1848 £460,000 1849 540,000 1850 957,000 1851 990,000 1852 1,404,000 We observe at present that several of the leading emigration firms in London and Liverpool are making arrangements in Australia for the purpose of enabling settlers to pay the passage of their friends out to the colony. Independently of the attractions offered by the gold-fields, of remittances from friends in Australia, or of Government aid, there is abundant certainty that emigration to that colony must increase very rapidly. In fact, scarcity of shipping is the only bar to it which is likely to be felt. There is a positive want of labour in Australia, which mocks at the childish efforts of such parliamentary committees as that of which Mr John O’Connell was recently the chairman, to prevent its supply. Notwithstanding its vast agricultural resources, the demand for their development created by a rapidly augmenting population, and the ample, and, in fact, extravagant remuneration afforded in the colony for every description of industry, the entire world, whose attention has been for the last two years attracted by its display of wealth, and which is assured of the genuine and permanent character of its claims to notice, appears unable to supply labour in sufficient abundance. Whether we turn to its imports or its exports, furnished us in the valuable report moved for by Mr Hastie, the great want of labour forces itself upon us. We shall take at random a few of the articles exported from Great Britain to the colony during the past three years:— 1851. 1852. 1853. Apparel, Slops, and Haberdashery, £591,516 £959,687 £3,633,908 Beer and Ale, 135,674 245,657 635,870 Butter and Cheese, 4,142 50,583 207,094 Soap and Candles, 14,812 45,924 121,774 The last two items certainly would not occupy a place in the list of our exports to Australia if that fine agricultural country had even a moderate supply of labour. The anomaly is monstrous that butter and cheese, soap and candles, should be wanting in a country whose live stock are so abundant that they have actually to be boiled down for their tallow and hides! Our imports from Australia, however, exhibit most strongly its deficient supply of labour. We select a few items:— 1851. 1852. 1853. Regulus of Copper, tons, 1,115 660 41 Unwrought Copper, „ 773 632 473 Flax, undressed, cwt. 1,259 904 664 Hides, tanned or dressed, lb. 931,600 642,198 9,842 Oil, Spermaceti, tuns, 1,911 1,609 940 Tallow, cwt. 174,471 159,333 125,206