South Australia.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume XII, Issue 1284, 21 November 1857, Page 3

South Australia.

[From the Maitland Mercury."] We have Adelaide papers to the 2Gth September. The supposed valuable discovery'of a large and deep fresh water lake or Lake Torrens, so long understood to be a mere shallow basin of salt water, turns out to be baseless. Captain Freeling, the Surveyor General, with a well appointed party, who went to the locality to further extend Mr. Gnyder'sdiscoveries, found them to be entirely due to the effect of mirage, ihe deep lake proved to be a shallow deposit of muddy water from floods, then rapidly evaporating, the lofty islands to be low sandbanks, the perpendicular cliffi to have hi» ex Btcnee. The country around was sterile and barren in the extreme. Thus vanishes a supposed admirable means of extending our knowledge of the interior of Australia, Curiously enough, Mr. Goyder’s discovery has unseated a Ministry. So many applications were made for squatting runs in the Lake Torrens direction that the Mr. Torrens’ Government cancelled the existing land regulations. Tho Act was declared illegal, and the Government declining tn withdraw the step, an advene motion was made in the Assembly by Mr. Hanson, the Ministry were defeated, and the next day resigned. Mr. Hanson had been sent for, and was forming a new Ministry, the fourth within a month, the Observer says. The Observer thus describes the fall of the Torrens’ Ministry:—

“ We have already explained the causes of Mr. Torrens’ downfall, but they may be here re-stated briefly. Mr. Torrens, previously to consulting his Attorney-General, bad advised the Governor to issue a proclamation rescinding the Waste Lands Act Regulations. By an Imperial Act of 1855 it is, however, provided that these regulations (after the Proclamation of the new Constitution) could be repealed by the Legislature only. Ir. advising the Governor to rescind those regulations by issuing a proclamation, the Gover-ment therefore most clearly usurped the functions and ignored the authority of the Parliament. Of course a graver political offence could scarcely be committed. Presuming that it must have been the result of error, the attention of the Chief Secretary was first of all called to the fact that he had advised the issue of an illegal proclamation. He refused, however, to retrace his steps, but vindicated his policy, first raising doubts as to whether it was illegal, and then, throwing overboard a defence which was felt to be untenable, boldly declaring that, legal or illegal, he had done it for the good of the country, that circumstances justified it, and that, so far from regretting his act, if the occasion were to return he would do it again. The Legislature had necessarily no option. It was essential to maintain inviolate the privileges of Parliament, and to uphold the supremacy of the law. The plea of a public expediency was shattered to atoms, for it was conclusively shown that every step which the Government had taken on the basis of their illegal proclamation they had prior and legal means of taking. They had therefore violated the law in order to do what they could have done with the law as previously existing. They had done all this when Parliament was in session, and when therefore, they could have easily obtained legislative advice. And after doing all this, against the law, and without necessity, they gloried in their act, and challenged the Parliament to censure them. The result we all know.” The Change of Ministry.—As might have been expected, His Excellency sent for Mr. Hanson, on Thursday evening, and entrusted that gentleman with the task of forming a ministry. Two meetings of Mr. Hanson’s parliamentary friends and adherents were held yesterday, but no definite arrangements were completed. Mr. Hanson, we understand, determines to resume the office of At-torney-General, but be will be also the actual Premier. The general feeling seemsjj’to be strongly against the restoration of Mr. Finniss to the post of Chief Secretary, and Mr. Hart has been named for that position. It is believed that Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Birth, Mr. Dutton, and Mr. Neales will be the other members of Mr. Hanson's Administration ; and promises of active support have been tendered by other gentlemen. There appears to be very little doubt that the necessary arrangementswill be completed|.by Monday ; so that the new Ministry may be able to meet Parliament on the re-assembling of both houses on Tuesday next. Magnetic Telegraph.—We have been favoured by Mr. Todd, Superintendent of the Government Telegraphs, with an inspection of an improved magnetic self-registering machine, on Professor .Morse's principle, with double action, by which messages may be iransmitted along a single wire to and from each terminus station simultaneously, and at the same time registered on a slip of paper, which is mode to pass over a small cylinder for that purpose. The mechanism is somewhat complicated, but appears admirablyj'adapted to the purposes intended. The machine is to be used in connection with the Adelaide and Melbourne line.