The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-12 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

ARRIVAL OF THE AUSTRALIAN.

PLYMOUTH, TUESDAY.—The Royal Australian
Mail Steam-ship Company's steam-packet Austra-
lian, Captain Hoseason, R.N., arrived in the Sound
at 10 o'clock this morning.
Her dates are,—Arrived at Sydney, September
8, at 9 p.m. ; sailed September 20, at 3 p.m. ; ar-
rived at Port Phillip September 24, at 10 a.m. ;
sailed on the 28th, at 1 p.m. ; arrived at Adelaide,
October 1, at 7 p.m. ; sailed October 5, at 6 a.m. ;
arrived at King George's Sound October 12, at
9 a.m. ; sailed October 19, at 6 p.m. ; arrived at
Mauritius November 11, at 7 a.m. ; sailed Novem-
ber 13, at 2 p.m. ; arrived at Table Bay November
27, at 6 a.m. ; sailed November 30, at 3 p.m. ; ar-
rived at St. Vincent's December 23, at 9.30 a.m. ;
sailed December 17, at 2.30 a.m.
The Australian has on board, as a present to her
Majesty the Queen, the valuable nugget of gold
from the Bendigo diggings, weighing over 281 b.
It was purchased at auction by the Government
authorities at Melbourne with money raised by the
sale of licences, &c., at 4/. 6s. per oz., and is in
charge of Captain Bernard, the mail agent.
The gold freight of the Australian weighs 81 tons,
or 222,293 oz. 8 dwt. 14 grains ; it is packed in
various quantities in leather bags, which are sealed,
and then screwed into cedar boxes, also sealed.
In addition to the gold dust on the ship's mani-
fest, the passengers have considerable quantities.
The Australian shipped gold dust, wool, and tal-
low at Sydney ; from Melbourne she brings only
gold dust ; at Adelaide she took in gold dust and
copper ore ; and at the Mauritius 100 tons of sugar.
At the gold mines, 28 miles from Adelaide, about
400 people were at work, gathering, it is said, from
2 ;oz. to 3 oz. per day each. The deposit is °V a
similar quality, and realises the same price as at
Melbourne.

. Rents at Adelaide have not risen, the run being
still for the established gold fields, especially Ben-
digo ; but trade and commerce are greatly improv-
ing. Flour is 381. to 401. per ton ; beef, 4d. per
lb. ; pork, 6d. ; mutton, 4d.
There were 12 or 14 English and colonial brigs
and. barques in the port of Adelaide.
Seamen employed in ships solely in the interco-
lonial trade get 51. per week, and at those rates are
very independent.
Among the passengers by the Australian, is Mr.
Tong, a master mariner, who is come home to pur-
chase two large steam vessels to trade between Ho-
bart Town and Melbourne, none being yet on that
line.

A vessel with coal, belonging to the Royal Aus-
tralian Mail Packet Company, was the only one at
King George's Sound.
The intelligence from the Mauritius is unimpor-
tant.

The General Screw Steam Shipping Company's
mail packet Indiana, arrived there on the 12th of
November, and sailed for Calcutta on the 13th.
The General Screw Steam Shipping Company's
mail packet Calcutta left the Cape on the 27th
of November, for the Mauritius and the East
Indies.

The General Screw Steam Shipping Company's
ship Sir Robert Peel, Captain Boxer, and the steam-
ship Fettercain, Captain Maitland, were in Table
Bay on the 27th of November, bound to Algoa
Bay.

Her Majesty's frigate Herald, 26, Captain Den-
ham, from Rio Janeiro on-the 21st of October, ar-
rived in Simon's Bay on the 26th of November ;
she is bound for Sydney.
Her Majesty's steam vessel Styx, Commander
Hall, left Table Bay on the 26th of November for
Saldanha Bay. She is ordered to Rangoon, and
will be replaced by the steam vessel Dee, which
left the Cape for England several months since, and
has been refitted for service there.
In Simon's Bay were—Her Majesty's brigantine
Dart, Lieutenant Hoskins ; her Majesty's ship Cas-
tor, Commander Wyvill, for England ; and her
Majesty's steamer Hydra, Captain Gordon.
The Australian mail steam ship Melbourne, left
St. Vincent's on the 18th of December for the Cape
and Australia.

The Severn, for Rio, steamed into St. Vincent's
on the 25th of December.

The Australian was detained at King George's
Sound nearly eight days on account of the weather
and the deficiency of labour.

She was 32 days from King George's Sound to
the Mauritius, experiencing nothing but calms,
and went fruitlessly out of her course to seek the
south-east trades ; it is said that she put into the
Mauritius in consequence of breaking the eccentric
rod of one of her engines, while others state that
she had coal but for two or three days ; she shipped
650 tons there.

After leaving the Mauritius she encountered
contrary south-west winds and sprung her main-
topmast, which was unshipped and replaced by a
new one, during a calm; after leaving the Cape.
Fine weather prevailed from the Cape to St.
Vincent's, and thence to the Channel ; three days
before reaching Plymouth she had strong fair winds.

The bottom- of the Australian is covered with
weeds, grass, and shellfish, but for which she would
have made the voyage in less time. We believe
her copper has not been examined in dock since
she left England. Some of her passengers complain
of the bad condition of the so-called preserved pro-
visions ; but they all speak highly of the ship and
of her commander, Captain Hoseason, R.N., and
the chief officer, r. M'Cullom.
The commander, officers, boatswain, and boys,
went out and returned in the Australian, but all
the seamen and all the firemen (14 or 15), except
one; ran from her. At Sydney she received six
men from her Majesty's ship Fantome, but left
short-handed. None joined her at Melbourne or
Adelaide, but at King George's Sound she en-
gaged two Frenchmen, who landed at the Cape ;
at the Mauritius four Englishmen entered ; at the
Cape, five men and a boy ; and, at St. Vincent's,
three men. Wages from Sydney were 10/. per
month ' • Mauritius, 3/. She is eight or ten short
now. All hands behaved exceedingly well on the
passage home.
She has brought as passengers from Sydney.—
First class—Messrs. C. Pritchard, Thomas Kenny,
Robt. Graham, Rev. T. H. Forster ; second class—
Messrs. Gavin, Mason, J. Z. Bradley, Henry Ivey,
and Thos. Slater ; third class--Messrs. Lewis, Alex-
ander, W. Hutchinson, John Hopkins, Gordon
Stewart, J. O'Neill, T. Henley, R. Lawlor. From
Port Philip. First class,—Mr. and Mrs. Brown, Mr.
and Mrs. Harvey and hild, Mrs. Le Capelan and
child, Miss Mitchell, Messrs. Talbot, J. Thorn,
H. Williams, George Whittington, and two sons ;
second class—Mr. and Mrs. M'Mahon, Messrs.
Thomas Ward,W. Curgen'ren, Ralph Carylon, John
Oswald, Joseph Martin, S. Solomon, Mrs. Taylor.
Mr. John Storey, Mr. and Mrs. Symons and child,
Mrs. Thompson, Messrs. Charles Prideaux, Hugh
Lucas, John Campbell, M. W. Horton, Peter
Berry, Richard Fleming, James Daniels, Francis
Carter Mr. and Mrs. Kenny, Mr. and Mrs. Sharpe
and infant ; third class—Mr. Samuel Johnstone.
From Adelaide.—First class—Messrs. J. C. Lawson
and J. D. Cossins ; second class—MasterAlfred Stock,
Messrs. John Binny, Denis Rock, Mrs. Chapman
and infant, Miss Duncan, Miss Wilson, Mr. and
Mrs. Singlehurst and infant, Mr. Willis Barr; third
class—Mr. John Yates, Thomas Simpson, Mrs.
Smith and infant, Messrs. D. Thomas, John Lang-
don, Joseph Langdon, William Shoyle, Wm. Down-
field, and William Dungan. From the Cape.—
First class—Mr. Jury; second class—Mrs. Inaroy.
The city bullion brokers have had for some days
past an agent in Plymouth, waiting the arrival of
the Australian. _ _

The following interesting account of her depar-
ture from Australia and voyage home, is from the
pen of a gentleman who came home a
the Australian : passenger in
" The Royal Australian mail steamer .Australian
arrived at Plymouth on Tuesday, Jan. 11. She has
made a long passage from Australia, and has been
much delayed by the want of hands during the
voyage. Her departure from Sydney was retarded
from This cause from the 15th to themeans *
20th Sept
aember.
of art
She was started from Sydney by p y
of volunteers from the crow of her Majesty's ship
Fantome, who were placed on board of her to ena-
ble her to get away, all her outward crew having
absconded.
" On the 23d Sept. she reached Melbourne, hav-
ing steamed from Sydney against strong head winds
in 55 hours. She was delayed here by the ship-
ment of a large quantity of gold, about 150,000 oz.
having been put on board. A much larger quan-
tity was ready for shipment, but the rules of the
insurance companies limiting risks in one bottom
prevented the shipment of the further quantities
that were awaiting the vessel. It is understood
that arrangements will be completed with the un-
derwriters in England, which will prevent disap-
pointment from this cause in future. A detachment
of police was stationed at the gangway of the ship
during her stay at Melbourne, and the constables
were relieved so as to keep watch day and night to
prevent desertion. In this way the ship was pro-
tected from further loss of hands at Melbourne, and
no desertion took place during her stay here. From
Melbourne she sailed on 28th September, reaching
Adelaide on Ist October, having experienced heavy
westerly gales all the way. These winds prevail
along the Australian coast during the greater part
of the year. At Adelaide she received a further
shipment of about seventy thousand ounces of gold
bars and gold dust. A large portion of the gold
shipped here consisted of ingots assayed at the
Adelaide bullion office. These ingots are assayed, their
weight in pure gold is stamped upon them, and their
standard fineness is also Stamped upon, each, ingot, in