NEW SOUTH WALES.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1777, 11 October 1862, Page 5

NEW SOUTH WALES.

(From the Nelson Examiners Correspondent.) Sydney, September 30, 1802. 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 in the Governor's speech, scarcely any thing has been carried through ; there has been quantum siiffirit of talk, and the practical result is nil. The two great ecclesiastical measures, of I which I have frequently written, viz., the Church and School Lands Bill, and the Abolition of State Aid Bill, are before tho 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 Eoglish clergy have been thoroughly in earnest iv efforts to prevent the Bill's becoming law. Petitions, prepared by the 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. Tho supporters of the Government have not deemed it necessary to exert their strength, as tho Colonial Secretary seema confident that he is strong enough without. Besides, nearly every candidate for a seat in Parliament, at the last general election, made this matter part of his programme ; and popular men, in other respects, such as James Martin, late Attorney- General, Charles Kemp, and others, were most ignominiously defeated, because of their pro-State-Aid views. The Assembly has done its duty, and the country will not tolerate that some eight or ten 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's. 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 hia death or removal from the colony. The next Anti-State Aid measure will be liberal. The opinion is becoming general that, until the Legislative Council is constituted upon an elective basis, the great and necessary measures for education, and for the developement of the country's resources, must lie over, Mr. Wentworth, who is styled by some liere the great Australian patriot, is going hotne 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 on being called, who publicly in his place said that " ho 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 at 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-at-arms to take him into custody ; he resisted tho 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 wa3 finally removed by main force, by some 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 again as a candidate for re-election. Blorpeth, however, had had enough of him, and they returned a quiet, gentlemanly man of property, in order, aa they said, to redeem their electorate from disgrace. Our gold fields, west and south, still continue to yield largely, tho average monthly returns, for several months past, being from 60,000 to 70,000 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 heen steadily making their pile, at the rate 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 ia of the highest importance that your Provincial Executive should take off their night caps, rub their eyes, 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. Qn 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 xoir.