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

AUSTRALIA.

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, JAN. 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
House 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 100,000/. 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 Secret iry (Mr. Deas 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 influmce 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 him.
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 \Vales 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 ; bnt, 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 weather 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 908,5751. 193. 2d.
The Sydney Banks have agreed to raise the rates of
discount, which will in future be as follows
three months and under, 4 per cent. ; 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 more 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.

SYDNEY, JAN. 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
more 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 Tambaroora, in New South Wales.
_ _

Price of gold at Sydney.—For Port Philip and Ovens
gold 3/. 17e. to 3/. 17s. 3d. per oz. ; New South Wales
gold, 3/. 15s. to 3/, 15s. 3d. per oz.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.
ARRIVALS AT SYDNEY.
Dec. 6, 1853. The Myrtle, from London ; the Oron,
Dutch ship, from Loudon ; the Aurora, from Hong Kong.
Branscombo, barque, from London ; the Duke
of Cornwall, from Manilla.
B.—The Frederick, from Liverpool ; the Cheapside, from
-London ; the Magellan, from Madras.
9,—The Jenny Lind, from Hamburg.
10.—The Eclair, from Bordeaux • the Herefordshire,
from Southampton ; the Margaret, from Liverpool ; the
Benarea, from Glasgow ; the Inglewood, from London ;
the Dominion, from London.
11.—The Vriendschap, from London.
V.—The Ashburton from London.
13.—The Waterloo, from London ; the Prince of Wales,
from London ; the Prince of the Seas, from Glasgow.
15.—The Athenian, from Portsmouth ; the Neerlands
Indie, from Liverpool.
17.—The Woolloomoolo, from London.
19.—The Thomas Arbuthnot, from the Downs ; the
Anglesea, from Plymouth.
Liverpool.
20.—The Jane Pratt, horn
21.—The Hendrick Jan, Dutch barque, from London.
26.—The Vincennes, Pnited States sloop-of-war, on a
surveying expedition ; the Leonidas, from London.
27.—The Akbar, from LonLdon,
from weri •
poo
28.—The Europa, ; the Admiral van
Heemskirk, from London.
30.—The Harbinger, screw steamer, from London.
Jan. 1, 1851.—The Joseph Somers, from London ;
her
Majesty's ship Herald, Captain Denham, from a surveying
cruise.
5. The Phoenix, Swedish brig, from Hamburg.
6.—The Howard, from Hamburg.
9.—The Charlotte, from Hamburg ; the Earl of Selkirk,
from London ; the Mary Hall, from London ; the Austra-
lian, screw steam-ship, from London.
10.—The Anna Margaretta, Dutch barque, from London.

THE NORTH SEA,—SOUTHAUFTON, March 28.—Tbe
United S tates mail steam-ship Hermann, Captain E.
Higgins, arrived here this morning from Bremen, on her
way to New York, having been detained in the river
Weser 36 hours by a heavy gale of wind. The Hermann
left Breine n on Sunday morning. On Monday, at 6 a.m.,
off the Tex el, she passed an English ship of the line (two-
decked), st ending north-east. In the afternoon of the
same day s he 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
east of the Gabard. This (Tue3day) morning the Her-
mann pass ed a three-decker (British) outside the Nab.
The Herm ant will sail from Southampton to-morrow
(Wednesda, y), with about 140 passengers for New York,
together w ith the semi-weekly American mails, and a
large cargo of German, French, and British merchandise
for the Aea erica") markets.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.

THIS DAY —Morning 25 min.after 2 I Evening 44 min.aft. 2
fo-Moaaow--Morning 0 rain.after 3 Evening 18 min.aft. 3