Miscellaneous.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XI, Issue 648, 22 January 1859, Page 5

Miscellaneous.

The Army.—War Office, October 22nd.^-Her Majesty-has been graciously pleased to command that Colonel Sir Edward Lugard, X.C.8., be promoted to the rank of major-general in the army, in consideration of his services in the command of a division at the capture of Lucknow, and subsequently in the command of the Azimghur field force.

The Mail Steam Packet Lines.—The present government mail subsidy received by the Peninsular and Oriental Company is £244,200 ayear. It is expected that the sum which the company will receive for carrying the Australian mails will augment their subsidy to something like £440,000 a-year. Hitherto the Royal Mail Company have had the honour of being the largest : receivers of mail subsidy, they having for some years been getting £270,000 a-year. The following is a comparative statement of the distance, stoppages, time allowed, and - average speed, including stoppages, at which the mails are conveyed on some of the longest ocean mail lines. The distance of the mail route between Southampton and. Buenos Ayres is 6411 miles. There are six stoppages on that line, the time allowed 37 days, and the average speed at which the mail is conveyed is 1\ miles ah hour. The distance between Tampico and Southampton is 5668 miles, v the stoppages are three, the time allowed 27 days, and the average speed 8| miles an hour. The distance between Hongkong and Southampton is 9624 miles, the stoppages eight, the time allowed 51 days, and the average speed 7£ miles an hour. The distance between New York and Liverpool is 3000 miles, there are no stoppages, the time allowed is fourteen days, and the average speed is 14 miles anh6ur. According to ,the new Australian contract the distance between Southampton and Sydney is 12,763 miles, the stoppages are nine, the time allowed 51 dayß, and the average speed 9J miles an hour. According to the late Australian contract the distance was 12,573 miles, the stoppages sevens the time allowed 58 days, and the average speed nine miles an hour; Whoa the Australian mails1 went via Singapore, the distance was 12,887 miles, the stoppages twelve, the time allowed 66 days, and the average speed 8$ miles an hour.— Liverpool Chronicle.

Prejudice of Colob.—Lord Lyndhurst gives an anecdote of a gentleman who w&sconnoctedwitli the Hague, andwho on one occasion received an invitation ;to the house of a; largo Cuban gentleman, auegro proprietor of a largo estate, where ho was received with" tlio utmost hospitality. He said that he was rather entertained when,after dinner was over, his colored ■host said that he was a man without any. prejudice whatever, and that whenever he. found a person honest, honorable, and respectable in every

point of view, he hold out the hand of fellowship to him even though his color was as white as that table-cloth., , . .

. The Cost of a Modern Bullts.—l saw her dancing at the ball. Around her snowy brow wore set £500; such would have been the answer of any jeweller to the " What are those diamonds?" With the gentlo undulatibn of her bosom there rose and fell exactly £30 10s. The Buni bore the guise of a broach of gold and enamel. Her fairy form was invested in ten guineas, represented by. a.slip of lilac satin, and this was overlaid by thirty guineas more in two skirts of. lace. Tastefully down each side of the latter were six half-cr.owns, which so many bows of purple ribbon had come to. The lower margins of the thirty-guinea, skirts were edged with eleven additional guineas j the value of some eighty yards of silver fringe a quarter of a yard in depth. Her taper waist, taking zone and clasp together, I calculated to be confined by £30 sterling. Her delicately rounded arms, the glove of spotless kid being added to the gold bracelet which encircled the little waist, may be said to have been adorned with „£22 ss. 6d. ;'and putting the silk and satin at the lowest figure, I should say she wore 14s. 6d. on her feet. Thus altogether was this creature of loveliness arrayed from top to toe, exclusive of sundries, in £648 lls.—My Note Book. .:■■.;..:;■:. ••;

The Day after the Poix.—-James A. Jones, of Ouachita, in Arkansas, a defeated candidateuit a recent election of a member of Congress, has published an addresß; in which he says :—^^ We evidently cast our pearls before swine. We magnanimously, and at a considerable sacrifice of our habitual self-respect, offered to serve a. "people who had no appreciation of the offering. 'We can't help it, We did'nt make the people, and wei are not under contract to supply them with brains. If they were wilfully blind to our merit, the fault is theirs. We did our duty, and our conscience is easy." "■■-•-■ r ' ■ . .••'■■■.■.■.. ■ ■ .-..' .'.■■. ; . ;.... THE POETtratTESE DIFFICULTY. The narrative of how'the:;: difference-"arose between, the Governments of France and 'Portugal j is thus given by the 'Times' correspondent at Paris, under date October the 7th.» . • The question in dispute between the French and Portuguese Governments, as to the seizure of the French bark the Charles and Georges, is a very unpleasant one; but I have reason to hope that it will be settled without serious consequences. So far as I can learn the facts, and I have little doubt of their general correctness, the 'French' Government is in the wrong; and what is more vexatious,1 it half suspectsit is in the wrong. It is, of course, vain to expect any statement worthy of notice from the Ministerial press, at least if we may judge by the extracts given below?. " We know- that the Charles and Georges was seized by the Portuguese authorities in the Mozambique waters on the ground of her being caught in an interdicted port, and that the French Government demands that she shall be restored, and satisfaction given for the outrage.. The French Government deny that the ship was engaged in the slave traffic, but that she was merely engaged to convey free labourers to the Isle La ; Reunion. They also maintain as a principle, which cannot and must not be called in question by any foreign Government; that the presence of a French delegate on board a-French merchant vessel is a guarantee that the occupation of the ship is a lawful one; and that consequently such ship cannot be visited, overhauled, and, much less^ seized.. Tjiey. allege that in.the present instance the blacks who were^on board were labourers who had engaged of their own free will to proceed to La Reunion, under regular passports furnished by the authorities at Mozambique; and that under such circumstances all inteference was a; violation of that principle and of internationallaw, and anlnsult to the Frenchiflag and to the delegate representing for the time being-'the French Government; Tojenforce the demands of the French -Ministtei'j.twft; ; |'rench ships of war are announced to have proceecled to Lisbon. Such are substantially the arguments and demand of France. > , ■

Now=let us ■he ar the. other* • side,' ;It is certain that the Charles and Georges was found in a place interdicted..; to ' general commerce-—known and admitted to be so interdicted. When the Portuguese cruiser ofT Mozambique visited the ship, as it had a perfect right to do under the circumstances, 110 negroes were found on board. On inquiry of the captain and the delegate the Portuguese were informed, as I have said, that the negroejrwere free from agents, and_ had voluntarily contracted to be sent to La Reunion.. On these unfortunate creatures being interrogated; they, as. I am assured, declared one and all that the statement was untrue, and^ tliat they^ were taken from Mozambique against their will. The delegate-and captain were then asked to exhibit-the'passports^ alleged to be given by the authority at Mozambique, who: had received the usual fees, a3 it was manifestly a breach of duty on the part of any Portuguese authority to deliver passport or permit to a ship found hiring labourers in.an interdicted port. When the document was produced it proved to be merely a pass> not issued by any Portuguese .authority whatever, but by the Sheik or chief of a savage tribe, who probably 1 was hiiriself the purveyor of this merchandise.- '' -rr'

The Portiiguese Government do not refuse to admit the preteritions put forth by PranceVaiid•her " principle," as it is termed, of inviolability of a; vessel on board of which a delegate of the French Government is present. But the inviolability ceases the moment the character of a delegate is laid aside, and that chara-ter is laid aside the moment the said vessel commits a ''violation bf international law, and penetrates to a spot interdicted to.commerce for the reason that in that spot the trading in slaves is carried on. The Portuguese Government are willing to believe, if requested, that the Nantes ship Charles and Georges and the delegate had no intention of trafficking in human flesh—that is, ol' selling the 110 negroes they had on board; but it is not denied, nor can it be denied, that she was found where she had no right to be, where she knew she had no right to be; and the presumption is, that she was there for an illegal purpose. With respect to the, sufficiency of the passes granted by -tlj'e friendly Sheik, or by whatever name the amiable chief of the tribe is known, the.. FreuchJ Government "are.'asked; what would they say to a'siinilai' case occurring in Algeria P Would they consider that an act of a petty uinef of an Arab encampment under French domination, in opposition. to,, or in defiance of, the Governor-General, would be sufficient plea on the part of the Portuguese ? Would they not scout the notion of such a plea? For these reasons, therefore—namely, the of the Charlts and Georges in ,an interdicted port, by which the French delegate forfeited his official character, the declaration of the negroes themselves in presence of the delegate, and the worthlessness of, the passes or permits given by the chief of the tribe, the Portuguese Government refused to accede to the demands made by France. Thus, I beliuve, the question stands at this moment. Several notes have already passed between the 'governments. Hut, notwithstanding the steps taken by Franco, there is, as I have said, reason to hope that the matter will be amicablj' arranged.

To show how the Ministerial press writes about the matter I givo the following from the 'Pays':—

"Our colonies, in place of being ruined ,by the abolition of slavery, have since the adoption of the measure increased in prosperity in a degree not anticipated by them. The -blacks on all occasions have preferred to contract engagements with French planters rather than English, declaring that they aro better treated by the former than.by the.latter. These facts are proved by official inquiry,; and their

existence lias always profoundly excited the jealousy of the English' newspapers. They explain their language and their tad faith, for those journals appear to suffer from the prosperity of other nations. Thence tlmt habit of confounding the slave trade with immigration, well-knowing'thnt the two matters aro separated by an abyss. The French Government, which is always to be found when it ia necessary to protect French interests, lias struggled energetically against the subterranean intrigues which were brought into action to embarrass immi-, gration, and now the question is resolved in conformity with law and justice. It will.be persevered in towards and against all,-and if .the English press continues to call immigration the slave trade it will continue to produce a calumny of which the effect will be paralyzed by the public contempt wliich its bad faith will have inspired throughmit Europe."