The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-15 00:00:00

NEW SOUTH WALES.

The Parliament of New South \Vales was opened
on the 25th of September by the following speech
from Sir W. Denison :
" Hon. Gentlemen of the Legislative Council and Gentle-
men of the Legislative Assembly,

" 1. The protracted period to which the last session was
extended has constrained me to call you together, after an
unusually short interval, in order that the present session
may be concluded in time to enable a return to a more con-
venient season of the year for the completion of the business
of Parliament.

" 2. I am happy to be able to assure you that, notwith-
standing the falling off in the revenue during the early part
of the year, its present state is encouraging, and the gene-
ral condition of the colony is more satisfactory than when
I last addressed you.
" 3. In consequence of the disturbed state of political re-
lations in Europe, the attention of the Government has
been directed to the propriety of making provision for ade-
quate defence in case of war; the readiness, however, with
which the colonists have, in considerable numbers, ♦olun-
teered their military services, shows that this may be
accomplished without an expenditure which would be bur-
densome to the revenue, and cannot fail to be most grati-
fying, as evincing the existence of the same patriotic and
loyal spirit which has led to similar results in the mother
country. The Government has anticipated the concurrence
of the Legislature in ordering from England a further sup-
ply of heavy ordnance, as well as of the most approved
description:of small arms, and the attention of Parliament
will be directed to the general question at an early period
of the session.

" 4. Further correspondence has taken place between the
Imperial Government and Mr. Edward Hamilton on behalf
of the colony, respecting the change in the mode of con-
ducting the steam postal service by way of Galle, by which
Melbourne was made the terminus of the line. This corre-
spondence will be laid before you, and I have much satis-
faction in informing you that upon a representation being
made of the inequitable character of the plan as regarded
New South Wales it was at once abandoned. A bill for
guaranteeing a moiety of the cost of a steam postal service
by way of Panama will be forthwith presented to Parlia-
ment.
" 5. The time for hiking the quinquennial census of the
population will arrive ix 1861, and a bill has been prepared
for carrying out in this colony an arrangement which has
been proposed for taking the census throughout all the
British dominions upon the same day.

" 6. The production of gold within the colony continues
to increase. New goldfields have been discovered, and con-
siderable progress has been made in the construction of
works for facilitating the means of communication with
them, and otherwise providing for the requirements essen-
tial to their advancement. The rapid development of this
interest will render necessary some amendment of the Gold-
fields Management Act.
7. The rapid extension of easy and certain means of in-
ternal communication becomes daily of more pressing im-
portance, and has engaged the earnest attention of the Go-
vernment. The trial surveys have been completed sufficiently for the purpose of preparing estimates of the pro
bable cost of extending railways to Goulburn, Bathurst,
and Muswellbrook, and the information obtained will be
laid before Parliament at an early date. From this it will
be seen that the natural difficulties to be overcome on the
southern and western lines to allow of the effective applica-
tion of steam power are such as to ueceolitoto au expendituro

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rapidly-increasing interests, would be comparatively unpro-
vided for even were railways completed to the points indi-
cated. The consideration of Parliament will be invited to a
plan which will obviate the difficulties and meet the require-
ments in question.
" 8. Considerable progress has already been made in the
continuation of telegraph lines, by which the facilities for
communicating with those parts of this continent with
which important relations exist will be greatly increased.
The success which has attended this enterprise, and the
great benefits found to arise wherever its advantages are
enjoyed, has determined the Government to propose some
further extensions for the sanction of Parliament.
" 9. The systematic improvement of our harbours and
rivers is continuing to engage the attention of the Govern-
ment.
" 10. The necessary arrangements have been completed
for immediately opening the public abattoirs at Glebe
Island, and for terminating the dangerous nuisances so
long:complained of within the city of Sydney.
" Gentlemen of the Legislative Assembly,
" 11. The Supplementary Estimates for the present year
and the estimates for 1861 will be submitted without delay.
" 12. Your attention will be invited to a consideration of
the present system of taxation, with a view to introduce
such modifications as will more equitably apportion the
public burdens among the several classes of the community.
"Hon. Gentlemen of the Legislative Council, and
Gentlemen of the Legislative Assemby.
" 13. Bills for amending the constitution of the Legisla-
tive Council, for regulating the alienationand occupation of
Crown lands, and others having for their object legal and
social improvements, will be laid before you.
" 14. In your deliberations on these and an other ques-
tions which may come under your consideration I trust that
you may be guided by Almighty tilod to adept eiticitraea-
sures as shall tend to promote the lasting welfare of this

colony."
As soon as his Excellency had concluded he left the
Chamber, and the members adjourned.
We take the following fromthe Sydney Morning
Herald of the 20th of October :
" The quantity of golddust imported into the Sydney
branch of the Royal Mint during the quarter ending the
30th of September, 1860, for the purpose of coinage, has been
118,120 ounces; revenue, £5,958 88.4 d. During the corre-
sponding quarter of 1859 the amount received was 84,512 ;
revenue, £4,134 6s. 3d. The increase on the receipts of the
quarter is therefore 33,608 ounces. The coin issued during
the third quarter of 1860 was 485,500 sovereigns, and during
1859 258,000 sovereigns. During the first nine months of
the year 1859 the amount of golddust received for coinage
was 227,696 ounces, and the coin issued 598,500 sovereigns
and 341,000 half-sovereigns; total value, £774,000. For the
same period of 1860 the golddust received amounted to
378,568 ounces, and the coin issued, 1,246,000 sovereigns
and 156,000 half-sovereigns; total value, £1,324,000.