The Sun. — 1859-08-05 (London, England)

AUSTRALIA.  The following is from the summary of the Melbourne herald of June 17 : " Once more our monthly political budget is unusually barren of positive events. We are still in the middle of the dead time of the Parliamentary year. " Some symptoms of insubordination have been evinced by the Chinese, arising out of their having been called upon ti pay up the first quarterly instalment of the commuted poll-tax imposed on them by a recent act of the legislature. At first there appeared to be some show of reason on the side of the remonstrant Asiatics ; but it was quickly dissipated by their cunning and insolent conduct. Observing that public sympathy was with them to some extent, they dared the experiment of addressing the Government in defiant language. In that issue the Government, of course, had no alternative but to enforce payment of the tax at all hazards. Artful John Chinaman, seeing this, quietly abandoned his ground, and submissively craved pardon. The tax is now being levied with little or no difficulty. But it is certain that the popular feeling of hostility to the Chinese has been much increased by these circumstances ; and it has been also exasperated by an unfortunate occurrence at one of the gold-fields. A murderous attack has been made on a European storekeeper and his wife by a party of Chinese, which has resulted in the death of the former. The murderers have not yet been captured. " The Ministry are still decidedly falling in popular esteem. A most serious administrative blunder was made by them, in granting a mining lease to one company of miners of a piece of land already in the legal possession of another party. This blunder might have led to a serious collision between the miners in possession and the police, But the local warden acted with extreme caution ; and the judge of mines subsequently set aside the validity of the lease ; so that the threatening difficulty has been brought to an amicable termination. But the case illustrates two things : first, the utter worthlessness of the Government's mining lease legislation ; and, secondly, their negligent administration. " It is pretty certain that the ministry will but barely manage to get over the pending general election, if even that. It will be much if they can contrive to meet the new Parliament with undiminishe4 numbers." The news from the gold fields still continues somewhat discouraging. " The Back Creek continues to employ a very numerous population, and now ranks with the leading gold fields of the colony. By reference to the last table it will be s'en that the escort return of quantity sent down during the month from Amherst and adjacent townships exceeds that of any other district, The diggings are very extensive, and several rushes, with more or less profitable results, have taken place to surrounding localities. Amongst them those to Kangaroo and Mount Glasgow have beep attended with the greatest success. Several large nuggets have been recently found on this gold field ; one Which, from a fancied resemblance to the human form, has been named the " Baby Nugget," weighed 113 ounces. " At Ballarat and Bendigo mining affairs have of late been much depressed, but at Castlemaine the depression has perhaps been most significantly manifested in the fact that the last escort brought down a smaller quantity of gold than has been transmitted from that field in such a manner for many years past. The population of Ararat and Pleasant Creek is estimated at about 26,000 souls, and the former is still highly popular. The recent discoveries at Commissioners' Hill have proved exceedingly valuable, but the latest accounts state that the place was showing symptoms of exhaustion. The once celebrated Pleasant Creek has little, if any reputation left as good alluvial diggings ; the quartz reefs are, however, developing a new source of wealth.„