Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-11-20 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

The European and Australian Company's steamer
ktistralasian, Captain Sceales, arrived at Southampton
°I) Wednesday with the heavy portion of the Australian
tacl Bombay mails. Her dates were :—.Sydney, Sept. 10 ;
Melbourne, 17 ; King George's Sound, 24 ; Ceylon, Oct
9n; Aden, IS ; Suez, Nov. 4; Alexandria, 6; Malta, 10:
h
ger mails consisted of 513 boxes and 5 bags, the largest
mall ever brought home in one ship. The Australian
Portion consisted of 501 boxes, and the Bombay portion of
1.2 boxes. The cargo of the Australasian consisted of 149
Packages of gold and gold dust, of the value of £525,916
13terlinc'a 2&3 cases of dates, 73 cases of gum, 31 bales of
wool, 139 trusses and 10 cases of elephants' tusks, besides
61 Packageo. of sundries. The Australasian brought home
Passengers, nearly all of them from Australia. Her
raa,lesty's ship Tartarus was at Alexandria. The Royal
!thert, Conqueror, Princess Royal, Centurion, Vulture.
'igilant, Coveatte, Wanderer, Boxer, Harpy, and
Bibernia, were at Malta.
Th Ennui which brought the Australian mail to Suez,
40 ashore, as has already been stated, on a coral reef in
the Red Sea, about 700 miles from Suez. She was going
at flin speed, and ran about 30 feet on the reef. After
being stuck fast for 53 hours, she was got off by cutting

-ay the rock and backing her out. She was torn very
mach forward, and made water fast. She was then
'ariven on a favourable beach, the water pnmped out of

• - -
her by the crew and pass?ngers, and patched up so that

she ves..snabied to reach Suez. If it had not been for
her watertight compartments and the exertions' of the

•
passengers she would never have got off the rocks. She
Ras ashore eight'days repairing. The Admiralty agent,

'with two passengers and the purser, left the Emeu, and
wcnt on board a native sailing boat, carrying with them
about 150 boxes of mails, containing chiefly letters. This
:Vas three weeks ago, and it is not expected that they can
"teach Suez before the latter end of this week They are

;
an open boat, with a head wind, and their sufferings
must be dreadful. The Erneu's going ashore was tha

fault of the native pilot. —She will be unible to proceed

to Australia with the mail which left England on the

12th ult., and will have to go to Calcutta, or some othf r
Indian pert, in company with another ship to be repaired:
The outward Australian mail of the 12th ult. must wait
at Suez for the Simla, which is expected at that, port on

the 22nd instant. The Australasian will prove a fast
steanuer; she; however, 'consumes a large quantity of

In addition to the intelligence from New South Wales
to the 10th Sept., .which we .published on-MOnday, and
that from Melbourne to the 17th, which we gave on
Tuesday, as received via Marseilles, the following in—
formation about the affairs of the province Of victoria is
supplied by the completer files of the Afelboi‘ine Age and
4rgics which have now come to hand.

In the Legislative Assembly the, government has suc-
ceeded, notwithstanding great opposition, in passing the
Land Bill, the effect of which will be to give all squatters
a legal tenure and priority of purchase of the extensive
tracts of public land occupied by them as sheep-runs. It
Is expected, however, that in the Upper House, or
Legislative Council, the bill will undergo some modifi-
cation. The Argus says :
oil That farmers, as well as squatters, have a right to
ellioy the use of a pertion of the unsold crown lands for
e neleasturing purposes, has been admitted by the bill lately
passed by the assembly. Whether this ever becomes law
or not is still very doubtful ; but as the bill now stands, it
is proposed that, on petition from the occupiers of cul-
tivated land, the governor, in council shall have power to
set apart as agricultural pasturage an extent of waste
land in their immediate neighbourhood equal to that held
by the petitioners. This recognition of the right of
agriculturist's to: a share of the natural pasturage is of
more value as a matter of principle than for the actual
benefit that will be conferred on the present tillers of the
soil by the bill,-.if it is finally passed in its present shape.
This privilege is to be granted on terms which will prevent
many of the
_farmers from obtaining any portion of the 'so-
called agricultural pasturage at all, and will not allow of
its being turned to the best account by-those who do. All
lands taken from the licensed squatting eccupiers for this
Purpose, are to he expos. -d to public auction in jots of
such extent as may seem best to the Land Board, and let
for one year to the highest bidder. Under this system of
edmpetition it is not probable that the grass-land set apdrt
for their use and benefit will be divided among the farmers
in proportion to the quantity of purchased land held by
each. Even though it may be put up in small lots, it is
almost certain to fall into the hands of a few persons who
~, tita be able to pay, a higher rent per acre for a number of
"eie small allotments than each would be worth by itself.
}I" these are only to be let for one year certain, it will not
ue ivorth the holders' while to fence them in, and but
-tittle use can be made of 50 or 100 acres of unfenced land.
Of far more benefit will be the power proposed to be given
to future purchasers of special country, lots, of not more
than 160 acres each, to occupy an adjoining allotment of
the same size for pastoral purposes, for which he will have
t° Pay a yearly rent at the rate of 6 per cent. on the value,
With a right to complete the purchase at any time within
three years if he shall have brought in cultivation two-
thirds of his own allotment. This provision will be
beneficial to the settler, not only in giving him the use of
portion of grass land for a time at a moderate rent, but
it will, in point of fact, enable him to purchase a farm of
320 acres, or less, and retain half the purchase-money for
three years, for the purpose of improvement. To small
capitalists this will be a very great boon.
We also find the following :
A bill for -dmending the law relating to the manage_
went of the gold-fields is passing through the Assembly.
One of its principal provisions consists of the abolition
of the present local courts, and the substitution for them
of two courts, one of a judicial and the other of a legis.
lative character—the former to be held' under the
Presidency of judges to be appointed by the Governor.
The Legislative Court will be elective. The two coerts
Will Make all rules for the local management of the gold-
field on which they are situated, will determine disputes,
settle claims, and will severally fulfil the functions of
county courts and municipal councils.
After considerable delay, Mr. Duffy has brought up the
report of a select committee appointed many months ago
to consider the question of a federal union between the
Australian colonies, and the following are its principal
recommendations :-
1. That the Legislatures of New South Wales, South
Australia, and Tasmania, be requested to select three
delegates each, two of whom might be members of
assembly, and one a member of council, to meet three
delegates from this colony.
2. That these delegates assembled in conference be
empowered to frame a plan of federation, to be after wards
Submitted, for approval, either to the colonial legislatures,
or directly to the people, or to both, as may be deter-
mined and to receive such further legislative sanction
as may appear necessary.
3. That the expenditure incident to the Conference
shall be borne by the respective colonies, in whatever
proportion may be fixed by thd Conference itself.
4. That the Conference shall hold its meeting in
Whatever place the majority of the delegates may deter-
mine; their decisions being interchanged in writing
Within a month of their elections being comp'eted.
No little interest was excited by a movement on the
Part of the Attorney-General for the abolition of State
Aid. When the third reading of the bill was called for,
In the Lower House, it was announced that an " arrange-
'tent" had been made by a compromise of conflicting
°Pinions, the result of which would be that of " extending
the period of State aid being granted to clergymen to
1860 instead of 1859, and limit the granting of state aid
for building purposes to 1860 instead of 1861, as provided
In the bill as it at present stood." So it resulted.
The report of the railway committee has been issued.
They recommend that the construction of railways should
be committed to the state, and not to private companies .
that the construction of the works and permanent way
should• be strong, durable, and substantial; that two trunk
lines should be first formed—one from Geelong to Ballarat,
the other from Melbourne to Sandhurst—with a view to
further extension to the Murray; that they should be
commenced at the same period ; that each of these should
have a double, not single line of rails ; that contracts for
the execution of the works are to be taken by tender,
either for the whole of the lines or for sections of them ;
that the contractors, before engaging in the works, mast
deposit a sufficient sum with the government as security
for the proper performance of the contract; that the
capital required for the cost of construction, &c., be raised
by loan, on the issue of government debentures for £lOO
each, to the amount of £6.000,000., payable (principal and
Interest) in London, and of other debentures for £25 each,
Payable in Melbourne, both bearing 6 per cent,
Interest to be paid out of the consolidated re-
tenue, and redeemable in twenty-five years ; that
the debentures, if not taken up by the contractors, should
not be at once tluown upon the London Stock Exchange,
London
should be first brought to the notice of the great
44
, °lldon capitalists, with a view to getting them to tender
let the loan ; that a detailed statement of income and