The Sun.
London, England, 1859-04-06 00:00:00

NEW SOUTH WALES.

The following is from the Sydney Morning Herald
of Feb. 11 :

The principal questions which have occupied the
Legislative Council have been the Bigamy Bill,
which the mover (Mr. Johnson) withdrew for six.
months, in preference to submitting to an amend-
ment requiring corroborative testimony of the wife's
evidence to be given in such cases. This bill, there-
fore, containing as it did a most important change
in the law, stands over for the session.
The Steam Postal question has lengthily oc-
cupied the attention of both houses. The
result appears to be that both houses are
dissatisfied with the arrangements which have
been made binding at home, in respect to the route
per Suez, without any reference to the line via
Panama. Of course there has been some reference
to the offer of the colony in regard to the Panama
route, but great suspicions prevail that, if the con-
tracts as to the Suez route are as we understand
them, this colony is involved in an arrangement of
expenditure which is far beyond any benefit re-
ceived, and which will probably prove injurious if
not fatal to the establishment of a line of postal
communication which could alone be beneficial to
us.

Resolutions, without repudiating the previous
offers of the Government, or any engagement made
under the sanction of Parliament, but strongly
conservative of the right of the house to enforce its
opinion in favour of two lines, have passed both
houses. The main political topic, however, which
has engaged attention has been supply. Day by
day the estimates, which were to have been brought
down to the house in such a way that they could
not be disputed, but were to be passed in the lump,
have been discussed ;. and, though comparatively
few reductions have been made, they have been
made by the former warmest friends of the govern-
ment, and it is quite plain that all confidence in
their economical ability or honesty is gone. It is
beyond doubt that, extend ed as the debates on
the estimates have been, were it not for the depar-
ture of some or, the, leading men of the opposition
party, the Cowper Government could not be con-
tinued foe one. fortnight. .
At a special general meeting of the Chamber of
Commerce on Tuesday, the subject of steam postal
communication was very fully discussed.. It was
moved by Mr. Drury, "That it is the opinion of
this Chamber that the colony of New South Wales
ought not to subsidise any contract for steam postal
commUnicationwhich does not provide for the service
via Panama." After a lengthened discussion,however,
the following amendment, proposed by Mr. A. Camp-
bell, was agreed to, "That this Chamber considers that
in the contract for a postal service recently made
with the Peninsular and Oriental Company the
claims and interests of New South Wales have been
overlooked t.Q an extent which releases thii colony
from any obligation to contribute towards its sup-
port, and that the widieu of this Chamber will best
be snot by the establishing of a line of steam postal
m comualeation between Sydney and
was also agreed to that the foregoi Panama." It
ng resoluqons
should. be. embodied in an address to be presented
tO the chief secretary, requesting their considera-
tion by the execOirY•
government. This is prptty
fair illustration of the feeling which prevails in
commercial oirele, in reference to the mode in which
the home government has dealt with the interests
and claims of New
South Wales in the making of
the last contract. ; The only thing which, as it ap-
Wceli to give satisfaction
pears, wiUwill be

the establishment of both lines ; taking the gua-
rantee of New South Wales for the subsidy of the
Panama route, and that of Victoria for the subsidy
for the Suez route, leaving each colony to make the
best bargain it can with its neighbours.

COMMERCIAL.
Since our last summary, dated January 25th, the share
market has been very active, and a large amount of business
has been transacted in the shares of several of the companies-
at improved prices. Money ,is pretty plentiful for invest-
ment, and as the half-yearly reports of the Commercial
Bank, Newcastle Coal and Copper Company, Australasian
:Steam Navigation Company have been very •satisfactory,
it has caused some demand for these shares. The fluctua-
tions are as follow :—Bank of New South Wales are firm
at £46, but holders are asking £47 per share ; Commercial
Bank have advanced .30s. to .40s.' per share ; Australian
Joint-Stock, Bank have . improved 55.. per share ; Union
Bank have been sold at £52 per share, which is an ad-
vance 'of £1 per- share.; Australian Steam Naviga-
tion Company have been in request, and have been sold at
£l4 10s. per share, ex-dividend, which is an advance of £1
per share; Sydney Insurance Company are 21 per cent
higher. _ _

;Uovernment Debentures are firm, and. are worth nearly
1 per cent. more thainaSt'month. Interminables have also
improved, and are quoted at 98.
The, amount of gold coin issued by the. Sydney branch of
the Royal Mint from the Ist of January to the 4th of
February has been 105,000 sovereigns. The quantity of
gold-dust imported into the same establishment during the
month for the purpose of coinage has been 28,519 oz.
The amount of ChStoms' revenue collected during the
month of January has been £53,102 6s. sd. During the
corresponding month of 1858 the receipts amounted to
£43,195 6s. 6d. There is, therefore, an increase of £9,806
18s. 11d. This increase is very satisfactory, and augurs well
for the future ; and we think, without being too sanguine,
that we may anticipate Customs revenue for the year 1859
as being not far short of £600,000.
The quantity of gold dust received by escort from the
several gold fields and from Fairfield and Port Curtis during
the past month amounted to 19,908 oz. For thersame month
of 1858, the amount was 14,701 oz. The increase in the
month is, therefore, 5,207 oz., or 35 per cent. There is a
small decrease of 125 oz., or 11- per cent., on the yield from
the western goldfields, and an increase of 3,960 oz., ornearly
140 per cent. on the southern gold fields, and an increase of
1,372 ounces, or 48 per cent. on the northern gold fields.