The Sun.
London, England, 1825-12-23 00:00:00

BUSHRANGERS.

Since the publication of our last statement, re-
. specting these desperadoes, 5 men have abscond-
EA! from Mr. Boughton's farm, at Paterson's
Plains ; for the purpose, it is supposed, of join-
ing Mr. Jacob's men. One man has run from
Nr. Cobb's farm, and one. (and o ly one) from
he town of Newcastle ; so that, if they coalesce,
they will form a desperate gang, of eleven,
alt well armed ; and who declare they will
never he taken alive. It appears that Captain
Allman has done every thing in his power towards
getting the banditti taken. Eight soldiers, ac-
companied by several black natives, have been
sent in pursuit of them. Lieutenant Hicks's farm
has been visited by them, and stripe of provisions,
-fire-aruos and ammunition, Mr. Ws watch, and in
fact every thing worth having. Mr. Mazier's over-
seer has bad to go to Newcastle for a supply of
provisions, he having been robbed by the hush-
rangers, of every thing except the clothes he
wore; and Mr. M'Lymatit's farm house has also
been plundered by them. On the 2fith ult. sub-
sequently to the robbery at Mr. M'Lymant's,
.the bushrangers were traced by a party of natives,
•to a brush . above Mr. Cory, senior's, farm, at
'Paterson's Plains ; and a party of soldiers sta-
tioned there, accompanied by three constables,
immediately went ill pursuit of them. Messrs.
Franklaud, Boughton, and E. Cory are also with
the soldiers ; and it is to be hoped their efforts
will be attended with success.

The Military force of the Colony, we learn, is
about to be augmented by an additional regiment, which was
-expected to sail about the month of April. This order, we
suppose, is the effect of some misinformation, as usual, for-
-warded from this place. The British Government is told that
Bushranging is on the encreaae ; and it is made to believe that
it is only to be put down by adding to the number of soldiers
. stationed in Sydney. The Bushrangers are even now becoming
more formidable than they were a short time ago, the fact of
there being fifty in one gang at no great distance from Sydney,
-is. sufficiently convincing ; that parties of soldiers also might
soon capture and disperse or destroy them, is equally a truism ;
...at the same time were the Civil Power efficiently employed, we
-should soon have reason to congratulate the Colony on the utter
extinction of these depredators. Activity inthe Magistrates in the
.-various districts would contribute much to the thinning of their
rank. In noplace is the office ofJusticeof the Peace so replete with
. care, or so arduous when the duties are properly performed, as
throughout this territory, and never did we witness so much
Slothfulness and so much inertness. it may be a very fine
thing to affix J. P. in legible characters after the name ; it
may- be very well to look big in a Police Office once a week,
it may be fine amusement to order 50 lashes to be inflicted on
the back of some poor two-legged animal for once in a way,
..drowning his cares or seeking a brief oblivion of the harsh treat-
ment of some brutal master in a glass of Bengal, it may be very
creditable to spend a day or two in squabbling about licences; it
may be.a pleasant occupation writing and posting prohibitions
of horse-racing ; but, though the whole of the present genera-.
tion of Magistrates in the Colony be quite innocent of the above
habits, we think that Justices of the Peace do not perform their
duty so long as they allow hordes of bushrangers to infest their
neighbourhood with impunity. If they were to mount their
horses, with. the whole posse comitatus at their heels, and scour
the district in which they reside, and which they pretend to
govern, thus making up by activity and courage what they
may want in legal knowledge ; they would not long have to
complain of sheep stealing, cattle slaying, or lie trembling
in bed at every noise that accidentally disturbed their repose.—
But, suppose they have neither time, nor leisure, nor inclina-
tion to catch as well as punish bushrangers, suppose they pre-
fer giving a lecture in their Court to giving chace in the bush,
it becomes their duty to retire from office, and leave this to be
-occupied by those who are willing to take the toil along with the
honour.

•
proof. of the falsehood of many of the ru-
-movii which at prement prevail in London, it may be mention-
ed, that it was reported there on Friday that two Scotch
banks had stopped payment. So far from this being the case,
- we do not believe that a single sovereign has been demanded in
exchange for a note from the one extremity of Scotland to the
-.other.—(Glargora Herald.)