The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-29 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

,N. 25.
Business had slightly improved by the arrival of
orders from the interior, and from the impression
among the mercantile body that there would be for some
time a suspension of extensive shipments of goods from
Europe.
The Colonial Secretary, Mr. D. Thomson, had sailed
on the 25th for England, in the Vimiera.
The Australian Joint-stock Bank, at its half-yearly
meeting, had declared a dividend of 4 per cent.
The directors of the Commercial Bank of Sydney had
declared a dividend for the half-year of 15 per cent., with
3,0001. added to the reserve fund.
The question of railway communication throughout
the colony was exciting more attention in Sydney than
it has ever done before. A plan for a great trunk line
from Sydney to Melbourne had been discussed, but had
not been submitted to the public in any distinct form.
Since the river Murray has been opened to steam navi-
gation there is a probability of Sydney losing some of
its trade, by the wool of the lower part of the province
of New South Wales being sent down that river for
shipment at Adelaide or its port.
The intelligence from the northern gold fields was
snore favourable. The diggers were returning to work
after the Christmas holydays, and the escort returns
showed a slight increase; a rich gold quartz vein had
been discovered at 'Farnbaroora, in New South Wales.
Price of gold at Sydney.—For Port Philip and Ovens
gold 31. lis. to Si. 17s. 3d. per oz. ; New South Wales
gold, Si. 15s. to 31. 15s. 3d. per oz.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.
ARRIVALS AT SYDNEY.
Dec. 6, 1853. The Myrtle, from London ; the Oron,
Dutch ship, from London ; the Aurora, from Hong Kong.
7.—The Branscombe, barque, from London ; the Duke
of Cornwall, from Manilla.
8--The Frederick, from Liverpool ; the Cheapside, from
London ; the Magellan, from Madras.
9,lThe Jenny. Lind, from Hamburg.
I°--The Eclair, from Bordeaux ; the, Herefordshire,
from„,narekitouthampton ; the Margaret, from Liverpool ; the
i're 9, from Glasgow; the Inglewood, from London;
.n Dominion,from London.
L2ll.—The_ Viendschap, from London.
..—.The Ashburton, from London.
" —The waterloo, from London ; the Prince of Wales,
from London •he the Prince of the Seas, from Glasgow.
Ath from Portsmouth ; the Neerlands
Indie, from Liv "lair,
17.—The wooepool.
moaornAoolo, from London. .
19.—The Tho
lyathnot, from the Downs ; the
Anglesea, from 1)1):41m."-,
20.—The Jane Prat,:a'k
m Liverpool.
21.—The Hendrictc
26.—The Vineep;,C) kftktch barque, from London.
Leed States sloop-of-war, on a
surveying exped;Aionfr;outihto
n(?onidas, from London.
27.—The Atbar,
Heemskir
28.—Thk, from e Euro London, from LI x ,n•
erpool ; the Admiral van
30.—The Harbinger, screw Steamer, from‘ London.
Jan. 1, 1854.—The Joseh Somers'
Captain Denhtlmirom London ; her
Majesty's ship Herald,
cruise. ' fram
a surveYing
I
5. - Tip Phoenix, Swesh brig, from ,
urg.
6.—The Howard, fromdi Hamburg. Rarau
9--The Charlotte, from Hatnburg; don of Selkirk,
Tian, London ; the Mary Hall, from Lon ; the Austric,
ra-
lista, screw steam-ship, from London.
10.—Tho Anna Margarctta, Dutch barque, from London.

THE Notrilt SfI.I,—SOUTHAMPTON, March 28.-__The
United States m ail steam-ship Herrman, Captain B.
Higgins, arrived here this morning from Bremen, on her
way to New York, having been detained in the river
Weser 3d hours by a heavy gale of wind. The Hermann
left Bremen on Sunday morning. On Monday, at 6 a.m.,
off the Texel, she passed an Ln«lish ship of the line (two-
decked), standing north-cast. In the afternoon of the
same day she passed two large screw steam-frigates, one
on the French and the other on the English coast. Both
Were steering north-east, and their position was 20 miles
68. st of the Gabard. This (Tuesday) morning the Her-
mann passed a three-decker (British) outside the Nab.
The Hermann will sail from Southampton to-morrow
y(Wednesday), with about 140 passengers for New York,
),;ether with the semi-weekly American mails, and a
large Cargo of German, French, and British merchandise
for the daxaerican markets.

Benal, from., Calcutta, ;and the East' India Company's
steamer Feroze from Bombay, arrived at Suez, on-the
15th, with the large number of 280 passengers between
them, from India, China, and Australia. Of these pas-
sengers a portion go by the Ripon to-day, and the re-
mainder by the Euxine in three or four days:
The Euxine, with the London mail of the Bth inst.,
duo on the 17th inst., has not yet arrived.
In our port are lying at the present, moment, waiting
a supply of coal, nine Turkish and Egyptian steam-ships,
Which had been intended for the conveyance of troops
(some 17,000) to Greece and Constantinople.
There is, however, no coal in the place, and conse-
quently most of the vessels and troops must remain till
cargoes reach.
Five hundred tons of fuel have been borrowed by the
Government from the different steam agencies, in order
that two of the larger vessels may get to sea, ; but no
further loan can be-expected from that quarter.
Abbai Pasha has again been obliged to leave his place
of retreat in the desert, and has come to Cairo to meet
the Sultan's Envoy, to arrange the preliminaries of the
marriage of his son, who is 16 years old, with the Sul-
tan's daughter, six years old, and in honour of the event
the towns of Cairo and Alexandria were illuminated for
three nights, and the Pasha had a grand reception of
all the officers of state, the European consuls, and the
grandees of the country. Abbas Pasha's expenditure
on this occasion will be enormous; the sums his High-
ness has already presented to the Envoy amount to up
wards of 20,0001. sterling, and he is to send to his son
bride a diadem of the value of 200,000/. sterling.
There is no doubt that this marriage has been pro-
posed by the Sultan, in order to recruit his finances for
the war he is carrying on with 'Russia, and Egypt will
be drained as much as possible in consequence. The
removal of so many men from Egypt does immense
harm to the country, which is in want of an increase of
population. Under ordinary circumstances the army
of Egypt does not exceed 30,000 men, while now there
are 25,000 men on the banks of the Danube and 75,000
men in this country, of whom 12,000 or 15,000 more
are to be sent to fight the Greeks. • •
Lord and Lady Falkland have returned from their
trip to -Upper Egypt, and intend proceeding to Jaffa
and Jerusalem in a French steamer towards the end of.
the month.

Prices of grain have increased in consequence of the
closing of the ports in the Black Sea, and wheat is at
425., beans at 375. per quarter, free on board. Freights
have fallen very considerably, as many vessels are ex-
pected, and the shipping-stuff is reduced in quantity.
Last freights paid were 9s. 6d. to 10s. per quarter. Ex-
change on London, 98i piastres per pound sterling.

By the overland mail we have received summaries of
intelligence forwarded by the Harbinger :on the 10th,
and the Madras on the 25th of January.
SYDNEY, J. 10.
The Constitution Act for New South Wales had passed
through committee, and had been read a third time on
the 21st of December. The plan of a nominee Upper
Rouse for life had been modified to one appointed by
the Crown for five years. The Council was prorogued
on the 22d of December to the 7th of February. His
Excellency Sir Charles Fitzroy, in his closing address,
expressed his satisfaction that the act had been framed
with an anxious desire, to assimilate the constitution of
the colony, as far as local circumstances permitted, to
that of the mother country. His Excellency stated also
that 100,0001. had been remitted to the Land and Emi-
gration Commissioners to be applied to the further pro-
motion of emigration, on the plan recommended by the
Council, and that a second remittance of 100,0001. would
be made for the same purpose. An unusual number of
private bills had been passed during the session, indi-
cating a greater activity in local enterprise.
The revenue in all its branches continued to be highly
productive. Notwithstanding the increased expenditure
and the loss incurred by the reduction of the gold licence
fee, there was reason to hope that the receipts would
prove equal to the demands of the public service.
The Colonial Secretary (Mr. Dees Thomson) and Mr.
Wentworth were on the point of leaving Sydney for
England. They are authorised by the Council to sup-
port the Constitution Bill with all their influence at
home, and to meet any objections that may be made to
passing the Imperial act necessary to give it validity.
The office of Colonial Secretary, vacant by the de-
parture of Mr. Thomson, has been given to Mr. Riddell,
late Colonial Treasurer. It was offered to Mr. Plun-
kett, the Attorney-General, but declined by hire.
The Australian steamer had arrived at Sydney on the
9th of January.
The executive Government had advanced 3,0001. to
defray the expense of sending specimens of Australian
productions to the Paris Exhibition of 1855.
There is no intelligence of interest from the gold fields
either of New South Wales or Victoria.. In the latter
province there had been a revival of the diggers' agita-
tion against the gold license fee and the Regulations
Act • but, as the plan of action had not been deter-
mined, the congress that leads, the movement had re-
commended the miners to take out their licenses for the
next three months as usual. The experiments to test
the value of the "second bottoms " by deep sinking had
produced no results. It is stated the trials had not been
made on any proper system.
The value of the gold exported from Victoria during
the year 1853 was about 14,000,0001. sterling ; from
New South Wales, 6,000,0001., part of which, it was
supposed, had been received from Victoria. The yield
of the New South Wales fields had been for some months
decreasing.
Business at Sydney was dull, the market being over-
stocked by recent large arrivals, particularly of soft
goods, wines, and brandies.
The accounts of the harvest from most of the districts
of the colony were favourable. The weatier had been
unusually rainy for the season and the climate.
The works of the railroad from Sydney to Paramatta
are progressing rapidly ; the men engaged in England
had been kept together by giving them the full rate of
wages paid in the colony, though much higher than their
contract. More labour was still wanted.
Mr. W. W. Harvey, the officer in charge of her Ma-
jesty's ship Torch, was drowned on the evening of
Christmas-day from the ship's cutter, which was upset
by a squall in the Bay.
The gross revenue of the province of New South Wales
for 1853 was 908,575/. 19s. 2d.
The Sydney Banks have agreed to raise the rates of
discount, which will in future be as follows :—Bills,
three months and under, 4 peecent. ; four months and
under 5 per cent. ; above four months, 6 per cent.
The proprietors of the Bank of New South Wales
have agreed to transfer one-eighth snore of the capital
of the Bank to the London share register.
Accounts had been received in Sydney of a consider-
able reinforcement to the French naval squadron in the
South Seas.