LATEST FROM AUSTRALIA.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1741, 17 July 1862, Page 3

LATEST FROM AUSTRALIA.

The Oui/nvATioN and Manopaotore of Tobacoo. — Judgiug from tbe progress that lias been made during tbe last two or three years in the culture of tbe tobacco plant, it is likely to become soon a staple product of Victoria. It is not, perhaps, generally known that there is already in Melbourne an establishment for the manufacture of the colonial leaf tobacco in a marketable commodity. Tbe Messrs! Loughpan are the proprietors of this establishment ; aud, owing to tbeir long experience in the business, they have beea enabled, by means of an effective plant aud the necessary skilled labour, to manufacture sone colonial .tobacco, whic!', certainly, from its appearance, gives promise of their doing an extensive trade in this business hereafter. Tbey confine themselves entirely to the manufacture of colonial grown tobacco, for good samples of which they have been iajtiib habit' bi giving dne" shilling per lb. ' Taliirijj

into account tbe duty on impoited tobacco,. anjj supposing tbe colonial manufactured article'lo be of the same quality, this will' leave a difference in its favour of one shilling per tb. The two descriptions of manufactured tobacco to whicb Messrs. Loughnan intend to confine themselves is that commonly called tbe "plug," a__ "Barretts twist," as well as cigars and snuff. . .-, The Argus of the 23rd June has tlie follow> ing :— '•.,'-

The salvage caso arising out of the gold taken from the Empress ofthe Sea was finished ,qjx Saturday, the Judge of the Admiralty. Court.;' (the Chief Justice) awarding £830 to the salvors, apportioned as follows : — £4oo to the owners of the schooner Rip, £200 to the master, and £-250 to the crew. His Honor said he had felt great hesitation on the subject of costs, arising out of the conduct of the promoters in detaining the resj and in not showing promptitude , in coming ,to ~th*e Court ; but looking to the fact that it was the first case tried in the country, ; he would not deprive the promoters of costs. .. '*»' '

The rain which has fallen in Melbourne within the last few days seems to have been less jp. qttan. tity than that which the up-country districts experienced. At Bendigo the downpour .was very heavy; and at the Ovens the supply came in good time to supplement the rain which, fell in May. At Inglewood, as here, there has- been something more than a touch of frost, the sold having been severe enough to blight the 'vines and check the growth of the fig trees. . A.'. ' I # The Geelong Chronicle says : — " The last fortnight has been signalled by the discovery and. introduction to our market of reaLsoles,", a 7 fish hitherto unknown to our waters. They have been brought in from the deep sea fisheries outside ,t_e rl'eads, where, from the specimens exhibitedj.it may be presumed they abound. The majority on view were certainly small, but a few of goodly size ' tritons amongst the minnows,' were eagerly bought up as ' flounders.' "

Oi the state of matters at fie Lachlan digging the Sydney Herald says — " The South Lead still yields as largely as ever. The Caledonian Lead (amalgamated claim, Nos. 17 and 18,) have given evidence of considerable richness. The shaft has been bottomed, and tbe miners are now driving. A very small quantity^ of dirt bas been washed, and yielded more-t^an 6 lbs of gold. No. 29 is also reported to'be turning out gold, but to what extent bas Dot transpired, the miners appear unwilling to state the degree of their success. This is the most northerly claim in wbich gold has yet been found. Concerning tbe Union Lead, and tbe Red Streak, .we have nothing to report. On the Victorian Lead many parties continue to sink or drive. Claim No. 3, which it was supposed would bave been bottomed 'oh Monday last, has not been suuk deep enough yet. The party, however, confidently expect to commence driving to-day. Tbe amalgamated claim, Nos. 6, ll>, .11, will be vigorously worked again next week. Tbe shaft has been sunk to the depth of 62 feet. At 40 feet the drift, was reached, aud itis fouud to be no less tban 22 feet thick. The party succeeded in cutting through this enormous stratum of sand with the aid of boxes ; but the water in the shaft compels tbem to "puddle up " before they can proceed any further. About Wednesday next the task of "puddling will be completed. ;The " bottom "it is supposed, lies 120 feet -helow/ tbe surface. In Nos. 14, 15, 16 (amalgamated) the party have been driving for a considerable time northward. They are now at a pdint about 200 feet nortb from the shaft, in the ; di. rection of the Caledonia lead. They 'have seen gold, but not in payable quantity. A cousideraole degree of excitement has been occasioued by a report to the effjct that gold had been struck by a prospecting party .Tn" a shaft 136 fept deep, about 2 miles distant N-.E. from Strickland's Reef. A large number of persous during tbe week sallied out iv quest of this place, but were unable to discover it We have seen one of tbe pro&pectiug party, and ascertained that although gold has certainly beeu obtained there, the quanlity is not payable. In quartz-crushing, affairs assume a most encouraging aspect. Two tons from Strickland's Reef crushed by Mr. Bell's inachine, yielded, we are assured, no less than 34 ozs. 4dwts. Whether or not this quartz was obtained at random, or was selected, for a purpose, we are uot in a position to state. From the Britannia Reef- some extraordinary rich pieces were brought to oiir office yesterday, one of which showed rich frosted gold, and a plentiful admixture .of copper ore. - A .gentleman, versed in snch matters/whb happened to be present pronounced the quartz to. be .precisely similar iv character to tbat obtained from the richest reef yet found on the Turon. The specimens alluded to are from the prospecting claim, takeD from a poiut in the drive 68 feet feet from the. surface, but nowhere so rich as tt the point now reached. The reef is now 4 feet 9 inches thick. Out of tbis claim.' tbere have beeu 15 tons of quartz recently crushed, the yield from which has averaged 4 ozs. 4^ dwts. to the ton.