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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1830.

NEW CHURCH.

The public meeting mentioned in our last, to take into consideration the means of erecting a third Church in this town, went off in the most satisfactory and en- couraging manner, the attendance being highly respectable, and the business con- ducted with the greatest regularity and good feeling. The Venerable Archdea- con Broughton was called to the chair, which he filled with much ability. In a speech characterised by simplicity and elegance, he stated the circumstances under which he had been induced to wish for the erection of a new Church, and to convene the meeting for the pur- pose of concerting the measures neces- sary to its execution. The Protestant population, according to the last census, was 8,000 ; the numbers of these for whom accommodation was provided by places of worship not belonging to the Establishment, he calculated at about 1,900, leaving 6,100 to be provided for by the Church. On a moderate compu- tation, he thought the two Churches of St. Philip and St. James, supposing them to be quite filled, would not hold more than 2,500; whence the melancholy truth was established, that there were no fewer than 3,600 souls excluded from public worship ! After pointing out the deplorable consequences, to society as well as to the individuals, of this state of things, the Venerable gentleman pro- ceeded to detail those plans of operation which it had been thought expedient to sul mit to the consideration of the meet- ing. These will be found embodied in the Resolutions, which are advertised in another column, together with the names of the Committee appointed to enter into a more minute investigation of the sub- ject, and to report the result to a future

We were happy to find the Archdea- con's views so well accorded with those

we expressed in our last number. The foundation of Governor Macquarie'! intended cathedral is fixed upon as the public meeting.

site, and the structure is to be in a styl« of appropriate elegance. The Christian liberality shewn in the arrangement for free accommodation to the poor, is de- serving of unqualified commendation.

"We forbear further obsevatiatons at pre- sent, because a more mature consideration of the Resolutions will enable us to speak more to the purpose. Meantime we in- vite our intelligent readers to offer any remarks which may occur to their mind, for the improvement of the plan now chalked out : we shall be happy to in- sert their communications, and venturo to affirm they will meet with the most candid attention of the Committee.

" Wheat during tho week has suflerod somo deprecia-

tion in price, chiefly owing, wo heliovo, to tho ex- pected nbundant forthcoming harvest at Sydnoy, and tho consequent shutting up of the market at that port. Som© good sámplos during tho week have been sold as low as 6s. n bushel ; and at Laun- ceston, wo rogrot to say, it has fallon so low as 3s. 6d."~Hobait Town Courier, Sept. 11.

Auch is the latest quotation of the

corn markets at Hobart Town and Laun- ceston ; but we are assured by a corres- pondent, who seems to have further in- formation, that the Launceston quotation ought to have been 2s. Gd. to 3s. 6d..j and he states it as his opinion, that the price will sink still lower, and that the sister-co- lony will be forced to continue exporting her surplus grain to Sydney, even if it fetch no more than Is. Gd.

This disheartening prospect is ren- dered still more gloomy by the accounts

we have received as to the state of the growing crops in Van Diemen's Land The Courier of the 4th instant reports, that a very large extent of land has been sown with wheat-that the late seed-corn

could not have been put into the ground at a more favourable time-and that if the summer prove what is called a " drip- ping" one, as it now promises to be, the ensuing harvest will far exceed, in quan- tity of pi'oduce, any that has yet appeared

in Van Diemen's Land.

This news is certainly calculated to excite no small uneasiness in the minds of our settlers, for if the Van Diemen's Land harvest be over-abundant as well as our own, it is impossible to say to what extremities of depression the agriculture of both Colonies, but of this more espe- cially, may he driven. Our Hobart Town contemporary (the Courier) does not, it is true, participate in these appre- hensions, for he asserts that " there is little room for entertaining the same fears which operated some time ago in deter- ring many settlers from cultivating so much corn as they otherwise would have done ; for the chances of a good sale," lie adds, " are now much increased." These representations would be highly consola- tory, if well sustained by facts or proba- bilities. But on what are they grounded ? On the four following considerations

1st. That " the population of New South Wales is much greater than it was 5 or 7 years ago," and that " its own supply round Sydney, the chief mart of consumption, remains almost stationary."

2d. That the population of Van Die men's Land is *' also larger."

3d. That, " for many years to come, the new settlement at Swan River must necessarily have a eertain demand not only for corn, but for all kinds of farm produce."

4th. That " besides these increasing outlets, they (the people of Van Die men's Land,) have the very great and preponderating advantage, by means of their new and improved mills, espe- cially the steam-engine ones, of export- ing large quantities in the shape of Hour

and biscuit."

We confess not one of these positions

appears to us to warrant that entire fear- j lessness expressed by our contemporary. Let us examine them seriatem. The first

is partly true and partly erroneous. It is true that our population is much greater than it was 5 or 7 years ago ; but it is not true that our own supply round Sydney, undeniably the chief mart of our consumption, remains almost sta- tionary. So far from " stationary," the grain districts "round Sydney"- that is, properly speaking, the districts from which Sydney is supplied-have been rapidly progressing in cultivation every year, and the fluctuations of produce have

arisen from no other cause than fluctua- tion of seasons. Do our brother-Co-

lonists imagine, that our large purchases of their grain, during the last four years, w ere occasioned by a preponderance of consumption over tillage? Judging from the arguments of the Courier, we should conclude this to be their notion ; but it is impossible to give it too broad a contradiction ; and if our next har- vest fulfil its present promises, it will be but too clearly demonstrated, that our cultivation of grain, instead of having not kept pace with the demands of our own market, has far, very far outstripped them.-A simple fact will

place this in a still stronger light : -our last crop, it is generally allowed, waa at least a hundred per cent, short of what would have been yielded with a moderately fair season ; and yet it lins been found abundantly more than suffi- cient. True, we have imported consi- derably from Launceston, but not to such an extent as materially to weaken the inference, that if, after a baro half crop, our market is glutted, an over floving harvest will cause wheat-so far as respects home-consumption-to be almost unsaleable at any price.

The Courier's second ground of hope is, that the proportion of Van Diemen's Land is also larger. But it has not in- creased in- population to cultivation. This is proved by the fact, that notwith- standing her immense exportations of wheat to Sydney during our late four years' drought, the price has never been unreasonably high. Her coming har- vest is expected to bo the most abundant over known, while her best, her only large customer will, not require from her a single bushel. Her population must, then, have.increased prodigiously, if the crop do not greatly exceed its own con- sumption.

The third is, to say the least, a very questionable resource. The Swan River settlement will either succeed or fail : if

it succeed, its produce will supersede the importation of grain to any considerable extent; if itfail, the people will not have the mean« of purchasing, and will possibly migrate to some other region, from Swan River, therefore, neither the Van Diemen's Land nor theNew South Wales farmer has much to hope.

The fourth and last consolation speci- fied above is purely speculative. It is in vain to have good mills, even though they be ' steam-engine ones,' unless tho flour can be sold ; and though our brother-journalist speaks of this as ' a great and preponderating advantage,' taking it as a necessary consequence that ' large quantities' of corn will be ' ex- ported in the shape of. flour and biscuit,' we should like to know where his biscuit and his flour are to be disposed of. That the two Colonies possess the means of ex- porting wheat, flour, and biscuit at as cheap a rate and of as good a quality as any country in the world, will not be dis- puted^, by any person acquainted with their resources; but the great, the pressing question is, to what port may ovtr cargoes be sent ?

We have noticed the subject thus far, with the view of bringing our difficulties under more general consideration, and of preparing the public mind for that deeply earnest discussion of our agricul- tural affairs which must be entered upon before long. It is a question in which every man, woman, and child in the Co- lony is concerned, and no one can con- sistently treat it with indifference.

The Louisa, after a passage of upwards of five months, arrived yesterday. Her news is of course ' out of date', but she brings the long-desired parcel containing our periodicals for March and April. They came to hand too late to admit of our giving any portion of their contents in to day's paper, but in subsequent numbers our readers shall have an ample

share.

Some of the articles in the two num- bers of Blackwood are

"Moore's Byron, part II. TheColoniolQuestion. The Spectre Slupof Salem. Southey's Viudiciaj Ecclesiaj i Anglicanai. Musical Literature. Madame DeGenlis. I ThoTaxes.TheRequiemofGenius; by Mrs.riemans. I The Exhibited Dwarf ; by 'J'. II. Baylr, Esq.

The Tea Table. Annals of the Peninsular War ; by the Author of Cyril Thornton.-For April-The Influence of Free Trade upon the Condition of the Lubouiing Classes. The Veteran Tar ; by Delta The Laird of Louno ; compilit by Maister llougge. The Forsaken to the False One ; by T. II. Bayly, Esq. Triumphant Music ; by Mrs. Hemans. Odo to Poverty. The Meeting of Parliament-Tho State of the Country, and of Parties. British America-A Letter to tho Right Hon. Sir George Murray. Tho silent Member-The First Day of the Session. The Reigning Vice. Poetical Por tiaits ; by a Modern Pythagorian. Mourn, Ancient Caledonia ! Tho Reform of the House of Commons.

Noctes Ambrosiana;.'

It will be seen by this list that the numbers are exquisitely rich in all sorts of store. The New Monthly is almost equally so. But for the present we must

bid them both adieu.

In the course of the present week, two actions have been tried before the

Chief Justice and special juries, for in- fractions of the laws, regulating the press in this colony. The fhst of these cases re- quires very little notice, as it consisted merely of an attempt to mar the operation of a law, which, however opposed to our notions of English freedom, we are con- strained to allow, was in this colony not only necessary but indispensable on the ground of expediency. It is worthy of remark, that the defence to the first action went to show, that the course which the defendant pursued could not have availed him in any way !

If tins was known at the time, why was such a course adopted ?

The second action, however, a succinct report of which wo this day publish, stands upon a very different footing. In the defence to it, the power of the Legis- lative Council to do anymore than prune, or modify the English law» to the cir- cumstances and condition of the colony has been arraigned ; so that, if such a doctrine were held to be law, the insti- tution of a local legislature, to provide for the exigencies of a young colony, with wants unknown to the parent state, and situated at such a distance from it as

to render any speedy remedy for an in convenienco, of whatever magnitude, im- possible, would be rendered altogether nugatory I It is strange, at this time of day, and after the attempt has been so often made, and as often failed, that the authority of the Council to pass laws for the good government of the colony should be questioned. The most casual reader must see, that the powers confided to it by Act of Parliament arc immense ; and that, if Hie laws of England in force at the time the New South Wales Act

was passed, so far as they could be ap- plied in the administration of justice, are not of sufficient efficacy, owing to a variety of causes, in correcting the abuses against which they were levelled, the Council is fully empowered to supply the deficiency by alterations, or by such fresh enactments as the exigency of the case may seem to icquiro. Deprive the Council of this power, and it is de- prived of all utility : instead of giving us a local legislature to provide for the par- ticular wants of the Colony, the British parliament, at the distance of sixteen thousand miles, might just as well legis- late for us in all cases, and spare us the infliction of a practical joke, by bestow- ing on us a Legislative Council-a vox et preterea nihil. In our next we shall offer some remarks upon the Act of Council on.which these actions were grounded.

The Independents.-The Hobart Toion Courier mentions, that t'ie Inde- pendents of that town have not only sub- scribed very liberally towards the ex- pense of erecting a chapel, but have also engaged with an eminent preacher at home, the Rev. Mr. Miller, who is very shortly expected.

A Judge and two Assessors will sit in the Courthouse, King-street, on Monday, October 11, and following days, for the trial of such out- standing Civil issues as have not been called on during the Term. A Jiulgo and two Assessois will also sit, on the same days, in the Court-house, Cas tlereagh-street, for the trial of insolvent issues The Term ends this do}'.

Parramatta Races.-Much amuse- ment is promised to the sporting world, at the en- suing Parramatta Races. Two days only are no- minally fixed ; but there will be racing every day during the week. The sport will commence on Monday, hy a match between Mr. Mooro's Barefoot, and Mr. Icely's Counsellor, for ^£100 a side ; the best of heats. Those who enjoy recreations of this nature, may rate upon witnessing some really well contested matches. On the Thursday nrrht between the rnco days Mr. Barnet Levey intends having a ball at his Saloon, which he promises shall be far superior to any former one, being deter nined to spare no expense to make his friends comfortable

The Regatta.-On Saturday the harbour presented an unusually gay and lively ap- pearance, in consequence of the numerous parties that wore afloat to witness the promised sailing match. Twelve o'clock was the time appointed for staiti;ig, and at that hour, a gun was discharged from the Rosslyn Castle, which ship was moored in the middle of the stream, opposite the Cove, f .r the rival boats to get leady. They were in number four, belonging to Mr. Campbell, jun. Mr. lv. gan, Mr. Oliver, and the long bout of the ship Gilmore. The conditions were, to proceod round the Sow and-Pigs, and return to the Rosslyn Castle. Each crew made themselves confident of success, and upon the firing of a second gun, they starte.l, " with hope3 elate and expectatkns big." The wind, however, was directly in their teeth, and the superiority of Mr. Campbell's Eclipse soon bacame apparent. All that seamanship could do, was done by those managing the other boats, but without avail, and the race was eventually gained by the first named boat, which thus made goodlier title to tho name she bears. A second match was afterwards contested between boats of a smaller rate, for which three started, viz. Messrs. Stubbs', Paul's, and Peter- son's, which came in in the order of their names. Some of the partios are not quite satisiied with their defeat, and another match will take place in a few days.

Rural Festivities.- (From a Cor- respondent.)-On Saturday last, a large party, con- sisting of all the fashionables of Windsor and Rich- mond, assembled for a pic nie. After rowing up the meandering Hawksbury,'they landed and ascended for about a quarter of a mile its fertile banks, from the top of which they obtained a most extensive view of the surrounding country, which now looks particularly beautiful. About forty then sat down to an elegant diuner, served in a superior style, under spacious touts. It is scarcely necessary to add, that there was a galaxy of charms, and ilia boasted English benuties found themselves, for the ílrst timo, rivaled by our interesting currency be.ljs. . Supper Extraordinary.-On Fri- day evening last, a sweet-toothed glutton devoured, for a trifling bet between himself and an iiinerant pieman, five shillings worth of his pies, being sixty in number, which ho put under his neck-cloth with considerable gout in less than five minutes, to the no small discomfiture of the '' all-hot" merchant; who declined to try him with another sixty, which the other offered to stow away as speedily as the first.

It will be remembered by our readers, that a man named Murphy effected his escape from tho Supreme Court, while awaiting.his trial, a short time since. His companions were subsequently tried, and two of them acquitted, who, not con- tent with their narrow escape, went and laid an information that a constable, named Edw.ird Corco- ran, had assisted bim to get away, by giving him a handcuff-key, by means of which lie released him- self. Some probability attached itself to this state meat at the time, from the circumstance of an in- strument of that description having been found on the seat. Corcoran was consequently committed to take his trial for aiding and assisting his prisoner to escape ; he was however, beguiled, and since that period has been indefatigable in his exertions to discover Murphy's retreat ; in this he was fortunate enough to succeed on Saturday last, and it ia now ascertained that the charge so mali- ciously alleged against bim, was entirely destitute of foundation ; he was accordingly discharged by order of the Attorney General, and a bill of in- dictment for perjury is to be preferred again-1 his

base accusers.

It is ascertained without doubt, that Walmsley and Webber, the late companions of Donohoe in his predatory excursions, are still pur- suing the same desperate career in the neighbour- hood of Penrith, and issuing forth from the bush daily, for the purpose of robbing passengers. Mr. Purcell, the chief constable of t ia Police, in that district, is indefatigable in his exertions fer their apprehension, and is resolved to spare no pains in effecting his purpose, so that we may soon expect to hear that these daring characters are lodged in safe custody.

Brewing and distilling. -- Not contented with his present gigantic buildings, dis tillery, mnlting-stores, a pnir of 40 horse power steam engines, flower mills and ovens, ice. &o. ko. at Block Wattlo Swamp, Mr. Robert Cooper is now hard at work carving and projecting a spacious brewery, beside a quarry whence most of the atono

which composes his masivo buildings has been oxea- » voted. He tnlks of roofing the embryo brewery with. ' a flower and vegetable garden ; so that what with a score feet of earth abovo. and solid stone work all about, this singular edifice promise» not only to bo cool and spacious, but grotesque and original. His strapping beer and mighty ale are to be compounded of good barley, mnlt, and hops ; nnd ho talks of sell- ing it at 50s. a barrel. If his beer but equal his whiskey, Mr. Cooper will deserve tho success which n skilful, industrious, and enterprising man should havo, who employs his talonts und his copi al, of whatever rato or power tho one or tho other may he to the odvantnge of his fellow-citizens, fiis rum was execrable, his gin is excellent, and his whiskey is pronounced by good judges to be super-excel lont. While such beverage is distilled as Cooper's whiskey, and much of his gin, (tho rum ia execrable,) no foreign spirit should be seen upon the tnble of any settler, who if he value the pros- perity of his adopted country, and the interest of himself, and comfort of his family, will prefer a home-made profitable article to indulging in any foreign sumptunry. We are sorry to find that pre- judice has still so got the better of self-interest, as to blind the settler against the nearly every variety of drink that is Attsthauan-that is to say, tho produco of his . w11 farm. Necessity will nt last cure this folly. But it is now high time to begin the re«

formation.-Australian.

A quantity of wheat, very good in quality, was sold, on Wednosday last, to a respect nble house in Sydney, as low as four shillings and three-ponce a bushel.

So prolific is the appearance of the crops along the Nepean, that wheat is expected in somo places to produce forty bushels to the acre, and the only fears ontertained with -respect to the har- vest are, that grain and othor farm produce will bo too plentiful.

A very disreputable practice is carried, on by several of the bakers, at tho present time, of selling their broad short of the weight they profess it to bo. Several loaves thathavc been recently weighed were found to contain only ono pound and three quarters each, whereas tiley were sold to the pur- chasers as two pound loaves ; this is a highly dis graceful scheme, and we recommend our roadors to weigh all their bread, that parties guilty of it may bo detected and exposed.

A great number of extra hands are now busily employed on board the Caroline whaler

preparing ker for another trip, and she will be ready for sea in a few days.

There are no less than thirty-three

mercantile establishments in Sydney alone, most of thom ship owners also. We shall publish a list ut an early opportunity.

On Wednesday evening, at Mr. Wil- liamson's auction, while the sa e was going forward a young urchin contrived to purloin a cannister of powder, which he was carrying off, when obsorvod by some of the company, upon which his plunder was taken from him, anil himself handed over to tho custody of the Police.

Eggs are selling at extremely reduced

prices, being carted through the streets so low as 3d. a dozen. [We don't believe it.-Eu.]

We understand that his Excellency

the Govennor has expressed his intention of affording some further assistance toward tho com- pletion of the Roman Catholic Chapel in Hyde

Park, and that a considerable number of Govern-

ment hands are already employed in the building.

The formation of the roads, on a line with the different streets leading thereto, is proceed- ing rapidly on the Race Gourse ; and, in the course of another ten years, we shall doubtless see tho whole of this fine plot of ground covered with, houses of a respectable class.

Numerous robberies are being com- mitted daily by Walmsley and Webber, or two other desperadoes answering their description, between Prospect and the Nepean ; they stop almost everyr cart that passes, and among others, on Saturday last, a cart belonging to George Cox, Esq. of Mul- goa, from which they carried off every portable arti- cle, and among the rest some rum. Upon being informed by the roan and woman who had charge, and were returning home, that the property was all their own, and that they would be ruined by the loss, they returned the gieater part, obserrinjj that " they did not wish to injure poor people, but they must live."

Hîghway Robbery.-On Wednes- day afternoon, between three and four o'clock, as Mrs. Smith, widow,of the Cross Keys public house, at Parramatta, accompanied by Mr. Turner, of that town, were passing in a gig from Windsor towards home, they were accosted by two men, armed with guns and pistols, who made their appearance at tho Long Bridge, between the White Hart and the Bird in-IInnd Inns, on the Windsor road, and desired them to stand and deliver. They took five pounds in cash from Mrs. Smith, and a small sum of money and a watch from Mr. Turner. This news reached Windsor on the same evening by the Windsor coach ; on the following morning, at an early hour the Superintendent of Police for Windsor, accompa- nied by the chief constable, the mounted police and six constables, proceeded by different routes in pursuit of the depredators.-These men are supposed to be John Walmsley and William Webber.

Daring Robbery.-On Wednesday last, about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, as two gentlo men were returning from Sydney, in a gig, they were stopped, near the nine mile stone, on the Par- ramatta road, by two armed men, who demanded their property, after receiving which, they returned a watch belonging to one of them, and decamped, with numerous imprecations that if a pursuit was raised they would look out for them another time, and settle' them.

Extraordinary.The young Du

cornet, born without arms, and who paints so sur- prisingly well with his feet, has to encounter a more astonishing rival in the person of a young girl at Bourdeaux. She has neither arms nor feet, yet writes, draws, knits, loads a pistol-with her mouth. She is also a musician, and plays upon tho piano with her nose. This young person is besides remarkable for her beauty.-Foreign Literary Gas.

Vaccination,-M. Robert, a physi-

cian at the Marseilles Lazaretto, has made a number of experiments, from which he concludes that the vaccine eruption had no other origin than the acci- dental transmission of the vaViolous virus of man to the udder of a cow, and it* consequent mitigation. He thinks that this discovery will diminish the number of the opponents of vaccination ; as it will shew that the vaccine virus does not proceed from any impure and disgusting animal malady, but is simply a mild and local small-pox.

Rivers.-In order, if possible, toanti cipate, and be prepared for the evils which fre- quently arise from the Neva's overflowing its banks. Colonel Raucourt, a Russian officer, has been making a number of curious" experiments with two instruments of his invention ; the one called a hy drotachymeter, by which he ascertains the swiftness of the current of a river,-the other a hydrosyno moter, by which he ascertains the pressure of water at different depths. The result of these experi- ments has been communicated to the Académie des Sciences.

Quentovic.-Much doubt has long

prevailed among archaologists with respect to the exact position of the ancient port of Quontovicus, or Quentovic ; which was backed and destroyed by the Nt.rmans, in the year 822 or 824. The result of in- quiries into the subject, communicated to the I'ronch Academy by Al. Boacher, of Abbeville, seems to prove that it was situated at the mouth of the Canche, a river of France, in the department of the Pas de Calais, which falls into the English Chan »el near Etaples.

Coffef*. .. It appears from some par- liamentary returns, that the use of coffee in this countrv has increased considerably during the last few ye;.r.. A still more striking increase is mani- fested in the N< tUerhinds. The quantity of coffee consumed there annually íb 29,500,COJlbs.,of wbUh seventeen millions are used in the southern pro- vinces. The consumption averages above 5lbs.a.-hoad

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