The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-31 00:00:00

EXCHANGE ♦ND BULLION.

CANTON, 13th Feb.—On London 4 7i.—On Bombay,
224 Ra.—On Calcutta, 226 Rs.

13th Feb.—Carolug -Dollars 27 per cent. premium.
SHANGHAI, 23d Jan.—On London 6.6.—0 n India, 325
Re.—Drafts on Canton 27 discount.

iota, ruu.....-E iia, gaol aults.—.l3BllareS, 304
dols.—Malwa, 440 dols.—Turkey, 380 dols.
SHANGHAI, 23rd Jan.—Malwa, 345 dels.—Patna, 270
dols.

FREIGHTS AND TONNAGE.

CANTON.---TO London nominal 5/. ss. for tea.
SHANGHAI.--To London 61. to 6/. 10s. for toa.
EGYPT.

ALEXANDRIA, IVlAncia 23.
The festivities at the barrage of the Nile on the ocoa-
sion of the laying of the foundation stone of a citadel and
town to be called Saideeyeh, after Said Pasha, took
place on the 12th inst., the anniversary of the Viceroy's
birthday.

Lord Haddo, eldest son of the Earl of Aberdeen, is
still in the Upper Country. His health has improved.
Mons. Lesseps, the projector of the canal across the
Isthmus of Suez, has returned from Constantinople, and
it appears that the Sultan refuses to give his sanction to
the plan.

This mail will convey to the Bank of England bills to
the extent of about 20,0001. sterling, on account of the
tribute due by the Pacha of Egypt to the Sultan, and
which is to be appropriated to the Turkish Loan, in
virtue of the Imperial firman of October, 1854. One-
half of the yearly tribute, or 142,500/. sterling, was to
have been deposited in the Bank of England by the 10th
of April, but it will require some months before this sum
be remitted.

The Hindostan, from Calcutta, arrived at Suez on the
.9th of March.

AUSTRALIA.

SYDNEY, JAN'. 27.
In even ordinary times I should say that an antipo-
dean correspondent has a difficult task before him, so to
write of colonial matters; that mere local events should
not be protruded upon the English public as of national
importance, nor that again" which have a world-wide in-
fluence should be over!ooked. In the dear old country
warlike news now engross all attention, and it is a query
with me if two or three columns of Australian intelligence
would receive that notice the writer thereof might desire.
Our Legislative Council is prorogued— the Squattee mem-
bers are busy up country tending their shearing—the phi-
losophical members are pondering upon the Reports of
Committees on Education, Intemperance, and the Con-
dition of the Working Classes--the practical members
are gauging the water question, the sewerage, the pav-
ing, and the lighting of this neglected city ; whilst the
Government sit with folded arms waiting the advent of
a new order of things when Sir William Denison arrives.
Thus, nothing is stirring of any great interest ; rumours
are heard about the candidates offering for Sydney (a
seat being vacant by the retirement of Mr. Thuriow,
who goes to England). There is a slight expression of
feeling about a testimonial to Sir Charles Fitzroy,
which is adverse to him ; and as far as the public are
concerned, they seem prostrated by the overwhelming
hot weather—thermometer at 90 degrees in the shade.
This summer has been rather a disastrous one, so great
a draught not having occurred since 1839, bush fires
extending for miles around have been numerous, and
much property has been destroyed. The town of Para-
matte, with .7,000 inhabitants was exposed to immi-
nent danger for some days, and as the spiritless people
there have no fire-engine, and no authorities of any
kind, they may thank Heaven for their escape from
total destruction. The palings surrounding the
church-yard were burnt, and as the church is in the
centre of the town, Paramatta narrowly escaped
a frightful conflagration. Owing to the want of
rain the various teamsters, who conduct the inte-
rior traffic, have lost many cattle. The cost of car-
riage has increased very much, and everybody has
suffered. We of the city feel the drought in the gradually
ascending price of vegetables and meat. Cabbages of
moderate solidity easily fetch ls. 6d. each ; and carrots
that may properly be termed " linapy," 2d. and 3d. each.
Meat is not very dear yet, but as the stock have no
water and no food the butchers predicate increased
prices. With all this wages are also coming down, but
rents maintain high rates ; building is going on very
vigorously, but landlords are as stiff-necked as ever they
were. The results will be that numbers who cannot afford
high reatsswill go into the rural districts—houses will
become tenantless, and then the household Pharaohs
have their choice—empty tenements, or moderate rents.
The return of the revenue for the concluding quarter of
1854 hasjust been published, and in the words of the Empire
" it has a very decided tendency to confirm public con-
fidence in the stability of our commercial and industrial
interests, and we cannot help congratulating the colony
upon it." The revenue exceeds that of the correspond-
ing quarter of the preceding year by 175,8241. The land
sales exceed those of the same quarter of the former year
by 107,8711.
In the gold revenue there is a decrease of not less than
25,81.,9 the actual receipts for licenses, &c., being
502/. The expenses of the system, and the collections
being balanced, no profit seems to arise from gold com-
missioners, camps, troopers, and man-hunters—the gold
fields should be thrown open to all comers, when proba-
bly some new diggings might be found, and the revenue
would benefit by the consumption of goods subject to
the tariff. There is a likelihood Victoria will abolish the
hateful and vexatious licence fee before us.
The Great Nugget Vein Gold Mining Company held
their half-yearly meeting Jan. 15—a dividend of 2i per
cent, for the half year was declared, but dissatisfaction
waa expressed at the manner in which work was
carried
on. It was also resolved "That the
-English income-
tax cannot be allowed to the shareholders of the United
Kingdom, but that the interest accruing
on the amount
of the unpaid dividends, which hay. bgen invested by