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

_....tee
-ee•-_,e,C-F'e----
7 •
~----
- -
---
. ,
- --- -- __
•
. ..• .
' ~ ..
..., ~.....:
.:
...
. .
- 41 'ti";.4s.l\iit Inc • At4t. .
~::---- 4. . -z,-I,J r.,
...........:
......_
._..._
.s , . . :4b„'......
__...
~
...
.),4„,„.‘„' 44 5 Ariii-4-. \II,,AN
.....„-- i, f,...'4,-.„!',
_
....
~ .. - N.-N.' *i . ''/ *,--,-----: . `9lkllllllPlikiki. ..4, • '-'-'.i."l--;- ."...""
:
... •
4111 PP.
:
I
4 *„.
v.,--,
ragi"lllt
,
p. , .40.-- 41 , ~i 4
------,--,,4 44?: t.,
cto6 '''' m-R-- i...'4'' -"'
ii... 1..... , el IN,, 1, „,,n ~,„;,..! ~ , ~;?:,
~,,, ls.o 0 ..„, ,- , Tit nyer •% , 4 ;,--# -----
ft,4l ,„irk v-,-,',....... ....... •,, ‘4, 4 ' '
_. ___

PRICE 4D. STAMPED, SD.

Peterborough with a general cargo. The Invincible sailed
for London on the 16th ultimo, being the last vessel of the
season. As already noticed, several influential natives were
leaving for the southern part of the empire, and there had
arisen a demand for European tonnage from this quarter at
gradually improving rates. Government had secured a
small amount of tonnage at 20s. per ton per month. The
French authorities had also been in the market, and had
taken up one vessel at a rate per day fully equal to 28s. per
ton per month. Coast charters would average about 9 dols.'
per ton, with a 10-lay days for every 100 tons register.
Thera were not more than eight disengaged vessels in the
harbour.
Exchange closed with an upward tendency. Bank paper
ruled 6s. 7d. to 6s. 7/d. ; first-class credits, 6s. 84d. On
India, 315 to 316.

NEWSPAPER

A p
- ••`.
.
ro=diu on his part, for neither -
ve any benefit from it." Re th
reminded the Ministry of their dependence he a S
gentlemen by whom he was surrounded"—that is,
the " Corner," as they are called from their, place
in the house. " For what purpose," he continued,
" did the majority of the members I see around ine
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 chairman) ? 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-founded
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 support lent to him
to carry the Land Bill was not intended as a per-
sonal support of himself and his colleagues. His
majority on the third reading was in no sense a
Ministerial majority, and he will lose it if he sup-
port any modifications in the clauses made in the
Upper House. Even if he now " try back," and
adhere to the bill, the whole bill, &c , it will be
attributed to anything beta high and conscientious
motive. lie 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-
veraor 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 be 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 for the six members of
Council in August, 1858. They 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 colleetioli 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 hay 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 Walees
no less than three Ministries have existed durixig
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 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 shipmenti, to this country, an&
the imports of the last two weeks are only £237,000.,
against £657,000 during the same period last yew.,
The result is that the excess of imports over tx-
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
eight men out,exploritnhge
there will be 100 parties of
suspected parts of the country—especially
ranges to the eastward, 1. e., between the Snowy
River and Gipps Laid. 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 only colony
which has been a monthly gainer of people from us.
The net emigration last month was 137. England
received from us 617 snore 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_
lected, 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 Alps.