The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-06 00:00:00

last in exchange on London has continued, and Bank bills
have sold from 2-0 i down to 2-oi, credits from 2-0 9-16
down to 2-4 and documentary from 2-0 i to 2-og. These
low rates have induced remitters to take Bank of Bengal
post bills, instead of exchange, but as the amount of bills
making is small both as regards credits and documents, and
the demand good, there is little chance of better rates for
the present, and they may go lower. On China the rate is
nominally from 227 to 229, but only a small amount has
been sold at these rates. The high price of opium has
checked shipments.
FnEmicrs.--There has been no change since last mail,
tough an extensive business has been done, and in conse-
quence of the paucity of arrivals the tonnage in port has
been considerably reduced. Shall ships are wanted, and
command high rates.

CHINA.
Adviees from China are—Hong Kong, June 7 ;
Shanghae, May 30. The following is from the

summary of the China Mail :
Since the departure of last mail nothing of a politica.
nature has taken place in regard to our relations with China,
unless the success of the rebels near Shanghae may affect
the progress of events. Most of the transports which had
left for the North have had to put back to this port, on
account of adverse winds, and it is uncertain when they
may again take their departure, as the south-east monsoon
has scarcely yet set in. It is not likely that any general
movement will take place until the arrival of the British
and French. Envoys Extraordinary, who are expected to
arrive by the mail now due. Sir Hope Grant and Admiral
Hope still remain at Hong Kong, but are expected to leave
in a very few days.
The rebels,. who have been said to be put down on so
many occasions, only to make their appearance in some
other quarter, however, have lately met with considerable
success. At Shanghae the panic amongst the native traders
was very great, and trade has been seriously affected by the
proceedings of the marauders. The native authorities at
Hangchow and Soochow have burned the suburbs of those
cities, so as to render them more easy of defence. Great
misery prevailed amongst the people. The imperial Go-
vernment appears unable to protect its subjects ; and those
who have anything to lose were chartering foreign vessels
to convey their families and valuables southwards. The
British and French ministers had issued the following noti-
fication, which had produced a good effect in Shanghae :
" The undersigned issues this special proclamation to
tranquillise the minds of the people.
" Shanghae is a port open to foreign trade, and the
native dealers residing therein have large transactions with
the foreigners who resort to the place to carry on their
business. Were it to become the scene of attack and of
civil war, commerce would receive a severe blow, and the
interests of those, whether foreign or native, who wish to
pursue their peaceful avocations in quiet, would suffer great
loss.
" The undersigned will therefore call upon the com-
manders of her Majesty's naval and military authorities to
take proper measures to prevent the inhabitants of Shang-
hae from being exposed to massacre and pillage, and to lend
their assistance to put down any insurrectionary movements
among the ill-disposed, and to protect the city against any
attack.
" Shanghae, May 26, 1860."
May

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.
(From the China Mail.)
HONG KONG, JuNs 7
An unusally dull and heavy market for all descriptions
of European fabrics has been still further depressed in
consequence of large supplies having arrived within the last
few days. Business in Canton has been on a somewhat
more extensive scale than we have had occasion to notice for
some weeks, but with one or two exceptions, at rates lower
than those current at date of our last issue.
TBA.—Wet cold weather has interfered very much with
the hitherto good prospect of the first chops, which for above
reasons will now be late and of an inferior quality, and not
at all equal to that of 1859-60. A few Oonams have been
shown, and a small parcel has been settled at tls. 30. Tay-
shans are decidedly inferior in quality as compared with last
season, yet command tls. 24i to 29.
SlLK.—Part of the first crop has arrived at market, and
the bulk has been secured for native consumption at 400 dole.
for No. 1 Loongkong. The stock is small, and consists prin-
cipally, if not entirely, of No. 2.
FREIGHTS.—The Southern Cross is still on the berth for
London, and is filling up slowly at D.
SHANGHAI, MAY 30.
TEA.. —The tea season 1859-60 was quite over. A few
settlements of Shanghai-made tea were reported, but the
quality was such as to forbid any quotation. Repot is of
the coming crop were by no means favourable.
SILK.—The total settlements of the season amounted to
65,700 bales, against 81,000 for the corresponding period
last year. The new silk was expected about the end of the
present month. We forbear giving quotations, as the only
operations reported were in silk of very inferior quality, and
hardly to be classed.
SHIPPING.—The only arrival from England wa►e the

(From the Times' Special Correspondent.)
MELBOURNE, JUNE 18.
The April mail, due on the 4th, did not arrive
until the evening of the 13th, the letters being de-
livered on the 14th. The cause of this, which you
will have learnt already, was the breaking down
of the Jeddo, near Point de Galle, which compelled
her to proceed to Bombay under canvas, There her
mails and passengers were transferred to the Ot-
tawa. To have limited the delay to only nine days
shows commending diligence on the part of the
agents at Bombay. The telegraphic intelligence
by this mail reaches to the 26th of April. The
homeward mail will be conveyed by the Malta,
which leave the bay at 11 this morning.
We have had another " Ministerial crisis," which
the Ministerial papers treat as at an end ; but I
fear there are indications that it is only le com-
mencement de la fin. The Ministerial Land Bill,
which Ministers submitted to being very materially.
altered in the Assembly—so much so indeed as to
have become rather the Bill of the Assembl: than
that of the Ministry—went to the Legislative Coun-
cil, and was there read a second time without much
opposition, though several members express I their
intention of proposing material chang.--z:_l:.,
mitten. When the bill came to be considered in
committee Mr. Bennett, the head of one of our
large solicitor firms, led the opposition, by moving
the postponement of the first 12 clauses, in order to
test at once one of the main principles of the bill.
He was seconded by Mr. Harvey, awealthy sqatter.
The 13th clause is that which provides that country
lands—that is, all lands not described as special
lands, i,e., lands in and around towns, watercourses,
railways, &c., shall be sold without auction at the
uniform price of 20s. per acre. In the debate which
ensued the Opposition candidly declared that they
intended to oppose, not merely this clause, but
those which provided for the leasing of three
acres for every one acre purchased (this is what
Ministers call deferred payments) for exclusive
commonages, for the survey of 4,000,000 acres,
and for selection, by lot in certain cases.
Thus the Opposition went against all the
principles of the Bill ; though, as to the
survey clause, I do not think the question as to
whether one, two, or four millions shall be sur-
veyed of much importance. The supporters of
Ministers and of the bill generally also showed no
great friendliness towards the measure, and nearly
every one had his amendment to announce. Even
Mr. Fellows, who represents Ministers in the
Council, did not give it that ardent support which
usually proceeds from conscientious approval. He
seemed to regard it as the least hurtful measure
which the vested interests of the country were likely
to secure ; and, concurring in this view, I cannot
but think that the section of the Legislative Council
in the matter is shortsighted and unwise. Indeed,
they made a great mistake in rejecting Mr. Hames's
bill in 1857—a bill which was much more favour-
able to the squatters 'than any measure they are
now likely to get. In the division which took
place (on Tuesday, May 29), in a house of 27 mem-
bers, Ministers were left in a minority of 7, the
numbers being for the clause as it stood 10, against
it 17, the President (the House being in committee)
voting with the majority. On the following day
Mr. Nicholson tendered his resignation and that of
his colleagues, and advised the Governor to send for
Mr. Bennett. This advice the Governor did not
act upon, nor could it possibly have been produc-
tive of any satisfactory result. The Assembly had
passed the third reading of its own bill by a majo-
rity of 35 to 11, and, although that majority was
composed of many persons and even sections gene-
rally opposed to Ministers on other questions, yet
neither Mr. Bennett nor any other person could
hope to construct a Ministry either willing, or able
if willing, to carry out the views of Mr. Bennett
and his 16 supporters in the Council. After a week's
deliberation the Governor requested Mr. Nicholson
and his colleagues to take up the reins which they
had so precipitately dropped, and he furnished Mr.
Nicholson with a letter, with permission to read it
in the House. Of this letter the following is a
copy :

" Toorak, June 4
" Dear Sir,—When you tendered the resignation of the
Ministry last 'Wednesday, on the ground of the alterations
the Land Bill had undergone in committee of the Legisla-
tive Council, and recommended that the responsibility of
forming a new Administration should be devolved upon the
Hon. Mr_ Bennett, as leader of the Opposition on the occa-
sion, I took time for inquiry and consideration before I
either accepted the resignation or adopted the advice
offered.
"My reason for this course was, that I looked upon any
request to Mr. Bennett to form an Administration as tanta-
mount to an abandonment of the bill in question, which the
Legislative Assembly has spent so many months in discus-
sing and has passed by so very large a majority. Further•
more, I saw clearly that, in the face of that majority it
would be impossible for any Administration he could form
to carry on the business of the country.
" I preferred, therefore, waiting the effect which the pro -
spect of your retirement from office and the probability of a
subsequent collision between the two houses might have on
the members of the Legislative Council who had voted
against the bill as it stood; and I have employed the inter-
val in endeavouring to ascertain from those of the number
with whom I could most unreservedly communicate what
chance there was of their modifications being yet restricted
so far as to admit of the measure being accepted on its re-
turn to the Assembly.
" You will have seen that hopes to this effect were freely,
avowed during the debate which took place upon the Minis-
terial explanation by the Hon. Mr. Fellows on Thursday
evening, while the most friendly feeling was at the same
time expressed towards your Ministry by several of those
wholad voted with the Opposition.
" The result of my own communications convinces me of
the existence of a favourable disposition in both those re-
spects.
"Under these circumstances, I trust that on reviewing
the whose position of affairs, and seeing the lossof time, the
exasperation of feeling, and the serious injury in many ways
to the community which must ensue from any attempt at a
change of Ministry at the present juncture, you will consent
once more to resume charge of the Land Bin, so as to afford
an opportunity,of learning what the views of the Legisla-
tive Council really are, by how many of its members they
are shared, and in what shape the measure will be finally
suffered to leave that house.
" Even if that, shape prove unacceptable to the majority
of the Assembly one great advantage will have been gained
in the long protracted struggle on the land question, by the
information thus acquired; and a definite issue will more-
over be presented to the constituencies of the Legislative
Council, when called on, under the Constitution Act, three
months hence, to return a new member for every province.
" With a view to the interests 'of her Majesty's service
alone, I have therefore to request that you and your col-
leagues will withdraw the resignation tendered, and con-
tinue in the discharge of the executive functions entrusted
to you, which I am aware of no ground for revoking on ac-
count of anything that has occurred since you entered office.
—I am, dear sir, yours faithfully,
(Signed) " HENRI BARILLY.
" The lion. William Nicholson, &c."
In this letter you will observe his Excellency
expresses his hopes, from certain communications
which he had had with some of the majority, ha
their modifications would be restricted " so far as
to admit of the measure being accepted " by the
Assembly. His Excellency also reminds Mr.
Nicholson that in three months the constituencies
of the Council will be called upon " to return a new
member for :every province.' To this view of
" the situation" Mr. Nicholson yielded, and on the
7th of June the return of the Ministry was an-
nounced, but without one word of explanation
beyond the reading of the Governor's letter. This
did not satisfy any party in the House. Mr. Duffy
led the expression of dissatisfaction—of " sincere
pain and astonishment," in a speech of great ability.
He pointed out how cordial and strenuous had been
the support of the House on this question—a sup-
port which Ministers owed to the question itself,
and not to their popularity or merits. "Is there
any member of this House," asked the hon. gentle-
man, " ignorant of the position which the Govern-
ment has occupied ? On no question, except the land
question, have they had a working majority in this
House. They have been habitually defeated on all
other questions. Over and over again they have
met defeats which no Government that I have ever
known could endure ; on the land question alone
have they had a majority. And why ? Because
they were supported by members on this side of the
house, who were friends not to the men, but the
measure." He reminded Mr. Nicholson that he had
gained his position " because men in the house and
out of it relied on the integyity of his character and
the firmness of his principles, but the course he
seemed prepared to pursue (e. g. a compromise)
would sorely imperil, and perhaps ruin tnat cha.
racter." lie expressed his belief that Mr. Nichol-
son " had been induced to take this step by some of
his colleagues, in whom we have no confidence, in
some of whom, knowing well their antecedents, we
now bad confidence, and that it was a shortsighted

proceeding on his part, for neither he
would derive any benefit from it." He t:.cn
reminded the Ministry of their dependence e‘
-geiiire-mert—lay_whom he was surroninded"—that
the " Corner," as they are called from their place 14
in the house. " For what purpose," he continued,
" did the majority of the members I see around nee
now consent to eject the late Government from
office ? Was it that they believed the ridiculous and
malignant fables of the Constitutional Association
(of which Mr. Nicholson was ehairmae)? Was it
thought or hoped to replace them by men more
able as administrators and Ministers If so, in that
at least they were signally unsuccessful, for I ven-
ture to affirm—and I do so without fear of contra-
diction—that there is not a single office in the Go-
vernment, with the exception, perhaps, of that of
the Attorney-General (Mr. Wood, a man most un-
exceptionable in every way), which is not at pre-
sent occupied by a gentleman who performs his
duties here and elsewhere less efficiently than his
predecessor. The late Government were overthrown
not with a hope that those gentlemen who succeeded
them would perform their duties more efficiently but
from the suspicion—and I believe a well-foudid
suspicion—that on the land question they were not
to be trusted to do the bidding and •wishes of the
country." Again and again he challenged Mr.
Nicholson on the subject of a compromise. " I
greatly mistake these hon. gentlemen (pointing to
to those around him) after the evidence of compro-
mise now given, unless it be withdrawn in the
most emphatic manner, if the confidence which had
enabled the Government to endure be not at once
and for ever withdrawn." But it was not with-
drawn. The speech of Mr. Duffy called up Mr.
Nicholson. There is nothing in his speech worth
extracting except the following sentence :—" The
Government have made no compromise, and with
regard to any compromise we may intend to make
—('Oh, oh ! from the Corner)—we are at liberty
to take what course we please. We are as much
entitled to the free exercise of our own votes as the
gentlemen of the Corner. We intend, with those
members or without them, to exercise that right."
Then followed a long debate, which must have con-
vinced Mr. Nicholson that the sapport lent to him
to eau), the Land Bill was not intended as a per-
sonal support of himself andtir colleagues. His
majority on tlic -third reading ,vas in no sense a
Ministerial majority, and he will oso it if be sup-
port any modifications in the el ases made in the
Upper House. Even if he now try back," and
adhere to the bill, the whole , it will be
attributed to anything but a bitateaditunk,cien,:ous
motive. Tie must have discovered that he is not
" master of the situation," After the 30th Mr.
Nicholson and the bill were supported by
large meetings out of doors ; after the 7th there
were meetings against him. In the meantime the
Upper House shows no disposition to give way.
They have since proceeded further to cut up the
bill in committee, and it will probably go back to .
the Assembly with modifications, not, as the Go-
versor hopes, restricted to such as the Assembly
will accept. Even the servile flattery of a portion
of the press can hardly blind Mr. Nicholson to
the fact that the Ministerial crisis is not ended,
and that the great difficulty is yet to come. We
are likely to have a conflict between the two
Houses, in which the question of this or that
Ministry will he of little moment, except as to
men capable of dealing with that difficulty
We were threatened with something of the
kind when the Council threw out the bill to
increase the number of members. It was averted
by waiting for the elections fox the six members of
Council in August, 1858. ThZy were in favour of
Ministers, and a dead lock was averted. But such
an event must be anticipated. The Assembly is
essentially democratic. The Council has not alto-
gether fulfilled the expectations of the framers of
the Constitution. It is not composed of the best
educated men in the country. It is not an assembly
of the wise. Though many of its members are
wealthy, many are scarcely removed from needy.
The antecedents of some few of the members are
such as not to secure respect. It was intended to
compose the aristocratic branch of the Constitution,
and in this it is a failure. The Legislative Council
of New South 'Wales is nominated by the Governor.
I do not think this mode of constituting the Upper
House is at all desirable, or calculated to secure re-
spect for the Second Chamber ; but it has this one
advantage, that the remedy of new creations can be
resorted to in case of a dead lock. This power has
been used in New South Wales to produce uni-
formity in the two houses. Here the same end
might be attained by clothing the Governor with
the power of dissolving the Upper House, which
the present Constitution expressly forbids. Mr.
Duffy intimated in his speech that it would become
necessary at no distant day to make the Upper
House dissoluble.
To this internal constitutional difficulty we have
rather a serious one with New South Wales. In
Sir Charles Hotham's time the successful naviga-
tion of the Murray by Capt. Cadell led to the taking
of steps by the Government of New South Wales
and Victoria for the collection of Customs duties on
the Murray. A bill for that purpose was laid be-
fore the old Legislative Council ; but, both Govern-
ments becoming sensible of the inconvenience to
which this would lead, an agreement was entered
into to abandon the measure. The establishment of
the Snowy River goldfields has led the Sydney
Government to depart suddenly from this agree-
ment. Snowy River is much nearer to Mel-
bourne than Sydney. We have good roads.
New South Wales has scarcely any. Snowy
River consequently derives its chief sup-
plies from Melbourne. To check this the New
South Wales Government have established custom-
houses on the Murray, and so secretly was this
done, that on Monday, the 11th, a dray load of goods
was seized in Albany before this Government had
time to remonstrate. Indeed, no notice was sent to
our Government before the customs' officers reached
the Murray. There is no doubt that the Sydney
Government has failed in due courtesy towards this
Government. They ought to have given us ample
notice. We should have been informed of the
grounds in which they sought to depart from the
agreement of 1855. There is a large block of terri-
tory on the north side of the Murray which ought
to have been included in this colony, as a slight
inspection of the map will show. The inhabitants
of that district have more intercourse with Mel-
bourne than with Sydney, and they have met and
protested against the policy of their own Govern-
ment. Another expedient to draw the trade of the
Snowy River to Sydney is the promised abolition
of the export duty on gold. Victoria preceded them
in levying a similar duty, and we imposed it as a
condition precedent to the admission of their sove-
reigns as a legal tender. The Argus denounces
this as a breach of an agreement by virtue of which
the Sydney sovereigns were made a legal tender.
But there is one fact which the Argus either forgets
or suppresses—namely, that our House of Assembly
has since passed some resolutions for the establish-
ment of a mint here, and the Executive is now en-
gaged in a correspondence with the Imperial Go-
vernment in order to carry these resolutions into
effect. This will reduce our declaring the Sydney
sovereigns a legal tender to a nullity. The first
breach, therefore, is virtually ours. The end of it
will be that we shall have to give up a revenue of
more than a quarter of a million. This is another
result of a succession of weak Ministries outbidding
each other for popularity. In New South Wales
no less than three Ministries have existed during
the passing of the present estimates, and a meeting
of the Opposition was lately held to decide when
they should turn the Ministry out—whether in this
or the next session.
I think there is some indication of an improve-
ment in the state of trade. The mail brings intel-
ligence of decreased shipments to this country, and
the imports of the last two weeks are only £237,000,
against £657,000 during the same period last year.
The result is that the excess of imports over ex-
ports is reduced to not much more than £1,500,000.
Still the supply of gold is about 90,0000 z. less than
last year, the quantities being in 1859 964,9770 z.,
and in 1860 875,5080 z. The deficiency of the last
three months is 42,0000 z. The quantity shipped is
871,7250 z., against 1,003,2290 z. The fact of the
existence of a paying and attractive goldfield out
of our proper boundaries has stimulated the exer-
tions of the people of this colony. The Assembly
has voted £30,000 for prospecting, and very soon
there will be 100 parties of eight men out, ezgloring
suspected parts of the country•—esPecially the
ranges to the eastward, e., between the Snowy
River and Gipps Laud. Between the Snowy River
on the one hand and the attractiveness of New
Zealand to farmers on the other in spite of the war,
we are losing population. The New South Wales
balance against us last month was 110; New Zea-
land, 103. Hitherto New Zealand is the onl3r.colony
which has been a monthly gainer of people from us.
The net emigration last month was 137. England
received from us 617 more than she gave us.
I mentioned in March or April, 1858, that the
then Government had taken steps for the importa-
tion of some camels from India, as an experiment
to aid the exploration of the interior, for which
purpose a considerable sum of money has been col-
lected and an expedition organised, except that a
competent leader has not yet been chosen. On
Saturday, the 9th inst., a vessel arrived with 24
fine healthy camels, all of which have been landed
without damage. It is expected that a leader of
the exploring expedition will immediately be se-
leeted,,and the party will start during the present
winter. This movement originated in the offer of
£l,OOO by a gentleman who conceals his name, and
the same patriotic individual has offered a reward
of £l,OOO for the discovery of a new goldfield in
the ranges called the Australian 'Ps.