The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-06-06 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA

The accounts from the colony of Victoria by the
overland mail are exceedingly satisfactory as regards
the gold production and the general progress of the
population, although the import markets presents no fa-
vourable change, the average rate of arrivals for the last
two months have been about 17,000 tons of shipping
weekly. The chief of the new discoveries of gik had
taken place at a locality called Tarrangower, within a few
miles of Fryer's Creek. Owing to a scarcity Of water the
actual quantities thus far obtained had been small ; but
the evident richness of the soil had indneed the men to
heap up enormous quantities for future washing. Dis-
coveries had also been made at three other localities
. namely, the Buckland River, Brynaut's Ranges, and
Crowlands. The accounts received by escort during the
present year had shown a steady increase, the totals hav-
ing been for January 123,416 ounces, for February 136,467
ounces, and for March (from the let to the 25th) 152,748
ounces. Notwithstanding the augmented production,
however, the demand for gold for shipment in return for
the excessive importations from Europe had caused the
price to advance from 755. 6d. since January to 78s. 3d.,
which was the latest quotation. The aggregate shipments
of gold, from the commencement of the present year to
the 25th of March had been 535,545 ounces. This is
122,914 ounces above the quantity brought in by escort,
but is probably not in excess of the sum actually obtained,
estimating the proportion brought by private hands as
well as the amounts carried to Adelaide and Sydney over-
land. Supposing the same rate of shipment to be con-
tinued, its value in the year, at £4 per ounce, would be
about £9,000,000. Among the vessels lately cleared were
the Samuel Boddington, with 24,266 ounces; the Marquis,
with 766 ounces; the Stebonheath, with 12,108 ounces.;
the Windermere (from Geelong), with 25,000 ounces ; the
Birmingham, with 16,533 ounces; the Neleus, with 62,913
ounces, and the Ferozepore, with 20,212 ounces ; making
a total of 151,798 ounces, worth £607,200. According to
the Melbourne Argus, the value of the imports into the
colony of Victoria in 1853 was £15842 627, of which
about £13,300,000 was from Great Britain and British
colonies, and about £1,700,000 from the United States.
FIRES AND FLOODS AT HOBART TowN.—At the
close of January this colony was visited with one of the
most disastrous and calamitous fires ever remembered by
the oldest colonist. On the Hum the loss had been in-
calculable, and to mark the sympathy of the public a list
of the sufferers and the individual amount of 'each has
been published in all the newspapers, and spirited sub-
scriptions have been set on foot to remunerate in some
degree the losses thus sustained. On the 26th of February,
the whole of the early part of the day was remarkable for
the unusually hot and oppressive state of the atmosphere,
and towards the afternoon the clouds became lowering;
and distant thunder was heard, which became louder
every minute. The lightning was vivid, and the thunder
became appalling. Then the water spouts broke forth, and
the half of Hobart Town, iu the course of the night, be-
came flooded, accompanied by much loss of life and pro-
perty. At O'Brien's-bridge, Brown's River, and at Ross,
great mischief has been sustained.

AMERICA.

ARRIVAL OF THE CANADA.

By the British and North American Royal Mail steam-
ship Canada, Captain Stone, which arrived on Sunday
morning, we have intelligence from New York to the 23d
and Boston to the 24th ult.

The Canada left Boston at 10.15 a.m., on the 24th, and
arrived at Halifax at 9.36 p.m., on the following
.day,
whence she sailed at 11.15 p.m., and arrived in the river
at a quarter before eight o'clock on Sunday morning, after
a passage of a little better than ten days and a-half.
The Canada brought 142 passengers, and .1418,771 and
£4OO English silver, on freight.
The shin W. H. Harbeck was destroyed by fire at New
York on the 18th ult. The packet-ship Montezuma, from
Liverpool, with 400 passengers on board, was wrecked on
Rockaway beach on the 17th ult. All the lives were saved.
The ship Hope was destroyed by fire at Mobile on the 17th.
The ship Black Hawk, which left Liverpool on the 4th
of April, with crew and passengers numbering 858, has
been wrecked in the Atlantic. he whole number of per-
sons on board were saved by the Currituck, Dougo, and
Caroline.

A telegraphic despatch from Portland, dated May 20th,
announced the arrival there on the 12th of the steamer
Ottawa, from Liverpool, all well. She had been unable to
get into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, on account of the ice.
The ship Flying Cloud left New York on the 21st of
January, and arrived at San Francisco on the 20th of
April, thus making the run in the remarkably short space
of eighty-eight days. This ship was built by Mr. Donald
31`lcay, of Boston.

The suspension-bridge at Wheeling, Virginia, had been
capsized durink the storms and destroyed. It was swung
across the main arm of the Ohio river at Wheeling, that
branch of the river flowing around the other side of the
island being crossed by an ordinary bridge upon piers.
It is stated that the growing crops throughout the
Union were in excellent condition. _

Sll:Eveieitfiadresigned his position of senator in Con-
gress, owing to aggravated physical infirmity.
The Earl of Elgin had arrived at Washington. His
visit, according to the American journals, is connected
with the negotiations respecting the fisheries.
The House of Representatives had passed the Nebralika
Bill by a majority of nine votes. It was read a first time
on the 23rd.

The St. John's (N.F.) Post, of April 30, states that an
agent of the Collins' line of steamers was expected there
to ascertain if the harbour of St. John's is a safe and ac-
cessible place for steamers; and that, if the report should
prove. satisfactory, four of the Collins' line of steamers, of
3,000 tons each, would visit that port weekly, as soon as
the telegraph shall be in operation, which will, most pro-
bably, be in October next.
The St. Louis Republican, of the 13th May, announces
the loss of the steamer Pike and fifteen lives.
Advices from Texas report that, on the Bth, a govern-
ment train was attacked near Fort Ewell by Indians, and
five teamsters killed. The Indians also took several team-
sters prisoners,' shot all the mules, and destroyed the
wagons and contents, valued at 30,000 dollars.
According to the New York Herald, the Secretary of
the Navy, probably in view of the unsettled state of the
relations with Spain, had issued an order directing that all
vessels, of war on the point of departare should be delayed.
The New York Journal of Commerce, in an article on
the Eastern and Cuban questions, says, " The best mili-
tary authorities in the Vnited States maintain that the

European war cannot last a twelvemonth, as Russia is
unable to cope with the allies." Referring to the rabid
articles in the Ameriean journals respecting Cuba, the
Journal of Commerce indignantly exposes the " tricky"
policy of endeavouring to take advantage of the war to
seize that island, and says, " England and France are both
on the war-footing with troops and horses, and fleets
afloat, with every chalice of annihilating the naval and
mercantile power of Russia in a couple of months. What
would hinder them from steaming by mid-summer out of
the Black Sea and the Baltic direct for the Gulf of Mexico,
or the Bay of New York ? What have we to oppose those
fleets ? We expect to be able, at the end of six years or
so, to make a show of six new frigates. England has to-
day on the stocks six times six. More than that; she has
in her four naval depots no less than one hundred and
sixty vessels of the royal navy, all told, and said to be
serviceable. For bragging, we will match the Washing-
ton Union newspaper with any British sheet that is
printed; but when it comes to comparing. navies, we are
obliged, though not ashamed, to confess the truth, and
admit our inferiority. The simple fact is, that if what
the presidential organ and some other of its allies affirm
to be true, namely, that England and France have gua-
ranteed to Spain the possession of the island of Cuba, then
we cannot have it. It must be set down as one of those
things not to be done in the year eighteen hundred and
fifty-four :—the sooner we make up our minds to it the
better."

According to advices from Honduras, Congress have
ratified a contract granting the Honduras Railroad Com-
pany two-and-a-half millions of acres of valuable lands,
to aid in the construction of the work. On the 17th of
April severe earthquakes occurred in the state of St. Sal-
vador, nearly destroying the capital. Many of the prin-
cipal buildings and about 600 families were buried in the
earth.

From Mexico the accounts are conflicting. It is stated
that Santa Anna was on his return to the capital, and that
his wife had set out to meet him. It was inferred that
Acapulco had been taken and occupied by the army, and
also that Santa Anna had re-established communication
with the city. Another account, however, and a later one,
states that Santa Anna summoned Acapulco to surrender.
which was refused by Alvarez, who sallied out, attacked
Santa Anna's troops, and took 300 prisoners. Santa
Anna fled.
The steamer United States had arrived at New Orleans
from Aspinwall. The Illinois sailed the same day for New
York with $700,000. The news from California was to
the Ist ult. The San Francisco markets were dull, and
prices of leading articles depressed. The barque Walter
Claiton had been capsized, and thirteen lives lost by the
accident. The steamer Gazelle had exploded on the
Columbia River, killing 25 persons and wounding 30.
Accounts from the mining districts were most flattering.
M. Dillon, the French Consul, having been arrested and
brought into court to testify in the case of the Mexican
Consul, had struck his flag, and declined to raise it with-
out instructions from France. The Mexican Consul was
found guilty, but recommended to mercy.