The Sun.
London, England, 1856-09-05 00:00:00

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[PRICE 4D. STAMPED

notified that in conformity with the provisions of the Con-
s titution Act of the colony the following gentlemen have
been released, upon political grounds, from t',u several
offices mentioned in connection with their respective names,

viz
" F.d ward Dots Thomson, EAq., C. 8., from the office of
Colonial Secretary and Registrar of Records.
" John Hubert Plunkett, Esq., from the office of Attor-
ney-General.
" William Montagu. Manning, Esq., from the office of
Solicitor-G oneral.
" Campbell Drummond Ridden; Eq., from the office
of Colonial Treasurer and Collector of the Internal Re-
venue ; and
" Francis Lewis Shaw Merowether, Esq., from the
office of Auditor •general.
" By his Excellency's command.
" STUART A. DON&LDSON, Colonial Secretary."
"Sydney, June 6.
" The amount of gold issued by the Sydney breech of
the Royal Mint during the week ended to-day has been
211,000 half-sovereigns. -
" The amount of gold dust imported into the same esta-
blishment during the week for the purpose of coinage has
been 1,693 ounces.
" The western escort arrived this morning at the Colo-
nial Treasury, anti tielivered the followieg quantities of
gold : —From Sofala, 372 oz 15 dwts. 6 grs. ; Tambaroora,
232 oz. 9 dwts. ; Avisford, 447 oz. 11 dwts. 6 grs. Total,
1,112 oz. 15 dwts. 12 grs.
" A moderate amount of business has been transacted in
the share market this week. The principal sales have been
in the shares of the Australian Joint-Stock Bank, at 111.,
and Bank of New South Wales, at per share.
"Debentures remain firm, at 95 and 93, according to the
currency.
" The flour market is dull, and without alteration in
price. • Fine flour is quoted 251. per ton, seconds 231. The
rates of the Chili Flour Company are the same.
"Liquids.—ln spirits there have been no transactions of
importance to notice. The market is firm, and holders are
not disposed to sell, exclit at, an advance. Brandy, 131. 6:1.
to 143.1-rtrat, ato.p., ss. 61. to ss. Wd. Good willow° in:
demand, more particulary port, which is scarce. Bottled
beer and porter remain firm at last quotations.
" Drapery.—The market is overstocked. We have had
several extensive sales this week, and the result cannot be
considered satisfactory.
"The Primula an Scotia, which sailed from London in
February, have not yet arrived.

" PRODUCE CIRCULAR.
"The result of the London February wool sales having
become known has had the effect of strengthening the
market and creating a demand on this side, and a rise of ,
fully ld. to 2d. per pound was established on the wools
offered for sale this day. It would be well to draw atten-
tion to the causes of the rise in the London market, which
are twofold-1, The attendance of numerous foreign
buyers and the lowness of stocks in the hands of manu-
facturers, both in England and on the continent ; and 2,
the important fact that there has been no period when the
wool and woollen trades were in a more satisfactory and
healthy state. There is no accumulation of stocks, and
consequently manufacturers have been enabled to increase
:.he price of their fabrics even iu a greater degree than the
cost of wool. The belief, therefore, is that wool is one of
the staples likely to maintain its value.
"The tallow•market has been inactive during the past
week, the tranra.tions being confined to purchases on ac-
count of the trade, and for shipment to Melbourne and
New Zealln I. Offais have been made of several parcels
for shipment to South America, but holders have not
accepted them. The English market entirely depends upon
politics, which tend towards peace; yet there are few who
would be surprised if the negotiations were to fail, in
which case tallow must advance in price. Again, if peace
—so much to be desired—takes place, it is doubtful if the
market would be materially affected when the lowness of
Stocks is considered, the requirements for the continent,
and List, not least, the accumulation supposed to he in
Russia. and the neutral ports is ascertained to be far less
than has been stated.
" Sheepskins remain firm.
" hides.—The market well supplied, and prices fully
maintained.
" Shank bones, horns, and hoofs have been sold at an
advance on last sales.
"Stocks and Stations.—The favourable result of the
February wool sales has bad the effect of increasing the
demand for sheep properties, and good stations, not over-
stocked, would meet with ready purchasers at advanced
prices. In store sheep and cattle there is nothing doing, as
parties are awaiting the result of large flocks and herds,
now en route to Melbourne, before making fresh purposes.
" For cattle, of prima quality, there is a demand at from
71. to 81. laferior cattle are selling at 3/. 10s. to V, 4s.

"MELBOURNE MARKETS.
" The market has been well supplied lately, and former
prices hare barely been maintained. Prime bullocks, 151.
to IQ/. ; good ditto, 71. to 101. ; inferior, 51. to 61. ;
wethers, 13s. to 193.
" Frcights.—To London—Wool, ld. per lb. ; hides, 235.
per ton ; tallow, 655. to 701. per ton ; oil, 803. per ten ;
per cent. by sailing vessels ; by steamer.
" Exchange on London—Bank draughts, 3 per cent. pm.;
private bills (with produce hypothecated) 1 to 2 per cent
if drawn against tallow, wool, or gold.
PRICE CURRENT.
WOOL.

R. d. s. d.
Superior clips
Fair to good
Low tc middling 1 3 1 b'j
Grease
Locks, pieces, broken wool, &c.
II tnd%vashed
Scourcd

2,493
2,531
46,7(31
106,273
37,764

TALLOW.
£ e. 11. £ s. d.
31 0 0 to 39 0 0
39 10 0 44 0 0
34 0 0 45 0 0
0 7 6 015 0
00i— 0 0 7
MOLT LND Co., Brokers.
Pitt-street, Sydney, June 5, 1856.

2,017
4,70 S

Beef
Mutton
Station tallow
Bides, each
Sheepakius, por lb

BEsskiltgri,'s PROCESS OP IRON
MANUFACTURE.

- -
Wages have been gradually rising for months past, and I
they are now as follows :-
With rations-Married couples, without families, from
751. to 90/, per annum ' • ditto with families, 551. to 65/
ditto; gardeners', 501 to 601. ditto ; grooms, 401. to M.
ditto ; stockkeepers, 601. to 701. ditto ; shepherds, 351. to
501. ditto; hutkeepers, 251. to ,30'. ditto; general farm
servants, 11. si. per week ; threshing and cleaning, Is. per
bushel ; boycotting, 9s. per ton ; bullock-drivers on the
road, 305. per week ; ditto, on stations, 255. ditto ; men
cooks, 7ul. to 90'. per annum ; female ditto, :701. to 451.
ditto ; thorough-female servants, 251. to 301. ditto ; house-
maids, 201. to MI. ditto ; laundresses, 301. to 351. ditto ;
nursemaids, 151. to 201. ditto. The following are consi-
dered the standard weekly rations-12ibs. beef or mutton,
101bs. flour, 21bs. sugar, 4 lb. tea.
Without rations--a,:mpositors, Is. 4d. par thousand ;
ditto by the week, 41. 4s. ; pressmen, 41. 4s. to 41. 108.
ditto ; carpenters, 12s. to Hs. per day ; masons, 14e. to
16s. ditto ; plasterers, 14s. to 16s. ditto ; bricklayers, 14s.
to 169. ditto ; blacksmiths, 16s. ditto ; quarrymen, 10s.
to 129. ditto ; woodeplitters and fencers, ss. to 7s. per ton;
fencing by the rod, material to split only, 6s. ; labourers
on the roads, 9;. to 103. per day-wood, water, and tents
found.

It appears somewhat inconsistent, until chemistry steps
in and explains the mystery, that notwithstanding the
enormous amount of iron extracted from British ore,
Briton is still obliged to import iron in considerable
quantities from Russia and Sweden when any especial
purity is required. The explanation is simply this
—our .country is rich in coal and its derivative coke,
and Sweden and Russia are rich in wood charcoal.
Coke is a very impure fuel, and charcoal is very
pure ; hence, though we produce cast iron, which is
only another term far impure iron, readily enough,
the problem of turning out good malleable iron in
large quantitieP, by means of coke or coal, is not a
little difficult. Now, looking at the impurities which
exist in cast ;iron, and by the presence of which it
differs from wrought iron, we learn that they are
combustible, and the processes of iron manufacture
adopted for the conversion of cast into wrought iron
have reference to burning these combustible impurities
away. Hitherto, until Mr. Bessemer devised his pro-
cess, the combustible materials in question did not ad-
mit of being burned away without the addition of other
conabu-tibles, either coke, coal, or wood charcoal, as the
case might be. The new process depends for its efficiency
on the well-known chemical fact that many substances,
though actually in a chemical sense combustible, can
only be made to burn when a liberal supply of a
supporter of combustion is furnished. Mr. Bessemer,
therefore, takes a quantity of molten cast hose and
by transmitting through it a liberal supply of at
mospheric air, up a process of combustion
at the expense of the contained impurities, and by
following out this operation to the end, it is as-
sumed that all extraneous combustible matter will be
burned away. There can be no doubt concerning the
beauty of the theory on which the process is founded ;
there can be no doubt of the actual demonstration of the
fact that impure molten iron thus treated is purified
readily to a considerable extent. This we consider de-
monstrated by the production of the reeult which el r.
Bessemer calls semi-steel. But is it demonstrated that
the final remnant of impurities can be removed by a con-
tinuation of the process ? We think not. Without
stating that it cannot be done, there are difficulties in
the way which suggest themselves to the mind of the
chemist, and cause him to look with some anxiety to
the final issue. The fact must net Le c incealed, that
the efficiency of Mr. Bessemer's process carried out to
the final issue of malting iron absolutely, or even com-
mercially pure, depends on the maintenance of a condi-
tion of such amount of fluidity that the atmospheric air
injected shall readily penetrate the mass and bubble
through it. Is this condithn susceptible of being effi-
ciently maintained to the vi ry end ? Every ene conver-
sant with the properties of iron must bo aware of the cir-
cumstance that in proportion to its purity so is its
infusibility ; therefore the air injected by Mr. Bessemer's
process will have to find its way through a molten
mass which continually assumes a condition of greater
solidity. We would be far from desirous of damping
the energy of an inventor, of denying the theoretical
beauty of the invention, or its
peactical competence, so
far as demonstration has already been made ; neverthe-
less, would it not be well for the inventor to test the
final issue of his process by reference to the quality
apd quantity of the iron purified to the furthest compe-
tent:. of this process 1 IF, indeed, not to say it n che-
mically pure, but iron commercially pure, to the extent
of the best Swedish k r Russian, be capable of pro:lnchon
as the result of the new process, the coneeponces of the
discovery will be gigantic)