Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-07-26
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

| trated than in the current TRADES of the press
of that country against the recent action OF
the Kansas Legislature in adopting as the inl-
tiatory system of laws for the Territory, the
statute laws in force at this time in Missouri.
The fact is made the groundwork of plea
that the Legislature of the Territory is doing
| all sorts of high anded, outrageO and here
tofore unheard.of things in that particular
| connection.
Now, the truth is, nothing is more necessary
and common in such cases than precisely such
action. Congress, usually, in commencing to
form laws to govern new United States Terri
tories, adopts the existing laws of State lying
adjacent to it, or from which it is separated by
the admission of The State into the Union
When Congress, by pressure of business. or
from any other cause, fails so to do, the rep
resentatives of the people thereof, assembled
| in a Legislature must do So or leave their con-
stituents in a state of anarchy for months, if
not years as it would be impossible to frame
a suitable set of laws for any people, one by
one, abinitiO; under, it may be, years of legis-
lation ON details Nought else so suit a peo-
pie as starting point Of law It's the laws I'M
der which the most of them have been accus-
| toned to living which in all eases are at least
sufficiently applicable to their circumstances
TO serve as starting point from which to i'm
prove on them to meet the particular wants
and emergencies of the people of the Territory.
In the case of Minnesota, Congress, in sim
gle clause of single bill, adopted the laws of
| the State of Wisconsin as the organic law, as it
were, for the government of the people of the
Territory. Maryland, on becoming a State of
this confederacy, also in a single clause of an
act adopted all Of her then existing laws that
were applicable to her changed condition, as
well rs the common law of England
Ka,. sas. as the manner in which it has been
| settled proves. is the child of Missouri and
kentucky-m0re than half its citizens going
into the Territory from those States, the former
| laying on its border. The reader of common
sense will comprehend from what we have
written above, that the selection of the legal
system of Missouri is just what might have
| been expected, and what under all the cir
cumstances, her people judge best for them
selves. As for the idea of leaving the laws
for the present government of the Territory to
be agreed on one by one, while our people arc
as disputatious they are everywhere, it is
preposterouS-as to do so would probably NAL c
| it impossible, for years to come, even to adju-
dictate a dispute concerning simple bill Of
exchange.
Australia The following letter, which is
| from an United States Government agent
| abroad, gives much interesting information
concerning the status of portion of Australia,
and Is later in its date than any other similar
| information We have seen in the newspapers OF
the day
CONSULATE OF THE U S.,
MELBOURNE, (Australia,} April Q, 1855
Tie political relations of this colony of late
have been much disturbed in the gold district.
and the result was resort to arms between
the Government troops and the insurgents in
which the latter lost fourteen killed, eight
wounded that have since died, und twelve
| wounded that have since recovered. On the
| side of the Government troops there were some
| hve or six killed, including an officer "a cap
tam and about the same number wounded
The Government also took thirteen prisoners
who were tined for high treason Put were all
| acquitted. NJ Americans participated in the
disturbances. The Government having init
mated their intention to abolish the diggers,
license, things are now quiet.
| The commercial relations OF this colony are
| now improved, and the general impression is
| that the increase Of gold will be great during
| the present winter. The resources of the
country in gold are, in my opinion, without
| parallel, besides coal, tin, lead, and copper
All kinds Of American produce (excs Il lum-
:. hrIp
neratins prices. Flour, particularly, is much
| wanted. and an entire cargo of :" Haxali'' or
''Gallcgo would command S2l at least
Immigration from Great Britain has of late
| somewhat fallen off, probably owing to the
| war. But it is greatly on the increase from
| China. In the last three days, some 500
! have arrived.
| Zinc Paint-It seems, from sundry articles
III late northern papers, that ship owners and
builders in that quarter are beginning to COM
| prehend the value of zinc paint for covering
the bottoms of sea-going vessels, as made
| manifest by the results OF the many and care
| ful experiments of officers of the government
at the Norfolk navy yard. We have once Or
| twice made illusions to these experiments and
| their results, and now take occasion to say
that 1t viii be time and money well spent for
those heavily engaged in ship building, to
visit the Navy Department in this city, where
they will find specimens of the effect of the sea
worm on u considerable number of prepars
tions to protect the sides and bottoms of ships
from the rayages of the worm. The grand re-
| suit of these experiments, which extended
over series Of years, and embraced every
| thing conceived Of in the United States likely
to aid i'll the work of the discovery Of a pallia-
tive, if not of an entire preventive for the raw
ages of the arch enemy of the ship owner.
turns out to be zinc paint only. 1t was
| found that, though some woods stood the
ravages of the worm much longer than others.
! and though there was much difference
in the way in which the worms attacked diff