COLONIAL NEWS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume I, Issue 12, 29 March 1851, Page 2

COLONIAL NEWS.

SYDNEY MARKETS.—Friday.

"Wheat and Flour.—From Mr. Briellat we learn that very little Avheat has arrived to market during the week, owing to the contrary winds and the state of the roads. The few samples that ha>e been offered were freely purchased at an advance of 3d. to 4d. per bushel on last week's prices, the highest realising 6s. 3d. A cargo has just arrived from Launceston, with another to follow in a few 7 days, which will prevent any further rise. Floiuf has also slightly advanced, arising principally for the great demand for export: fine being now 15/. and second quality 14/. per ton of 2000 lbs. Bran 51. per ton wholesale. At the Victoria Mills (Mr. Smart's) very little wheat has been received this week, in consequence of the bad state cf the roads, ami the continued southerly winds keeping the grain vessels out of port. The only transaction of note is the purchase of 10,000 bushels of wheat fox early delivery at ss. lid, perJnisliel, _/Thcisales _ of flour have been limited at 141. for fine and 13/. for seconds. Bran continues at 51. per 2,000 lbs.

j Biscuit.—Wilkie's quotations for biscuit are as follow : Cabin 225. pilot 19s. and ship 17s. percwt.

Bread.—The 21b. loaf is generally selling at 31 d.

Forage.—The prices current at the market yesterday were, for hay, 21. 10s. to 31. 10s., and for straw, IZ. 10s. to 21. per ton. Green food is without alteration in price.

Butchers' Meat. —Both beef and mutton are selling by the wholesale butchers at from Id. to 13^d. per lb., according to quality.

Cattle, &c,, for Slaughter.—The market continues to be very badly supplied (as regards quality) with both beef and mutton. The slaughterers of course purchase no more than they are compelled to by the requirements of their customers—among which have been stock that in a better season would be unsaleable at any price. The sales of cattle have been at from 265. to 455. per head, and of sheep from ss. to ss. 6d. Lambs sell at from 5s to 7s. 6d. and calves at from Bs. to 225. 6d. Large fat pigs are worth 2d. to 2Md. and porkers from 3|d. to 3ad. per lb.

Houses. —First rate horses are extremely scarce, while the market is doubly overstocked with inferior animals. There is a good demand for cart horses and mares, for exportation to the Canterbury Settlemelit, where they are reported to be readily saleable at about 401. each. Similar stock are also sought after for town use. Mr. Stewart's sales during the week amount to 45 head, at prices ranging from 21. to 121. Mr. Armstrong disposed of about.a score, at 4Z. 71. 81. and 15/.

Bolls and Rams. —The two imported bulls put up for sale at auction by Mr. Armstrong were bought in at 851. each, and the rams were withdrawn. A good demand exists for thorough-bred bulls and heifers for the Canterbury Settlement, as well as for the French settlement.

George street Markets.—Fowls, Is. lOd. to 25.; ducks, 2s. ; geese, 4s. to 4s. (id.; turkeys, ss. 75.; pigeons, 9d. per pair; roasting pigs, 2s. each; salt butter, Gd. to 9d. ; fresh butter, Is. to Is. 2d.; cheese, G3^d.; bacon, 7d. per lb.; eggs, lOd. per dozen ; potatoes, 4s. 6d. to 55.; onions, ss. to 10s. per cwt.; cabbages, Is. lOd. to 3s. 6d.; lettuces, lOd. to Is.; turnips, Is. 6d.; parsley, 45.; celery, Is. ; parsnips, Is. 6d. ; carrots, Is. 6d.; pumpkins, 4s. to 4s. 6d."; vegetable marrow, Is. 6d. per doz. or dozen bunches ; green peas, 6s. to 75.; French beans, Is. Bd. to 2s. per bushel; lemons, 4d,; quinces, 4d.; pears, 4d. to 9d. ; apples, 4d. to lOd.; bananas, Is. ; water melons, 2s. Gd. to 3s. per dozen; peaches, Is. to 2s, per basket.; grapes, Id. to 2}£d. per lb. SOUTH AUSTRALIA. The new bill for establishing the Legislative Assembly had been introduced to the Council by Sir H. Young1. The province was divided into thirty-eight districts, and eleven electoral districts. In the new conucil, the probable bias of members would be—mercantile and mining, 7; agricultural, 5 ; pastoral, 4 ; total, 16 elective members. From an extract of the census returns for 1851, it appears that there are in South Australia 34,975 males, 27,(564 females, total 62,639 inhabitants ; and 11,981 houses. Onkapakinga Gold Company.—During last week a further examination of upper and lower digging of this Company, that is to say, at Balhan'nah, and on the land further up the river, was made by a very experienced person just arrived from California, and who entertains a very high opinion of the same. Our informant saw a very fine specimen of pure gold washed on Wednesday last. The Californian gold, a specimen of jvhich it was compared with, is of a much lighter colour, but the quality of the Onkaparinga gold is equally high in value. — South Australian. A meeting had been held in Adelaide to adopt the Sydney petition against the continuance of transportation. The first resolution was to the effect that " although South Australia is by the Imperial Legislature from the evils of direct transportation, the meeting felt that the colony will suffer both in a moral and criminal point of view by indirect transportation so long as the system of transporting the convicted felons of the United Kingdom to Van Diemen's Land is continued." The petitions were adopted, a committee appointed to obtain signatures, and a subscription list opened to provide funds. The South Australian Company had headed the list with a donation of 51. VICTORIA (late Port Phillip.) The following particulars of the conflagration at Port Philip, are extracted from the Geelony Advertiser :—

So wide spread has been the devastation of

the late fire, tliat it will be many days before complete details of its ravages can be collected. In the mean time the following can be relied upon as an accurate statement of the facts which have come to our knowledge. On the Barrabool Hills the house, barns, stables, &c, seven buildings belonging to Mr. Holmes, with all his stacks and fences are destroyed, as are also those of Mr. Heard. Mr. Fisher's house was saved; the whole of his crops destroyed. Mr. Thomas lias lost his house, stacks, fences and implements, including a very valuable thrashing machine. On Mrs. Wilson's farm everything is destroyed; but the report of her death, prevalent yesterday, is incorrect, she is living in the house of her neighbour, Mr. Leigh, one of the few whose premises escaped destruction. Mr. Michael Holian has had everything destroyed with the exception of a small hut. Mr. Piper had his stone house destroyed, but succeeded in saving one stack. Mr. Furlong's stacks and fences are burnt; Mrs. Furlong was severely burnt, and her injuries may be fatal. Mr. Honey's house escaped destruction on Thursday, but took fire yesterday afternoon, and was totally consumed. At Mr. Hooper's on the Waurn Ponds, the houses, barns, stacks, fences, and implements were all destroyed, and three lives lost. At Mr. Powell's, Mr. Dewing, with other losses, had a newly-erected fence burnt. But we cannot even enumerate the names of all the sufferers. We have had no precise information about the vineyards. It is reported that Belperoud's is partially destroyed. Petavii's is safe.

On the Corio side of the Moorabool, the conflagration seized Mr. Oostigan's farm, swept over the heights, and passed through Mr. M'Lean's paddock, without inflicting further injury than destroying the grass, and throwing out a black tongue that licked the little herbage visible. From the range overlooking Costigan's and the neighbouring farms, the scene was dismal in the extreme —Burnt black, the charred embers steamed heavily from the recent ruins ; the chimney stack upright was the only object visible, the solitary remnant of house, huts, barns, and farm produce. Mr. Wallace's house is burned to the ground, together with his farming implements, seven hundred bushels of corn, and several fences; his losses are estimated at 800/. Mr. Jacks has suffered little, if any. Costigan" has lost a barn, five ricks of oats, one rick of barley, one rick of hay containing sixty tons, one rick of wheat, farming implements, a winnowing machine, dray and tarpaulin, beds and clothes of every description are entirely gone, and the flames still linger on the banks of the creek, which we crossed at Costigan's over to M'Carthy's. The desolation we had already witnessed somewhat prepared us for the sight we encountered. Three dwelling-houses had gone down in the fire, which raged here in unparalleled violence; a few cinders and charred rafters marked the spot where a barn had stood; the irons of three ploughs lay in the ashes in another place ; alongside, the ironwork of a winnowing machine, half buried in the ashes of six hundred bushels of wheat in chaff and the same quantity in rick. There were the roasted carcasses of four calves tethered, and pigs fattened burnt black and burst by the flames; forty dairy pigs perished, and were lying about in every direction, and more than half that number severely injured; six large ones lay in one heap along the Marrabool. A hundred and fifty fowls were destroyed. Forty tons of hay, the whole of the fencing, the dairy, is utterly goue, and butter to the worth of seventy pounds spoiled, and dairy utensils to the value of lifty pounds' worth has been destroyed. With the houses and huts perished the whole of their furniture and apparel, one pair of boots and a shirt being all that was saved. The stockyard was burned; and the cows, frightened off by the flames, have fled. Mrs. Murphy, living on the farm, had a narrow escape ; she was obliged to fly with her two children, and take refuge in tlie river, and so close were the flames upon her that the hut was in a blaze before she left. The poor woman had only been confined a fortnight. Mrs. Mullins living on a neighbouring farm, plunged into the creek with four of her children for safety. Connor's farm, produce, and implements are utterly destroyed. On Robinson's farm, four thousand bushels of wheat and one thousand bushels of oats, together with everything; of value. From Co.stigan's, the point whence we started, up to Robinson's, this point presented

nothing but black desolation. From the high range above so far as the eye could reach, the scene looked as though it had been swept by the wing of the destroying angel. Around the surrounding districts the losses have been equally great; at the Plenty River a poor woman named Macqueen and her five children were burnt to death. The husband and a shepherd in his employ preserved their lives by plunging into a water-hole. In the neighbourhood of Western Port, the only house left standing is the inn at Dandeneng. Mrs. Bathe, it is feared, has perished ; she went into the stables to assist in releasing some horses, and it is believed that the roof of the building fell upon her. Mr. Brock, of Mount Macedon, has lost three hundred sheep, and the remainder of his flock were only saved by the stratagem of driving them on to barren land. The house, furniture, crops, &c, of Mr. Harlin, at the Plenty, have been entirely destroyed, and Messrs. M'Donald, Grant, and others in the neighbourhood are severe losers. A gentleman who arrived on Friday from Kilmore, passed the carcasses of scores and scores of cattle which had fallen victims to the intense heat of the previous clay. Mr. Young, formerly the landlord of the Harvest Home Tavern, in Bourke street, Melbourne, has been utterly ruined by a fire which took place at his farm at the Springs. At the Pentridge Hills, Mr. Blow's woodshed, containing a large amount of property, was entirely destroyed ; and Mr. T. H. Pike, "it is stated, is a loser to the extent of 1500/. The further casualties we hear are as follows :—Mr. Neil Black, 2,000 (not 3,500) sheep. Mr. Grey, (late Grey and Murr) 300 sheep and a bush hut. Mr. Ware, (near Mount Elephant)' 1,000 sheep (and haystack ; Mr. Cole's woolshed. A wool-shed at Fyan's Ford. Mr. Blowe's store and contents, valued at least at 1,000?. Mr. Greene, Woodlands, house and farm produce. On the night of Thursday we observed the appearance of fires to the south and north of the city. A report is in circulation, which' we fear is too true, that 2,000 of Mr. Moffat's sheep at the Grange, have been destroyed by a bush fire. Messrs. Grey and Marr it is also stated have lost 3,000 sheep, and Mr. Ritchie, near Mount Napier ; the whole of his crop by a similar accident. "Black Thursday."—ln its most literal sense, meaning, and acceptation, the " oldest inhabitant" of Geelong does not recollect such a day as yesterday (Thursday). It surpassed all previous experience of hot winds and sandy whirlwinds. The morning was bright and balmy, and the breeze from the bay was grateful to those who sought its restorative influence. But about half-past seven o'clock in the morning a sudden change occurred. The north-west horizon was seen to be suddenly obscured, and presently a dense and lofty cloud of dust was observed to move bodily downwards towards Geelong, borne on the wings of the hot blast, which struck on the sense with a feeling of sudden and overpowering suffocation. The appearance of the moving mass of sand, or rather fine dust, which filled apparently the whole space between earth and sky, was very similar to the descriptions given by travellers of the sandy and hot whirlwind's which sweep across the deserts of Arabia, or rather those which occur on the great Desert of Sahara, in the north of Africa, and which are stated occasionally to bury whole caravans of men, camels, and baggage. To quote, though with a very different application, the words of Macbeth, we can truly say, that so " fair and foul a day" we have never seen. A hot sun, piercing even the dense sandfog ; a hot blast which howled all day, bringing with it clouds of penetrating dust; a dry atmosphere, exhausting the animal frame, prostrating bodily and enervating mental vigour—these were only some of the characteristics of our " Black Thursday." As a natural consequeuce, nearly all business was suspended in Geelong, for all who could escape from the necessity of going abroad, felt that it would be indeed a work of superogation, if not of wanton martyrdom, to brave so "pelting and pitiless" a blast, which yesterday brought literally hot and heavy on all exposed to it. The thermometer before nine o'clock rose to 102 in the shade, unatt.iohed ; at two o'clock it stood at 114 in the shade, attached. But the most lamentable feature of this " Black. Thursday" has b.een..the great destruction of property by extensive bush fires. Geelong Intelligencer, Feb. 6.