The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-02-14 00:00:00

AUSTRALIA.

The Vimiera arrived at Sydney on the 16th November,
with the English mail of the sth of August. Like her
predecessor, the Stratford, she made a more than usually
slow voyage.
The • return from Ballarat, for October, as compared
with that of the same month last year, gives an increase
of 7,4810 z. Though the return from Mount Alexander
is still so large, yet, compared with the yield for October,
1852, it shows a decrease of no less than 232,4260 z. The
total yield of the Victoria fields in October • last year was
365,1720 z. For the past month, as above shown, it is
156,1660 z., being a decrease of 209,0060 z. Ballarat is the
only improving gold-field ; on all the others the produce
is diminished.

The darkest side of the reports from the gold region is
the prevalence of disease, the frequent robberies, violent
assaults, and brutal drunkenness.
The Colonial Government at Sydney had been officially
informed that, on the 24th of September, the French
commander in the Pacific had landed at Balade, in New
Caledonia, and taken• possession of that island and its
dependencies in the name of the French Emperor.
On Thursday the Ballarat arrived at London from
Port Philip, having sailed on the 11th November,
nine days later than the Hurricane, by which the last ad-
vices were received. The Ballarat brings 92,000 ounces
of gold, 70 passengers, and a cargo of wool and tallow.
The departure of the Oithona for London, fiom Portland
Bay, Ist November, had been delayed by the absconding
of two or three of her seamen. Business at Melbourne
was again good, and a brisk trade was expected. The
heavy stocks and large importations had held prices in
check, but the market was nevertheless firmer. The
price of gold still advancing at Melbourne, and at the
sailing of the Ballarat was 765. 6d. The Bendigo gold-
fields were recovering their former productiveness, the
falling off having arisen from temporary causes. The
Ballarat diggings had yielded less than usual. During
the week 1,275 persons had arrived in the colony of Vic-
toria, and the escorts had brought down 37,993 ounces of
gold. The shipment per Ballarat brought up the total
amount of gold exported from Victoria in the year 1853
to 2,137,984 ounces, or 89 tons 14 cwts. 17 lbs., value, at
755. per ounce, £8,017,440. Great complaints were made
at the gold-fields of the want of more efficient protection
by the police.

FATAL Figz.—Eight petsons perished in: a conflagration
on Tuesday, which broke out at 19, Princes-street, Soho.
London. A policeman, on his beat, was accosted by a
female standing in her night-dress at the door, who hastily
told him the house was on fire, gave him a child to take
care of, and then returned and brought another. Almost
immediately a number of the unfortunate occupants were
seen at the windows, imploring assistance, as they could
not live m the heat any longer. One woman asked fran-
tically if the escape had arrived, and being told it had not,
sunk exhausted on the floor and was burnt to death. The
staircase was in flames, and there were sixteen people in
the house. The whole was such a scene of confusion, that
it was not known, till the fire had been extinguished, who
had escaped, or whether any had escaped at all. As soon
as the firemen could enter, they commenced a. search. In
the second storey they found Mrs. Puget, the wife of a
foreign gentleman, with her three children, burnt in a
fearful manner, and quite dead. In the third floor were
found Mr. and Mrs. Adams, and an old widow, all clasped
together, and burnt to a cinder. The body of a fine boy,
the foreign gentleman's fourth child, was afterwards
found under the grate in the second floor. The rest of
the inhabitants escaped, including Mr. Puget and the
female who first discovered the fire.

AN ELOPEMENT.—Just after the congregations had
left the respective places of worship at Brighton, on Sun-
day morning, and the streets were again tolerably clear,
a scene of rather a novel character was witnessed in North
Street, opposite Ship Street. A gentleman and a female,
the latter apparently eighteen years of age, were in an
open fly, which was going at a moderate pace up North-
street, when two gentlemen issued from Ship-street, pro-
ceeded at once to the fly, and commenced belabouring
with their sticks the unfortunate male occupant. A signal
was given to two other persons some distance up North-
street, who immediately joined and repeated the dose to
which the unlucky wight had been subject from the first
two individuals. Matters began to assume rather a serious
aspect. The female, in the . meantime, had been dragged
out of the fly. Superintendent Terry being on the spot,
interposed between the parties ; and the Hyman, having a
clear stage, drove off with the gentleman who had received
the castigation. The cause of the attack remains to be
explained. It seems that a grocer and tea-dealer at Gos-
port, having become enamoured of the daughter of a
butcher residing near him, had solicited the hand of the
fair lady, but his addresses were repugnant to the father
of the damsel, although the affection of the grocer was
reciprocated by his lady fair ; and in order to consummate
their desires they resolved upon an elopement. On Satur-
day last they accordingly came to Brighton, and put up
at the Feathers Tavern, passing as brother and sister, and
sleeping in separate beds. The father of the girl having
got wind of their whereabouts, took three friends with
him to Brighton for the purpose of recovering his recreant
daughter ; and hence the scene which ensued. The grocer
prodeeded to the Feathers Tavern, and, having paid his
bill, took the earliest train to Portsmouth, whilst the
disconsolate fair one was necessitated to return with her
incensed parent and his friends, much against her inelina-
-1423), to her father's residence.