The Sun.
London, England, 1840-09-04 00:00:00

NEW SOUTH WALES.

The following are extracts from Sydney papers of the
2d of May, just received :

IMPORTANT DISCOVERY.

We have to congratulate our readers on another of
those splendid discoveries of pasture-lands which have
from time to time gladdened the hearts of our stock -
holders, and which, from the increased means they afford
of extending the staple export of New South Wales.
are so valuable to the interests of the colony. Mr. Leslie,
accompanied by a single servant, started in search of a
run for a large stock of sheep which he was taking
to the northward ; he determined to proceed in the
search of the Darling Downs, known to be in the vici-
nity of the settlement of Moreton Bay, and the navi-
gable river, Brisbane. For some 15 miles after leaving
the located part of the country, he passed through tracts
sufficiently good for either sheep or cattle ; the ground I
then broke, and became rocky and mountainous, and for
)20 miles in a north direction was impracticable for drays
or stock. Mr. Leslie repeatedly changed his course,
and it was only on the tenth day after leaving Mr.
Garden that he first beheld from the ranges an arable
country. This proved to be the Darling Downs. They
were free from timber, splendidly watered, of the richest
friable mould, and extending to the west and south-west
as far as the eye could reach.
DISEASES AMONGST TILE SHEEP.—We are sorry
to hear that severe losses have already taken place
amongst the sheep in various parts of the colony.
HURRICANE AT PORT ESSINGTON.—On Monday
Port Essington was visited by one of those awful hur-
ricanes so common and destructive in the West Indies,
Mauritius, &c. The day previous there was nothing
indicating any extraordinary change. At 10 p.m., the
hurricane commenced, rendering the scene altogether
most awful—every house in the settlement, with the
exception of the officers' mess-house, and the hospital,
was blown down, and every person was looking
for a place of safety, but none appeared within
their reach, and were every moment expected to
Ibe dashed to pieces by the falling of the heavy
trees. Her Majesty's ship Britomart was seen to
drift before dark, and her Majesty's ship Pclorus
was riding heavily at her anchors ; both vessels were
preparing for the impending danger. From then to day-
light the hurricane raged with unabated fury ; at mid-
night the wind changed from south to east, a few mi-
nutes afterwards from east to north, blowing with re-
doubled effort, as if determined to root everything out
of the ground.
At daylight the scene of devastation was melancholy
in the extreme. The Pclorus was on shore on her
boadside at Minto Head, having lost eight men ; many
of the ship's company were up to their necks in water,
and others were holding on by the weather-rig-
ging, the sea breaking violently over them. The Church
was blown down—all the houses and boat-sheds were
destroyed. The pier, with a great quantity of provi-
sions, were all washed away. The Britomart drove
with the gale, with three anchors a-head, during nearly
the whole of the time of the hurricane, and was seen at
day-light towards Spear Point, about a mile from where
she was anchored, close to the Pelorus, off the pier.
Port Essington is now a perfect wilderness.
The above melancholy event happened on the 25th
November, 1839.
Port Essington is one of the largest and finest har-
bours in the world, with a convenient depth of water,
all over it being deeper than nine fathoms, except round
Cape Record, where there are fifteen fathoms.—Perth
Gazette.