VICTORIA.

Colonist, Issue 24, 12 January 1858, Page 3

VICTORIA.

The Active arrived in Nelson Harbour on Sunday morning last, having left Melbourne on the 81st December, by which vessel we have received news from, that city up to the 30th ultimo, being sixteen days latpr than that received by the Louis and Miriam via Sydney. The news received from the goldfields is generally cheering, though there are yet loud complaints of hundreds hardly able to get a living. It would seem from, the amount of the weekly escorts to Melbourne that the average yield of gold this year is not equal to that of 1856, notwithstanding the increase of population. But it must be borne in mind that many other forms of occupation are opening on the mining townships. Were greater facilities offered to agricultural settlers the decrease in the returns of gold would be of less importance. Hence the desire for land is growing, the miners are strongly urging their just demands for a better management of the lands of the colony, that new means of employment may be offered, and the productive labour, at present to a large extent wasted, applied for a more certain profit -to the labourer j and "greater advantage, to the

country. Several fresh localities for -diggingoperations have recently been opened. On the M'lvor at ICingower, on the Loddon,. at the Whipstick, and at' Cairngham, new rushes are reported. The last mentioned locality, presents some of the features of a rush in the earlier digging times, and has drawn away multitudes from Ararat and even from Pleasant Creek. Meanwhile on tlie older diggings the deep, leads and quartz reefs are steadily yielding up their riches to the miners, and every week witnesses an increase, of their appliances for gold extraction, and an extension of their workings. At Ararat arid Mount Pleasant matters have settled down into an uniform Course. The diggers are steadily.following the leads which have already been struck, and the .population is assuming a fixed and permanent character. The. weekly escorts for the last four weeks, as compared with those of 1856, for the corresponding period have been as follows:—--Nov. 20 Nov. 27 Dec. 4 Dec. 11 1856 53,741 60,351 48,576 58,933 1857 54,016 50,643 47,972 60,815

The only step yet taken for the carrying out ofthe railway bills passed during the last Legislative Session, consists in the President of the board of lands and works having called tor tenders for the construction of the lines. The line from Melbourne to the River Murray is estimated at 153 miles 65 chains; and with the view of testing the capabilities of colonial contractors as compared with the offer of English contractors to. undertake the whole work, tenders- have been called for the construction^ of the line in eighteen sections of different lengths, and also ofthe whole line. Tenders have also been called for the construction of the Geelong and Ballarat line, estimated at 52 miles 77 chains in length, either, in seven sections or for the whole. A general tender for the construction of both lines throughout has also been called for. All tenders are required to be giveuin by noon on the Ist. of February next The tenders are required to state whether their offers are based on cash payments or the acceptance of Government debentures bearing six per cent- interest; while tendeis on both bases may be sent in by the same person. The total cost of the two lines is estimated at £,8 000,000, and the period of their completion at four years. Ofthe sum required, it is proposed to raise from a million and a half to two millions in the colony, and tlie remaining £6,000,000 in England, by debentures. The Melbourne and Williamst'own" line —a branch ofthe Geelong line—but slowly advances towards completion. The principal cause of the delay is in the bridging of the Saltwater River. It is however expected tha- the line will be finished and leased within six months hence.

A new journal was advertised in the papers, to be called the Melbourne Evening Mail, the -first number of which was to be issued on the evening of the 11th instant. We also perceive that Tlie Illustrated Melbourne, a new weekly journal, was to make its appearance on the 2nd instant; Parliament had adjourned for ths Christmas recess. It is understood that the Reform Bills . will be disposed of so early that the dissolution will take place in "'the merry month of May." Melbourne was to be treated to something like a minature deluge on the occasiou of the opening of the Van Yean water-works, on the 31st December. Jets oVeau were to be placed at every corner of every principal street; but the great torrent would issue in the vicinity of Carlton Gardens, under the auspices of his Excellency the Governor. The Melbourne Total Abstinence Society would celebrate the event by a grand procession through the city. One of the items of news received by the Swiftsure is that Miss Catherine Hayes has married, at St. George's, Hanover Square, "an American gentleman named Bushnell, who is described as a distinguished citizen of New York." We all remember Mr. Bushnell, Miss Hayes's agent in her professional tours through Victoria and New South Wales. .An act of graceful and real generosity has lately been displayed by the American Ice Company, in offering gratuitously to supply the patients at the Melbourne Hospital with as much ice as shall be required by the committee day by day. The Government are about to build a bridge over the Yarra Yam, so as to form a ready means of communication with the Botanical Gardens. The patent slip at Williamstown is not yet finished, and great doubts are entertained iti some quarters as to whether when completed it will be sufficient for the requirements of the port, and that vessels of the large tonnage of many that visit Hobsons Bay may afterwards require to go to Sydney to be repaired. On account of the receut disastrous shipwrecks on the Australian coast„ the Victorian Government intend to erect five lighthouses along the seaboard of the colony. New Government Offices are about to be erected in .the Eastern portion of the city, £4Q,000 having been granted as an instalment. Captain Kiehl, the master of the ship Hebe, from Hong Kong, appeared at the Willlauistovvn Police Court on the 23rd ultimo, to answer an information laid against him by Mr. Broad, Senior Assistant Immigration Officer, for a breach ofthe 3rd section of the Chinese Immigrants -Act,- 18 Vict., No.-39,-as..follows: —■ ■.' If any ship shall arrive in any port of Victoria having on board a greater, number of passengers, than in the proportion of one person to every ten tons of tho tonnage of such ship, and any of such passengers shall be immigrants, the owner, charterer, or master of such ship shall be liable on conviction to a penalty, not exceeding £10, for each passenger so car ried in excess, or improperly." The Captain was fined 20s. for each passenger in excess of the number allowed. There were on board an excess of 113 persons. -—Captain Chapman, the master of the William and Jane, appeared to answer a similar information. The number of passengers in excess was 121, and the same fine per head was inflicted. At the annual meeting of the Victoria Auxiliary Bible Society, held on the 23rd ultimo, his Excellency the Governor presided. The financial statement showed the total receipts of the year to have'been £1502 4s. 5d., including a balance from last year of £179 2s. lid. The expenditure amounted to £1367 9s. 6d., leaving a balance now in hand of £134 14s. lid. One of the leading members of the Convention has just made a generous offer to the working men of Victoria. Mr. James William Thomson is, proprietor ofthe Maidstone Estate, near the Saltwater River ; and he has offered it to be given free " to persons producing certificates of good moral character: the only consideration being, that the grantees shall each, within one year from the date of Ins. gra^give

one day's labour, or an equivalent in money, towards laying out ami forming a township on said estate to be called—- ."' A very extensive fire, occurred at Sandhurst, on the mDrning of Christmas day, by which ..buildings and other property to a very great amount were destroyed. . A Brave Fellow. —A Mr. James Grant, treasurer of the Homeward-Bound claim, Durham, was drowned in the creek on Monday, while bathing. The following account of the bravery of a passer-by is quoted from the Buninyong Telegraph: —" Mr. Lyons, a West Indian, and gold-broker on this lead, happened to be passing just at the time. Immediately on hearing of the accident, he thre\v,off his clothes and plunged in. He dived down, aud on coming to the surface said he had seen the body, but was not strong enough to raise.it. No one about, however, could assist him, and at last he succeded in bringing the body ashore. There was still life in the unfortunate Grant, yet no one was by to aissist in trying the ojperation of resuscitation. Mr. Lyon's conduct is beyond all praise, for his clothes, which he so heedlessly threw by* contained notes to a considerable amount—some say *£450; his watch and chain also lay disregarded on the ground."