effect to a direct rejection of the schedule. His amend-
ment was carried by 28 votes against 18, and of the latter no
lees than nine were votes from the opposition side of the
hones. The consequent), was that the ministry saw the
mkt body of their own supporters arrayed against them on
a question which they, rightly enough, held to to • vital ons.
There wee no course, therefore, remaining open to them bat
one—reeignation; and: they resigned accordingly.
For three or four days after the resign•tioa an unusual and
significant pause took place in the arrangements for ap-
pointing • new cabinet. People began to weeder whet was
going forward, and all sorts of sinister rumours were eat
afloat. flubeequatly, Captain Clarke was sent for by his
Excellency, sad asked if he would undertake the formation
el• new ministry. On car condition, he said, he would
consent to do so—then in case of • failure in the Assembly
at first, the ministry he should form should be permitted to
appeal to the country. To this his Excellency replied that
he had formerly refused that condition to Mr. Haines, and
could not, therefore, grant it to Captain Clarke. The latter
gentleman thereupon recommended his Excellency to send

for Mr. Chapman, who had taro the had in opposing
the ministerial principle of representing minorities. That
gentleman having been eummoned sooordingly, he cam-
name the formation of a ministry; and by calling in Mr.
O'fthsnamy to take the chief place, while he remind that
of latemey-General for himself, he succeeded In what would
else have been an impossible task. Mr. O'llhansasy, it is
elm was one of the nine opposition members who voted for
Mr. Hassis principle; bat it was evident at ones that unless
Mr. Chapman could prevail on him to hold that principle in
abeyance, and:unite with himself on broader grounds of
policy, the attempt to construct a cabinet would utterly fail
in his Made. Besides, it had booms apparent that a recall,
or even a reconstruction, of the Haines ministry, wee quite
Impracticable; for the latter had been his Itioellencre first
proposition after the resignation to the ex-premier, and Mr.
Haines had endeavoured to accomplish it, but without mo-
ms. There was no possible ministry, at the moment,
therefore, except one formed by a junction of Mr. 0111 w.

sassy with Mr. Chapman. These conaiderationa led the
former gentleman to accede to the proposed terms, and the
new cabinet was (rimed as follows:—Chief Secretary, Mr.
Oltharmasy ; Attorney-Gamed, Mr. Chapman; Solicitor-
Genernl, Mr. Ireland; Trade and Customs, Mr. Henry
Miller ; Land and Works, Mr. Gavin Daffy ; Postmeater•
General, Dr. Evens; Treasurer, Mr. Harker.
The country has acquiesced in the fell of the Haines
ministry, because everybody sew it to be inevitable ; and the
general feeling now Is, that the new man should certainly be
Mowed a fair trial.

As was the case last year, the gold returns for the
scat two months of this you exhibit a serious falling-off from
the quantity produced In the corresponding period of 1856.
There to also • decrease in the quantity reamed since the
opening of the current year, as compared with 1857. In the
present condition of mining in this colony, fluctuations in
the quantities of gold produoed ars to be looked for, the
cause being attributable lase to any deadenoy in the natural
wealth of our gold fielda than to the unsettled habits of the
miners, and the very wasteful manner in which they work.
New discoveries of auriferous deposits are constantly being
made, and, if none of them equals In rictuses the
gold-fields which were first worked, the proofs which
they furnish of the dispersion of our mineral trea-
sures over almost the entire colony are highly
satiefactory, as indicating an illimitable field for the
wrest and future employment of capital and labour. In-
deed, there is already ample evidence to show that the genes
reticles which exist will all be exhausted long before the gold
deposits of Victoria have ceased to yield a profitable invest-
ment for the labour of the working man.
The following ships have sailed with gold freights linos
our last summarT :—Feb. 15. Simla, for Suez, 33,614 one. ;
Feb. 16. Invincible, for Liverpool, 16,191 ors. ; Feb. 24.
!Wiliam., for London, 80,060 ova. • March 1. Medway, for
London, 9,693 one. ; March 4. Hobe, for Hong Kong,
6,645 cos.; March 4. Oithona, for Hoag , 6,076 ass.
Marekli. Indemnity, for London, 11,180cna.; 9. Red
feeble, for Liverpool, 40,234 oes. ; March 11. Pericles, for
Calcutta, 1,369 0x..; March 11. Jupiter, fur Hong Hong,
C 467 or. ; steamers for Sydney, 1,025 as. ; small ship-
beats, oss-9D9,212 ow. Amount shipped trots lan. 1
to Feb. * 802,207 cos.—total amount, 611,419.
• rise has taken piece in the rates of exchange on
London, consequent an the Morelos in the price of gold.