ENGLAND.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume V, Issue 208, 2 January 1865, Page 3

ENGLAND.

The distress in the cotton districts scorns to be on the increase attain. The number of persons relieved in the first week of October is greater than that, of tho same week in September by 49H0, while the number of hands out of work has increased from 102,000 to 125,000. The number of persons now in receipt of relief is believed to be 114,000, and althougn the Relief Committee still has a balance of £211,000, it is expected that further applications must be made to the public. The Public Works Act is in full operation, but the local authorities are in places slow to avail themselves of its provisions. The Secretary of State for the Colonies has four colonial bishoprics at his disposal. The first is the bishopric of Rupert’s Land, which is vacant by the resignation of Dr. D. Anderson ; tho second that of Nelson, New Zealand, vacant by the resignation of Dr. Hobhouse ; the third a see which is to be constituted out of the present umvieldly diocese of Columbia; and the fourth that of Grafton and Arunedale, which is to be constituted out of the d'oeese of Newcastle New South Wales, the funds for the endownment of which are understood (o have'been amply subscribed, mainly through the exertions of a wealthy colonist. Mr. Cardwell has been in communication with the Archbishop ot Canterbury and other high ecclesiastical officials of the Church at homo in reference to these sees, and the names of their respective incumbents will probably be made publicly known in the course of a few days.

Mr. Roebuck, the hon. member for Sheffield, is so seriously indisposed that he has been compelled to forego two engagements to appear in pub lie.

A dreadful murder was recently committed in the neighbourhood of Windsor. John Cook, a hair-dresser, living in the picturesque little village of Old Windsor, murdered his three youngest children, subsequently attempted the murder of his two elder daughters, and then committed suicide himself. Pecuniary difficulties and the recent death of his wife are supposed to have affected the wretched man’s mind. One of the elder children had her throat cut, and the other had drank some vitriol; the latter has since died, but the former is recovering. It is supposed that the poison employed in the case of the three youngest children was laudanum.