NOTES OF THE WEEK ENDING MAY 15. [From the "Britannia"]

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 670, 15 September 1852, Page 3

NOTES OF THE WEEK ENDING MAY 15. [From the " Britannia"]

The Oxford University Commission lias presented its Report, a long and most elaborate document. In their laborious researches, the Commissioners have met with great assistance from the authorities of the colleges, and in only three instances been refused the inspection of their statutes. -Among the results of their researches is the discovery of the fact, that in nearly every instance the founders' intentions have been violated, and that -with but a few trifling exceptions, there is not a. Fellow in Oxford who has not forfeited his Fellowship under the letter of the law of the statutes (of his college. The Commission, therefore, recommend the abolition of all oaths, heretofore taken on admission to Fellowships, binding the holders to the strict observance of the founders' statutes. Close Fellowships are of course recommended to bo thrown open, and in the case of a great city school, very largely and valuably endowed, the Commission are said to recommend the tlmwing open the endowment to all the city schools. In this case they arc, perhaps, carrying out the founder's real intention -with great strictness, ns the utmost that he seems to have desired was to give the present sole recipient of his bounty a preference in cases of equal merit. "With the question of matiiculation oaths, the report, we believe, docs not deal, confining itself rather to the revibion and reformation of college statutes than dealing with a question which is of so general and political a character. Ouu Ockan i\l ml is worthy of the power, wealth, intelligence, and energy of the nsilion. Jjy our steam fleets we now cany the ocean mn'ila of nearly the entire woild. The "whole coast of Asi.i is served by our steamers. From Uainburjli to the Cape, from Halifax to the River Hate, from the Isthmus of I'anama to the southern boundaries of Chili, our mail steamers carry the correspondence of the civilised world. Twice every day we communicate with France : a daily mail curries letters to Belgium ; with

J Holland and Hamburg our merchants can cor respond t\\leoa-week : New York hears week]) from London : our Mi.stem Emnirc lias its himonthly innil : and C.ilcntta is within a low days of our metropolis. Kquully frequent communication is open between us and our Western Indian Colonies and tho South Amfrican States, and now, at last, our Antipodean Colonies arc te receive- the advantage of two stumn* vessels amonth direct from home. Thib gigantic ollbrt is duo to private enterprise alone. J tl ive])O\\erfii] companies cany on the Ocean Mail service of the world. The Peninsular and Oriental Company — at its outset a .small venture, with two or three coasting 1 steamers in the Bay of Biscay — now counts thirty gigantic vessels in its marine, has secured tho traffic of the East, and prepares on this day to commence tho steam communication with Australia, in anticipation of the dilatory ! movements of the contractors for the Government mail. Thc'Roy.il West India Mail Company is too well-known by its misfortunes to require more than a passing mention. In ten years it lias lost a splendid fleet of steamers, untler the most appalling circumstances. Despite its trials, it increases in power, energy, and activity. The Californiau traffic is rapidly verging towards this line, and the rapid progress of its steamers along the coasts of the Pacific gives the best omens for permanent success. The British and American Steam Packet Company, though placed in active rivalry with Jonathan's best vessels maintains its original vantage ground in the communication between England and North America. To tho Pacific Company tho coast tivulo of South America is entrusted ; and as yet its directors have been content with this limited scene of their exertions. The last link in the ocean chain is to be supplied by the Royal Australian, to which the Government contract was given with suspicious liast3, ere the Company was ready to act._ The delay thus resulting has been most prejudicial to Australian interests, and even now that at last the first mail for our golden colonies is announced for the close of the month, it is no little drawback that so great an experiment is to be committed to new, unknown, and unpractised band*. Jt requires only the reduction of tho charges of our ocean postage to confirm to England the monopoly which is already in her grasp. Thirty millions of letters arc now conveyed by her steam ilect into every quarter of the globe. They would be increased five-fold were the postage adequately reduced. Every day strengthens and multiplies our public and private connexions with distant lands, as each new discovery in science or fresh application of Saxon energy, talent and wealth, lessons tho difficulties and distances of our voyagcji, and opens now homes for our teeming population, and fresh outlets for our accumulated gains. The loss to the revenue by the reduction of our sea poslngc is as nothing to the ad \ an f age to the nation which the facility of communication would afford. The time is happily gone by since the Post Office was considered a mere source of revenue, and not as a national benefit. The Danish Succession is at last happily settled, and by the consent of all the great powers of Europe, the integrity of the monarchy secured, after bix years of war und negotiation, which troubled Europe, and often gave rise to serious fears of a general continental war. Throughout the war of invasion so disgracefully supported by Prussia, Denmark, without any foreign aid, not only held her own, but again and again chastised her motley invaders. Her conduct in that arduous struggle elicited the respect of Europe, and in this country especially public opinion went heart and soul in favour of the gallant men whose forefathers had faced us so bravely in the dread day of Copenhagen. By the European settlement now, concluded, the whole Danish monarchy will eventually pass in strict succession to Prince Christian of Gluclcsberg, whose wife is a grand-daughter of Frederic IV". of Denmark, and whose son thus both in the male and female line represents the succession to Denmark and the Duchies. Without this happy settlement a few years must have witnessed the dismemberment of the monarchy. The next heir is childless, equally with his nephew the present sovereign. On the extinction of the reigning branch the old Danish land would have passed through the female line to a prince of Hesse Cusscl, Ilolstein would have gone to the he'r-male, whilst Schleswig would have been again disputed by rival claimants, one contending that it went with Ilolstein, and the other demanding it as following the succession of the Danis.h>crown. By the present compact the Hessian Princes renounce their right, the Czar cedes his claim in Ilolstein as the representative of one line of its dukes, and the Duke of Augustenburgh, of the elder line, to that of Glucksburgh, but whose title was forfeited by his treasonable conduct in the Schleswig war, is bought out of his estates and his claim for such a round sum as will content him, and set up his family in affluence.

The Loyalty Islands.— A short time ago a letter was published in the Spectator (17th April) from the Itcv. J. Inglis of Auckland, professedly written, for the purpose of correcting an alleged mistake in the tSfycrtator's report of u meeting of the New Zealand Society at Government House Wellington, in January last. The report said that " there were also some interesting specimens of greenstone from tho Loyalty Islands, the only Islands in tho Pacific, besides New Zealand, in which greenstone is known to exist, and the Natives of which closely resemble the New Zealandors in their language, customs, and personal appearance." Mr. Inglis contradicted this statement, and s'tid he believed that there was no greenstone in the Loyalty Islands, but that in New Caledonia it is found in the greatest abundance. On making fuvUiev inquiries into the subject we find the Spectator's statement to be correct, for there was exhibited at the meeting in question a beautiful specimen of greenstone brought from the Loyalty Islands by Captain Erskine of 11. M. S. Ifavannah, with the inscription — "Hatchet obtained at Maic, one of tho Loyalty Inlands, September 19, 184.9, If. M. S. Ilavannah" Tho greenstone found at the Loyalty Islanders is of a finer description and a superior quality to that found in New Caledonia, and is of a niuchligbtrr colour. With regard to the statement of the similarity of the language of the Natives of the Loyalty Islands, with that of tho New Zoalamleis, Mr. Inglis asserts there is no resemblance ; but from the information of persons well acquainted A\ith the New Zealand language, who have had the opportunity of communicating with natives of those Islands, thorc is reason to believe that a great similarity exists between the two languages. — Wellington Sjjectattn: