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Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 550, 10 February 1858, Page 5

The Panama Mail Route.—>At the half yearly meeting of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, Mr. Mangles, the chairman, announced that the Panama Scheme had been abandoned. " Since the last meeting Mr. Wetton, who was commissioned to negotiate with the Australian Governments for the Panama route from Australia, had returned to this country with a conditional agreement between this company and the Sydney and New Zealand Governments. There were some defects or difficulties, however, which it was necessary to modify before the directors could recommend it for adoption to the shareholders; but circumstances had taken such an extraordinary and unexpected turn in the Eas^t that the Government were compelled to turn their attention to the East instead of the West; and the Government not having thought it necessary to carry out this arrangement, the directors found they could not press their agreement against the expressed wish of the Government at home. Therefore the matter was hungup forthepresent, and he thought the Government had acted wisely because the company carried out troops to Point De Galle." In reply to a question, the Chairman further stated that they pledged themselves most solemnly to the Panama route.

First, Second, oe Tsibd Peesox?—An amusing interlude took place in the course of the speech of the hon. gentleman who moved the reply to his Excellency's address in the House of Assembly on Tuesday. This gentleman, touching upon the subject of education, came to this burst of oratory:—" Sir, we must educate our children." But instantly it flashed across his mind that he was uublest with " babbies," and he recalled himself with—" Sir, you must educate your children." But at this proposition the chairman, who was addressed, began to shake his head and grin. " Sir," continued the perplexed orator, amid the roar of the House—" Sir—you—they—we—they must educate their children."— Adelaide JPajpei'.

The town of New York, or rather the extrapatriotic part ot it, has been much puzzled lately about the disposition to be made of a gold box, formerly given to General Jackson with the freedom of the city. The box itself is of no particular value, but the General in his will left it to the bravest man of the city. As we have a large crop of heroes left from the Mexican war, the box could not remain without a claimant ; and at last the precious city Government took the matter in hand. They voted that one Dykman was the man who deserved best of his country, and sent a delegate to Tennessee to bring back the General's sou and the box. Both arrived the day before yesterday, and the militia were called out to add to the splendour of the hero's triumph. But meanwhile there had sprung up another hero, whose claims were strongly pressed by the other surviving heroes of the war. When Mr. Jackson arrived he found himself iv an " awful fix," as Yankees would say. The troops were out, the triumphant hero was on hand for his box with a cut-and-dried speech, the sight-loving populace were there too ; but the remonstrances were too loud to be disregarded. The poor gentleman wisoljr put his box in his pocket and walked away, leaving the? ceremonies to take care of themselves.