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 the
local government of claims upon all ores and other
valuable minerals that may lie below the surface of the
allotted properties. A numerously attended meeting
was held at Adelaide, on the 26th of March, to con-
sider the subject, at which W. Giles, Esq., J.P., pre-
sided. Resolutions were passed at that meeting con-
demning the proceedings of the local government u
" 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 guaranteed to the colonists by acts of the
Imperial Parliament, are subversive of that confidence
and respect which the settlers ever have entertained,
and are desirous of continuing to entertain towards the
parent state."
Finally it was resolved, " That urgent petitions be
presented to the House of Lords and Commons, ex-
pressing the grievances of the colonists in reference to
the regulations in question, and, pending the trans-
mission of which, application was to be made to the
Lieutenant-Governor to postpone the carrying into prac-
tice of his late regulations.
The following are the principal clauses of the petition
then agreed upon :
" That your petitioners emigrated to South Australia
with their families, and assisted in the formation and
settlement of the colony upon the faith of various Acts
of the Imperial Parliament (4 and 5 Wm. -IV. cap. 92,
1 and 2 Vic. cap. 60), by which were regulated the dis-
posal of the waste lands of the province, and the appli-
cation of the proceeds arising from the sale thereof.
"That your petitioners have explored and made
available for the existence of a civilised community an
extensive and fertile country, previously an unproduc-
tive wilderness, and relying upon the guarantees offered
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 Vic. 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 360,600/.
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, 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,
issue 4 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 hithertu 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 lands 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 Government 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, in,
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 disposal,
and the application of the proceeds arising from the sale
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 th•
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 the
tenure of lands to be subsequently sold, and will more-
over destroy one of the most important principles which
has hitherto guided the land sales of the province,
namely, that of leaving the freehold of the land pur-
chased altogether unfettered by restrictions or reserve-
..

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 moneys received
for the waste lands of the province. . _ _

" That the reservation of minerals is an uncalled for
and impolitic interference with that enterprise which
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
representative assembly is still withheld from them ;
but, nevertheless, appealing with confidence to their past
peaceabld 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 present
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 Hanrahan, 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
d Edward Hickie, Pat Russell,
in yesterday by an intrepid fisherman, John Daveen,
who, with three others, Ed!
and Pat Robinson, have since met a watery grave by
' belonging to other fishermen,
a' to set their nets, early this morn-
enaoetr rendered useless by the unex-
pected of the sea on Tuesday and
piwyneeegenrt.
et
eu venturing
Overcarriedgale outatwn adet
won
great
twenty
r
yesterday. Daveen and his partners considered them-
selves fortunate, for a moment only, in regaining their
nets entire, but a greater loss awaited their poor families,
consisting of twenty-six individuals, who are now re-
duced to the greatest distress by the loss of all four out-
side the Duggenah Reef. A subscription has been opened
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, THURSDAL.
—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 unanimonslLadopted.
COURT OF EXCHEQUER, GUILDHALL.---he 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 on
Monday next.

pica, 4,11.011.,-a,
rott,ll 421:1it/via
SUN OFFICE, Seven o' Clock.
LATEST PRICES OF SHARES,
IN BANKS, ASSURANCE, AND OTHER COM
PANIES' STOCK.
From ne OfficiJl List,
PUBLISHED EVERY TUEADAY AND FRIDAY EVENING.
LONDON. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2.
soiNT-STOCK BANNS.
Dividend Amount
Name of Company. per of Paid. Price
Annum. Share.
X s. d. X s. d.
imstralasia ••••• • .. • • 61. per cent. 40 0 0 40 0 0 -
BritshNorth American 51. per cent. 50 0 0 50 0 9 43%
Commercial of London Si. per cent. 100 0 0 20 0 0
.• • • .. 51. per cent. 100 0 0 25 0 0 -
Londn and Westminstr 61. per cent. 100 0 0 20 0 0 -
London Joint-Stock .• • 61. per cent. 50 0 0 10 0 0 -
Metropolitan ..... 25 0 0 710 0
rovincial of Ireland 81. per cent. 100 0 0 25 0 0 -
Ditto, New. ........Si. per cent. 10 0 0 10 0 0 -
National of Ireland • • 51. per cent. 50 0 0 20 0 0 -
Nat. Provncial of Eng. 51. per cent. 100 0 0 35 0 0 l -
Ditto, New.- .• • • 51. per cent. 20 0 0 10 0 0
Union of Australia •• • . 61. per cent. 25 0 0 25 0 0 -
Union of L0nd0n..... Si. per cent. 50 0 0 10 0 0 -
INSUN.A.NCE COMPANIES.
Dividend Amount
Name of Company. per of Paid. Pricy.
Annum. Share.
s. d. X s. d.
Albion •.••••• • • • • • • • 3/. 10s. 500 00150 0 0 7.5
Alliance Brit. and For. 6 per cent. 100 0 0 11 0 0 18%
Ditto Marine. •• • • 61. per cent, 100 001 5 0 0 53/
Atlas 135.6d.prsh. 50 0 0 1 5 0 0 -
British Commercial • • 7s. per share 50 001 5 0 0 7Yi
4)lericl,Med. & Gen. Life 51. per cent. 100 0012 10 0 6%
31. 100 0 0 10 0 0
109. 50 0 0 5 0 0 -
Eagle • 6s. 50 0 0 8 0 0 5%
Eng. & Scot. Law . • 51. per cent. 50 0 0 20 0 2%
European Life ...... 554 per cent. 20 0 0 All paid. 20
Freemasons' .• •..• • • • 51. per cent. 20 0 0 3 0 0
Globe ......... • ..... 61. per cent. Stock. - 135
Guardian ... ..... 51. per cent. 100 0 0 36 10 0 48%
Imperial Firs ........ 6/. and bonus 500 0 0 50 0 0 240
Imperial Life •••• • • • • 12s. 100 0 0 10 0 0 -
Indemnity Marine •• • . 11. sh. & bs. 100 0 0 513 1 31
Law 11. bs. 100 0 0 10 0 0 -
Legal and General Life 50 0 0 2 0 0 634
London Fire •••• • • • • 10s. 25 0 0 12 10 0 14 34
London Ship •.••• • • • 10s. 25 0 0 12 10 0 14 34
marine_ 51. per cent. 100 0 0 lb 0 0 10%
Med. Invlid. & Gen. Life 4%1. per et. 50 0 0 20 0 3
National Lean Fund.. 51, per cent. 20 0 0 210 0 234
National Life •• • • 81. per cent. 100 0 0 5 0 0 9%
Palladium Life 5l. per cent. 50 0 0 2 0 0 21. Os.
Phoenix - 205
Protector Life.. • .•• 51. per cent. 20 0 0 1 0 0 -
Provident Life 11. 55. 100 0 0 10 0 0 23
Rock Life
Royal Exchange 5l. per cent. Stock.
Sun Fire .
Ditto Life .......... 11. 6s. 49
l7niversal Life -
CANALS.
f 4
Names of Dividend price Names of DDividendCompanies. A per .
Annum.l Companies. t per Price.
Annum.
X
Ashtn& 01.1 h 97 51.59. p c 70 Monmouthsh 100 81.
Ashby-d-la-Z 113 41. 70 Mntgomrysh 100 Si.
Barnsley.- • • 160 121. 180 Macclesfield. 100 -
Basingstoke.. 100 - - Neath ••• • • • 100 171. 340
Brknk&Abrg 150 51. 85 Nottingham . 150 121. -
Cronaford...• 100 141. - Peak Forest. 78 31. 40
Dudley., lOOl 41. - Regent's .• 33 11. ss. -
Derby •• • • 1001 61. 73 Rochdale .... 85 41. -
Ellsmrek.Chs.l33l 41. 55 Shropshire •• 125 81.
1
Enwash • • •1100, 321. - Somrset Coal 150 71. 10s. 130
Forth & Clycl1100; 41. - Do.Lk Fd St 12 6/. p. c. -
GrandJunctn;loo 71. 86 Stffrd &Wore 140 281. 295
t.rand Union 100 1/. 109. - Shrewsbury.. 125 151. -
Glamorgnsh . 172 13%1. - Sto urbrld ge .. 145 201. 315
I listr&Brlrlyl 100 - - Strtfrd on Av 79 11. 109. -
Grantham • •1150' 121. - Severn andl
Huddersfield: 57 Wye Rail. j 26 11. Bs. 32
Kennt & AVIV 39 7s. 6d. - •Trnt & Mr-1
Lancaster .•.1 47 11. 10s. - sey, 50 301. -
Leeds& Livrp 100 341. 520 Th am s &Med 19 -
Leicester ..• • 140 101. 105 Worcstr 81G1
Leicstr&Nth, 83 41. 52 Binning. j 78 21. 43
Loughborogh,l42 701. 850 ,Wilts & /irks 67 11. 11

Name of Compaay.

DOCHS.

Dividend Amount r
per of Paid. Price.
Annum. Share.

X d.
Commercial •
ock.
East and West India 6l. pr cent. Stock.
East Country • • 1/. per sh. 100 0 0
I andon • • ••••• • • • • 151. pr cent. Stock.
St. Katharine .... ••• • , 5 per cent. I Stock.
Southampton ••.-• • • • 41. per cent. 50 0 0

s. d.

50 0 0