The Sun.
London, England, 1855-10-03 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

SOUTHAMPTON ' Oct. 2.—.8y the Royal mail
steam-ship Magdalena, Captain Abbott, we have
received, via ...Panama, dates from Sydney to the
2d of July.
There is no political news of importance.
In the market the supply of wool haslieen limited
in the extreme. There' was evidently a desire to
purchase wool, could it be met with in sufficient
quantities, for a remittance at the rates lately rul-
ing. The bulk of this season's clip has been shipped,
and there will doubtless be a falling off in the num.
ber of bales exported as compared with last year.
The tallow market was not so brisk ; the arrival of
the Varoon on the morning of the sale, with re-
port of the London market having a downward
tendency, and orders from the neighbouring
co!onies being limited since the date •of last
report, caused the trade to act with extreme
caution, and to purchase only for their imme-
diate wants. Mutton realised from 58s. to
60s. 3d. per cwt.; beef, 465. 6d. t 0485.; and mixed
melting, 483. 6d. to 51s. 6d. Hide market fairly
supplied, and prices maintained for good ; a large
parcel (unsound) realised 7s.
_each. Sheepskins
plentiful, but a decline of id. to 12d. per" lb. is per-
ceptible. In stock and stations no transactions.
The market for fat cattle was well supplied, and
prices about the same. Fat sheep were scarce,
and realised fair prices ; but poor sheep were very
abundant, and sold very low. Freights were
quoted as follows :—To London, wool, id. to lid.
per lb. ; hides, 255. per ton ; tallow, 50s. to 555.
per ton ; gold, per cent. by sailing vessels ;
per cent. by steamers. Exchange on London :
Bank draughts, 3 to 4 per cent. premium; 14 to 2
per cent, premium, if drawn against tallow, wool,
or gold.
A gold circular thus describes the state of that
market :--

"The demand has been brisk, but. very little gold
dust offering. This may be partially accounted for
in consequence of the high prices in Port Philip—viz.,
from 3/. 178. 40. to 3/. 173. 63. per ounce ; this, with
export duty added, makes 41. per ounce, a very high
figure, particularly for Bendigo, and gold dust of that
quality.

"• The escorts, western and southern, brought to the
Treasury this morning 2,420 ozi. 8 dwts., viz. :

WESTERN.

Bathurst
Sofala
Tambaroora
Avisford
Mudgee
Louisa Creek

Ozi. dwts.
40 36 0
601 2 6
273 9 0
575 18 0
134 6 12
40 15 6

1,666 0 18

SOUTIIEBN.

Braidwood
Goulburn..

537 7 6
217 0 0

Western

754 7 6
1,666 0 18

Total 2,420 8 0
This is not an average quantity when it is consi-
dered that the diggers for some time past have been keep-
ing back the gold dust to send to the Royal Mint for
coinage. No doubt the high price of gold dust in Port
Philip, and the abolition of the licence-fee there has been
the principal cause of the small supplies lately received
from these diggings ; numbers, no doubt, leave for the
Victoria Gold Fields. The Gold Fields -Bill will be
brought again before the Legislative Council, and it
ought to be taken into consideration whether the aboli-
tion of the licence system here would not be beneficial
to the colony ; it would certainly place these diggings
upon the same footing as Victoria, a much larger quan-
tity of gold dust would be forwarded-to Sydney, either
for coinage or exportation ; in the former case it would
lessen the expense of the Roy ti. Mint to the colony, as
it is a fallacy to suppose that gold dust at present prices
will be sent for coinage from Victoria ; the expense of
freight, insurance, &c., precludes the possibility of
anything of the kind. All the Mint will prbbably re-
ceive for coinage is the gold dust from these diggings, and
the production of which is evidently on the decrease,
from the want of population to dig the gold. No doubt
exists of the Meroo, Turon, and northern diggings being
of a vast extent, and all that is required is population.
The most disinterested assert this. Some of the gold
dust is nearly equal to Port Philip, but the diggings of
New South Wales are not encouraged, and while that
is the case they will be neglected."
The following regulations, which are to take the place
of the temporary arrangements hitherto subsisting at the
Sydney Mint, took effect from the 2d of July :
".I. Importations of gold dust or gold bullion for
coinage, from 12 oz. upwards, will be receivable at this
Mint daily (Sundays and holydays excepted), between
the hours of 11 a.m. and 3 p in., on the following terms :
"1, Importatie,as from 10,000 oz. standard and up-
wards, subject 'co a charge of three-quarters per cent. for
converting tine same into coin.

"2. Lnportations below this amount will be coined
at a charge of 1 per cent.
• f` 3. The value of the bullion will be determined on
the reports of the mint assayers.
" 4. Importations will be melted, if preferred, in the
presence of the importer. The importer will also be
furnished, on demand, with a clip for assay from his own
ingot, as a check on the reports at the Mint assayers.
" 5. The Mint will issue, if required, gold bullion in
bars or ingots, at 31. 17s. 100. the standard ounce.
" G. The Mint will be prepared to afford accommoda-
tion to a limited extent to parties requiring early pay-
ment for their bullion, at an advance of one-fourth per
cent. on the above charges. Payment in such cases will
be made within three days of delivery of the Mint.
" 11. The following descriptions of bullion are not ad-
missible within the Mint, viz. :—Articles of plate, jewel-
lery, or wrought gold (coins excepted) ; bullion containing
mercury or metals foreign to the gold producing districts
of _Australasia, and destructive of the• malleability of the
metal ; bullion that has been tampered with in any way.
" 111. Bullion which can be recognised before melting as
objectionable on the above grounds will not be received,
but should any after melting prove unfit for coinage for the
reasons enumerated it will be returned to the importer,
subject to a charge of ed. per ounce on the gross weight of
the importation."

The suMect of steam communication with England,
by way of Panama, was still occupying the attention of
the colonists.

MELBOURNE, July 13.—Yesterday morning (says
the Times' correspondent) I transntitteda letter by
the Mermaid, one of the White Star Line, and I
added the newspapers of the day. This evening or
to-morrow morning the Blanche Moore sails for
Point de Galle, with a prospect of catching the
second August mail. This induces me to transmit
a short recapitulatory letter.
I wrote by the Bosphorus on June 20, in order
to catch the Indian mail, and I sent the latest
paper, which was of some slight importance, as de-
scribing the disturbance of Maryborough. I do
not think the aspect of things at the diggings at
all satisfactory, though the Maryborough disturb-
ance was put down. The insurgent party were
Irish; they are called in the accounts ' Tips"—i. e.,
Tipperary men ; but they number many Irish from
other parts. They were put down by a large dis-
play of force. About 2,000 men organised them-
selves, drilled, marched in order, were well armed,
and moved (this time) in support of order. They
are called " the allies." The authorities of the 10.
cality behaved well and prudently, and I rejoice
that troops wore not sent up.
At nearly all the diggings societies for mutual
protection have grown up, composed of such men
as "the allies " of Maryborough. They have asked
for the sanction of the Government, and Sir
Charles Hotham has granted it, provided they do
nothing illegal. .Thus they must do nothing at all,
for anything they should do would be illegal.
They can only be innocent so long as they abstain , trom
doing anything. Acting without the au- i
thority
of law any act of theirs avould be illegal,
in spite of
the Governor's sanction. If, for in-
stance, theY_ were of their own motion to arrest a
suspected person. without a warrant made by com-
petent authority, they or any of them would be
liable to an action, and :Sir Charles's licence would
not avail them. I suspect Sir ‘Charles will get him-
self into a scrape with the Colonial-office in this
matter, for it shows weakness as well as want of
knowledge.
You will discussion in the papers
touchingthefindsome
existence of distress in Collingwood,
the fact even being disputed. But of its existence
there and elsewhere there can be no doubt, but I
think it is less among the. labourers than among
that class brought. up to nothing and not capable
of much. Many of these are " very willing to do
anything," but when questioned as to what they
can do- it soon appears that they belong to a very
helpless class, for which there is scarcely a
place in the colony, and for the few who na„ be
assorted with the rest of society the demand is
more than satiated. During periods of great scarcity
of labour they come in when the stock of more
skilled competitors is exhausted. The emigration
of this class should be discouraged.
At last a little is doing about tho Patriotic Fund,