The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-26 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

By the arrival of the Oneida we have received
files of papers from Sydney to the 27th of January,
and from Melbourne to the 4th of February in-
clusive.

(From the Argus.)
The Royal Mail, steamship Oneida is under en-
gagement to sail to-morrow with the Australian
mails, which should have been des.patched on the
15th of January. The Oneida is the last of the
vessels of the Royal Mail Company to be employed
in the service of the Australian mail contract.
On the 15th inst. the Salsette, the first of the
Peninsular and Oriental Company's boats, will sail
on the new route, by way of the Mauritius.
In all probability the mail by the Salsette will be
delivered at the same hour as this.

The English mails of February will be due here
on the 6th of April, but as the Oneida cannot be at
Suez on the 27th of February to receive them, the
Australian colonies will have to put up with the
inconvenience of allowing a month to pass without
the receipt of a mail.

POLITICAL.
The Parliament of Victoria re-assembled on the 11th of
January.

THE GOLD FIELDS.
Between the time devoted to holiday-making at Christ-
mas and tho frequent interruptions from the late floods,
the regular work of the miner has been much broken in
upon during the last six weeks. Still the escort returns,
although varying widely each week, have not shown any
falling off on the average; and it is a noticeable fact, that
the amounts forwarded from the oldest gold-fields have been
the best maintained ; thus proving that these are yet a long
way from being worked out. In fact, it becomes each day
more evident that, under a system allowing of association
and the working, of large parties in proportionately large
tracts of ground, the general yield must fast increase again.
Quartz mining is now the mainstay of the long-worked gold-
fields, and some of the most valuable reefs have to be aban-
doned, or the work has to be stopped until some equitable
mode of compelling each small party of claim-owners to
bear a fair share of the expense of keeping the reefs clear of
water can be carried out. The excess of water experienced
as the shafts attain to any great depth, and the impossi-
bility of this being drawn off from one claim without at the
same time draining those adjoining, for which service the
owners of the claims so benefitted cannot be compelled to
pay, has ruined or driven out in despair many a small
party, which if forming part of an association to work the
same reef from the most convenient point for the benefit of
all, would have been richly rewarded for their labours,
instead of being constantly baffled in their struggle with an
element that ought to be an aid, and not a hindrance, on
the gold-fields. As difficulties of this nature arise attempts
are made to provide against them by special bye-laws, and
even by legislation ; but so incongruous are the different
parts, and so inapplicable is the entire system of small
holdings to the older gold-fields, that no sooner is one
difficulty patched up than another breaks forth. In
only one district, that of Ballarat, have leasing regula-
tions been yet proclaimed, but in all they are anxiously
looked for. Government has been prepared for some
time past to issue regulations for all, the delay being
caused by the Mining Boards, which from a defect in the
Gold-fields Act have still the power practically to prevent
the issue of leases, although one of the special objects of
the act was to deprive local bodies of this power. Now,
hoivever, the'old Mining Boards are to bo replaced by a
general election Of new members, and so strong is the feel-
ing of a majority of the miners in favour of an introduction
cf the leasing system, that the new Boards are not likely to
be so obstructive as were the majority of those about to be
replaced:

Since the opening up of the Indigo Lead no discovery of
especial importance has been made. The hopes of those
who expected other leads equally rich to be found in that
part of the country have not been realised, but several
quartz reefs, with indications of great richness, have been
taken up and partially worked, although there is as yet
little or no quartz-crushing machinery in that far-away
district. Indeed, on all the gold-fields the discovery of new
reefs is of constant occurrence.- These are either found
cropping out on the surface, or are encountered accidentally
in deep'siriking pr underground driving. We have seldom
to record the discovery of first-rate alluvial ground, but
of auriferous roofs it may be truly said there is no end.
Nor are the paying 'portions of these of small extent,
or confined 'to a few feet near the surface, it having
been the case with many of the reefs worked hitherto
that the stone increases in richness with the depth.
Much importance is attached by many to the lately-
published -analysis of an ore found in different parts
of the Bendigo district, but, until now, treated as
rubbish, and thrown aside with refuse matter from the
mouth of the shafts. The analysis of one chyraist shows
the existence of zinc, in the proportion of nearly one-half,
with iron and sulphur present in quantity, and as much as
one per cent. of gold. If such were to be the average yield,
the gold alone would pay enormously; but another chy-
mist says that he also has tried specimens from these veins
of ore, and that the average proportion of these metals is
so small that the pre is really as valueless as it was long
supposed to. be, although possibly small pieces might be
found which would yield such a result in. the laboratory.
With the conflicting testimony now' before the public, no
opinion can be formed of the value of these veins of ore, but
specimens haVe been sent to different ehymists for analysis,
and it is to be hoped that their reports will set at rest a
now much-disputed point.