LATEST ENGLISH NEWS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume III, Issue 142, 9 December 1846, Page 4

LATEST ENGLISH NEWS.

[From the Hobart Town Advertizer, Nov. 13. j The Phantom arrived direct from India on Wednesday, bringing English news to the 7i\\ of August. The kindness ot Captain Watson has enabled us to give the latest intelligence up to that date, he having supplied us with the Overland News, a journal published expressly for the transmission of the most recent European uews to India. Her Majesty had quite recovered. The young princess was christened on the 25th July, in the chapel at Buckingham Palace, by the names of Helena Augusta Victoria. Piince Albert paid a visit to Liverpool on the 30th, and remained until the following Friday, amid a succession of fetes which did full credit to the second city in Britain. The purpose of his Royal Highness's visit was to lay the foundation stone ot an institution for the benefit of the sailors at that port, and to be present at the opening of the new Albert Dock. King Ernest of Hanover had been seriousJy ill, but had recovered sufficiently to take carriage exercise. Generals the Marquis of Anglesea and Sir G. Nugent Grosvenor, are to receive FieldMarshals' batons. Parliament was to be prorogued on or about the 25th August. The Order of St. John is extinct. Its last Grand Master, Prince Henry of Prussia, uncle of the present king, died at Rome on the 16th July. The ancient order is now replaced by that of St. John of Prussia, and us vast estates secularised. Mr. Wilderspin, the founder of the Infant Schools, has been granted a pension of £100 a year by especial command of her Majesty. , The Couut de St. Leu, last surviving brother of the great Napoleon, and ex-King of Holland, died on the 25th. Of his three sons by the beautiful daughter of Josephine, one only suivives — Charles Lou's Napoleon, the lately escaped prisoner f r om Ham. j Lieutenant Waghorn is busily engaged in carrying out his plan of communication with India, for which purpose the British government has placed a steamer of large power at his command. Four divinity professors have been appointed to the Belfast Institution, to teach Presbyterian doctrines. The balance sheet of the public income and expenditure, for the two last years ending sth July.has been published. The balances to the Exchequer on the sth July, 1845, were ,£6,641,549 Is. 10|rf., and on the sth July last they amounted to £7,351,788 15s. 9f . Another attempt had been made to assassinate the King of the French. A large .crowd was assembled in the garden of the Tuil.leries, on the evening of the 29th July, en.joying the concert of military music performed in commemoration of the July fetes, at which time his Majesty was quietly walking in the balcony, shewing himself to the assembled multitude. This position of affairs was taken advantage of by the assassin, who mixed with the crowd, armed with a long pistol, which he suddenly drew from bis breast, and fired al the king, but fortunately without its -taking | effect. The instant tJ»e report was he^rd, he was seised by the persons round and conveyed away in custody. The most intense interest was excited to ascertain whether his Majesty's life ha-1 been preserved, or whether be had sustained any personal injury; and when assured that the King was unharmed, the most lively satisfaction was expressed. The assassin confessed his guilt, which he attributed to despair. He said his name was Joseph Henri. That he was an ironmonger, and owed a sum of 15,000 francs which if he did not pay at the end of the month ie must

go to prison. But that be was totally uninfluenced by any political motive. The Fiench provincial papers are filled with details of incendiary fiies in almost every part of theconntrj, notwithstanding the strictest watch on the part of the farmers and their domestics. In very many instances the origin of the fires cannot be traced nor the guilty parties detected- The most extrao.dinary circumstance is that the buildings are invanaUy set on fire in broad day. The war between tie States and Mexico was still unsettled. The American army was still encamped near Metamoraa, making preparations for an attack upon Monteray. A. movement had been madeby the Mexicansin favour of the banished president Santa Anna. August 7th — 3 per eenu Consols 95§, for acct. 96. Brevet. — We are happy to find by the following extract from the Gazette of the 7th July, that the brevet had included Captain Wilmot, R.A., who for services in New Zealand, has obtained a brevet majority. Major Wilmot has been truly fortunate, though not more than the nature of the service he was engaged in and his active servi c warranted. He has obtained his company in the Artillery and his brevet majority within nine months, to which however, Ids long foreign service formed a strong claim, he having been in England but six months in a period ot 12 j years. To be Majors in the Army. Captain Hen.y Matson, 58th foot, 7th July, 1846. Captain Richard Denny do., do. Capiain "William Biddlecomb Marlow, Royal Engineers, 7th July, 1846. Captain William Bookey Longford, Royal Marines, 7th July, 1846. Captain Henry Robert Eardley Wilraot, Royal Artillery, 7th July, 18-16. The " Beagle." — We find in the list of promotions, of the same date. Captain Stokes, so well liked here and in the other colonies, as Lieutenant in command of the Beagle, in which service his abilities were equally conspicuous as appreciated, and to whose indefatigable exertions we are indebted for the able and correct survey of the intricate navigation of Banks' and Bass's Straits. War Steamer. — The Inflexible, steasa sloop, Commander Haseason, had been ordered to the Cape with despatches ; thence to proceed to New Zeal md and relieve the Driver which some months since was in this port on her way thither, and which excited so much admiration by the size of her guns and the j beauty and magnitude of her engines. The ' Inflexible had on bo«ud a large freight of gold and silver for the Commissariat at the Cape and New Zealand. There can be little doubt that she will pay us a visit on her way. — Hodart l own Advertiser, Nov. 13. A dreadful accident had occurred on the Norihern Railroad in France, by which 14 lives were lost, and several persons seriously injured. The marriage of the Queen of Spain still agitates the poltical circles, and it seems the general opinion that until it is concluded, the peace of that unhappy country cannot be permanently secured. The King of the French advocates the claims of the son of Don Carlos, or of Don Francisco, either of whom (being Bourbons) he considers eligible. But Queen Christina is using every endeavour in favour of her brother, the Count Tiapani, and of course possesses much influence over the youthful mind of Isabella. It seems determined by French policy that the Due de Montpensier is to be husband to the Queen's sister, with, it is said, a certainty of succeeding to the throne. Disturbances still continued in Switzerland, and had of late assumed so serious a character that an Austrian army of observation was drawn around the cantons to watch the march of events, and prevent the propagation of revolutionary principles in the Austrian dominions. An extraordinary change has occurred in Turkish politics, with regard to Egypt. The Sultan had sent an invitation to Mebemet \Ali to visit him at Stamboul, and the latter is represented as anxiously awaiting the arrival of the envoy irr order to comply* The late tour of the Porte through his dominions has been marked with a degree of liberalism equally at variance with the previous policy of the Mahometans. \ The Earl of Grauville has been appointed Master of the Buckhounds. Lord Grey has appointed his son, the Hon. Captain Grey, his Private Secretary. His Royal Highness Ibrahim Pasha had left England on his return to Egypt. In the north of England labour is so scarce in consequence of the number of men employed on the railroads, that large quantities of grain remain unthreshed for want o) hands. Cholera, in a very acute form, had appeared in London. It is supposed to be attribute b.e more to atmospheric influence than to the use of fruit, to which cause it has been generally attributed.

The Grand Duchess Olga was married ] at St. Petersburg, on the 12th July, to the Prince Royal of Wurtemburg. The roarliage took place at the palace of Peterhoff, on the day that the Emperor completed his fiftyfirst year. The town of Posenburgh near Breslau was partly destroyed by fire on the Bth July; upwards of fifty houses were burnt down. It is supposed to have been the work of an incendiary. , The French elections for the new Chamber of Deputies had concluded, giving the Ministry a working majority of 100. It is said that the late attempt on the King's life had much weight in producing this result. Captain Allain, R. N. and M. Porteau, Royal Artillery, had been summoned to Paris from Tahiti, to report upon the establishments th,ere, and upon the state of affairs generally. A fire broke out in the H ppodrome, at Paris, and damage to an immense amount was done ; costumes alone to the amount of 30.000 E. were destroyed. A very destructive fire took place at Glasgow, by which a loss of between £40,000 and £50,000 was incurred. It was feared that 700 people would be thrown out ol employment. I^wankanauth Tagor«, the celebrated Indian philanthropist, died in London, on the Ist August, aged 51 years. His remains were interred in the cemetery at Kensall Green, except his heart, which was embalmed at.d sent to India, to be dealt with according to the tenets of the sect to wh eh the deceased Baboo belonged. A great sensation had been created by the death of a soldier of the 7th Hussars, who died about a month after receiving 150 la>hes fo r striking his sergeant. The jury found a verdict that he died in consequence of the flogging, and recoided their protest against a law empowering corporal punishment. It would appear, however, that it is by no means certain that death was occasioned by this cause at all. But the practice is one which has for some time been violently opposed, and the ministers have determined to make serious alterations in the system. Flogging, it is generally supposed, will be restricted to so laslies for one offence and at one time* The admirers of Mr. Cob.len have commenced subscribing for a testimonial — Lord John Russell has contributed £100. Sir George Murray, Master General of Ordnance, died on the 18th July. He had been for some time engaged in compiling the i despatches of The Duke of Marlborough. Lieutenant Colonel Napier, son or the j Commodore, had been appointed Deputy Adjutant General at the Cape. By an Admiralty order, ship's boats are to be in future fitted with brass 121b. howitzers, instead of iron carronades. In consequence of the reports that Asiatic cholera existed in various districts, inquiries had been made, which disproved the existence of a single case, but English cholera, as usual at that period of the year, was prevalent, and had probably in some cases been mistaken for its more deadly namesake. On the 6th August, Lord Grey, in answer to a question from Lord Lyttleton, said that it was the intention of the government to bring in a bill immediately for regulating the government of New Zealand, and to proceed with the Australian Waste Lands Bill, with certain amendments, which he should propose in committee. The Sugar Dv ies Bill was carried by the ministry having a majority of 139. Sir R. Peel voted with the ministry, giving as his reason that having himself resigned in consequence of a vote which argued want of confidence in his government, he would not now defeat the present ministry on a measure which must cause their resignation, and that without the possibility of forming a government to succeed them. He voted with them, though the measure did not meet his approbation, and was in some respects different from what he would have introduced had he not gone out of office. ' Dr. Bowiing addressed the House of Commons on the 4th of August, recommendiiig that the duty on tobacco shcfuld be reduced to Is. per lb., but the Chancellor of the ExcheI quer declared that the revenue could not afford it.