COLONIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 54, 18 March 1843, Page 216

COLONIAL INTELLIGENCE.

A press of other matter prevented us last week from noticing the colonial papers received by the Posthumous. The subject now agitating all parts of New South Wales and the province of Port Phillip is the forthcoming elections for the Legislative Council. Our readers may not all he aware that a new constitution has lately been bestowed on these districts, by which the future Legislative Council is to be in part nominated by the Crown and part elected by the people. The number of members to be thirtybiz, of whom the Crown will nominate onethird. The great struggle will be to keep out Government candidates, of which a sufficient number have offered themselves to give the Government, if elected, every probability of securing a permanent majority. This is an evil which all men who have the slightest affection for the representative system must alike deprecate, and we perceive therefo without surprise that other considerations a: .ikely to be overlooked in those counties where persons holding office under the Crown have presented themselves. The people of Melbourne have learnt with some astonishment that the validity of the act for the incorporation of that borough is questioned, it being doubted whether the Sydney Council ever had the power to give corporations. The same objection will of course apply to Sydney. There has been a very destructive bush fire near Geelong, which extended over one hundred square miles. A great number of outbuildings 1 at various cattle stations were destroyed, and, although the houses were in most instances saved, nearly all the corn and hay stacks were consumed. One life only was lost. A point of law of some importance has been set at rest by a late despatch from Lord Stanley. About a year since, a native was murdered in one of the streets of Melbourne by another of the same race; and on the trial a question was raised as to whether the Supreme Court had jurisdiction in outrages committed by the aborigines among themselves. Mr. Justice Willis thought not; and requested the Governor to lay the matter before the Secretary of State. Lord Stanley, in his reply, observed that as the Supreme Court had decided the point in the affirmative in 1836, and as the whole of the colonial judges, with the exception of Mr. Willis, were of the same opinion, he saw no reason to consult the law authorities at home. A correspondent of the Sydney Herald, who dates from Liverpool Plains, complains greatly of the want of rain, and, among other things, writes — " I have alluded to the absence of rain, for the purpose of showing the difficulties to which the squatocracy are subjected. Carriage from Morpeth to the Big River is now charged at the rate .of jEI ss. for every hundred pounds. Add to this the freight by steamer ; and as you know the market price of the articles commonly consumed at all stations, you will be at no loss to discover what a squatter pays on Liverpool Plains for every article purchased in Sydney. Were this all that the squatter had to complain of, he might grin and bear it. But he has to submit to losses by the way; the bullock-driver 'weeds' the dray in the first instance, and then the bushranger— of course, whatever is deficient the bushranger has taken. Average losses of this kind may be estimated at twenty per cent." From what follows in the letter, it would seem that a good understanding exists between the shepherds, the bullock-drivers, and the bushrangers, and that, from this and other causes, the squatters in remote stations have sufficient difficulties to contend with. In the Herald of the 11th of February, the particulars are given of a most horrible murder committed on the estate of the Messrs. Scott, of Glendon, which is situated in the middle of the cultivated districts of the Hunter. Two blacks visited a cottage, and " failed up " a shepherd who happened to be there. The other inmates were two women, one of whom had an infant and a boy ten years of age. The women were compelled to supply their brutal guests with whatever they demanded which was in their power to give, and when unable to comply were severely beaten. A sound of horses' hoofs alarmed the wretches, and they left the cottage, but returned on ascertaining that no assistance was at hand. The women and children in the mean time got out of a back window, and while | one hid herself in the bush the other fled with j her children across -the open ground towards the nearest station. She was immediately pursued and soon overtaken. The head of the boy was first smashed, and then the infant dragged from its mother and beaten to a shapeless mass of flesh. The mother was also left for dead, and, although she had not expired when the latest accounts left, not the slightest hope was entertained of her recovery. The murderers, on returning to the cottage, told the man that, as he was a convict, they should not molest him, but expressed a determination to kill all the free white people they could find. In South Australia, the population of Adelaide are fact betaking themselves to agriculture. Out of 1,955 houses, 642 are totally deserted; and the number of public licenses have diminished from sixty-three to thirty-eight. Nearly 20,000 acres of land are under cultivation, and the produce for the past year is stated to be worth, at s low estimate, £96,000 exclusive of hay and garden produce. The Government having had at its disposal a large number of unemployed immigrants, has executed many valuable public works, such as roads, bridges, Jcc.» which must prove very beneficial to the settler. From a minute read by the Governor at * meeting of the Council on the 4th of January, the vskw of the exports for the present year is stated as likely to be as follows : —

Agricultural produce . . £55,000 Wool . - . . . . 30,000 Oil and whalebone . . 3,500 Dairy produce and sundries . 5,000 £93,500"The following are extracts : — Thb Blacks. — Information has reached town that the blacks in the Portland district have again become exceedingly troublesome. A short time since the working bullocks having strayed from their usual run on Mr. Desailly's station, that gentleman sent two men in search of them. While they were engaged in their search, a short distance from each other, one of the two was alarmed by the sudden appearance of one of the natives, who started from behind a tree, rushed upon him, and struck him a violent blow on the head with his waddie. The gallant fellow, although staggered by the blow, rushed upon his savage opponent, at the same time calling loudly upon his companion for assistance, who, being fortunately armed, came up on the alarm being given and shot the ruthless savage to the heart. A few days previous to this occurrence, a tribe of aborigines drove away a flock of sheep from the station of Mr. Tulloh, on the Wannon, which, with the exception of a- few, were fortunately recovered, having been found in a brush yard near Messrs. Winter's station.— -Port Phillip Gazette. Sydney Salting Company.—- A meeting of the persons interested in the formation of the Sydney Salting Company was lately held at the Royal Hotel, Mr. Thomas Barker, J.P., in the chair. Mr. Barker made a few observations on the depreciation in the price of stock, and the large quantity which has accumulated *in the north-western districts, and stated his opinion that, unless it could be made an article of export, it would be lowered to an almost nominal value. If the company was formed as proposed, the settler would be put to some inconvenience in having to wait while his cattle are cured and casked, but he would be better off than he is now, for he cannot sell his stock at all. It had been proposed to form a company to purchase cattle, and salt them on account of the company ; but that would require an amount of capital it would be difficult to raise, and there would be a risk few would like to incur. Mr. Brenan said he had been up the country for a few days, and he could assure them that the accounts of the company in the public prints were attracting a great deal of attention, and the settlers were very anxious to cooperate with the company, both by taking shares and sending down fat cattle to give the experiment a fair trial. Mr. G. K. Holden then read an abstract of the deed which had been prepared : by it the capital of the company is to be J65,000, in shares of JS2O each, to be increased if the major part of the shareholders wish it. There were many clauses enabling the shareholders to close the company's concerns at a short notice, if it should at any time be found desirable. Upon the motion of Mr. Scott, of Glendon, it was resolved that a quorum of directors shall be summoned for each board day, and be fined £2 2s. if they do not attend or find a substitute, and that they be paid £1 Is. if they do attend. The following gentlemen were elected directors: Major Lockyer, and Messrs. A. B. Spark, Barker, R. Scott, F. J. King, Panton, J. M'Kay, W. Dumaresq, and J. R. Brenan. Mr. Scott having taken the chair, the usual vote of thanks was given to the chairman. At the conclusion of the meeting, a considerable number of persons signed the deeds and took shares, so that we may now congratulate the settlers upon the formation of the company ; and, as the shares are only £20, we imagine there will be no difficulty in filling up the list. Hot Winds. — On the Bth of January, Windsor was visited by one of the most burning winds that the good people have been subjected to for a long time. The wind felt as if it had proceeded from the mouth of a burning furnace, and did very considerable damage. The tassels of the maize have not only been broken off, but the lower part of the stem severely injured. The fruit also has suffered materially, some of the apples appearing on one side as if they had been parboiled. What the extent of injury done to the corn may be, it is almost impossible at present to calculate ; but there «an be little question that the industrious farmer will not meet with an adequate remuneration for his labour. — Sydney Herald.

India Rubber Pavement. — Who would, have thought of paving our streets, stables, and passages with India rubber ? Yet such a thing seems to be expected; for we find in a monthly periodical the notice of a plan for so doing. The price will be about the same as the best asphalte pavement. It is so elastic that it will not fracture with the heaviest blow, which property prevents its wearing away. It can be altered, repaired, or relaid, at a small expense, as the old material can be taken back and reworked. We have understood that many persons of high rank have ordered that their stables be laid down with caoutchouc pavement ; the advantage of which, to the feet of horses, must immediately suggest itself. — Journal of Commerce. Thb Bank of England. — The Bank of England has now upwards of ten millions of bullion in her coffers, whilst her circulation is only twenty millions. When the affairs of this bank were under consideration a few years ago, it was stated she ought always to have a sum equal to one-third of her circulation by her ; instead of this, however, she has frequently had not two millions by her, when her circulation was from eighteen to nineteen millions. Now, on the other hand, she has the amount of one-half of her circulation by her in bullion. What her object is in thus increasing her bullion has not been stated ; but we have no doubt that some great financial operation is in contemplation. There is no doubt, from the fact of the exchanges being in our favour, that our exports exceed our imports ; but we agree with the Standard, that " this leads to another conclusion, not satisfactory, namely, that the cause of that steady preponderance Is the relatively low price at which foreign states are supplied with the products of our industry, which continue to decrease in value in much higher ratio than they are increased in quantity." What is the consequence .' The profits of the British manufacturer are nil, or next to nil. Money is so abundant in London that good bills are eagerly sought for and discounted at 2t per cent ; and why is money so plentiful ? Because trade is stagnant or retrogading Sheffield Irit, October 25.