Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-02-04 00:00:00

VICTORIA

POLITICAL .—AB was fully anticipated, the re"
auction in the proposed number of members, an
the consequent alteration in the proportion 0'
representatives allated to the digging and urb°ll,
constituencies, hack the effect of neutralising much
of the opposition felt to the measure in the- Lego-
lative Council, where its third reading Was
ultimately agreed to without division.. Some
amendments, of more or less importance, were pr'r
posed in its details. The division of the metrepolitiol
constituency into several separate districts Acn°
objected to, but, after considerable discussion, the
bill was allowed to remain, irt this respect'
unaltered. A proposal was submitted to &ran;
chise the Melbourne University, allotting. it 011,5
representative in Parliament as soon as ,'L
graduates- should reach a certain number, but tsY
was rejected, on division, by a large majoriti;
The only actual alteration effected has been t"
separation of the South Melbourne- district ill,„
'"";
two- distinct constituencies, to return ona
member. each. Among the subjects deeni
sufficiently pressing to call for an in;
mediate settlement is the question of" mining °.„,
private property. The state of the colonial lara
on this subject is at present most anomalous, an
.
the legality which
the contracts entered into,. by u.,,c
the owners of land's purchased from the Ck°'',.;f
have conceded to private persons the- right L
extracting auriferous deposits from their lanel
has•long been a fertile source of public quarrel
and legal conflict-. A large number of these CI;
tracts are at this: moment in practical, force.
some instances the title of the persons in. wll°
favour they have been made has been% disputvit
with violence. Altogether the subject is one whic
has occasioned great irritation, as well as- uncer
tainty of tenure. The Solicitor-General
introduced a Bill for the removal' of- those dip.'

eulties..
THE GOLD FIELDS.—From the summary in the
lbourne Argits;we take the following : aer
It is every day becoming more evident that the larbio
the capital investeciiimnachinery and the otheradjunctn,s, 0
systematic mining the greater will be the returns.
more powerful the machinery the more• economieallY,
the quartz be crushed; and the greater the power apPil'ut
and the greater the facilities for removing and washing °A_
in large quantities the earth from old abandoned grono,
and alluvial soil too poor to pay for workiiagby hand label;
alone, .by so much will the profitable field. of labour b
proportionally extended. At the Clunes- works every o fr.e'i
shaft sunk; and every addition to th,e machinery, recla!,..,
the employment of more hands, and' increases the is
dads of the shareholders. - Nor is their- any fear of t'lio
particular mine being exhausted by these addition; a
the working power; for the more the works are extefl
the more does there appear to be of the material to is
operated upon. Only a few days- since a new 'co.
of quartz,' of considerable thickness, and most Pin
bably of great extent, was accidentally struck_th
running a- drivr across the Company's ground N`.'es.
quite another object in view, andwhich pronlbe,
to give a larger average yield: •of gold than
ces4:
quartz upon the working of which the sac
of the Company has hitherto been founded.

Syste'n
surf3ce'

tic mining, at a sufficient depth from the
has, in this one spot, proved the existence of an Ow
mous amount of wealth, which can be most profitAvia
extracted by using the requisite means ; and, if
in such abundance lies buried. where the supelMil,
indications offer so little encouragement for the foole
what may- we not expect °to find whera'e
quartz near the surface contains twice and,
times the. proportion of gold to the ton ?
however, be needless, for' some time to come, to,oltPep,
labour and money in searching after these hidden reieni
as plenty to employ the mining population fAr 11';03
years have been already opened up, and every, daY 3is
to o:wit-number. No discovery of especial importaecety
alluvial ground has been made since the finding of oe
deep load at Indigo, but from all parts of thecountil
have accounts of the clicovery of new quartz: veins, s°os
of them giving promise of great richness. In the 0i 'O,
district, where, in consequence of the distance from t't,4l,,
but little crushing- machinery has been, yet erce,:otr
several reefs, with most promising indications, ";,"%
been lately found, and are now being worked in 50651'0
tion of machinery being soon on the ground. °Li"
the gold fields there is a growing tendency towards Irgt
settled habits, and an increasing disposition on theF,pr
of the miners to render this a more- steady and rernio
pursuit, so that when- leases can be obtained, wenftlit
expect to see this class avail tUmse/ves largely °,l tb°
advantages to be derived from, 34 fixity of tenure, 811-(014
right to take up an extent of ground that will mite
occupation for years to each company or co-DPe''
association.
LABOUR MARKET.---During the last week or 4ot
the general labour market has been in a be'ot
condition. The demand for men suitable for 10
kinds of country work has much increased ;3 be
there are more men unemployed than show p 0
idle at harvest time. If the weather continue for
changeable through the season as it has been to
to
some weeks past, the farmers will be oblige
employ a greater number of men than usual, ildie
in this case, all who are capable of assisting iii„ecl•
harvest-field or stack-yard will soon be eng%otp
The immediate prospect for tradesmen 15 nor
however, so good ; many cannot obtain work
is there a probabilitT of any sudden deinan
skilled workmen arising.
COMMERCIAL.

In the money market there has not been any lrrellt
ment whatever. Money has been plentiful at the cut' et'
rate of interest for advance on mortgage. For °°lntttcir
cial purposes the banks have been cautious jo
advances, but the returns issued of the average „
bllO,
done by the eight establishments carrying on , ur.-c o`.
during the third quarter of the year do not gilatio*
denoo any material decrease of accomen the
The 1;old market has continued quiet through °,tl
mr:,nth. There has been an active demand and a les;,,itel
average supply, but no change has taken place
broke
These are now quoted by the Melbourne bullion kan
at —for Omeo, Gls 6d to 71s 6d; Pleasant Creek 01'
Goaldburn, 74s 6d to 75s ; Castlemain, Sandhil,rs"aollici
Jim Crow, 753 to 76s ; Ararat, ‘Maryborough, m°os 3114
Fiery Creek, Avoca, and Amherst, 76s to 775;
,P;c:7Bsl',
1 Yackandandah, 77s to 75.1 paultt, 77s 6`l
'1 per ot-bnce,

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