The Australian Colonies.

Colonist, Issue 133, 28 January 1859, Page 3

The Australian Colonies.

NEW SOUTH WALES.

Our files extend to the 15th instant.

The quantity of gold-dust received atthe Sydney Branch of the Royal Mint, for the purpose of coinage, during the year 1858, amounted to 342,430 ounces. During the year 1857 the quantity received was 223,215 ounces. There is, therefore, an increase of 119,215 ounces in favor of the receipts of 1858. The amount of gold coin issued during the year 1857 was 499,000 sovereigns and 537,000 half-sovereigns ; total value, £767,500. During the year 1858 the gold coin issued has been 1,081,500 sovereigns and 486,000 half-sove-reigns ; total value, £1,324,500. The revenues for the year 1858 were £18,148 ss. 3d., and the expenditure £11,841 13s. 4d., leaving an excess of revenue over expenditure of £6306 lis. lid. In reference to the progress of the gold-fields the Herald says:—The amount of gold-dust delivered by the escorts from our several gold-fields, during the month of December was 24,845 ounces. During the corresponding month of 1857 the quantity received was 16,189 ounces. There is, therefore, an increase of 8656 ounces, or 50 per cent, in favor of the present "month. For the whole of the year 1857, the receipts of gold-dust amounted to 148,126 ounces; during the year ended 31st December, 1858, the amount received

was 255,535 ounces, which is an increase of 107,409 ounces, or about 72 per cent, in favor of 1858. v Thirty Chinamen, returning to Flowery Land, from Sydney, paid duty on '2000 ounces of gold, their property, the other day. At the Police Court, Sydney, on the 11 lh instant, John Dunrnore Lang, doctor of divinity, appeared in answer to a summons upon the information and complaint of the honorable Alexander Berry, Esq., M.L.G., of the North Shore, which set forth that he (Alexander Berry) believed that defendant wrote, and caused to be published in a newspaper called the Illawarra Mercury, of the 23rd of December last, a certain letter headed " The Shoalhaven Incubus," signed " ilohn Dunmore Lang," in which, amongst other things, was contained a false, scandalous, and defamatory libel of, and concerning the said Alexander Berry. Mr. Barker (of the firm of Norton, Son, and Barker) appeared for the plaintiff; Dr. Lang conducted his own defence. The defendant was committed for trial, hut admitted to bail in £100, and two sureties of £50 each.

At a meeting of the Horticultural and Agricultural Society, on the 11th instant, Sir W. Denison in the chair, Mr. Charles Ledger read a paper on the Llama. Mr. Ledger was warmly received on making his. appearance. He had brought with hinu-various articles of Peruvian manufacture, from llama and alpaca wool. The paper contained a great amount of statistical information. The total production of llama wool was" stated to be 16,000,000 lbs. per year, of which nearly the whole is used in the domestic .manufactures of the country. The llama is most valuable as a beast of burden, and Mr. Ledger estimates that some two millions of animals were employed* in the transport of copper ore, grain, &c. The alpaca was the next animal that came under consideration. - The weight of the fleece of this animal was stated to vary from 9 lbs. to 12 lbs., the growth of one year. The length of staple of that of two years' growth had been known to be 43 inches. Of this description of wool about two million

pounds are annually imported into England, being of a value of about 3s. per lb. Mr."Ledger said although he had heard of the alpaca being used as a beast of burden, ho had never seen it so used. Be gave a succinct account of the various attempt:, that had been made to export these animals, and how.the attempts had been frustrated from time to time, by the jealousy of the authorities and of the Indians, who appear to have a supers* itious veneration for the animals. Nothing bufc Mr. Ledger's intimate acquaintance with the country, and the. customs of the natives, gathered during a residence of .upwards of 20 years, could havo enabled him eventually to triumph. The vicuna was also described, this being a much smaller animal, with a finer fleece, the weight of which would not be more than one lb., but the value of the wool would average about 14s. per lb. The Custom House enquiry is developing, it is said, deeper depths of corruption and incapacity as it drags its slow length along. The Herald understands" that portions of the Louisa's contraband cargo have been discovered by the Inspector of Bonded Warehouses in no less than five different places in the city during the past week. Previously, the same officer had recovered six other lots of the same goods in as many different quarters." The Maitland Msrcury's correspondent says—" It is rumored that the Customs department will, before long, be under the management of a Board, instead of all the responsibility being invested in the hands of a Collector. Two of the present members of the ci;y, should such be resolved upon, will probably obtain appointments. Some reformation is certainly necessary, and the sooner it takes place the better."

In reference to the recent cruise of the Cordelia, the Herald has the following:—.We find that the captain of H..M. steamer Cordelia has acted with great energy, and at the same time with no undue harshness, at Samoa. Over two years ago, a man named Fox ? Was Jnosfc barbarously murdered in cold blood by "a native, at Savaii, an island of this group. The murderer was protected by his tribe, and was left so long unscathed that the desire of Great Britain to punish any aggressions of this sort upon its subjects be.^an to be generally disbelieved by the natives. The murderer had gained new dignity from his crime, and threats were liberally used whenever the native and the white residents quarrelled. It was not until after much patience, a great deal of delay, and of negotiation, that matters were brought to a crisis. At length the men from tlie Cordelia destroyed a village belonging- to a tribe which had shielded the assassin, and this without loss of life on either side. This energetic action, with other evidences of a determination to bring the murderer to punishment, at length produced his surrender. lie was tried, condemned, and duly executed at the yardarm of the steamer. Many of the natives, however, still believe, or affect to believe, that he was not really executed, but that a stuffed eihgy was hanged in his stead. A fine was imposed upon the principal native chief of the district for having suffered the Cordelia to be detained b} r so many pretences and evasions, when it was plain that the murderer could have been apprehended and surrendered at once, had the native authorities acted bona fide. The Great Wizard, Professor Anderson, is astonishing the people of Sydney with his necromantic feats. On a recent occasion, Sir W. Denison was present. The wizard's deceptive powers were most signally displayed in the feat of cooking a pudding in a hat. Sir William Denison very promptly handed his hat for the experiment, and it was a very remarkable one, being made of woven horsehair, with a mourning band around it. Yet to all appearance this hat and no other was used in the production of the excellent pudding which was afterwards tasted by the Governor-General himself.

The Era says:—The Russian gun presented to the Corporation was dragged up to the city depot yesterday, from the Circular Quay. The corporation horses used on the occasion—four scraggy half starved steeds—had far greater difficulty in taking the trophy than the British army had ; and now that they have got it, the Corporation seem as greatly puzzled what to do with it as the man was when he won the elephant.

" G. F. Davison," writing to the Maitland Mercury on the 7th instant, says :-—" Rarey's horse breaking is certainly not horse training. I have no hesitation in declaring it the most cruel, rascally system ever tried upon an unfortunate animal. Nothing bufc brute force, combined with a little skill, applied to take out all the pluck or good a young horse may have in him. Like a fool, I had this precious system tried the other day oil a valuable mave of my own. This poor animal, a remarkably quiet one, considering she had never been handled, had four good legs under her when the operation commenced, during its performance, however, three of them were lamed; she is still lame and likely to remain so for some time, besides being thoroughly cowed. I shall take care no more suffering of this kind is inflicted on any horse of mine, and would advise others to be cautious how they trust to the tender mercies of Rarey's disciples."

In reference to the affairs of the Empire r £n.e Maitland Mercury s city correspondent says :— " Various reports are in circulation respecting the disposal of the plant, machinery, &c, but it has been decided that tlie transfer of the property will not be recognised in law until some of the promissory notes due in April, arrive at maturity ; under these circumstances therefore it is not likely to re-appear before thafc time. I have heard it mentioned several times that arrangements have been entered into for the purchase of the paper, when practicable, by some Melbourne people, but whether this report be true I cannot say." The Bathurst Free Press says that the squatters have commenced a subscription, with a view to defray the expenses attendant on a trial of the validity of the Act recently passed for the assessment of stock, according to the opinion given by the late Attorney General, Mr. Martin, and a considerable sum has been already collected for this purpose. It is stated in Sydney that of the £320,000, whicli has been computed to be the probable amount of the proceeds of this tax, only £16,000 has yet been paid into the Colonial Treasury, although the period assigned for its payment will expire in a few days' time. This quoestio vexata will, doubtless, afford ample employmenfc for the gentlemen of the long robe, and it is likely that few persons will profit more largely from the contest than the ex Cabinet Minister who himself suggested the invalidity of the tax. Curious Accident prom Lightning.—During the thunder-storm on Friday evening last, at about eight o'clock, a granary of Mrs. Gibson's, at Tirranna, was struck by lightning, and the weatherboarding on one side was ripped up for about six feet, square. The splinters fell inside upon a loft where there was a large quantity of wheat inutile' chaff, and there took fire, burning the chaff around for about a foot square, but fortunately not spreading further. The light was observed by one of the men, but he thought it was some person with a candle. The electric fluid passed from the loft down an iron bar which supported a window below, and thence down the wall into the earth. The bar was torn from its place, and fell on the floor of the granary. Both ends of the bar appeared next morning as though they had been submitted to the action of fire. On'the floor of the granary were some cinders which had fallen from above through the hole left by the removal ofthe bar; but though there was a quantity of hay on the floor, mpst_ fortunately it did nofc ignite. Altogether, it is almost marvellous how the building should have escaped destruction, with so much inflammable material about.-— Goulburn Chronicle.

A Cure for " Blown" Cattle.—ln these districts—where the cattle do literally "live in clover," and where frequently they ' become "blown" and then burst, from taking too much of that rich grass—the following remedy for the effects of bovine gluttony, will be very valuable. It is taken from the Bristol Advertiser, and is as follows :—Cure for cattle "'inflated'or' blown from over-eating clover." By this disease farmers often lose, many of their cattle. The old, and, we believe, the only mode generally known of curing cattle that had over-fed on clover wa3 by inserting a knife or lance in the abdomen, then pressing the skin adjacent, forcing out the wind, aud in some cases forcing the viscera to protrude, and frequently the metal ofthe blade used caused festering between the skin aud the flesh ofthe animal. The follow-

ing mode has recently come to light, and has been found to answer, and being attended with less danger tb tlie cattle,, is a far better method:— Dissolve n drain of chloride of lime in a quart'of water, and when any ofthe stock is affected with thin disorder give it this dose. The chloride of lime will convert the gns in the stomach to a liquid, which is soon naturally expelled. A stock of the mixture can bo conveniently kept at hand iv quart bottles, and enable the farmer to treat the disease immediately. In the country where such rapid strides are making in agriculture this valuable recipe ought to be generally known. — Illawarra Mercury.