SUMMARY OF NEW SOUTH WALES INTELLIGENCE.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XIII, Issue 705, 27 January 1855, Page 4

SUMMARY OF NEW SOUTH WALES INTELLIGENCE.

[From the Sydney Empire, December 30.] A very painful feeling of regret has been excited by the disturbances in our sister colony, and it may be useful to our readers in England to know that the impression here is that the digging population have been goaded into rebellion by the mal administration of subordinate officials at the Gold Fields. There has been no public expression of sympathy here with the insurgents, but a conviction- is growing up that the imposition of a tax or license for digging is a cumbrous and exasperating method of raising a revenue, asit Jevies an equal amoont of taxation on the successful and the unsuccessful digger, independently of which the revenue when raised will not, in many caces, pay the cost of collection. And it jis felt that the present land •7 1 teen ia at the bottom of the disaffection which haa been exhibited. The Legislative Council, which was sitting at the date of our last summary, has since been prorogued, after an unusually lengthened and arduous session. Although no measures of very great importance marked its labours, yet the foaiidations were laid for future l^wktion on many questions of great importance, by numerous committees of enquiry, which entered into their investigations with unexampled industry and application. Connected with the departure of Sir Charles' Fifzßoy, we hear that an attempt is being made to get u,p a testimonial in his Excellency's favour. But tU»^KßrtTfi^jMi by whom the affair ia managed are £#*?e*tr« in its operations tbat we are not able to learn what success they have wet with. It is qoite certain that by a very h\rge class of the community the departure of iSir Charles Fitz Roy from the colony will not "be viewed with any f. cling of regret, except that arising from opportunities of usefulness wasted, and ill example conspicuously displayed. Notwithstanding the large arrivals of immigrants which are continually taking place, the matter has again been brought before the Legislative Council, with a view to obtain further assistance from the local Government. Mr. Jaineß Macarthur, on the 24th of November, moved the following resolutions, which were Carried without a division :—: — "That this Council, after maturely considering the subject of Immigration ia all its bearings, is of opinion that the continued prosperity of this colony in a great degree depends upon a large and uninterrupted supply of labour. 2. That the increasing resources and population of the colony, and the probability of a large and progressive increase of the land revenue, in the opinion of this Council, fully justify the policy of borrowing on the security of that revenue the funds necessary to keep up that supply. 3. That, io the opinion of this Council, the further tarn of £100,000 should be remitted for that itnportiot object, so as to reach England by the month of June, 1855, and that such portion thereof as may be necessary be railed on the before mentioned security. 4. Tit«t lb,e foregoing resolutions be em- - bodied in an Address to his Excellency tbe Governor-General, with a request that be will caua^thfetn to be carried into effect." Daring "the debate which eosued Dr, Lang

strove to obtain a vote of £20,000 for bringing out a number of the hand-loom weavers of the east and west of Scotland, who had addressed the house by petition ; but his amendment to that effect was negatived without a division.

The following is a resume of the business of the late session of the Council. There were seventy- six bills initiated, of which fifty- three passed and were assented to ; one was disposed of by being appointed to be read that day three months ; three were negatived on the motion of the second reading ; five lapsed in committee ; nine were discharged from the paper; and all proceedings on the remaining two were rescinded.

In our last summary we noticed the evident determination of the people of this colony that no excuse of ignorance should be left to the Imperial Parliament as to their feeling on the subject of that most unpopular Constitution Bill for this colony, which is now lying before them. We have recorded that a very enthusiastic meeting had been held in Sydney, to denounce it, and we have now to record that meetings have been held at the important inland towns of Parramatta, Goulburn, Shoalhaven, and Scone. The same indignant repudiation of its principles was exhibited at these places as in Sydney, and petitions to her Majesty and both Houses of Parliament were in every case adopted. A petition against the bill has also been got up at Newcastle. We have not heard of a single meeting, in any part of the country, in Us favour. The supporters of the measure appear to rely on the dead weight of nominee, official, and squatter influence in the colony and in England.

Our distant readers will remember that, in our last summary, we mentioned a very current rumour that was then in existence, that the long-lost Mr. Benjamin Boyd was still alive and detained by the natives of the Island of Guadalcanal So much credence was given to this report, that the owners of a small vessel, called the Oberon, fitted her out and sent her to the uland with merchandize, to endeavour to recover the missing gentleman. Since then, the Oberon has returned from her cruise, and has brought with her a skull which the natives affirmed to be the skull of Mr. Boyd, who, according to their account, bad been murdered shortly after his landing. They affirmed this so positively, that the captain of the Oberon was deceived, and paid a large price for what be believed to be proof positive of the unfortunate gentleman's death. On his arrival here, the skull was submitted to the inspection of several medical men who knew Mr. Boyd well, and others of his friends, and it was proved, beyond any doubt, never to have belonged to that gentleman. It is strongly suspected to be the cranium of a South Sea Islander. This failure has not damped the ardour of Mr. Boyd's friends, who contemplate sending down another expedition, for it is argued that the deceit may have been practised to conceal the fact of Mr. Boyd being still alive, and in captivity. These circumstances exhibited in a striking mariner the sluggishness and incompetence of the Coloniel Government. On the first arrival of the report a deputation waited on the Governor-General, urging the propriety of a combined action between a vsssel of war, or a vessel chartered by the Government, and the vessel that was despatched by private enterprise. This was agreed to by the Government, and a promise was given that a vessel should be sent to assist in the search. The schooner sailed, relying on this promise. She was away six weeks, Hnd on her return found the Government only then advertising for tenders, with a view to chartering a vessel for the service which private enterprise had apparently completed without its aid. As soon as it was found, however, that the captain of the Oberon had been deceived, the Government were again urged to take up the matter that they bad so culpably delayed. An official answer soon made its appearance, that there was no veßsel available for the purpose, and the Government has-apparently retired from the undertaking. This has given great and general dissatisfaction.

We continue to receive large numbers of immigrants from England. They are rapidly absorbed, and obtain good wages at the tcale named in our report of the labour market. The unsettled state of Melbourne, and the great fall that has taken place there in the price of labour of all descriptions has sent up a considerable number of emigrants to Sydney. Every steamer brings up from SO to 100 in the steerage. -

The building trade is active here, and fine stone stores and houses are rising in all directions. The price of timber has fallen considerably, in conbequeoce of large importations from America, and the wages of masons have fallen from 30s. per day to 225. to 235., while bricklayers can earn from 20s. to 2Gs. per day. House rent is falling, except in very favourable localities, in consequence of the general slackness of trade. _ -- .

The shipping interest is in a very depressed condition. For many months small vessels of light draught were in great demand for carrying the surplus of one colonial market to another. In this eervice high rates of freight were realized, and a great deal of money was made. The consequence was, that- a great number of small vessels were sent out here and sold at enormous prices. But now, each colonial market being heavily overstocked with almost every description of merchandise, these vessels are thrown out of employment, and many of them are laid up idle in our harbour. The same remarks will apply to steam vessels. The enormous price that was given for the Clarence steamer caused so large a number of vessels to be sent out, that many are laid up at the various colonial ports, qoite onable to he worked to ■ profit. Id another part of tke Empire we give a list of the ttearceri no«r belonging to this port. We think this list mast cause some Mioniahmeat at home,

when it is remembered that the population of the whole colopy is only 230,000, and that of Victoria about the same. It is feared that the several steamers at present plying are scarcely paying expenses, as the Australasian Steam Navigation Company, which is the most extensive concern and owns not fewer than eighteen steamships, only declared all dividend at the rate of ten per cent, per annum, at their last half- yearly meeting, instead of the enormous dividends they have previously declared. Their shares, too, have been bold tt a forced sale, at public auction, at a ditcount of from S to 74 per cent. The Sydney and Melbourne Steam Packet Company declared no dividend at all- at their last half-yearly meeting, which deficiency was ascribed to the very high price of coals and labour.

One very beneficial effect has resulted from the* large number of steamers that have been sent out. The towns on the coaat are now in regular and constant communication with the metropolis. Even the newly-settled township of Gladstone, which has been established at Port Curtis, the most northerly limit of the colony, has now regular steam communication. It is greatly to be regretted that the rivers on the eastern coast are so ill adapted for steam navigation. An attempt is, however, about to be made on two of them. On the Shoalhaven a small steamer has been placed, called the Nora Creina, and a company has been formed to navigate the Hawkesbury, as far as the town of Windsor. The River Hunter is now navigated by many and powerful Bteamers belonging to the Australian Steam Navigation Company, 6ome of which have recently arrived from England. Bat another company has been formed, having a local proprietary, who are expecting three steamers out from England for the same trade.

Trade generally continues very depressed. English goods of almost all descriptions are continually sacrificed at auction at ruinous prices. The market in most departments is overstocked, and money continues tight, the banks exercising a rigid scrutiny over all except first- class paper. At present the colony does not produce nearly sufficient wheat for its own consumption. Accordingly we have large importations from Chili, from Adelaide, and lately we have had a cargo of 6,000 barrels of flour direct from the United State?, from which country bread btuffs form a part of moßt cargoes. Another whole cargo is said to be on the way. No less than eleven ships have been chartered lately for Valparaiso, to load with bread stuffs.

We are now suffering from a drought unparalleled in its intensity since the year 1839. It causes great difficulty in getting the wool down from the country dirricts, as the bullock teams cannot be supplied with water on the road. We constantly hear distressing accounts of the state of the roads in the inteiior, from the carcases of dead bullocks lying on the way side, which have perished of thirst. This drought is also expected to raise the price of meat in Sydney very considerably, for the carcase butchers cannot bring the living beasts to market. In our lat>t summary, which was written six we.eks ago, we mentioned that prayers were offered in the churches for rain. We have had no rain since then, so that our English} readers may easily imagine that the country presents a very arid and debert appearance. At the moment of writing this, on Friday, the 29th of December, there is a hot wind blowing from the north- east, the bush is on fire in many directions in the neighbourhood of Sydney, and casting our eye on the thermometer, we see it marks 92 ©in the shade. Exposed to the wind it would probably ascend much higher.

The annual commemoration of the establishment of the University of Sydney was held on the 11th December, and came off with more than usual £clat. The Governor- General presided, and the Provost delivered the customary oration. There was a very large attendance. In conclusion, ire are happy to be able to bear continued testimony to the good order and general contentment that prevails. Our Police Courts exhibit very little crime, and during the Christmas holidays, which have just terminated, ibe whole population seemed bent upon enjoyment with a heartiness, and yet with a decorum, that betoken* a striking advance in public manners.

There are now numerous places of ptiblic entertainment open in the city, and they generally receive a fair amount of encouragement. A splendid new theatre is in course of erection, which will accommodate with ease 3,000 people. It is to be opened on the 26th of January, tbat being the anniversary of the foundation of the colony.

The public health is good. We have no or endemic disease, and the population appears to be rapidly assuming that healthy balance of the sexes of which it has ever since its existence been so' deficient.