English and Foreign.

Lyttelton Times, Volume X, Issue 600, 4 August 1858, Page 5

English and Foreign.

We have devoted our available space chiefly to the European news, including all the it eras of any importance,-as furnished by the Australian papers; but although we have thus apparently excluded colonial intelligence, the latter is so meagre in the aggregate that we inflicb no injury on our readers by this preference. AI/UvGED OISTUKS3 IX IRELAND. On the 22nd of April. Mr. Bagwell, in the House of Commons, moved for a Select Committee to enquire into the alleged destitution existing in Donegal. A long debate ensued in which Lord Naas, Sir. Whiteside, and Mr. Roebuck, took a prominent part. Some of the speakers contended that great distress existed, notwithstanding the contradictory documents published by the Government Commissioner, Mr. Hamilton. Mr. Whiteside strongly denied the existance of destitution. He said " the farmers in that district were better off than those of other districts, and landlords acted much on the same principle there that they did in other places, and he could state that the tenants in that place could make more by their holdings than they , could have done by the fee simple of their land. : They were well off, as appeared by their paying : the rent to the landlord s agent without giving him the trouble to go after it. They took it to him, and in one case gave him £5 too much. ! (Hear, and laughter.) They had, on the one ! hand, a staterneut made out and signed by eleven | Roman Catholic gentlemen, who demanded nn ' i investigation; and, on thesother hand,there wa.3 j the evidence taken before a commissioner, and j the vorkhou.se authorities stated to him that | there is no truth in that statement. Therefore, | he thought.it a case in which there ought to !>a ; further inquiry. The people could not be bad 1/ j I oif, for a rate that was levied for £1,364 16s. 3.1. j was paid most cheerfully, and the Lord JLieutenant under his powers sent an additional body of police to the place, and levied a rate on the district, which was also immediately paid. That rate amounted to £1,189 15s. 4d., and yet there was no demur made to it." Lord Naas concluded his remarks by stating that he would grant the committee, and there should be evidence heard on both sides of the question, as he was determined the truth should be arrived at. (Hear, hear.) However it might turn out, it would prove to be a disgraceful case • for Ireland. There has been some mistake somewhere or other, and wherever the gross falsehood ! was traced to, there the disgrace should lie. After a lengthened discussion Mr. Bagwell amen led his resolution by limiting the inquiry to the districts of Guidore and Coekahaiiy in the County of Donegal. The motion as amended, was carried, Ayes, 147,—Noes, 111,—Majority, 36. MR. BRIGHT OH THE CASE OF TIIE ENGLISH ESGINEEKS. The following letter from Mr. Bright, M.P., was received by Mr. J. MAdam, of Glasgow:— Dear Sir, —I am not surprised at the sympathy felt and expressed in Glasgow for the English engineers who have suffered so much at Naples. I hope I need not say that I fully unite with you and your neighbours in that sympathy. Whether you can demand any compensation from the Government of Naples is another question. The English Government has admitteri the legality of their capture and or' their triui. and, therefore, it- may at least be presumed that the matter is not free from doubt, —I speak of the late Government, whose chief was supposed to be especially watchful over the interests of Englishmen abroad. If you wish to know the real cause of the long imprisonment of our unfortunate countrymen, you may find it in the gross insults heaped upon the Government of Naples, about a year and a half ago, by rhe Government and press of England.- Our Government offered advice to the King of Naples, which, being unasked for, was felt to be an insult. It menaced him, and finally withdrew its Minister. Our newspapers uttered the most insolent and the most silly threats tending t--> rise disturbance of public tranquillity in Naples, and followed soon after by an. attack ou the lite of the King, or by attempts at insurrection. The menaces were not carried into execution, and England was justly laughed at, and her Minister as justly despised, throughout Europe. The Naples Government, acting under a just irritation, have taken their own course with regard to the English engineers. They have shown that the insults of Lord Paltnerston and Ins press were not forgotten, and their menaces were unheeded; and our unfortunate country- j men have had to pay a grievious penalty, be- j cause our^Government and our newspapers have chosen to play the bully. If you want any proof of look over the columns of the

' Times,' and the other organs of the late Government since the autumn of 1856. and then observe how, immediately on the overthrow of Lord Palmerston, the Government of Naples, no longer liable to the charge of being1 moved by fear of him, ordered the liberation of our countrymen. Mr. Watt and Mr. Park are living proofs of the natural results of what is called a " spirited foreign policy," which, as I understand it, means in our day a policy without justice, and without courtesy to foreign nations, especially to such of them as are supposed to be too weak to enter into a struggle with England. I think the Cabinet of Lord. Palmerston and our newspaper "writers should offer compensation to the engineers, for they are the real authors of their grievous misfortunes. I am, very respectfully yours, John Bright.

The following paragraphs are extracted from English journals of the 22nd and 23rd of April -.— After very long consideration, Vice-Chancel-lor Stuart has given judgment in the important case of Brook v. Brook; and has nfarmed the proposition that the marriage of an English subject with his deceased wife's sister, even in a country were such marriages are lawful, is legally incestuous, and the. children arc iHiguimate. The parties which are chiefly interested in procuring a different decision, or an alteration of the law, are wealthy enough to follow up the question, and to appeal from every tribunal to the highest, when, should the sentence be ugaia adverse, another cllbrt will be made to obtain

the recognition of these marriages. There is no doubt that the feeling of the women of England is generally opposed to such unions, and this feeling is very unceremoniously handled by those who discuss the subject; one writer icmarking that feminine jealousy thinks that it obtains by the present law "a sort of vested interest after death, in a man's affections;" and a, distinguished nobleman declaring, in his place in the House of Lords, that the opposition of the women of England to a change, arises from the "appalling ignorance" of their instructors, the clergy. The question should certainly be set at rest, for though educated people incur, with Q} c* open, the penalty of such unions, the huml ler classes frequently contract them without settled notions of their legality-—notio»s which tha agitation tends still further to confuse.

Lord John Russell's plan for treating the Indian question by means of preliminary resolutions has been speedily carried out, and Mr. Disraeli will move that the house shall go on the 30th into committee on the subject. He has laid fourteen resolutions on the table. On examining them they appear to be generally in conformity with the" India Eill of the present Government; but it will probably excite sarcastic comment that the notable plan for giving representatives in the council (now proposed to have not fewer than twelve nor more than eighteen members) to five large towns is abandoned. However, Mr. Disraeli, if taunted, will be ready to taunt Lord Palmerstoa in reply, from whom the information has been obtained, that he had no reform bill in existence.

Turning from public to domestic matters, we have exceeding pleasure in referring to Mr. Uarey and his horse-educationary process. We have this pleasure because it enables us to contradict a statement which we heard with pain, ami recorded with reluctance. We mentioned tint such had been the savage nature of Lord Dorchester's horse Cruiser that, after every attempt to tame him had failed, it had been intended to deprive him of sight. With much satisfaction we have received from Lord Dorchester himself a letter stating that no such act of cn:esty had been meditated by him. It is due to ourselves to mention that the statement thus ecrase was in circulation, with some spe- * eialiry of circumstances, at a lesson given by 2»lr. Karey, at which Cruiser was present, aad tiie horse's gentleness, after the archimage's treatment, made the idea of his having beeu iv danger of the fate of Samson very repugnant. But precedent was afforded by our having read (as Lord Dorchester had done) in several papers, that" another son of Venison" had been actually dealt with. We have, therefore, to offer to Lord Dorchester, the expression of our sincere satisfaction at finding that we were misled, and of sincere regret that we placed the misinformation on record, as we quite agree with his lordship that suck an act would have been one of brutal cruelty. In a letter to the " Times" on the topic, his lordship apologises for referring to a •• threadbare subject;" but we cau assure him that society regards it as nothing of the kind, that the Rarey reform is the one feature of conversation, and that the possibility of emancipating the noblest member of the inferior creation from the control of ignorance and ruffianism, is a subject which no human person will ever be tired of discussing.

The Ladt i>- Disguise.—A curious circuins'anee has come to light lately, which has caused the laugh to turn against the Academic. A savant -member of that respected body has had in his employ for some time past a young secretary, whose services he considered so valuable in the ti-anslation of the oriental languagefand tho c( Hating of "oriental -works that only sis months ngo he doubled his salary on the threat of Ills secretary to leave him for another savant. Last Monday the secretary came, all penitent and blushing to the savant, to declare that his approaching marriage Avould prevent a continuance oi" his engagement. The savant was incensed, *: Aud who is the accomplice of your brainless f>Ily?" exclaimed the savant in a rage—beinghimself a confirmed old bachelor, and most averse to marriage. "Monsieur H ," returned tae secretary, with a titter, "to whom I am to be married on the 7th of this month." The truth flashed upon his mind at once—the seeret.iry was a woman! And it proved to be so— one who, with the knowledge of Greek and Latin, with seven Eastern languages, could find no employment as a learned "female. " and who had been 'compelled to assume the dress of the other sex in order'to obtain a livelihood. What makes the joke tell more severelj- against thp savant, is the fact that Monsieur ll—-, the expectant bridegroom, is the very rival whose laurels have prevented his slumbers for these fifteen years.— Court Journal. The Case-of the Rev. S. S:\UTn.—Since Mr. Smith's conviction, for attempted, murder, on. which occasion his wife played so conspicuous a part, his appearance'has considerably altered. We understand that a medical examination, made since his confinement, in terms of sentence, hasresulted in the discovery that he is suffering from consumption, which has destroyed one of his lungs. The high sheriff and some of the magistrates, therefore, propose to !memorialise the Home Secretary either to commute his sentence, or to send him to Bermuda, the climate of which is favourable to the disease under which he labours. Mrs. Smith was liberated on bail on Wednesday her sureties being, we believe her husband's brother and his cousin an artist at Gloucester. visited her unfortunate husband on Wednesday and; Thursday.in the prison. Yv c hear that Mr. Smith hears up maniul.y against his misfortunes, and hopes that successiul eQorts will be made to obtain his removal to a colony. There is no doubt that a petition will be got up at Gloucester for remitting lv* sentence, and that it willbe mimerouslr JsK^i." * mattef °f certainty— Cheltenlutk

HoY.vL Society of :Literature:—Tlib a-im-vcrsary. meeting of this. ,s< ciety was hold on Wednesday afternoon, at the Society's house, lii&aop of St. Davul 3, presirfeut, took ithe oliair. iae report ot the council stated that tlje afl'uira U ?°ff c i ty- ? rC V, Cry fl. o«»-isliina.:hhd that it nf*?nA off during the past year.to the amount of £300, a portion of an old debt/wljidv for soinu time past has been rather obstruct Sve-; to-its operations. ' " ■-.■ ■ : :