The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-15 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

By the Overland Mail we have received letters
and papers from Melbourne and Sydney. Their
dates are Melbourne, Oct. 16; and Sydney, Oct.
12. We extract the following summary of news
from the Melbourne Herald of Oct. 16 :

The departure of the Victoria with the October
mail furnishes the occasion for our usual summary.
Since our last resume of political news by the
European, the Parliament of Victoria has been
again assembled in session. The Legislature was
opened on Thursday week, the 7th inst., by Sir
Henry Barkly in persou, with the formal vice-
regal speech usual on these occasions. His Excel-
lency set forth the measures to which the Govern-
ment specially desired to direct attention, as the
main business for the despatch of which he had
summoned Parliament together. These are the
measures which embody the project of Parlia-
mentary reform that had failed to become law in
the last session, namely, a bill to alter the electoral
districts of the colony and increase the number of
members in the Assembly ; a bill to shorten the
duration of Parliament from five to three years ;
and a bill to limit the number of persons holding
office under the Crown, who may hold seats in
either house of Parliament. In addition to these,
the passing of the estimates for 180 constitutes
the chief work to be required at the hands of hon.
members in the present session. Some other mea-
sures of minor importance, such as bills for the
amendment of the audit act, of the assessment act,
referring to squatters' stock), of the acts relating

to the Chinese, to the construction and main

tenanee of public roads, and also to weights
and measures. The programme thus submitted
by Ministers to Parliament is limited to
this extent for the purpose of having a short
session, and then a dissolution of Parliament, to be
followed by the general elections, for a new and
reformed House of Assembly, in which it is expec-
ted the long-pending vexed question of a liberal
land policy for permanently locating population
upon a large scale on the unoccupied soil of the
country, will be settled. Whether Ministers will
be able to get through the.work of the session with
the rapidity contemplated, it is impossible at this
early period to state with certainty. There is no
doubt that there are a few individuals in both
houses who are disposed to offer opposition to their
proceedings, if they can by any means devise an
ostensible opportunity for so doing ; and they are,
as yet, deterred from such a factious course, not by
any conscientious scruples about impeding the
work of parliamentary reform, but solely by the
apprehension of the storm of public indignation
which such an obstructive policy on their part
would rouse throughout the country. The desire
of the people generally, more especially the gold.
fields population, for the enactment of the proposed
measure of reform, is earnest and intense. By this

means alone they see the way to electing a Legis

lative Assembly, which will, 'not like the present
unpopular body, fully and truly represent the great
body of the people at large. Indeed,, the undeni•
able and urgent character of this want has so forced
itself on public attention, that the Governor in his
vice-regal speech on the opening of the session, felt
himself justified in departing from the usual com-
mon-place enunciation and recommendation to the
notice of honourable members of the measures men-
tioned in his speech ; and in emphatically pronounc-
ing his Excellency's opinion with respect to the
proposed Electoral Reform Bill, that it was " abso-
lutely indispensable, in order to give effect to the
extended franchise which has already become
law, to distribute more equally the representation
of the people, and to.provide a sufficient number of
members to conduct the public business." Such an
expression of opinion coming from the Governor of
the colony, and uttered in the face of rumoured
factious opposition„ in Parliament to that measure,
and to the policy generally of the present Govern-
ment, is a significant and important fact. But
emanating from Sir Henry Barkly, it has peculiar
weight, and much suggestive meaning. Sir Henry
Barkly has but just returned from a tour in the
western district of the colony, which embraces the
largest area of the richest agricultural land in Vic-
toria, as well as one of the most extensive, most
productive, and latest discovered of our gold fields
—namely, Ararat. And the impressions produced
upon his mind by that tour found expression in a
speech, which he made at the time on the occasion
of some complimentary public demonstration in his
honour ; and, in which, after pourtraying the
splendid character of the country, its magnificent
resources for supporting and enriching a large popu-
lation, and pointing to its waste, unpeopled condi-
tion at the present moment, he added emphatically
the words—" Here, indeed, there is room enough
for all." His Excellency thus conveyed in mild
phraseology a strong rebuke to the dog-in-the-
manger spirit, which would exclude population
from the soil, for the purpose of covering it sparsely,
anda
and
noantltylei,nitsdeistaacthpedressepnot the case. And in tbets, with grazing sheep
vice-regal speech which we have quoted, he
shows his desire that such an impracticable
and suicidal policy as that of opposing reform,
and attempting to maintain our present land sys-
tem, shall be seen to receive no countenance from
him ; and shall be at once and for ever replaced
by a sound and comprehensive system of Parlia-
mentary representation, preparatory to the exten-
sive settlement of population on the soil. Coming
from Sir H. Barkly, this expression has, we repeat,

peculiar significance. When he was first selected
—now nearly a dozen years ago—from amongst
the members of the House of Commons by the Im-
perial Government of that day to fill the trouble-
some office of a colonial governor, it was because
his conciliatory manners and Sound discretion pecu-
liarly fitted him for the task of healing the local
asperities and:hitherto irreconcileable disputeswhich
distracted the colony otßritish Guiana. The party
of progress there was thwarted in the most obstruc-
tive way by the old ruling and so-called conserva-
tive faction ; the battle-field of these local quarrels,
so mischievous to the interests of the colony, was the
legislature; and the contending parties there were
" tearing to pieces" amongst themselves the rights
and interests of the community, wholly regardless
of consequences.

Sir H. Barkly was sent out to save the colony
from its conservative patriots ; and the ample
powers vested in him, and his own ability, tact,
moderation, and good sense, enabled him " to save "
the colony " from its friends." His next colonial
mission was one of a similar character, namely to
interpose in Jamaica, between the obstructionists
and the party of progress; and there too he suc-
ceeded admirably. He now finds himself at the
head of the government of a colony of vastly
greater importance in every respect than those men-
tioned, in which he perceives the same mischievous
spirit of obstruction at .work on the part of a few
factious and insensate politicians, but in which the
evils of such a course are a thousand fold of a worse
character, and more pregnant with dagger to the
commonweal, than would possibly be the case in the
comparatively paltry West Indian colonies where he
has hitherto performed the part of general pacifica-
tor. He sees the character of the population which
is congregated together in Victoria—its peculiarly
masculine and independent tone of mind—its high
intelligence (being in both these respects European
rather than colonial in its standard of superiority)

its firm resolve to open for the general settlement
of population the soil of this country, in which, as
he himself says, and as the people here know and
feel, " there is room enough for all." Seeing and
understanding all this, and bearing in mind his
" colonial experience" in the other quarters we
have named, Sir Henry Barkly has not hesitated
to pronounce, at the earliest opportunity, in favour
of those measures of reform which, if agreed to in
good time now and with good grace, may savehim
from interposing in a more authoritative way under
the direction of the Imperial Government, as in the
case of Guiana and Jamaica, to rescue the public
interests of the people of Victoria from the evil con-

sequences of the obstructiveness of a few unthinking I
and impractical local politicians.
This it is which gives peculiar force to Sir Henry
Barkly's speech on the opening of the present ses
sion of Parliament; he desires to save Victoria from
its false friends ; and he in effect says so.
The present Ministry have derived considerable
strength from a short tour made by the Chief
Secretary (Mr. O'Shanassy) through the gold-fields
recently, in the course of which, during repeated
interviews with the miners and mercantile public
at the gold-fields, he laid before them in general
terms the liberal policy which he declares he means
to carry into operation (if allowed). His success
as a politician, however, will all depend on the
character of the Land Bill which he will submit to
the country. Nothing definite on that score is yet
known by the public ; but it is generally under-
stood that at the close of the present session the
Ministry will make known the principle and lead-
ing details of their land bill.
The elections for the seats vacated by rotation in
the Legislative Council have hitherto, with but
one exception, resulted in favour of the proposed
Reform Bills. Of the gentlemen elected, Messrs.
A'Beckett, Fraser, and Coppin (the latter recently a
popular actor and successful lessee of some of our
Melbourne theatres) are reformers. Mr. Bennett,
the other of the candidates as yet elected, being
alone an anti-reformer. The remaining elections
are likely to result in the sant:. way.
As the first batch of our railway debentures
amounting to the sum of £750,000, is to be sent to
Europe by the present mail, for sale in the London
market, it is desirable to exhibit briefly the precise
financial conditton of the colony of Victoria at this
moment, in order that English capitalists, who may
be willing to invest money in our securities, may
know the values of the guarantees we can offer.
them.

On Thursday evening the Estimates for 1859
were laid on the table of the Legislative Assembly,
and last night the Treasurer, Mr. Harker, delivered
his explanatory statement to the-house. His ad-
dress, which is reported in another column, was a
very carefully prepared, succinct, and lucid ex-
hibition of our present financial position, and it
won expressions of satisfaction from all sides of the
house.

The ordinary revenue for the year 1859 is esti-
mated at £3,384,000—a sum which, when it is
considered that it is raised with ease from a
population of only about 460,000 souls, exhibits
at once the prodigious fertility of our resources.
This amount is an advance of only £186,000 on
the estimated revenue for the current year.
But the latter estimate has not been quite fully
sustained by the actual receipts at the Treasury for
the first three quarters of the year. The last
quarter exhibits a falling off amounting to about
£356,000 ; of which deficiency, however, the
larger proportion is due to diminished sales of
public lands, and this will be counterbalanced by
increased sales during the present quarter ; so that
the actual revenue for the year will probably not
fall short, to any material extent, of the original
estimate. There was also a temporary falling off in
the Customs duties during the past quarter; but
this deficiency will probably be also made up during
the current quarter. In any case, however, there is
no reason to doubt that the estimate of probable
revenue for 1859 is based on the most solid grounds.
But in addition, the Government calculate on a
balance from the present year's account of £307,879
16s. 6d. ; so that the Ways and Means for 1859
stand at the enormous sum of £3,691,876 16s. 6d.

To conclude, our financial condition and pros-
pects are most flourishing, and there seems no pro-
bability of any sudden and unexpected reverse
falling upon the country.

NEW SOUTH WALES.

THE FITZROY DIGGINGS A COMPLETE

FAILURE.

(From the Sydney Morning Herald of Oct. 12.)
The Wonga Wonga (s.) arrived from Rockhamp-
ton this morning, at 6 o'clock, with 245 passengers,
among whom our special correspondent.
The diggings had proved a complete failure, and
vessels were filling up rapidly with those passen-
gers who had the means of coming back. Much
distress is anticipated, owing to the shortness of
provisions.

Capt. O'Connell had sent out prospecting parties,
fully equipped with provisions, &c.
A public meeting of the diggers had been held,
at' which it was proposed to rush the stores.
The Isca had sailed full of passengers.
The Pirate, Jane, Swan, Callendar, and Cyclone
were in the river, about to start for Sydney, and
would be all crowded.

It is rumoured that the Government was prepsr•
ing to provide rations for those who were destitute

The Staghound also arrived this =ruing, with
about a hundred passengers.

Mr. M. F. Cahill, one Of the passengers by the
London, has kindly placed in our hands the follow-
ing digest of the latest intelligence from the Fitz-
roy gold-fields :
The Wonga Wonga, screw steamer, arrived at
Sydney on Tuesday last, from Port Curtis, with
two hundred and forty-five passengers, consisting
wholly of persons who had returned from the new
gold-fields, or who, on arrival at Rockhampton,
were so disheartened by the reports current at that
place, that thay did not think it advisable to leave
the town. The intelligeneb brought by the Wonga
Wonga has left little doubt on the minds of the
people of Sydney that the new gold-fields are, for
the present, an utter failure. Gold was nowhere
to be found since the small patch of auriferous soil
in the bend of the Canoona river had been worked
out. Vessels were daily arriving at Keppel Bay
from all the ports of the Australian group ; and it
was estimated that not fewer than 10,000 souls
would have arrived up to the 'present time. The
general want of success of the great majority of
those who had actually prospected the diggings
had produced a panic, and the human current,
which only a few weeks ago set in towards
the Canoona gold - fields, had, as if suddenly
checked in its onward course, resurged back
upon itself. The town of Rockhampton (if we may
dignify a number of tents wit] that appellation)
was crowded with thousands of men—hungry, dis-
contented, desperate—and altogether the aspect of
affairs was such as to afford strong grounds for an-
ticipating that law and order would soon'be at an
end, and the settlement become a scene of anarchy
and violence. So great was the apparent magni-
tude of the calamity that the special reporter of
the Sydney Morning Herald (Mr.l)ubois) had sud-
denly returned, for the purpose of advising the
Government of the critical posture of affairs. We
are informed that on the strength' of that gentle.
man's representations it had been determined to
send H.M.S. ship Iris to Port Curtis, for the pur-
pose of bringing back to Sydney those who were
destitute of means. On the same authority it is
stated that the Government intended chartering the
City of Sydney for a similar purpose. On the same
morning (Tuesday) the Staghound arrived from
Port Curtis, with 100 passengers. Neither vessel
brought any gold.
Capt. o'.Connell, Commissioner of Crown Lands
for the district of Port Curtis, had equipped several
prospecting parties, and sent them out in different
directions to ascertain whether any new gold fields
existed. With the result of this exploration we are
unacquainted : but we are aware that numerous
prospects by private parties had been made with-
out any satisfactory results. A general abandon-
ment of the supposed gold regioia had followed, as
a natural consequence, these unsuccessful opera-
tions, and there was nothing heard on all hands
but expressions of anguish and despair. A
meeting of diggers had been held at Rock.
hampton, at which it is stated a formal resolu-
tion was carried, by which the wretched men
pledged themselves to violate the law of private
property and rush the stores. Bearing in mind
the deep-rooted love of law and order which in-
variably govern the actions of large bodies of Eng-
lishmen, we feel bound to state, that this assertion
ought, until the receipt of further intelligence, to
be taken aunt grano fceis. If such a desperate re-

solve have been arrived at, intense must be the
sufferings of a community of Englishmen whose
despair Gould have impelled them to so lawless an
issue. Many persons, in the excess of their fear,
had rushed on board the vessels lying in the port,
and had absolutely refused to go ashore. Merchant
and others who had sent provisions and supplies of
various kinds thither with a view to legitimate
trading, had in view of the alarming posture of
affairs declined landing their goods, and were about
returning to Sydney. A general feeling of inse-
curity and uneasiness prevailed among the store-
keepers and proximate squatters lest their property
should be indiscriminately plundered. Captain
Eldred, of the Staghound, had placed the cargo of
that vessel, consisting of flour, at the disposal of
Capt. O'Connell, relying for indemnity upon the
good faith of the government.
This distressing intelligence spread rapidly
throughout Sydney, and forthwith large numbers
of persons assembled at the Australasian Steam
Navigation Company's Wharf, where they made
eager inquiries from the passengers by the Wonga
Wonga respecting their friends and relatives.
When the news became generally known, the
whole city was pervaded with gloom, there being
scarcely any family in it which has not one or
more relatives at Port Curtis. A strong impression
prevailed that, the disaster being abnormal, the
government ought to take immediate action to
alleviate the sufferings of the hungry and penniless
adventurers scattered over this tropical desert. In-
deed, it became questionable whether, even if the
diggings had proved .successful, the supplies at
Rockhampton would be at all adequate to the
sustenance of some 9,000 or 10,000 souls. If, then,
such be the case, what must be the position of a
settlement, the great bulk of whose population are
utterly destitute of pecuniary resources ?
Only a week since yesterday one of the members
of the Cowper administration—the minister for
Lands and Works, stated in the presence of a gen-
tleman lately connected with the Sydney daily
press, that the Port Curtis gold fields would be the
means of restoring New South Wales to her former
position as the leading colony of the Australian
group, only four days elapsed and the magnificent
dreams of the Cowper government have been fol-
lowed by intelligence the most gloomy and dis-
heartening. So sure were the government of
realising a golden harvest from the new gold fields
that they had dispatched an official surveying staff
to lay the town of Rockhampton out in small allot-
ments upon which fortunate gold diggers were to
lay the foundations of an intertropical colony,
which was to supply New South Wales with all
the luxurious products for which warm latitudes
are famous ; but the unsympathising soil refused
to yield up its treasures, and ministerial dreams of
greatness might now be summed up in the words
of the Hebrew monarch—" All is vanity and vexa-
tion of spirit." When the expenses incidental to
police and revenue supervision are added to those
required to restore a famishing and discontented
population to Sydney, we are rather inclined to
think the Cowper government will not haVe to
boast of any surplus revenue, the result of the sale
of allotments in the town of Rockhampton.
Rashness and want of deliberation are now fol-
lowed by unavailing complaints. Sober-minded
persons in the streets, and at the firesides, ask
themselves that question which it would have been
well their friends, who are famishing on the shores
of this inhospitable desert, had asked, What was
there to justify all this rashness and precipitancy,
and the response is—Nothing !
Notwithstanding, there are still a few incredu-
lous. They admit that so far the new gold fields
are a failure, but they attribute it to want of
organisation and precipitancy. In plain words they
say tho Port Curtis gold fields have not yet had a
fair trial ; that there is gold in paying quantities to
be had, but that it can be obtained only by expe-
rienced diggers, who, being possessed of capital,
will not grow incontinently disheartened on sink-
ing a couple of holes, and, finding nothing in them,
rush headlong away.

The Yarra )(arra steamer left Sydney for Port
Curtis on Tuesday evening, with about 40 passen-
gers, who, no doubt, will proceed to Rockhampton,
where, having witnessed with their eyes the result
of thoughtlessness and precipitancy, they will do as
others have done—return without even visiting
the gold fields.

The steamship London, which arrived last night,
brought back some 30 or 40 diggers who had left.
Melbourne by her, on her last trip for the purpose
of visiting the Port Curtis gold fields, but who, on
arriving at Sydney, and hearing the bad intelli-
gence per Wonga Wonga, deemed it better to
return to the old and tried gold fields of Victoria.
The exodus from Sydney had received a sudden
and severe check. To speak about going to Port
Curtis was to talk about doing an act indicative of
insanity in the mind of the doer.

With these facts before the eyes of the people of
Victoria, we have sufficient faith in their judgment
and discretion to believe that they will not leave
our gold fields on a desperate venture to find an
untimely grave in a tropical desert. When we
think of the hundreds who have broken up their
homes, and went forth flushed with hope, but, alas,
doomed to misery, disappointment, and perhaps
starvation, we view with feelings of sorrow and
commiseration the thoughtless folly which threatens
to darken the pages of colonial history with the
record of a great calamity.