The Sun. — 1854-11-20 (London, England)

SATURDAY. porton The Ballarat, from Port-Philip, rt hp, T off this Friday, was 87 days on the passage home, and 84 on the passage out. The Red Jacket, which arrived on the 19th of October at Liverpool, was 69iout and 73i home. The Lightning was 78 out and 63 home. The two latter vessels are American-built. Tho Ballarat, which belongs to Messrs. W. 0. Young and Co., of London, was only half-laden, and would in all probability have made a much quicker passage home if sho had had 100 additional tons of cargo or ballast. She sailed from Port-Philip August 23, rounded Cape Horn very closely September 27, crossed the line October 18, and reached soundings November 15. During the last fortnight she has experienced very light winds.  The Great Britain steamer,which arrived in PortPhilip on the 17th of August, has had only five cases of smallpox, one of which proved fatal, and no fresh vases had appeared during the previous three weeks. This ship loft Liverpool on the 13th of June, crossed the line in 20 days, passed Rio Janeiro on the 27th day, and the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope on the 42d day. She was 240 miles from Cape Otway in 61 days, reached Melbourne in a few days, and was to leave for England  in September. The steam-ship Crcesus, Captain Hall, belonging to the General Screw Company, was appointed to leave Sydney September 9, but she was not likely to be ready by that date, and would come home by the Horn. The Lady. Jocelyn left Port-Philip August 19, for Sydney, and would return to PortPhilip before final departure for England. Her Majesty's sloop Fantome, 12, Commander A. G. Fitzroy, fired on the Lightning the morning of her departure. It is stated that the Lightning had, contrary to regulation, hoisted the St. Georges ensign, and _when rebuked from the  Fantome, the officer in charge of the clipper had exhibited incivility of conduct. Six men belonging to the Lightning joined the Fantome, whieh appears to have given umbrage to her commander. The Af elbourne rgus gives the following account of the affair :  " Her Majesty's ship Fantome has been completely successful in her late gallant attack on the Lightning, that celebrated clipper having surrendered without firing a gun. It appears that shortly after four  o'clock on Sunday' morning the crew of the Lightning were turned out to get everything ready for proceeding to sea, and about six o'clock they commenced heaving short' the anchor when every one on board was suddenly startled by the booming of a gun, and then a second, and on biking towards her Majesty's ship Fautome it was perceived that the shots proceeded from her. A splash was seen within a few feet of the ship, on the port bow, and then another, and it was then male apparent that the officers of her Majesty's ship Fatitome had actually fired a couple of cannon shot before the merchant-ship. Captain Forbes was on deck at the time, and anxiously looked for a boat from her Ma. je;ty's ship Fantonie to exp'ain the meaning of such warlike: attitude. The boat was not long in making its appearance, when the officer in charge demanded that the wages of the six men who had volunteered from the Lightning into her Majesty's service should be immediately paid. Captain Forbes replied that he had made arrangements with the consignees to settle this and every other claim against the ship ; but this explanation not being sufficiently explanatory to the man-of-war, Captain Forbes signed bille en his owners for the amount, and was then allowed to proceed in peace." The screw steamer Titania, Captain Brown, arrived at Port-Philip, from Dumbarton, August 20; the bark Pons Eli, Captain Ecclestone, from London • the ship Planet, Buckham, from London ; the Whip Morning Star, Allen, from Liverpool ; the ship William Money, Skeen, from Liverpool ; the bark Caledonia, M'Dowell, from Glasgow ; the ship Stamboul, Reed, from Liverpool ; the ship Torrent, Trundy, from London ; and the screw steam-ship Glasgow Citizen, Wise, from Greenock, arrived in Port-Philip on the 21st of August. The railroad from Sandridge, Hobson's Bay, to Melbourne (19 miles) is finished, but the traffic was not opened. The police being more effective, robberies and violence are less frequent than formerly at Melbourne. The general trade of Melbourne appears to be greatly depressed ' • the Ballarat brought home a quantity of trans-shipped pepper, and heavy shipments of re-exports are taking place. The law affecting colonial local acceptances is to be revised, and the resistance by sham pleas is to be cured. The rate of gold is given at 41. to 41. 2s. 6d. per oz. ; flour, 351. for best, 331. for seccnds ; bran, 4s. 9d. per bushel. The price of sheep and cattle was rising in consequence of the increased population, and the order in council against the sale of infected sheep, which were numerous. Freights to England were low. The trade of Adelaide was suffering severely, through the irregular returns from Port-Philip merchants. The Australian Marine Insurance Company is to be wound up • the losses had amounted to something like 23,0001. Most of the gold-working companies are closed. The Quartz Company is doing wcll. Large quantities of gold are constantly coming to market, but not in proportion to the increase of the population. Nearly 3,000 Chinese are working at Bendigo, where a new gully has been opened close to Devonshire gully, which is reported to be very rich. To the west of Eagle Hawk Gaily an abandoned hole has been sunk to a depth of 120 feet without meeting rock. The bottom of the shaft consists of quartz boulders. There is every indication of gold. At New Chum Gully they are down from 15 to 24 feet with varied success. Many holes are said to pay in Milkmaid's Flat locality, that notwithstanding the number of blanks have been sunk. regularly established themselvesSinis°ll's Rangers had Water was scarce. Some Advices dated Avoca, Aug. 12, state that the in the gold fields. days cleared from 5001. to parties have inewaasdavennetwuraerrsrivaalre I,OOQ/ per mand.a by the ship, Re claims ,rand in the dangerous thesesom h • lost th • havetheir lives. ous task of removing pillars gold has been found 12 miles fossicking, ' among old • It is reported that nearer Portland than Mount William diggings. Frequent robberies occur at Ballarat. Mining operations aro more favourable than by last report. Numbers continue to work at Warrenb.eap. Eureka is slowly recovering its character. The Gravel-pit line is declining. A number of fatal accidents ard many suicides have occurred at Ballarat.