Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), Wednesday 27 February 1828, page 2


Lots of Newspapers have reached tho Colony, by tho Ilooghly'VWe have come in :or our share af them, for our London Correspondents have contrived as usual* to remember that we esteem a

ouageu now ana mem irom ?? liome,'. oi news^ such as it is, a treat. -This time, however* the treat is trifling indeed; 'For the Newspapers are quite devoid of every'feature which can. render them interesting — they are totally barren. We 'look in vain for records from the great theatres of interest, for we meet'whh no incident worthy of prominent attention. Spain, Portugal, South America* Greece,1 Constantinople and France, alike fail to furnish us with ally thing like intelligence, 'either of. a novel or striking nature. There is, to be sure, the usual quantum of ferment in Spain and .Portugal, a little of 'Insurgency in both. countries, rebellion 'here and, there, and „ first one par'ty and' then another, are styled rebels by the opposing 6r successful powers. Things are stilt unsettled, and discussions are carried on as unabatedly as ever by public writers, where public discussion is at all tolerated; and thai i* scarcely any where but in England, on the policy, and right, and propriety, and ail the rest of' ib — of foreign powers intermeddling - with the quarrels and internal arrangements of their neighbour*. South America and her Independence meet. with- obstacles -still. The Independent Provinces- and former Colonies' have not got into a smooth track yet. Affairs look rather brighter for Greece than they did sorno 'twelve months since. Negotiations favorable to them hav e been .on the tapis some time. Turkey has been brought to listen to the combined representations of the European powers, vrhich, with the exception of Austria, seem sincere in a desire to protect Greece from further outrage and massacre, and to coax the great Sultan into the humour of- conceding to her, a modified independence. . - ' ' vt France does not give us an event to hang a paragraph upon ; and as for England, why she seems to-be jogging on, during ihe Parliamentary recess, ,very?quietly, sedately, and contentedly, under the new Ministry. Such paragraphs a» have fallen in our way, and as claim arty notice at all, we have compiled, and present to our Readers hereunder. To make up for the deficiencies of intelligence of political import, we find more than the usual complement of ' bornd murders,' ,' shocking accidents,' '* remarkable occurrences,' and ' singular coincidences,' but such as these wejjgas* oyer at present, reserving them .as Occasion may' offer for their use, for the curious in iuch 'histores among 'our Readers ;-:- ,' * ' - ' - ? ? »-'.\-i ?- 'Y'jrrom^'the' Sunday Times, October -'20. j* « ' ?' '- FR'AFTCEr-i^The folio wing statement, relative to fhspo- pulaticfrt.- of' Paris,' will - be received .with interest. In 18 26, there were 29,970 births ; 15,187 males,' 14,783 females.— -: Of these there w,ere.l0,5u2 natural children, and 2,tfO4 have been acknowledged. There have been 7,765 marriages, and 25,341 deaths — i2,5r»^! men, and 14,773 women. The births have exceeded tha deaths by 4,629. .In 1825 there were 29,253 births,, which leave an increase in I B'iG of 7 if. -. In 16*5 there were ?,9i9 mamages, which leave a decrease iri lJi-26 of 204. In i82j there were-26,803 deaths,' which leave a dec.regse'in .18 20 of J ,55°. The excess of deaths in M25 can only be attributed to the small-pox. -This aught lobe ah additional reason for the Administration to use -every'exertion to remove all difficulties in the way of vaccination.' In lJ*23.the small-pox had no less than 2,19* vic:-tims; iand only '^40 persons, died of that disease in 1826. . ? SPAIN'.' — -T'he. accounts from Spain still continue to becontradictory. We^arc still told that the Insurgents were tendering' their ^ub'nii&iion in every quarter, but it is now acknowfecrgecl that th'eir Chiefs persisted in, their errpr, and were bu'rning-und plundering ex-ery tliing-'in their1 retjeat. i ?'.NORTH AMERICA.— The Cauadaf Company's dgent at KewiVork has.ente.red ,7 $7 emigrants to the tst of September, the greater, part of u-hotn have gone to duelph ?: the Uxioderate- tcn«? oa whicU tlic Company sell their Isuid olft

strong attracfioBs to enligfnnlft. ' - A much lM$er nuinber hi arrived at Quebec' ' ? . ;'v ' , ' GIlEECE.*--lt appears from the Paris Papers that a so oi farce is acting by the Porte 'and the Greeks,' with a vie to spare the former the mortification of seeming to hare be, forced to treat. The continental' Greeks have consented submit, on the condition of obtaining tbrgivenessi ' and tl Turks will octroie them such terms as havS been agreed c with the Allies. Wo understand that'the following appointments have a tually tnken place ; vi*. Sir W. H. Clinton to the Mauntii vice Sir L. Cole, removed to the Cape of Good Hope j £ H. Torrens to Jamaica, vice Dir e of Manchester :* Sir' Hi^lop to Iferbarloes, Vice Sir H. iVnnle. ' ?? - -Chantttry Proceedings — Sir John Leach (late Vii Chancellor and now Master of the Rolls) is sa:d to be cugag-in framing rules, and regulations lor Chancery vpiocteHing so as to preclude the necessity of Legislative ' mteiierence ; the business of that court. ? -(Train the Sunday Times, October 21.) DINNEIt TO LORD '\X. BUNTlNCK. On Wednesday the directors of the East India Compar gave a grand dinner at the London-Tavern to Lorcl.W. Be .tinck, the Governor General of India, on his departure t that country.- * The Hen. H Lindsay in the chair.' Rcpc had excited a vast exjiectalion. - It was said that the dinn alone was to be chaiged at the rate of twelve guineas a lieu Certain it was, (hat a greatei profusion of expensive di-hc cifi had never been witnessed at a tavern before^ ' The Jdi ner had open ordeiod for one'hundied arid 'eighty peisoa tour- hundred might havq been accommo 'atetl fiom the m terials, which wfire, galhered Jrom distant cou»!Wes. 1 exhibit the wealth of this company, Mr JBlendfin had b« ordered to ' stop at no expense/ and he prodded a fes which it would nut be ea^y to parallel. The decorations the great room were simple, but costly in the extreme. Tl dishos and bowls on th« table were solid gold. Mr. liteadt hired pLitc of' Rundell and Bridge, and the quantity may I guessed from Ihp fad that the loan cost nearly -iuol. ~\\ recognised, among the most massive artitltsi' an urn whfc belbnged to ths late Dm-e of' York. It was CNpected that great number of the nobility would be present ; but the v: rio«fs eogagemeqti,, preA'iousiy to the Parliamentary Besswi interfered. Report Elated that fifteen dukes had beun ir vited, but it seemed that the directors had resolved to lini the1 invitations. The only noblemen weitj Loids-I-udi^ Bcxley, G. Dentine k, Tentefden, Eliot, and G. Seymoiu -Amongst the company were the Chief Justice of the Com mpn Pleas, Spring Rn e, Es-j. M~.P.j Sir Thomas Lawrenct Captain ?arry, &c. The - hairman propused the hiivlth c LorJ W. Bentinck. He felt the highest^ratincatiou in pro posing the health of the Noble Lord, who had been appoiufe to the important task of governing in the eastern world, c superintending the interests of.'iOo .millions of peopJe.Lord W. Beiitinck returned thanks. The seoso cf the higl honor conferred on h:m was vehement, but the irreparabl loss of the distinguished Statesman to whose influence li owed the appointment, threw a shade over what would othei wise have been unmixed satisfaction. — (Cheers.) Never \vj there a nisn whq took a more comprehensive and ehlightene view of the great concerns of India than 'that highly-giUu individual, with whose now silent sanction he. entered on th duties of Governor-General.— (Loud cheers:) The charU of the company-would terminate in a few years. ' He shoul during his . Governorship be enabled to judge whether an system would be likely to prove' equally or more beneficu than that whi.H had bqen so long Acted on. To ihh cons deratioivhe would direct all the ^powers: of his mind. T«i chairman then proposed ' The health of Lord Godud.ch an the rest of his Majesty's Ministers j' which was dnmk ar.ii great cheering. The last toast was « Lord Amherst anJ tti Government of India j' after 'Svhich the chairman rose. Til movement was the signal for a general depaituie, and tli great room was empty in an instant. ' ~ The average employment of convicts at .Woolwich docl yards is about 4,i 00. The Duke of Clarence cejpommeuc their being sent to Botany Bay, dud their places supplied b industrious laborers of godd character. *] . *— -Nothing but disasters attend ourNewSettiements and no news is ever brought from any o,no of then which docs not convince us of tho folly of. perse reringin those mad schemes. . Some of the miseries \n'c\ some only, which have lately been experience! it Melville Island, -have been made knoyrn to ou Readers, through the medium of our paper. The, waste of money which these settlements cau* is bad enough, but when it comes to the loss of valua ble lives, it is wickedness to persevere in the vain &(? tempt,' to establish settlements which any one, gtftei with but a small stock of foresight, might have pre dieted could not be 'reared with the scanty mean employed in the under taking! and by dint of.th( ginger-bread preparations made in Port Jackson. If we are to .pay the costs attending these pr& pos,terou» designs, our interests should deter miiv us to- procure their abandonment ; but if, in-additioi to a useless expenditure, they are the i rained iaii cause of suffering* which cannot be described without giving an involuntary shock to- «ui*»en£ bilities, surely humanity will suggest that.aatof should be put to. such appalling* scenes. The hardship's' sustained by the unfortunate p» pie who have been selected to assist in foundin; these Colonies, may, or may notbs attributable to climate. If, the climate be so pestiforous, that nom can liyo. under it .without extreina, hazard, thi would bo an argumant against sanctioning anj longer- human sacrifices, ,or persevering in e1lte^ prizes* which had , already been productive of suci melancholy and fstal results. _ But we susped we, need not 'attribute the - failure to the b^, ness, of thp 'climates We suspect that Englaf^ might succeed with', ad vantage .where this CoW -has'.failed; and that .if she use energy eo»i sistent^with the object in .view, she may farm «* tlements, with advantage to herself, in any part N the Coast of New Holland. But what oao N Trumpery -cutter, oraCock-boa^ of aSchoo.nerH eomplisli? What men or materials can such a voM convey ;. or with the finest vessels that over e*t*«j this Port, what can beexpected in the way of m paratiqn from tho lbcaf government? Thuy r»M coTnfess,'that they can dp nothing without prejuJj cing the Colony \ and depriving it of labour whw it can ill spare, and loading it with expenses whii it cannot andjought not to be caHed.on to^uppoj ( - \Ve will constantly press these facts upj ^iie' ilomo Au thorities_ till T they jhear and attondf ?us.;; akd .we.aripoal ^fccls, .K^9.W^pirediciioD»l the ftttte 'of these new settleawatB iiavb 'ol ^1

'-torjia -tfjit.and ,amply verified 5 an* we.ap.peal to eajjh *succesi3in§ arrival for'prc?q(F,7wli*eljkpr _. thesg -settlements have not been iU-^yised/.are not up held, wtfhcmt a hope of their, 'prospering;' and Ve ask if a.ny tKingcan hie-expected froin them, but bodily suffering's in the person? , sent to them, and a#wsritont waste .on.ifa and money; ! I Suppose that we had had a colony forty years ago, and but forty years old then in the Indian Seas, would New South Wales ever have become a colony if it had depended on that for its foundation, and for its resources? Would Englishman have main-tained a permanent footing on the repulsive shores of New South Wales, without a succession of ships, and supplies, and men, and means of all sorts from England, and without English energies, equal with, and quite worthy of the undertaking? Would Van Diemen's Land, in a quarter of a century have become what it is, if, for its very existence it had been rendered dependent on New South Wales? Ships, to be sure, came here first, and this was looked upon, as the parent colony - but assist-ance from England was afforded to the settlement at Van Diemen's Land - assistance not limited to a dozen prisoners and a dozen soldiers, every instant liable to be surprised and murdered by hostile natives - but such assistance as shiploads of supplies, and ship loads of stock, and ship loads of labourers were calculated to prove! ' ' New South Wales indeed, must either'bc drained ©Pits money — have its labourers drafted away; its 'mechanics- removed, and sustain injury- to the re tarding- of it* gro-vth and progress, by helping to ?people the Coast according to the fanciful sugges 'tions of travellers and . projectors, else England mqst take- the work and expenses of' colonixatio'n upon herself, if she will persevere 'till the end aimed at is accomplished,' and if she will have a breed of Englishmen .around New Holland! Let not our English Statesmen, however, overlook or despise the melancholy, tales they may , hear ol 'diseased and dead men— of the sufferings these 'have endured in the nugatory attempts already made in various ports; ' and let them 'persuade themselves,- either' to abandon the new-settlementa altogether,, or take the management put of th«j Hands of the local government, and. place them under their own. immediate care and protection. Meanwhile, we should advise the loeal govern ment, either, at oncej to draw in the force, such as it is, which is 'stationed -at each qf .the settlements) (the settlements at all events that cannot prosper'); or if they have hitherto neglected to represent the want of feasibility in carrying inlo effect any orders theyj'mayL be ,in ' possession of regarding them, to neglect no longer importing this necessary, piece ol intelligence to the Home' Government. If we 'Were disposed to blarne.'our-. Colonial Government, it would be^or-nor doing 'the one or the other of these two' things.' They, of course, are not responsible -tor the mischief sustained -by' the Colony, or for the sufferings of. individuals, or for'thc inadequacy of preparations,* provided tliey can* make 6ut that they accord ' the .most ready attention to the wants o* those 'who* are sent to' the settlements —with this proviso,- they are' not' responsible for the total, or partial miscarriage of plans emanating from Home. It is the English* Government who are misled; and ?who give instructions upon bad information, and ?who'requirevexpedilions to be fitted out from this place, instead of from England, it is to'. them that is principally attributable the accidents, the failures, and the disappointments which have occurred in, and about1 the new settlements. ? . The local government cannot. 'make exertions beyond, their' meansy but the'y may describe the )irisu'fliciepcy of their means, and delay proceeding '-frtfh t-fi'em7 until they are better provided, or until the parent administration choso to put in requisition their own. resources. -t * - ? The Governor, we are told, has remitted the fine of one hundred pounds, which poor Bell,' '-the ca binet-maker, was condemnedto pay by a judgment of tho last Court of Quarter Sessions, for a cora mon assault.- This shews a considerateness on the part of his Excellency' well entitled to praise, and is' proof of a 'discrimination which-- ought not to pass into oblivion without due noticfe and due en comium. The sentence was one o'f the most cruel we ever .witnessed or knew of, and so much did we think it savoured of oppression, that we suffered notTourpen to describe whatVe Uiought of it, or even to allude to it. Bell is a tradesman who has a. Jarge''famfly to support— who ' in fact lives on tho fruit of his own' industry.' .Jfc imprudently as saulted lixe- prosecutor.- Now whetherHhe, assault-was'an aggravated one, or an assault not differing w aerially from the common run of- assaults, . stilf the fine was unjust, because it was infinitely Be yond the means;' and' infinitely beyond the power of the defondant to 'pay it. He was doomed to perpetual imprisonment, and consequently to suf f. r far more 'than if he lfcul been found guiliy of a felony. , ? . . - --The Governor, for wisety and humanely remitting the fine, will be' followed' by tho blessings of the Qmriljrjie .Tias,Vayed Yrom'utVer despair', 'and ron-' dercahiawfilf worthy of the gratitude of the ddfojid-.

'? arjt,,and the good word of et The Australian.' We repeat that pie^ftii^ion^of this fine of a hundred , ,p.oandssj-ealcsy «3, -faVprably^f'the .understanding qf-'h'is Excellency, as it is honorable'' to the ccjmpas sio7hatin'{* feeling of his heart. It is -a- real good ' th'At.hVhas conferred -a forgiveness -which \?as me rited., and which justice' required — it has corrected , a needless' severity; and proved the exercise of clemency in the best* possible .way. -We find* tliat Mr. Stephen, the Barrister, has been appointed by .-the Governor, to act as Solicitor-General, in the room of Mr. Foster, until the arrival of. Mr. Sampson, from England. j This is an arrangesnent which./meiits oujj, concurrence, and , is -much' more .creditable to his Fxcelleney than was the, appointment of Mr. Stephen's immediate ' predecessor',. - who . had no' pretensions 'to such a post, -5r no.'right to expect- it.. J The Colony has this week received an accession to its judicial strength in the person of James Dowling, Esq. who arrived on Sunday, from Lon-don, by the ship Hooghley, with the appointment from the Home Government of Assistant Judge. In the afternoon of Monday Mr. Dowling dis-embarked under a salute of five guns from Dawes' Battery. Seeing an unusual moving about, and bustle among the big wigs and officers of the Co-lony, civil, ecclesiastical, &c and those with no wigs at all, many of the Sydney inhabitants were for a short time plunged in ignorance, and could not divine the cause, till the thunder of Dawes' great guns, and public rumour roused the weak minds to acknowledge that a new Judge was about to be landed and installed. Some accordingly ran towards the wharf, and some to his Majesty's Dock-yard, and others elsewhere, to have a peep at his new Honor, but a few only, got to the right place. Mr. Dowling landed at the Government stairs on the east side of the Cove, where he was received by Chief Justice Forbes, and other gentlemen, and proceeded straight towards, and into the Govern-ment-house, where the customary oaths were admi-nistered .to him by Chief Justice Forbes, after which Mr. Justice Dowling returned on shipboard. Mr. Justice Dowling will not take his seat on the bench for some days to come. We must again advert to the state of decay and want. of repairs, exhibited in several of the bridges in various directions through the interior. Among others, the bridge known by the name of the Duck River Bridge, and another on the high road to Windsor, are two instances of a lamentable want of repairs, those bridges being to heavy carriage impassable. The brig Governor Phillips, is to be despatched to Melville Island without loss of time, to convey medical men and comforts to that settlement and Raffles. Bay. Dr. Nesbit, who came by the ship Hooghley, and Dr. Moran, late of the colonial me dical staff, are the two candidates for the situations vacant by the melancholy death of the two gentle men who some months back filled them. Dr. Mo ran's long and tried services in the Colony we think entitle him most fairly to be considered first and to have the preference on this occasion, should he consider it an object worth contesting. And by the way we may add, that not liberal promises alone, without liberal acts on the part of Govern ment, will induce any gentleman to bury his abili ties in a secluded, distant, and unpropitious settle ment like that at Melville Island. Mr. Flaherty has chartered the brig Woodlark, to proceed hence, with, and for cargo, to the Cape. The Woodlark, it is expected, will sail hence in the course of to-day. The barque Lynx, whaler,- belonging -to Messrs. .Jones and Walker,' was seen by his Majesty's ship pandora, on the return of the latter from the Coast of- New Zealand. The Elija, Fuga^., (jailed from Portsmouth on the 31st Oct. for these Colonies.' . Sir Anthony Hart' has - entered on his official du ties as Lord^Chancellor_of .Ireland. ,Mr. Shad Well has succeeded Sir Anthony as Vice-Chancel|or. The lady of'the late. Judge Advocate, how Sir John Wylde, 'and the* Misses Bannister, take the opportunity of visiting the Cape by the Woodlark. TKc health of Mr'. Justice Stephen, we regret to announce, is considered very precarious. ''On Thursday evening, Captain Hudson' enter tained a numerous party, of both sexes, in excel lent style, on board his ship, the Orelia. The num ber which sat down to dinner was not far shortof fifty— the majority of whom, under an awning, ex tended over the quarter* deck, tlie sides of which were fancifully festooned with the flags of various' nations, and illuminated by a profusion of lautherns slung fore . and aft, amid-ship's, in a ship-shape way, led up the sprightly dance to an advanced hour. Captain Cock's (of the Elizabeth,)' excellent band, played during dinner, and whilst dancing continued, ' and contributed in no slight degree towards the festivity of the evening, which .passed away with general and unrainglcd satisfaction. Lieutenant Hughes^ of the N. S.AV. staff corps, has been appointed Acting Surveyor of roads and bridges4,, in the room of Lieutenant Wilford, which post .the government, order, notifying the former appointment, describes Mr. Wilford to have re signed. .-./,.*'' Mr. Wiiliam Foster, U-- appears,' has been unable after all to preserve hiitfria juncla tn uho —his three .good things., joined in pji'e, unbroken. One of the three, the Acting SoUej&or General'-blypr a govern ment .order, bearing-ijatb the 2 d instant, informs us, ' William Foster, Esquire, Las requested permission to resign'! the burthen of, and with the burthen it is not outrageous to imagine the emoluments. In ' pi ping times of peace'' like the present, however, a man must sometimes find it in his heart to be content ed \-rith two good things no less than with three — were.:they to be even notr'iing;better nor .worse than a : post 'of Cb'unu'33*bner-of the 'Court o? Requests, witffU{fidd, aUd- to [prop 'tliat 'vritk all btjcoinb^

iliuniiy, that of Chairman of CtiurU nf Quarter Sessions; with jCOOO yearly. -^ , .The want*. of; . ventilation ^experienced in the new. Qovift-reom, cojdtjnnss to e tic reuse 'daily, with the' increasing he.rit' of 'the*' weather, 'sud is'.' a prolific source x-f annoyance to lllose 'eoncerned iii atLenc!-^ ing the Gourt. .- An apertnfe'has been inade ia One of the', walls, opening*'.to the Sduthward; through which, «ccortling' as the wind sits, a stream of fresh 'air^may, or may r\ ot,' occasion ally flow-f— its good effects are, however, but partially distributed, and never certain. ''?.''.-'. ' ? Some' better* moan** of ventilation it would be .well to devise, 'an'd* not to stop*theFc but to ca!T.y such into elioct', and' that speedily. ' Ohi Monday evening, the band oCtho 39th.' regi-ment ployed on the promonade- at Macquarie-place, to ajntrr hour than usual. ,-,, ' It h fully'ariticipated, that the present Criminal Calendar, ,\vjH «.ot be got through' within the'-lune set down at the beginning of term!''. '.''-;?, - Next month * both - Court-rooms will continue 'open;, one foT the dispatch {jf Criminal business,, this other for the adjucating of civil caus-s. 1 Tho prisoners .already convicted at the present Criminal .'Court sittings,' j'.'s well as .those who may be convicted of- various .offence's,' it is intended'to defer passing judgm'ent.upo.n till- the' last day of te'rni, when'airdf - tlfpm jvvj.li.be brought up -for that purpose. ;. -'. .'.^V./jJyiv.' '?' ^ .VT.» F ' . , In iheeoursoofyester'day, a respite.waalreceiVed at the gaol,, for- the- ill-fated prisoiier,Kelly, who was convicted by the Criminal Court on Monday^ of wilful murder. ?After the Jury left the box* 'and; had retired from Court, an ; application for mercy on behalf of the criminal was liiade .to. the Chief Justice, who immediately caused a respite of the criminal's .sentence. : 'The case is- understood- to be' at present undtr tho consideration of his Excellency the Governdr in Council. A man named Quin, was on Monday brought before the Police, for being a receiver of stolen property. The man is a Crown prisoner, assigned to his wife, and being a taylor ** by trade,' had for some time employed himself so very profitably and soberly at.his business, as to cause' his being, noticed by several respectable families. He was thus smoothly and comfortably getting on in the world, when lo! one unlucky hour, — he bought a stolen coat. This coat, upon close inspection, he thought, was just the cut and fit for one of his customers, to whom' he brought it; but who did the customer prove himself to be, but the identical owner of the coat, from whose dwelling it had departed with other property about six weeks before. Their mutual surprise .'was great ;- and the receiver, ? re ceived fur his pains, a six months' sojourn to an iron-gang.