COLONIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume X, Issue 480, 17 May 1851, Page 49

COLONIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Dr. Lang, one of the members for the City of Sydney, and editor of the Press newspaper, has ' been convicted of a libel on Mr. Icely, another : member of the New South Wales Legislature. '■ The rev. gentleman was to receive sentence on [ the 26th of April, having given bailj for his api pearance. A great meeting has been held in Sydney of . delegate* from, we believe, all the] Australian t colonies, who have formed an " Australasian League " to resist the continuance of Transporta- . tion to any of the colonies. The feeling appeared to be almost unanimous, and the movement has > been most liberally supported by the public, many ■ of whom have subscribed £100 each in its aid. ' The following is the " League and Solemn En- | gagement of the Australasian Colonies : — Whereas, i in 1840, by an Order in Council, the practice of Transporting convicts to New South Wales was ' abandoned by the Crown ; and whereas, by divers promises, the Government of Great Britain engaged not to send convicts from the United King- , dom to New South Wales, New Zealand, Victoria, ' or King George's Sound. And whereas, by an ' Act of the British Parliament, transportation to ; South Australia was positively prohibited. And ; whereas, Lieutenant-Governor Denison, in 1847, declared to the colonists of Van Diemen's Land her Majesty's most gracious purpose that transportation to that island should be discontinued. And whereas, the colonists of Van Diemen's Land hasve been deeply injured by the pouring in of i enormous masses of transported offenders. And [ whereas, divers and repeated attempts have been l made to depart from the letter and spirit of these ' promises. And whereas, the avowed object of her ' Majesty's Secretary of State is to transfuse the couvicts disembarked in Van Diemen'« Land i through the Australasian colonies, and thus to ; evade the spirit of the promise and \ct of Parliament so made. And whereas, large tracts of land have been purchased by the colonists from the . Crown ; many millions of capital invested in im- • provements ; and many thousands of her Majesty's t subjects have settled in Australasia on the pledged > faith of the Crown, not to disturb their social 3 welfare by the importation of crime. And whereas, - the native Australasians are entitled to all the • rights and privileges of British subjects, and to ■ the sympathy and protection of the British nation. And whereas, many and varied efforts have been made to induce her Majesty's Ministers and the " British Parliament to terminate the practice of transportation to these colonies, but without sueI cess. Now, therefore, the Delegates of these tj Colonies, in Conference assembled, do declare their League and Solemn Engagement, to the t following effect: — Ist.' That they engage not to employ any persons hereafter arriving under sentence of transportation for crime committed in n Europe. 2d. That they will use all the powers ,t they possess — official, electoral, and legislative — n to prevent the establishment of English prisons, 1 or penal settlements within their bounds ; that they will refuse assent to any projects to facilitate - the administration of such penal settlements, and I that they will seek the repeal of all regulations, n and the removal of all establishments for that • purpose. And lastly, they solemnly engage with n each other to support by their advice, their money, c and their countenance, all who may suffer in the '• lawful promotion of this cause." The City Council of Melbourne have had two - days' discussion on petitioning the Legislative ■ Council that provision may be made, in intro e r during the Australian Bill into that colony, for „ causing all votes, whether legislative or corporate, - to be taken by Ballot. The proposition was onlj solt by the casting vote of the Chairman. The scarcity of feed is so great in some of the districts of Port Phillip, that many of the settler* 1 have been compelled, to save their starving flacks, to drive them to the Upper Murray, where the grass is more plentiful, and there •• sit down " on the runs of other persons. In the Malice Scrub, the skeleton has been found of a gentleman named Lines, who arrived

in Port Phillip in 1844. It is supposed that he had lost his way, and perished from famine. On his person there were found bank orders and notes to the amount of £200, and a gold watch.

The story of rich veins of gold abounding in New South Wales has been revived. It is said that a gold field has been discovered extending over a tract of country about 300 miles in length. In the Murrumbidge district V of New South Wales, no rain had fallen since August last, and all the streams were dry, and the pastures parched up. A succession of scorching gales of wind, which blew at frequent intervals during the summer, increased more rapidly the evaporation, and thus made matters worse.

Mr. M'Manus, one of the Irish State Prisoners, has made his escape from Van Diemen's Land. This gentleman, from the] harsh treatment he received from the Governor, Sir W. Denison, was much sympathized with^by-ifee public, and it is currently stated that his "escape was aided by some of the colonists, who furnished him with ample funds.

In' South Australia, the Legislative Council had met ' and passed the New Council Bill, which forthwith comes into operation. Notes of preparation were sounding for the elections, and candidates were in the field for all the constituencies. As far as we can judge from the papers, we should think the new Council will be thoroughly liberal in its principles. The Adelaide Times suggests that the following interrogations should be put to all candidates at the Brat election : — " 1. Are you satisfied with the Constitution of the colony as it now exists ? 2. Will you, in the event of your being returned a member of the new Legislative Council, use all yjur influence, during the first session, to promote a re-moddling of that Constitution, as far as such re-moddling is provided for under the 32d clause of the late Imperial Act 13th and 14th Viet. cap. 59 ? 3. Will you embody in that new Constitution a provision against all State grants in aid of religion, and vote against all such grants until declared illegal by positive legislative enactment ! 4. Will you endeavour to obtain for us under that Constitution universal suffrage ? 5. Will you vote for a no property qualification in members ? 6. Will you seek to shorten the duration of Council from five to one 1 or two years at farthest ? 7. Will you give us vote by ballot ? 8. Will you do all in your power to put an end to legislative nominepism ? 9. W you strive to secure for us local free institut en and the blessings of responsible government !" r

The barque Countess of Yarborough, 470 tons, has been chartered at Adelaide to convey a'large body of colonists to Canterbury, where they had determined to settle.

Bushranging is said to be carried to a fearful extent in Van Diemen's' t Land, and* several out rages have lately been committed in differen parts of the colony. A schooner, nexned th Eliza, had been seized^by a party, vrho had pro ceeded to s?a in her.

A Statistical Table of the Population and Wealth of the Province of Victoria (late Port Phillip), shows a population of 75,000 souls. The total first cost of the land sold in the province is £710,0:10 ; and the number of stock is thus given : — sheep, 5,318,046; cattle, 346,562; horses, 16,743. The nett value of this stock, taking the sheep at 10s. each, the cattle at 205., and the horses at 605., is £3,055,814.

The Electoral Bill, brought forward by the Government of Van Diemen's Land for giving effect to the Constitution bestowed upon the colony by the British Parliament, is strongly censured by the colonial press. It proposes that the new Council shall consist^of sixteen elected members and eight nominees.

A considerable advance in the prices of all kinds of grain has taken placejn the Australian colonies.

Divisibility of Matter. — A remarkable instance of the divisibility of matter is seen in the dyeing of silk with cochineal, where a pound of silk, containing eight score threads to the ounce, each thread 72 yards long, and the whole reaching about 104 miles, when dyed scarlet does not receive a drachm additional weight, so that a drachm of the colouring matter of the cochineal is actualy extended through more than one hnndred miles in _ length ; and yet this minute quantity is sufficient to give an intense colour to the silk with which it is combined.—- Qurterly Journal qfAgri. culture.

Thb Sand Reed, oa " Arundo Arbnakea. — Along the sea coast, between Southport aud Waterloo, this reed flourishes abundantly ; ahdit •eems a wise povision for keeping the sand from encroaching on the neighbouring ground. The roots will penetrate four or five yards in some instances ; and as the sand blows over them or around them, they keep rising higher. There is an old law in the Meols that the tenants, or those who build houses, must at certain times find a labourer to plant the " star" in places where it is wanted. A man calls on the tenants, saying, " You are to go a booning ;" that it, to perform work free from any charge. Not only are baskets and mats made from the sand-reed, but even hats ; and a present of one of these would do for the Exhibition in ISSI. Sometimes persons come all the way from Staffordshire to gather the " star," and return laden with it to make mats. It is not lawful, however, to make use of that near the shore. An Act of Parliament, 15 Geo. 11, inflicts a penalty of 20s, upon any person taking away any star from the north west coast of Enzland, and a year's imprisonment for a second offence .