The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-04-02 00:00:00

THE REVENUE.

The year and quarter to March 31st. The increase on
the quarter is £115,074, and on the year of £2.525,066.
CUSTOMS.—The increase on the year of £287,000 arises
on nearly every head of duty, except tea and coffee, on
which there is a decrease or postponement of revenue of
£1,000,000, principally owing to the anticipated reduction
of the duty in April. The quarter's revenue from customs
shows a decrease of £296,00, is mere especially affected by
the same cause.
EXCISE. —An increase on the year of £853,848, and in
the quarter of £21,222, arising principally on spirits, hops,
paper, &c. There would have been a much greater increase
but for the repeal of the war duty. Or, malt, which has
affected the revenue of year about £1,000,000, and that of
the quarter about £250,000, including drawbacks on stocks
on hand.
STAMPS.—An increase of about £296,000 on the year, and
£103,000 on the quarter, arising from additional revenues
from 19gacy and succession duties and other items.
INe.mtE TAX.—Shows an increase of more than a million,
derived from the additional twopence in the pound, imposed
in 1855, an! which did not take full effect until the second
half of the year, 1856.
POST OFFICE.—An increase of correspondence has pro-
duced an increase to the revenue of the quarter and the year.

AUSTRALIA.

VIC FO:'Ii1


ARRIVAL OF THE ITHKEE STAR.
-• . ;

- The White Star line of packets ship White Star,_
Captain Brown, which sailed from Melbourne on the
10th January, arrived in the Mersey at eight o'clock,
after a passage of 81 days from port to port. She
brings gold dust to the value of £BO,OOO sterling,
a valuable cargo, Consisting of wool, copper, &c.,
and 100 passengers,
The Royal Mail Steamer Oneida arrived at Mel-
bourne on the night of the 23rd December, 66
days from Southampton, and proceeded to Sydney
on the following morning. She left Southampton
at 3 p.m., on Sunday, 10th October, and called at
the following ports : _ .

Ar—rived. Departure.
St. Vincent ..... Oct. 28, 10 p.m. , .... Nov. 1, .10 p m.
St. Helena .... Nov. 14, 3 p.m..... Nov. 18, 10 p.m.
Cope Town Nov. 24, 10 a.m: ... Nov. 29, 30 a.m.
Hobson's Bay , . Dec. 23, 10 p.m. . Dec. 24, noon.
The Melbourne Herald, noticing her arrival, says :
The Oneida is a splendid steamship of 2,400 tons
burthen. Her accommodations are magnificent : she is
commanded by Captain George Hyde, who, as c ommander
of the Argo, is well known and esteemed. On the arrival
the Oneida in Hobson's Bay the steam sloop Victoria
fired salvos of rockets and burned yard arm lights, which
caused a very pretty effect. The block ship at the same
time tired a salute of 17 guns, but few of the vessels in the
Bay exhibited the slightest loyalty. A .few abortive
rockets and II ish lights were exltibited, but, on the whole,
they presented a very poor appearance.
The Black Ball clipper ship Donald M`Kay,
arrived at Melbourne on the 28th December, after
a passage of 81 days. The screw steam
ship Simla, belonging to the European and Austra-
lian Steam Packet Company, which left South-
ampton on the 12th of November, being the
second vessel despatched by that company under
their new. contract, arrived out at Port Phillip on
the evening of the oth January, after a passage of
fifty five days, and furnishing the Australian
colonists with nearly a month's later news from
Europe. She sailed for Sydney on the morning
of the Bth. The projected departures for Liver-
pool were, the Marco polo on the 12th January,
the screw steamer; Royal Charter, on the 15th; for
Southampton, via Suez, the R.M.S. Oneida, on
the 27th January. For London, the Copenhagen
and the Sydenham on the 28th January, the
Anglesey on the 31st January, the Escort on the
Ist February, the George Marshall on the 7th
February, Medway on the 10th February, the
Walmer Caitle on the Ist March, and the
Roxburgh Castle early ; and for Bristol, the Morn-
ing Star on the Ist February.
The price of gold in Melbourne on the 9th
January was 77s 3d to 77s 9d per oz. The Orwell
had sailed for London with 49,384 ozs, of gold.
The demand for gold for shipment per the Royal
Charter, was already active, and it was expected
I that she would have a large quantity on board when

leaving that city. The last return -of the receipts
by Escort was 48,648 ozs. for the week ;
and the receipts from the 3rd to the sth amounted
to 44,126 ounces. Exchange on London was drafts
against gold purchased at one per cent. premium.
The markets at • Melbourne, notwithstanding the
Christmas holidays were scarcely over, had been
tolerably brisk, and very large quantities of goods
had been despatched to the Interior. The demand
had been chiefly for beer, butter, candles, Martell's
brandy, sugars, and oilmen's stores. The- summer
weather had created a great demand for light wines,
stocks of which would probably undergo a material
reduction. The great demand from the Interior
for Adelaide flour had advanced that article from
£l7 to £lB in the course of the week,
The wool market was rather tame; and prices
favoured tho buyer. Hides were in demand, but
scarce. Tallow was quoted at 381 for beef, and 381
to 401 for mixed•
The following is an ample summary of the news
to hand by this arrrival
Sir Henry Barkly held
.his Fr t levee on the let January, in
the Exhibition , building. The attendance was very large.
Addresses were presented from both Houses of Parliament,
from the municipal council, the ministers and members of the
free presbyterian church, the synod of Victoria, the Wesleyan
church, the episcopal church, the committee of the Melbourne
benevolent asylum, and the municinal councils of Williamstown
and East Collingwood. The Herald says that Sir Henry
Barkly's ostentatious character augurs well for his future
success.

Mr. H. S. Chapman, Mr. Langlands, and Mr.
Ebden were said to be in the field for Melbourne.
It was said that Mr. Fawlcner will resign his seat
in the Upper House, in order to contest this elec-
tion for a seat in the Lower one.
A preliminary meeting of the Victoria Land
League was held at the " Australasian Hotel" on
the 27th of December. The object was to oppose
the resolutions submitted by the Surveyor General
to the legislature. The League Scheme is as
follows :—" Every citizen wishing to become an
actual occupier of land should be permitted, without
being harassed by forms or delays, to enter at
once upon a limited quantity of the public lands
with perfect freedom of choice over all the una
lienated lands of the colony. He- should . obtain
this land at the fixed upset price, without auction,
whenever the district in which he has settled is
brought to public sale; that whenever --the district
is so brought to sale, and the lands situate in it are
thus offered to purchasers for money merely,
without conditions of settlement, they should be
submitted to public auction ; and that all lands
not sold at the auction should thenceforth be open
for selection at the upset price. The proposal to
lease the public lands of this colony to the present
occupiers of pastoral runs, or to any other persons,
is viewed with much dissatisfaction, because the
waste lands are held to be the commonage of the
people, and all have equal rights to make use of
them for grazing, until taken up for agricultural
purposes by bona file settlers." Resolutions to the
foregoing effect were to be submitted to a public
meeting.
Parliament re-assembled after the christmas
holidays. Mr. Duffy's bill for the abolition of the
property qualification, was before the house of
Assembly,
The Melbourne Chamber of Commerce had
under their consideration- a scheme for establishing
a school, to afford instructions in the art of navi-
gation to persons deSigned for a seafaring life.
The report of the Committee issued states, that
a memorial was in preparation to be presented to
the Government for its aid in the accomplishments
of the object. The Melbourne Age 'says :
It has our warmest wishes for its success, hut we think
it ought to be combined with a Trinity Board, which
besides having the granting of certificates to masters,
should also have the settlement of all maritime questions,
the management of lights, buoys, and beacons, and, in
fact, be possessed of all the jurisdiction of the Trinity
Houses of the old country which may properly attach to
similar institutions in the new. There may be abuses in
the management of the English Trinity Houses, but we
cannot be persuaded they have outlived their usefulness,
and it is not necessary in adopting their plan to imitate
their defects.
On the Ist December last a committee was
appointed by a public meeting of the citizens of
Melbourne for the purpose of receiving reliable
information, preparing statistics and evidence for
the purpose of assisting the Legislative Committee
of enquiry into the penal system of Victoria and
Mr. Price's administration.- The report has just
been published,-and sets forth -the want of classi-
fication among the prisoners, great cruelty,
partiality, and injustice .is among some of the
evils to be remedied. Mr. Price and Dr. Yiul are
unsparingly handled, and it is said that almost
incredible disclosures have been made to the Com-
mittee of the Legislative Council. The report
just mentioned has been submitted to a public
meeting and adopted, and a Standing Corn
mittee to continue the work had been appointed.
A terrible fire occurred at Geelong on the night
of the 26th of December. Some of the most
valuable property in the Market square, and Corio
street, being the whole block of buildings bounded
on the south by the square, on the east and west by
Yarra street and Ilardinia street, and on .the north
by Corio street, has been destroyed. The fire
began about 9 o'clock in the evening on the
premises of Mr. Leon, a tailor in the Market
square, Water could not be obtained for some

ime, and the flames spread rapidly. No accurate
estimate of the cmount of Osmage done can he
mach, but 50,0001 is said.. to be much below the
fimoh The t,.s of the fire has not been
ascertained.
• A Of coal has been cUsc.wor:-)(1 in the Whim -
beet Forest.

The John Williams missionary ship was to leave
MelboUrne on the sth January. A publie b :eakfast
had been held at the Mechanics' Institution. After
breakfast the chair was takes by the Rev
Fletcher. About one hundred friends, including
abut twenty ministers of various denominations,
were present. Addresses were delivered at great
length, and the meeting was of a very interesting
character. _ _ _

A very severe gale is reported as having occurred
at Sandhurst. It is said to have been a hurricane
from the south east, continuing throughout the
day, a thing said by old. colonists to be unprece-
dented. The roof of the gaol was blown away.
The Ballarat Times gives the following history
of a claim at Ballarat, on the Red Hill, and which
has been working for nearly two years. It is called
the Durham Hole :

--.—.—
A more extrordinary proof of the uncertainty of gold
digging cannot be afforded than the various changes this
claim bas undergone since its commencement ; it has
passed into the hands of three different parties, and is
now about to pass to a fourth ; in each change the party
has handed over to the next speculators a decent little
fortune. It is rumoured that the ground even now is
rich, and likely to produce more than an ordinary return
to the purchasers of the shares, which have been sold at
£2OO each. It is asserted that this will prove the
richest alluvial claim of gold ever heard of, net
excepting any gold field known: First party of
eight men took out 936 ozs. ; second party of
eight men took out 2,304 ounces; third party of twelve
men took out about 9,000 ounces. Total taken out up to
22nd December, 12,240 ounces, worth, at £4 per ounce,
£48,960; and we may calculate that by the time the
claim has been completely worked out, at least £50,000
will have been the result, showing that bad twelve men
originally worked the hole out, and not have transferred

it to others, the amount of each man's share would have
been upwards of £4,200.

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE

The following is the latest report of the Mel-
bourne Markets :

MFLBOURNE GOLD CIRCULAR.—The price of gold
remains unaltered, viz., 77s to 783 6d, with a good supply
and brisk demand. The Orwell's shipment of 48,384 ozs.
falls somewhat short of the exact quantity to complete our
twelve millions of export ; but, if we take into account that
which has paid duty for shipment by the vessels now laid
on for Britain and elsewhere, the amount is in excess of
the million per month. In commencing to record the
transactions of the sixth year of our gold produce, we cannot
but look back with some degree of gratification at the result
of the year just closed, and augur a result for the year
entered upon equal, if not superior, to the past. But while
recording such Interesting facts, we cannot help raising our
voice against the system adopted by the banking establish-
ments of this colony, in stepping in and elbowing out
their customers from trading in this important produce.
This impolitic course has now been carried on for some
years, to the injury of every trader in the colony. If
the Government carry out their view in regard to a
National Bank of Issue, we question whether the present
monopoly can be continued. The escorts for Mary-
borough, Dunolly, Avoca and Fiery Creek have not come
forward, which makes our escort appear under its usual
quantity.
Exchange on London :—Drafts against gold purchased
at 1 per cent. premium.
Freight 41r1 per ounce, delivered at the Bullion office,
Bank of England, London. Insurance, 11 per cent.
The following are the mill prices of flour ands
groin :
W. Degraves and Co.'s mill : Fine flour, £2O per ton
Adelaide do, £2O do ; Californian do, £l6 ; Chilian do,
£lB do; Gillego and Haxall do, £24 do ; bran, is 9d per
bushel. Wheat bought at 83 8d to 93 per bushel.
Ilight's mills; Fine flour, £l9 per ton ; seconds, £lB lOs
do; liaxall, £24 do; Chilian, £l9 do. Wheat bought et
7s 6d per bushel

Mr.. P. N. Walker's usual weekly report of the
wool, tallow, and hide market is as follows :

Wont : This week about 1,600 bales have been brought
to auction. The biddings were not so spirited, and
prices were in favour of the buyer.
TALLOW : About 30 tons have been sold at the following
rates :—Beef, £3B; mixed, £3B to £4O; mutton, £4O to
£4l.

HIDES : There is a good demand for town cored, but
the market is bare of first class hides heavy weight.
Country hides, well cured, 14s to 15s 6d ;' inferior, lOs
to Us.

LABOUR MARKET : The demand for mechanics generally
has been limited for the last few weeks. Seamen are still
scarce, and waves high. As to female domestics, they are
obtained only with the greatest difficulty, and many of
those at present in the market are not of the most desirable
class.