VICTORIA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VI, Issue 431, 20 December 1856, Page 4

VICTORIA.

Our papers from Melbourne are to the 15th November. The new Parliament was to meet for the first lime on the 21st of that month. After the excitement of the elections, the political world seems to have become calmer. From the Aye, Herald and the newly established Australian News for home we take the paragraphs and extracts :—— PorcxATiox and Labor.—The population of Victoria cannot be estimated at less than four hundred and fifty thousand souls. It is supposed that at present there are upwards of 200.000 persons on the goldfields, of whom 150.000 are able bodied workmen. This can only be looked on as a loose estimate. But all doubt on the subject will be shortly set aside, as a general census of the colony will be taken in February next; and for this service active preparations are in progress in the department of the Registrar-General. The last census was a complete failure, and mp.de a ridiculous under-estimale of the ■population. The Registrars' returns also shew that the colony is in the highest degree healthy. There are no epidemics of any kind, and a large majority of the deaths registered are entered through the different coroner's offices. All the private letters from Melbourne complain greatly of the want of labour. The trades had combined and refused to ivork more than eight hours a-day, and employers had been obliged to submit and pay the same wages for eight hours as for ten. Mechanics were getting from 15s. to 205.; women servants were much wanted, and good ones could readily obtain £40 per annum.

Population-.—lt is exactly twenty years to-day, Bth November, since the first census was taken in Port Phillip ; which event occurred on the Bth November, 1836, ■when the population of this colony was 186 males and 38 females. — Geelong Observer. In a few days the Parliament of Victoria will assemble ; but whether they will proceed to the despatch of business or not is rot yet known. The Assembly which will meet on the 21st instant, is the first new Parliament of Victoria. It has been elected with a very widely extended, nay almost universal franchise; it has been elected by the ballut, and ought to be a very fair representation of the views of the colonists. Many questions of vital importance will have to be considered by the i inety trentlemen who comprise the two houses/and the -well being of the colony will, in a great measure, and for many years, depend on the spirit n which they undertake and execute their task.

In anticipation of the meeting of Parliament, pubbc attention is to a considerable extent engrossed by speculations as to the degree of support Ministers will obtain, and the consequent probability or improbability <=f their retaining office. It is impossible at preseiv. to form any accurate i-'.itnaie of the *tate of parties. The Argus newspaper regards the result of the elections as favorable to Mini*t< rs, and anticipates Ibeir having a sufficient majority to carry on the go*, eri.aiciit. The Herald considers the the rcsuk of the elections as dcekb-dly unfavorable to Ministers, and was convinced a short time ago that ihe prospect of retaining office was \try faint indeed. Of late there ha* been less confidence in predicting their dounudl. The Aye is convinced the present MbiUuy onybt not to stand, but the confetujit dciiUi.ciuiio.is by that journal of tot; improper m«ihod« by which Ministers. as in aliened, ar« seeking to ef rengtben their position, indicates that there is some fear

that their position will be found a strong one. A proclamation appears in yesterday's Gazette for tho " meeting of the Parliament of Victoria," on the 21st instant, and requiring the attendance of the members of Council and Assembly, in the new Houses, "at the said time and place accordingly," Great day ! As the prince said to Caesar, " I see the gods now, which before I heard of." — Herald, Nov. 7. Great efforts are being made to have the new Parliament Houses sufficiently advanced to enable both chambers to commence their sittings therein by the latter end of the month. The Assembly room will, it is thought, be ready, and as there will not be much business for the Legislative Council for the first two months, arrangements will be made by which the workmenfean be employed in completing their chamber unless during the actual sitting of the Council.

The Australian Mail Contracts are analysed iv an article under that title quoted by us from a London paper. We must postpone some remarks upon the subject, and content ourselves by observing that the analysis seems to show that the English Government, in their anxiety for •' economy" have successfully emulated the old miser who undertook to cut a flin{ in two for a penny and spoiled a sixpenny knife in doing it. There appears to be good reason for anticipating another series of steam failures under the present contract, and the reason assigned for not accepting the lower tender of the company which had to build boats, evaporates through the facts stated with respect to the absolute condition of the company with whom the contract has'been concluded. Dr. Franklin's advice—if you want a thing done, do it yourself—seems especially applicable to ourselves in this matter. The question of our mail business is nothing more nor less than what good housewives call " putting out the washing when it may be done at home," and paying through the nose for it.— Herald. A new gold-field has been discovered on the run of Mr. Peters, at Strathfillan, in the North Pyrenees. It is about thirty miles north of Avoca, twenty west of Dunolly, and twelve south of New Bendigo. There are at present about GOO people there, and the numbers are rapidly increasing. We "hear that our new Governor, Sir Henry Barkly, is now expected by the ' Tribune ' frigate, and not by the mail steamer as previously announced. The frigate is intended as a contribution to our defences, to be followed up by other additions. Sir Henry, by coming out to us in this aristocratic manner will arrive free from the intimacy or influence of returning old chums, or the future importunities of his fellow pssengers. He will not have to break bulk on the passage, to display the stores of his mind, but will arrive with all bis packages sound and in good order.

Mayokal Election.—On the 10th instant Mr. John Thcmas Smith, the Victorian Wbittington, four years Mayor of Melbourne, bad to vacate the seat in favour of Mr. Peter Davis. The new mayor is, or very lately was, an auctioneer in this city doing an extensive business, and devoting such margin of time as he had left to the business of the City Council, of which he was an active and a conspicuous member. The only other gentleman nominated for the office was Alderman Clowes, and the contest was as close as it could be—for the latter fomteen votes were given, and for Mr. Davis 10. The pedigree of the new mayor is as follows :—Mr". Peter Davis is the tenth mayor of Melbourne, the corporetion of this city \h now •' rising fifteen " years. The gentlemen who previously held the office of chief magistrate are—Messrs.

Condell, Palmer, Moor, Russell, Bell, Nicholson, Greaves, Smith, and Hodgson. Of these Messrs. Coiuloll and Moor were each twice elected, and Mr. Smith four times. The first of the tun was a brewer the second an attorney, the fourth and fifth' merchants, the sixth a grocer, tho seventh a doctor, the eighth a retired innkeeper, th e ninth a landholder and the tenth an auctioneer. Six of them were Englishmen, three Scotchmen, and one an Australian. Ireland has the right cither to congratulate herself or to enter thh as another of her wrongs. Mr. Benjamin Barber of Campbellfield, has received a first-class medal from the Imperial Commissioners of the Exposition recently held at Paris for the Victorian wheat and flour exhibited by him. The medal is accompanied by a letter from the Chief Secretary, announcing that it had been some mouths in the colony, but that there had been some difficulty in finding Mr. Barber's address. The fact of a firstclass medal being given for Victorian wheat and flour by agriculturists of such high standing as the judges at (he Paris exhibition, is not only highly creditable to ..ic exhibitor, but gratifying to the whole colony, as shewing that our climate is as well adapted (othegrowthof cereals as any in theworld. A coroner's inquest was held on the bodies of Pennefather and MacCaulay, at which the jury recorded a verdict that the death of the latter bad resulted from a pistol shot discharged by Pennefather while in a state of temporary insanity, and that his own death was attributable to his own act under the influence of a similar state of mind. Considerable dissatisfaction has been expressed by the public at this verdict, and the conduct of both coroner and jury severely censured. The medical evidence that was taken was rather in disfavour of Pennefather being of unsound sta c of mind; there was no attempt to procure the evidence of Veith and Lucas, and the manner in which th« whole investigation was conducted has led to the belief on the part o the public that an attempt was made to suppress such evidence as might cause unpleasantness to the survivors and relatives.

We have received a copy of the new paper, ' Der Kosmopolit,' No. I. In the absence of-our German editor, we can at present only remark that the journal is very well printed, and though we do not understand a word of it, the following looks like something important :— tk ' Der Kosmopolit' wird einen Miftidpunkt dcs deutchen Lebens in Australien bilden, unci dem deutschen elemente dies Geltungzu v< rschaffensuchen, die demselben alie Representanten eines als geistig gross anerkannten Volkes gebuhrt." We yesterday announced a new goldfield in the neighbourhood of the Notth Pyrenees ; and full particulars of another-* in the locality of Bendigo, appear in ou^ paper to-day. Nothing very rich has yet turned up, but ' good wages ' appear to be insured. It is gratifying to record these evidences of our wealth, mid 'of employment fur our masses. The working men who are now Lavii.g the old country for these .shores, will arrive with more moderate expectations than their predecessors, and probably do better iv consequence. At the same time, we believe the hour has fully come when public provision should be made for the sick and disabled at our mines. A good hospital should immediately be provided, on each of our main y,M fields at least, and we are sure none would contribute to its funds more cheerfully than the diggers themselves. We would suggest that local committees be at once formed for the purpose of raising subscriptions for "Diggers' Iluspitals or IL rnes," and we shall be glad to give our assitstance in any way that will forward the desirable end iv view.— Ifcrald, Nov. 11.