The Sun.
London, England, 1855-06-07 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

ARRIVAL OF THE INDIAN QUEEN.
LIVERPOOL, WEDNESDAY.
The Black Ball clipper Indian Queen, Captain
M‘liircly, belonging to Messrs. James Baines and
Co., arrived in the river on Tuesday night, after a
very rapid passage of 78 days from Hobart Town,
from which port she sailed on the 17th of March,
with 50 passengers, and a small box of specie, in
addition to the following cargo-2035 bales of wool,
164 bales and 10 cases of leather, 71 casks sperm
oil, 5 hhds. skins, and 3 cases brushware.
The Indian Queen brings advices from Melbourne
to the 13th March—three days later than previ-
ously to hand, up to which date neither the Red
Jacket (out 75 days), nor the Lightning (out 66
, days), had arrived.
1 The arrival of English news was looked forward
to with much anxiety by the inhabitants of Mel-
bourne, the latest advices from England being De-

cember 10.
An open air meeting was held at Melbourne on
the 24th of March, for the purpose of considering,
the extraordinary conduct of Government in post-
poning the trials of the Ballarat rioters. Resolu-
tions condemnatory of the course pursued by Go-
vernment were passed, and a subscription entered
into for a defence of the remaining prisoners. The
insult offered to the jury by the Attorney-General
was also censured, one of the speakers, Mr. Aspi-
nall, stating that it was understood the Attorney-
General intended to resign as soon as he was able
to pass a measure prohibiting trial by jury.
Another large nugget of gold, weighing 481 b.,
had been taken from a hole at Ballarat.
A letter from Geelong, dated 12th March, says :
—" The improvement noticed some time past in
provisions continues to progress. Rates are tend-
ing rapidly upward., and merchants are determined
to hold rather 'than credit any important sale.
Prices.—Belmont candles are now worth 2s. per lb. ;
is. Bd. per lb. is a fair quotation for English cheese,
and there is also an advance on many other articles
of daily consumption. Tho first quality of flour
has realised 451. 10s., and wheat has been quoted

.
a.t 15s. 6d. to 15s. 9d.
A meeting, presided over by the Governor a
Van Diemen's Land, Sir .Henry Young, was held
at Hobart Town on the 10th of March, at which a
committee was appointed to raise subscriptions in
aid of the Patriotic Fund. Nearly 1,0001. was con-
tributed at the meeting.
Mr. Perry was elected to a seat in the Legisla-
tive Council, for Hobart Town, on the 167,11 of
March, by a majority of 176 over his opponent,
Dr. Bedford.
The gold mines at Fingal, worked by the Laun-
ceston Company, was not productive enough to
pay expenses ; but persons of experience in the
Victoria mines were quite sanguine of success as to
• the result, feeling assured that at a quarter depth
the gold will ho found in great quantities. The
miners propose goitm to the depth of 100 feet. .
The harvest in Van Diemen's Land bad been
completed and got in with little difficulty.. For
labour the wages generally paid had been 12s. per
acre and rations.
The Launceston Examiner says the Archbishop of
Canterbury had extended the leave of absence from
the colony of the Rev. Dr. Brown for six months
longer, in order to have the benefit of his expe-
rience and assistance in the preparation of an act
for the better management of ecclesiastical afTair3
in the Australian colonies.
Advices from New Zealand to the 27th February
have been received by the Indian Queen. The
New Zealander of that date says :
" Commerce has for someweeks past been subservient
to politics, and we have neither a sale to report or
change to note. There has been but one arrival during
the week, and that an American whaler to refresh. Three
vessels have sailed, all with colonial produce for the
Melbourne market. The exports were 400 tons of po-
tatoes, 30 bushels of wheat, and 3 tons of onions."

RUSSIAN AVARrCIOUSNESS.

TO THE EDITOR. OF THE SUN.

SlR,—They following passage in Gibbons's immortal
work may now interest your readers. It occurs in the
55th chapter of the " Decline and Fall of the Roman
Empire," in a masterly sketch of the early history of
the barbarian Pt,issia :—" In a period of 190 years, the
Russians made four attempts to plunder the treasures of
Constantinople ; the event was various, but the motive,
the means, and the object were the same in these naval
expeditions. The Russian traders had seen the magnifi-
cence and tasted the luxury of the City of the Ca3sars.
They envied the gifts of nature, which their climate de-
nied," &e. A. 0. F.
Temple.