The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-04 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

By the arrival of the European we have received
files of papers from Melbourne to the 14th March,
and from Sydney to the 10th March.
We take the following from the Melbourne Aye
of the 14th March 1—
" THE NEW MINISTRY.

"On Tuesday last the Assembly met, after the
adjournment consequent on the Ministerial defeat,
to hear the explanatory statement of the new Pre-
mier. Mr. O'Shanassy, in a speech of considerable
length, entered into a detail of the various steps he
had ta4en towards the formation of a Cabinet.
He had first applied, he said, to the leading men
among the twenty-nine members who had voted in
the majority against the previous Ministry. He had
offered the Commissionership of Trade apd Customs
successively to Mesrs. Moore and M'Calloch, who
are eminent members of the mercantile community;
but both gentlemen had been compelled to deelio e
the offer, not being able to withdraw from their
extensive private concerns. He had offered the two
law appointments to Mr. Michie an I Dr. Evans (a
new arrival) respectively ; but these gentlemen had
also declined office for non-political reasons. IJl-
tim 44, he bad been able to secure the services of
the following gentlemen :
"H. S. Chapman, Esq., Attorney- General.
"J. V. F. F. Foster, sq., Colonial Treasurer.
"C. G. Duffy, Esq., Commissioner of Public
Works.

" A. F. A. Greeves, Esq., Commisioner of Trade
and Customs. _ _

"G. S. W. Horne, Esq, Commissioner of Crown
Lands and Survey.
"J. D. Wood, El., Solicitor-General.
These gentlemen with Mr. o'§lanassy himself
as Chief-Secretary, form 09 new Administration.
"Mr. Chapman was formerly Chief Justice of
New Zealand, Old. more recently Colonial Secre-
tary of Tasmania. Mr. Foster was formerly Colo-

nial Secretary.of this colony, and at one time, in- I.
deed, acting Governor. Mr. Duffy is too well I
known to our Eagtish readers to requite desttrip-
tion. Dr. Greeves was one of the leaders to the
old Legislature, in which be sat as member for the
ciiy. Mr. Horne is a legal gentleman of high c: a-
racter and respectability, brother to the present
Chief Justice of Tasmania. Mr. Wood is one of
our ablest lawyers, and was offered the Solicitor-
Generalship a fortnight before, by Mr. Haines, and
refused. It will thus be seen that with respect to
social position, as welt as ability, the new Ministry
is a vast improvement upon the old. •
" Since our last summary the markets have been
glutted by excessive arrivals from England, and
the prices have been i2ordiriately depressed. Several
failures have taken place ; but they are mostly
among small firms of limited means, and happily
not likely greatly to influence the markets. Yet
confidence has been shaken, and few but cash trans-
actions are ventured upon. 'As the banks have.
shown a disposition to accommodate firms of re-
spectability, D 9 permanent interruption to the
course of legitimate trade is likely to arise, and a
crisis need not be appaehended. •
The electric telegraph is now in full operation
between Melbourne and the principal towns on the
gold fields. The Governments of South Australia
and New South Wales are making arrangements
for connecting lines, and that of Tasmania is ,ex-
pected to be completed between Hobart Town and
Launceston by the let of April next. The short
lines connecting these towns with the extremities
of the island are temporarily.deferred ; and, in con-
sequence of the indisposition of the Tasmanian
- public to incur the expenses of the cable across
Bass's Straits (though the Victorian Government
have engaged to share the expense), its c_nstruc-
tion is indefinitely postponed.
" The project of improving the navigation of the
Yarra I arra, and the formation of dcieLs. in Bat-
man's Swamp is for the present allowed to sleep.
On the resumption of parliameptary business, 'on
the 15th of April next, we trust that a matter of
so much importance to the commercial well being
of Victoria may meet with the attention it deserves.

GOLD.

" The depression in commercial matters gene-
rally is exercising an unfavourable influence with
respect to gold as well as other commodit es. Yet
the yield of the various gold fie!ds is tolerably
steady and the returns do not present an unfavour-
able appearance.
" The total amount of gold received by escort
since our last summary (Feb. 14) amounts to—

Week ending February 21
27
March 6

*sent up to February 13
Total escort for 1857 .„

Oz. dwt.
... 48.032 0
... 35,213 15
... 57,805 5
... 28,709 0

169,750 0
▪ ... 320,7%5 15
• ... 490,525 15

Total gold shipped during 1857... ... 626,874 11

NEW SOUTH WALES.
(From the Sydney Empire of the in,n March.)
Since the departure of the Simla, on the filth
February, the community of New South Wales
has not been agitate l by any unusual event, nor has
any remarkable development of natural wealth •or
industrial power occurred to stimulate to unwonted
activity the steady course of our material progress.
The colony has pursued the even fellow of its
way," and even in the Legislature nothing has
stood out from the ordinary routine of business to
disturb the repose of s,)c:ety.
Tire third of the European and. Australian Royal
Mail CeinpanY's steam-ships, the Europe Aii:arri arrived
in our harbour on the 14th of February, the thiid
day af er the departure of the Simla. The outward.
passges of the three ships sent out to cornmt.nce
the line from the Australian side stand in the con-
secutive order of their dates as foll ws

Oneida, Southampton to Sydney... 72 days.
Simla )1 2) )) ...59
)2
» •••4 )2
22
This uniform igitcces3 has established for the new
company a high prestige in the colonies, which it is
hoped will lie increased. by the nuts between Aus-
tr ilia and India. The that contract mail via Suez,
to leave Southampton on the 24th of February,
with :..upplerueutary mail via Mirseilles on the 2d
of March, wiil be brought to us by the return voy-
age of the Oneida, but ct.nnot reach Sydney before
the 21st or 22d of April.
The Legislature is still in session,. but will proba-
bly be prorogued during the next fortnight.
On the 10th February, Mr. Martin, in the As-
sembly, brought for Ward a motion containing a di-
rect censure on the Ministers for offering situations
in the public service to Mr. Gilbert Elliott and Mr.
John Rae, the present City Commissioners, while
the official conduct of those gentlemen was under
investigation by a committee of the House. The
motion was negatived by 21 votes to 17.

AMERICA.

ARRIVAL OF THE NIAGARA.

LIVERPOOL, MONDAY.

, .
The royal mail steam-ship Niagara, Captain
Wickman, has just arrived in the Mersey, with
advices from New York ,to the 21st, Boston 22d,
and Halifax 24th ult. She brought 110 passengers
and nearly 600,000 doll. in spt-eie.
The steam-ship America and the Khersonese,,
hence, had arrived at Halifax ; and the City of
Washington, hence, and the Pultoh, from Havre
and Southampton, had arrived at New York.
There is little news of importance.
New York was visited on the 20th ult. by a severe
hailstorm, accompanied by a a violent gale of wind,
causing considerable d image to property.
It did not appear that the difficulty between the
United States and New Granada would be settled
by negotiation. Several inni-i,f-war were to be at
once despatched to that quarter.
Havana adviCes to April 14 report the attempted
assassinalign a the British Consul, Mr. W. Smith,
owing to his exposures of slave traffic.
Later news from Nicaragua confirm the defeat
and retreat of Colonel Lockridge, but has no fur-
ther tidings of General Walker.
At New York, on the 21st ult., money was in
good supply and rates were easier. Stocks were
higher and the market quite active. Exchanube on
London, 1.001 to Cotton was heavy, but bread-
stuffs very steady at full l rites. Provisions in ac-
tive demand, but prices were unaltered. Freights
to Liverpool were'heavy; acid engagements light.

ARRIVAL OF TEM WASHING-TON.
SOUTHAMPTON, SUNDAY.
The, United States Mail steamship Wash ngton,
from NO Yocli to Bremen, artiired.off Cowes this
afternoon, with the American mail. Tie advices
are to the 18th ult. _ ,

The Arabia, from Liverpool, had arrived out.
We have news from Washington to April 1.6..
Tue Cabinet met at an early hour that m9riiing
to consider the questions connected with New Gra-
nada, and orders were to be sent by the next
APpinwall steamer for the States naval forces in the
West Indies and the Pacific to concentrate ou the
Isthmus of Panama. Should it be necessary, men
would be landed on both sides, and the neutrality
of the transit guaranteed to all the world.
The British and French Ministers bad b..en ad-
vised of this deterninViop. Orders were to be
sent to Mr. Bowlin to return at once, 'if the new
Administration at Bogota liad not offered to open
favourable neg,,tiations. The Administration was
determined that the rights of American citizens
should be respected. _ _

Mr. Reed was at Washington consulting about
his instructions. The suggegtion that he should go
by way of England_ met with much favour by the
Cabinet.

A good deal of excitement had been occasioned—
it having been talked over in Cabinet Couticilat
the charges made by Messrs. Herrick arid Donald-
son against certain gentlemen connected with the
present administatiori. They were to he thoroughly
investigated. Robert Lit tle, of Wyoritim.,' Penn-
sylvania, had been appointed judge
advocate to the
Naval Court ot Tuquiry. This is the third court.
The salary of each judge amounts to over $7,000
per year.
The United States vessels Independence, John
Adams, and Decatur, now on the Pacific side of the
Isthmus of Panama, were to remain there for the
present, and the home squadron was to proceed to
this side of the Isthmus in view of the difficulties in
that quarter.
No clue had yet been obtained to the murderers
of Policeman Har,lenbrook.
A man named 4611 n SCratchard had been exa-
mined before Justice Connolly upon the charge of
attempting to effect the release of Charles B. Hunt-
ilgton, the forger, from the State prison, by means
of a forged pardon. Scratchard, as alleged, had
been endeavouring to obtain money from various
parties to carry out object. Huntington de-
nied all knowledge of Scratohard and his designs,
The affair, which was involved in considerable
Mystery, was to be further investigated. Meantime
the accused remained in prison.
The case of the alleged frauds upon the Northern
Railroad of France had been resumed in the United
States Commissioner's Court. Carpentier, one of
the accused, had pleaded guilty to the charge. Re
was to be used as State's evidence by the prosecu-
tion.
After the destruction of the settlement at Spirit
Lake the Sioux Indians made an attack upou
Springfield, in the southern part of Minnesota, but
were repulsed with 4 loss of about a dozen men. A
detachment of 100 goOcl troops pursued the