EXTRACTS PROM LATE PAPERS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VII, Issue 450, 25 February 1857, Page 7

EXTRACTS PROM LATE PAPERS.

The 'Times 'draws attention to the fact that the 'Observer' contains tlis following significant piece of intelligence, dated St. Petersburg, November 1 : —"•Count AValewski; the French Foreign Minister," a Pole, is to have the Polish estates of his family restored to him again for his services to the Czar in the late war." '■ , . „ ■ The correspondent of the 'Post' gives the bill of fare of the people's dinner at Moscow, furnished on tables extending fifteen miles in length/and accommodating four successive companies of"60,000 each. " Upon the tables are placed trees, from'-the ■branches of which are to hang, as the fruits of the season, hams, chickens, capons, ducks, cutlets, and joints. Whatever is best flat on the dishes will be set there flat. In this category will be all that is to be eaten.hor.' Every day for the last, week, numberless dainties have been hot in their turn, however j and these will hang cold from the trees on Saturday morning. I can vouch forthe following extract of the culinary or the shambles statistics^ you.may: rely on its strict exactitude. Six thousand sheep have been slaughtered for this dinner, and. thirty-five thousand chickens and capons have had their necks wrung in the.same good cause. About the number of oxen killed my information is less assured; but the number amounts to several hundreds—say four hundred or more. You must go back about thirty centuries in .the world's age to find so large a feast or one provided for anything likethe same numbers simultaneously ; and then indeed yoii; find a still greater case—that of the banquet which Solomon gave to celebrate the dedication of the Temple. The Bible records the very items which correspond with the little statistical particulars which I have just given you ; and, instead of 6,000 sheep, you find exactly that number of oxen, and precisely twenty' times that number of sheep, viz. a hundred, and twenty thousand. A terrible t;ile of a ship burnt at sea comes from America.. The-Niagara, a- Collingwood steamer, took fire near Sheboygtin.off North Point, Washington. Consternation seized upon every one, and men, women, and children, rushed to and fro about the boat, shouting and crying. Not half-a-dozen passengers -gave-any aid to the crew, and but few attempted to makeprovision for their own or-friend's escape. It was but ashort time from the first discovery of the fire until the whole upper cabin was in ilames.. During this time-a large number of passengers had jumped overboard without anything to support-them in the water, and in a fewmoment s 'sank. Mothers threw their children into the Iak c and wildly sprang after them. The water was in_

tensely cold, and none but the hardiest persons could live in it bnt a few moments. A large number of passengers before the steamer stopped, in spite of the appeals of the mate, got into tbe stern boat and lowered it, when it instantly swamped, and all in it were drowned! Another portion of the passengers filled the starboard quarter-boat, and lowered that also, and all found a watery grave. Before the upper cabin was in. flames, a portion of the passengers wrenched the state room doors off and threw them into" the water, together with tables, chairs, stools, &c, and upon these many of those in the water saved themselves. After.it had become useless to remain on board any longer, Hie second engineer, carpenter, and a portion of- ths crew, together with a number of passengers —twenty-two persons in all—lowered away the larboard quarterboat and pulled to the shore where the passengers were landed, and the crew returned with the boat to render ' any assistance they might be able. Captain Miller, with a number *of others, saved themselves by clinging to the wheel, and were picked up by the boats. Of one hundred and Thirty passengers, it is feared from sixty to seventy are lost. Of twenty women, two only were saved. Charpentier, the principal person connected with the frauds upon the Northern Railway of France, was arrested in a most romantic manner. It seems that he succeeded in eluding the vigilance of the officers and escaped to the country, where he disguised himself as a farm labourer, and let himself to a farmer. He was arrested by a mysterious person,, melodramatically draped in "a large cloak, who fettered him and brought him to New York atmidnight. An. officiaLwas aroused from his bed,1 and, while in a state of undignified and offended seminudity, was required to receive and take charge of the prisoner ; the officer arresting him keeping his cloak draped about his face, and refusing to give his name,, which is not even now known, the captor having quietly left as soon as the prisoner was secure, and never returned. A first importation of camels into the United States- having proved completely successful, the Government intend sending for a second cargo.

The factory girls at Lowell'having given expression to their feelings upon the late Sumner "outrage, by sending to P.,S. Brooks thirty pieces of silver, a rope, and a -winding-sheet, with a letter freely expressing their sentiments. BrighamYoung, the Mormon chief, ismuch put out, it is said, at the favoui found by strangers ■visiting the harem's of Utah. The mormon leaders have had a grand convocation in the Temple to denounce the infidels, and have followed up their denunciations' by-watching the federal mails, to prevent egress or ingress of suspicious persons. .' Under"the heading of,. "Preston S/Brooks at Home," with' the subsidiary one of '• Blood and liurder—Thunder and Lightning—Fire,and. Fury Slavery or Death —Dissolution, Secession, *or Eternal Smash," the 'New York Times' reports a banquet and presentation to Preston S. Brooks, the assailant of Mr. Sumner, got,up by his constituents. The report says there must have been ten thousand people there. The chair was taken by Dr. Came, vhoat the commencement of the proceedings said they had met to pay merited honour and due respect to their gallant representative ,in the Congress .of the United States ; and added— The act which he performed on the 22nd of May last on the floor of the Senate Chamber of the United States, gentlemen, was a noble though daring act." I can say to him here, as the organ of his. constituents, that we highly approve of that act, and that we feel ourselves ready and | ■willing to march, wnh you, sir, (addressing Mr. Brooks), to the Capitol, in Washington city, and there demand our rights or leave the Union (great applause;. f , A major-general M'uovan followed, who dealt much in scripture, exclaiming, "It is good for us to be here," and applied to Brooks the words', " "We*l dono, tnou good and faithful servant." He concluded his speech by presenting to Brooks a cone, on behalf of the citizens of Old Clinton, Lawrence District, with the inscription— „.. " Use knock-down arguments. To the Hon. Preston S.Brooks." In his reply, Brooks said- -For inflicting the punishment upon Mr.Sumuer of Mns»achussets, I have had hhowered upon me the applause of the entire south.. ..I am by no means, confident of the election of Mr. Buchanan. I think it probable that Johu C. Freemont may be the next President.' I tel? you, fellow citizen?, from the very bottom of my heart, that the only mode which I tliink' available for meeting that issue, is lust to tear the Constitution of the United States, trample it under foot, and form a Southern Confederacy, every State of which will he a slave-holding state (loud and prolonged cheering). These are my opinions. They have always been my opinions. I have been a dUuonionist from the time I could think. I spoak on my own re.sponbibiHty ; if Fremont be'elected Preaident .of the United States, I am for the, people in their majesty arising above the law and leaders, taking the power into their own hands, go;ng by concert or not by concert, and layinß the Htrpng arm of Southern j freemen upon the reasury and archives of the Governmerjt (applause). At Kilkenny one day at the beginning of October, the following scene took place between her Majesty's Commissioner for Income-tax and the Rev. Mr. Fitzgerald,parish priest of Balliogarry:— "Commissioner: Are you the Rev. Philip Fitzgerald? —Rev. Mr.-Fitzgerald: Yes. '.'What may be the| amount of your annual revenue?-— I don't know,. It varies bo much, being one time more aiid another time less.

" Perhaps you could guess?—No, indeed; any conjee- ■ ture of mine wonld be quite vague and uncertain. " Why ?—Because my revenue entirely dfipends on the voluntary offerings of the people, than: which nothing can he more fluctuating. I never kept an accurate account of those offerings, and never could. " But here is a paper signed by you, stating the average amount of your revenue, and subscribed -with yonr name; is it not an accurate estimate?— No. . "Then why put your name to it?—A paper was sent me, saying that unless I gave in some return no appeal would be allowed me. I then wrote down some amount — not that I consider, or could consider it:accurate, but to comply with the conditions, and1 that I might.not be deprived of the right of appeal. , ■ ■ " Is this your signature ?—l'll not tell you. "Why not?—Becauso you have no right to tax my revenues ; whatever they may bo, they are free and Voluntary offerings of the people. "It is not we who seek to tax you, but the Queen. —To me'it is all the same as between you. I get nothing from either of you, and owe you nothing. Yours is the only Government in Europe that gives nothing, with one trivial exception, to the Catholic Church. Tou -took away, what belonged to her, and threw the Catholic clergy for their support on the bounty of the people; and now yon are not satisfied without? imposing on us this tax, the colicction of which will cost you more than it will be -worth, and render it" as odious as the tithes were sometime ago. , "We must rule against you for —Tou may rule as you like, and any amount that it pleases you ; but I will appeal to another Court, take advantage of every resource the.',law. affords; me;;,arid,'if this. \vill;not avail, you may then distrain and sell the means of support given by the liberality of a faithful and devoted people to a hard-work-ing clergy ; but onejpenny of a tax on their voluntary oßerings you will never receive willingly from mo." The rev. gentleman has given notice that he will appeal to the assistant barrister at the next general .quarter ■ sessions. The* Univers'publishes some details respecting the establishments possessed by the Franciscan Monks in the Holy Land. They possess 9 convents, 16 hospitals, 6 churches, 7 sanctuaries, and 18 chapels. The number of monks is about 140. Since the establishment of the mission, eightyeight years ago, 117 monks have died from the plague, 4 were murdered by the Turks, and 6 by the "schismatic Greeks." The Franciscans have effected within that period the conversion, abjuration, cr reconciliation of 1,555 Greeks,1 1,040 Armenians, 129 Copts, 149 Protestants, 19 Jews, and 547; heathens.