NEW SOUTH WALES.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1773, 30 September 1862, Page 5

NEW SOUTH WALES.

(From the Nelson Examiners Correspondent.)

Sydney, September 30, 1862

I had prepared a communication for your columns before the Rangatira left this on her last trip to New Zealand, but, being away from home when the mail was made up, my letter was, unfortunately, not posted. I therefore delayed sending until, as I hoped, the Worsley would be leaving, on the 15th , but the calamitous wreck of that vessel upset my calculations. Much that I had then written would have been useless for your paper, as it was no longer news. Our Parliament has been in session more than four months, but, as yet, of all the promised legislation iv the Governor's speech, scarcely any thing has been carried through ; there has been quantum sufficit of talk, and the practical result is nil. The two great ecclesiastical measures, of which I have frequently written, viz., the Church and School Lands Bill, and the Abolition of State Aid Bill, are before the Legislative Council. It is doubtful whether that House will acceed to the latter measure. It was carried on its third reading in the Assembly by the influential majority of 32 to 19, and several staunch supporters of the measure were absent. But the Roman Catholic and Eeglish clergy have been thoroughly in earnest in efforts to prevent the Bill's becoming law. Petitions, prepared by tho authorities of the above two churches, have been hawked about in every district by the resident clergy, and their churchwardens, and in consequence, a multitude of petitions, which, after all, do not express the mind of the country, have been sent up to the Council against the measure. The supporters of the Government have not deemed it necessary to exert their strength, as the Colonial Secretary seems confident that he is strong enough without. Besides, nearly every candidate for a seat in Parliament, at th» last general election, made this matter part of his programme ; and popular men, in other respects, sucti as James ! Martin, late Attorney General, Charles Kemp, ; 1 and others, were most ignomimously defeated, | because of their pro-State-Aid views. The Assembly has done its duty, and the country will not tolerate that come eight or tan respectable old gentlemen, who in no way represent the people, shall defeat their wishes in this respect. It is certain that if the honorable M.L C. do throw the Bill out, there will be a great and determined outcry against them, through the length and breadth of the land, and it will be eventually worse for the recipients of State Aid. The present measure provides that every Minister, now in receipt of salary, shall continue so to do until his death or removal from the colony. The next Anti-State Aid measure will be liberal. The opinion ia becoming general that, until the Legislative Council is constituted upon an elective basia, the great and necaaaary measures for education, and for the developament of the country's resources, must lie over,

Mr. Wentworth, who is styled by some here the great Australian patriot, is going home again, after a short stay, by the October mail. Things have so changed during his seven years absence in England, that he is disappointed, and leaves the colony this time, without any intention of returning.

Many of our monied men have gone home of late years, and are spending their large incomes in the luxurious ease of the father-land. In many respects this is a loss to the colony ; but I do not see how it can be avoided. All, even natives of the colony, speak of England as home.

David Buchanan, the democrat, aa he prided himself ou being called, who publicly in his place said that "4ie pitied the Queen on her loss just as much as he pitied any other woman in similar circumstances, " and who gravely proposed, at a very large and influential meeting, to appropriate the funds collected for Prince Albert's statue towards the relief of the cotton spinners (he himself not having contributed one farthing to that subscription), has at length thoroughly disgraced himself. One night he got, as he would, no doubt, term it, gloriously drunk ab Bellamy's during the refreshment recess, and insulted the chairman of committees, honourable members on both sides, the Speaker himself, and refused to sit down when ordered. The Speaker issued his warrant to the Sergeant afc-arms to take him into custody ; he resisted the order, thoroughly frightened the quiet old gentleman (who came and desired him to accompany him) out of the Chamber, squared at the Sergeant and members, and was finally removed by inaiu force, by gome half-dozen members who rushed to the rescue; he meanwhile kicking, plunging, and blackguarding, as drunken men will, until he was finally locked up out of harm's way. A few days after he resigned his seat, but came forward agoin as a candidate for re-election. Morpeth, however, had had enough of him, and they returned a quiet, gentlemanly man of property, in order, as they said, to redeem their electorate from disgrace. Our gold fields, west and south, still continue to yield largely, the average monthly returns, for several months past, being from 60,030 to 70.00J ounces. We are beginning to feel the rush to Otago. I can't account for this sort of thing. It is like a stampede on the great American prairies. Men who have been steadily making their pile, at the rato of from one to two ounces per day throw up all, and hump their swag down to Melbourne and Sydney, en route for Otago. Many of them will repent it, but who can stop the stampede ? It seems impossible to persuade diggers to let well alone. How is it we do not hear more of your gold-fields. 'From all I can learn, there is a very profitable yield for the number of men at work, but the difficulty of communication prevents many from going who otherwise might try their luck. If this is the case, it id of the highest importance that your Provincial Executive should take off their nrjht caps, rub their eye 9, and shake themselves into activity. With your mineral wealth, it is a thousand pities that you should be cursed with a lazy, do-nothing Executive.

The weather, on this eastern sea-board of Australia, continues very dry, every thing is parched up, cattle are dying for want of pasture, and at present no hopes of rain. On the other side of the great mountain range, they have had too much of it, great floods having visited Adelaide and done much mischief. But I shall weary you and your readers, at any rate / am tired, so bon soir.