SYDNEY.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume II, Issue 67, 17 January 1846, Page 4

SYDNEY.

By the Bee, which arrived on the 14th, we have received files of Sydney* papers to the 25th December, froni which we have made the

following extracts : — ' On Thursday, Nov. 20, the neighbourhood of Paramatta, Sydney, was visited by two thunder storms. The hail was not severe at Paramatta, but along the range of Seven Hills, Baulkham Hills, &c, which are a few hundred feet nearer the clouds, great damage was done by enormous ice balls, which destroyed the orchards, and killed poultry and pigs. Some of the ice was still unmelted on the 26th, five days afterwards, though the temperature at times, in the sunbeam, has been as high as 140° : an idea may therefore be formed of the compactness of this aerial grape shot, some of which have been described to me as measuring nearly seven inches in circumference. The orangeries and fruit orchards at these places have been nearly wholly destroyed ; and beyond the present loss of a very promising crop of oranges and other fruits, many of the trees have been so injured through the bark being stripped off them, that it is questionable whether they will ever again bear. Mr. M*' Dougall, whose orangery at Baulkham Hills is one of the largest in the district, if not in the colony, estimates his loss at between £300 and £400 ; and others have been sufferers in proportion. — Correspondent of Sydney Morning Herald.

Sydney Markets — Latest Prices. — Wheat, 3s. 6d. to 4s. per bushel ; Flour, best quality, £10 per ton; Bran, Is. Id. per bush. ; Maize, 2s. 9d. to 35.3d. a bush. ; Sugar, Mauritius, £22 per ton ; Mustard, 20s. per doz. for lbs., and 12s. 6d. for fibs. ; Irish Pork,' £4 10s. per barrel ; Liverpool Salt, £3 ss. per ton ; Starch, 4£d. per lb. ; Blue, Is. Id." per lb. ; English Hops, 3s. per lb. ; B. P. Rum, 4s. 6d. per gal. ; Bass' Ale, £6 15s. per hhd. ; Bottled Ale and Porter, Bs. 6d. to 9s. per doz. ; Boiled and Raw Oil, 4s. per gallon in casks ; White Lead, 265. per cwt. ; Raisins, 2| to 3d. per lb. ; Currants, 7d. per lb.

Cattle. — During the week one lot of 60 head of cattle was sold at 40s per head ; another lot, of 75 head, produced 555. per head ; a lot of 59 head realised 565. per head, and one of 50 head fetched 60s. per head. The average price of fat cattle is about 565. per head.

Sheep. — 450 head of unshorn sheep were sold at 9s. per head ; about 340 shorn sheep have changed hands at 6s. per head ; and another lot of about 400, in very indifferent condition, produced ss. 6d. per head.

Calves. — There is a very large supply of fed calves in the market, which are realising from 15s. to 20s. per head. A few beasts of large size and fed in a superior manner produced 235. per head.

Timber, &c. — The Cedar market is at present all but glutted. ' The prices per 100 feet in log are from lls to 14s. 6d. ; inch boards are charged from 2d. to 3J. per foot. The following are the wholesale prices : sawn timber, 7s. per 100 feet ; flooring and weather boards, Bs. per 100 feet ; palings, 3s. 6d. per 100 ; posts and rails, 16s. per 100 ; laths, 3s. 6d. per 1000; slabs, 30s. per 100; shingles, best Brisbane Water, 7s. 6d. per 1000.

The New Governor. — In a letter received in Sydney, from an officer of ranlf in New Zealand, it is stated Captain Fitzroy had received a letteif from England, asserting that his brother Sir Charles Fitzroy, Governor of Antigua, had been offered the Government of Sydney: liadfFitSroy is a sister of "the Duke of Richmond. During the recent varied discussions in both Houses of Parliament^ on Australasian affairs, the' name of Sir Henry Pottinger has been adverted to by men of all parties as one to which the colonists would look with respect and confidence : and we are inclined to believe that the report which alludes to the distihgui- j shed .diplomatist as the future Governor-Ge-neral 1 of the Australasias, will be. ratified by the next arrivals from England. Private letters state the probability of Mr.jE. Deas Thompson being appointed Lieutenant-Gover-nor r of New South "Wales, and of Mr. Harrington (formerly Assistant Colonial Secretary) succeeding ' Mr. Thomson as Colonial Secretary.' " We' 'cannot, of course, vouch for the truth of these rumours, but we can positively assert that' they are considered correct in all the leading' circles. — Port Phillip Herald, 28th November. We briefly alluded yesterday to the reports respecting the new Governor. We referred particularly to the rumour respecting Sir

Charles Fitzroy, which we took the trouble to "run, down," and the folio wing is, the authority on which tjie reportrests:— A^nayal officer in Sydney f says he ; has t received;, a letter from a military officer in New Zealand^, ,who informs him that. he heard Col. Pg§pard;ssay, he was told by, Governor Eitzroy, that he had received.a letter from London, in which.it w»s stated that some of Sir Charles's friends -had applied for the situation, of Governor of Australia, and as Lady -Mary Fitzroy is sister to the Duke of Richmond and Lord Arthur Lennox, (the latter of whom is, a,. rising man in the, Mipistry), there is some chance of th,e , application proving successful, especially as the appointment will.create a vacency. in the Governorship of Antigua, which, Sir Charles now holds. It will be seen that there is some probability that this report is correct, and nothing more. The next candidate mentioned is Lord Charles Somerset ; but of this rumour we cap say nothing, except that somebody said so at the Post Office ; but whether this " somebody" belonged to the office or was merely a lounger, we have not been able to ascertain. Another report is, .that Sir Howard Douglas, M. P; for j^ivjerpooli ajid formerly Lord High Commissioner of the-lonian Islands, is the fortunate man ; and the authority is — that the Court, Circular reports- that Sir Howard had no less than three interviews with Lord Stanley, early in August; this, to be sure, is not very conclusive; it might have been about any of the hundred of matters that render it necessary that a member for a commercial city like Liverpool should 'communicate with the miuistry, that the interview took place ; but still a very small peg Hoes to hang a ru,mour > upon. . We . leave our readers to pick out their own favourite from this lot ; but advise. them to do so speedily, as the September packet, now. overdue, will probably bring a fresh batch of resorts.