ENGLISH INTELLIGENCE.

New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 50, 20 January 1843, Page 3

ENGLISH INTELLIGENCE.

Ancient Coins. —There has been discovered in the chapel-yard of Heworth (a curacy annexed to Jarrow, in the county of Durham, the residence of the Venerable Bede) an earthen vessel containing a number of copper stycas. The coins are executed with sufficient neatness, in’the usual character of the Saxo-Northum-brian mintage. The obverse exhibits a plain short cross, with the legend—ECFßlD REX f; the reverse has a similar cross, surrounded by rays, and has LVX (lux), a symbol and inscription allusive to the diffusion of our holy religion in the kingdom of Northumberland. These coins precede any other known issue of the Northumberland mint nearly 150 years, and it is a very probable conjecture, that they were struck and deposited by the Benedictine monks, at the foundation of Jarrow in the reign of Egfrid. Discovery of a Pigmy Race. —At the ordinary meeting of the Royal Geographical Society, held on Monday evening last, it was stated, by Mr. Murchinson, that an interesting fact,,well authenticated, had been stated to him, which he had no doubt would soon be communicated in detail to the society. It was, that a gentleman employed by Government had, in ascending the river Juba in Africa, fallen in with a considerable tract of country, inhabited by a curious race of pigmies, not exceeding four feet in height, with very curious views of religion and government, and exactly resembling the type of Herodotus, which singularly confirmed some of the opinions on the subject recently brought before the notice of the Aborigines Protection Society.— Glasgow Constitutional.

Female Rowers. —The female rowers o Saltash, who have acquired such laurels a Portsmouth arid Devonport, left Southampton in the Grand Turk to proceed to the Havre regatta, last week, in order to contest for a prize for amateur rowers, open to all the world. They were most politely received by the committee, the mayor of Havre himself shaking hands with them, and drinking their healths in Champagne. But the Frenchmen declined the proposed encounter on even terms, and at length it was arranged that a match should take place between the Glanvillites and the English boatmen,! and a subscription was entered into by the comrhittee for a prize to be contended for by the Amazonian champions with the Englishmen, and in a few minutes 400 francs were forthcoming for the purpose. English rowers volunteered from ;the Grand Turk , the boats were manned and womaned respectively. The race, which was well contested on both sides, was soon begun and concluded, and, amid the eheers of 20,000 spectators, the Saltash women carried the day, and earned a new trophy on the bosom of the Seine. The successful Saltashers left the harbour amid renewed cheers at their success, and returned in the Brunswick to Plymouth, lauding the generous conduct., of the French, and also speaking in grateful terms in praise of the kindness manifested towards them by

Luscombe, Esq., (Lloyd’s agent at Havre,) and , Captain Russell, of Stonehouse.— Hampshire Independent. The Royal Mint. —During the last month the grestest activity has prevailed among thti employes at the Royal Mint to supply the Bank of England with the new goid and silver coinage, not only for the metropolis and the branch banks in the manufacturing and agricultural districts, but for exportation to India, China, and the Continent. Since the Royal proclamation of the 2d of June on the light currency* the Bank has received between 4,000,000/. and 5,000,000/. sterling of light sovereigns and half-sovereigns (of the reigns of George lIL and IV., and ‘William IV.), all of which placed in the Bullion-office as condemned, and are not to be re-issued to the public until re-, coined and of full weight. During the last month there have been eight steam-presSes daily at work at the mint, to supply the defiV ciency this has caused in the gold currency} These machines strike on an average from 60 to 80 per minute, and, could they be supplied quick enough with pieces, they could take' off at the rate of 120 a minute. The average amount of light gold sent into the Mint to be recoined, is about 400,000/. per week, in bags of 1,100 ounces each, besides ingots. The great demapd that has prevailed in the metropolis and country for silver during the panic having partially subsided, in consequence of the quantity of new coinage issued by the Bank to mget the scarcity, the weekly average now strupk at the Mint is only from 10,000/. to 15,000/:; so' as to make way for the gold. The demand of the precious metals for India and China is very great, to supply the military and naval forces carrying on the war in that distant part, of the British empire. Since Monday a considerable amount has been sent to the Mint, both of gold and silver, to be coined with all expedition, in anticipation of the news that may arrive. from that important seat of our commercial dominions by the overland mail. The following is the amount of the new coinage that has been issued fiom the Ist of July up to Saturday; last, the 30th ult. : —Sovereigns, 695,350; halfscs vereigns, 880,000 ; half-crowns, 125,000 ; and 750.000 shillings, beside 40,000 sixpences. Exportations of the precious metals : —Calcutta, 280 ounces of gold; 270,720 ounces silver coinage, and 77,000 ounces in bars. Mauritius, 1,280 ounces in gold, 40,000 ounces silver, and 23,632 ounces in bars ; Ceylon, 900 ounces in silver; Hongkong, 145,060 ounces in silver ; Launceston, Van Dieman’s Land, 400 ounces; Hamburgh, 3,000 ounces silver, and 6,000 ounces in bars. From the 21st of July to the 28th there was exported as follows :—Hamburgh, 1,500 ounces of silver in bars ; Rotterdam,- 28,000 ounces ; Calais, 60,000 ounces ; Hongkong, 137,054 ounces; Mauritius, 23, 632 ounces; in gold, 1,150 ounces; Calcutta, 144,400 ounces in bars, and 136,920 in bullion ; Cape of Good Hope and Wellington, NewZealand, 32 ounces. There is still a great scarcity of silver on the continent, in consequence of France and Prussia havitig a new coinage about to be struck, but gold is cheaper than in this country, although they chiefly receive their precious metals from the bankers and bullion dealers in the city. In consequence of the request for the gold and silver coinage, the half-farthings, it is expected, will not be issued to the public from the Mint before Christmas. All the old silver coinage of George 111. and George IV. paid into the Bank is not re-issued for circulation, but, will be recoined, being so very deficient in weight and so much defaced by wear and tear. The transfer books for Bank stock at the Bank of England will be shut from the Ist of September next till Friday, the 14th of October following. Trial of the Montezuma Steam Frigate.—A trial voyage of the above-named magnificent vessel took place yesterday from Blackwall to the Lower Hope and back, at which a select party of scientific gentlemen r and others interested in the suebess of the experiment, were present. . The Montezuma, although of the burden of 1,100 tons, draws no more than nine feet water when fully equipped, and is built to carry two swivel guns, 68 pounders, on the upper deck, besides the usual number of small guns. She was constructed at the yard of Messrs. Wigram and Green, at Blackwall, and her engines, which are of 300-horse power, and constructed on almost a similar principle to those on board Her Majesty’s steam-frigates Driver, Gorgon, Styx, &c., were supplied and fitted by the firm of Messrs. Seaward and Capel. These engines possess the peculiarity of being capable of cutting off the steam at half stroke, so as to act on the expansion principle, thus.saving a considerable expense of steam and fuel, and the success of. this mode of construction was made apparent in the fact that, although the Montezuma is rather constructed as a war steamer than for the purposes of speed, she steamed at the rate of 10|- miles an hour against tide both ways, the engines making 21 strokes per minute. A disconnecting apparatus for releasing either paddle wheel, which was tried, was found to answer admirably. Upon the whole the trial was eminently successful, and the scientific gentlemen on board expressed their satisfaction in. the warmest terms.

BURNING OF THE SHIPS VANSITART AND

Cornwallis. —By the accounts recently received at Lloyd’s, relative to the destruction by lire of these splendid East Indiamen, which took place in June last, in Bombay harbour, it appears that a portion of the loss, to the amount it is said of nearly 50,000/., will fall on several insurance companies in the city. The particulars respecting; the burning of the ships in question are as follows : —That of the Vansittart happened on the evening of Friday, the 3d of June last, when the vessel was lying at anchor in the centre of the harbour, and that of the Cornwallis took place nine days after, on the 12th of the same month. The Vansitt.art was one of the largest ships trading to Bombay, being upwards of 1,800 tons burden. She was bound to China, having a rich cargo on board. At the time of the outbreak of the flames, which took place simultaneously from all parts of the ship, there were upwards of 180 persons on board, and several females are stated to have been amongst them. The rush to the ship’s boats to escape was desperate in the extreme. -No sooner were they lowered, which was in a few seconds effected, than they were instantly filled, and in the straggle several got overboard and were drowned. The boats being insufficient to take all the crew, about 40 were left on board, and they, on account of the dreadful heat, were compelled to get over her bows and hold on the anchors and chain cable until assistance came up, which was not until some time after. In the meanwhile the fire had made frightful ravages : it had reached the rigging, and she appeared in one mighty mass of flame, producing the greatest excitement in the harbour, which contained a vast quantify of shipping and other craft. Upon the alarm being raised every ship sent assistance to the spot for the purpose of getting the burning vessel near the shore, so as to scuttle her, but she remained immovable, owing to the thickness and strength of her cable. Attempts were made to cut it, but it was found impossible. Directly on the authorities of the harbour hearing of this cireumstanee, the war steamer Semiramis was ordered to proceed to where she was lying, for the purpose of firing some heavy shots into her, in case of her breaking aw r ay from her moorings and drifting amongst the shipping, so as to sink her. By the time the' steamer arrived her masts, four in number, had fallen overboard, and the fire was raging with awful violence. There were several ship engines playing on to her deck, but without producing the least effect. During the whole night and morning the harbour presented a most imposing appearance; every ship was as distinctly seen as at noonday, and the shore was crowded with spectators. At 7 o’clock a portion of the magazine blew up, and subsequently several other explosions took place, but they occasioned little effect in hastening the destruction of the vessel. The officers in command of the Semit'amis then determined to fire into the ship so as to sink her, and as soon as the boat got clear, several 6S-pounders were throwm into her; these, however, and many others that were fired into her, proved of no avail, for she continued to float, and the fire raged as fiercely as at its commencement. At about 4 o’clock on Saturday afternoon the moorings gave way, and she drifted up the river with the tide, followed by the Semiramis steamer, which still kept firing. On the return of the tide, the burning wreck came with it, and at about 3 o’clock on Sunday morning she ■went down within a short distance of the shores on Butcher’s Islands. The fire burnt down to the water’s edge, and all that remains of her is supposed to be the lower part of her hull and keel. She is said to have cost 40,000/. in building, and with her cargo was valued at 60,000/. The destruction of the Cornwallis took place under similar circumstances. She, it appears, was lying in the harbour, just abreast of the East India Company’s receiving-ship the Hastings , and upon the fire being discovered, which was between 9 and 10 o’clock at night, most part of her cargo was found to be in flames. Within two hours afterward every part of the vessel was enveloped, and from that time until 2 o’clock the following day the conflagration raged with terrific grandeur. Upon the powder in the magazine igniting, which happened soon after 7 o’clock on Sunday morning, a frightful explosion ensued, followed by a dense cloud of smoke and burning fragments, which rose to an immense height, and was scattered to a great distance. A gunboat arrived off the vessel when the fire had reached its full height, and fired many shots into her stern to sink the wreck, but with no more success than with the former. After burning 19 hours the vessel sank in 18 fathoms water, a complete wreck. She was 800 tons burden, and was deeply laden with bales of cotton. Her loss is given out at about 25,000/. — Times. i

An Aged Infant. — An honest peasant woman named Maria Plor, is at present living in the Faubourg of Maubeuge, in the north of France, and has attained her hundredth year. She lately lost one of her offspring who had reached the age of eighty. "Ah,” said the old mother, weeping for her recent loss, " I alwavs said that I should never be able to bring up that child.”