The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-07 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

We have been favoured with a copy of the Mel-
bourne Herald of the 26th January, being nearly
one month's later intelligence than that brought by
the Lightning.
The present arrival is that of the Fiery Cross,
which sailed from Port Philip heads ou the 27th
January, and arrived off Point de Galle on the 29th
February, the quickest passage on record.
The Fiery Cross sailed from Liverpool on the 9th
October, three days after the Schomberg, and ar-
rived off Port Philip heads on the 29th December,
three days after the Schomberg was lost, thus estab-
lishing her character as one of the fastest ships
afloat.
We extract the following from the Melbourne
Herald of Saturday, Jan. 26 :

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.
MELBOURNE, Jan. 25.—We have no alteration to note
in the gold market. Th, entries for shipment at the
Custornbou.e to-day consisted of 1,140 oz. 6 civets. for
Sydney, 24 oz. for Liverpool, G oz. for Mauritius, and 2
oz. for Valparaiso.
Ade 'e flour is coming to hand freely, and, with our
own incoming harvest, must soon realise the price to
251., which was the rate anticipated for the end of Ja-
nuary by well-informed dea era.
The Customs Bill of Entry for the week ended on Sa-
turday last shows imports to the value of 404,3731. and
exports to the amount 325,4281. The quantity of gold.
dust exported was 67,4770 x., of which the banks shipped
48,383 oz. The imports include 20,000 sovereigns drawn
.rom New South Wales by the Orien:al B ink, and 3951.
imported by the Union Bank from England. The ira
ports of breadstufk and other food (exclusive of groceries)
were of the value of 57,483/., and of cattle provender,
15,3491. Among the exports is the novel item of " De-
bentures, 10,000/."—a curious addition to our local pro-
duce for exportation !
The official return of the immigration and emigration
of this colony for the month of December gives the fol
lowing results :

ARRIVALS.
At Melbourne. Gselong. Other p- rto
From New South Wales 736 2 1
„ S )uth and West Ans
Iralia
„ Van Diemen's Land 329 16 30
„ New Zealand, &c 8
„ United Kingdom
„ Foreign ports 159

6 16
_ 4

Totals 3041 24 57
Of the above, 1,771 were adult males, 2.35 male chil-
dren under 14, and 34 male infants ; the adult femal s
number 871, female children 186, and female infants 22.

DEPARTURES.
Flom Melbourne. Geelong. Other ports
For New South Wales 678 3
„ South and West Aus-
tralia
~ Van Diemen's Land 342
„ New Zra!and, &C.
„ United Ring,doin
„ Foreign ports

- _
2 5

-- --
rß,tals lB9B 5 5
Of the above, 1,500 were adult males, 87 male chil-
dren under 14, and 10 male infants ; the adult females
uumbtr 252, female children 56,
Man male infant
es 3.
lee. Femal.
Total arrivals
Do. departures

Balance in favour of the colony 446 765
GOVERNMENT ESCORTS.
The escorts from Mount Alexander and Billarat ar-
rived at the gold-office yesterday at the appointed hour,
and brought the following returns, viz.
Quantity. Number of
Name of gold-field. Gold. Cash. Last receipt.
Ozs. dwts. £
Castlemaine 13,191 0 32,961 0 16,579
Sandhurst
Ballarat
Avoca
Creswick Creek 2,721 0 1,468
Amherst ..... ... 1,132 10 424
Marlborough ... 3,186 10 23,263 0 3,013
Bathurst
---- --
Total

DOWNING STREET GLEANINGS.—The sentence of death
passed upon Hans Hansen, who was convicted at the last
Cornwall Assizes of the murder of one of his comrades,
belt aging to aGerman battalion quartered at Plymouth,
has been commuted to transportation for life. The
offence was committed when both the prisoner and
the deceased, who had previously been on friendly
terms, were in a state of drunkenness, and there is
good reason to believe that there was an absence of
that premeditation on the part of the prisoner which
is necessary to constitute the crime of inurder. The
Sheriffs of London and Middlesex have sent in their
report to the Secretary of State, in reference to the un-
happy circumstances attending the execution of the mur-
derer Bousfield, at the Old Bailey, on Monday last. The
sheriffs report that Calcraft, the executioner, was un-
nerved by a threatening letter which he had received
from a party of "roughs," threatening his life on the
ecaffola, and that the unhapj y circumstances of the exe-
cution were aggravated by the physical prostration of
the wretched victim when brought up for execution. The
Earl of Caithness has been appointed Lord-ir -Waiting,
in the room of Lord Listowel, deceased. Mr. G. M.
Dowdeswell, of the Oxford Circuit, has been appointed
Recor.ler of Newbury, in the place of Mr. H. S. Selfe,
appointed one of the metro-
who has resigned, on being
plitan magistrates of police. Mr. J. T. Kinnersly, of
the Common Law bar, is appointed police magistrate for
Birmingham. Major Hermann, now her Majesty's Cot-
cut of Tripoli, is appointed Consul-General to that State.
The Queen has appointed the Rev. R. S. Horne t ) the
parish of Llamanan, in the presbytery of Linlithgow
the Rev. C. Maclean to the parish of Ullapool, in the
presbytery of Lochcarron ; and the Rev. David Landall
to the united parishes of Auchtergaven and Logiehride.
The Queen has presented the Rev. Emilius Bayley, rec-
tor of Woburn, to the vicarage of St. George's, Blooms•
bury, on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor.
Sir Win. A'Beckett is appointed judge of the Vice-Ad-
miralty Court of the colony of Victoria. Mr. J. D. Pin-
flock is appointed registrar of the Vice-Admiralty Court
of the colony of Victoria. Mr. Eaton Edevaine, Mr. H.
R. Barrow, and Mr. F. S. Tanner, are appointed third
class clerks at the Admiralty, Somerset-house. Mr. J.
D. Miller is appointed third.clase clerk in Deptford
dockyard ; Mr. W. J. Taylor, third.elass clerk in Chat-
ham dockyard ; and Mr. E. A. Lang, thirdmlaee clerk
in Sheerness dockyard. Mr. R. M. Jones is appointed
to be Admiralty storekeeper and agent victualler at
Trincomalee.— Observer.
THE AUSTRALIAN AND AMERICAN MAILS.—LIVER-
Fool, Saturday.—The royal mail ship James Bainmi,
M'Donnell, commander, sails to-morrow forenoon for
Melbourne, with the Australian mails, 477 passengers,
and a full cargo of valuable merchandise on freight. The
British and North American Royal Mail steam-ship
Africa, Captain Neil Shannon, Failed from the Mersey
at 11 a.m., for New York, with the usual mails for the
United States and British North American provinces,
89 passengers, and a full cargo on freight.