ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 84, 19 May 1843, Page 3

ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

Mr. John Parkinson, solicitor tq Prince George of Cambridge, has published a letter, contradicting, by the Prince's command, the calumnious reports current lately, reflecting on the honor of a noble family. The Archdeacon Frederick of Austria has been employing his time in town in viewing objects of interest. On Tuesday he went with his suite to Woolwich, and remained for some time examining the Dockyard; on Wednesday, to the British Museum; on Thursday again there was a long visit to Woolwich. His Imperial Highness has also had a round of entertainments : on Monday he was the guest of the Duke of, Cambridge, at Kew; on Wednesday, of the 'ke of Wellington, at Apsley House; on Thursday, of the Count St, Aulaire, at the French Embassy, in Manchester Square.’ Sir Robert Peel left town on Saturday, for Drayton Manor; and he was followed, on Wednesday, by Lord WharnclifFe and Sir George Clerk, his guests. The Queen has granted to General Robertson, who liv?s at Canaan Bank, near Edinburgh, a further pension of 210/., in reward for distinguished services; making the General's pension 400/. in all.

The papers publish a correspondence between. Colonel Thompson and Miss Martineau, touching the resolutions passed lately at a meeting in London in approbation of her refusal of a pension. The Colonel transmits the resolutions with some complimentary remarks, and the lady acknowledges both resolutions and compliments. She says—

“ I accept, with thankfulness, the expressed sympathy of the parties of whom you are the representative to me; and I need not say, I consider their acknowledgment of my sincere desire to promote their interests a high honor. Nothing in the whole transaction pleases me so much as the diversity of opinion, through which all the parties concerned have penetrated, by means of earnestness on a moral question, to a point of heartfelt agreement. However we may mutually differ in regard to the great political questions of the time, we all agree that there can be no peace in benefiting by the proceeds of an unjust system of taxation. In declining so to benefit, I acted, as I have said, for the comfort of my own feelings only, and in privacy. As to the other matter touched upon at the meeting, my writings on social subjects, my chief desire has ever been to stir up the minds of the unprivileged classes to the patient and thoughtful consideration of their own interests. That my aim has been understood,-and my sympathy in their worldly difficulties appreciated, is and will ever be a high gratification, renewing much of the pleasure of such labors, after sickness has brought them to a close." o STORM AT MADEIRA. The Times has a letter from Funchal, in Madeira, brought down to the 2d November, which forms a startling supplement to the summary of tempest disasters : the island has been visited by the most dreadful storm that has since 1803, when 400 persons were swept into 1 the sea. The summer was very hot, and the weather continued beautifully fine until the Isth October; it then rained heavily until the 24th, when the rain partly ceased—

“ About mid-day the whole of the island appeared buried in one vast cloud, threatening total darkness; the barometer fell considerably; the air became very oppressive, with a strong sulphurous smell; and the wind veered about to nearly every point of the compass. At one o’clock the rain began to fall in torrehts; and about an hour afterwards, I perceived at a distance of about a mile from the shore an immense rising in the sea, which was soon connected with a mass of dark clouds overhanging the bay, to all appearance charging themselves or drawing the water from the sea, for the space af about ten minutes, followed immediately by a heavy swell or rising of the ocean, which swept towards the shore; and although I was at a considerable elevation above the level of the sea, it appeared high enough to sweep over the city; its force, however, was broken, and it subsided on the beach. The rain still continued in torrents; and at four o’clock the roar of the water in the river N. S. do Calhoa, which was forty feet in depth,, began to give me some alarm; when, looking out of the window of my house, I perceived that the bridge was being swept away, and the water was rushing into the streets. I immediately left the house; and on reaching the street, the appallingf'sight that appeared in every direction was enough tp make the stoutest heart quake with fear. The street in front of the garden of my house was upwards of three feet deep with water*; and hundreds of men, women, and children, were making their way up the stream, flying towards the mountains, whilst others were flocking to the town, not knowing where to go for safety, amidst the most dreadful shrieks and cries that can possibly be imagined. As I approached towards the river, the scene became still more awful, the water having burst open the wine-lodges, and the contents being swept into the sea; whilst the streets in she neighbourhood were all overflowed with water, and the inmates of the houses escaping by ladders and over the roofs of the buildings. Upwards of 200 houses have been destroyed, or become untenantable by this disastrous flood; and the quantity of wine, corn, &c., swept into the sea and destroyed is very great; but at present it is utterly impossible to state anything like an estimate of the amduntof damage done." The Government made immediate airangemerits to admit the poor' into the forts for shelter, arid to keep order; but the overflowing wine gave opportunity for intoxication, and the confusion for frequent robberies—

“ The news from the interior, or rather the coast — for from the interior we have nope-T—is awfuU ~ Half of Machio is swept away, and all belonging to the village. In the parish of ;Madalena nearly all the houses and part of the population are gone; in Caiheta many houses are washed away. Fayal and Porto Cruz have suffered much, entire vineyards having been swept into the sea. Santa Cruz has suffered less than others; but at Canico the disasters are great." The weather moderated; but on the 26th it blew a hurricane from the South, and the sea rushed furiously over the beach into the lower streets of Funchal. Six vessels were at anchor in the bay: at five o’clock the first, the American brig Creole, was driven from its anchors on to the beach; and at intervals followed the English schooner Wave, the Portuguese schooner BeijinJio, the brig Dart of London, and the Sardinian schooner Gloria Madre Esperanza. All on board the last vessel perished. The ship Success was saved by its anchor becoming entangled as it dragged with one left at the bottom by a large American ship; next morning the ship got out to sea ; and afterwards it returned in safety. The wreck of an unknown vessel was found at Porto Cruz, the crew apparently swept away; and another Sardinian schooner was wrecked at Port Santo. Up to the 2d, they still remained'without news from the interior.

A Dotheijovs-Hall.—Hull Police Office, Saturday, Nov. 5. —Four youths, very indifferently attired, applied to the bench for assistance, tp enable them to get to London. On being questioned by the magistrates, they stated that they had run away from school, at a place near Kirby Stephen, in Westmoreland, in consequence of ill-treatment. They all stated that they were not half fed, nor allowed to write to their friends, except what the master dictated. They had walked to Selby, and thence had taken the packet to this town. One shilling and sixpence was the whole sum they could

muster on setting’ out up«n their journey, but they had received assistance from the authorities of several places at which they had halted. William Griffiths, one of the youths, Said he was 17 years of age, and had been at the school seven years. It was two years since He had seen any of Ins friends. He did not know where his parents resided. : . His father is a bookseller arid stationer in London. He knew the residence of his grandmother. ' William G. Wright said his father was a lawyer at Temple bar. He had been at the school two years, and had not seen or heard any thing of his parents during that time. Thomas Wilson said, his father was a lawyer in the Strand; he had been at the school six years, and had not seen or heard any thing of his parents or friends during that time. Thomas Forbes said, he had no father; he had been five years at school, but had not received any letter from his mother during the last two years. A lodging-house-keeper said she had kept the applicants for three nights; they had remained in the house during the day, and had conducted themselves in an orderly manner. She thought that half-a-crown would not more than compensate her for wifit she had done for the lads. The mayor ordered 3s. to be given her from the poor-box. The magistrates then subscribed towards defraying the expenses of the youths to London, and the deficiency to be provided from the poorbox. The mayor also said, he would go down to the agents for the London packet, which was. <to sail that afternooii, and make the best bargain lie could for their’ passage. The boys had gone by way of llipon: On Monday last, 207,000 letters passed through the general post-office—nearly a quarter of a million of letters in a day through one office! Immense ship-letter mails also have been received at the general post-office within the last few days from Pernambuco, Monte Video, China, Rio de Janeiro, Havanna, Valparaiso, Sydney, Singapore, and the Cape of Good Hope.