The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-05-06 00:00:00

July :-

Major-General Macarthur Seeing to be a very different
man from his predecessor. Sir Charles Hotham meddled
with everything, and accomplished nothing. Major-General
Macarthur pursues a different policy ; or, rather, he is
endowed with a different faculty—that of quiescence—
which will enable him to occupy the position of " dignified
neutrality" with success. As yet, the only qualities he has
shown are of a negative character. His existence amongst
us is scarcely known. He has held one levee, which was
very poorly attended. He has also dined with the amateur
artillerymen at the Criterion Hotel ; and he has opened the
public library. These aro, as far as we can remember, the
only public acts he has performed since his accession. His
appearance on the opening of the library was not in his
favour. He appeared the most insignificant man, both in
mind and body, of the whole assembly. One can understand,
from this specimen of a " senior military officer," how the
British army got into disgrace and disaster at Sebastopol.
But His Excellency will, we venture to predict, be the most
popular Governor we have yet had. The fact of his being
a native, and connected with the wool-interest is in his
favour. But, what is of more consequence, it is said that
he intends to soend the whole of his princely salary in balls
and banquets I He will be as popular and powerfti as Mr.
John Thomas Smith, our mayor in perpetzto. He is old-
fashioned enough to understand the true nature of colonisl
loyalty. Louis Napoleon corrupted the French army with
champagne and sausages ; and for want of a dozen or two
of champagne at his first ball, Sir Charles Hotham alienated
the sympathies of the whole body of colonists. His suc-
cessor will profit by his sad fate; and, under the champagne
regime, which is about_to be inaugurated, loyalty will soon
rise to fever heat.

Our English readers must understand that the Governor
and Government are now distinct things here, sines the
introduction of our so-called " responsible Government,"
or, as it may more aptly be termed irresponsible responsi-
bility ! Mr. Haines and his clique of responsibles retain
office pro tem. As we have an acting Governor, so we
have an acting Government. Everything here in the
political world is in a state of chaos; and no improvement
can be expected or Rill even be attempted till the meeting
of our new Parliament. Meanwhile, the State reeks with
corruption of the most shameless kind. The energies of
the Government are now concentrated upon securing their
own return, and that of their supporters, at the next
election ; and they are employing their official position to
effect this object. The squatters have been bribed by
limiting their assessment :to one-half of what is admitted
to be their fair share of the public burdens. The muni-
cipalities, which here bear a marvellous resemblance to
the small boroughs in England, have favours of all kinds
showered upon them, with no other object, apparently,
than to transform them into " Governraent boroughs."
But, notwithstanding the enormous powers of seduction
they thus possess, the present ministry have remarkably
little chance of gaining the confidence of the country.
Both here, and in N. S. Wales, " Old Fogyism" is virtually
defunct; and the "New Generation" must inevitably take
the lead.
The legal objections to the validity of the new constitution,
which were raised in Parliament by Mr. Robert Lowe,
have been also raised here. The lawyers have been
discussing it very eagerly ; but it has not excited much
attention in the legislature,—partly because our legislators
are unwilling even to suppose that their bantling is imper-
fect, and partly, also, because they are as a body, too
ignorant and timid to venture upon the discussion of con-
stitutional questions, or to assert their constitutional rights
as free and independent men. With one or two exceptions,
a more miserable set of crawling serfs c Auld not be picked
off the streets. On this particular question they will be
satisfied with the dictum of the Attorney General, who
has been requested to give his written opinion on the
subject.
It was anticipated that the principal business of the
session would be the passing of the Electoral Act ; and that,
therefore, it would quietly give up the ghost. But it is very
tenacious of existence, and struggles against its fate. The
squatteristic element is still predominant : and it would
fain have a few squatteristic jobs pushed throu-h, bafrre
it shuts shop. It is true to its old faith of voting all
the public money, and paying few or none of the public
burdens. They refused to increase their own assess-
ment, and, in p, rfect consistency with their avowed
policy, they refused to reduce the taxation imposed
upon the miners to a rate proportionate to their own.
Gold mining is fast becoming here, what it sooner or later
becomes in all gold countries, an unprofitable occupation,
while squatting is still the most lucrative speculation which
the colony presents. But, in the eyes of the squatters, the
diggers are still the mutton-eating, tax-p tying animals
they were always considered It is in this spirit that legis-
lation is still conducted. Monopoly is the one idea; and
no better proof of this could be furnished than the fact
that after throwing out a measure fur partially breakini
up the excla•iveness of the legal profession, they have yes-
terday given leave to bring in a bill to establish an Inn of
Court—in other words, to establish a legal priesthood in
Victoria ! We are, verily, just at present, going backwt.rd
rather than forward !
The first attempt to form a responsible ministry is turn-
ing out as unsuccessful in New South Wales as it proved in
Vietolia„ Mr. Donaldson, it ap ears, is able to make about
as much of his job at " Cabinet" making as Mr. Nicholson
made, All unused as there gentlemen are to that very
critical businesi, they found themselves, when unexpectedly
summoned to undertake the task of constructing an admi-
nistration, in the predicament of the brickmaking Israelites
when Pharaoh withdrew the customary allowance of straw
—the materials were not forthcoming.
A public dinner to welcome Mr. Duffy's arrival in this
colony, was given to that gentleman on the 4th inst. As a
demonstration of respect and sympathy towards Mr. Duffy
the meeting was certainly not a failure ; but yet it struck
us as being not wholly appropriate. In point of fact, the
enthusiasm of Mr. Duffy's countrymen swelled into excite-
ment, and hence the demonstration lacked that character of
deferential, though perfectly cordial respect, which, in our
opinion, would have best suited the occasion. On the score
of generous heartiness, the welcome accorded to Mr Duffy
must have bean perfectly satisfactory to that gentleman.
And it is only right to add that in the welcome there mingled
the vices of colonists, not from Ireland alone, but from every
part of the British Empire. The colony of Victoria may
well accord a hearty greeting to such a man as Mr. Duffy.
lii our summary by the Beemah we held out hopes that
the commerce of the colony was about to assume, if it had
not already assumed, a healthiness which has for many
months been foreign to it. Orders are daily pouring in
from the interior, and the demand for land carriage is
correspondingly urgent. Some idea may be formed of the
enormous traffic between Melbourne and the interior, when
we state, on reliable authority, that no less than six hundred
and thirty-seven loaded waggons and drays were counted
the other day on the road between Melbourne and Castle-
maine. From Mr. Shillinglaw's commercial tables we find
that there were deliveries of spirts for home consumption in
Melbourne, from January to December, 1855:—Brandy,
517,783 ; rum, 166,604 ; gin, 179,174 ; whiskey, 67,076 ;
wine, 323,255 gallons ; tobacco, 954,967 pounds. Average
monthly consumption of wines and spirits in Melbourne
during the past year :—Brandy, 43,148 ; gin, 14,931 ; rum,
13,800 ; whiskey, 5,589 ; wine, 26,938 gallons. Customs'
revenue—For the six months ending December, £534,815
14s 4d ; gold revenue, £163,337 6s 81. The total duties
collected at the port of Melbourne during the mouth of
January last was £132,306 8s 9 exclusive of tonnage,
&c , making a grand total of L 138,465 9s. The total duties
for the week ending the 9th instant, amounted with tonnage
(£ll3 18s) to £27,327 10s 6d.
The demand for labour since our last has experienced a
partial reaction—enquiries being sluggish, and the supply
small. Prices, however, have not lowered, and in some
districts the crops have beeu allowed to go to waste from the
difficulty of procuring labour, nevertheless a decrease in the
rates paid to agricultural hands may be anticipated.
Threshing has generally commenced. In reference to the
inordinately high price of agricultural labour and Victorian
produce, a late issue of the Geelong Advertiser contains a
communication from a practical farmer, showing the costs,
profits, and losses of agricultural enterprise, as undertaken
with labour at present prices. By this.document it appears
that 37 acres of wheat produced 865 bushels, being at the
rate of 23 bushels per acre, for which there was procured
10s per buabel ; total, £ll 10s. Against this is to be set
expenses, £l4 13s 6d, which created a loss of £3 3. 6(1 per
acre. Another trial, upon a cleaner field, realised a gain of
£3 8s per acre ; and a third and most favourable trial,
namely, on maiden land of the lYst quality, where single
ploughing and harrowing was sufficient to produce a very
high average crop, showed a profit per acre of £8 lOs Id.
The writer adds: " The middle estimate of the cost
and produce per acre, showing a profit of £3 8s per
acre, is probably the nearest average returns
from existing farms, estimating wanes at from 30s
to 3os per week, and the [trice of 'wheat at 10s per
hush,•l; but I must remark that there are few farmers in a
position to thresh and deliver the wheat off the field as I
have done this season, in c eisequence of the great number
of men and cattle it requires to keep the work in regular
order, and at least one poend sterling per acre may be
added to tee cost of wheat growing when the wheat is first
stacked and then threshed afterwards, and an additional ten
shillings per acre will be the cost of cartage in the autumn
or winter months. It is quite clear that the price of wheat
is now unquestionably above what it can and will be
imported at, from other countries, and therefore farmers
need not for one moment look for higher rates, but there is
every reason to believe that lower rates must rule next
year. I have no hesitation, therefore, in stating, that the
cost of labour must either be reduced or the quality of it
very greatly imp;oved, to enable any farmer to pay his way,
i
and I believe that any person who perseveres n farthing at
existing rates of labour, can only do so at a lois to himself.
I have good land, most extensive farm-steading and im-
provements generally, every description of useful machinery,
sufficient working capital and farm stock, a long experience
in the management and the proper application of labour (in