NEW SOUTH WALES.

Colonist, Volume II, Issue 174, 21 June 1859, Page 3

NEW SOUTH WALES.

We have received tha first numbers of the reissue of the Sydney Empire newspaper." In a candid address the new proprietary declare they " are, in the proper sense of the Word, Radicals —firm fviendg and advocates of popular rights. They believe that a true Democracy is not only in theory the most perfect, but in practice the safest form of political life and action, and especially for a country like Australia," They further avow that they " are not in any degree bound down by parly ties; and, while leading a willing and independent support to the present or any other Ministry, which shall prove itself really liberal, patriotic, and progressive, they will not hesitate to condemn and expose political dishonesty or inconsistency wherever found," Latest aceounta received from Rockhampton state that Canoona, as a gold-field, was completely deserted. The favorite resort of the few diggers still lingering in the north was Gracemere, the station of the Messrs. Archer, distant abont five miles' from Rockhampton. At this place about 150 diggers were at work, and they were all supposed to be doing pretty well, as they made no complaints. They had plenty of water, and not too much for their operations. Supplies were abundant and reasonable, and the gold obtained was of very rich quality. Many new buildings were being erected, at the township. The railway works contracted for by Sir M. Peto have been commenced. The extensions from Campbell town to Picton on the Southern line, from Blaektown to Penrith on the Western line, and from Lochinvar to Singleton on the Northern line, in all about 45 miles, will he carried on simultaneously, thus affording seasonable employment to numbers out of work. The sum of £819,000 was voted last year by Parliament for railway constructionj of which £286,177 are for the works now commenced by Sir M. Peto; the latter sum does not include the providing of the rails or the cost of laying them down. The contract of Sir M. Peto for cuttings through, earthwork is Is. 7|d. per cubic yard, and through rock 4s. M. per yard ; the works to be completed withiu twenty-six months from the 21st April last, or before June, 1881. The payment of the men will be in cash, and there will be nothing of the objectionable truck system so much, condemned at home wherever it has been introduced.

A most daring aofc of theft was committed lately on a Sunday between dinner and tea time, by a gang of young thieves, who pilfered all the keys from the locks of a newly erected house in Margaret-street, Sydney, presently vacant, and the property of Mr. Alexander. The young rogues were successful in securing twenty-seven keys, which it seems they were about to sell for one penny a-piece. The police fortunately got upon their track in. time to prevent the sale, and secured the stolen property. On the Queen's Birthday, the I/S. N. Co.'s boat Kiama, came into violent collision with Mr. Edye Manning's steamer the Victoria. It appears that on the evening named, about seven o'clock, the Victoria steamer was returning from Manly Beach, with a full freight of passengers. She had been to Woolloomooloo Bay, and had landed about 200 of them, and when on her way to the Phoenix Wharf with the remainder, and as she was rounding the mail steamer Benares; lying off Miller's Point, she was run into by the Kiama steamer, which boat w^s going down to Manly Beach. The occurrence took place between MiliarV Point, and Goat Island. The Victoria was '■struck' on the port side'by the stem of the Kiaraa, by which she had. her port paddle-box, deck house, &0,, <m that side smashed in, beside other damage; the Kiama losing iier figure-head and jibbobm. Most fortunately no oue was injured,''which ■considering the number of persons on board'the' ■Victoria, was most providential. From ilie Sydney Herald of June 6, wg clip the .following:—' ' ;'-; ■ ■■"^■:

Ou Sunday last two' sermons were prigkciied by the Rev Mr. Binney, at* the .Congregational"' Church, Pilt-street, ia aid of the. funds'oif that building. At the collections made oil these occasions no less a sum than JSSOB was gatnered'. On Tuesday evening the same reverend gentleman delivered in the same church ah admirable lecture on " English Prose Composition and Public. Speaking," ia presence of & very numerous and highly respectable auditory.- The admission was by tickets, and the cum realised' by the sale of theso tickets is to go to the building fund of the School of Arts. Its amount' was J&6O.

There was a meeting of the City Council on Monday, at which, among other thing 3, they determined upon the issue of debentures for c 520,000, to cover the improvements now making in tlie'George-street Markets.

Another public meeting of the subscribers to*, wards the erection of St, Andrew's Cathedral has been held, for the purpose of raising futids to roof in that building. Sir William JDenisoq presided, and the Bishop of Victoria (Hongkong), who is in Sydney on a visit, was.among the speakers. Various resolutions were passed pledging the gentlemen present, and the mem- '• bers of the Church in general, to renewed exertions for the collections of such funds as may be i: necessary to open this splendid building to public worship with as little delay as possible. . The long-continued dry weather, pleasant as it has unquestionably been, has entailed anything but pleasant consequences in", several quarters.. Watercourses and springs, hitherto held unfailing, have run dry, and vegetation of all kinds has suffered. Even the Lachlan Swamps, from winch the supply of the city is drawn, began to shew an. alarmingly reduced water level. But the weather seems "at length to have broken. Yesterday, although there was but a slight shower in Sydney, it rained very heavily in several of the suburbs, and, among others, in those drained by the Lachlan Swamps. During the night, and in the former part of to-day, there has been, heavy and well-distributed rain.. The weather looks now as if it was going to clear again; but there, has, happily, been rain enough to freshen up the gardens, and to supply the wells, waterholes, and swamps for aome. time to coma.

Another movement has taken place among the Koman Catholic laity, indicative of dissatis-. faction with their clerical guardians. Mrs; Da Lacy, one of the oldest and most respected of the Sisters of Charity, has left for Europe by the Star of Peace, and from the statements made at a special meeting of Catholic laymen, convened by circulir, and held some days ago, it would seem that harsh treatment by her ecclesiastical superiors is considered to have been the cause of her retirement. Incidentally, too, a question of grave importance as to the management of St. Vincent's Hospital has arisen out of this matter. The Archbishop's secretary has ur>»ed the suspension of public judgment upon these questions until both sides shall have been heard—that is to say, uiuil the counter statements of the ec» clesiastical superior, now indirectly censured, shall have been brought forward. This request isl' bo palpably reasonable, that no really impartial person will venture to arrive at a conclusion until he has heard both sides. The ex parte case is, however, we repeat, a very grave one,

ami will require to be distinctly met and refuted, The deducible charges from it may be synopsised under three heads. 1. That Mrs. ■■De ■ Lacey ■ was unnecessarily degraded , and humiliated upon flimsy pretences, but really in consequence of her not having been sufficiently subservient to the views of her superiors. 2, That, in particular, she was thus dealt with because she refused to sign, without reading, some document which was tendered to her for that purpose, and which was understood to have had for ifs object the rebuttal of charges of mia« management forwarded to Rome against the local hierarchy. 3. That notwithstanding the pledges made of the non : sectarian character of St. Vincent's Hospital, oo the faith of which large subscriptions were obtained from Protestants, Protestant Bibles and Prayer-books placed there for the use of patients of that faith, with the full concurrence of Mrs. De Lacey, were carried away by a priest—-the Rev. Mr. Ksnyon —and were not replaced until .some delay and discussion. We repeat that these charges are at present ma.de ex furte and must not be taken as proved. The answer to them' has yefc to be -'■heard. In, the present inftarice," however, the facts in dispute have an interest beyond the pale of the Roman Catholic body, as they effect the: character of an institution which has hitherto* been regarded as of a purely chai'ilable and nflusectarian character. ;

The correspondent of the Goulbum Chromch

reports that a woman had been found near Benima with her throat cut. Several fatal casualties have also beeu reported during the week, David Kenny, a youth of thirteen, was killed at. a crossing place of the Ailyn River, near Eceleston. He is supposed to have slipped,: and the wheel of the dray which he was driving passed over his neck. Lewis Lambert;, a child of a year and eight months, died from sea sicfe ness on a voyage from the Clarence River to Sydney by the Graftou steamer. Mr. Brice Henry, of Jamberoo, was killed by a fall from his horse in descending Mount Terry. Robert Hunt, a man of 89, who, however, still labored^ died suddenly near Asbfield. An old man named Hanlon was. killed by a truck coming, in contact with him when be was recklessly staud* ing on the tramway near Botts' Wharf. Aud, finally, a woman named Ellen M'Lean died from the effects of long-continued intemperance at Darlinghurat Gaol. This was a most painfui case. The unfortunate woman was but thirtytwo years of age, but seems, from the evidence of her husband, to have been so incorrigible a drunkard, that she would pawn her children's clothes to get liquor. - The Late William Kerb.—By the late Melbourne papers, we perceive that Mr. Wil-

liam Kerr, who was for many years connected with the press of Sydney, and Melbourne, has recently died, leaving his widow and children completely destitute. On his first arrival in the colony he was tutor for some time in a private family, but some two or three and twenty years ago joined the press, in the first instance in connexion with I)r. Lang, in The Colonist. Mr. Kerr also started a monthly Magazine called Tegg's Magazine, which like most other speculations of the kind, "Caused a pecuniary loss. He then afterwards joined' the - Sydney Gazette, and about 1841, went to Melbourne, with Mr, G. Caveriagh to start the Melbourne Herald, He soon left the, Herald, and assisted in starting The Patriot, &M afterwards became the proprietor of the now world-renowned Argus. He was apparently on the road to fortune j he had a thriving newspaper, he was the most popular of men among the Scotch people at Melbourne, anil it is not too much to say that for seveial years he was the mos'c powerful man iv Melbourne. But he had nor, business habits; his temper was violent, und led him into the publication of iibels—and when everybody thought he was a wealthy man, he was found to be insolvent, and lost his news- . paper. Me was then m.ad^e 'Town Clerk, and for sevfiral years got on very- well; and his friend* hoped still to 'see him make a staud for himself; but he .became irregular, and his accounts got out of order, and he was compelled to resjgp. For la3t few years he has been'rery badly off, and was lately appointed a'station-master on one of the, Melbourne railways, but his health and spirits were gone, and weiuitxpeetediybear of his death. There must be scurus" 'of persons throughout the colony who wil! be glad to shew their respect to his memory by contributing something to" the fund now raising for the relief of those he has left behind him, and who depend upon strangers for the means of Bupport.—. Sydney Herald, June 7,