The Sun.
London, England, 1859-05-23 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

We extract the following Summary for England
from the Melbourne Argus of March 16 :
We have a clear month's history to record since
the despatch of the last mail, but it is a month un-
usually deficient in incidents. Parliament succeeded
in getting through its work on the 24th of last
month, and on that day it was prorogued by Sir
Henry Barkly, with a view to its dissolution.
The new electoral law does not come into opera-
tion till about the Ist of May, about which time the
writs will be issued for a general election under the
Reform Act. By this measure the system of uni-
versal suffrage is brought into more complete opera-
tion ; the number of members in the Legislative
Assembly is increased from 60 to 78, and their dis-
tribution is so arranged as to base the representa-
tion as nearly as possible on the question of
population.
The main subject on which the elections will
turn is the land question.

THE GOLD FIELDS.
The events of the last few weeks prove that
although the difficulties and cost of mining, in
proportion to the average returns obtained, have
been annually increasing, our gold fields in reality
as yet show no symptoms of exhaustion. These
difficulties and the waste of labour have arisen from
the tendency of numbers to crowd together on spots
where but a few should have been engaged,
,instead
of systematically exploring and
otheprospecting the
diggersurroundingbein
g country.also
precarious,
Thand ethereturns t
work in
n actualmany
o r
instances very hard, and there being besides, even
up to the present moment, a great want of facilities
for association, and for obtaining the aid of capi-
talists, notwithstanding all our legislation on the
subject, very many men who commenced their career
as miners have become storekeepers or traders, so
that every branch of business on the gold fields is
completely overdone, sellers and the usual purvey-
ors to the wants and amusements of a people being
on all the principal centres of attraction, as nume-
rous as the buyers and producers of the wealth to
be spent. Absolute necessity hay at length forced
the miners to bestir themselves in the way of seek-
ing fresh ground ; and we have now to record some
discoveries equalling in extent and richness those
made in the more prosperous days of gold digging.
In addition to several discoveries of lesser note,
three new leads or runs of gold have been opened
up in different parts of the country within a very
short space of time, and are now affording occupa-
tion to many thousands of miners and their fol-
lowers. Of these the most important, not only from
the probable yield of the one spot of ground, but
also from its affording an indication of the rich dis-
coveries sure to follow, is the deep lead found at
and generally called New Ballarat. But
the Black Dog Creek, near the Indigo, in the Ovens
s on this have yet reached the b
cfleiwstrsiheta,ft
This was found b
bottom ; all
those that are down, however, show that the lead
Indigo, fitted out at the
is a ric h and
partya wide one. y a pro-
spectingpublic expense, or rather by a party which con-
tinued the sinking of a shaft Miler. it had been
abandoned from want of funds. l
second
rits
surfacedee p leadrichness,
but in up in a dis.tricst long
nowfa the
fo
which no deep leads
were supposed
found.sedto
will still The anddi strict is also very rich
doubtless many more
in quartz-reefs, and although the working of these
may be said to have scarcely commenced yet in
earnest, thousands of tons of stone are said to be
already lying
beside the shafts, but unavailable to
the miners for want of machinery to crush it. There
is only one crushing-mill in operation as yet, and
the
quartz passed through it has yielded an average
of 5 oz. to the ton ; so this district is likely to be-
come as famous for its quartz-reefs and deep sink-
ings as it was formerly for its extensive sluicing
operations with surface soil.
Two other very extensive " rushes," as they are
called in mining phraseology, have cccurred—one
to the Back Creek, near Amherst, in the Mary-
borough district, and the other to Commissioners'-
hill, close to Ararat. Greater numbers of men have
collected at these two places than have been
attracted to any of the spots opened on the old
gold fields for some years past. The deposits at
both are rich and extensive. During the excite •
ment of first taking possession of a promising field
for mining operations there is sure to be much
exaggeration, but there can be no doubt that both
leads will afford occupation to a large number of

persons, and that they are also very rich, at least
in patches. The miners have of late been content
to earn a fair living, but on these leads they are
beginning to talk again of " homeward-bound"
claims, meaning thereby claims the yield of which
will enable them to pay a visit to the old country.
However that may be, it is certain that the dis-
covery of new and extensive tracts of paying
ground in so many different parts of the country
will prevent the necessity for crowding together in
spots of limited extent, and that the miners will for
some time to come have room for choice, and will
therefore do more work, and be better remunerated
for what they do. This and other reasons lead to
a confirmation of the belief that gold mining has
been at its lowest ebb, and that for the future there
will be a progressive improvement in the circum-
stances of the miners themselves, and of all con-
nected with that interest. Up to the present tine
the escort returns, of this year have showed an in-
crease on the average yield of the same period of
last ; and there is now something more than a
probability of this increase being maintained, and
of our export of gold soon swelling to its former
amount.

AGRICULTURE.
At this season our farmers, after the hard work
of harvesting their crops, devote themselves for a
time to the lighter part of their bu,siness, and hold
exhibitions of stock and produce. The Melbourne
Grain Show is to be held at the end of the present
month, and is expected to be well attended, al-
though the samples of Victoria grain will scarcely
be as fine as usual. So much rain has fallen at
different periods durinc, the summer that much of
it is discoloured. Many 6 agriculturists are now
thinking of gradually converting a portion of their
cultivated land into vineyards, and as an incentive
to a little emulation in this direction, the Mayor of
Melbourne has presented a silver cup, to be offered
as a prize for the best 50 bunches of grapes exhi-
bited at the coming show, and the society is, for
the first time, offering prizes for the best samples of
Victoria-made wine.
There is a general complaint among the millers
this season that the new home-grown wheat is net
so good as usual, from, the cause before mentioned,
and they are, consequently, giving a preference to
wheat from South Australia, and at a higher price.
Grain and other produce are comparatively abun-
dant throughout the interior since harvest, and
prices are therefore declining, and approaching
somewhat more nearly to those ruling in the sea-
port towns. Indeed, potatoes are so plentiful illth°
Ballarat district that they have been a compete
drug in that market, unsaleable at much lower rates
than they were fetching in Melbourne.
The alpacas shipped from England in the Goddess
arrived four weeks since, without much loss on the
voyage, and are now in a small paddock adjoining
the Botanic Gardens, where they may be seen eat-
ing the coarsest weeds with as much relish as white
clover or the tender shoots of young grass. Thep
seem very indifferent as to the nature of their Pas'
ture, and if their constitution can adapt itself t°
our climate, they will find an abundance of food in
plants which none of the ether domesticated ant'
mals will touch.

RAILWAYS.
A general meeting of the shareholders a the
Hobson's Bay Railway Company has been held, to
consider the propriety of paying to the St. Kilda
and Brighton Company, at an earlier time than wafi
first intended, ff.y sum of £5,000, which it was re;
solved at a former meeting to hand over to tha"
company on the completion of their line. A resue:
lution was passed at the meeting to authorise t
directors of the Hobson's Bay Company to pa)"
~111si,
sum at such earlier times, and by such ins
ti
ments, and on such terms, as they might aeein7
expedient, taking security for its repayraectei
the event of the works not being comple%
or the contemplated traffic arrangements not belch
carried out. It was stated by one of the direet°,,r:
of the Brighton Company at the meeting, that ama
believed their line would be completed by the 2'
of August next.
The first completed portion of the Suburban C°111;
pany's line, as far as Richmond, has been now °Pea
for traffic during some weeks, and on this, as ~r
the Government lines, the receipts are much larger
than were calculated upon. It is the expressed
intention of the directors to proceed with the vi'er,';
as fast as they can, and carry the line across t.P.
Yarra and tnrough Prahran, until it joins the 1111
to Brighton.

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.
The number of treasure ships despatched has been great'
but the gold shipped ha not kept pace with the shiPs
each vessel has taken a smaller proportion. There has,ll,°
been much briskness among buyers, and the same pr' n;
have ruled throughout the month. The great bulk of tw„
trade is confined to the gold-fields ; but the Melbon111"
brokers quote transactions at the following rates, viS.
Omeo, 68s. to 71s. 6d. per ounce ; Pleasant Creek Old
Goulburn, 745. to 755.; Castlemaine, Sandhurst, 11.11„,„
Jim Crow, 755. to 765. ; Ararat, Maryborough, Duno4'.l?
Fiery Creek, Avoca, and Amherst, 765. to _
Ovens and Yackandandah, 765. to 78s. ; Ballarat, 775,',",• -;
to 78s Cd.; Goulburn River and Livingstone, 675. tO
Boggy Creek, 755. 6d. to 765. per ounce.
The escorts this year, with few exceptions, have been
below the weekly average of the years 1857, 1§,5,..,8*
f the
now the quantities despatched from the majority sr
gold-fields are fluctuating. The weekly average of the Ye,,,
1857 was 47,670 ounces ; of the first quarter of 1858, 41,,
ounces ; of the second, 45,290 ounces ; of the third, 48),,e
ounces ; and of the fourth, 43,917 ounces. Last week fot
total quantity sent down was only 33,680 ounces, agalite
43,351 ounces for the corresponding week of last year.
?"
total for the year is, Lowever, still in excess of the total.
the same eriod of 1858.
The money market has been almost without fluntuati,°ll.,
since our last monthly report. Capital has been abundanTJA
offering on mortgage, and for investment in. the sharehe
local joint-stock companies of standing and repute., -lir,
banks' rates of discount are—For bills under 95 days co.
rency, 8 per cent. ; from 95 to 125 days', 9 per cent. ; !„a
125 days', 10 per cent. ; and on overdrawn accounts, 10
cent.
sight for
Exchange on England is at par for 60 days' sig-,
large amounts, and at 1 per cent. premium for 30 na/,.
ei
sight for bills under L5O. Freight on gold by sailingl
sels is from 21d. to 3d. per ounce, deliverable in Londlli
insurance, 11 per cent. By the overland route the freige
to the Bank of England is 1 per cent. ; insurance 111"-
cent.