The Sun.
London, England, 1859-05-16 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

SYDNEY. •
We have received Sydney papers, with dates
from the 11th of February to fife 10th of ;March
last. Their contents possess little interest. Mini-
sterial changes were in contemplation. Mr. Forster
brought forward a motion in the Assembly to the
effect that every minister of religion—no matter
what might be his ecclesiastical rank—should re-
ceive an equal share of the money reserved in
schedule C of the Church Act, but after an animated
debate the motion was lost by 15 to 6. In both
the upper and lower houses members had. been
guilty of great disorder, and much acrimony bad
been displayed. In the Upper House, Mr. Peas
Thomson moved a resolution affirming the neees"
sity for connecting the Australian colonies with
the proposed telegraphic line between Great
Britain and India. The discussion was adjourned
that some despatches recently received might be
referred to. It has been determined to erect a. neW
School of Arts. A grand subscription ball Was
given in Sydney to welcome Sir Charles Nicholson
back to the colony. The appeals of the Rev. Vir.B.
Clarke for a new expedition in search of Dr. Leiell-
hardt had met with unfavourable responses, both
from the colonial and Imperial authorities, sa that
there was no hope of such an expedition b eing
started, unless it can be got up by public subsiorir
tion.

The Land League was being organised. Tile
principles of this league, as laid down at a litunell
meeting at Redfern, are that " free selection,- free
pasturage, deferred payments, and taxation on
uncultivated and unimproved lands, and .a tend :ilia"
tion of the present squatting system, at the end of
the leases, agreeable to the orders in counci 1 of
March, 1847, ought to be embodied in any Jan!
bill calculated to give satisfaction to the colonLsts•

COMMERCIAL.

(From the Sydney Herald.)
The share market has been pretty active, but the,
fluctuations that have taken place in the prices 01
securities have not been to any great extent'
Money continues plentiful for investment, and the
shares of the Bank of New South Wales, and MO-
mercial Bank in particular, are firm, at full quota'
tions, and have rather an upward tendency. Aus-
tralian Steam Navigation shares are not quite so
much in demand, and have declined 10s. per share'.
Government debentures continue firm, and ter-
minables meet with a ready sale at quotatL*
Interminables have also changed hands in o'ls'
amounts at 98 and interest.
The amount of gold coin issued by the Syablesl
Branch of the Royal Mint, from the Ist of Januerl
to the 4th of March, has been 170,000 sovereittt
The quantity of gold dust imported into the gun°
establishment during the same period, for the Fur"
pose of coinage, has been 50,701 ounces.
The quantity of gold dust received by the escoril
from the several gold-fields during the month (I`
February has been 20,384 ounces. For the co;
responding month of 1858 the amount delivered
was 15,437 ounces. The increase in the month.ot
therefore, 4,947.0unce5, or 30 per cent. During tl3°
first two months of the year 1858 the quantity
re-
ceived was 30,138 ounces. Duringthe same p 0
of 1559 the amount delivered has been 40,22
ounces, which is an
,increase of 10,154 ounce, or
33 per cent. in favour of the present year.

MELBOURNE.
The news from Melbourne is to the 16th of
March. The following is from the Age of that date •
The Emeu which this month conveys our home;
ward mails, is the second vessel of the new posts.,
service under the Peninsular and Oriental Company'
The first vessel was the Salsette, which convert'
our mails last month. The new service has been
commenced most favourably, and the arrangements:
so far as they are known, appear to give universaAL
satisfaction. The resources of the company, and
the character it has hitherto maintained for pupa'
tuality and efficiency, favour the expectation
that we shall henceforth have no occasion to cot:'
plain of vexatious delays and uncertainty in
despatch and receipt of our mails.

POLITICAL.
On the 24th of last month the Victorian Pal'
liament was prorogued under circumstances
peculiar as to render the event historically remark"
able. Probably nothing similar has been recorded
in the annals of Parliament. His Excellency, I°3'o
was in attendance, according to previous arrange'
ment, early in the afternoon, for the purpose °f
giving the Royal assent to the bills of the sessioul
and delivering the prorogation address, was kept
waiting in one of the ante-rooms of the house
for about seven hours. Meanwhile, a debate ae
angry and stormy as any that had occurred during
occasion of this debate was an alteration in the,
the session was proceeding in the Assembly.. 111-,--e
Appropriation Bill, which the Council, our colonial
House of Peers, had ventured to make on the pre'
vious day. In accordance with the precedents
of the English Parliament, which our legislators
profess to hold in absolute reverence, this interfe'
rence of the Council with the functions of the
people's representatives was declared by the Mines'
try and their supporters to involve a breach °,
privilege. When, therefore, the bill with anielT:
meats was returned to the Lower House, the
Treasurer moved that the alterations should be
disallowed, and proposed the following.
resoln"
tion :—" That the Constitution Act having VI;
hibited the Legislative Council from nial"l/P
any alteration in the Appropriation Bill, t,"4
a
house refuses to entertain the amendments,
„anis
insists upon the bill in its integrity."
resolution an amendment was proposed by 11?-
Mechi, and supported by most of the members Cr.
the opposition benches :—" That as the anteillu
ments made by the Legislative Council do not eller
the appropriation, but merely further the intend°n
of this house in regard to the grant for education,
they do agree with such amendments." The
lengthy debate which ensued was not simply al;
fined to this question of privilege, but comprise.";
also the merits of the alteration which the Counop
had introduced into the act. This, as appears
the terms of the amendment, related to the gra„ni,
for educational purposes. The sum of £126,0u"
had been voted by the Assembly for distribution
on a certain specified plan, between the national
and denominational board. In the Appropriation
Bill this was divided into two portions, and the
majority of the Upper House considered that the
division proposed was not in accordance with
the resolution of the Assembly. It was con'
tended that the Ministry, for some reason
which was not very obvious, had apportioned to
the Denominational Board a larger sum than l t
a
was equitably entitled to, and had thus inflicted
an injury upon the National Board. As this dis-
tribution appeared unfair and partial, and further'
more did not accord with the principle of distriu:;
tion prescribed by the Assembly, the Upper 11°Ite
assumed that they could constitutionally alter flit
item. They, therefore, carried an amendolella
ignoring the distribution proposed by the bill, ar.1,4„
leaving the vote for the gross sum to be afterwards
divided as the Assembly had resolved. This alter:.
tion was made on the 23d, the day before the Pr4o
rogation, and ought to have been reported
the Assembly on the same evening. The ques-
tion of privilege could then have been discussed
and settled at once, and the slight which was
put upon the Governor on the following .7
would have been avoided. But the Ministry, Who a.
regarded this resolution of the Council as ail,
verse to themselves, had otherwise arranged• h
imitation of the " whitebait" dinner of English
cabinets, they had fis ed on that very evening tiv,
an official dinner ; and though they were perfee
aware of the decision of the Council, and
ve
anticipated a debate on the question when it caul,
before the Assembly, every member of the Govern'
ment was absent at the hour of meeting. Thee
had gone to their " whitebait" dinner, and left tit
Opposition members to themselves. Rather than
forego the feast, which they complacently imagin:eh
completed the resemblance between the Englis,
and Victorian Cabinets, they allowed this importon''
matter to stand over to the following day, whebilc;
according to arrangement, Parliament was
to
formally prorogued. The result was as we hell%
must ha
stated above. When the Governor arrived, the
Lower House was just entering upon one of
Each side contended stoutly for
warmest and most critical debates of the session'
nous,
English precedents—the privileges of the
of Commons—constitutional law—the usages
.1
Parliament as laid down in "Ma y"—the special
provisions of our own Constitution Act—the
the
pre-
sumption of the Council—and collaterally
tW°
relative claims and the mutual jealousies of the
the
educational boards, a!id the possible motives of
its Own position°.