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

AUSTRALIA.

(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 will 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 Assembly than
that ofthe Ministry—went to the Legislative Coun-
cil, and was there read a second time without much
opposition, though several members expressed their
intention of proposing material changes in com-
mittee. 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, a:wealthy 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 fallowing 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 ho 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
who had voted with the Opposition.
"'The result of my own communications convinces me of
the existence of a favourable disposition in both these re-
spects.
"Under these circumstances, I trust that on reviewing
the whose position of affairs, and seeing the loss of 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 Bill, 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) "HENRY BARICLY.
" The Hon. 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, that
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" Sir. Nicholson elded, and on the
7th of June the ruturn 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 Ministe rs owed to the question itself,
and not to their p )pularity 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 havf been habitually defeated on all
other questions. Over and over again they have
met defeats which no Government that I have ever
known could endu re ; on the land question alone
hare they had a n lajority. And why ? Because
they were supporte d 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 integrity 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 that cha-
racter." He ex :pressed his belief that Mr. Nichol-
son " had been induced to take this step by some of
his colleagues, i n whom we have no confidence, in
some of whom, 'knowing well their antecedents, we
never had confi. denee4 and that it was a shortsighted