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

small filibustering expedition on the shores of Cuba
has failed. The small boats in which the filibusters
sought to reach the shore were swamped, and all
the munitions were lost. The filibusters them-
selves were saved, and had been conveyed in a
vessel to Hayti.

ARRIVAL OF THE HAMMONIA.
SOUTHAMPTON, SUNDAY.
The Hammonia has arrived here from New York.
Her advices are to the 2d instant, and her news Is
anticipated by the arrival of the Arabia.

AUSTRALIA.

SYDNEY.

We have received Sydney papers, with dates
from the 11th of February to the 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 had
been displayed. In the Upper House, Mr. Deas
Thomson moved a resolution affirming the neces-
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. W. B.
Clarke for a new expedition in search of Dr. Leich-
hardt had met with unfavourable responses, both
from the colonial and Imperial authorities, so that
there was no hope of such an expedition being
started, unless it can be got up by public subscrip-
tion.

The Land League was being organised. The
principles of this league, as laid down at a branch
meeting at Redfern, are that " free selection, free
pasturage, deferred payments, and taxation on
uncultivated and unimproved lands, and a termina-
tion of the present squatting system, at the end of
the leases, agreeable to the orders in council of
March, 1847, ought to be embodied in any land
bill calculated to give satisfaction to the colonists.''

COMMERCIAL.
(From the Sydney Herald.)
The share market has been pretty active, but the
fluctuations that have taken place in the prices of
securities have not been to any great extent.
Money continues plentiful for investment, and‘the
shares of-the Bank of New South Wales, and Com-
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 quotations•
Interminables have also changed hands in small
amounts at 98 and interest.

The amount of gold coin issued by the Sydney.
Branch of the Royal Mint, from the Ist of JanuarY
to the 4th of March, has been 170,000 sovereigns•
The quantity of gold dust imported into the saws
establishment during the same period, for the pur-
pose of coinage, has been 50,701 ounces.
The quantity of gold dust received by the escorts
from the several gold-fields during the month of
February has been 20,384 ounces. For the cor-
responding month of 1858 the amount delivered
was 15,437 ounces. The increase in the month is,
therefore, 4,947 ounces, or 30 per cent. During the
first two months of the year 1858 the quantity re:
ceived was 30,138 ounces. Duringthe same palm.
of 1859 the amount delivered has been 40,292
ounces, which is an increase of 10,154 ounces, 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 conyeye our home-
ward mails, is the second vessel of the new postal
service under th e Peninsular and Oriental Company'.
The first vessel was the Salsette, which conveyed
our mails last month. The new service has been
commenced most favourably, and the arrangements,
so far as they are known, appear to give universal,
satisfaction. The resources of the company, and
the character it has hitherto maintained for puny'
tuality and efficiency, favour the expectation
that we shall henceforth have no occasion to eon;
plain of vexatious delays and uncertainty in the
despatch and receipt of our mails.

POLITICAL.
On the 24th of last month the Victorian Par'
liament was prorogued under circumstances se
peculiar as to render the event historically remark-
able. Probably nothing similar has been recorded
in the annals of Parliament. His Excellency, wh°
was in attendance, according to previous arrange'
ment, early in the afternoon, for the purpose ca-
giving the Royal assent to the bills of the session,
and delivering the prorogation address, was kept
waiting in one of the ante-rooms of the house'
for about seven hours. Meanwhile, a debate as
angry and stormy as any that had occurred during
the session was proceeding in the Assembly. The
occasion of this debate was an alteration in the
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
pr
ofess to hold in absolute reverence, this interfe'
rence of the Council with the functions of the
people's representatives was declared by the Minis'
try and their supporters to involve a breach
privilege. When, therefore, the bill with amend=
ments was returned to the Lower House, the
Treasurer moved that the alterations should be
disallowed, and proposed the following resolu-
tiresolu-
tion:—" That the Constitution Act having Pro'hibited the Legislative Council from makin.g
any alteration in the Appropriation Bill, the
house refuses to entertain the amendments, an."
insists upon the bill in its integrity." Upon this
resolution an amendment was proposed by' xi.'
Mechi, and supported by most of the members 0,11..
the opposition benches :—" That as the amend'
ments made by the Legislative Council do not alter
the appropriation, but merely further the intention
of this house in regard to the grant, for education,
they do agree with such amendments." The
lengthy debate which ensued was not simply con-
fined_A to this question of privilege, but comprisur,
also the merits of the alteration which the Council
had introduced into the act. This, as appears 111,,
the terms of the amendment, related to the gral,l;
for educational purposes. The sum of £125,0u"
had been voted by the Assembly for distribution;
on a certain specified plan, between the nations'
an.d denominational board. In the Appropriation
thisßll 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 On'
tended that the Ministry, for some reason
which was not very obvious, had apportioned to
t
the Denominational Board a larger sum than
was. equitably. entitled to, and had thus inflicts
.
an injury upon the National Board. As this dis.
tribution appeared unfair and partial, and ferth.ue„r.
m. ore did not accord with the principle of distri,"-
tion prescribed by the Assembly, the Upper 1111;
.assumed that they could constitutionally alter the
item. They, therefore, carried an amendnien;
ignoring the distribution proposed by the bill, an::
leaving the vote for the gross sum to be afterward
divided as the Assembly had resolved. This altera-
tion
was made on the 23d, the day before the P'"
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 vo'''
put upon the Governor on the following dap
would have been avoided. But the Ministry', whoa
regarded this 'resolution of the Council as ei;
verse to themselves, had otherwise arranged.
imitation of the " whitebait" dinner of Englife or
cabinets, they had fixed on that very evening ay
an official dinner ; and though they wererfee
aware of the decifdan of the Council, and must have
anticipated a debate on the question when it calif_
before the Assembly, every member of the Gevehre,
u
ment was absent at the hour of meeting. Thep
had gone to their whitebait" dinner, and left t_
Opposition members to themselves. Rather than
forego the feast, which they complacently iinegill,42
completed the resemblance between the Eng fit
and Victorian Cabinets, they allowed this important
matter to stand over to the following day, when'
according to arrangement bn, Parliament was to
formally prorogued. The result was as we have
stated above. When a e Governor arrived, he
Lower House was just entering upon one of the
warmest and most critical debates of the
Each. side contended stoutly for its own
English precedents—the privileges of the House.
of Commons—constitutional law—the usages
Parliament as laid down in "May"—the special
provisions of our own Constitution Act ,the
collaterally the
sumption of the Council—and .
f the tw relative claims and the mutual jealousies o.
the
educational boards, and the possible motives of
posit)