The Sun.
London, England, 1860-07-10 00:00:00

SICILY.

The illustrious and venerable Admiral Ruggiero
Settimo, who crowned in 1848 his long and pa-
triotic life by his active intervention in the Sicilian
insurrection, and by the skilful manner in which he
directed it as chief of the Executive Government,
has received the following letter from Garibaldi :
" Highly esteemed, and very dear Friend,— If any
favour of Providence could make a man bow before

it with deep gratitude, it is certainly that which
has been conferred on me by the events which have
lately taken place in Sicily, and in which I have been
happy enough to take part. These brave people are
free—joy is depicted in every countenance, and the
streets resound with the cries of delight of those
who have been released. And, nevertheless, a
melancholy voice arises from the multitude, ' Rug-
giero Settimo does not appear—the father of the
Sicilian people—the veteran of the independence of
the country—the venerable exile is not here to
share in the universal feeling of satisfaction. The
hearth of the Italian patriarch is deserted and cold.
Oh, come ! man of Sicily, come ! to fill up the mea-
sure of the joy of your people, who remained worthy
of you—who suffered during 12 years all that the
most atrocious tyranny could inflict, and who did
not bend a knee before an inexorable ruler. Your
arrival in Sicily will be the finest of our national
fetes.—Yours, affectionately,

" GARIBALDI."

After the insurrection of 1848 had been put down
in Sicily, Ruggiero Settimo retired to Malta, where
he has since resided.

Letters from South Australia reach to May 19.
The Legislative session was opened on the 27th April. The
Ministry proposed removing the 5 per cent. ad valorem
duties on miscellaneous goods. The Port Adelaide harbour
dues are to be abolished. Trade is represented as depressed,
but the pastoral and agricultural prospects wore improving
in consequence of abundant rains. Copper was firm at £lO2
per ton; Burra Burra shares at £l3O. 'The banks were
buyers of bills on England at par, and sellers at 2 per cent.
prezniutil

AUTILILIA AND NEW ZEALA:ND,

MELBOURNE, MAY 17,

The Malta delivered the March mail via Marseilles
in 48 days. The London dates were up to the 19th
of March. The Malta reached Nepean Bay on th e
4th of May, and Hobson's Bay on the 6th. The
ample telegrams were published here and in Sydney
on the 47th day, but as there was some derange.•
ment in the Red Sea cable we have no supplemen-
tary telegrams to the end of the month, as usual of
late.

The intelligence from Taranaki, New Zealand., is
up to April 26. There had been no otherskirmishes.
The insurgent natives had retired fromm, the presence
of the troops, and the officer in command, Colonel
Gold, was collecting his forces and preparing for
further operations. The New South Wales Con-
tingent had arrived, and the others must have ar-
rived soon after, as the City of Hobart has returned
to Hobart Town. The total Australian contingents
will exceed my last estimate, and will amount to
nearly 800 effective troops. In the meantime there
is no appearance of an immediate settlement,
though it is reported that the Bishop had counselled
the Governor to make peace on any terms. This,
I think, would be to repeat the errors of former
Governments, and only invite a renewal of exorbi-
tant demands and fresh hostilities. The loss of the
natives is ascertained to have been 150 men, with a
very large proportion of chiefs—namely, 17. This
dispirited the natives for a time, and probably
caused their retirement from the face of our forces.
Yet the chief Wirimu Kingi seems to act with consi-
derable judgment. He is endeavouring to connect his
movement—which in its origin was purely a dis-
pute about the old Taranaki claims of his section
of the Nga-ti-raukawa---with the Maori King move-
ment of the Waikattos. For this purpose he has
either ceded or offered to cede (I cannot yet collect
from the scattered accounts whether the cession is
accepted and completed) his claim to the disputed
block of land at Taranaki to the Maori King. In
the meantime an assembly of the Waikattos chiefs
and people deliberate on the state of the country.
They are invited to " come armed." I have searched
the papers in vain in order to learn by whom this
assembly is summoned. The principal chief of the
Waikattos is Te Whero-Whero, who has always
held friendly relations with us. I have not seen
him for many years, but from my recollection he
must be getting old, and his influence may have
given way to that of younger and less friendly
chiefs. It is among the Waikattos that the scheme
of a native king originated, and has found most
favour. They also have been rather cautious in
selling much land to the Government. They have
always a desire to have Europeans among them, to
live in amity with them and afford them the example
of European arts ; but they have been indisposed to
part with such an extent of land as they were aware
would in a few years make the Pakeha the dominant
race. Now, it will not be very difficult for Wirimu
Kingi, who is shrewd and not to be despised as an
enemy (and I speak from personal knowledge), to
show that his object, though by different means, is
similar to that which the Waikattos have at heart.
'lf he succeed and the Waikattos declare in his
favour I have no doubt that they could muster 2,000
fighting men. We, however, are not without our
Trinobantes in those parts, and the necessities of
our position will compel us to take advantage of old
native feuds and use one cluster of tribes against
another. Nene, the chief of the Nga-pui, who
joined us against Heaki in the Bay of Islands affair,
and now enjoys a pension of £lOO a year for his
services, must, like Te Whero-Whero, be waxing old,
but his influence must still be considerable. The
Waikattos and the Nga-pui cannot have forgotten
their old feuds in E. Hongi's time, and the old flame
may be easily fanned. The Nga-ti-awa, always
our firm friends, can have no great love for the
Wiakattos, and the Taupo, tribes are more likely to
go against the Waikattos than with them. Thus,
if the Waikattos join Kingi, it must lead to a gene-
ral war, and in that case we must fight and win, for
no alternative would be left to us, except to be
knocked on the head or be driven out of the country.
This I do not think 50,000 Englishmen will submit
to, even from all the 50,000 or 60,000 natives com-
bined. For the sake of humanity, I do hope that
the insurgent natives will soon come home to the
conviction that we must prevail in the end, though
at the cost of great destruction of property and
some loss of life. These wars are most disastrous to
the natives in their consequences. A war once de-
clared among the tribes, they all turn out. Even the
women join them as attendants, so that none are left
to till the ground. Famine or the diseases of scarcity,
follow, of course. There has been a disposition ex-
pressed on the part of many of our volunteers
to offer to serve in New Zealand, and I have no
doubt that if the necessity should become great a
volunteer corps from Victoria could easily be col-
lected. Our volunteers number 2,000, and they are
in a state of great efficiency, except that the home
Government, though the money for the purpose was
long since remitted, have not yet sent out the most
efficient weapons. These volunteers have been .a_
'nimbly trained by Uaptain Dean Pitt, inspector of
musketry, who holds the- local rank of lieutenant-
colonel. He has devoted himself with great energy
to this duty, and the men have done great justice
to his able instructions. They are clothed in a neat
inexpensive gray uniform, and look, as they are in
fact, a fine body of well-trained troops. Of course,
a large„proportion of them could not leave their
families and occupations here, but I am pretty sure
that if the question were put by authority, " Who
will volunteer for service in New Zealand ?" a very
strong contingent would be the result.
The Kiandra (Snowy River) diggings have been
brought almost to a standstill by the severity of the
weather, and especially by the quantity of rain
which has fallen ; but there cannot be any doubt of
their productiveness' and that they will become the
seat of a large population in the early spring. The
whole range of the Australian Alps is undoubtedly
auriferous. Gold has been found in various locali-
ties on the spurs of the ranges, or rather in the
gullies between the spurs, down even to Gippsl
land on the Bass's Straits portion of our territory:
The Snowy River itself runs south through our
territory, and empties itself into Bass's Straits.
The escort returns show conclusively the produc-
tiveness of the new goldfields. The following are
the monthly returns for the first four months o.
1859 and 1860 :

1859. ' ' 1860
Jaivary
February
March 30;029 „
April

Total

Increase, 1860 23,688 oz.

Now, this last figure corresponds very nearly
with the quantity of gold taken down to Sydney
from Kiandra—namely, February, 64 oz. ; March,
8,234 oz. ; April, 15,341 oz. ; total, 23,639 oz. If
the last figure be maintained as an average—l
mean the return for April—the production would
be very nearly 200,000 oz. a-year, and there is every
reason to believe that it will greatly exceed that
amount. The other New South Wales goldfields
yield 280,000 ounces per annum. In Gipps-land, on
the same mountain and river system, we have now
many private prospecting parties out, and the As-
sembly of Victoria has just voted £30,000 to be ex-
pended in " prospecting." It may be asked, why
" prospect" when there are so many goldfields in the
colony unexhausted and incapable of exhaustion for
centuries ? The answer is this. The old goldfields
are now no longer suited to the surface-diggers, and
this uneasy, restless class are continually in search
of fields were they can obtain a good return fortheir
independent labour without much capital being ne-
cessary, and thiS field for enterprise the "new
rushes" .afford. At Ballarat the most profitable
mining, is now carried on by companies of 'about 80
men, with costly machinery—. Some of their
shafts are sunk 4621 feet,. many 300 feet.

POSTAL COMMUNICATION WITH AUSTRALIA.—
The New York advices, which stated that the subsidy of
£75,000 far the Panaina 'route had been voted by the Syd-
ney L-gislature in favour of the company proposing for
that amount i (which appears to be the Maritime Steam
Company), are not confirmed by the present mail. It
seems, however, that at the departure of the mail, May 14,
Mr. Campbell had moved a vote for the Suez postal service,
which was negatived on the ground that no provision had
been made for the Panama route. This would naturally
enforce such a provision, and if the New York advices left
Sydney after the departure of the mail, the probability is
in favour of the New York account, which may be con-
firmed by next arrival. In that case, the advantage of the
Panama line will be made all the more manifest.

''
LANDSMEN'S SCULLEBS RACE. —An exciting
scullers race, for £lO aside, came off yesterday, from Put-
ney to Mortlake. The competitors, both landsmen, were
William Wallington, of the Victoria Rowing Club; and
James Nelins, of the Prince Albert Aquatic .Club ; and
betting was level, several poisons being present from the
respective clubs. Wallington winning the toss, they got
away together, rowing in old-fashioned boats. They had
only gone :AO yards when they fouled, and had a fresh
start; they then rowed another ding .dong race for upwards
of a quarter of a mile, and fouled a second time. A third
time they started, and rowed level to Craven-cottage, where
elins began to lead, and was well clear to beyond the
Crab tree. From here' allington giadually came up, and
was just clear at Hammersmith, when Wallington, rowed
away, and won easily. He trained at the Feathers, Wands-
worth.

•
WEB OF THE SPIDER A REMEDY FOR FEVER.--•
In the Indian Lancet for Ist April is a communication from
Dr. Donaldson, recommending the web of the common'
spider as an unfailing remedy for certain -fevers. It is
stated to be invaluable at times when quinine and other
ante-periodics fail in effect or quantity, not only ;from its
efficacy but because it can be obtained anywhere without
'trouble and without price. This reinedy,:it was Ob'seri4d,
was used a'centmly kick by the poor iri ,the fens ol,tineoln-
shire, and' by. Sir James. 111‘Gregor in the West Indies.
The doctor, ;ow uses cobweb, pills in all his.wbrst cases,
and is stated to have said that he has never since he, tziel
them'lost a patient from fevee—ifotei and Queries.