Colonial News.

Colonist, Issue 73, 2 July 1858, Page 3

Colonial News.

SYDNEY;

By the Malay we have papers to the 19th June.

The last number of the Bulletin dcs Lois con-' tains a decree by the Emperor Napoleon in reference to the colonisation of New Caledonia. This country has become, as our readers are aware, a French penal settlement. The decree grants to Messrs. Brown and Byrne, of Newcastle, New. South Wales, 40,000 "hectares (about 110,00.0 English acres) of land in the most fertile part of the island, under the condition to introduce into it 1000 free immigrants, one-third of which must be white people, who are to receive 20 hectares of land; the other immigrants may be South Sea Islanders, Indiamen, or Chinese. Messrs. Brown and Byrne, for the fulfilment of their agreement, are bound to lodge in the hands of the French Government a deposit of £10,000. The grant of land extends across from one shore to the other of New Caledonia, to the westward of the line of communication between the Bay of Kanala and Port St. Vincent. Messrs. Brown and Byrne .having accepted the above conditions, are bound to pay an indemnity to the natives for their land if required. They will have to protect and defend their settlement, and their immigrants themselves, against the natives. Leave may be given to them to employ prisoners of a certain class; but they will have no title to any particular favor either in grant of prisoners or in works to be executed by Government. They must also introduce at their own expense, and settle on the land granted to them, one thousand adult immigrants, one-third of which must belong to the white race, engaged for five years at least, and for ten at most. In commercial matters the papers to hand do not report anything particularly striking. At Mort's weekly produce sale, on the 17th, there were only 27 bales of wool brought forward, and the biddings, as subjoined, were without spirit :—New Zealand, mixed, Is. Id. to Is. 2£d.; grease, Bd.; handwashed, Is. 2d. to Is. 7d".; ditto black, Is. 5f d.; locks, lid. Over 2000 sheepskins were sold at s|d. to Bd. per lb. Hides were dull of sale, except one lot of 186 of a superior quality, whicli brought as high a figure as 12s. The other lots sold ranged from 4s. 3d to 10s. A quantity of horns were disposed of at 248. 9d.

The same firm also sold, by auction, a flock of 999 wethers, in lots, at £1 9d. to £1 4s. 3d. each.

Wheat and Flour.—The Herald of the 19th reports as follows of this market:—Wheat is still scarce,'andgood samples are worth Bs. per bushel. The mills have made no alteration in their quotations. Fine .£2O, second quality £18, per ton of 2000 lbs. Bran 2s. 6d. per bushel. A complimentary dinner to the Messrs. Redwood is advertised in the Sydney papers, to take place on the 21st June. •

The new Electoral Bill was still in committee, and, as may be supposed, commanded much public attention and interest.

On the 18th June the House of Assembly went into committee on the Chinese Immigration Bill. The Colonial Secretary moved that the rate to be paid by any Chinamen immigrating to the port should be ,£lO per head, instead of £3, as originally proposed. A very long debate took place, in which the question as to whether the tax should be raised to a prohibitory amount, or absolute prohibition of the immigration, was raised. The Government supported the bill. On these different grounds most of the members addressed the House, but very generally they took different phases of the question. At twenty minutes past eleven, Mr. Hodgson moved an adjournment, which was negatived by 22 to 14. After further discussion, the House divided, when the sum of £3 per head, as proposed in the clause, was rejected by a majority of 26 to 10. A motion that the rate should be £5, was also rejected, under a majority of 23 to 14. A further amendment to make the rate £6 per head, proposed by Mr. Piddington, was also negatived. The motion to make the rate £10 per head was then put, and carried by a majority of 20 to 15. . *