NEW SOUTH WALES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VIII, Issue 507, 12 September 1857, Page 3

NEW SOUTH WALES.

Our latest news from both Sydney and Melbourne is via Hobart Town. We take the following from the " Hobart Town Advertiser," of August 18th. THE SYDNEY PARLIAMENT. After a nearly six months' vacation—the Parliament of New South Wales was opened,] by the Governor General on the 1 \ th instant, amidst a brilliant assemblage of the " celebrities" of New South Wales. The inaugural address of Sir W. Denison is eminently practical and Jbusiness-like: necessarily partaking more of the explanatory nature of a President's message than of the ambiguity which may possibly some day pervade King Arthur's speech. A brief glance at the principal topics embraced in it may not prove uninteresting to our readers. Those which will prove most so, are the instances in which Tasmania has obtained the " start" in political progress of her more powerful and more experienced sister colony. In Tasmania, our political constitution has so far worked admirably, and although, like every human work, it may doubtless be improved in some particulars,—such as a provision for an increase in the number of members of the Assembly, as our population increases—and a decisive definition of the powers of the Council on money bills, —we may probably by conciliation and moderation of tone go on for some years, steadily progressing, without the unpleasant necessity of launching anew on the turbulent sea of Parliamentary Reform. It has been a high privilege for calumniated Tasini nia to give the first demonstration in the British dominions [of the safety and the efficacy of the ballot. Our Legislative Council, although elected by a restricted class, still is elective. Both the ballot and an elective Council still have to be provided in New South Wales. The former is promised during the present session; the alteration from a Nominee Council to an Elective one will doubtless be opposed by the present Council, and will probably have to be struggled for. The increase in the numbers of the Sydney Assembly, which it is also now proposed to effect, will also meet with considerable opposition from parties interested. It is a great evil to have 'an Assembly so few in number as not to afford a large majority of independent members to form a sort of national jury—to decide on the pretensions and the measures of those who aspire to office. It was recently laid down as an axiom here by a daily paper, to justify the appointment of two ridiculously incompetent ministries—that " every member of the Assembly must be prepared, at some time or other, to take office." la a small Assembly where more than two or three ministries cannot possibly be formed— a continual struggle takes place for the honors and emoluments of office—and the public interests suffer in consequence. "It is not possible (says the ' Sydney Herald') to carry on Government while one-half at least of the Assembly aspires to office." One of the most important provisions for the efficient and important administration of justice is that of entrusting the functions of

the Grand Jury with some person who shall be wholly uninfluenced by party politics. A public prosecutor ought to hold his office on terms as independent of party influence as the judges themselves. The separation of the political duties of the Attorney-General from his office of Grand Jury-—has been now for some lime effected in this colony, with a result so unexceptionable as to have escaped animadversion even where it is not deemed indecent, by one journal, to endeavour to bias the minds of a jury panel on a case under adjudication, before trial —when party interests are involved. It is proposed to adopt this improvement also in New South Wales. These are all agreeable items for Tasmanians to contemplate. There are other matters, however, in Sir W. Denison's address, by no means so flattering to us, by comparison. " The deficit in the revenue, existing at the commencement of 1856, has been diminished by economy and the improved state of the public incoihe," which may now be said of Sydney,—applies in a very minor degree, we fear, to this island. We must, however, console ourselves with, the reflection, that matters when at the worst will surely mend—and that if even the gold colony of New South Wales had suffered so greatly from the fiscal derangements consequent on " the great discovery," it is'gratifying to think that a colony without a " practical gold field," has suffered no worse. The references, in the Sydney address, to the obtaining from England an officer to superintend the railways—to the laws regulating the coinage—to the laws for the management of the Gold Fields, are matters with which Tasmania at present has little to do—but to some of which at least she may hopefully look forward, at some future period. The Sydney Ministry intend to " ask for ajgnuch larger amount than usual for the maintenance and repair of the leading thoroughfares of the colony, and to place them under an improved system of managment," an example which we Tasmanians will be too happy to follow, at no distant time. The Land system—that vexed question which has to be solved every where, and of which every body gives a different solution, is to come under consideration at Sydney, as at Hobart Town and Melbourne. The address thus speaks on the subject. 3. A bill will belaid before you on an early day, to provide for the future management and disposal of the public lands, which, while preserving the good faith of the Crown, will render the acquisition of land in fee simple more easy to all who are likely to bring it into profitable use, and thus faciliate the permanent .settlement, and, at the same time, increase the productiveness of the country. One of the most important objects of the measure will be to augment the means available for public improvement, and more especially for those great works of internal communication which are now so much desired, without unduly pressing upon any class of the country. This is, indeed, a consummation most devoutly to be wished for by our Sj'dney neighbours. We wish they may get it. The subjects of Municipalities—District Courts—Criminal law simplification and amendment—Secondary punishment—Education—lmmigration by Remission ticket— a Federal Legislature—Conformity of commercial Tariffs—the separation of the Political and the pecuniary functions of the Minister of Finance—Lighthouses, pilots, and harbours—Banking agencies in returns —Postal communication by Panama—are all matters of equal interest to New South Wales and to Tasmania, and each would afford material for separate consideration. THE FJLOODS. Maitland, Saturday Evening, August 1. During the early part of Friday, the river continued to rise slowly but steadily, whilst the back water continued to make rapid and frightful advances. Almost every house in West Maitland below the Rose Inn was more or less flooded ; and at East Maitland, during the night of Thursday, the bridge i over the road near Mr. Field's flour mill was blown up, and a breach made over the road, rendering access to East Mnitland almost impossible, except by boats. The i low part of the road to Morpetli, below the toll bar, was also covered with water. In the course of Friday three whale boats arrived by express train from Newcastle. One fof them was stationed at the East Maitland road, near the mill, another was retained at East Maitland, and the third started from Major Crummer's house, and landed passengers immediately adjoining the.School of Arts. About, noon the river became stationary, and towards- evening a fall of a few inches was observed. It had risen fully two feet above the highest level

of the ~ last flood. The back water still continued to rise, and about midnight'it had assumed its highest- level, being about five feet higher than the last flood. During the night the river continued to fall rapidly, and on Saturday morning the current across the High street, at the Wesleyan chapel, had ceased. During the whole of Satnrday, the river and back water continued to fall, and in the evening several families who had taken refuge in the School of Arts had removed to their own houses. Monday morning, August 3.~-Diiring the whole of Sunday the flood continued to abate, and any one could walk from Campbell's Hill to East Maitland. The road at the places where the river has broken over it is in a frightful state. In some places there are holes four and five feet deep, and the road has been completely washed away. At the Rose Inn a large tree has been washed into the middle of the road, and the old houses there seem to be completely wrecked. They cannot be rendered Jn any way habitable. The road at East Maitland, by the destruction of the little bridge at the mill, is impossible for carts. The weather has continued fine for the last few days, .but on Sunday night a change took place, and we have had many heavy showers. The wind is rising at the time I now write (seven o'clock on Monday morning ;) there is every prospect of continued rain. It is to be hoped that we will not be visited by a third flood. The river has now fallen about ten feet, and the back water has fallen fully four feet. Houses in the higher part of the town are anxiously sought after, as many are determined not to run to the houses out of which they have been twice flooded. Scarcely a tradesman has been ; employed during the past-week, and many will be still unemployed this week. i Subsidence os? the Flood.—The river has fallen sis feet since M/onday last, and sixteen feet from its highest, at twelve o'clock j-esterday. by measurement taken at the-back of Messrs. Wolfe and Gomek's with a two-foot rule. * The back water has fallen very much. On the right hand side of the Long Bridge the.paddocks are again visible, although where the current was running much mud and dirt has completely covered up whatever crop might have been there. The water is steadily falling everywhere. By the pound yards a stream of water may be seen gushing out of the bank into the river —the drainage of the lagoon in the lock-up paddock, and by the Northumberland. A. large piece of the bank close by gave way during the night, and all along the river the banks have greatly fallen in. At Lockinvar, the damage caused-by the flood is said to exceed that of the former —principally through the banks falling in. Nearly the whole of Mr. Nott's boilingdown establishment has fallen in—the banks having given way—and what was left had to be pulled down. A house belonging to a man named Ormat has fallen down, through a similar cause, and several others. The garden around Denis Coleman's house sunk with a tremendous crash into the river taking trees with it, and has left in its stead a perpendicular, bank some twenty feet in depth. Tlie noise made by the falling in of this place was so great that several persons thought that it was a thunder-clap, while others set it down to an earthquake. The body of a man seen floating down the river by a person named Crowder, as reported, is? supposed to be that of the mailman, who was drowned in crossing Glennie's Creek. At Black Creek, tb.3 bridge having been carried away in the June flood, some diffi- j culty had been experienced in crossing, but j now, through the recent flood, going over the old spot is impossible. We understand that Mr. Collett is making a crossing place in another place lower down the creek, which, until another bridge has been built, will answer for that purpose. During the flood the Bishop of Newcastle threw his paddock open as a place of refuge for the cattle and horses driven from their pasturage by the- water, and some two hundred head of horse stock and cattle were thus accommodated. The effects of the flood at Narrowgut and Phoenix Park and the neighbouring low land's are described as being very distressing. Stores of corn "and other produce have been completely washed away, and numbers of pigs and other live stock lost to a far greater extent than in June.