The Sun.
London, England, 1840-09-05 00:00:00

ever, that no one could be more anxious than he was to
see the net produce of the land fund made applicable
to the purposes of immigration ; and, to accomplish
that end, he should adhere to the most inflexible
economy. He should further propose, when the
finances of the colony came next to be discussed in
Council, to show how the whole net revenue derived
from the wild lands of the colony, deducting the expense
of collecting and management, and the charge for the
protection aad civilization of the aborigines, might be
applied in the manner desired by the deputation. He
stated, however, that his plan could not be carried into
effect without increasing the taxation of the colony.
,He therefore intended to propose that the maintenance
of the police in each district should be made " A local
charge, and paid by assessment, is the same way as it

~ .
is in England," and .to include " Convict servants in the
assessment." This is a most important measure, and,

if carried out by the Council, must give a great im

petus to the stream of immigration from this
country to New South Wales. The Lords

of her Majesty's Treasury have distinctly stated
their desire to see the land revenues applied to the
purposes of immigration, bgt they will not take the
burden on the mother country of maintaining the colo-
nial police and gaols, in order to obtain that object. Sir
George Gipps says he cannot dispute the propriety of
their Lordships' decision, when he bears in mind that,
exclusive of the service of about 1..0,000 convicts in as-
signment, the colony has the advantage of the labour of
numerous gangs on public works maintained at the ex-
pense of the home Government. He has, therefore,
mooted the principle of providing for the payment of
the police force by means of local taxation, and then ap-
plying the amount of land revenue, formerly appropriated
for that purpose, to the introduction of free labourers
from the mother country. The calculation is that
10,000 adults would be required, including Port Philip,
witilin the next twelvemonths, to afford a supply in any

dcgree adequate to the wants of the colonist;.

TIMES.—A Correspondent has written to explain
the pi esent political position of Texas, and to show that
certain statements that have appeared in the American
journals respecting that republic are calculated to mis-
lead. According to these statements, Texas was about
to join the federalists of Mexico in their effort to re-
store the Constitution subverted in 1833, to recognize a
new State, which was to be called the Republic of Rio
Grande, and to be formed of the territory extending from
the Nueces to the province of Durango, to attack Ma-
tamoras by sea with the Texan fleet, and then to sell
their naval steamer and seven sail of armed vessels to
the new republic of Rio Grande, as the price of that
republic acknowledging the independence of Texas. In
answer to these several statements our Correspondent,
on the authority of advices lately received from Texas,
asserts, in the first place, that with the factions that
cause so much disunion in Mexico, Texas has nothing to
do, but has, on the contrary, sedulously avoided them,
wishing to be a neutral and separate Anglo-Saxon
State. As the British Plenipotentiary at Mexico is
instructed to propose the mediation of the British Go-
vernment between Mexico and Texas, this neutral posi-
tion is considered the only correct one. Texas also has
sent a diplomatic agent to Mexico (where ho has been
received) to propose an amicable arrangement, and has
expressed her readiness to pay an indemnity for a well-
defined boundary line between the two countries, and a
quiet possession of the territories she has acquired.
This is supposed to imply an offer to assume a propor-
tion of the debt due by Mexico to the bondholders in
Europe. The supposition that Texas would be willing
to recognize the new republic of " Rio Grande," the
writer considers as involving a gross absurdity, since she
claims from the Nueces to the Rio Grande (del North)
herself ; and such a recognition would be that of a sepa-
rate State within her own limits. Besides, the notion
itself of the new republic is regarded as chimerical. As
to the last point, that Texas will purchase her indepen-
dence of the new republic by the cession of her fleet,
this is considered as involving a fresh absurdity ; for, as
Texas is recognized by some of the most powerful
nations, it would be superfluous to obtain the recogni-
tion of as infant republic, which is not recognized by
any one. To sum up all, our Correspondent is of opinion
that Texas will not quit her present neutral position till
the mediatorial overtures of the British Government to
Mexico have been tried.

POST.—We are requested by his Excellency Ge-
acrid Alava to state that the use made of his Excel-
lency's name in the letter which appeared in the
Morning Post of Thursday, signed by Messrs Moss
and Humphries, in reference to the questions at issue
between the payees and holders of certain certificates,
issued for the payment of this corps, is wholly unautho-
rised by him, and that his Excellency has never, directly
or iarlireerlY, advised with or consulted Messrs. Moss
and Humphries on this or on any other subject. A,
cepy of the published letter was left at General Alava 's
residence in Harley-street, on Monday evening, enclosed
in an envelope, stating that the writers proposed to send
it to the newspapers.
On the following morning General A lava directed
ie of the
sMr. 13eavan. his solicitor, and the solicitorN
Em-
bassy, to address the following letter to :Messrs.
and Humphries, which was delivered at their office
the course of that morning, viz., Tuesday. To thins
letter no reply has been received either by his Excel-
lency or Mr. Beavan :
" Sackville-street, Sept. 1, 1840.
G ENTLEMSIV,—His Excellency General Alava de-
sires me to acknowle4e the receipt of your communi-
cation delivered to him yesterday evening, enclosing a
copy of a letter you propose to publish in the papers of
this day.
His Excellency has never, directly or indirectly,
authorised you to use his name, or has he authorised or
directed the course which you are pleased to assume
his Excellency intends to pursue ; and he therefore de-
sires that you will abstain from any use of his name
in any statement or publication you may think fit to
make for the interests of those whom you represent.
" Should his Excellency think proper to make a
statement of his opinions or intentions he will do so at
a proper season, and by means of his own professional
adviser.

" I am, Gentlemen, your's obediently,
" J. P. BEAVAN.
" Messrs. Moss and Humphries, Queen-
street, Cheapside."

HERALD.—Private letters from Paris represent
the settlement in foreign stocks and in shares to have
been operated so tar without any particular feature, be
yond the great losses incurred, and the excessive rate
of money for advance on those kinds of security. There

NONE IC MARKET and CITY NEW'S

(FRIDAY EVEN Itec).
CHRONICLE.—The annooncement of the ap-
proaching discontinuance of the ae signment system, and
of the partial cessation of immige, ttion, had been the
subject of great discussion in Van Lliernen's Land, and
a numerously attended public meeting- had been held in
the New Norfolk District, where s "song resolutions
were passed, and a memorial founded on them, pre-
seated to the Lieutenant• Governor, complaining
of the gradual diminution of productive labour, arising
from the present and projected alterations in the sys-
tem of assignment, contemporaneously with the cessa-
tion of immigration, and (in order to encourage the in-
troduction of free labour on an extensive scale) praying
his Excellency to take measures for obtaining the
appropriation of the net income derived from
the sale of crown-lands to such purposes ; en-
making the
en-
couraged, they add, in appeal
" from the distinct assurance given by the Secre-
tary of State for the Colonies in 1t_432, and sub-
sequently confirmed by his successors, that the land-
fund should be most sacredly reserved for that special
purpose." Major Ryant, the last military com-
mandant of Norfolk Island, had left that settlement,
and Captain Maconochie had entered upon the dis-
charge of his duties as civil superintendent. His plan is
roughly explained in the Sydney Herald us follows :
" Toe system consists in assorting the men into messes
of six men each, the members being responsible for one
another ; they will have task-work which they must ex-
ecute, otherwise a greater proportion will be added.
When the work is done each man has so many
strokes put. to his name till they amount to 6,000 for
a seven year's man, and 9,000 for a fifteen years' man,
and thus a fifteen years' man may take the lead of
a seven years' man, and be in Sydney before him.
When these marks have been obtained, they be-
conic, after a time, convertible into money at the rate of
one penny for each mark, or at the rate of 2.51. for seven
years. The Superintendent will also contract for work.
I'he sale of spirits will be allowed under regulations,
and finer clothing, &c. granted to the industrious."
Captain Maconochie's salary, as Civil Superintendent, is
stated at 800/. per annum. His system will bring a
great experiment to the test, as regards its practical
success on adult criminals, and the responsibility at-
tending it requires that the Superintendent should have
fair remuneration. The system is but imperfectly ex-
plained in the above extract ; and it is but right to state
that the writer of the colonial paper from which it is
taken is no friend of the Captain or his plan. He has
given an outline, however, sufficient to enable those
who take an interest in the improvement of prison dis-
cipline, to comprehend his views, who have not seen the
Captain's own printed reports. The system of marks
convertible into money has been successfully adopted
in this country by some of the most intelligent of
our modern educationalists. Whether it may anserer
equally well as a stimulus to merit among our tran-
sported felons, will be shown by the result attending the
new establishment at Norfolk Island. A deputation
of some of the most respectable colonists of Sydney had
an interview with Sir George Gipps on the 30th of
April, for the purpose of presenting the petition of the
colonists against the application of the land revenue to
any other purpose than the introduction of carefully
select,-2d emigrants from the mother country. His Ex-
cellency, in reply, told the deputation that as the fre-
quent representations both by his predecessor and him-
self had made no change in the determination of the
Lords of her Majesty's Treasury, he should only mis-
lead them if he were to hold out hopes that a renewed
application would be more successful. He added, how