The Sun.
London, England, 1856-11-22 00:00:00

Lion : ---

A line to connect, via Queenscliffe (Port Philip Heads).
Cape Otway, King's Island, and Cape Grim (Tasmania), •
as follows :—By submarine cable from Cape Otway to
King's Island.; thence by the same means to Barren
Island and Cape Grim. The greatest stretch of subma•
rine will be only 60 miles in length, the intervening dis-
tances over the islands being by the usual air line. From
Cape Grim an extension will be made along the north-
ern shore of Tasmania, embracing Port Frederick, Port
Sorel, and George Town, and connecting at the latter
place with the main line under contract between George
Town, Launceston, and Hobart Town—the Government
of Tasmania to bear one-half of the expense of that por-
tion of the work lying between Cape Otway and Cape
Grim. Negotiations of a most favourable character are
pending upon the subject of this line between the two
Governments, and the probability is that the work will
be undertaken during the ensuing year.
Distance. Miles.
Queenscliffe to Cape Otway, about
• Cape Otway to Cape Grim
Cape Grim to George Town

Total.
Estimated cost, 33,0001.
POPULATION.

The population of the colony on the 30th June was,
according to the last census and the returns of the Im-
migration-office, upwards of 335,000 souls. To these
must be added about 2,300 for the balance of births over
deaths for the first half of the current year.
The official returns of the Immigration Board for the
month of Julyare of little interest, except that something
like a " rush" of the mining population towards the Syd-
ney goldfields has taken place ; but this "rush" does not
appear to have been so extensive as is represented in the
Sydney papers.
The balance against this colony in favour of Sydney
for the month was only 868 ; the net loss to the colony
90 souls. Among the departures for foreign ports are
about 340 Chinese. The totals are thus divided :
Arrived 2,250, of which 1,466 were adult males, 541
adult females, 141 male and 102 female children. De-
parted 2,340, of which 2,067 were adult males, 188 adult
females, 48 male and 37 female children. Of the arrivals
2,250 landed at Melbourne, 11 at Geelong, and 14 at
other ports. Of the departures 2,317 sailed from Mel-
bourne, 2 from Geelong, and 21 from all other ports.
SOCIAL TOPICS.

At the commencement of the present month a confer-
ence of delegates from the various suburban and provin-
cial municipalities held its session in this city, and after
an intelligent discussio❑ of the objects which the confer-
ence had assembled to promote, ad6pted a series of reso-
lutions affirming the desirability of endowing the various
municipalities with the unalienated Crown lands lying
within their limits, and indicating various amendments
which are necessary to be made in the Municipal Act, in
order to secure the efficient working of the principle of
self-government. Several candidates for seats in the Le-
gislature have given in their adhesion to the movement,
which is also warmly supported by the press throughout
the colony generally.
Some excitement was occasioned in this city on the
10th inst. by the rumoured discovery of gold in the su-
burbs of Richmond and North Melbourne respectively,
and several hundreds of people speedily congregated on
the ground believed to be auriferous, and prosecuted
" fossicking" operations with clasp•knives and similar
implements until nightfall. The specks and nodules of
metal discovered turned out, however, to be a spurious
compound, manufactured as a solder. How specks and
nodules of this solder became intermixed with the sand
and grit in the small watercourses worn by the rain on
the Flagstaff-hill and in Richmond paddock is not ex-
plained.

We are glad to be ableto report that it is the intention
of the Railway Board, in expending the large sums of
mousy at its disposal, te afford as much encouragement
to local enterprise as can be given consistently with a due
regard to the interests of the public. In all young coun-
tries, and especially in those which possess the attraction
of producing gold, there is to be found scattered abroad
a considerable amount of mechanical skill and engineer-
ing ability diverted from their proper pursuit by the
allurements of more tempting occupations. The exten-
sive works now in progress, or contemplated, in con-
nexion with railways, will present an admirable oppor-
tunity for collecting and concentrating skilled artisans
who have temporarily abandoned their legitimate calling,
and the object is one by which the highest purposes of
public utility may be judiciously promoted.
We paid a visit on Saturday to a small schooner, the
Pomona. now lying in llobsode Bay, and had an oppor-
tunity of inspecing the codfish caught by Capt. Liddle,
on a bank near King's Island, and have no hesitation in
pronouncing them a small variety of the cod of com-
merce. We saw one of the fishes cooked, and a gentle-
man who has had much experience on the North Ame-
rican coast, agreed with us in thinking that there was
not a shadow of doubt as to the fish being a genuine
cod ; and that there is every prospect of the discovery off
our coasts of fish-banks as valuable in a commercial
point of view as those of Newfoundland.
The Mount Alexander Mail announces the discovery
of an immense bed of slate in the vicinity of Castle-
maine. Its quality is said to be fully equal to that of the
best Welsh. It was found by a couple of quarrymen who
were prospecting about the district, and they not unna-
turally laid claim .to some reward for having been the
immediate means of adding so materially to the already
ascertained richea of this district. Specimens of the slate
hav,e been forwarded to the Government.
• The following extract from the Bencligo Advertiser of
Saturday last indicates the confidence felt in the perma-
nence of the auriferous resources of that district
" One or two of the storekeepers of this township are
contemplating vastly improving their business premises.
has given a contract for 8,000/
One firm, we believe, °P

which it is expected will reach 10,000/., and the stone
for the building is now being quarried. Another firm
purposes to expend 5,0001. on the erection of a fine
building."