The Sun.
London, England, 1856-10-15 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

VICTORIA.
The.official returns for the first half of the year 1856
show that during that' period 1,588,051 ounces have been
shipped from Victolia, which, at the customary compu-
tation of 2,000 lbs. troy to the ton, make the produce of
the gold fields of that colony amount to the enormous
quantity of 66 tone 3 cwt. I• qr. 121bs. 7 oz.; more by
above 16 tons than has been shipped during the first
half of any previous year. The ArOs has "not any
doubt that the shipments for the second half of the year
will equal if not exceed the first." The prospects of the
various "workings" are most promising, and the pursuit
of gold digging was never raore steadily and systemati-
cally prosecuted. The-continuance of wet weather dur-
ing the last two months reported on had, however, to a
great extent interfered with the operations of the miners
on the .wet as well as on many of the dry sinkings, and
had compelled them to devote their energies to the
quartz reefs.
We subjoin a statement of the gold received by escort
for 13 weeks in 1856 from Mount Alexander and Ben-
digo, Ballarat, Ovens, Maryborough, M'lvor, Daisy
Hilt and Avoca,•with the total of the corresponding
weeks of 1855 :

Ozs, Ozs.
April 12
„ 19
26
May 3
„ 10 ... .. 60,500
), 17
PP 24
„ 31
June 7
„ 14
„ 21
„ 28
July 5

,788
The state of the roads,sB3
together withs6o
the low price
(about 31. 16s. per oz., oral. 13s. 9d. forstandard) which
was ruling for the metal, also exercised considerable
practical influence on the amount forwarded by escort.
"As an instance of the effect of the former (says the Argus)
we may mention that five subordinate gold fields—Am-
herst, Avoca, Fiery Creek, Mount Franklyn, and Mary-
borough--did not contribute their quota to the last
escort in consequence of the impassable state of the
Loddon River; and to show the influence of the latter,
we may add that the quantities in the gold offices are
increasing, while the amountsin private hands are known
to be larger than ever. The settled feeling of security
which prevails on the gold fields renders the returns
of the local gold offices a less reliable index of the
yield than they have been during seasons of greater
uncertainty and less produce. One extraordinary
fact in connection with the quartz reefs deserves men-
tion. Notwithstanding the present high rates of
carriage, there is an increase rather than other-
wise in the quantity of machinery in process of transit.
Men of capital are finding the means for carrying on
very extensive operations on the quartz reefs on c share'
arrangements with the working miner, and this system
of associated enterprise appears to have hitherto worked
well for all parties."
The following is a list of the gold ships that have sailed
from the port of Melbourne since the Ist of June :
Date of
Sailing.
June 5 ... Athelstan
„ 5 ... City of Sydney
„ 5 ... Clutha
PP 10 ... Kent
„ 10 Joseph Tarratt Liverpool 21,935
„ 23 ... Beverley
„ 26 ... Spray of the Ocean Singapore 3,005
„ 26 ... Sardinian Liverpool 61,725
Everdina
" 30 :.. Elizabeth Calcutta... 2,019
„ 30 -. Jamestown Bombay... 1,865
From official returns it appears that during the first
five months of the present year only 4,941 souls were
added to the population of Victoria by the balance of im-
migration over emigration, or an average of 988 per
month. In the year 1855 the monthly average was 3,243;
in 1854, 4,035; and in 1853, 4,156. Many vessels, how-
ever, convey Chinese immigrants to posts in the adjacent
colonies, from which their living cargoes make their way
to the gold fields of Victoria overlaad, and are not in-
cluded in any returns. The shipping lists of Adelaide
and Sydney—those of the former especially—abound in
notices of the arrival of shiploads of Chinese from Hong
Kong,'Shanghai, and Singapore. A steady stream of
population has made its way to wards Victoria from the
neighbouring colonies, with the exception of New Zea-
land, the departures to which portion of the Australian
group have been steadily in excess of the arrivals thence.
The general statement of the revenue for the year and
quarter ended the 30th June exhibits very satisfactory evi-
dence of the healthy state of the finances of the colony.
There is a net increase on
.the quarter of 192,0711., and
a net increase on the year of 152,2031. The principal
items of increase on the quarter are Customs,
131,8751. ; assessment on stock, 51,8511. ; land revenue,
36,955/. ; and of decrease—licenses, 10,7671. ; fines, for-
feitures, and fees, 6,5691. The revenue from the gold
fields balances for the two periods. On the year the cus-
toms have yielded a net revenue of 613,9761. ; while
from the gold fields revenue there has been a net decrease
of 207,6971. ; from port and harbour dues, 29,7591. ;
assessment on stock, 73,3191. ; and from the territorial
revenue above 400,0001. The increase on the customs
is very marked, and is an undoubted indication of gene-
ral prosperity. The chief items of decrease are in the
gold fields and territorial revenues, with the causes for
both of which the public is well acquainted. In the ex-
penditure for the quarter we find, on comparing the
various items with those of the estimates for the year,
that the sums expended are very generally within or
tolerably near the due proportion of the sum estimated
to be required.

Ship.

Destination. Om,

At nu- season of the year is trade duller in Australia
than in July. The roads become more nearly impassable
with each succeeding day, and traffic with the interior is
in a great measure suspended. The Argus of July 9 re-
ports :—" During the present season the rains have been
unusually heavy, and the rates of cartage are higher in
proportion than last year. Transactions have been iu
consequence limited to the supply of the city trade pro.
per, and of immediate wants from the interior. Much
discussion and some excitement has been caused in Mel-
bourne by the success which has attended the first year
of the navigation of the Murray river for trading pur-
poses. Barge-loads of flour and other staple articles of
consumption have been transmitted from Adelaide and
delivered at Bcndigo and Ovens diggings at lower prices
than in present circumstances they could be procured
from Melbourne. This fact is taken rather as a symptom
of the general development of the Australian continent
than as a cause fur fear or jealousy by the majority of
Melbourne merchants. With good roads—with rail-
roads especially—the capital of Victoria will be able to
compete with all rivals tor the trade with the gold fields
and the southern interior generally, but until good roads
or railways are formed supplies for a few months at this
season will be towed up the stream of the Murray. The
threatened competition has already effected something.
The views of the Chamber of Commerce have become
more decided and more practical on railways, and it is
noif likely. t4at.gethourne capitalists generally will.cor. ,

ARRIVA L OF THE CHAMPION OF
THE SEAS.

[The substance of the subjoined intelligence was published
in The Sun of yesterday.]

LIVERPOOL, TUESDAY.
The Black Ball Royal mail ship Champion of the
Seas, Captain John M‘Kirdy, arrived in the Mer-
sey to-day, at 11 a.m., from Melbourne, after a
passage of 89 days, having left Port-Philip Heads
on the 16th July.
. The Champion of the Seas left her anchorage in
Hobson's Bay onthe 10th July, but in consequence
of a very heavy westerly gale she was unable to
leave Port Philip Heads until the 16th July.
' She had a fair run to Cape Horn of 23 days, and
saw no ice. From 50 S she experienced unusually
fine weather. Since the 16th of August the Board
of Trade barometer had only been under 30 in. for
36 hours, and then it ranged from 29.97 to 29.92 ;
for the rest of the time, a period of 59 days : the
barometer averaged about 30.20. Since crossing
the line the winds have been very light indeed,
and very little Gulf weed seen ; the winds were
chiefly from the eastward.
'She sailed from the Heads in company with the

__-
Arthur the Great for Bombay, and the William
miles•froin China; and on August 23,spoke the
Wm. Fisher, •Pallao.to Liverpool, lat. 36 83 N,
long. 34 6 W ; Sept. 15, the Choice, from Shields
to the Red Sea, lat. U 33 N, long. 24 20 W ; Sept.
17, the . Balgownie, Valparaiia to Cowes, lat.
13 17 N, long. 24 31 W ; Sept. 23, the Rowena,
Algoa Bay for Cork, lat. 23 58 N, long. 34 4 W,
48 days out ; Oct. 2, the Kelpie, Newfoundland to
Pernambuco, lat. 36 36 N, long. 34 55 W ; Oct. 4,
the Bride, from Vizagapatarn to London, lat. 38 58
N, long. 36, 147 days out—reports very bad wea-
ther off the Cape of Good Hope, and several vessels
having foundered ; Oct. 5, the G. F. Sutton, lat.
39 28 N, long. 30 32 W.
4: The Royal Mail ship Mindoro (83 days), and
Lightning (69 days), had arrived out at Melbourne
from Liverpool.
The Lancashire Witch and the Mary Ann had
arrived at Tasmania, and the Chatham at New
Zealand, from London.
The James Baines was to leave Melbourne with
the mails for Liverpool, August 9. She was ex.
pented to bring 120,0000z5. of gold.
,The Champion of the Seas brought 163 passen•
gers and 92,000 oz. of gold.