ARRIVAL OF THE ENGLISH JANUARY MAILS.

North Otago Times, Volume 1, Issue 5, 24 March 1864, Page 6

ARRI VAL OF THE ENGLISH JANUARY MAILS.

The s.s. ship Alhambra arrived at Port Chalmers on Friday, the 18th instant, with the English January mails. The following is a summary of the intelligence :—: — London, January 26. The Queen continues in good health at Osborne. Her .Royal Highness the Princess of Wales was confined of a Prince at two minutes to 9 o'clock on the night of January 8, at Frogmoie. The "Home News" says : — ''The advent of the "little stranger" appears, indeed, to have been altogether unexpected, for on the previous day the Princess was sharing the amusement of her husband on the ice at Virginia Water for several hours, and only returned to Frogmore with her ladies a few hours before fahe became a mother. No babylinen had been prepared, nor was there any doctor in attendance, and the young mother was intrusted entirely to a local practioner, who was called in on the occasion. The joyful intelligence was received in town late on the night of January 8 by telegram, when information of the event was conveyed to all the ministers then resident in the metropolis. Her ltoyal Highness and the infant Prince are doing pretty well. A special form of prayer and thanksgiving for the safe delivery of the Princess of Wales J was used on Sunday, January 17, in all | churches of the establishment. Parliament was funimlly prorogued on January 13 to the 4th of February, then to meet for the dispatch of business. A large increase has taken place in the pauperism of the cotton-nmnufactuiing di i- ' tricts. Many mills have been closed, and in • others the nouns of labor have been cm tailed, j This state of things is attributed to the uncertainty v Inch prevails "as to the present price of cotton being maintained." Mr Farnall leports an increase of upwards of jOOO in the number of persons receiving parochial relief ; and Mr Maclure states that there has been an accession of about 5000 to the roll of poor people v» ho are assisted by the relief committees only. It is reported that the Peninsular and Oriental Company intend running a fort-nightly-mail to Australia via Galle, commencing about August. The Great Britain, from London to New Zealand, totally lofat ; passenger and ciew saved. Maximilian still hesitate* to accept the Mexican throne. It is generally stated that the Rothschilds ha\e fruddnelv withdrawn fioni the Beilin Bank 3,000,000 thalers which they deposited there. Morrissey, the pugilist, has won 34,000 dollars in bets on the late pn/e fight in England. The out-going steamer for Bombay will take out £610,000 in specie. Her Majesty has sent £100 for the relief of destitution in London. A deputation recently waited upon Sir George Grey, with a memorial to be laid before her Majesty in reference to Poland. Sir George Grey declined to discuss the question, but promised to lay the memorial before her Majesty. Dr. Trench was consecrated as Archbishop of Dublin on the Ist January in Chiist's Church Cathedial; the officiating pielates being the Loul Piimate and the Bishops of Killaloe, O&sory, and Cork. The sermon was preached by his grace's chaplain, the Rev Dr. Lee. A dreadful fiie has occurred in Dublin, by which a range of five or six houses, situated nt the corner of Hemy-street and Staffordstreet, and occupied as warehouses and workshops by an eminent cabinetmaker, were bin nt to the ground, and their valuable contents totally destroyed. The propeity destioyed is estimated at £20,000. On January 1, Mr Jlarvpv, Conservative, was elected member for Buckinghamshire, in opposition to Mr Lee, Liberal. Mr. llarvc) received 2311 ; his opponent 312 votes Mr Conmgham having resigned lny teat as member for Brighton, the seat vull be hotly contested Mr F X Pumas, of the Reform club, is the Liberal, and Mr 11. Moore the Conservative candidate. It is rumoured that Sir Robert Peel will not present himself again lor re-election to ihe people of Tamvvorth, but vull look out lor an Irish constituency. Already, it is said, urrangeinents are in progress to elfect his return for the "maiden city " of Derry. A movement is on foot for securing tlie_ return of a Conservative member for the city of Westminster at the next general election. In consequence of the death of the Bishop of Ely, the Right Rev Dr. C J. Elhcott, Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol, wdl be entitled to take Ins seat m the House of Lords at the commencement of the next session of Parliament. The new Bi&hop of Ely will not be entitled to a neat in Parliament until a vacancy times in a diocese other than Canterbury, York, London, Durham, or Winchester. Another suit in the Court of Admiralty has • been commented againbt the G-reat I'la.ktevu Captain Paton, the commander, has caused the vessel to be arrested for a sum of £2000 There are now two "arrests" on the Great Ship — one at the suit of the owners of the late ship Jane for .£6OOO, and the other by Captain Paton lor £2000. An artesian vv ell has been broached at Doncaster, which will supply, it is estimated, 4,000,000 gallons a day.

It is understood that the Address in the House of Coiamoiiß, in reply to the Speech from the Throne, will be moved by Lord Eiehard Grosvonor, member for Flintshire, and Beconded by Mr. Goschen, member for London. Professor Ansted computes that our coal mines will be exhausted in 600 yeais; Dr. Buekland hopes that they may last out for 1050: while Mr. Bakewell — most sanguine of all — bays that the South Wales coal fields alone will suffice for 2000 years at our present rate of eonbiimption A comet, discovered on the 28th of December by Kespighi, is rapidly approaching the earth, and will probably become visible to the naked eye. Its nearest approach will be about the Ist of February, being then 18,000,000 miles distant. Permisbion to work a French patent for the manufacture of brandy from coal gas has recently been purchased for a large bum by an English company, anil the w ork of manufacture is on the point of being started in London. Four hundred prisoners were brought before the magistrates at the two police-courts m Dublin on December 28, charged with drunkenness and offences arising therefrom. It appears that they had all been arrested in the course of the 2Gth and 27th December. In consideration of the festno season they were very leniently dealt with, being let off with small fines, except those who had been rash enough to rebist or assault the constables, and who w ere mulcted in heavy penalties.