The Sun.
London, England, 1856-07-18 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

MELBOURNE, Amir. 21.
The Royal Charter arrived in Hobson's Bay on Wednes-
day the 10th instant, having sailed from Plymouth on the
17th of February, having thus made the voyage in 59 days,
being the shortest passage yet made.
The Frances Henty bailed out of Port-Philip as the
Royal Charter came in, and as the former vessel has gene-
rally made quick passages she will most likely announce
the arrival of the new vessel.

The Ballarat, also a ship of good reputation, sailed for
Singapore on the 22d instant; as there appeared to be a
reasonable chance of her meeting the homeward mail from
India I wrote by he:., but, as the Oliver Lang May be
the first to arrive, I shall repeat the contents of my last
letter.

The mail-ships of the 20th of January and the sth of
Februny have not yet arrived.
Tae principle upon which the Royal Charter is built
Bald equipped seems to me to be that which is most likely
to reduce the voyage from Englan' to Australia to as near
an approach to a certainty as is pos-ible. She is, in the
first place, a full-riggrl clipper ship, capable of the great-
est speed which has et been attained by clippers of the
first class and best construction. She is built of iron, and
of 3,000 tons burden. Her greatest day's run under can-
vas was 352 miles, being an average of 14i knots per
Ilona. The best run of the Lightning on her first voyage
was 3;6 miles, or 14 knots per hour: The Lightning also
ran 2,086 nautical miles in seven days, or nearly 300mi1ea
a day.

During the voyage of the Royal Charter steam was re-
sorted to on 14 days. Her best day's run under steam was
252 miles, with: a. consumption of only 10i tons of coil;
her worst day's, run under steam was 166 miles, with a
consumption of 14 tons and 8 cwt. of coal. Her total con-
sumption of coals was only 193 tons 17 cwt. The pros
sure of steam was 1116.

,
Thus her remarkable voyage was made principallYlOY
means of her extraordinary sailing powers, and her sinew
propeller was emphatically auxiliary.
Her engines are only of 200-horse power, and, with all
the fuel that she can possibly require, occupy but a mode-
rate proportion of her tonnage, thus leaving ample space
for cargo as well as passengers. 'Contrast this with the
Great Britain, the first great experiment of the same en-
terprising firm. She was under-rigged as a sailing vessel,
and her screw, which could not be unshipped, was always
in requisition. Her consumption of coal was from 33 to
50 tons per diem. She consumed about 1,200 tons from
Melbourne to the Cape, and must have consumed about
2,500 on the homeward voyage. She had to seek for and-
take in coal at Algoa Bay, at St. Michael's (Azores), and
at Vigo Bay in Spain. Large as she was, she had little
room for cargo, and although she had plenty of passengers
her voyages must have entailed loss on the owners.
After the failure of their first great experiment one car •
not but admire the thorough English pluck of the owners
of the Royal Charter in thus trying a new s'enture. I firmly
believe they will succeed. The ship is " booked full" for
the homeward voyage already. She will have a full cargo,
and will most likely carry home every ounce of gold accu-
mulated for shipment up to the date of her sailing—viz.,
the 22d of May.
The prevailing character and direction of the *ilia be,
tween the coast of England and Melbourne sebm to me to
prove that the auxiliary screw fitted to a ship of the best
sailing powers fulfils all the omoditions upon which a rapid
voyage depends. The N.E. trade is a fair wind, the SE.
trade is now made a fair wind by the present Method ci
great circle sailing, or rather the " composite Cour*" as it
is called, which is as near an approach to the gruat.'elrele as
is practicable. The westerly winds whili irtie4!tia to the
southward of the latitude of the Oitire 'II& always fair all the,
year round. With the*s_e fait winds, which cover about
5-6ths of the voyage, Steam is on'y an incutehrance. Anti-
liary steam peVar is useful and necessary in three 'obeli-
ties-1. F 1,5111 the port of departure to the northern limit
of the north-east trade. This is net aktettkii hieestiOs,
as the wind that blows has often, 1 thay Say, generally,
plenty of northing in it. 4. Oteam is necessary in cross-
ing the belt of eqttatokial calms.- This also is greatly nar-
rowed by the tonnes steered in recent times. Ships used
to cross the equator as far to windward as possible—say,
about i 2 deg. west longitude—they now data rinuols fur-
ther west—say 32 dog. As the belt of calm!) paerow4ii gra-
dually to the westward, it is ftequelsily 'OnlY threee el- friar
degrees.: By crossing well to the Westvirilai ships have
carried the north-east trade to 4 deg. 30 north latitude,
and have met the eiskith.east trade even north of the line,
varying wills the season of the year. 3. After losing the
south-east trade there is the " belt of varieblet" to he
crossed, until the ship is run into .theloyaitlig westerly
wind. In all the above three ltkaritfeas ate auxiliary screw
comes into play. Fottia liiSe , le: six days runs the ship into
the north-east trade; t*fs' days (and perhaps even less than
one, under good esahagement) push her across the belt of
equatorial caloas. Fear, five, or six day!! ni re bar if her
from the southern edge of the sotirth-east trit e Aerobe the
variables to the latitude of the *ettArly bin s—a latitude
1
which also varies with the *Mons. Sometimes even in
the generally constant hbith-east trade there will happen
an unusual or abnormal check. In the south-east trade
this is lose Ohusual ; a south-east gals will eotnetinnetikliers
power the prevailing %vastest, winds. tlltS3e would, of
course, increase the demands tton the crew; but, on the
other hand, these anotealons winds will be sometimes com-
pensated by a fait wind out of the Channel:and by equal
good leek across the belt of variables. 'On the whole, Ido
not think the screw will often be needed during inore than
15 days. The voyage must., in feet, be Made by flag sail-
ing powers of the ship; the sire*. midst be treated as
auxiliary. _ ,

It would net u 1 prise me if the Lightning, the James
Baines, and the Donald M'Kay, with some of the Paittest
se
ac :ews
expedients,. lf the
a
of the rival line, should be at ones fitted with auxiliary
Londonti with owners
owf iashlartioei.meaiti:ain their
position iu the passenger trade, they must resort to the
One word as to the overland relit°, AS it is somewhat
abEurdly called. That MIA necessarily be emphatically a
steam voyage. :Prom Melbourne to Singapore or Point de
Galle is what sailors call a " dead beat." It will require
powerful stamen's, and by their aid the Whale voyage ceb,
I have no doubt, be performed in 51 days. It is very itn=
portant to reduce the voyage too sie siX or seven dais less
th"..n the two months 461 or 64 days: If, for instance, the
ships sail regularly on a stated clay, say the Ist of every
month, and the voysso, without casualties, be 55 days—
the due day of the mail will be the 25th or 26th of every
month: this would give five or six days to answer letters,
add the course of post would be 116 days only. The voy-
age to Sydney is 48 hours; to Hobart Town about the
same ; hence to give the people of those cities time to
answer letters by the first return mail it will be necessary
to quicken the voyage by about 50 days. This may be
effected by despatching our mail steamers direct to the
Ited Sea without calling at Point de Galle.
Gold—The pike of gold is 31. 165., but add the duty,
freights, insurance, weighing, km, and the cost to the pri-
vate shipper in London is 41. Os. 84d. But as the banks
sell their exchange at 2 per cent. premium, they nearly
save the insurance, their gold cleating, laid down in Lon-
don, 31. 19s. id.
The prevailing price at Ballarat and Castlemaine has of
late been a trifle higher, and this has discouraged the
transmission of gold by the escorts. Moreover, the banks
having for some weeks accustomed the diggers and store-
keepers to look for higher prices, a smaller quantity has
been offered to the local branches of the banks. Last
week consequently the escorts brought down only 32,934
ounces. But the fortnightly escort from the Ovens, which
arrived on Monday evening, brought down 15,354 ounces.
The quantity received daring the first three months of
1855 and 1856 was as follows ;

Ounces.
First quarter of 1855 407,294
First quarter of 1856 747,241
I have no reason to believe that there is the
slightest check upon the quantity actually obtained at the
principal diggings. From the increased use of machinery
I am confident the recent aversaes will be at least kept up,
and I think increased towards 'the latter months of the
year. If there is any diminution during the last fortnight
it may be attributed to the very heavy rains that have
fallen of late.

Peace would be very bend cial to this colony, as it would
lead to a renewal of immigration. Labour is becoming
very scarce, and I fear, unless we obtain supplies of ma-
sons, brick-labourers, carpenters. &c., many of our public
works will be suspended. We are, however, not so selfish
or unpatriotic as to desire peace on any terms except such
as are highly advantageous to the Western Powers. There
has been a very great preponderance of success on the side
of the allies, and that ought to influence the tone of our
diplomacy. The selfish colonial view of the case is this.
We want about 1,000 people per week. We could absorb
that number. Great Britain and Ireland would furnish at
least that number in time of peace, but during war only
afford us about 300. With an abundant supply of people
our resources, both gold and wool, are susceptible of fur•
ther development. We shall probably again resume the
export of tallow. This would increase our demand for
British manufactures, even beyond our recent demand.
It is not against the interest of producing England to
transfer labour and capital to this productive field. The
greater the production here the greater the stimulus to
production at home, in the effective demand which our
production carries across the seas to Europe. I believe
the production of wool in New Zealand alone is cap-
able of being worked incite 10,000,0001 b., and the pas-
tures of Australia are not fully occupied. To occupy
them profitably, however, requires better means of com-
munication. The completion of the Melbourne, Mount
Alexander, and Murray Railway, commenced and now
transferred to the Governtnent, will open out a good deal
of country. But here again our resources are crippled
for want of labour. What we have done in the way of
railways is not much, but it is a good beginning. The
Hobson's Bay Railway connects Melbourne with the ship-
ping on the west side of the bay. The Williamstown Rail-
way, nearlAtchoetnepeleet side.tewillTchoienlnaescttieMtehleboteurrinneiewusitehf the
e
shipping on
Mount Alexander and Murray line. A branoh from the
Hobson's Bay line will be completed to St. Kilda in six or
eight months. This is the commencement of a southern
line, to be indefinitely extended. The Melbourne and Gee-
long Railway is in progress, and may be completed in 12
months. This will probably be extended to Ballarat.
Money we can raise; what we want is labour. There is
also a growing scarcity of domestic servants, but with any
considerable immigration of productive labour the fami-
lies of the labourers would furnish" a good supply of this
class:
Tho Bank of Australia has again declared a dividend for
the last half-year at the rate of 20 per cent. per annum,
the Union at the rate of 27 per cent.
The Colonial Bank of Australia—a popular bank en the
Scotch principle, with 1,000,000% of capitol, in small
shares of 101., which was so strenuously but unsuccessfully
opposed
by the Bank of Australasia, on the ground that
the
latter had a monopoly of the name of "Australasia,"
and that the prefix " Colonial" was only colourable—has
just commenced business with every prospect of very
marked success. There is a strong prestige in favour of
the local banks. The profits enrich local shareholders,
and aro not sent out of the colony. In our early days,
when capital was the great want of all these colonies, there
was a great and manifest aclv.ntage in deriving it from.
England, nor could we now afford to dirt ,ense ui h the
foreign banking capital employed
here .j3lit there is no
doubt a large areurnulatien of disposable money capital
seeking investments, nail this renders it wi3lto consuiem.,,
local loauk.. Oue of the most sacceshlui of the local in-
stitutions (not, however, local but foreign to Victoria) is
the Bank of New South Wales. The Bank of 'Victoria is
OM won remarkablo. it was commenced in 18021