The Sun.
London, England, 1853-03-22 00:00:00

EXTRACTS FROM AUSTRALIAN PAPERS.

In the New World, which is so rapidly springing up
at the antipodes, the old country does not seem to have
been forgotten, judging from the names which the
hardy colonists .have given to their newly acquired pro-
perties. In the Geelong A dvertiser, for instance, among
the advertisements of sales by auction, we are startled
by seeing in large type the familiar words of " Kildhre,"
" the Westbourne Property, " the delightful town of
Islington, " Gretna Green," " Ascot," " the Montague
Estate," Hampton Village," " Milton," " Sherbourne,"
&c. The different estates are described by the auc-
tioneers, after the usual stereotyped fashion in England,
but here and there the introduction of a little original
phraseology tells us that it is not at Garroway's or the
London Auction Mart, where we must attend the- sale.
In one advertisement, the auctioneer announces that
" a Champagne lunch will be provided," in another
says, " an early day after the sale will be appointed to
meet and place the purchasers in their lots, and they will
on this occasion be hospitably entertained."
THE SALARY OF THE MAYOR OF MELBOURNE.—.The
Melbourne Corporation have voted their Mayor 1, 003 /.
as his yearly salary.

MOREE GOLD FIELD.—On the Moree gold field, in
New South Wales, large masses of gold have been
found • and it is now systematically explored. Here
the Australian British Gold Mining Company are en-
gaged in draining the waterhole at the junction of the
Lewis's Ponds with the Louisa, and in working some
claims higher up the creek. They have the large num-
ber of 36 men employed, the most of which came out
from England under agreement. The Company's camp
has quite an imposing appearance. —G eelong A dvertiser.
GEELONG INFIRMARY, &c.—The moieties of fines,
&c., from the Police-office for last month (October), re-
ceived by this institution, amounted to 1801. 15s.
ENCOURAGEMENT TO INDUSTRY.—The Victoria In-
dustrsal Society has announced its second annual exhi-
bition in Melbourne, on the 15th of December. Prizes
of gold medals &c., are to be awarded to successful com-
petitors, exhibiting live stock, samples of agricultural
productions, animal products, garden produce, colonial
manufacturers, and approved &amples of colonial
articles, as vegetable oils, candles, and specimens of
artistic skill, in leather furniture, typography, litho-
graphy, paintings, carvings, and so forth.—Geelong
A dvertiser. .

CHARACTER OF THE POPULATION AT THE DIGGINGS.—
The general character of the population at the diggings
is that of peaceable and industrious persons. There are
many exceptions, however. In those districts where
the earnings of the diggers are very regular, and an
industrious man can make pretty sure of doing well, but
where there are few instances of great luck, the diggers
are mostly orderly and industrious. At such places as
Tambaroora and the Turon, however, where there are
often very large gains made, the population is not so
steady, A great deal of drunkenness may be ob-
served, and disorderly scenes are too common.
Many of the public-houses at such places are in-
fested with the worst of characters—thieves and black-
legs—who prey upon the fools who, having been fortu-
nate enough to get a good hole, squander their earnings
at the grog-shops. Besides these there is another de-
scription of character who hangs about the public-houses
and ekes out a living, no one knows how. He is a
species of " Ne'er-do-weel," who is not fond of hard
work, and only takes to it when compelled by dire ne-
cessity. He pretends to know a great deal about gold-
getting, and is acquainted with all the rich localities. He
is a complete sponger, and is tolerated in public-houses
because he brings them some custom. This genus is
termed in California " a loafer." I met a good specimen
on the Meroo. He looked very like a broken-
down swell, but he talked so sensibly, and was
apparently possessed of so much information, that
I put some faith in him. In speaking of a new
place which had been opened on the Devil's Hole,
Creek, Spring Flat, he said that " the ground stunk of
gold," an expression which somewhat startled me. He
said there was plenty of room there ; on which I asked
him if he had a claim at Spring Flat. He replied, "No,
that he had a 'rattling claim' on the bar below, worth
any two there, and he wouldn't bother himself with
Spring Flat." I subsequently ascertained that my big-
talking friend had no claim at all, but some of the dig-
gers used to let him work a day or so with them
when he was hard up. It is, unfortunately, too true
that there many persons at the diggings who are
hardly ever sober from morning to night. Many of the
diggers, after having made a few pounds, go to a public-
house and never leave it until all their money is gone,
when they are ignominiously expelled, and at last get
sober, and awake to a true sense of their condition,
without a farthing in their pocket. But the chief por-
tion of the diggers do not act thus, and gentlemen in
positions of authority and influence should pause before
they make rash assertions concerning the morality and
the general behaviour of the population at the gold
fields. The greater number of the miners work hard
and steadily, and even deny themselves much of the
license and the luxury they would enjoy at their
usual employment. Besides • this, five out of
every half dozen I fell in with, were men of at
leas.. average intelligence and information, and a great
many were men of much shrewdness and common sense.
By such persons as these the conduct; of the Govern-
ment towards the miners is narrowly scrutinised, and, I
must say, fairly and impartially judged. Almost all the
millers with whom I have conversed have more con-
fidence in the Government for fair and impartial treat-
ment than in the Legislative Council, and few regard
the handing over of the management of the gold fields to
the. Council with pleasurable anticipations. The reason
of this is the reckless manner in which some honourable
members have spoken of the gold diggers, and the bitter
spirit exhibited towards them by others. Men do not
like to be termed "hordes of licensed ruffians," and even
gold diggers can see the gross injustice and the folly of
attempting to raise a revenue from the gold fields large
enough to defray the whole expenditure of the colony.
Miners can apply the fable of the man who killed the
goose which laid the golden eggs as well as other people.
Gold diggers, too, have breeches pockets as well as
capitalists, thank goodness ! and t'ley are just as likely'
to resist any unjust attempts of other people to dip their
hands into them. Knowing as they do how heavily the
present license fee presses on the industry of the miner,
it is not to be supposed that they can hear, without in-
dignation, the project of placing an export duty on gold
in addition to this fee.—Sydney Paper.
SOCIAL CONDITION OF AUSTRALIA.—We have not
sufficient data for determining exactly the permanent in-
crease in the population during the past year, but it
may be fairly assumed that more than 80,000 souls
from all qaarters of the world have landed on our
shores. A great number from the adjacent colonies have
come for the purpose of trying their fortunes at the
diggings, and intending to return whether successful or
not ; but the great majority of those who arrive are
actual immigrants. The entire population of the colony
at the present moment may be stated at more than
200,000 souls. This immense influx, while it has given
an impulse to our progress unprecedented in colonial
history, has been attended with much inconvenience to
the entire community, and especially to persons newly arrived. The appliances of social life have not kept pace
with the rapidly increasing population ; nor was it pos-
sible. In a young colony, and in circumstances of such
unexampled emergency, there must of necessity be a se-
rious deficiency of the most ordinary social conveniences.
The general rule, having but few exceptions, is, that male
immigrants proceed to the diggings at once. This outlet
has.averled the shock that would be occasioned by the dis-
proportionate pressure upon the ordinary employments,
and kept the labour market comparatively bare. The
vast majority of those at the gold fields have settled
there for the present, no appreciable proportion of them
falling back upon ordinary occupations. Fence, it is
evident that the gold field is of indefinite extent, and
that the labour is generally remunerative. The defi-
ciency in the labour market is only partially filled
up by the few immigrants who do not go to the dig-
gings, and the still fewer who forsake them. The want
of social conveniences must have entailed much suffering
upon individuals • but, looking on all the circumstances
of the case, there is cause for thankfulness that
the evils have not been infinitely more serious
and general. There has been, and there still is, great
personal discomfort ; but there might have been famine
and pestilence. The principal inconvenience felt by new
corners is the want of house accommodation. The
abundance of money, and the deficiency in effective
labour, have raised the expenses of building far above the
point at which it would be a profitable investment
for capital. The number of buildings erected in
the city within the year beam no proportiong to the
increase of the population. But already we discover
symptoms of reaction in this respect ; and we
think that the ensuing year will
witness- a revival in the
building trade, and a great extension and improvement
to
nts and the cit Meantime, the want is partially supplied by
y.m all sin buildings in the outskirts. On
the southern bank of the Yarra
Yarra there is a popula-
tion of 4,000 or 5,000 living_ in tents ; and all around the
boundaries of the city
wooden cottages are daily spring-
ing up.—Melbourne Argos.

THE
FREE LIBRARY OF MARYLEBONR.-At the last
meeting of the Working Men's Committee, on the 18th
inst., at the Central National School-room, High-street,
Marylebone—Mr. T. Wilson in the chair—the secretary,
Mr. George Lock, stated that in consequence of the dis-
tribution of political papers at the meetings of the above
library, by H. D. Griffiths, the Rev. Dr. Spry, rector of
Marylebone, had informed him that the school-room in
High-street was no longer at their service (the trustees
of the same having met, and come to that decision).
He (the Rector), however, would allow the committee
to meet once more there, in order that they might take
such steps as would prevent their expulsion, sooner than
retire in an honourable manner, and thereby' insure the
respect of others by showing respect for themselves.
The committee unanimously agreed that Mr. Griffiths
should be expelled the committee for the " offence" he
had given, unless he (Mr. Griffiths) expressed contrition
for such "offence ;" leave being given him to retire with
a good grace, as they felt they had a disagreeable task to
perform, and would rather be rid of it. Mr. Griffiths de-
clined either expressing contrition for the diffusion of,
useful knowledge, or of retiring for no real cause : his
" offence " was, in giving away copies of " The Home "
of his friend Richard Oastler, and papers against taxes on
knowledge, which were in accordance with his (Mr.
Griffiths') views of the rights of labour. They had,
however, Dr. Spry and his friends to please, and the
question was whether he (Mr. Griffiths) should be ex-
pelled or the committee. A long discussion followed,
which ended in Mr. Cole moving, and Mr. Robertson
seconding, -a resolution for Griffiths' expulsion,
which was carried unanimously—Mr. Griffiths voting
for his own expulsion, on the ground that it was an
honour to dart with men who had so lost respect for
themselves.