The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-08 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

LIVER POOL, WEDNESDAY.
By the mail packet-ship Montmorency, Captain
Kiddie, one of the Black Ball line of Australian
packets, we have received advices from Melbourne
to the 16th of October. She has brought 100,000
ounces of gold on freight and 95 passengers.
The Mermaid, hence, arrived at Port Philip
Heads on the 16th of October.
The latest advices from England at Melbourne
were to the Bth of July.
Further discoveries of gold are announced. It
bad been found in the Victoria branch of the Mur-
ray River.

The discoveries at Dunolly diggings continued to
attract thousands, but there was an absence of that
hopeful spirit which usually pervades a prosperous
11131]. Some very large nuggets are reported to have
been picked up.
At M'lvor diggings the mines were yielding very
satisfactorily.
There had been a rush upon a reef on the eastern
side of the Eureka line, near Ballarat. A China-
man was the pioneer. Sulky Gully was in high
favour, and the greatest activity prevailed.
At the Ovens the only movement was an onward
one, with the exception of a few diggers who con-
tinued to hover around the relics of bygone riches.
At the new diggings adventurers were doing well.
At the El Dorado mines considerable damage had
been occasioned by floods.
The Courier of the Mines announces that at Ben-
digo 280 ounces of gold had been obtained from
nine tons of quartz.
According to the Argus, every vessel whose date
of sailing from England was known had arrived at
Melbourne. This was considered a favourable
symptom for importers. The advices, too, from
England were favourable. Owing to bad weather
the markets were dull.

The money market was without change. Inac-
tivity prevailed in the wool market. The export
for the year was expEicted to be considerably smaller
even than that of the previous year. The time
was at hand when the prices of the season would
be established. Prices were unaltered, viz.—For
scoured wools, 19d. to 21d. per lb. ; handwashed
and slipe, 12d. to 16&d. per lb.
A. good demand existed for tallow for shipment.
The quotations were—beef tallow, 351. to 361. per
ton ; mutton, 381. ditto. For hides no alteration
in prices bad occurred. Good country salted, 14s.
each ; town cured, 15s. 6d. to 16s. A steady de-
mand for all kinds of labour continued. Several
married couples without families had been engaged
at good rates. Single women were very scarce.
The weather had been so cold and uncertain that
settlers were only then looking out for shearers
and washers. The quotations for servants were as
follows

" Married couples, without family, for private houses
or home stations, 851. to 1001. per annum ; ditto, farms,
dre., 701. to 801. ; ditto, with family, 60/. ; shepherds,
351. to 401. ditto ; hutkeepers, 25/. to 301. ditto ; stock-
keepers, 651. to 701. ditto ; ploughmen, 30s. per week ;
general farm servants, 255. ditto ; or 521. per annum ;
thrashing and cleaning, is. per bushel and no rations ;
hay cutting end trussing, Bs. ditto ; gardeners, 701. per
annum ; bullock drivers, on stations, 501. to 551. ditto ;
ditto, roads, 30s. per week. Customary rations, 121 b.
meat, 10lb. flour, alb. tea, 21b. sugar."
Sheep stations were in demand.
The Melbourne _Herald, of October 14th, says :
" The City of Sydney, which arrived in Hobson's Bay
yesterday, brings intelligence from Sydney to the Bth.
With the exception of the electioneering proceedings
consequent upon the contests which were t _king place
for the seats vacated by the members of the new Minis
try, on their accepting office, the news is uninteresting.
" The revenue of the colony for the quarter ending the
30ch of September had been published. The total
receipts during that period amounted to 281,027/. 102.4 d.,
being an increase on the corresponding quarter of 1855
of 13,645, 4s. sd.

OUR GOLD FIELDS.
The yield of gold at the Fingal diggings dur-
ing the week ending Saturday last, was 12i ozs.
The number of diggers employed is one hun-
dred, most of whom are at the Nook, from
whence 10i on. of the gold were obtained. A quantity
of Fingal gold is exhibited in the window of Mr. Tozer's
shop, Charles-street. The Iloba? t Town AdJertiser of
Tuesday has the following :—" A tangible proof that
we have a gold-field in Tasmania may be seen in the
window of Mr. David Barclay, in Liverpool-street.
There are two dishes containing gold from the "Nook"
and the " Black Boy" diggings, besides one ingot which
has been assayed at the Sydney Mint, weighing about
16 ounces, and three smaller ones, as well as a piece of
gold rolled out 13 inches long and one inch broad. The
quantity of dust receive' from Fingal yesterday was
about 51 ounc , the whole of which is now on view at
Mr. Barclay's establishment. We n—od no stronger
evideJce than the quantity of gold thus obtained, to
prove that there is a gold field in Tasmania, only
awaiting energy and perseverance to develop it. It
is therefore to be hoped that now the fine weather has
set in, we shall soon hear of further discoveries, and
more encouraging prospects, and we trust advantage
-will be taken of the summer season to examine every
place likely to produce gold. As a further proof of the
exiient of the auriferous quartz reefs of the colony, we
may mention that letters have' been received in town,
announcing that the writer had traced, in a district to
the westward, one reef a distance of 17 mile. A bag con-
taining a small quantity is on its way to town to test its
value.—Launceston Examiner,

SPRING BAY GOLD.
We are credibly informed by a gentleman from Spring
Bay that a piece of quartz, impregnated with gold, has
been picked (up a few days ago by a constable's wife,
near the New Coal Shaft, on the township of Triabunna.
The quartz is in the possession of J. H. Vicary, Esq.,
J.P., who intends sending it to his Excellency the Go.
vernor in a few days.— H. T. Advertis:',.

TASMANIAN GOLD.
We are glad to find that competent and gratify.
ing intelligence has been received by the Tasma-
nia from the Rev. Mr. Clarke relative to the value
of the quartz of this colony. The analysis of speci-
mens from the westward, in the vicinity of the
Frenchman's Cap, places beyond a doubt the certainty
of there being valuable deposits of gold in that locality.
Several specimens of quartz were forwarded to the Rev.
Mr. Clarke for analysis, and the result has proved the
truth of the productions of Mr. Clarke made more than
five years ago. Some of the specimens yielded upwards
of thirteen ounces to the ton. Every day adds fresh
proof of the richness of the mineral treasures at our feet,
only awaiting proper appliances to develop their inesti-
mable value.

VICTORIA GOLD CIRCULAR.
Saturday, 11th October.
The prices remain as before, viz, :

a. D.
Castlemaine and Bendigo
Mary borough
Korong
Avoca
Dunolly
Fiery Creek
Ovens 76 6
Ballarat
The gold brought to town by hand seems to be in
creasing in quantity, more especially the quartz gold, of
which several fine parcels have been received by us dux,
ing the week. A most decided improvement may be
observed in the quality and inciting loss of many of the
parcels now forwarded to us ; some have been melted by
us with a loss less than on the alluvial dust. During the
week, propositions for a quartz fusion process have been
brought before the public ; the details of the method
involve no new facts. This appears to us to partake
more of a speculative purpose than a process reduced and
elaborated by experience within practical limits.
Some news of a rush to Malmesbury has reached us,
but no certain intelligence of its value, has yet arrived.
The crushing machine at Anderson's diggings will be
completed in about a fortnight from date. The expense
of the plant will be little short of 3,0001., and we
heartily wish teem every success. There are some pro-
spects of new reefs being opened soon on the Yarra
above and below the Creek.

76 0

RECEIPTS PER ESCORT.
Name of gold-field. Quantity.
ozs. dwts.
Castlemaine... 6,523
Sandhurst 11,344 10
Heathcote
Ballaarat
Cres wick Creak
Avoca
Fiery Creek 2,567 10
Mount Franklyn 132
Amherst
Maryborou gh
Black wood
Beechworth .. lO,lll
Woolshed lB3

Total 55,371 15
SPECIE EXPORTED DURING WEEK.
Ceylon, per Marion...... £26,900
Golden Era 15,000

241,900

SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

We have intelligence from Adelaide to the 9th
current. The news possesses little interest.

We have some interesting gold statistics from
Sydney. The quantity received by the escorts in
nine months to the end of September is 74,633
ounces.
The Mint return is as follows :---
Gold received for Coinage. Coin issued.
March quarter ......... 65,875 oz.
June quarter ........... 54, „586
September quarter ....57,217 „
---

177,678 oz. £997,500
Tile revenue of the Mint for the period is 9,311/.
There was a report about 10 days since of a mon-

ster nugget of 5 cwt. having been found near the
spot where the "hundredweight of gold" was
found in the early days of gold discovery. This
great nugget was estimated as being worth 20,0001.,
but it has turned out to be nearly all quartz. The
nugget exhibited in 1853 at Wyld's Great Globe,
and which weighed when cleaned 1381 b., and was
worth over 6,0001., is the largest ever found.
THE GOLD SEARCH ON KANGAROO ISLAND.—Captain
Kirby returned yesterday in the cutter Good Intent
from Kangaroo Island, having been obliged to forego
for the present his intention of seeking for gold, in con•
sequence of his not being enabled to find a sufficiently
sheltered cove wherein to moor the cutter during a pro•
longed absence of himself and party in the interior of
the island. He purposes making another start i❑ the
Icourse of a month or two, when the weather shall have
become milder.—Register.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.
The Mermaid, hence ; the Olivia and the Time and
Truth, from London ; the Charles and the Velante,
from Glasgow ; and the Raritan, from Gibraltar—all at
Melbourne. The Princeza, hence, and the Queen, from
London, at Natal.

THE BOMBARDMENT OF CANTO*.

(Prom the Times.)
A full and lucid narrative of the recent operations
at Canton is given in the despatch of Sir. Michael
Seymour to the Secretary of the Admiralty. It entirely
confirms the opinions which we have expressed as to
the importance of the principle for which the British
authorities contended, and which the British nation will
be called on to support. The immediate cause of hos-
tilities was, as is generally the case in war, of small
moment ; the real question involved was the liberty of
the Chinese Government to treat European nations as
tolerated inferiors instead of friends and equals. Is the
ridiculous pride of an ignorant race to be humoured by
English cansuls and commanders ? Are we, who receive
thousands of Chinese yearly into our territory, to truckle
before the representative of a tottering dynasty and a
decaying system ; or are we to assert the rigly a which
natural law, the terms of a recent treaty, and our own
superiority in arms and civilisation give us, and enforce
the liberty of free communication with the authorities
of this intolerant empire ? The details already given
of these proceedings are in the main exact, but we are
glad to find that on one point a correction must be
made. The Admiral did not bombard the town, but
confined his fire to Government property. As far as
'we can learn, no part of that vast and densely popu-
lated city was wilfully destroyed, except a portion of
the suburb, which it was necessary to break through
in order to reach the wall ; and, even here, the people
were allowed full time to remove themselves and their
property.
Sir M. Seymour gives in his despatch a oonvincing
account of the moderation with which he acted. Of
this, indeed, the facts of the case are a sufficient proof.
The first reprisal of the British Admiral took place on
the 11th of October, on which day he seized an Im-
perial junk. The last act of hostilities was not com-
pleted until the 9th of November, when the Bsgue
Forts were captured. Thus for a full month the
British authorities were engaged in their endeavours
to bring the Governor to reason, and each successive
attack was followed by a fresh warning and fresh time
for consideration. It is somewhat difficult to judge
fairly of these things at a distance ; a multitude of
preceding circumstances may be unknawn to us, and
the general tone of relations between the natives and
our authorities can, of course, only be guessed at ;
but it is pretty evident that the insolence of the
Canton Government and its direct violation of
the treaty of 1842 had long been a subject of
notoriety. By treaty the English have a right of
access to the authorities at five Chinese ports ; at four
of these the right is conceded, but at Canton it has been
evaded, and at last directly refused. The conduct of
Yeh in the matter is therefore only part of a system
against which the British representatives have long pro-
tested in vain. On the Bth of October the lorcha Arrow
was boarded, 12 men carried off, and the British flag
hauled down. The officer who committed the outrage
was remonstrated with, but to no effect. The 12 men
were subsequently sent back, but "not in the public
manner in which they had been carried away, and all
appearance of an apology was pointedly avoided." Sir
John Bowring thought that the seizure of a junk would
lead to reparation. A junk was accordingly seized, but
the act was followed by no apology from the Chinese.
Then the Admiral, Sir John Bowring, and Mr. Parkes
take counsel, and agree that their best course is to seize
the defences of the city of Canton, which would be a
display of power and determination, and yet not involve
the sacrifice of life. This step they felt to be necessary,
" experienee of the Chinese character having proved
that moderation is considered by the officials only as an
evidence of weakness." However, it was resolved to
act in no hasty manner. Not till the 23d of October
did the Admiral, having moved up the river and
placed his frigates and steamers to the best advantage,
send off boats' crews and take possession of the Blenheim
Fort and the Four Barrier Fort. In these places about
150 guns were taken—a proof that the Cninese do not
neglect warlike preparations, but yet know little how to
use them when they are made. The Macao Fort, in the
middle of the river, was then taken, with its 86 guns,
and has been garrisoned and retained by the British.
On the 24th the Birdseye and Cha-min Forts were cap-
tured, the guns spiked, and the ammunition destroyed.
The factory was then fortified by barricades to guard
against an attack from the town, and boats placed to
watch the approach of fire-rafts or junks by water. On
the 25th a fort called the Dutch Folly was taken, and
all the defences of the city were in our hands.
At this juneture proposals were again made for an
accommodation. The Admiral directed Mr. Parkes to
write and state that when his Excellency Yeh should
he prepared to arrange the points in dispute operations
would cease ; but the Governor made no satisfactory
answer. On the contrary, he took the offensive. A
body of Chinese troops, supported by a larger force,
attacked the Factory. A eharge of marines was suffi-
cient to route this military array. The next day being
Sunday, nothing was done. But on the 27th, and
only two days after Yeh's evasive answer and warlike
demonstration, the Admiral gave him another chance of
accommodation. The Governor was told that offensive
operations would recommence unless satisfaction were
granted, and, to prevent the recurrence of evils like the
present, which had arisen from the disregard by the
Governor of the British Admiral's lettsre, it was de.
mended that foreign representatives should have, the
same right of access to the authorities of Canton as is
enjoyed under treaty at the other four ports, and denied
at Canton alone. No answer was returned, and fire was
accordingly opened on his Excellency's residence. Yeh
seems to have been highly exasperated by this proceed-
ing, and roused himself from an apathy which the cap-
ture of the forts could not move. He issued and pla-
carded publicly a proclamation offering a reward of $3O
for the head of every Englishman. On the 28th and
29th the fire continued for the purpose of making a
breach in the wall ; and on the latter day the gate was
blown to pieces and the city entered. The Commissioner
still continued obstinate, and till Nov. 5 operations con-
tinued. On that day it was apprehended that a force of
23 war-junks was about to attack our ships and the
Factory. The Barracouta accordingly undertook their
destruction, and, although exposed to a fire of 150
guns, took or burnt the whole of them in little more than
half an hour. On the Bth the Chinese again resumed
the offensive, and endeavoured to destroy our ships with
fire-rafts, but this manoeuvre was entirely defeated. On
the same day the British Admiral brought his operations
to a close by the capture of the well-known Bogue Forts,
which were gallantly carried, the Chinese standing to
their guns until our men entered the embrasures. The
forts were found to mount 200 guns, and to be much
stronger than in 1841.
It will be seen from this short sketch that the opera-
tions at Canton constitute acts of deliberate warfare on
both sides. The Chinese Commissioner first breaks the
peace and then refuses reparation ; the English Admiral
proceeds to acts of hostility, to which Yeh replies by
an attack on the Factory, a reward for the slaughter of
Englishmen, and an attempt to barn the British ships
by fire-rafts. We are therefore actually at war with
China. We have declared that we will have reparation,
and no reparation has yet been offered ; on the contrary,
our settlement and our vessels have been attacked by
the authorities. We need not say that ample indemnity
must be given for these things. Furthermore, it
cannot be doubted that both our honour and interest
urge us to place our relations with the Chinese
empire on a new footing. China mnst be brought
into full communication with the civilised world, and
the task of dragging her from seclusion can be best per-
formed by Englishmen. In the interest, therefore, of
humanity and civilisation we ought not to let this matter
drop. If Yeh and such as he triumph, all that was gained
in 1842 will be practically lost. We do not want to con-
quer China, although it would be affectation to deny that
English influence and enterprise are likely to be the chief
agents in remodelling the immense empire which is now
waking to new life after the torpor of many thousand
years. We should, then, prepare at once to assert our
position and to enforce the right of civilised nations to
free commerce and communication with every part of this
vast territory. There is no use in treating with such a
Power as if it belonged to the enlightened communities
of Europe. The British authorities should make up
their minds as to what they intend to demand and what
guarantees they intend to take. The occupation of
Chusan, and perhaps some point still nearer to the capi-
tal, a stipulation for the residence of an ambassador at
the Imperial Court, and free entrance for men of all na-
tions into the country, are parts of the programme which
naturally suggest themselves. Let us have no useless
slaughter and no attempts to elevate the rout of these
feeble barbarians into victories ; but, as the Chinese
have reopened the question of our relations with them,
the opportunity may fairly be taken to secure all that the
interests of humanity demand.

LOCAL SHARE MARKETS.

LIVERPOOL, JAN. 7.

STOOK EXOITANGE.—The market continues very quiet,
but prices are steady. Lancashire and Yorkshire, 97e—
Eastern Counties, El. 16s. 3il. South Eastern, 221—
Midland, 830`--North Weste.a, 7i—Dutch Rhenish, 6 P.
• London and North Western, 107—Manchester, Sheffield,
and Lincoln, 34 ', Great Western of Canada. 24g.
Blackburn, 8.16.3.—Ea5t Lancashire, 23I—Great Western,
61:1.