The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-28 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 28, 185 3.

LATEST FROM AUSTRALIA.

for ordinary building purposes at the quarries was for-
merly 41d. to sd. per foot • it is now is. 6d. to 25., ac-
cording to size and quality. The amount of money
earned at these wages is enormous. We believe 11. a
day is a very moderate amount at which to estimate the
earnings of sawyers and quarrymen.
" Rents are gradually increasing, and for ordinary
dwellings have risen about three times, and for good
business premises about five times what they were two.
years since. Small three-room cottages, in the outskirts
of the town, let for 30s. a week ; five-room cottages, fit
for families, are from 21. 10s. to 41. a week. In the
city a good family house is worth 3001. a year. Good
business premises in first-rate situations are difficult to
obtain. 7001. or 8001. a year is asked, and for some very
large premises 1,0001. has been given. One of the re-
cently arrived banks gave 11,0001. for the premises
which were years ago occupied by the Bank of Australia,
and then gave 3,0001. to the tenant, who had a five
years' lease, to give up possession. An hotel, recently
erected, has been let for 1,0001. a year."

SHARE MARKETS.-(THIS DAY.

ARRIVAL OF THE ARGO.

BRITISH RAILWAYS.

The steam-ship Argo, Captain Hyde, arrived at
Plymouth at six o'clock, yesterday evening, with
mails from Sydney and Port Philip. Her dates
are from the former place, August 14th ; Port
Philip, 24th ; and St. Vincent, October 14th. Her
mails are the heaviest ever brought from the colony
at one time, numbering no fewer than 200 boxes and
bags. She made a splendid passage out and home,
having completed the voyage out in 64 days, and
home in 65, notwithstanding two days' delay at
St. Vincent's, as she was compelled to put in for
coals.

RAILWAYS.

)Closing Prices
Yesterday.

Business done
this day.

She came home via Cape Horn, and is the first

steamer that has come by that route. She has
made her passage principally sailing, and the voy-
age was accomplished at the rate of 240 miles a
day.
About 100 passengers have arrived by her ;
among them are Lieut.-General Wynyard, C. 8.,
Commander of the Forces, Mrs. Wynyard, Captain
Wynyard, and Captain M'Doyley.
She brings 140,000 ounces of gold besides gene-
ral cargo.
One passenger (Mr. Harrison, of Great Yar-
mouth) brings home 3,000 ounces of gold.
The gold fields are looking very rich, and two
new fields have been discovered—one at Goulburn,
the other at Jones's Creek, Melbourne. This
caused the seamen to raise their demand from 451.
to 601. for the run home—an amount which has
been paid by the captain of the Argo. The pas-
sengers speak in very sanguine terms of these
fields.
The new " diggings " at Jones's Creek were
accidentally discovered by the wheel of a bullock
waggon having turned up large nuggets in the rut.
She put in at Plymouth for fuel ; and with a
desire to expedite her mails to London, they were
dispatched by special train at nine p.m., and will
be delivered long ere the vessel, under the most
favourable circumstances, could have reached
Southampton.
There was one death on the passage—an in-
valid when the Argo left.
The American ship Texas and the barque Early
Bird were standing into Port Philip on August
the 24th. The steamer Antelope arrived on the
18th of August, and the Victoria on the -22 d of
August, after a passage of 64 days. The Indian.
Queen was to sail on August the 24th, the Rox-
burgh Castle September the 15th, and the Chow-
rinigee September the Ist.
Melbourne was much quieter than usual. Gold
maintained its price of 31. 17s. 6d. per ounce.
Money was scarce, the bank having endeavoured
to put a check upon the speculations, particularly
in building and land.
The markets are flat. Burton ale, 71. to 91.105.
per hhd, brandy per gallon 11s. to 135., cham-
pagne 30s. to 355., Java brown sugar 171. 10s. to
211. per ton, English 10d. to Is. per lb., butter
is. 9d. to 25., Java rice Bs. to 10s. per cwt. Flour
had risen to 301. a ton.

The New South Wales Government Gazette of
Aug. 9 contains a general abstract of the sworn
returns rendered pursuant to the Act of Council,
4 Vic., No. 13, of the average assets and liabilities,
and of the capital and profits, of the five Banks of
the colony of New South Wales, for the quarter
ending the 30th of June, 1853.
From this return it appears that those establish-
ments were very prosperous, and more especially
the Union Bank of Australia, which, after paying
d,vidends at the rate of 26 per cent., had a re-
served profit of 213,8391.

With respect to the yield of gold the Melbourne
Argus contains the following :
" Symptoms of a marked improvement in the yield
of our gold 'fields have again begun to make their ap-
pearance. Fresh spots have been discovered which give
indications of extraordinary productiveness, and even
the old ground has been so much more prolific as to
yield for the last week, as well as the one preceding,
more than has hitherto made its appearance for any one
week of the last 6 months.

" Since the close of the month of July the remittances
per escort have been very great. The first week of the
month of August showed an amount superior to any
this year, and though the following or second week of
this month is not so productive, it also presents a satis-
factory result. The amount received from the different
mines for the portion of the month now expired is as
follows :

"Gold received per Escort since 30th July, 1853.
Week ending Aug. 6, 70,700 oz.; week ending Aug. 13,
44,495 oz.
"Should the next two weeks average as much as the
last two the month of August will then show a result
superior to any month of this year, and to afford confir-
mation to the belief that the mines are giving promise of
again becoming very rich and productive.
"The only diggings in operation at this time last year
were those of Mount Alexander and Ballarat, the Ovens
and M'lvor having been since discovered. We, there-
fore, compare the yield of those two fields last winter
with that of this year :

YIELD OF MOUNT ALEXANDER AND BALLARAT.
For 1852. For 1853.
.... 53,608 156,856

January ...

February
_ _

55,882 142,044

March
April
May...
June
July...

. 61,389 133,655
. 67,556 138,277
. 69,453 124,302
. 108,650 106,146
. 282,546 165,779

" From these statements it will be observed that the
amount for July received per escort exceeds any other
month this year ; and that the amount shipped for that
month also bears a favourable average as compared with
any of the others."

During the six months, ending August 20, no
less than 968 vessels, representing 265,000 tons,
were entered inwards ; and 830 vessels, represent-
ing 254,060 tons and upwards, were cleared
through the Melbourne Custom-house outwards.

With respect to the commercial position of the
colony, the Argos 11a3 the following :
" We have referred elsewhere to the particulars of
our commercial position, which is one of peculiar inte-
rest at the present moment, and therefore requires
great caution and discrimination in judging of its real
state, and still more in advising commercial men at
a distance as to how the market is likely to rule
when the spring trade opens. The elasticity which
the market has already exhibited in receiving and dis-
posing of such a quantity of goods as have been thrown
upon it is really wonderful ; but it appears to us that,
great as it really is, very little is actually known of the
quantity and value of the imports which have poured in
upon us. For the purpose of exhibiting this at a glance,
we have prepared a short statement of the various ar-
ticles of imports which have been entered through the
Custom-house during the quarter ending sth July last ;
and we submit the following list of a few of the chief
items, the extent of the imports of which will, we doubt
not, startle even those who are accustomed to watch
narrowly the operations of the trade of this extraordi-
nary port : _

- .
Quantity. Value.
Apparel and slops
Arms
Barley and maize
Bags and sacks ......
Beer and cider
Blankets and woollens 2,892 pkges. 119,958
Butter and cheese 904 tons 87,479
Brick 1,285,806 No. 15,306
Candles
Carts and Carriages 734 No, 21,110
Coal and fuel 9,899 tons 38,988
Coffee 600,660 lbs. 19,908
Cottons 6,030 pkgs. 163,823
Cutlery and hardware 10,761 do. 130,856
Earthenware B4O do. 11,987
Fish, preserved 11,928 do. 25,430
Flour and bread 11,710 tons 271,431
Furniture
Glass ware 4,021 do. 14,978
Haberdashery& hosiery 3,480 do. 119,241
Iron and steel 614 tons 10,876
Oats
Oilmen's stores ..
Salted provisions
Ship chandlery 253 pkgs. 3,037
Specie l7l boxes 797,490
Spirits
Sugar 1,876 tons 54,270
Tea 201,152 lb. 14,062
Tobacco 1,122,062 ditto 72,808

Wine
The social condition of Victoria was improving,
though occasional outbreaks of crime occurred,
which were attributed by the Melbourne papers to
the leaven of transportation still existing in the
colony. _

The following account of the position of New
South Wales is extracted from the Sydney Morning
Herald of August the 9th :-
6, It is a matter of surprise and satisfaction to find
that the agricultural and pastoral pursuits of the colony
have not suffered from thegold discoveries. A very large
quantity of land has been sown this year, in conse-
quence of the high price of wheat and flour a few months
since, and although the heavy importations from the
United States put prices down to an almost nominal
rate a few months since, the cessation of importations
has caused a gradual increase during the last month.
The graziers were naturally alarmed when gold was first
discovered, but the gradual increase in the price of wool
and tallow have more than paid the increase of wages,
as is evident from the great increase which has taken
place in the price of stock and stations.
" A great drawback to the prosperity of the colony
is the dreadful state of the roads. At present a ton of
flour can be purchased in Sydney for 251. It cannot be
conveyed from Sydney to the Turon (160 miles) for less
than 301., thus adding more than 100 per cent. to its
cost. We are glad, therefore, to be able to state, that
before the end of next year the first section of the Syd-
ney Railway (15 miles) to Paramatta will be opened.
Considerable progress has been made in the work : a
number of experienced 'navvies' are expected about the
end of next month, and money for the 'purchase
of rails, engines, &c., was sent home some months
since. A second railway company is in course
of formation for the purpose of making a rail-
way from Newcastle to the Upper Hunter. The
bill for granting the necessary powers will be laid before
the Legislature immediately.
" Notwithstanding the continued stream of immigra-
tion the rates of labour are increasing, more especially
those connected with house-building. Stonemasons ob-
tain from 135. to 14s. a day ; carpenters, 12s. to 13s. a
day ; and other trades vary from lls. to 13s. a day.
Building materials are enormously high. Prior to
the gold discovery sawn timber was from 7s. to 10s.
per 100 feet, the average was about Bs. ; it is now
upwards of 50s. Bricks were about 2/. a thousand, none
can now be got under 8/. Stone has increased in the
same or even greater proportion. The price of stone