The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-09 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

LIVERPOOL, APRIL 8.
The White Star Royal Mail clipper ship Red
Jacket has arrived with advice from Melbourne
to the 12th January, 108,686 ounces of gold, 1,688
bales of wool, 43.5 c., and 280 passengers.
Capt. Millward, commander of the Red Jacket,
died during the voyage home.
From the Melbourne Argus we extract the fol-
lowing summary of intelligence :

"Gold.—We have little to add to the remarks on this
subject in our previous sumni,ry. The yield is steady
and increasing, and the mining popu'ation generally is
in a prosperous ccndition. The export of the precious
,netal for 1855 has amounted to 110 tons 8 cwt. 3 qrs.
61h., against 88 tons 8 cwt. 3 qrs. 81b. for the previous
year.
"The receipts by escort and shipments for 1854 awl
1855 respectively have been :
Received Shipped
in Twelve Months, in Twelve Months.
1854. 1855. 1854. 1855.

Ounces. Ounces. Ounces. Ounces.
11377'
46 2,177,887 2,122,596 2,650,578
"Thequarterly statement of theam lantof gold brought
to Melbourne and Geelong by escort in 1855, compared
with the corresponding quarter of 1854, exhibits the
following results :-
1854. 1855.
Cums. On_ces.
October ....
November
December 145.318 243,732

410,799 649,225
Laat quarter of 1851 440,799

Increase on the last quarter of 1855 208,426
"The gold brought down by escort fro,n the various
LTold fields in the months of November and December.
1855, amounted to 454,579/. ; and for the corresponding
week of 1854 to 290,636/.

" We have had only one escort return for the current
year, that for the week ended the sth inst. The total
number of ounces received by it amounted to 51,533.
"The increase which these returns exhibit over 1854
is very marked, and the most encouraging feature is that
it has been gradual and uniformly progressive. That
this year will exceed 1855 is not doudted by any one.
The boundaries of the gill fields are extending, enterpri-e
is inoro, ably d Teeter], and the quartz reefs are of such
extent that for centuries they will in all probability defy
the power of man to extract their treasures. The tat~
of the returns will not admit of our drawing our usual
annual comparison in the present summary, but they are
so nearly complete that we can promise theta by the
mail ship of the 25th of the current month.
"The departures of gold ships for foreign ports since
the Ist of December have been as follows :

Date of
sailing. gyp, Destination. Oz.
Dec. 4 ... Vieeroy Mauritius... 155
„ 10 ... Emma Liverpool .. 41,917
„ 1 ... Queen of the Seam Calcutta .... 2,890
„15 ... Admiral
„ 18 ... Rajah of Sarawak... Calcutta
„ 27 ... Lightning............ Liverpool 11,639
~ 27 ... Black wa11............ London 86,281
" We ought t ) remark that, within the last few
months, a considerable proportion of our gold has been
shipped to Sydney, to be coined at the mint recently
established in that city. It was provided in the impe-
rial regu/ations that the Sydney cion shall not be a legal
tender i❑ the other Australian colonies until a proclama-
tion to that effect has been sanctioned by the looal legis
lature, and made by the Executive. This proclamation
4 has not yet been issued in this colony, and the gold sent
to Sydney is paid for by imperial coin. If this continues
for any length of time our neighbours will require con-
tinually to import sovereigns to pay for our gold.
"Population--We commence the new year with a
population of at least 325.000 souls. Our numbers at
the close of 1854 were 273,000.
" Trade and commerce—Our last summary wa--; issued
on the eve of Christmas. Since that period the Lolid
the Ministerial crisis, and lastly, the sudden death of his
Excellency Sir Charles Hotham, have contributed to tl e
stagnation of trade. At this period of the year the whole-
sale homes do not look fir a brisk business, but about a
month later the season fairly commeaces. Many of the
country buyers are already finding their way into town,
and a bu-y season is confidently looked for. We are
glad to be able to confirm our remarks of the 24th of
December as to the gradual and increasing growth of
confidence among our traders, and of the absence of Hie-
. gitimate speculation.
" Wool—Our present wool season has commenced
earlier than usual. It has rarely happened in previous
seasons that mere than three or four sales have taken
place before the close of the year. On the present occa-
sion there have been about a dozen. Judging from the
facts that have reached us, we are of opinion that the
bulk of the crop of this season will be earlier by four
weeks at least than that of last season.
" We may remark that this trade has now more come