The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-19 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, JUNE 19, 1854.

SPORTING- INTELLIGENCE.

NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE RACES.

PROGRAMME OE THE SPORT.

TUESDAY.

The TRIAL STAKES of 5 Boys. each, with 20 added ; tyro-
yr-olds, sst ; three, 7st 41b ; four, Bst slb ; five, 9st ;
six and aged, 9st 31b; mares and geldings allowed 31b.
The winner to be sold for 200 sovs., if demanded, Ste.,
and the second to save his stake. T.Y.C.
The NORTM DERBY of 10 sovs. each, p.p., with 100
added, for three-yr-olds ; colts, Bst 71b ; fillies, Bst
91b. Certain winners extra. The second to receive
50 sovs. out of the stakes. Once round 18 subs.
Marley Hill Horatio Melcombe
Flying Frenchman Honeysuckle Aribbas
Amalgamation Brown Brandy Neville
The Norseman British Queen Biilingham
Errcina Orangeblossom Monitnia
Jujube Meteora The Bee
The MEMBERS' PLATE HANDICAP of 5 sovs. each, with
900 added. Certain winners extra. Tne second to
save his stake. Mile and a quarter. 26 subs.

Age at lb
5 8 7
4 7 9
4 7 8
6 7 6
5 7 2
5 7 0

Kohinoor ..
Vindex
Captain Cornish
Lough Bavcn
Merry Bird
Revolver

Age st lb
Dalkeith 5 6 7
Burgeois 4 6 3
Merry Monk 3 6 0
Tommy
Knt. of St. George 3 6 0
Eva 3 5 12

Donekoy
The Skinner
Itch

4 7 0
4 6 12
4 6 10

Maude Mary 3 5 12
St. Clare ...... 3 5 10
The Jealous One 3 5 10

Ammonia
ERrlv Bird 3 6 9 Miss Allen 3 5 7
The -Surveyor 5 6 9 Gamelad 3 5 5
The General
The TYRO STAKES of 10 sous each, p.p., with 50 added.,
for two-yr•olds ; colts, Bst 71b ; fillies, Bst 41b. Cer-
tain winners extra. The second to save his stakes...
T.Y.C. 22 subs.

Lord Alfred (2

lb ex.)
Great Prophet
Maid of theWoldz
Oakwood
Courteney
Nettle

Lady Alicia Chisel
Saraband Cockspur
Flight Abercrombie
Neoptolemus Marco Spada
Jack Sheppard The Sore Star
Scipio Dragon
Westminster I The Corfiote
Lily Orion
The SELLING STAKES of 3 sovs each, with 30 added, for
three-yr-olds and upwards. Oue mile. 6 subs., or
no engagement.

NEWS FROM MELBOURNE.

The bill for the construction of the new constitution,
says a Melbourne letter of March 4, which has been so
long under the consideration of the Legislative Council,
is drawing to a close. The schedule of members for the
Lower House has been adopted, with no other change
than that of giving au additional member to Sandridge,
the Gravesend of Melbourne, and to Emerald-hill, a
small but rapidly increasing village on the road from that
port to the city. In the draft schedule, these places had but
1 member assigned them ; they will now have 2. The total
number of members, 60, as proposed, will remain, the addi-
tional member being abstracted from the district of the
Loddon, which will be excluded from thearrangeuient, and
added to the Talbot district, there being but thirty
electors within the boundaries of that district, whereas
Sandridge and Emerald-hill contain a numerous popu-
lation, which is increasing every day. The alteration
is therefore judicious, as these places are thriving locali-
ties, and mus:t in a very short time become towns of con-
siderable commercial importance. The schedule for the
Upper House, which is to consist of thirty members,
has been agreed to in committee ; they are distributed
according to the following arrangement :

Number
of
CENTRAL PROVINCE. Members.
Including the city of Melbourne and the country ex-
tending three miles round the corporate limits of
the city 5
SOUTH PROVINCE
Including the counties of Bourke, Evelyn, and M0rn-
ingt0rt..............................................
SOUTH•WESTERN PROVINCE.
Including the counties of Grant, Grenville, and Pol.
warth 5
• WESTERN PROVINCE.
Including the counties of Ripon, Hampden, Heytes-
bury, Villiers, Normanbv, Dandas, and Follett 5

NORTH-WESTERN PROVINCE.
Including counties of Talbot and Dalhousie, and the
Wimmera and Loddon districts
EASTERN PROVINCE.
Including the county of Anglesey, the proposed
county of Rodney, and the Murray and Gipps'
Land districts ...............................
The Colonial Secretary, in proposing the schedule,
observed that, "in forming this division of the country,
the Government bad acted with great deliberation as to
the most advisable course to adopt, and they now sub-
mitted their scheme to the consideration of the house,
confident in the belief that, under such a distribution of
the provinces, whatever of talent or character was pre-
eminent in each locality would become readily known
and recognised for election by the voters to the Upper
House." A sentiment which appears to be acquiesced
in by the council, indicated by the readiness with which
the arrangement was agreed to. The bill has passed
through committee, and the consideration of the report
stands as "an order of the day" for Friday next, the
10th instant.

The exodus of the Americans from the colony con-
:riistsh unabated activity. The reported discovery
(otioil e
frrau wgsoetslstdlt:iin Peru, and the liberal encouragement held out
t
ienn
tt
eh
rapt r
soi un
gn t rbyo,d
yi s
ot
fh
rgerne atto attractionm we
rhi iecah.
The port of destination is Callao ; and although the dis-
covery of gold in those regions does not appear to be
fully authenticated, the Americans are perfectly satisfied
to run the risk. The truth is, they are anxious for an
excuse to abandon a colony which affords so little en-
couragement for settling in ; the exorbitant price of la-
bour, rendering agricultural pursuits a speculation which
holds out no prospect of a remunerative return at all
proportioned to the outlay, the risk of failure of the
crops in so precarious a climate, and the enormous cost
of transmit of the produce to market being serious draw-
backs upon this branch of industry. The older colo-
nists, who have obtained their land at low prices, and
have the aid of their-own families in the cultivation of
the soil, may possibly make it answer; but even these,
unless men of large capital, prosecute agricultural en-
terprise under great disadvantages, and without much
enjoyment of what we should consider the necessaries of
life ; but as the greater part of them have never been ac-
customed to anything better, and have enough to eat of
damper and mutton, and in the season, "when grass
grows," of milk to drink, they bear their lot with patience
and equanimity. Men who have neither rent nor taxes
to pay, and are exempted from the expense of keeping
up appearances with regard either to dress, household
furniture, or house accommodation, beyond a bark hut,
or the more pretensional residence of a dwelling con-
structed of " wattle and dab," are freed from many
anxieties ; and though the range of their enjoyments
is limited; the deprivation is probably compensated
by the absence of positive suff:ming. The Americans,
aho can do so touch better at home, and can ob-
tain the best land unsold at a dollar an acre, with
the advantage of water-carriage, have few induce-
ments to remain here. The mines here they do
not consider as productive as those of California,
where they can moreover engage in the opera-
tions of mining with the enjoyment of greater
comforts than they can procure here. They
value this country only for its gold, and as the yield is
now comparatively scant arid precarious, they prefer
their own country as a field of enterprise to that of Vic
toria. When pressed upon the prospects in Peru, the
answer is, that they are indifferent upon that point, for
if the a.cc.,unts should. prove fallacious, they will be
nearer their own country, where they cannot fail to push
their way. The . country' which intervenes between
Calloa and the 'reputed gold -fields Of Peru is difficult to
pass through, which is not unknown to the Americans.
This, with other considerations, leads me to believe that
these keen-sighted men have other objects beyond the
acquisition of gold by digging in view, in their emigrat-
ing speculation. The propagandism of republican
principles and the ultimate annexation of Peru to the
great republic are at the bottom of the movement.
The Tarrengower diggings are still favourably spoken
of, but no positive proof of their richness has been as
yet produced, nor is it expected until the washing season
sets in. It is computed that there are now 18,000 per-
sons on these fields. Ballarat has not lost its fame, and
very large deposits of the precious metal are reported to
have been found in the deep sinkings, but these are very
expensive operations, which require considerable capital,
and, as the result is precarious, are only engaged in by
the old, experienced, and systematic diggers, who can
afford to make. the outlay, and to look for remuneration
for their labour and outlay upon the calculation of ave-
rages.
'Tie season has been dry beyond previous experience,
which has been attended with a very general failure of
the crops, the want of pasture and water. Extensive
bush fires have taken place in the interior, and even
within ten miles of Melbourne ; the loss of property has
not been very great. Several people were severely
burnt, but loss of human life has not been reported. The
fire continued in some districts, Glenire's for instance,
within ten miles of Melbourne, for three weeks con-
tinuously. The snakes and venomous vermin were ex-
tensively got rid of, and the opossums were roasted
without anybody being found to eat them.
The rapid passage made by the Golden Age steamer
has attracted general attention, and much dissatisfaction
has been manifested at the conduct of the Government
in not encouraging the enterprise of the owners. The
want of policy in this case is now apparent, and the
merchants have suffered severely by this transaction, as
the overland mail has not yet arrivel ; their advices
through that medium might have been anticipated by the
Golden Age.
with
of a
The passengers were sowell pleased
sre
atshe
rpevniqrcussei ctok)
of
aboutrp ul
plate,
, thatwn which
eyyi s
guineas,
well
lani
merited
feorriCaptaintstdiithe
) pk
en
of
respect.
It will be recollected that this ship made the passage
:from Liverpool to Melbourne in 51 days and 3 hours,
"runningac-
complishing s i
the
" pbaus ts
awga de c s
from detained ed 18
or
tto
pdaysor
port,
, in coaling,
p o
in t
of
time, in 69 days.

raising last year upon 42,000 tons, at peace prices averaging
351. per ton, a market value of nearly 1,500,000/.
It appears, then, that last year we received from Russia
of theie two articles
. Flax
Hemp

Total 105,588 „ Va1ue...23,395,335
And the present war price has enhanced that value to up-
wards of 6,500.000/.
Next, as regards paper. We are, comparatively, little
dependent upon other countries for the direct supply of ma-
terial in the state in which it is used in the manufacture
of this most important article. Without particularly
specifying the quantities of rags imported, chiefly from
Germany and Italy, it may be taken at less than a
twelfth part of the entire weight of material of
all kinds used for paper making. But small as that im-
portation is, in proportion to our wants, we are not suf-
fered to retain it. The Americansare large buyers of rags
in this couutty ; whether of those imported or of our own
pro luction is immaterial ; the general consumption in the
United States, so enormous is the quantity used for news-
papers exceeding their own internal supply.
With this state of things is to bo coupled the vast in-
crease in the consumption of paper in this country. In the
five years, 1830 to 1834,.pri0r to the reduction of the excise
duty on-first-class papers from 3d. to its present equalised
rate of 10. per lb., the average annual quantity made was
70.989,1311b5. ; and in the last five years, 1849 to 1853, the
average annual quantity made was 151,243,1751b5. The
production of the year 1853 was 177,623,00011)5., being
above 23,000,0001b5. (more than 10,0 ,0 tons) over that of
the preceding year, and more than 36,000 tons over 1834;
such excess requiring for its production nob less than 13,000
tons of raw material in the former case, and nearly 47,000
in tke latt r. The whole weight of material employed in
the manufacture of paper only, may be stated at between
110,000 and 120,000 tons per annum.
It results then from these several statements, that for
our textile manufactures, rope and twins, and paper makers,
we are short of the requisite supplies of raw material, as
compared with our position at the beginning of last year,
to the extent of nearly 120,000 tons, viz. :
Last year's import from Russia of hemp and
flax, as above 106,210 tons
The above excess for the make of paper 13,000 ~

Deficiency 119,218
subject only to such diminution of that quantity as Russia
may find means to convey to us by circuitous routes.
With a liberal allowance for this possible diminution, we
may fairly consider ourselves deficient to the extent of a
quantity ranging between 80,000 and 100,000 tons of
fibrous matter.

This being our position, it is a subject of much interest
to determine in what way so large an actual or impending
deficiency can be supplied.
To this point I proceed now to draw your attention, and
if the facts which have come before me aro substantially
correct, of which there seems to be no reasonable doubt, it
would appear that not only can we obtain adequate sup-
plies from India, 'but that something like reproach attaches
to us for having permitted ourselves so long to neglect to
procure, to some extent at least, these essential commodi-
ties from that great country.
Dr. Forbes Royle, whose reputation as an experienced
Indian botanist is too well established to stand in need of
any individual testimony, and whose valuable paper on
this subject, recently read before the Society of Arts, I
will, as it is already out of print, circulate with this letter
throughout India, has distinctly proved the existence, in
various parts of our Indian empire, not only of the identi
cal plants which furnish flax and hemp, but of numerous
other plants yielding fibr4s of great importance, some of
them greatly superior in strength and general value to
either of those articles.

The proof of this is too important to be omitted here.
Having submitted a variety of fibres to be tested, the
weight egch broke with he ascertained to be as follows :

FIBRES OF EQUAL WEIGHTS, AND OF EQUAL LENGTHS
TESTED AT THE EAST INDIA COMPANY'S MILITARY
STORES.

lbs.
Petersburg, broke with l6O
Tubliblpore hemp, from Mr. Williams l9O
Wucl‘ oo nar fibre, Travancore 175
Mudaror Yercum fibre, common all over India l9O
China grass, Boehmeria nivea 250
Rbeea fibre, the same from Assam -320
Wild Rheea, Boehsperiae species from Assam 343
Kote Kangro hemp (no breakage at) 4OO
East India House, Dec. 16, 1853.
It is true that some these Indian plants are grown in
places remote from the seaboard ; and from which there are
still very bad roads, or no‘ roads at all, for transport; but
several of them, and amongst them perhaps the most pro-
lific of all, are of very extensive growth in parts contiguous
to the coast, and therefore capable of being beneficially
and cheaply prepared for exportation.
The most conspicuous of these is the plaintain, which
contains a valuable fibre, and is ev_erywhere cultivated in
the plains of India for its fruit, an article of universal
consumption by the native population. It is a tree which
bears fruit only once, and as soon as that is removed it is,
and has been from time immemorial, cut down and left to
rot upon the ground. Persons who have paid close atten-
tion to the subject state that there will be nd difficulty in
obtaining from this plant alone any quantity of fibre of
admitted valuable quality, and as fast as the mechanical
appliances necessary for its preparation can be sent out.
Upon this essential point I have reason to believe that
machinery is devised and patents are secured for the pro-
cesses of preparation, calculated to carry on every necessary
operation both as regards fibre for textile Purposes and
pulp for paper, in a perfect manner ; and at a cost which,
even under any conceivable rise in the price of the raw
material in India, must command such a profit as to en-
sure its cotitinuons and 'almost unlimited production.
Some statements have also been prepared, and are readily
producible, showing a very tempting pecuniary profit to
induce parties in India to produce the material required,
and that the simple and efficient machinery to be employed
may be furnished at a moderate cost.
Applicable as this fibre is-to the manufacture of every
species of cloth or other article usually made frOm flax or
hemp, and of equal quality, it can be used with no less
facility and advantage In the manufacture of paper, thus
supplying both the one and the other of the important de-
siderata which the foregoing facts and figures establish.
We have, therefore, within the limits of our own posses-
sions, in the East Indies and in the West, ample means of
furnishing at a low price as much of this' important pro-
duct as our utmost wants can require.
Permit me, in conclusion, to add, that this question, in-
volving as it does the interests of India, which, in your
high position as president of the India Board I know you
watch over with anxious solicitude, embraces also the in-
terests of the whole empire, especially at this moment ;
and I feel assured of its receiving, as it well deserves, your
prompt and earnest attention, and the continued favour-
able consideration of the East India Company, and of her
Majesty's Government.--I am, dear Sir Charles, yours
very faithfully, SAMUEL GREGSOIT,
London, June 1.