The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-26 00:00:00

AUSTRAL..-. Wales cannot at present be safely calculated at
more than one-fifth of this rate. As it is certain,
ais
(From the Times Correspondent.) i from all the accounts from Victoria, that, large as
SYDNEY, July I.—Nothing of general political in- the quantity of gold produced there is in the mass,
terest has occurred since the departure of the Shang- many hundreds of the diggers are not earning
hat. The Constitution Committee has not yet enough to subsist on. It is believed the un,uccess-
made its report, nor is much anxiety expressed by fill would migrate to the comparatively untried
the public with regard to it ; on the principal fields of New South Wales if the license fee of 30s.
point—the organisation of the future Upper Cham- aamonth were abolished. A committee of the
ber—the decision of the committee is already anti- : Legislative Council is still inquiring into the whole
cipated; as to all others there prevails out of doors question, and it is not improbable its report may
the most complete indifference. There has not ; be favourable to a reduction in the amount of the
been a single meeting in any part of the colony to tax, if not its total abolition.
express an opinion on the impending changes, ' The commercial advices from Melbourne are
though they may involve the existence of the present } rather gloomy. The markets have had for some
franchise, and at least give the colonists the best ' time a " downward tendency," which, to those
possible opportunity of throwing their influence accustomed to 200 or 300 per cent profit on
into the scale against the "nominee" system in th a invoice prices, must have been very alarm-
Council, of which we have so long complained. La ing. But the heavy rains, which cut off the
yet this has not been done in any form to which, a intercourse with the " diggings," and other
Government can attach importance. On the Con- causes, have converted the tendency into an
stitution question the -Executive and its friends absolute fall. In the week ending the 21st of
in the Legislature are unchecked by any effective June the importations had not been great, or the
opposition, though there are in the colony abun- decline in prices would have been more consider-
dant elements of a formidable oppoei'aion here- able; even as it was, however, " the fall has been
after.
very sensibly felt, and goods can scarcely be got
The present indifference of the public to all these off without active and vigorous forcing." One of
questions is certainly to be regretted, but it is very the causes of this unusual state of affairs is the
natural; a community so absorbed in the most ex- want of any extensive stores for the merchandise.
I
traordinary realities will not give time or thought If goods are not purchased and sent up the country
a
to abstract political theories. It is indifferent even almost as soon as they arrive, the little store-room
to matters that touch it much more directly ;it is of the place becomes choked. Hitherto they have
too busy to compel the municipality to a decent thus disappeared ; but the winter has suspended
discharge of civic duties, though the neglect of the usual demand, while cargoes continue to arrive,
them is accumulating all sorts of nuisances both in for which no place can be found. The merchants
Sydney and Melbourne. Here the corporation, are beginning to discover that mere buying and
from variety of causes, has sunk into such con-
selling creates nothing. While paying fabulous
tempt that the executive might extinguish it with rents they have neglected to build, and are now
perfect impunity, and put a Government commis-
suffering from the want of enterprise. Some of the
sion in its place ; it has not done so only because ships in the bay have been converted into floating
the public incessantly as it grumbles, has not
de-
warehouses ; but such is the difficulty of getting
energy enough to come together and formally goods from the bay to the city that it affects prices
wand that the present town council be super- considerably; "few transactions can be effected,"
seded.
it is said, " unless the goods are ready to be de-
The select committee appointed by the Council on livered." The Commercial Circular adds :
the 27th of May to prepare a series of resolutions "It is no unusual occurrence for parties to wait .two
thanking the home Government for what are called and three months fir the delivery of goods from the
the " constitution dispatches," has made its report, bay after they have purchased them, and the consequence
recommending for adoption the following ; of such delay is frequently ruinous. We know of cases,
"1. That this Council, while adhering to its previously and these by no means few or far between, where goods
recorded opinions respecting the constitutional rights of Purchased only about a month ago could have been
the inhabitants of the colony, deems its proper to express sold, if then delivered, at a profit of not less than 100 or
its deep sense of the conciliatory spirit evinced by the 150 per cent. ; but now, if brought into the market, so
late dispatchesf rom the Right Hon. Sir John Pakington great has been the fall in the interval, they would not
and his Grace the Duke of Newcastle, laid by the Geyer- realise enough to cover expenses. This is a serious state
nor-General on the table of this house on the 11th day of of matters, which further arrivals will only tend to
May last, and to express its hope that they are the corn- aggravate, unless some greater facilities are provided in
mencement of a new and auspicious era in the government lighterage and wharfage."
of her Majesty's Australian colonies. The most bulky articles were the first to give
"2. That this Council, at the same time, desires to way flour and breadstuffs are declining in price,
accord its appreciation of the dispatches of his'Ex Excellent
the Governor-General, recommending the concessions
rica have been enormous. Some cargoes have been
which have been made,
brought into Sydney, as the preferable market.
" 3. That a copy of these resolutions be
transmitted East Indian rice does not fetch its cost price and
by the Speaker to the Right Hon, the SecretaryofState
for the colonies, and be also presented by him to his freight, and quantities have been bought up for
Excellency the Governor-General." exportation to England. Groceries are going down
rapidly, having fallen 50 per cent. in a fortnight ;
The estimates for the current year were proposed ale and beer have declined 25 per cent., but spirits
on the 22d by the Auditor-General. He anticipated a surplus of revenue at the close of 1853 over allremain generally at their former prices • ' not so
wines, of which inferior sorts are quite unsaleable.
the ordinary expenditure of 52,2671. The revenue
from the There is a fall in one class of goods difficult to ex-
-88,000/. ;thegold licenses, it is calculated, will be plain—in winter clothing, boots, shoes, blankets,
expenses charged on this ource of in-
come is 40,0001., leaving a balance for general pur- would have been now in the greatest demand ; it
poses of 48,0001. If the license system should be abo- has even been inferred in Sydney from this fact,
lished, as there is some chance of its being, the ex- th at the "purchasing power" of the digger popu-
penses connected with the population of the gold lation is actually decreasing : it is more likely that
fields will remain nearly the same ; the revenue would
lose the whole sum, and the cost of the police, the trade in these goods has been overdone. Build-
&c., for these districts would be a charge on the ing materials of all kinds keep up their prices, and
ordinary funds. The operation of the new tariff will do,so for some time to come, for people find
has been most successful, though the prices of all they must build, at whatever cost. Consignments
articles of consumption have been enormously in- of jewellery have been found so unsaleable that
creased, even 200, 300, and 400 per cent., which they have been sent back to London. Firearms
must have checked the purchase of them to some have also been imported to an extent ludicrously
extent ; yet, the Customs' revenue for the first in excess of the demand. It would be a very good
quarter of the present year was 85,0001,, showing speculation to buy up the unsold revolvers at Mel-
an
increase of 29,0001. or 53 per cent., above the bourne and Sydney prices for re-exportation to
corresponding quarter of last year. Uder the old London.
tariff the same imports would not have yielded There is no doubt there will be an increased con-
more than 65,700/. Nearly the whole of this in- sumption of everything in the spring, and, unless
crease is on ardent spirits ; the addition of 6d. a- the importers have greatly overrated the market,
gallon to the duty on rum caused an increase of the present depression will probably be but tern-
-2,6601. in the revenue from that article. The b- porary. Goods cannot go on rising for ever, even
stitution of 11d. per lb. on tea of all kinds for the at Melbourne, and there may be prices which
ad valorem duty of 5 per cent. gave an increase of make even a digger hesitate and defer purchasing.
3,9481. ; the similar substitution of a fixed duty on This limit has been as nearly as possible reached,
the different classes of sugars produced an increase and the dealers appear to have thought that afall was out of the nature of things. House and
of revenue of 10,600/.
' • and the duty of Is. a-gallon
on wines an increase of 3,1841. In the first quarter shop rent, and the sums paid for building grbund
of the present year, compared with the correspond-f (not for building on) are certainly calculated on
ing quarter of 1852, the increase in the quantity some such idea. But rents will be the last thing
rum entered for duty was 9 per cento.f;whofiabkranddoe, to decline, for the simple reason that the city has
70 per cent. • of gin, 26 per cent. -not half house-room enough for its inhabitants.
per cent.; and of all other spirits, 240 per cent.? The All accounts concur in describing the wretchedness
actual quantities imported in the same period were of the place as a residence, from this cause. Thecorrespondent of the Sydney lieraid remarks : —rum, 106,402 gallons - brandy 55,469 gallons •
gin, 24,167 gallons ; whisky, 4,949 gallons •of " Tom Moore was accustomed to say that Ireland is
other spirits, 1,131 gallons. In the same eriod a beautiful place to live out of. The same thing can be
The and with greater truth, of Melbourne. For, what
there were imported 146,3851 b. of tobacco. period a
ruinous
increase in the consumption of ardent spirits in- household comfort, the unspeakably filthy state of the
dicated by the above figures the Auditor General city after a few days' drenching rain—' the dreary inter-
admitted was a great moral and social evil, but course of daily life,' among a heterogenous mass of
hoped much of that increase might be ascribed people who have not an interest in common, and the
to the fact that whole classes of the population dismal dulness which broods over everything except this
were now able to command luxuries they had not eternal buying and selling—it may fairly be said that
before been able to enjoy. If it be so, their taste this self-glorifying metropolis of the 'golden colony' has
had taken a direction unfavourable to health and sunk to the lo west point of social existence. It is not
domestic happiness ; and it is but too evident from to be wondered at that people leave it as soon as they
many indications that drunkenness is increasing to can possess themselves of a share of its golden spoils."
an alarming extent. Concurrently with this large In nearly all the published correspondence and
importation of spirits, the quantity distilled in the letters from the gold fields the prevailing tone is
colony has nearly doubled within the last year ; that of disappointment and despondency. It may
the increase is no less than 189 per cent., and the be that the lucky are silent, and work on inspired
Excise returns of the last two months show that by full bags and heavy pockets. But the toil is
this percentage is still rising. The increase in the severe, and their life one of great hardship,; and,
import of tea in five months of the present year, if not rewarded by success, must soon gaow dis-
over the same period of 1852, is 42 per cent. ; of heartening. If not increased by continual iinmi-
sugar, 21 per cent.—small figures compared with gration, the present population of the digginas
the register of intoxicating compounds ; the in- would soon begin to decrease, as many who have
crease in wines is only J 3 per cent. ; the " diggers" abandoned their regular occupations under the
demand a more fiery article. The other portions influence of the fever are returning to them.
of Merewether's clear and able statement have only Thus, during the past week, the business of brick-
a local interest • but he concluded with a compari- making in Sydney, which has been suspended ever
son of the result of the gold discoveries in New since the discovery of the gold, has been resumed.
South
Wales and the southern province (Victoria), It is the same in other trades ; men are returning
which embodies a very general impression among
to them, and those who thus return are likely to
the many
classes in Sydney. There can be no doubt remain. Many of them have been unlucky, others
sudden increase in the population and coin- admit they could have done very well, "but the
merce of Victoria has be en attended by many evils work was killing them." Among the labouring
which we have escaped or feel only in a minor classes of Sydney there is now a very accurate
degree. The Auditor-General said : knowledge of what life at a goldfield is. The first
" Allusion has recently been made to the amazing
prosperity of Victoria ; her pretsent state might be cha- intoxication is passed away, and visionary nuggets
dazzle fewer here than'• eyes in many of the cities of
racterized as prosperous, but i
marked by many unattractive wfeaastiairtesthe same time Europe. New comers arrive under the influence
He hoped, of the spell ; residents have been to a great degree
however, that the prosperity of thwaetalctohlony would prove disenchanted by experience. On the whole, the
as substantial as her growth M
had been surprising. At present li population working working classes of the towns find it better to take
ascnooduildpl
tremble for her permanent interests and e advantage of the present high rate of wages in
on account of the great attraction of her gocidafiezllbeing tolerable comfort, than to rough it for uncertain
all events ho saw no reason why, in comparisoa. Atith gains at the mines. - The immigration will long
Victoria, this colony should be thought meanly of. with continue to keen up an excitement, but the colo-
though they had not gold coming in by tons and imr,„- nists would sooh begin to regard gold digging with
grants landing by thousands, yet they saw their harbour----muchcoolness •• as
filled with vessels of almost all the commercial nations would become a regular pursuit for those adapted
it
of the world ; they saw their streets becoming thronged for it, but would not seduce many from large earn-
like large commercial towns of the mother (* innsun-
in less toilsome occupations. The proportion
try ; they saw large, substantial, and ornamental oe
brilliant successes to the number of those who
buildings rising in every direction ; and there was a findit a hard life with little or no profit, is being
steady tide of immigration flowing in. At the same time, better
so_ . calculated, and the knowledge has a very
the public revenue was increasing in proportion to their
increasing requirements ; the ordinary pursuits of indus- b_ering effect.
The Government have resolved to give Mr. liar-
try were being carried on with almost as little interrup- The Government have resolved to give Mr. Har-
tion as if gold had never been discovered ; while the greaves, the discoverer of' the gold in Australia,
profits of those pursuits had enormously increased, every
the sum of 5,0001. Mr. Hargreaves considers this
class in the community was thriving, and quietness and an insufficient acknowledgment of his services to
good order prevailed throughout the country. With the colony, as he came from California at his own
these signs of prosperity around he saw no reason to expense for the purpose of "prospecting" here.
envy Victoria, and he liked the progress here all the The working party he took with him have disputed
better, because it was gradual. In the mineral resources Mr. Hargreaves' claim to the merit of having been
of the colony be had the utmost confidence ; and there the first discoverer, as they actually dug up the
was even a real benefit in its tardy development, as the specimens of the precious metal
which IVI r.
.Har-
community was thus spared that feverish excitement and greaves exhibited at the public
that
meetmg at Bathurst;
disturbance of an industrial system which must have en- where the announcement threw the colony
sued had there been suddenly open up in the nighbour- into fever was first
amade. There has been con-
hood of this city such vast treasures as were foundat
Mount Alexander or Ballarat."
siderable official correspondence on the subject
We have had at short intervals very heavy and but, even from the statement of Mr. Hargreaves'
rivals for the honour, it appears that
he was the
continuous falls of rain ; all the intelligence fromb •
head and director—the rains of the party, in fact,
Places interior speaks of sudden floods, which in some
Places have done considerable damage. Mining throughout. He very justly asks how the men he
employed could have been walking over the same
operations are suspended in what are called the
ground for the whole of their lives, without even
"wet" diggings • all the holes in the beds of the
rivers and ', ' suspecting the
treasure under their feet, till he told
time. creeks are necessarily abandoned for ato dig for it ? That
On the Turon the waters
.gold ea_
that the miners fisted in the country was known before ;but the
•
could not save their •
implements ;
cradles, merit of Mr. Hargreaves is, that he proved that it
buckets, shovels,
away by the Workingtorrenand pans, were all swept
could be easily obtained, and in large quantities,
had ceased at those
diggings. The roads everywhere and, by making the facts public, commenced
passable. Even the gold are all but im-
the movement that has had such extraordinary
appointed days, and • escorts cannot keep their
for the colony
results . and Europe. Probably the
As the difficulty of
transport
and depart irregularly.the example of
province of Victoria will follow
crease the already Highnsport at this season will Newin- South Wales, and vote Mr. Hargreaves a
diggings, •an influx of three of provisions at the
the gold fields to the raining population from similar sum at least. He says he has been offered
ter is expected. towns for the rest of the win- very large amounts of money to lend his name to
various bubble mining companies that would have
The quantity of gold brought down both to Mel-
been " splendid specs" in the London market.
bourne and Sydney to the last dates is rather less When he refused, on the ground of the plain dis-
than that reported for the month of May
decrease is ascribed chiefly to the bad ; but the honesty of the concerns, he was told by the projec-
weather. As tors. it was "only plucking .
the escorts arrive at irregular intervals the return discoverer of the gold of Australia has not himself
of the number of ounces brought by each becomes been enriched by it.
confused, and a clearer notion of the quantity pro_ The Council has voted an increase in the salaries
from duced may be gained the periodical report of of all officers in the employ of the Government, to
the quantity exported from the colony from the enable them to meet the greatly increased cost of
let of January last, added to the quantity received living. The increase will take effect from the Ist
by the last escorts. From the Ist of January to of January last.
the 18th of June the province of Victoria had pro- The wrecks on the Australian coast are beco • ming
duced and exported 1,095,405 ounces of gold, or 45 alarmingly frequent. Since
the loss of the Monti-
qrs. 17 lb. 1 oz. of the precious mental City steamer, tons 12 cwt. 3 earner, by which more than 30 of the
metal, which, at 755. per ounce, gives a value of passengers perished, the Prince of Wales, an Aus-
-5,750,8751. sterling. .As one, if not two escorts, tra ian coaster, has been found at sea, floating bot
bad roads, this tom upwards, all on board -
have been delayed by the rains and
return is for some fortnight less than the half-year; On the 18th inst., the Earlof Ch ' arlemont, Captain
of New South I Garner, one of the Liverpool p
the quantity produced $y the fields ox
line
of packets,

'FAIRS.