SYDNEY.

Wellington Independent, Volume 1671, Issue 1671, 1 October 1861, Page 4

SYDNEY.

[From the Sydney Empibe, Sept. 14.] The principal, and. at the same time,'the most melancholy event of the past week has been the destruction of the noble ship Sovereign of the Seas, 1226 tons, Cruickshank, master. She was lying at Campbell's wharf, and had discharged only a very small portion of her cargo ,wben the fire broke out. It was discovered about 9 o'clock on Tuesday evening — Us seat being in the forehold. Almost immediately afterwards, the fire brigade, the police, aud the seamen belonging to the ships in the cove, were present, rendering every assistance that brave men could render, but although the contest was maintained with the flames throughout the night, at 4 o'clock on the following morning all further efforts to save the ship had, most reluctantly to be abandoned, and the vessel beoame one mass of flame from stem to stern; Having been scuttled during the Hight she took the ground before daylight — so that the cargo and so much of the hull as was below high water mark has been partially saved — at least from the fire. The loss, however, must be very great — the ship being one of the finest that ever visited this port. The fire is said to be the work of an incendiary, and two men connected with the ship have been taken into custody on suspicion of being the guilty parties. The Mount Alexander Mail, of the 23rd ultimo, reports that in the neighbourhood of Little Bendigo there is a oamp containing about half-a-dozen unfortunates afflicted with the loathsome disease termed " fat hung," or " Chinese leprosy." A Chinaman !has been taken into custody at Rockampton for murdering a man named Lang, at Mr. Munroe's station in the Port Cooper District.

On Saturday afternoon the interesting ceremony of presenting the Waterloo Volunteer Rifle Company with a set of camp colours and a silver bugle came off in front of Mr. Hayes's resideuce, near Mount Carmel. The names of the ladies who subscribed the address accompanying the presentation were Sarah Anne Andrews, Bridget Mary Byrnes, Jaue Colston, Jane C. Ellison, and Harriet Potter. As usual on such occasions there was a considerable number of spectators.

Spicer's ground, recently thrown open to the miners of Meroo, is yielding a rich harvest of the precious metal. Twelve pounds weight of gold had been deposited in the Mudgee branch of the Bank of New South Wales, and another parcel weighing twenty-five pounds has been forwarded to Sydney. On a recent occasion the mail from Sydney to Mudgee was lost or stolen during the stay of the coach at one of the resting places. How or by whom the felony was perpetrated does not appear. The mail bag was subsequently found ] empty, and a sum of £555 secreted in a hollow tree close by. .f.-. a <{ A social re-union was held at.Sophien'berg, the residence [of Mr. Atkinson, M. P./on Saturday, to taste the flesh of the alpacas lately slaughtered. The guests, .some 20.0 in number, appear to have enif joyed themselves thoroughly ori^the occai Bton.

Their Excellencies Sir John and Lady Young and suite are to visit Windsor ou Friday, the 4th of October. On the following day Lady Young, ou behalf of tho ladies of Windsor, is to present the local volunteer company with a set of flags. Lady Bowen, wife of the Governor of Queensland, is expected to be present.

A young man, named Cunningham, fell overboard from the Phantom steamer, on Sunday, whilst on the way to Manly Beach, and was nearly drowned. On Saturday, another young man, named Henry Chapman, residing on the Surry Hills, had a portion of his left hand blown off by the accidental discharge of a pistol. The Oscar, steamship, from Otago, with 5827 ounces of gold, arrived at Melbourne on Saturday. As might be expected, there is a great rush from thai place to the gold-field. It is sincerely to be hoped that the miners of New South Wales will not be hurried into rash courses by this news — especially when it is considered tbat the weekly yield of gold in this colony frequently exceeds the amount brought by the Oscar, and which, for what we know to the contrary, may be the aggregations of months. The new rush at Spicer's Creek, ou the Meroo, is oertainly equal to anything the Tuapeka gold-field has yielded.

The last escort from Burrangong brings down 3126 ounces of gold and £550 in cash.

At the late sittings of the Bathurst Circuit Court, Jemmy Sing, a Chinaman, was sentenced to death for the murder of Sophia Monies, at Avisford, on the 27th February last. John Atkinson, for the wilful murder of his wife, Margaret Atkinson, at Wimburudale Creek, on the 15th of April, was sentenced to seven years' hard labour on the roads or other public works of the colouy. Mrs, Lee, senior, of Paramatta, is about to forward to the Great Exhibition twelve samples of colonial silk.

A lecture on electricity was delivered by Mr. Druery, in the School of Arts, Balmain on the same evening.

The children attending St. James's Infant School, Castlereagh-street, were entertained on Monday evening at the school-house, with an exhibition of dissolving views produced by the aid of the oxy-calcium light. The Rev. Thomas Smith accompanied the different views with explanatory remarks.

A • foreigner named John Petersohn died in the lock-up at Grafton the other day. The poor fellow being very ill and without friends, was removed from his lodgings to this place a short time before bis death. The Clarence and Richmond Examiner remarks, in reference to this case, " Upon the door ofthe lockup being opened, a most heart-rending scene met the gaze. The body of the deceased presented all the appearance of one who had died in the deepest distress; and the place itself, not fit for the reception of the vilest criminal, made one blush to think that a fellow creature — a foreigner — should be suffered to end his days."

The recently discovered copper mines at Rockhampton are turning out well. Private letters received at Sydney, say that the lode will be about twenty feet thick.

The annual festival given to the children attending Christ Church Schools, came off on Monday. The ohildren were treated to a trip to Vancluse in the Washington steamer.