CANADA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VI, Issue 337, 23 January 1856, Page 6

CANADA.

(From the Guardian)

Toronto, July 2«th.—There bus been much excitement latterly amongst the Huron Indians, and a good deal of ill-feeling manifested by some of them against the Government. This unhappy stale of affairs was occasioned by a misapprehension of some late acts of the Government, but more especially by the intriguing of a Methodist preacher, who took an aetivepart in fomenting dissatisfaction and discord among them for bis own advantage. As the affair beiran to assume a serious aspect, the Indians having forbidden surveyors to approach their territory', it was determined by his Excellency the Go-vernor-General that a grand council" should he held. A council «a, held, there Co re, at Table River on the HKh ultimo, at which Viscount Bury and suite, were present on the partoftheGovernnient, ami about a hundred and fifty Indians, delegates Mom various tribes. The discussions were very animated, but I am happy to say thai the difficulties were settled in a manner satisfactory to all parties, except the preacher and a few of his satellites.

Cai.jkois.ma.—A writer in th,- San Francisco " Daily Herald' gives the following gloomy picture of the. social aspect of that region. —The melancholy and rcvoliiug : , M , eel w |,i,.|, S()( .; a | life, in nil its phases, presents i,, the patriot tbr-Migiiout (JalifoMii:,, not only finds a para I- :<-'! in the p.iiitic.-il astim, hut nivts it> worst cor-

rupiiou nun d^gra-iati,*, v, , U i: liine-serving, ne;.r!-. 1 ».-!,asin'.', ciinscieii«.-c.--K>]li rit; influence [} •"•'■ |mi!»m«: men. Muni, : r, r-.M.berv. and uism, <nii tun ti,M»ut;h the- Slate, ami we'shudder as s »ut -y..-s j:i;i! ; cv hurriedly and f.-:. rfuli v over us I'Uii! catalogue in < IUI ,Tinne.il e.a;,-n<i!ir. j},,t we fcei-iij uj fu.'gei tUi aiJ the.su evils are the

direct result of thojmaladministration of law, produced by elevating men to office whose hearts luirhor tho basest crimes, tin*' their coward hands may not openly have perpetrated them. One ol our morning papers, the California " Chronicle," tor some months past has furnished a regular monthly catalogue of the homicides coin* milled throughout the Slate, from whoso columns we extract the following :— Jan. Feb. Mar. April. May. Jtino. July. Totnl. Totnl kilk'il 35 5" 28 32 47 20 10;» 322 Hung by Slirf. 1 1 2 Hung l>y mob 8 .... 6 8 .. 3 25 It here appears that in seven months no less than 022 human beings have lost their lives by violence—some by the dagger, others by the bullet, very tunny by the bowie- knife, all in contravention of law both human and divine." A Floating Battkkv at Ska.—The following are extracts from a letter sent home here by one of the crew of the Glutton. It is dated Vigo, August the 31st: —"After leaving Falmoulh , in tow of the Horatio, we touched* at Brest, the weather looking anything hut pleasant. Some of our officers went on shore at the dockyard, and saw the master shipwright of Brest van!, who told them that the Touuant had sailed. Our officer." told them it was very strange we could not steer our batteries, not even when we were towed, that was when our speed (under tow) exceeded n)4 knots. His (the master shipwright:-) reply was, "Of course no:. The Totiuuui was quite unmanageable at Hist ; then we put two rudders, one on each quarter, (tor the purpose of navigation) she then steered perfectly well."' All our officers then expressed a wish that we had two rudders, and immediately after we lett Brest we commenced inventing rudders. The after leeboard was lashed up and down the after boat's davit, to act as quarter rudder. This did not answer very well. Then we got one (■■{" ».mr gun davits and fitted it as follows: —It was hooked into the sterupost like a swinging boom in a ship's side, goose-neck fastened, pieces of board were nailed on the end, guvs were taken to the after cat heads on each quarter. 0:r ship always carried a siarboard ht-lm. si> this, roused well on and belayed, had a wonderful eftect; in fact God knows what we should have done without it. To keep leebourds down when the ship is going through the water, and not going to leeward, is all humbug. We had fine weather across the bay till the evening of ihe2s)th insi., when the sea got up a little. Our patent rudder was not the .-lightest good uutlr.it time. We yawed about five or six points each way, the Horatio towing. It was very evident to all that we should soon be on our own hook, although you must know we had two 13-inch hawsers, and a 20 inch cable. Our first lieutenant remained on deck until ten p.m., and at two a.m. he turned out, or rather jumped up, all standing on the cry of '* All hands on deck." The cables had ail parted. The ships were in a very heavy swell. Our steam was ordered to be got up immediately, the fires being kept banked up. We all thought with a fair breeze certainly strong enough to take a frigate ten;knots, we should have steered ; but «he devil a bit. Then we roiled in the trough of the sea till the steam was up ; the siiip goiiiij which ever way she liked, ami the Horatio, strange to .say, was nowhere to be seen in a very short time. When our steam was up we managed to steam along pretty fair. At daylight our welcome iiit'iul the Horatio bore down. I tell you, navigating in a battery, our officers as well as ourselves know how to appreciate a fine steam frigate, which, as a sea boat, the old Horatio has proved herself. We are to sail to-morrow for wherever wo can fetch, our officers say Cadiz or GibraHcr. JiiK Bai,mohai, Hom'iuk.—When it was reported in September last that iScbastopol had fallen a large quantity of timber was collected on the summit of (Jraiggowan, the mountain which rises imuiediatelv to the south of Ba!----moral Castle, will) the intention of kindling a boufii'r as soon as the news might be oilicially confirmed. The report havin» turned out to be false, tin: fiie of couise was not kindled ; but the fuel hiivinjr remained in expectation that it would stiil b:..- n<-cd for that purpose, it was kindled on Tuesday niyht, 11 th September, and illumined the country for milts anunid. 'Ihu.s, within a few days of a year, hud this pile remuined, its dry and dead like appearance being, pot haps, une nf tin- muM Hii£»c*live sights which thi' Queen witncKM-il. when, on tin- pienous Sainrd.-iy, Him- Majesty fct.iyd IjcmUu J. oU lue mountain.