The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-01 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

•••-•
Australian dates by this 'arrival are—Sydney,
May, 15; Melbourne, May 17.' The Columbian
brings gold and silver to the value of £lB,OOO. The
Monica sailed from Melbourne for Liverpool on
April 19, with 33,789 oz. of goid ; the Mindora for
Liverpool, same date, with 4,403 oz, ; the Lincoln-
shire, London, April 29, with 43,114 oz. ; Price of
Wales, April 30, London, 41,613 oz, ' • Lightning,
Liverpool, May 11, 58,195 oz. The Avon will sail
May 19, with 49,000 oz. and 25,000 sovereigns.
The Benares, with the March mail, arrived at Mel-
bourne May 12.
The following is from the summary of the Mel-
bourne Herald of the 17th :

"We have simply to report no change' in poli-
tical affairs this month. Only a few incidents of
the most unimportant and strictly local kind have
transpired. For instance, the process of taking the
first general registration under the new act has
just been carried through its first stage, and with
very satisfactory results. The number of claims
to vote for the Lower House placed in the hands
of the registrars is about 152,000, or very nearly
one-half of the entire male population of the
colony. The suffrage is an unlimited man-
hood one, and the claims are collected by persons
appointed for the purpose—not voluntarily ten-
dered. It is clear, then, that our electoral roll is
even now in a tolerably complete state. Yet, so
persistent is the spirit of agitation amongst certain
classes of persons, and so frivolous are sometimes
the pretences seized upon to maintain it, that this
community has been nearly deafened during the
last few weeks with outcries about the failure' of
the new Registration Act, and the terrible (but
purely imaginary)-consequences which were thence
to follow. Nothing less than an impending revo-
lution and bloodshed were threatened. An impe-
rative demand was made to the Government for
the immediate convening of an extraordinary ses-
sion of Parliament, in order that the obnoxious
act (which was only passed three or four months
ago) might be amended or repealed. Of course
this demand was flatly refused by the chief Secre-
tary, and it was next thrust, in a very insolent
style, in the face of the governor. His excellency
condescended to reason with the deputation who
presented it, and actually succeeded in convincing
them that the course they were insisting upon
would be alike despotic, unconstitutional, and re-
sultless. The agitation accordingly ended in
smoke. _ _ .

" Ministers are carrying on the routine of admi-
nistration with remarkable quietness, but certainly
with no increase of their small stock of popularity;
rather the reverse.
'' Symptoms are constantly breaking out 9f the
thoroughly disorganised state of our two rival sys-
tems of public education. The secretary of th?,
Denominational Board, Mr. Colin Campbell, has
..yesigneci_his *..j.; after laving livid it for f.evcral
years. All this clearly sends the consenta-
neous downfall of the two systems, and their amal-
gamation into one improved and really national
system.
" The Government has apointed a board to in-
quire into the condition of the civil service, with a
view to a systematic reform and retrenchment.
Both these objects ate undeniably necessary, quite
as much so in degree as they are at home ; but, as
usual, they have been talked about for years with-
out the slightest serious action being taken to
effect them. We shall hope, however, that some-
thing will be accomplished by the new commission
in the way 'of radical practical reform.
" There is no probability of the elections for the
new Parliament taking place sooner than August.
So that we are looking forward to a continuance of
the present uneventful state of things.
" Both as regards the amount of gold produce
delivered in Melbourne by the Government estcorts
and of that exported, the last month compares ml-
favourably with the corresponding period of 1858,
althongh there is an improvement, also in both re-
spects, in the return for the four weeks of.this year,
upon that of the same portion of last year.
" The Back Creek continues to maintain a large
population—some 30,000 or 35,000 souls. The yield
of these diggings is materially prejudiced by the
want of water, there being no streams or superficial
deposits of any kind within several miles of the
leads. The local papers report that tons upon tons
of washing stuff have been piled up by the sides of
the shafts, 1a readiness for working. The area of
this gold field has been greatly extended by the new
rushes which are almost every week occurring to
localities outlying the main diggings. A recent
gration to Kangaroo has relieved the original field
of a considerable portion of its popnlati•m, which,
as will commonly be found to be the case at new
rushes, includes a strong ingredient of the criminal
element.'

" Another new gold field, which, according to
present accounts, bids fair to equal if not to surpass
in attractiveness even the Back Creek, has been dis-
covered in the M'lvor district. The deposits are
said to extend over an area of fourteen miles, and
most of the claims which have been worked have
given a high remuneration to their possessors. The
number of miners is small, the rush being indeed
only in its earliest infancy ; but, if the reports
which are published prove veracious, there will not
long exist any cause for complaint as regards po-
pulation, especially as the sinking is said to be easy
and shallow. The Indigo and New Ballarat
gold fields, which were very extensively
patronised a few months ago, have lately much
depreciated in popular estimation, but the Oven
men, notwithstanding the unfavourable results
of recent operations there, continue to re-
tain their confidence in the future. The
Bo' man's Forest exploration has failed to prove
the existence of payable gold deposits in that dis-
trict, and the yield from the Ovens gold fields at
present principally proceeds from the old localities.
The miners are doing well at Sebastopol, and quartz
crushing has been commenced on the Ovens river
with a fair prospect of success.
" At Bendigo the alluvial miners are doing better
than has been the case for some time. An old lead
which was lost about a year ago has been traced
and re-opened under most favourable auguries.
The quartz claims in this district continue to dis-
close an almost marvellous degree of richness. In
one instance, very recently, 19 tons of quartz rock
; yielded, when crushed, 152 oz. 16 dwts. of gold ;
and, in another, 14 tons of stone produced 112 oz.
of metal.
" With respect to the mining news of the remain-
ing gold fields, there is little to report this month."

SYDNEY COMMERCIAL REPORT.
(From Messrs. G. A. Lloyd and Co.'s Circular.)
The commercial intelligence per February mail,
which 'reached this per Oneida, on the 4th instant,
is generally considered favourable for importers,
hut owing to its arrival only a few days before the
succeeding mail of March was due, the news pro-
duced no effect on our markets, beyond stopping all
business transactions with merchants, excepting for
absolute wants, as both buyers and importers
deemed it more prudent to await the delivery of
the mail, due on the 9th instant, before opening new
transactions. Trade during the past month, although
not brisk, has been steady and satisfactory, prices
obtained for goods generally would leave a small
margin for profit ; the continuance of this depends
entirely on your operations, our markets are so
sensitive that shipments the least in excess of our
requirements would immediately cause a reaction ;
and it would be well for those trading with our
colonies to bear in mind, that with the monthly
communication with Europe, and the facilities now
offered affording every one the same information as