English News.

New Zealander, Volume 5, Issue 376, 21 November 1849, Page 3

English News.

On the 3rd of July, Mr. Feargus O'Connor valoiously essayed the Quixotic undeitaking of attempting to induce the House to pledge itself to approbation of « The People's Charter"

which has now grown to six points — namely, annual elections, universal suffrage, vole by ballot, equal electoral districts, no property qualification, and payment of members ; this last being an addition which we may readily suppose would be very acceptable to many of the Chartist patriots. After a long discussion, in the course of which Lord John Russell showed the affinity between Chartism and Socialism, and repudiated the doctrine of " finality," Mr. O'Connor's motion was negatived by a majority of 209 — there being 222 voices against it, and only 13 in its favour. A measure called the Administration of Justice (Vancouver's Island) Bill, was progressing through the House of Lords. By the existing law, all serious offences and civil causes arising on the noitlvwest const of America, had to be tried in Canada ; but as a grant of Vancouver's Island had been made to the Hudson's Bay Company, it was proposed to repeal so much of the law as would affect that Island, and to substitute couits for the administration of justice there. Lord Monteagle took occasion to object to grants of large tiacts of land to iiiesponsible parties, and observed that such was the power of the Company over Vancouver's Island, that if they wished to oppose any merchant they could drive him out of the Island, by excluding him from all profitable trade, and refusing him any portion of their freights. The Earl of Sri kirk, one of the Committee of Governors, remaiked, that if the Company did not perform its duty properly, the Government had the light of reentry at the termination of five years. Lord Brougham condemned the charier as illegal. Earl Grey defended the grant, and praised the Hudson's Bay Company for undertaking the settlement of the Island. The Bill was then " read a second time.

The crops generally, throughout England, promised an abundant harvest, which was the moie anxiously looked for because of the acknowledged deficiency in the produce of l.st season. In several of the best agiicultural districts the farmers expressed a determination to meet the fall in prices by the adoption of a moie diligent and scientific system of cultivation ; and some of the landowners were encou - raging this disposition by granting more secure "tenant-right" agreements, and other advantages to be dependent on increased expenditure in draining, manuring, and otherwise improving the farms. A trial, which occupied the Court of Exchequer for three or four days iv the latter part of June, exhibited an instance of wild fanaticism, -which — occuuing amongst the educated classes of England in the middle of the nineteenth centuiy — is both humiliating and monitory. There had been set up at Charlit\e,e, in SomeiseUhive, a large and handsome establishment, which was called "Agapemone," or the " Abode of Love." At the top of the pictiuesque building was a flag whereon was painted a lion and a lamb, and the words, " 0 hail, holy love !" Heie some fifty or sixty persons, of both sexes and all ages, lued togethei, the principal members of the community being (as >ir F. Tiiesigeu said) " four apostate priests, a civil engineer, an attomey-at-law, and two bloodhounds." The opinions held in the "Agapemone" were, that the day of giace was passed, and the day of jndg • ment come ; that prayer Avas to be altogether abjured •, that the sun and planets were to be considered outward manifestations of the Divine Being ; and that they who neie enlightened by these views, best served God by eating and dunking to his praise, singing, and indulging in healthy lecreations, such as "hockey" — an athletic game, in which both males and females wcie accustomed to play on Sundays as fieely as on week days. It so happened, however, that four young ladies of the name of NotiiijGe, each of whom had in her own right a sum of £6000, became converts to these opinions Thtee of them were convinced that it was "the will of God" that they should marry thiee of these " Lampeter Biethren" (as they had been called befoie they settted at Chaihdge). Accoidingly they were manied to the Rev. Lous Prick and the Rev. G. R. Thomas (cleigymen of the Chinch of England) , and a Mr. Conn, a civil (Migineei. The foiuth sister took up her residence Avith them in the " Abode of Love," wheie she foimcd the belief that a Mr. Prince, foimeily a minister of Stoke, was "God," and "Amen" (as indeed he used to sign himself.) She declared, " I know no such person now as Mr. Prince-, God now dwells only at Charlidge, made manifest in the flesh of the man I once called Prince ; he has entered the tabernacle of flesh among men, and I have seen Gon face to face." Her friends nanually thought this young lady mad, and had her lemoved to a lunatic asylum, under certificates of her insanity fiom high medical authorities. She sought damages, however, for this confinement, and — undei the direction of the Lord Chief Baron, who stated that, "however absuid the plaintiff's opinions might appeal, if theie was nothing dangerous in her conduct, or offensive to public morals, she ought not to be coerced," -the jury found a verdict for her for £50. We have been told that a religious delusion, bearing an extraotdinary resemblance to this, was iv existence two or three years ago, among some of the Maoris in the interior of this country. If we obtain, as we expect, a nar-

rative of its manifestations, -we shall publish it, as being at least what it is the fashion to call " a psychological curiosity." Amongst the deaths recorded in the late papers we find the names of Surgeon Carmichael — one of the most distinguished ornaments of his profession in Ireland — who was drowned ; he bequeathed £16,000, to be equally divided between the College of Surgeons, for the establishment of pnzes, the Medical Benevolent Fund Society, and the "Richmond Hospital School of Medicine -, — Clarence Mangan, well known for his " Authologia Germanica" and exquisite translations and other contributions inth& Dublin University Magazine; he died in abject penury in one of the temporary hospi - tals provided in Dublin for cholera patients , — in London, aged 81, Mi, John Hatciiaud, foi fifty yeais the senior partner in the flourishing firm of lluciiard and Son, Piccadilly ;— at London, in Ins 76th year, Dr. William "Rau Wilson, author of " Travels m the Holy Laud," &c. — at Madras, the Hew Joseph lloberts, General Superintendent of the Wesley an Missions m the Madias District, and author of "Oriental Illusliations of the Sacred Scriptures," &c. ; — at Zurich, M. de Ivaisersfeld, Austrian Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation; — at Ostend, aged 84, Madame Derikrc, who, at different times during the war, assisted fifteen English officers in their escape fiom France, for which she was incarcerated four years : she was eventually liberated from the prison of Ghent by the Cossack* in 1811, — and at Brighton, Loid Louxn, in the 39th year cf his age.