The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-25 00:00:00

SYDNEY.

Accounts have been received from Sydney via Pana-
ma, dated the 15th of January, and consequently more
than a fortnight later than those by the last arrival.
With regard both to the gold-mines and the general
course of trade, they are interesting and satisfactory.
The production of gold, it is stated, was rapidly in-
creasing, and the accounts were equally favourable from
almost all districts. At Turon the water was rapidly
subsiding, and great results were expected, the average
return of each claim being "alleged to amount to about
10 ounces per day. At the Southern diggings, in the
neighbourhood of Braidwood, the returns are reported
to continue large, the average weekly sum per man
being 30 to 40 ounces, In the north, at the Hanging
Rock, the diggings are said to be nearly deserted ; but
at a spot called Rocky River, all employed were doing
well. The statements from the Victoria frontier, in rela-
tion to the yield at the Ovens were very encouraging. New
discoveries had been made, and the number of miners at
work was estimated at 6,000. A private escort company
had been formed at Sydney to proceed to these mines,
and had started its first expedition on the 13th of Jan.
According to general report, a very large quantity of
gold was waiting for transmission to Sydney, and it was
thought likely that the escort would return with a ton
weight. The difficulties with respect to vessels getting
away appear to have diminished. The Kate had sailed
for London on the 12th with 28,977 ounces of gold,
worth 115,0001. ; and the Cuthberts on the following
day, with 445 ounces. The John Taylor had also sailed
with 11,847 ounces, the Joshua with 5,732 ounces, and
the Sir Robert Sale with 13,836 ounces ; the latter all
from Victoria. The steamer Sarah Sands was to sail
from Sydney for Liverpool, vid Melbourne and the Cape
of Good Hope, on the 27th of January. Among the
I sailing-vessels about to depart for England were the
Washington Irving, on the 17th ; the Lydia, Windsor,
and Waterloo, on the 20th ; and the Cheapside on the 21st
of January ; the Cyrus, on the Ist of February ; the An-
glesey, on the 10th ; the Templar, on the 12th ;
the Carnatic, on the 20th ; and the Vimiera, Black
River, and Catherine Jameson, at dates not specified.
The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer Shang-
hai was expected from Singapore about the Ist of Feb.,
and would be dispatched during the same month. The
price of gold was 725. 94d. for Victoria, and 70s. Dd. for
New South Wales. The discovery that spurious gold
had been mixed with the genuine had caused much ex-
citement. Some of the persons had been apprehended,
and a man named Carey was committed for trial. It
was not supposed that much of it had reached Sydney,
but that a large quantity had been shipped from Mel-
bourne. The demand for consumable goods continued
very large, especially for beer, spirits, wines, spices,
coffee, cheese, hams, pickles, and cured fish. Flour was
in less request, and sugar, although taken in large quan-
tities, had declined 30s. per ton. Metals, paints, &c.,
owing to the scarcity of mechanical labour, were not sale-
able to any extent. The Sydney Herald contains an
article intended to discourage the new English banks,
in which the enormous profits of the existing banks
are attributed to the fact that they employ very
little capital, and that the gains from their large deposits
have consequently to be distributed only upon a small
amount of shares. At the same time, however, there is
no attempt to deny that these deposits are employed
with ease, and at rates sufficiently high to show that
there is a fair field for competition. A meeting of the
Commercial Banking Company of Sydney was to be held
on the 25th of January to arrange for the establishment
of a branch in London with a local board. Among the
new companies lately started at Sydney was an Austra-
lian Clothes Washing Association in 5,000 shares of 1/.
each. Subjoined are the latest quotations of the prin-
cipal banking and gold companies :
" Bank of Australasia, none offered ; Union Bank, 62
per cent. premium ; Bank of New South Wales, 201. paid,
36; Commercial Bank, 251. paid, 41; Australian Joint
Stock, 1/. paid, 2 ; Sydney Gas Company, 61. paid, 8a ;
Sydney Railway, guaranteed 5 per cent. interest on secu-
rity of public land fund, 3/. ss. paid, 21 dis. ; Wentworth
Mining Company, par ; Australasian Mining Company,
Par. ; Turon Gold Ridge Company, par; Great Nugget
Vein Company, #•pm•

NEWLY-INVENTED DIVING APPARATLIS.—We mentioned
some days ago that an experiment had been made
in the Seine of a diving apparatus invented by a M.
Simon Sicard. A second trial has just taken place.
M. Victor de Grandchamp, a friend of the inventor,
was let down into the river at twenty-three minutes
after one o'clock, seated on an iron chair at a part of
the river near the Ile des Cygnes, where the water is
not less than 15 feet deep. On reaching the bottom M.
de Grandchamp quitted the chair, and commenced his
subaqueous promenade, and again came up at 48 minutes
after one, thus making 25 minutes that the experiment
lasted. The apparatus is very simple. It consists
principally of a metal box, which the diver carries on
his back like a knapsack, and in which is produced
an artificial atmosphere, which remains the secret
of the inventor. To this box there are two openings
corresponding to a kind of helmet, which forms the head-
dress, and which terminates at the back by two tubes in
caoutchouc, about 20 centimetres long ; these tubes con-
duct the artificial air contained in the box to the interior
of the helmet. The dress is in caoutchouc, and reaches from
the shoulders to the feet. The extremities of the arms have
the form of gloves, in order to give free action to the
fingers, and the legs are terminated by seeks. This
dress opens on the breast, and is arranged in such a
manner that it can be closed hermetically enough to
entirely exclude water. The part over the chest is
strengthened on the inside by a kind of cuirass, in
order that the pressure of the water may not prevent
free respiration. The helmet is of a round form, and
large enough to admit of the head moving about in
every way. It is furnished in front with three round
gla,sses—one in the middle opposite the eyes, and the
others on the sides. To the waist belt of the dress are
adapted several leaden weights, heavy enough to act as
equalibrium to the water. The socks are composed of
leaden sandals, fixed to the legs by means of straps.
The system is completed by a lantern, which burns under
water. Three times during the experiment, which was
attended with the most complete success, M. Grand-
champ came to the surface, bringing with him stones
from 201 b. to 301 b. weight, without requiring any fresh
supply of air beyond that at first contained in the box.
—Galignani's Messenger._

EXPORTS OF SPECIE.—The official statement of the ex-
ports of the precious metals from the port of London
during the week ending Thursday last is as foliows:--
Gold bars to Boulogne 21,500 oz.
to Belgium lO,OOO oz.
Coin to Melbourne and Port Philip 93,2001.
" to Belgium
80,000 oz.
" to Hamburg
„ to Sydney

Total g01d...... £93,200 and 127,126 oz

Silver Bars to Bombay
If 3f to Boulogne.
„ Coin to Boulogne .

146,389 oz.
600 „
200 „

Total silver
The shipments from the outports lia.ve been to• the
extent of about 300,000/.