QUEENSLAND.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XVII, Issue 1351, 20 November 1860, Page 4

QUEENSLAND.

By the Telegraph we have Queensland papers to the 23rd instant. With reference to the expedition to the Burdekin, the 'Courier' »nys:— The Spitfire returned to port from the northward, on Thursday night, having on board Mr. Dalrymple, Lieutenant Smith, of the Herald, and the remainder of the party forming the expedition which left some few weeks since for tho mouth of the Burdekin. W« have not been able to glean all the particulars we could have wished, in consequence of the unwillingness of the parties concerned to give information before sending in their report to the Government, but we have nevertheless obtained sufficient to be able to state that the expedition is likely to be productive of the most beneficial results to the colony. It was found that the sandy formation of the country at the embouchere of the Burdekin, — together with the open character of the coa9t — bared to the full influence of easterly gales, had caused the formation of a delta, and rendered the river impracticable for shipping. In Bowling Green Bay, into which two of the outlets of the river empty therai elves, the water wai not more than seven feet in depth five miles from the shore, but the party succeeded in finding the principal month, and in sailing up the river for about four miles. Port Denison— the newly discovered harbour about, which our Sydney friends were so enthusiastic just previous to separation— was visited and found to be a splendid haven, well suited for shipping, and admirably adapted to the purpoie required — an outlet for the produce of the newly opened country. We believe that a site "was fixed upon for a' township in this harbour, and it will, boubtless, become the shipping port of tho Kennedy district. These are all the particulars which we can at present glean, and we shall anxiously look forward to the publication of the report by the Government, when we shall doubtlesi be in a position to place before our readers all the information acquired by the explorers. On the same subject the 'Guardian' says :— It has been discovered that the Burdekin empties itself into the sea, about 450 miles to the northward of Rock' hampton, inside Cape Cleveland. There is a bar at the mouth of the river, which, consequently, is of little avail for purposes of navigation, exeept in the case of very small vessels. But three hundred miles to the northward of Rockhampton, and one hundred and fifty miles nearer Brisbane than the estuaries of the Burdekin, there exists a magnificent harbour, capable of affording secure anchorage from every gale, and of containing on its broad bosom all the navies in the world. This harbonr is situated in Edgecombe Bay, and was discovered by Captain Sinclair of the Santa Barbara, which went to sea on a voyage of discovery to the northward, accompanied by JMessrs. Gordon and Pool, the charterers of the vessel, about twelve months ago. — Empire, Oct. 26.

The Duusm claim Secret Relations with thb Scotch. —A still more extraordinary belief exists amongst the Druses of the mountain— namely, that there (ire many Akkals of their creed in the hills of Scotland, who, on account of the dominant religion, are obliged to profess Christianity outwardly, but who, amongst themselves, are as pure Druses of the initiated class as any that exist in Lebanon. After learning th»t I was a Scotchman, Druses have often questioned me as to whether I was aware that members of their creed existed in that country. This tradition seems to have been handed down to the present generation from the days of the Crusaders, and to have got mixed up with the fact that the Templars existed formerly in certain parts of Europe j for certain ceremonies which the Syrian Druses lay are practised by their Scottish brethem bear a close resemblance to those of the old knights templar. But it is more likely still — and this is very probably one of the reasons of their supposed affinity with the Chinese— that amongst the Druses, as amongst other semi'Civilised nations, certain affiliations and signs of freemasonry have crept in ; and they have formed the idea, that wherever traces of the same society exist the people hold the same religious creed.— Once a Week. A Tobacco Manufactory at Manilla.— Among other things I visited a tobacco manufactory while at Manilla. It was divided into seven different apartments, in which were employed about 6,000 women, mo»tof whom occupied seats at small tables, about two feet high, by three in breath and six in lengths In front of each woman was a pile of the weed, at which she worked away with a will and a result prolific in cigars. The women were the ugliest I had ever beheld, and., by. the, flavour of the atmosphere in whicH they 'breathed, it was easy to perceive that they did not exempt garlic from their jist of provision!. In rolling the cheroots, they licked them so freely and frequently as to excite surprise that such an expenditure of humidity could be continually sustained without necessitating frequent libations on the part of the operators. As may be supposed, I did not esteem Manilla cheroots any more than was my previous wont, after witnessing the mode of making them. There was only one kind of cirgar made on the island—a long, smooth cheroot, tapering from one end, with both extremities cut square off. The manufacture of all I such was monopolised by the government, and yielded a large revenue.— My Life and Adventures. Capture op a SuvKR.—Tho steamer Xarnak, fromNassau, New Providence, on the.28th of July, «rrived at this port on Thursday morning. On Saturday morning, the 28th of July, Nassau win all excitement, in consequence of the arrival of three schooners with about 360 Africans on board, in a complete state of nudity. Three of the' crew of the •layer were on board one of the schooners, and from one who'»poke English, it wai learnt that they, had mistaken the Karnak for a man-of-war steamer, not knowing that any steamer plied between Nassau and , New York. Tht slaver was seen on Wednesday, the 15th inst, at 6 a.nuThey ran in shore at Abaoo, ;but in consequence q{ a gale the previous day they 'had lost most of their canvas, and had not su'moient loft to bear out again from the land, and finally struck at Lanyard Cay, on the north-east coast of Abaqo. On the arrival of the Karnak at Nassau, "notice was given that a schooner was on shore' there, when several of the wreckers put off to the spot, and found another schooner, laden with iqe rind railroad iron, alto on shore there, but her name could not be nicer-* , tained, as hone of the wreck en who had gone to her had returned. The slaver left the coast with 400

slaves on board, and h»d lost about' 40. They are , nil quite young ; many of them children. About 60 ; ore lemalei. They were suffering muoh from scurry and hunger. The captain and mate are not yet found. It ii said that" the' former out hii throat the first day out, und that the mate shortly after was drowned, which 1 howeter, remains to be proved. 'They had been out 3G day's.— New York Tribune. j