The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-05 00:00:00

LATEST NEWS

AUSTRALIA.

By the arrival of the Simla we have received files
of papers from Melbourne to the 15th Oct., and
Sydney to the 13th Oct.
We take the following from the summary pub-
lished in the Melbourne Age of 15th Oct
" COMMERCIAL.
" There have been few changes in the import
markets since the departure of the Emeu, the only
movement of importance being in sugars and teas,
and generally in Eastern produce. The intelligence
from India, together with the news of an increased
demand at Mauritius, and the comparatively low
stocks in this and the neighbouring colonies, occa-
sioned a rise of from 4/. to 6/. a ton in every dt scrip-
tion of sugar. This advance has been well sus-
tained, though the last sales of cargoes just arrived
show a slight reaction. There is, however, every
likelihood of prices remaining firm for some months
to come.
" The markets have been very quiet in spirits and
wines. Holders of the former have been accepting
declining rates since the arrival of the Simla, and
from the large quantities still in bond, and the
smaller consumption during the summer months, it
is not probable that the high prices obtained a few
weeks back will be recovered. Martell's is now
quoted at 17s. 6d. to 18s., and the position of other
brandies corresponds according to the estimation in
which they are held. A considerable amount of
business has been doing in bulk, and bottled beers.
Bass's has been firmly advancing, and is now sale-
able at 9/. ss. to 91. 10s. Recent sales to arrive
over a term of months are reported at 8/. ss.
Byass's rter and ale are worth lls. 91. to 123.
Several second-class brands have been in good de-
mand, and have commanded better prices. As the
summer advances, this department of business pro-
mises to attract a fair share of attention. The only
wines that have been much inquired after are claret
and light summer wines.
" Business has presented more animation during
the last month, as the diggings have been more
prosperous. The success of the new rushes, the in-
troduction of improved machinery, and the larger
supply of water have all co-operated to increase the
means of the diggers, and proportionately to ill-
prove the position of storekeepers. Hence larger
orders are coming to town, and it is expected that
as the season advances, the amount of loading sent
up the country will steadily improve, it being well
known that for a long time back stocks have been
kept exceedingly low, and limited almost entirely
to articles of absolute necessity.
"GOLD.

"The intelligence from the various gold-fields
during the last month his generally been of a
favourable character. Upon many of the older
diggings the want of water seriously impeded ope-
ra,ions. Bat this want has been supplied by the
recent heavy rains. Hence the paddlers and
crushers have bee❑ enabled to realise upon their
accumulations of washing stuff. The more exten-
sive introduction of efficient machinery in con-
nection with the quartz reefs, which are every
month being further developed, has rendered
systematic mining a more certain and lucrative oc-
cupation than digging ; and the yield from this
source is steadily increasing. Tile new rushes at
Mount Ararat and Mount Reasai,l t have fulfilled the
expectations formed of them at the commencement.
Hundreds, of course, have abandoned the new
ground in disappointment, but this is invariably
the case with a new rush ; but a largo population
remains behind, whe will in all likelihood b 3 per-
manently employed upon those fields ; and, judging,
by the successive ecorts coming down, Ararat will
continue to rank among our richest diggings.
Deep sinking and quartz mining will no doubt in
due time succeed tue more primitive farms of gold
seeking, which are always at Eir,t adopted upon new
ground, and the wore sanguine predict that a second
Ballarat would be established. Many minor rushes
have taken place lately with more or less succe:, s ;
but the cry of a new gold-field has become a matter
of such frequent occurrence that it now excites little
attention, unless the attraction presented be suffi-
cient to occasion the migration of 40,000 or 50,000
of the moveable population of our auriferous dis-
tricts in the coarse of a few weeks, as was the case
wi en Mount Ararat was discovered.
The following figures will show the comparative
returns by the weekly escorts for the last four weeks,
and the four corresponding weeks of 1856 :

1857. 1856.
Week ending Sept. 18th
Sept. 26th
-- Oct. Id
Oct. 9th
For several weeks there his b en a steady in-
crease in the quantities brought down by the
escorts. The return.' for the several mouths of
1857 are :

oz. ilwt.
January
February
March • 111,16 ;,6 2 5
April
May
June
July
August 208,988 10
September 226,892 10
October
"Only three gold ships have left since our last
summary appeared. They were—the Emeu, for
Suez, Sept. 17, 117,412 oz. ; the Star of the South,
for Hong Kong, Oct. 5, 16,586 oz. ; and the Suf-
folk, for London, Oct. 5, 1.12,446 oz. The totil
quantity of gold shippel during the year, inclusive
of shipments to Sydney and the neighbouring
colonies, has been 2,175,143 oz., er 90 tons 2 cwt.
2 qrs. 11 lb. 9 oz , which, at 80s. por oz , yields the
value of 8,700,5641. The duty paid upon this
quantity is 269,8521. 14s. 9J., according to the re-
turns of the Custom-house.

" IMMIGRATION AND LABOUR.
" Victona is still receiving from the Old World
more immigrants than, in the present condition of
our land system, we can readily ab3orb. It is
calculated that at least ;30,000 have been added to
our population during the past year ; and immi-
grants are still pouring in at the rate of 1,000 a-
werk. If the Lend question were settled on a leg.ti-
nrzte basis, this would b.) a source of real plt.asure
and profit to the country ; but under existing cir-
cumstances the iinin'grant, full of hope and enthu-
siasm upon lauding here, too ft.) quontly quills
before the impediments cast in the way of honest
industry.

" Since our lastsummary, howover, the condition
of the people has some That improve 1. The Go-
vernment has provided temporary work for a large
number of these who were on the verge of destitu-
tion, and others have.beeti abs ooct,.V private. in-
dustrial enterprise. With the'brOSpeet of an abun-
dant harvest, the hopes of the people have been
proportionately elevated, and we'are disposed to
congratulate ourselves upon having passed' over the
darkest phase of Vie commer,ial crisis. We shdl
always be subject to similar visitations, however,
until the exising monopolies and iinpedimeuts to
industry are swept away, and our resources as a
nation are pe,mitted a healthy development.

" THE CHINESE.
"The antipathy between the white population of
Victoria and the Chinese chontinues unabat•d. At
the goldfields and elsewhere collisions occasionally,
occur, and it is believed that there would be a gen eral
rising of the Europ ‘ans for the expulsion of the ob-
noxious race but for the prospect of speedy legisla-
tion upon the subject. Ou the 25th ulc. Mr. Haines
obtained the sanction of the House of Assembly to
withdraw A Bill to provide for the residence of
the Chinese in Vict-Jria.' The principle of the mea- I
sure is embodied in the fdloiving res
' That it is expedL•nt that every male native of
China or its dependencies, or of any island in the
Chinese Seas, and every person above the age of 12
years born of Chinese parents, should, on or bif..re
the Ist day of every month, obtain a licence to re-
side in Victoria, and should pay for the same a sum
of 112 The measure has already passed a second
reading, and in some shape it is alnr-...5t certain to
become law, as the public are all but unanimous in
desiring to put a proper limit to Chinese immigra-
tion. In the meantime, the clandestine immigra-
tion through Guichen Bay has considerably fallen
off.