Misscellaneous.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XI, Issue 644, 8 January 1859, Page 3

Misscellaneous.

THE DEAL BOATMTSN.

At the present timo, lounging on the Deal beach, there aro nearly 800 itdults who have little other occupation than looking1 otit forvessols. in danger, or cast upon the Godwin Sands. ' The number is wholly disproportioned to the need, although at oho timo, before steam was so much in play, all found ample employment.. It appears that, after a full consideration of all; tho circumstances, those interested havo arrived at the conclusion that the only way is to divide tho boatmen into two classes —tho old and tho young; to remove tho latter from Deal, where it is hopeless to expect that they will bo able to find employment, and to assist the older boatmen who remain in proportion to their own deserts as exhibited by their provident habits. To such of the young men as employment cannot be found for in England, facilities will bo offered for emigration" to the colonies. A public meeting! ■was held at the Town Hall; Deal, on Wednesday last. It will be seen by the statements made below that measures for the improvement of the^ condition of the men are already talcing a practical' shape. The idea of establishing' fisheries at New Zealand would mutually benefit both the boatmen and the colony. . ■■-■'. Mr. W. Nethersole, the Mayor, was in the chair.. There were also present Lord Marcus Hill, Sir: Edmund Filmer, Mr. A, Sandeman,1 Sir"Walter James Mr. Fitz Gerald, late Superintendent of Canterbury, Now Zealandjtheßevi. H. H. Dombrain, the Eov. M. E. Benson^ and the Rev. J. Mr Kingscote had laid Iris plans before several contlenien, among others, Mr. B. Green, of Blackball who, as soon as he was made aware of what they were about to do in reference to the men, offered his valuable assistance to build a boat adapted for the colony, fitting her out with the necessary fishing tackle; and also at his own cost to send out six men. There was a gentleman present i w ho would shortly address theni, and who was well acquainted with the colony of New Zealand, who was also willing to send out a boat and crew of six men. Then there was Mr; Sahdeman, who had also -i come forward and offered to supply a boat for six ; other men; it was very possible, if the men showed a desire to emigrate, the other gentlemen, would come forward and do likewise. He continued—We are making these efforts in your behalf for your encouragement, aridiiot as a charity; neither do we wish you to accept it as such. Emigration is not necessary nor good for all, but we do think that there are many among the young Deal boatmen to whom it would be a decided advantage. The British navy, as now constituted,1 is a fine field for enterprising young mem I would also state for your encouragement, that I have received a very liberal donation from Lord Duridonald towards the emigration fund, who regretted that he could not be present on this occasion. , Mr. Fitz Gerald then said,—lama Government emigration agent. I have been connected with the colony of New Zealand for several years, and can therefore speak from experience as to its eligibility for those who are at present iii poverty to better their condition. I am not here this.evening in a private capacity, but as an agent. lam at present sending out from 200 to 300 emigrants a-month. If mep cannot afford-to pay the expenses of the passage themselves, half theinoney'is advanced by the Government of the colony. But lam told that you are not in a position to pay. any ;pbrtion, and I am ■willing to! depart from the usual course in your case and relax the general rule. But if I take you out free, I shall expect you to do your utmost to establish a fishery in that colony, and, when you are thoroughly with the colony, I have no doubt manyihore will follow you. I wish you fully to understand that, theI'''principal object I have in view is -to establish a, fishery. In talking about New Zealand and the possibility of bettering your condition,"! have" spent; yearsi there;1 and can tell you what- you are likely to do; there. You will have'••■to work"liard/andthat continually; it is not idle men that are wanted1 there^ but hard-working, ihdtWtrioTiß,-*perseyeririg fellows; and success is certain to attend In England, you may work hard from:the cradle "to the grave, without improving ybur condition; but,in New Zealand, if a man is sober,'-h6nesti and industrioUsy he -may not only do weil,"but • be inajr also' attain- independence;, and if you wiU butrefrain from'grbgj your children arid famUies will soon reap tbebenefit.of your labours. Thepart of' New Zealand to which I belong is the Province of Canterbury; the harbour is six or seven miles long. -■■: In the neighbouring rivers and rocks i are plaice and cod^ very similar to ours, but the deep waters have not yet been tried, and that is what I wish you to do. : I would not ask men to go out upon.arisk of ruin to themselves; if you cannot get fisli, there is plenty of other employment,— cargo boats; are: employed in the carrying trade, consisting of wool^ hides, &c; If you prefer getting a living .on shore, there is ho part Of- the world where you have a better prospect of employment and being well paid; I don't want single men to go out; when'a man is =a> man, his 1 first duty is to marry; if one'thing commends a colony more than another* it;is that a man may marry with the certain prospect" of providing for a family if he is industrious..: llf: young men want to" go out under my auspices; they must get! "wives; married men with large families, and grownup daughters hr particular, are our greatest treasuries.■.' On your arrival in ■ the-colony,-regular barracks are "provided by the Government,'for the reception of-'emigrants for the first week. ■ It is, however, biit seldom they require to stop aiweek: for "employment. There, is as good provision/for the education of; young: children in the province of Canterbury, as there is in England; the schoolmasters' are Government - certificated men from England. ■':'■" . ■ . sMr. Sandbsian said,—l had proposed; emigration svb< worthy of your serious consideration. I then told you that Iwduld do^ what I could to help those who were inclined to help themselves. Many of my friends are at present out of town, and I have theretpre not accomplished much. . I ishall send Out a boat fully equipped, and six men; • andl have no I doubt that eventually others will follow, and others 't come forward to lend a, helping hand. Myself and ' Mr. Kingscote. willdo what we can« to procure a •&free passage; and whenever you arrive in the colony I have no doubt that you will- find a home. *-iefl d th

gj. -The Mayor, having briefly returne anss to S t the men for their attendance, the meeting broke up. 11 —Australian and New Zealand Gazette, Oct. 9. 11 .'->■••'"■' .THE POBTtIND MUTINY. ( The first detailed account of the convict mutiny ai Portland appeared; in the Times from an •" eyewitness." Hearing the convicts were expected to strike for wages; he went to'Pprtland, pocketing a friendly revolver. r '- The day fixed for the outbreak ' was freely named,, and he was there t» see it. :'WI ascertained that the numerical forces on the part of the authorities were about 200 civil guards and warder^ and 150 Wexford Militia in barracks, on the Verne Hill fortification, in course of construction, and about halt" a mile from the prison. On the other side the enemy mustered 1,500 strong. To understand the position, I must explain that the stone has been excavated for a distance of about !L 500-yards backwards; from the prison, and rather lower than the level of the ground upon which it stands, leaving at the curved face, where the work now proceeds, steep irregular walls of rock varying from ten to fifty or sixty feelr high, in some places perpendicular, at dthers gradually stooping, and at others cut' into the form of steps, as the. stone has been removed!;' The quarries are alsoseparatedinto east, west; and middle divisions, by raiised tramways along; which the stone is conveyed to the breakwater in waggons. The Goverriment; quarries are also adjoined by free quarries,' and the bridge which carries the tramway of the latter overlooks the former. . _ , " Perfect order prevailed when the men were marched to, the quarries; but they showed hesitation and distrußt. Suddenly a yell was heard, and some fifty men jumped on a raised tramway shouting for their comrades t0 join them. Nothing appeared to

be in their way. The surprise, seemed complete. But,, at the first rush, the pre-arranged signal passed from sentry to sentry, a picket of twelve Wexfords sprang down the side of tho quarry, charged in close order with fixed bayonets along the tramway in shorter time than I can describe it, and met the band of conspirators, to thir utter astonishment.and dismay. They halted, hesitated, and then fled, evidently not relishing the cold gloaming bayonet and the loaded. Enfleld, and- were then driven into a corrugated iron shed erected for shelter

in case of rain, where .the warders chained them under the protection of the guard. But in the meantime the buglo was sounded and the armed men sprang from behind the rocks and out of placeß of concealment, and before the main body of convicts had recovered from their first surprise every salient point was occupied, the communication between the quarries cutoff, a cross fire established from every side, and reserves held in readiness to assist in case of violence on any part of the works. The effect was instantaneous ; the thrown down pick and shovel were resumed with deep and sullen curses, and the captured prisoners marched off to confinement. As the day passed on small spasmodic rushes of desperate men took place, but the swords of the warders and the.front of the Wexfords repressed any tendency to violence, as they were easily captured. Some of the convicts admit their, plan to have been to rush from all outlying parts of the quarries, to concentrate in the centre, arid arm themselves with the tools, such as hammers, picks, &c., then overpower and murder the guards, burn the prisons, plunder the; villages, and make their escape to the mainland before assistance could arrive On Tuesday all the convicts appeared1 sulkily quiet, and proceeded to work as usual, but without any appearance of alacrity, when suddenly the same shouting was heard, and a body of between twenty and thirty were seen rushing from the western quarry towards the centre. These were promptly met by a body of Wexfords on the raised road between the quarries, and the same scene occurred as on the previous day. The conspiracy then assumed the dogged, sullen form of small num-, bers at a time or individuals throwing down, their .tools and walking quietly into the sheds and surrendering themselves. This continued throughout the day, and partially so on Wednesday, when the convicts apparently no longer being able to resist the conclusion that they wer6 overpowered, this subsided. On Thursday, on walking round, I inquired of ah experienced warder if he thought it was all over, to which he replied that he judged from their ' phizzyhogs* that it was, as they were all so down in the mouth. ' I then inquired if there were any more likely to leave their work, to which he replied (pointing out a remarkably athletic fellow, upwards of six feet high,) ' That man was wavering, but I have been trying to point out the folly of it, and hope he will not commit himself.' I then asked what description of man he was, and received for answer the following curious reply, 'He is a natural Irishman, Sir, with gray eyes, as wicked as a foumart, and has often been in trouble."

" Eye witness" gives great praise to the civil functionaries and the Wexfords.

" The sergeant particularly struck me. He was an old Ghuznee stormer, grim as death, and hard as bog oak. I sounded him with a view of ascertaining if he was quite satisfied with the service, when he confided to me that he did not think it right that the prisoners should have ' p'huddn' (pudding) three times a-week and the soldiers none. It was very amusing to see his strong sense of discipline struggling with the desire to give vent to his intense delight at the prospect of a scrimage."

The cause of the munity, as described by "Eye witness" agrees with that of the official statement.

ME. BBIGHT ON EMIGEATION,

There is at Glasgow a Council of Trade Delegates. Recently, having resolved to hold a meeting on emigration, they, remembering Mr. Bright's letter to the Birmingham working men, naturally applied to him, and asked him to attend their meeting. Mr. Bright, writing from Rochdale, says he cannot be present. But he has read their resolutions and

is not surprised that great numbers desire to emigrate. After correcting two errors made by, the council, by informing them that the colonial waste lands do not belong to the Home Government, and telling them he does not think it the duty of the Government to provide means of emigration for the people, he thus proceeds— '■'■ " What I have long told the working men is this: here you have no political power, for the arrangements of the Reform Bill purposely excluded you. Here you are mixed up with the wretched confusion of European politics, and your sweat is pawned by the crimes of past generations. So thoroughly are you involved in European implication, that in any year you may have your taxes raised, and the de-: mand for your labour destroyed, in pursuit of some phantom in which your rulers persuade you that you are interested, and your own want of information unfortunately renders you easy victims to the delusions practised upon you. Not five years ago you rejoiced in peace, and there was a growing prosperity evident in every part of the country. Since that time we have sacrificed 40,000 English lives, and have spent £100,000,000 sterling in one short war. You were consenting parties to that war; your comrades shed their blood in its worthless contests, and you have paid a portion of your day's wages ever since to defray the cost of it, and'your voice, so far as it was heard at all, was in favour of the war. What is gained by it? Who has gained except the military class and the eaters of taxes ? "To working men these wars with Russia, with Persia, with China, bring only taxes, want of employment, precarious and diminished wages, and that pressure upon the means of living which urges them to look to emigration as a remedy for the evil they endure* And it is a remedy, and the only remedy, until great 'changes take place in public opinion and in the laws and policy of this country. ;If you emigrate you may reach a country where '■ land is accessible to you, where there are no great hereditary proprietors, as in Scotland, who dare outrage Heaven and mankind by keeping 20,000, or 50,000, or 100,000 acres of land depopulated that a handful of men may enjoy the pleasures of the chase. You may flee to a land where laws of primogeniture and entail are unknown, or known only to be abhorred, and where the soil is left free to the industry and enterprise of the whole people. You may find a home where such destructive delusions as the "balance of power" are unheard of, and where the toil of the nation of which you become a part is not absorbed to the amount of fifty millions sterling a-year to pay for wars that are past, and for preparations for wars that are to come. You may become a part of some youthful and growing people, with whom a feudal proprietorship of land, national debt, great armaments, Oppressive taxes, and a sham representation are but traditions of a melancholy past, to be, studied only as rocks to be avoided in its new and more prosperous career. "If I do not see how the Government can be called upon to provide the means of emigration, do not suppose I think emigration unwise. On the contrary, I feel assured that, with the past and present policy of England, labour will find its reward in Canada; in the States, or in Australia. I would prefer that Englishmen should stay at home, that our country .should be well governed, that its foreign policy should be just and rational, that its burden of taxes should be light; but, seeing small chance of such a state of things, I not only cannot blame, but I must applaud the resolution of every man. who is determined by his industry_and his economy to provide the means of conveying himself and his family to another, and, to him and them, a more happy country. . .. , " Government cannot enable you to emigrate. Many of you can, by severe effort and saving, obtain the means to cross the ocean j to'many, I fear, this is not possible. I can only hope for them that our countrymen may become wiser, and that, under the influences of a more sensible policy and a greater economy in the national expenditure, we may be entering on a'period of prolonged peace, during which even the poorest and moat suffering of our population may make some sure progresss in the way of comfort and independence."—' Spectator.

LOED BBOUGHAM ON POPUIAB LIXEKATtJEE. At the meeting of the National Association tor

tho Promotion of Science, Lord Brougham on tho, second <Jay delivered an oration quite worthy of -his ancient renown. Tho theme lie chose1 was " Popular Literature." Ho shpw.ed first how tho day had gone by when tho diffusion of kuowledgo among tho humbler classes was rogarded as dangerous, and entered at length into tho transaotions of tho Useful Knowledge Society to prove how successful were its exertions in cheapening tho firice of books, maps, and prints; especially dwoling on the influence of tho "Penny Magazine," that happy suggestion of Mr. M. D. Hill. Then ho described its successors, which havo improved upon the original by introducing " stones," noticing their grout circulation—twico as largo as that of the " Penny Magazine." He devoted a great space to show that a little knowlcdgo is not a dangerous thing.

"' Better half a loaf than no bread,' is tho old English saying. ' All wrong,' say the objectors,' a little food- is a dangerous thing, rather starve than not have your fill.' ' Better be purblind than stone blind,' is the French saying. ' No,' cry the objectors, 'if you can't see quite clearly, what use is there in seeing at all?' ' In the country of the blind,' says the proverb,'the one-eyed man is king;'our objectors belonging.to the people there would dethrone the monarch by putting out his eye. But they had better couch their blind brethren to restore their sight, and then his reign would cease at once without any act of violence, any coup d'dlat. Here is a well of precious water, and we have got a little of it in a tankard. What signifies, say the objectors, such a paltry supply? It would not wet the lips of half-a-dozen of the hundreds who are athirst. True, but it enables us to wet the sucker of the pump, instead of following their advice to leave it dry; and haying made the handle, we use it to empty the "well and.satisfy us all. A person gains some information—it may be only a little. Say the objectors, he is superficial. Would he be more profound if he knew nothing? The twilight is unsafe for his steps. Would he be more secure from slipping in the dark?"

He showed that the popular literature helps alike those who read for profit and those who read for amusement; giving the former cheap means of progress, and leading the latter on by exciting their curiosity. ••" "So great and varied are the helps afforded to students in humble life, that it has been said that there can be no such thing now as a selftaught person. Let us only reflect how mighty would have been the comfort to such students in former times could they have enjoyed such facilities. What would Franklin have given for them, who, living on a vegetable diet on purpose to save a few pence from his day's wages for the purchase of books, was fain to learn a little geometry from a treatise on navigation, he had been happy enough to pick up at a book-stall, something of arithmetic by having fallen upon a copy of Cocker, and from an old volume of the ' Spectator' gained a notion of the' style he afterwards so powerfully used ? What would Simpson have given for access to books, who could only get, from the accident of a pedlar passing the place where he was kept by his father working at his trade of a weaver, the copy of Cocker containing a little algebra; and even when grown up could only, by borrowing Stone's translation of 'L'HopitaP from a friend, obtain an insight into the science of infinitesimals, on which, two years after, he published an admirable work while continuing to divide his time between his toil as a weaver and as a teacher? Brindley, the great engineer, was through life an uneducated man; Kannequin is said never to have learned the alphabet; and both executed great works, but with difficulties and delays which reading would have spared them. Harrison, too, though he had received an ordinary education, yet only while working in Ms trade of a carpenter became acquainted with science by some manuscript lectures of Saunderson falling in his way; and so hard did he find it to obtain adequate knowledge on the subjects connected with his mechanical pursuits, that forty years were spent in perfecting his'admirable improvements on the construction of time-keepers and bringing them into use. It would be going too far to hold that Franklin's genius, both in physical and political science, could have done greater things had

his original difficulties in self-education been removed; but we may safely affirm that both Brindley, Rannequin, and Harrison would have.effectedi'far more with the helps which.'" their successors', have had; and of Simpson no doubt can be entertained that, even amidst the distractions of his trade v Tiis short life would have been illustrated by far greater steps in mathematical science. Nothing can be more unreflecting than to doubt the beneficial tendency of "Popular Literature."- When Mr. Hill proposed the 'Penny Magazine,' the first of the kind now so happily established in the confidence of the people, Mr. C. Knight brought him a list of no less than nine weekly papers devoted to the circulation of the most abominable matter; morally—scandalous and obscene; religiously—not simply infidel, but scoffing and ribald; politically—preaching anarchy, hardly even confined to the crazy dreams of socialism, but as if the editor were that boy, become a man, who, when the Sovereign went to meet his Parliament, had been arrested for bawling out— •No King, no Church, no Lords, no Commons, no nothing'—(laughter and applause)—the 'Penny Magazine' drove the vile publications out of existence. A most feeble progeny alone was left to

succeed ;them; it skulked in corners, and ever since has scarcely been heard of. It was like the effect of the society's almanac, "which put an end to the disreputable fortune-telling tracts before published by the Stationer's Company, and abandoned by them, other and rational year books being substituted in their place, perhaps immediately—certainly as soon as the.illustrious statesman and warrior at the head of the Government, without any application on our part, gave directions that the Society's almanac should be used in all the offices. But it is not only irreligious and immoral and fraudulent publications that have been supplanted; and'far less hurtful, yet by no means commendable works, which study to give the mere excitement of horror by dealing in accounts of brutal murders and cruel seductions, and in romances abounding in such descriptions, together with ghost stories. These, once so greedily pored over, now find but little acceptation, and have ceased to be in demand. It is most satisfactory to find that the natural preference of the people is for the better kind of writings. At times of political or religious excitement, those of a worse class may have some success, but it is temporary. The works of Carlisle and Paine have long ceased to attract readers, the people falling back upon papers which combine harmless recreation with some instruction; and the tendency of public prosecution to give them an interest which they had not naturally was found so manifest that the Government has long taken the safer course of letting them alone." He showed that it is contrary to the fact to say that the stories in which the working, classes delight relate to scenes in high life. They delight most in stories illustrative of their own life; because the fiction of today may be the reality of tomorrow. Nor has the improved literature supplanted more solid works; it has only provided food for those who, had none before. "It is quite as great a delusion under which those labour who ! figure to themselves the promoters of popular literature as indifferent to the encouragement of more 'severe studies, and the cultivation of profounder science. We, of the Useful Knowledge Society, can well recollect that exactly the same prejudice prevailed, or, if it did not, was sought to be raised against its preparation of scientific works in a cheap iform, and designed to give information of the most solid and even profound description. Some of the very persons who were remunerated and amply remunerated for their writings, derided what they ■ called f sixpenny science,' because a treatise once a a fortnight, for several years, was publisher at that price; but by whom composed? By sucKs mathematicians as Professor de Morgan, such; natural philosophers a» Sir I>. Brewster, a discourser as well as a teacher, and such botanists as Professor Lindley. It was plain enough that some of those who thus complained of the treatises as not profound,' could not have read one line of them, from their own profound ignorance of these subjects. Contemporary with the ' Penny Magazine was the ' Penny Cyclopaedia,' of which it is enough to say that so accomplished a scholar as Professor Long

being the conductor, no less a mathematician than the Astronomer Hoyal lias published in a separate form his valuable contributions to the work; papers too, composed in so plain and so popular a manner as to bring the most sublime truths of the Newtonian philosophy within the comprehension of readers very moderately acquainted with mathematics. At the bottom of the clamour against the Useful Knowledge Society, possibly not unconnected with the present attacks upon popular literature, was the notion that tho gains of authors are lessened, the wages of literary labour reduced, an error not less glaring than that of the common workman who should object to the capital'by'which his labour is employed and paid being invested at low profits and quick returns. Indeed, the fund out of which literary labour is paid has been very greatly increased by the cheap publications. Independent of the ' Cyclopaedia,' the Society did not expend less than £100,000 in this way, tho whole of which arose from the profits of its cheap works, which, by their charter of incor-

loration, they were bound thus to expend." Lord Brougham showed the evil efFects of the

paper duty, but suggested that the working classes should meet the difficulty by drinking less of intoxicating liquors. He enlarged on the bene-

fits of newspapers, .but he does not seem to wish for more of them. "It has been contended that our newspaper press, by the paper duty and other circumstances, is hampered, so as. to make the supply fall short of actual demand. This may be doubted. But it is further said that the demand ought to be greater, and the example of the United States is cited, where the number of journals is very much larger in proportion to the number of the people—where, indeed, a newspaper is reckoned so much an article of first necessity, that no sooner is a spot in the forest cleared for a village, than a printing press is sent for. The poli-, tical situation of America is' probably the cause of

this. The nature of the Government throws the' whole country into a never-ceasing state of party agitation, there being no office from the highest to the lowest, from President to penny postman, which may not be changed at each renewal of that high functionary's term; and thus the whole period of his incumbency is passed in canvass and cabal. There seems every reason to think that with us there is already an abundant supply of the article in question; that even Paley would have been of this opinion; that he would have been suspicious of any scheme which tended to deteriorate its quality; that above all, whatever objection he might have made, and most justly, to the tax, he would have ■received with entire reprobation any proposal of reducing its price by a piracy upon literary property." The Comet a La Mode.—Controversy about the comet is not given up, and its being only a reappearance of some already noted periodical is affirmed by one astronomer, who has named the last visit and given its date. All I know is, that when it last exhibited on the celestial boards it did not wear by any means so extensive a caudal development as ! it now does, an argument which has been met by a wag whose verses go the round of Paris salons:— i. i. La Comete qtii lance, ! The Meteor seen, Au firmament bleu, In the azure arch, De son orbe immense With its dazzling mien Cette gerbe de feu, And majestic march, Calme se promene, No terrors hath, Sans fairo de peine. Nor betokens wrath. A la gent humaine This selfsame path Qu'elle aura's je crois, It hath trod before, Pu voir cent fois. Ten times and more. 11. " 11. L'etoile argentine, But the silvery dame, Est plus large an retour, This time, 'tis true, Mais e'est j' imagine, Spreads a larger flame, Qua la mode dv jour, • O'er the arch of blue; Elle porte crinoline. But she wears (the flirt) A Crinoline Skirt ! A difficulty has hitherto been felt to devise a "crossed cheque" which shall comply with the existing "law, afford security to the. drawer, safety to the banker, and convenience to the public. The object is at once to make the distinction obvious in the body of the cheque, and to guard against tampering. The best suggesttion we have yet seen is by Mr. T. F. Chorley, who sends us two drafts of the proposed cheques. Each has a space between the. counterfoil and the cheque itself. One draft rests upon the assumption that all cheques must be deemed crossed cheques Unless the contary be stated; the words " uncrossed cheque" are printed on the space between. . the counterfoil and the cheque : tear off the cheque close to the counterfoil, and it is an uncrossed cheque; tear off the narrow strip, and it becomes not an uncrossed cheque. The other cheque runs thus, the place marked with the asterisk is the counterfoil left in the book when the cheque is torn out.

MESSRS. DOB, KOE, AND CO. * . Pay to or bearer This un crossed cheque to be paid to bearer or through a bank. Tear this cheque off at the line nearest the counterfoil, and it is an " uncrossed cheque payable to bearer or through a bank." Tear it off at the other line, and it becomes a " crossed cheque to be paid through a bank." The intermediate holder may tear off the interstitial portion of the wn-crossed cheque and convert it into a crossed cheque.

The memorial brought by Mr. Morris from Canada asking for the loan of the Prince of Wales to open the Toronto Exhibition, has. been submitted by Sir Edward Lytton to the Queen. Her Majesty declines the request that the Prince of Wales or some other member of the Koyal family should proceed to Canada with the view of opening the Crystal Palace at Toronto. Her Majesty it is also understood, highly appreciates the. loyalty to the Crown and the attachment to her person and family which prompted the wishes of the petitioners, and expresses her sincere good wishes for the success of the proposed Exhibition, and a hope that it will produce important and useful results to Canada. The First Newspaper on Vancouver's Isi-and. —The editor of the infant journal gives the following description of journalism under difficulties:— " The present number of the ' Victoria Gazette' is prepared for publication in a room more remarkable for extent than convenience. Its walls abound in crevices, through which the wind bears with an impartial equality the seeds of catarrh and bronchial afflictions to the editors, proprietors, and typographers. Its floor is of a shaky character, and each passer imparts a tremulousness to its surface which occasions the present writing to assume a character that Champollion, were he one of our compositors, would find it difficult to decipher. The " editor's desk" is a bundle of printing paper, skilfully poised upon a leather trunk, vibrating, with each movement of the writer's hand, and compelling him to "double up his person in the act of preparing - "copy" in a manner more curious than graceful. .The "editor's easy chair" is a Chine.se trunk, whose top would be on a level with the desk, but for the brilliant idea of increasing the height of the latter by the paper expedient alluded to. The striking thoughts which pervade the brain.of the individual favored with these facilities would find a much readier expression at the point of his pen but for the drawback of being compelled to retail copies of this journal, receive items of news, and correct misdirected intruders on the point of their destination, simultaneously with inditing those remarkable conceptions. Two huge fireplaces, built with a view to convey all the heat as well as the smoke up the chimney, are as little dangerous in a matter of risk of a conflagration as they are but slightly conducive to comfort in modifying the blasts of Boreas. The pleasant sounds of wood sawing, nail hammering, &c, add to the facilities for editorial labour of which we are now in existing enjoyment, and an occasional ;procession of Indians cheers and invigorates the | writer by stopping and surrounding his locality of labour, and gazing upon his deeds with the expression of intelligence common to the physiognomy of the intellectual race of which they are the representatives. Under such circumstances, our readers will see that making up an interesting sheet is but a trifling task." Frksch akt> English at Cherbourg.—A gentleman fronifSßristol, who was one of the visitors to Cherbourg, gives some instances of the fraternization between the French and English on the late

brilliant occasion. The cai'6;* were in the evening always full to overflowing, and always numbers (such was the.disproportion between accommodation and visitors) crowded round the doora waiting for others to go out, in order to make room for them to enter ; a seat was a luxury not always to be enjoyed, so numbers stood round against the wallg with cups and glasses in their hands. At intervals up started some Frenchman or Englishman to propose complimentary toasts to the respective nations; fraternization and felicitations were the order of the day. John Bull drank to the Emperor, and Johnny Crapaud to the Queen. One night (about ono o'clock) when the festivities had been going on warmly for some time, a Frenchman rose in a cafe where our friend was, and which was crowded with Gauls and English :—" Messieurs gentlemen," said

the spokesman, "I do rise, I do do drink, je bom, to the very good health of the very good Queen of. England—ye vill sing the song that the Angalais do sing to the health of her Majcsto—

' For he's de jolly good fella, For lie's de jolly good fella, Which nobody can deny." Not a little amused at this rollicking ditty being mistaken for the grave National Anthem, the English joined their French brethren in the chorus which swelled and roared like a hurricane, until wild with enthusiasm, the French rushed into the streets and hand in hand went singing "jolly good fellow" along the main thoroughfare, until they caught the sound of other voices approaching from the opposite direction. When the two musical bodies came nearer, our informant could hardly believe his ears or his eyes to find the new comers were French, rnarine3, whom a lot of young English yachtsmen, had been fraternizing with, and who, by the diligent instruction of the latter, were busily singing the air, without being at all conscious of what the words meant, of ' Eule Britannia." Just fancy French marines singing and praying for the supremacy of England upon the seas. Indeed the sight of the English yachts in the harbour was the finest sight of all; it showed what hundreds of thousands of pounds young Englishmen of fortune were expending, in the favourite aquatic pleasure of the bold islanders.

Awkward Mistake.—The following is among the latest on dits from Paris:—Seldom, perhaps, has inadvertant levity, and false sense of honour, produced results more disastrous than what is now related as having actually occurred in Prance. In 1856 Cap-

tain C ——, an officer recently returned from the Crimea, became attached to a young English lady who resided in the Rue Rivoli, and, with the consent of her mother, was to have been married to her. A few days previously to the appointed nuptials he met a gentleman at Verrey's, in the uniform of a marine officer, and more in joke than earnest, called the attention of his companions to the fact, saying, " I never liked amphibious subordination. No man of spirit should be indebted to a ship's cook for leave to go ashore." No sooner had the words escaped the lips of the officer than the young marine sprang upon him and insisted upon immediate satis • fatetion for so gross ah insult to the service. Captain, C assured him that he.really meant no offence, but the marine, who was greatly excited, insisted on a meeting then and there in the Bois de Boulogne. Seconds were procured, and the ground measured. The unfortunate challenger was severely

wounded. Captain C "was advised to quit Paris for London, but he would not depart without seeing his intended bride. He entered the well known, mansion in the Hue Rivoli. On a sofa lay the

wounded marine, his mother and sisters, weeping over him—he was brother to the bride! He had but just arrived from the West Indies, after an absence of four years, and, supposing his mother to be at their family estate, in Devonshire, intended to set off to Torquay next day. Poor fellow! he died within the week. He acknowledged before his death that he alone was to blame for the duel, but of course his sister could not bear to connect her destiny with the hand that had deprived her brother of life. She refused to become Captain C 's wife, and as she never could surmount the appalling obstacle to their union, died of a broken heart, three months afterwards. Captain C sold his commission and retired to Lucknow, in the East Indies, where a troubled spirit accelerated the combined influence of a disturbed district and an insalubrious climate.— Court Circular. Contempt op Court. —In a village not 2000 miles from Boston, there lives a quiet unobtrusive young lawyer. A modest fellow is M—: —, (merit is always modest), but he knows his rights, " and knowing, dares maintain them." Some time since, having been retained in some small cases he made his appearance before that august dignity, an Alabama Justice of the Peace. His Honor evidently lost faith in M at first sight, for one after another of his cases collapsed under withering charges delivered by the Court. The law and testimony were alike unavailing—M 's cases were bound to go. At last human nature could bear no more. M , rising from his seat, delivered himself in his usual slow and. measured manner—" The Court can fine me five dollars." "Por what, Mr. M ?" said the Justice somewhat surprised. "P-or contempt of Court" coolly rejoined M-— '-. " I am nofc aware, Mr. M ," said the Court, "of your having been guilty of anything that might be considered contempt." "Oh! I know your Honor is not aware of it" said M— •, "But I do entertain a secret contempt for this Court."' Gunner "William Connolly, Bengal Horse Artillery. Date of act of bravery, July 7, 1857.—This soldier is recommended for the Victoria Cross for his gallantry in action .with the enemy at Jhelum, on the 7th July, 1857. -Lieutenant Cookes, Bengal Horse Artillery, reports that, " about daybreak on that day I advanced my half troop at a gallop, and engaged the enemy within easy musket range. The sponge-man of one of my guns having been shot during the advance, Gunner Conolly assumed the duties of 2nd sponge-man, and he had barely assisted in two discharges of his gun, when a musket ball througlfthe left thigh felled him to the ground. Nothing dahnted by pain and loss of blood, he Avas endeavouring to resu;ua his post when I ordered amovement in retirement, and though severely wounded, he was mounted on his horse in the gun-team and rode to the next position which the guns took up, and manfully declined going to the rear when the necessity of his doing so was represented to him. About 11 o clock a.m.,-when the guns were still ia action, the same gunner, while sponging, was againknocked down by a musket "ball striking him on the hip, thereby causing great faintness and partial unconsciousness, for the pain appeared excessive, and the blood flowed fast. On seeing this, I gave directions for his removal out of action; but this brave man, hearing me, staggered to his feet, and said, 'No, sir, I'll not go there while I can work here; and shortly afterwards he again resumed his post as sponge-man. Late in the afternoon of the same day my three guns were engaged at a hundred yardsfrom the walls of a village with the defender's—*viz., the 14th Native Infantry,—mutineers, and a storm of bullets which did great execution. Gunner Connolly, though suffering severely from his two previous wounds,, was. wielding his sponge with great energy and courage, which attracted the admiration of his comrades, and while cheerfully encouraging a wounded man to hasten in bringing up the ammunition, a musket ball tore .through the muscles! of his right leg; but with the most undaunted bravery he struggled on; and not till ho had loaded six times did this man give way, when through loss of blood he fell in-my arms, and I placed him' on a waggon, which shortly afterwards bore him in a state of unconsciousness from the fight" " Much musical indignation," says tlie 'Court Journal,' " has been caused by the honour' conferred by the Emperor of the French upon Mii-.hotto, the' player on the nietaphone, or collection of tumblers and wine glasses. This gentleman, who has just been decorated with the Cross of .the Legion-.i-f Honour, has achieved'great reputation, in spite of the judgment of musical connoisseurs, who of course; choose to iiinore the man, the nietaphonc. ami the' music. The first performance of M. Michotte i"n Paris took place in llossini's saloon. A friend, coming up the stairs, found the great composer leaning.on the window of the landing. 'What are you doing here, all alone?'' said he in alarm. 'Why, there is a man there,'pointing to the saloon, 'riiiemg: out ''Robert le .Diablo,' and I am waiting till he has wiped his glasses dry."