SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 1851.

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 499, 25 January 1851, Page 2

SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 185 1.

Thf extent to which English news, and that i received from the ltn mediately adjacent colonies, occupied our space in the last two numbers, prevented our giving much attention to the intelligence from other parts of the world. We now therefore" return to our tiles, with a vieAV of collecting and condensing such information from foreign countries and our more distant colonial possessions, as may set before our readers, in as brief a compass as will be consistent with peispicuity, a summary of such further intelligence as may be likely to have any interest for them. Beginning with France, we find the accounts chiefly devoted to details of a "progress" made by the President of the Republic through various parts of the country, with the ostensible object of making himself better acquainted with the condition of the principal towns, but really, it was thought, for the purpose of testing and increasing his personal popularity, and promoting the probability of his re-election to the Presidency, — if indeed he does not aim at something higher. His reception in the several Depart vents which he visited was generally good — in a few instance-, enthusiastic; but almost uniformly accompanied with indications of attachment to the piesent constitution, but little calculated to encourage the ambitious hopes of monarchical dig iity which he is supposed to cherish. While he was usually greeted with apparently cordial cries fof " Vive le President" — '* Vive hapoteon" the overwhelming shout always was " Five (a Repubhque." More important as an index to public opinion than any ebullitions of feeling on the part of excited ctowds in the streets, were the conclusions of the Councils General of the Departments — bodies not unlike the Eno-lish Grand Juries in status and functions. The decisions of such of them as had held their sittings, while they recommended some revision, of the i'onstitution, almost uniformly suggested that such revision should be made by constitutional means, and in the form and at the times piescnbed by the constitution itself. Thus, says the Spectator of >>eptember 21, "the general effect of these municipal decisions, if general effect be inferred, is that a though they would gladly see improvements of details, they advise a firm hold on the main body of the Constitution. This is a very different judgment from the one wishfully anticipated by the Napoleomsts." Amongst the alterations which were suggested, however, one was that the duration of Louis Napoleon's Presidency should be prolonged from four years (the term fixed by the Constitution) to ten years; and a subsequent accouut (m the Times of September 26) states that a semiofficial announcement of the President's intention to appeal to the nation for a prolongation of his period of office had appeared, and had produced an unfavourable effect on the Bourse. The most interesting occurrence in the President's tour was the Review of the French Fleet at Cherbourg, which was sufficiently attractive to induce the attendance of a great number of visiters from England, including some of the Lords of the Admiralty, and many of the noblemen and gentlemen connected with the Yacht Clubs. At the President's special desire, such officers of the English navy or yacht squadrons as wished it were presented at his levee ; amongst those who availed themselves of this invitation were Rear-Admiral Berkf.ley, Admiral Sir. T. Cochrane, -Admiral Sir Charles Napier, with about forty officers belonging to the Excellent, and the Royal Naval College at Portsmouth ; — and of the " Yacht-men," the Duke of Maryborough, the Earl of Cardigan, Earl de Grey, the Earl of Wilton, the Earl of Orkney, and many others — there being no less than sixty British. yachts at anchor in the roads of Cherbourg, or lying in the Bassin dv Commerce in the centre of the town. The correspondent of the Morning Chronicle (Sept. 9) thus describes the imprest sion made on the French by the beauty of these yachts, and the skill with which their amateur sailors manage them : — vi The British squadron had arranged to present the visitors a species ot entertainment perfectly new to the French, and which none but Englishmen h.ive the means for displaying— namely, a cruize of all their handsome yachts, accompanied by a variety of beautifully executed manoeuvres out of the bay at one extiemity of the great breakwater, which they worked round, returning by the other again to manotuvrein the bay, to the great delight and surprise of the French of both sexes, who could hardly credit that such a scientific display of seamanship could be made, even in a Lilliputian fleet, by men not all of the naval profession. The manner of executing their evolutions and getting up to their anchorage in two lines gave so much satisfaction that they were loudly chee'ed by the people of the port. The captain of the French line-of-l>attle ship Gemappes avowed his admiration hy exclaiming that the display of their prowess and tactics was ' auperbe et tr&sd&licieuse.' " The French fleet brought together on the occasion is described as including " by far the most formidable French squadron ever collected together." There were eight splendid line-of battle-ships ready for service at a moment's notice, with at least 10,000 men— the Va my alone carrying 1 44 guns, and a crew of 1 200 men; and the Friedland, 120 guns, and 1100 men, The President visited the ships in sue-

cession, remaining on board of each sufficiently long to inspect it minutely. He also visited the arsenal, which, though yet incomplete, is represented as a magnificent establishment, having a basin, the finest woik of its kind in the world, capable of holding forty sail of the line ; and seven superb building slips. The thundering of cannon, and the roaring cheers of the ctews woth of the French and English vessels kept up the excitement during the day. "In fact," says the Reporter from whose voluminous nanation we condense these particulars, "it was, as Monsieur Jullien would phrase it, tin spectacle monstre; to Frenchmen a proud national treat— an epoch in the naval history of France " We have paid the more attention to it, however, on account of the gratifying reciprocations of good will atvi neighbourly feeling between the French and English of which it was the occasion. In addition to the cordial reception given by the President to the Englishmen presented at his levee, we are told that, aft t the review, he paid a visit to the Earl of Wilton, Commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron, on board his splendid schooner the Zarifa, and then went on board the Enchantress, to visit the Earl of Cardigan. The yachts' crews, on their part, gave him hearty English cheers, and the whole scene was well calculated to foster kindliness of international feeling. It had been expected that the Prpsidpnt would set out on another tour after this had been completed. But he suddenly brought his travels to a conclusion. Various reasons were assigned for this ; the lateness of the reason — his being afflicted with neuralgia— the e.upty state of his purse—and (the most probable conjecture, according to the Speota(or) " that he Iras found it inexped ent to leave the capital open to the intnguings on behalf of other pretenders to monarchical po^er." " Not"— adds that journal " "Not that he can fear much from the pretenders who declare, as the Due de Ch.nnboul has just done through one of his retainers, that he cannot accept the crown as the gift of the French nation,— that the chief magistrate of a republic might do so, but that he, the desi endant of tit Loms, cannot; implying that as he hold\ his power by " the grace of God." he can recognize no other donor. This is applying the fable i perverw - declining to set shoulder to the wheel, and pretexting to rely on prayer: inverting the axiom "aide toi," on the presumption, confuted by all experience, that heaven helps only the passive and inert. The pretender who relies only on such a policy can occasion no considerable uneasiness to M. Bonaparte. But he may reflect that although the Due de Chambord is head of the Legitimists, the party includes a Berryer, and peihaps a Thiers; and tertainly they are not safe men to leave unwatched or unchecked Besides the Orleamsts are not likely to be so subservient to maternal influence as the sickly Chambord; and among the Oileanists is Changarnier."

■ We call the attention of the holders of Depasturing Licenses within the proclaimed Hundreds to the Meetings for the election of Wardens which are about to be held at the times and places notified in the Government Gazette, and stated in the last lew Zeafander ; and especially that of the License-holders in the Hundred of Auckland to the Meeting which is convened for two o'clock to-day, at the Supreme Court House. We would repeat the advice which we urged upon them last year, to prove their appreciation of the measure of selfgovernment conferred upon them by the Crown Lands Ordinance, by a judicious selection of suitable persons to fill an office which cannot be regarded as unimportant when it is remembered that it conveys the power to impose penalties, to levy taxes, and to dispose of the taxes so levied. The choice should^ be guided not by any private or personal feeling, but by a simple desire to advance the general good by electing men of known integrity and impartiality , and especially of men qualified by experience and practical knowledge for the performance of the duties which will devolve upon them. We trust there will be a full attendance of the License-holders to exercise their privilege of voting, and to hear such information and suggestions as the Commissioner of Crown Lands may probably present for their consideration.

Concert. — On Wednesday evening the Concert which a number of gentlemen, assisted by one young la'iy, had kin'lly undertaken to give in> aid of the funds of the Mechanics' Institute, took place in the Hall, and passed off much to the gratification of a very numerous and respectable audience. The first Part included several Songs and Glees, &c, which— especially Lord Mokmngton's exquisite Glee " Here in cool Grot," Reeves' " Gypsies' Glee," Callcott's amusing Catch, " Ah ! How Sophia," and Lindley's spirit stirring Duet *' Sound the Trumpet boldly" — were executed with much taste and effect. An Instrumental Interlude followed, in which some difficult music for the violin was performed in a manner very creditable to the youthful performers, especially to the elder, of whose progress and promise we have before had occasion to speak in highly favourable terms. The second Part (which probably was to many the principal attraction) consisted entirely of the well known " Nigger Melodies" sung by gentlemen with their faces and hands blackened, and with the contortions and grimaces characteiistic of this peculiar species of entertainment. While we retain with undnninished strength our opinion that such exhibitions tend lather to the degradation than the elevation, of music — to the de-

terioration rather than the improvement of public taste —we cheerfully admit that the chief objections which, under a sense of duty to our readers, we formerly urged against the performance of these " Me'odies " did not apply in this instance. There was not anything to induce the supposition (however mistaken) that it was connected with a Society instituted for higher purposes ; and there was such an explicit advertisement of the programme as precluded the possibility of any auditors coming in ignorance of what they were to expect. The object was simply to amuse ; and the continued laughter and applause with which the " black gentlemen" were greeted, afforded abundant proof that this object was attained We have said that the attendance was numerous. Indeed the Hall was thoroughly filled ; and the pro- , ceeds will, no doubt, accomplish the kind wishes of those with whom the project originated by materially aiding to produce a satisfactory state of the financial report which wil l be laid before the members of the Mechanics' Institute at their approaching Annual Meeting.