Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-04-07 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

We have received, in anticipation of the overland
mail, our files of papers from Melbourne to the 14th,
Sydney the 11th, and Adelaide the 15th of February,
and which are a fortnight later than those previously.
to hand. The Melbourne Herald, in its summary
for Europe says :—" The screw steam ship Salsette
having been announced to be despatched with the
English mails on Tuesday morning, we give a brief
summary of colonial news for transmission to
Europe :

PourreAL.—Since our previous summary was sent to Europe not
quite a fortnight has elapsed ; but within that brief period there
have arisen some political events worthy of special record. Of
these the chief is the promulgation of their intended land policy
by the present cabinet. On Tuesday last, the chief secretary
laid the brief outlines of his scheme before the Assembly. No
discussion has yet been taken on it in the house ; but, as may be
supposed, it has formed almost the sole topic of comment in the
press, and conversation in places of public resort. We are n•w
within a day or two of the close of the last session of our first
constitutional parliament. On Friday next, at latest, the House
will rise for the dissolution. Tne Assembly has passed the last item
of the estimates for the current year ; and the Appropriation Bill •
will be introduced to-morrow, and passed, as a matter of course,
without opposition. Many minor measures of considerable local
importance have been passed through their last stages -including
one for temporarily settling the long-pending disputes arising out
of gold-mining on private property—one to modify the taxation
levied on the Chinese within the territory—one to promote
union amongst the various bodies of Presbyterians in the colony—
and one to make more equitable the levying of the assessment on
the squatters. A motion to introduce the system of paying mem-
bers of the Assembly with the inauguration of the next parlia-
ment, was rejected a few nights ago by a large majority. The
upper house is now revising the bill to amend the Registration Act.
The last effort of pure partyism has just been made in the Assem-
bly. On the day following the declaration of the ministerial land
policy, Mr. Peter Snodgrass gave notice of a motion of a want of con-
fidence in the ministry, on the double grounds of their land and
their general policy, but the final, futile, and factious attempt to
throw out the ministry, and plunge the country into utter confu-
sion, resulted only in a premature explosion.
GOLD.-Our miners have begun the year well, a greater yield of
gold having been produced by their exertions in January than was
obtained during the corresponding period of 1858. The quantities
brought down by escort were respectively 168,609 oz., and 157,603
ozs. The advantage over last year has been maintained up to the
present time, the escort returns for the two weeks of the current
month, and for the first fortnight of February, 1858, being 250,716
ozs., and 227,350 ozs. The shipments have also increased; for,
while we find that for the six weeks, ending the 11th instant, the
gold exported amounted to 289,273 ozs.' the aggregate quantity
shipped during the parallel period of 1858, was 230,273 ozs.

MONETARY AND COMMERCIAL.—Since the publication of our
monetary and- commercial summary for transmission by the
Oneida, few circumstances worthy of being recorded have occurred
to intercept the course of mercantile or financial affairs. -The
arrival of the mail-steamer Emeu, with advices from London to
December 17th, placed us in possession of extremely unsatisfactory
advices regarding the proceedings of exporters to the• Australian
colonies, and caused a general feeling of depression. Instead of
learning that the shipments to Melbourne and Geelong in all
November had fallen off, we gained the unwelcome information
that, in face of the most urgent expostulations addressed to firms
engaged in the colonial trade-, there was a heavy increase as com-
pared with the declared value of the missions sent forward in all
October. It would be impossible to deprecate too emphatically
the course adopted at home, and persisted in despite the losses
which must be sustained by reckless speculators. Although
capital is freely offering for the purposes of investment, there
have been few transactions completed in the money market,
owing to the scarcity of first-class securities. The rates still vary
from Bto 12i per cent. In the Stock and Share market the busi-
ness has not been extensive, but prices have been maintained.

NEW SOUTH WALES.
SYDNEY, February 11.

POLITICAL SUMIARY.—Since our last summary the principal
questions which have occupied the Legislative Council have been •
the Bigamy Bill, which the mover, Mr. Johnson, withdrew for six
months. The steam postal question, has lengthly occupied the
attention of both houses. The result appears to be, that both
houses are dissatisfied with the arrangements which have been
made, binding at home, in respect to the route per Suez, without
any reference to the line viii Panama. Of 'course there has been
some reference to the offer of the colony in regard to the Panama
route, but great suspicions prevail that if the contracts as to the
Suez route are, as we understand them, that this colony is involved
in an arrangement of expenditure which is far beyond any benefit
received, and which will probably prove injurious if not fatal
to the establishment of a line of postal communication which
could alone be beneficial to us. Resolutions, without repudiat-
ing the previous offers of the Government, or any engage-
ments made under the sanction of Parliament, but strongly
conservative of the right of the house to enforce its
opinion in favour of the two lines have passed both houses.
The main political topic, however, which has engaged atten-
tion has been; supply. Day by day' the estimates, which were
to have been brought down to the house in such a way that they
could not be disputed, but were to be passed in the lump, have been
discussed; and, though comparatively few reductions have been
made, they have been made by the former warmest friends of the
Government, and it is quite plain that all confidence in their
economical ability or honesty is gone. It is beyond doubt that,
extenuated as the debates on the estimates have been, were it not
for the departure of some of the leading men of the opposition
patty, the Cowper Government could not be continued for one
fortnight. With regard to the Church State Aid Question, it is
settled for the present, and we believe satisfactorily to the country.
It will form a feature in the hustings speeches which are impend-
ing upon us. It is right such a question should go to the country.
There have been great squabbles as to the appointment of Crown
law officers, and the general opinion is that the Attorney and
Solicitor-General should cease to hold seats in the Cabinet. It is
yet a matter of doubt whether the ministry will successfully get
through committee of supply ; if so, the house will be immediately
dissolved.

COMMERCIAL.—The share market has been very active, and a large
amount of business has been transacted in the shares of several of
the companies at improved prices. Money is pretty plentiful for
investment, and as the half-yearly reports of the Commercial Bank,
Newcastle Coal and Copper Company, Australasian Steam Naviga-
tion Company have been very satisfactory, it has caused some
demand for these shares. The fluctuations are as followl—Bank
of New South Wales are firm at £46, but holders are asking £47
per share ; Commercial Bank have advanced 30s to 40s per share ;
Australian Joint Stock Bank have improved 5s per share ; -Union
Bank have been sold at £52 per share, which is an 'advance of £1
per share; Australasian Steam Navigation Company have been in
request, and have been sold at £l4 lOs per share, ex dividend,
which is an advance of £1 per share; Sydney Insurance Company
are 2 per cent higher. Government Debentures are firm, and are
worth nearly one per cent more than last month. Intermina.bles
have also improved, and are quoted at 98. The quantity of gold
dust received by escort from the several gold-fields, and from
Fairfield and Port Curtis during the past month, amounted to
19,908 ounces. For the same month of 1858 the amaunt was 14,701
ounces. The increase in the month is, therefore, 5,207 ounces, or
35 per cent. The amount of gold coin issued by the Sydney Branch
of the Royal Mint from the Ist of January to the 4th of February,
has been 105,000 sovereigns. The quantity of gold-dust imported
into the same establishment during the month for the purposes of
coinage has been 28,519 ounces.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

ADELAIDE, February 15.

POLlTlCAL.—Parliament being in recess, we have little to state
under this head. Steps have been taken to bring the new financial
scheme of last session into operation by the appointment of Major
Freeling as Valuator of Runs under the Act for the assessment of
stock.
REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE. —From a recent Government
Gazette we obtain a statement of the revenue and expenditure of
the Colonial Government for the quarter and the year ending
December 31st, 1858. The quarter's revenue amounted to £119.004,
being an increase upon the corresponding quarter of 1857 of
£10,590 ; and the year's revenue to £151,831, being an increase
upon the previous year of £305. The expenditure for the quarter
amounted to £110,502, being a decrease upon that of the corres-
ponding quarter of the previous year of £14,757, and for the year
to £472,618, being a decrease upon the previous year of £7,616.

IMMIGRATION AND EMIGRATION.—The Customs returns for the
quarter ended December 31st last, furnish us with a rather, novel
feature, viz., a considerable excess of departures for New south
Wales over arrivals from that colony. The emigration exceeds the
immigration in the proportion of 3 to 1.

THE BOMBAY MAIL.

The Bombay Standard of the 11th ultimo remarks that
the rebellion, as represented by Tantia Topee, Feroze Shah,
and their adherents in various parts of India, is now at the
lowest ebb. "We no longer hear of large bodies of
insurgents marching through the' disaffected districts. The
pursuit to which these men have been subjected, the hardships
they have endured, appear to have completely disheartened
them. The large bands have separated. The chiefs are in
concealment, and, like the lowest criminals, are hiding their
identity under assumed names." Since Tantia Topee
arrived at Korowlee, where he is said to have assumed the
name of Ram Singh ; nothing certain has been heard of him.

In Oude it seems 'the policy of government is now merely
to watch the frontier, and to trust to time and the Ghoorkas
of Jung Bahadoor to disperse the insurgents under the
Begum, the Nana, and Beni Mando. Lord Clyde, whose
health is still bad, left Lucknow on the Ist of March, for
Simla. He was to go to Mahavleshwur on the 18th.

We learn from liidore, under date the Bth ult., that her
Majesty's 86th arrived on that day. The rebels are scat-
tered in five or six separate parties, some wanting to
surrender, and all disheartened. They are now making
towards Seronj, and if they can only be brought or driven
to collect together, they will speedily be dealt with We
have a letter from camp Seronj of the 3rd instant, saying
that Colonel Rich's column left Goonah on the Ist,
and arrived at Seronj on the 2nd. The rebels were
within twenty miles, and immediate efforts were about to be
made to surround them. By a notification issued by the
local government, the duty upon Malwa opium will be
increased from 400 to 500 rupees per chest from the Ist of
July next. "The financial embarrassment of the govern-
raent," says the Bombay Times, "is most severe, if not
altogether unprecedented, and it is rumoured that a sus-
pension of cash payments may be looked for, unless relief is
obtained very speedily." There had been no improvement
in the import market during the fortnight; freights had
advanced, and the money market showed slight symptoms
of improvement, though the Bank of Bombay had not
reduced its rates of discount.