The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-02 00:00:00

AUSTRALIAN MINES.

By the late arrivals from South Australia we receive
intelligence of the prevalent feeling of discontent among
the colonists at the recent change in the regulations
for the sale of waste lands, and assumption by tli
local government of claims upon all ores and other
valuable minerals that may lie below the surface of the
allotted properties. A numereusly attended meeting
was held at Adelaide, on the 26th of March, to con-
sider the subject, at which W. Giles, Eq., J.P.; pre-
sided. Resolutions were passed at that meeting con-.-.;
demning the proceedings of the local government as:
" illegal, unjust, and impolitic," and declaring, " That
the repeated attempts of the Colonial-office to set at
nought, in this colony, the stipulations and solemn
engagements guaraateed to the colonists by acts of tho
Imperial Parliament, are subversive of. that confidence,
and respect which the settlers ever have entertained,
and are desirous of continuing to entertain towards tins
parent state."
Finally it was resolved, " That erg .
presented to the House cf Lords and Commons. ex-
pressing the grievances of the colonists in refere.nce to
she regulations in question, and, pending .the trans-
mission of which, application was to be node to the

Tint petitions La

Lieutenant-G o rernor to postpone the carrying into prac-
tice of his late regulations.
The following are the principal clauses of the pctitieu
then agreed upon:—
" That year petitioners emigrated to South Australia
with their families, and assisted in the formation mei
settlement of the colony upon the faith of • v;:r;014 Acts
Hof' the Imperial Par:iament (4 and 5 Wm. PT. cap. 92,
1 and 2 Vic. cap. 60), by which were regulated the dis-
posal of the waste lands of the province, and th,..
eation of the proceeds arising from the sale thereof.
"That your petitioners have explored and made
.available for the existence of a civilised community au
extensive and fertile country, previously an unproduc-
tive wilderness, and relying upon the guarantees offer, d
to them by the Acts of the Legislature referred to have
embarked a large amount of money capital within the
province in various agricultural, pastoral, commercial,
and mining pursuits.

"That under the original (4 and 5 Wm. IV. cap. 95)
as well as under the existing Act (5 and 6 Vc. cap. 36)
of the Imperial Parliament for regulating the sale of the
public lands in the Australian colonies, 377,000 acres of
these lands have been sold, and upwards of 360,6001.
sterling have been vested in their purchase by your pe
titioners and others. .

" That by the original Act the colonisation commis-
sioners were authorised to declare all the lands of the,
province, except such as might be reserved for roads and
Footpaths, to be public lands, open to purchase by Bri-
tish subjects; and such declaration having been duly
made, regulations for the sale of land were issued by
them, expressly announcing that nothing above or
below the surface of the land was reserved. _ .

" That accordingly, in all land grants issued by the
colonisation commissioners under the authority of that
Act, the lands, 6 with all the timber, minerals,' &c., were
conveyed in fee simple to the purchasers.
" That by the existing Act (5 and 6 Vic., c. 36) re-
gulating the sale of public lands, no alteration was
made or contemplated to be made in the full and perfect
right to the lands to be sold under its authority.
"That, by the regulations of the local Government,
issued under the authority of the existing Act, it was
declared that the grants of land sold would convey to
the purchaser all that was above and all that was be-
neath the surface,' and that, save in particular cases,
where reservations of and of access to water have been
made, as provided by the clause just quoted, the deeds
of grant of the whole land of the province hitherto sold
under the authority of the existing Act have conveyed
to the purchasers, according to the true intent and
meaning of the Act, ' all that was above and all that was
beneath the surface.'
" That a Bill was submitted toyour Honourable House
during the last session of Parliament, with the intent to
authorise, amongst other provisions, the reservations of
minerals from future grants of the waste lauds of this
province, and the imposition of certain royalties thereon.
" That this measure did not receive the sanction of
your Honourable House.
" That on the Bth day of August last, at the close of
the then session of Parliament, another Bill was intro-
duced to your Lordships, for the express purpose of
giving authority to reserve and lease the minerals, and
to impose royalties thereon ; and that the introduction
of such a bill at that period was stated to your Honour-
able House, as your petitioners have been credibly in-
formed, to be for the purpose of affording your peti-
tioners, and other colonists interested, time for the con-
sideration thereof.
" That notwithstanding the provisions of the existing
Act, the refusal of the Imperial Legislature to authorise
the reservation and leasings of minerals, and the im-
position of royalties, and during the period allowed to
your petitioners for considering these measures, the fol-
lowing regulations by the local Gevernment were offi-
cially promulgated on the sth day of this present month
of March."

The petitioners then proceed to quote in full the re•
gulations in question, which have already appeared in.
our columns. The tenor of these regulations, our
readers will remember, was to reserve to the Crown
certain proportions of all minerals, &c., "lying upon, ill..
or under all waste lands hereafter, to be alienated or
conveyed" to private purchasers.
" That your petitioners most humbly and: respect-
' fully submit to your honourable House that these regu-
lations are wholly unauthorised by law, and that reser-
vations of minerals or imposition of royalties within this
province are illegal.
"Your petitioners respectfully but firmly maintain
that the Crown possesses over the public lands of the
province no rights but such as are comprised in the Act
of the Imperial Legislature, regulating their disposa!,
and the application of the proceeds arising from the Bala
thereof.
"That not only is the right to impose royalties
assumed by the local Government, but the right to let
upon lease for a term of years all minerals under the
public lands of the colony is equally assumed.
"That your petitioners most humbly submit to your
Honourable House the injustice, impolicy, and the illega-
lity of those assumptions by the local government.
" That all the public lands of the colony having hi-
therto been sold in fee-simple, without reservation of
minerals, andifree from the charge of royalties, the altera-
tions contemplated will create an unfair distinction in as
1 tenure of lands to be subsequently sold, and will morp-
over destroy one of the most important principles which
has hitherto guided the land sales of the province,
nainels,,- that of leaving the freehold of the land pur-
chased altogether unlettered by restrictions or reserva-
tions.
" That by adopting this illegal intention the sales of
all mineral lands and the emigration provided law, to
support which the proceeds of such sales are to be de-
voted, may be totally stopped, irrespective of the demand
of the colonists for labour, and the control established by
Parliament over the appropriation of all mone3 s received
for the waste lands of the province.
" That the reservation of minerals is an uncalled fo:
and impolitic interference with that enterprise whie.t
has marked the character of the colonists of South Aus-
tralia, and fatal to the continued and increasing pros-
perity of the province, which your petitioners were
otherwise entitled to regard as certain, and which, if
untrammelled, promised to render South Australia, at no ..,
distant period, one of the most important colonial pos-
sessions of Great Britain.
" And your petitioners, although bearing the entire
expenses of their own government, being. deprived of
the privileges of British subjects, inasmuch as a
representative assembly is still withheld from them ;
but, nevertheless, appealing with confidence to their past
peaceable and orderly conduct, in proof of their loyalty
to the Crown, and of their deep attachment to the laws
and constitution of their country, make their presei.t
most earnest petition to your Honourable House, in the
confident hope that your Honourable House will continue
to refuse your sanction to any alteration in the mode, as
regulated by law, of disposing of the waste lands of the
province, to the reservation of minerals, to the imposition
of royalties, and to all proposals for altering or impair-
ing the tenure of the waste lands of South Australia.
" And inasmuch as measures deeply affecting and
inimical to the interests of your petitioners, in the par-
ticulars before mentioned may have been adopted before
an appeal from so distant a province may reach your
Honourable House, your petitioner further most earnestly
and humbly pray your Honourable House, in that event,
to take such steps as may in your wisdom appear requi-
site and necessary to protect your petitioners from the
effects of the impolitic and obnoxious measures attempted
to be forced upon them.
"And your petitioners will ever pray."

FIVE PERSONS DROWNED. A correspondent of
the Limerick Chronicle, writing from Kilkee, on the coast
of Clare, says :—" Two melancholy accidents have oc-
curred here, which elicited very general sympathy. A.
respectable young woman, Bridget ilanrahan, from
Croom, whilst preparing to stand under a cascade, or
natural shower-bath, which falls at low water amongst
the rocks, was taken out to sea, on Tuesday, by an im-
pending wave, and drowned. All efforts to save the un-
fortunate girl were unavailing. The body was brought
in yesterday by an intrepid fisherman, John Daveen,
who, with three others, Edward Vickie, Pat Russell,
and Pat Robinson, have since met a watery grave by
venturing out to sea, to set their nets, early this morn-
ing. Over twenty nets, belonging to other fishermen,
fortunate, for a
esdisotiAmrneedssnisuvtbbi dysouratlihlypset
were carried away or rendered useless by the unex-
pected gale and great swell of the sea on Tuesday and
oiwonnshsho oa
has
faregainingar
been
l fnouoo
four
theireonureeti
yesterday. Daveen and his partners considered them-
selvesnets entire, but a greater loss. awaited their poor families,
side
ioudncese consisting
eti
to the
3,gefget
greatestwn fte
hn tßye-
here for the four widows and children."

DERBY GREAT CHEESE FAlR.—This three days
cheese fair terminated on Wednesday. Business was
brisk, and the prices obtained were good. There was a
large amount of cheeses pitched for sale. New cheese
sold at 455. to 50s. per cwt. ; old cheese varied in price
from 48s to 555. per cwt., and some choice old cheeses
were bought up by London dealers at 565. to 60s. per cwt.
ABOLITION OF FLOGGING.—READING, THURSDAY.
—An influential and crowded meeting of the inhabitants
of Reading and the vicinity was held last evening, at the
New-hall, London-street, for the purpose of adopting
measures to promote the entire abolition of punishment
in the army and navy, and to sustain the recently formed
" Flogging Abolition Society" in their efforts to achieve
that object, The Rev. John Statham was called to the
chair at seven o'clock, and resolutions in accordance
with the object of the meeting were unanimou.sly adopted.
COURT Or EXCHEQUER, GUILDIIALL.—The new
City Court of Exchequer is nearly completed, and will
be opened for the transaction of business at the ensuing
sittings, Michaelmas term. _ _ _

The 'marriage of Lady Mary Grey, sister of the
Earl of Stamford and Warrington, with Mr. Milbank,
nephew of the Duke of Cleveland, is to be solemnised.ort
Monday next.