The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-01-03 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

We have received later advices from New South Wales,
Victoria, Tasmania, and New Zealand. The dates are,
Melbourne, October 24, Sydney, October 19, and Hobart
Town, October 4.

The gold escort which arrived on October 11th brought
down 45,000 ounces from the various gold fields. - The
government of New South Wales has passed an act to
enable the Givernor, with the advice of the Executive
Council, from time to time to raise, by the sales of deben-
tures, secured upon the consolidated revenue fund of the
colony, and bearing interest at a rate not exceeding 5 per
centum per annum, such sum or sums of money not exceed.
ing £200,000 as may be required for carrying on of rail-
way works.

On the 30th of September the liabilities of the Bank of
Australia wore £2,167,000; the assets £2,265,000. In
the week ended 4th October, the value of imports at
Melbourne was £254,000; exports, £130,000, including
18,060 ouflces of gold.
Respecting the elections in Victoria, the Melbourne
Herald says :—" Messrs. Pyke and Palmer have been
elected to the Castlemaine boroughs, evidently by a large
majority, although the whole of the returns hal not been
received. The return of those gentlemen is another triumph
for the liberal cause, and another nail in the coffin of the
present government. The polling for the Sandhurst
boroughs took place yesterday, and another programme
man may be calculated upon to sit for the constituency."
The importance of the movement for the amelioration
of the moral and social condition of the boys who throng
our streets cannot be overrated; it will be successful, too,
if the promoters will only confine their operations to the
production of what may be reasonably expected to foll)w
the carrying out of suggestions of a practical nature. Tney
must not expect to effect too much, and should ignore- the
Utopian theories which have destroyed many a scheme
originally well intended and directed.

alhe ministerial crisis in New South Wales continues,
although it was said that Mr. Watson Parker had been
more successful than Mr. Hay in his attempt to form a
ministry. The statement of the revenue of the colony of
Victoria for the year and the quarter ending on the 33th of
Sept. has been published. The periods embraced in this
statement are compared with the corresponding periods of
the year ending on the 30th Sept., 1855, and the result is
on the whole satisfactory. There is a net .increase in the
general revenues of £260,611 on the year, and of £110,980
on the quarter. The prineipal items of increase on the
year are—Customs, £521,670; licenses, £4,156; of
decrease—gold fields revenue, £165,585; port and harbour
dnes, £24,713 ; postage, £20,303 ; assessment on stock,
£11,937 ; fines and forfeitures, £7,987 ; fees of court,
£6,926 ; land sales, £32,180; miscellaneous, £5,682.
The increase in the Customs revenue is very marked,
and when the stationary position of our population as
regards numbers during the period is considered, this mast
be taken as very telling evidence of general prosperity—
that is, of the ability of the colonists to purchase articles
of luxury. The increase in the export duty on gold
must be s-t off against the decrease in the revenue from
the gold fields, bought about by the abolition of the license
system, which was in operation at the commencement of the
first period referred to. The decrease in the post office may
be traced almost entirely to the check which an inadequate
and uncertain service has imparted to the writing powers of
the population, and to the falling off in immigration. The
port and harbour dues, although exhibiting a decrease on the
year, have yielded an increase on the quarter, and are rapidly
improving in amount. The falling off in the assessment
on stock is matter for inquiry. The other items of decrease
are of little importance.

Wages being high, ani the necessaries of life cheap, the
deposits in the savings banks were increasing largely.
Large auriferous deposits near Malcnesbury were reported.
Great excitement had been created in Sydney by the
announcement of a nugget of gold weighing five hundred
weight. It is stated, however, to be merely a mass of
quartz with a vein of gold running through! it. The
revenue of New South Wales for 1857 was estimated at
1,277,0001.