ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume III, Issue 157, 30 January 1847, Page 3

ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

Lord John Russell has given one of the best livings in his gift to a son of the late General Nott. The heir apparent to the " Railway King," an Eton boy, has been dubbed by his schoolfellows—" the Prince of Rails." The number of visitors at the British Museum, London, on Whit Monday, was 20,571 being fewer by 14,664 than last years. The number of bales of cotton imported during the last three months ending April sth was 322,766, being 194,000 bales less than in the corresponding period of 1845, and 1,019,738 cwts. in 1846. The total quantity of foreign wool imported in 1845 was 75,551,9401b5., of which 2,609,1 OOlbs. were re-exported. The total, quantity of British wool exported wa59,059,448 lbs. ; of British woollen and worsted yarn 9,405,9281b5. Desertions from the French to the English West India Islands, whei'e the slaves on arrival become de facto free, are said to be frequent of late, more especially from Martinique and Guadeloupe. In the year 1821, 322 ships and 12,728 were engaged in the British whale fishery ; in 1 841 these numbers had fallen to 85 ships and 3008 men ; being a decrease in twenty years of 237 ships and 9780 men, or 73-lOOths. The total quantity of copper ore imported into England during the year 1845, was 56,687? tons. Of the copper ore thus imported, 41,342 tons were from Cuba, 10,823 from Chili, 1,212 from Peru and Bolivia, 1,109 from South Australia, 701 from America, 646 from the British West Indies, and 640 from Italy. The Morning Chronicle states that the number of fishmongers in Birmingham has, since the opening of the various railways which now centre in that town (between 1829 and 1845), from ten to forty; and the quantity of fish consumed from 400 to 3910 tons annually. After a dinner party at the Imperial Palace of Peterhoff, the Empress of Russia presented the-Princess de Butera, wife of the Neapolitan Ambassador, with a magnificent bracelet, estimated at 40,000 rubles (£6,400), no doubt as a souvenir of her reception in Sicily. The quantity of tobacco sold in France, under the royal monopoly, in 1844, was 17^ millions of kilogrammes, producing 107 millions of fraucs (about £4,458,300 sterling). The Record says that ' The King of the French has received letters of congratulation on his recent Providential escape front the Pope!" See what it is not to "mind your stops !"

Light Clothing. — The last summer fashions in Georgia consist of a shirt-collar and a pair of spurs.

Framing a Bill. — The glazier who has mended the 7000 broken windows of the Houses of Parliament, has sent in to Mr. Barry his account, headed thus ; — " A Bill for Panes and Penalties."— -Punch. In a letter to the Morning Chronicle, Dr. Croly contradicts the report that he had acknowledged himself to be the author of " Ten Thousand a year.," and attributes the authorship to Mr. Warren.

King Hudson. — It is rumoured that his Majesty is so disgusted with his railway kingdom, situated on the Eastern Counties Kailway, that he intends, in imitation of Napoleon, at Fontainbleau, to abdicate. The, Isle .of Dogs is spoken of as his Elba. — Punch.

Effects of Shot on Iron Ships. — Some remarkable results have been produced by the experimental shot practice from the Excellent, on the iron steamer Ruby ; and it is expected the Admiralty will, in consequence, stop the building of iron steamers and other vessels, for the present. The shots which hit the Ruby not only penetrated the side first struck, but in some instances passed through the other side, carrying with it whole plates of iron. In action, this would risk the total loss of a vessel ; for, on heeling over to leeward, such a body of water would rush in, that nothing could prevent her sinking, with all on board. A representation of this important, circumstance, arising from the recent trials, has been made to the Admiralty, and should further experimental firing prove that serious risk will he occasioned to iron vessels of war, when exposed to the chance of being struck by heavy shot, it is doubtful if the Board will not abolish them as men-of-war.

The systemjipon which the present Go-, vernment is acting in its Colonial appointments is eminently satisfactory. Instead of being given, as has hitherto been almost uniformly the practice, to the partisans of the Minister, they have in every recent instance been made the rewards of efficient public service, and in this respect partake rather the character of promotion than appointments. Thus, Lord Elgin, after acting with much ability as Governor of Jamaica, has been appointed to the •more important post of Governor-General of Canada; Sir Charles E. Grey, late Governor , of Barbadoes, will succeed -Lord JElgin in Jamaica ; while Lieutenant-Governor Colontl Reid, from Bermuda, will replace Sir C. E. Grey ; and be himself succeeded at Bermuda by Captain Elliot. The only fresh appointment is, theiefore, to the least important post; and the principle is established that a Colonial Governor, by an able and diligent discharge of his duty, may rise through regular gradations to the highest honours and emoluments of the department." — Times. j

A Royal Quandary. — On the first consignment of Seidlitz powders to the capital of T)elhi, the Monarch was deeply interested in | the accounts of the refreshing beverage. A box was brought to the King in full court, and the interpreter explained to his Majesty how it was to be used. Into a goblet he put the contents of the 12 blue papers ; and, having added water, the King drank it off. This was the alkali, and the -royal countenance exhibited no sign of satisfaction. It was then explained that in the combination of the two powders lay the luxury ; and the 12 white powders were quickly dissolved in water, and as eagerly swallowed by his Majesty. With a shriek that will be remembered while Delhi is numbered with the kingdoms, the monarch rose, staggered, exploded, and in his agonies, screamed, " Hold me down /" Then, rushing from the throne, fell prostrate on the floor. There he lay during the long continued effervescence of the compound, spurting like ten thousand pennyworths of imperial pop, and believing himself in the agonies of death, a melancholy and humiliating proof that Kings are mortals. — Life at the Water Cure.

Rome. — Letters from Rome, of the 18th inst., state that the Sacred College offered every possible opposition to the measures of reform contemplated by the Pope and Cardinal Gizzi. His Holiness, however, was not to be deterred from his purpose and various -improvements in the civil administration and the organization of the municipal councils, long claimed by the population, were in progress of preparation. One of the Cardinals having observed to the Pope, that if he did not alter his system the people would demand a constitution, " And why should 1 not accede to their desire," replied his Holiness, " if a constitution were necessary to the welfare of my subjects 1" — Times. A French paper announces, that " on the 16th August, the great composer Rossini was united in the bonds of wedlock, at Bologna, to a Mademoiselle Olympe Pellissier." The lady had lived for sixteen years with the maestro. The brig Marquis of Chandos, which arrived the end of August in St. , Dock, has brought the first importation of beef from Russia. She brings 24,822 packages from Taganrog : each package is enclosed in a tin case, the contents weighing from about 8 pounds to 10 pounds each ; and the beef is pronounced, by good judges, to be of excellent quality. The wires of the electric telegraph connected with the Munich and Augsburg railroad have been covered with a coating invented by Professor Stenheil, of Munich, which possesses tlie virtue of protecting them from lightning; thereby greatly tending to prevent accidents. The Rhine and the Danube, and consequently the Black Sea and German Ocean, are now united by a canal just completed, called the " Ludwigs Kanal," after its creator the King of Bavaria ; who has thus realized, in our day, one of the vast conceptions nurtured eight hundred years ago in the brain of Charlemagne. A vessel of small burden, now sailing from Rotterdam or from London, may carry its cargo through Bavaria, Austria, Hungary, and Wallachia, even to Trebizond and Constantinople ; or if she be of large burden, may discharge her cargo at the mouth of the Rhine, and have it transhipped into smaller vessels at little expense. — Morning Herald. The coloured people of Washington have held a fair to raise 300 dollars to buy their preacher, who is a slave. The price, for a good preacher, is very cheap indeed. — New York Morning Post. The directors of the Eastern Counties Railway have offered to convey labourers a distance of five miles along their line for one penny each, night and morning. The Gazette announces that the Royal license has been granted to Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid, Bart., to use the title of Baron de Goldsmid and de Palmeira, conferred on him by the Queen of Portugal.

At Bologne, on the 10th August, great rejoicings took place on account of the Pope's amnesty to all Italian rebels and refugees ; and it should seem that his Holiness is perfectly sincere, and as determined as sincere, to improve the constitution of the Government of the States of which he is the .monarch, as Mr. Cobden was to overthrow the corn laws. A Paris letter states that Baron James de Rothschild had received from the King the Grand Cordon of the Legion of Honour. At the request of the Town Council the present Lord Provost of Edinburgh has consented to continue in office for the next three years. For the four pictures painted by Mr. Edwin Landseer, last year, "Refreshment," " The Stag at Bay," " Peace," and " War," he has received nearly £7000 ; tbat is, £2400 for the paintings, and £4450 for the rightsFrom Rome, it is stated, that a society of private individuals has presented to the Government a plan, by which they undertake to render the Tiber navigable to large vessels, as far as Ponte Felice. The quantity of sugar imported in the year ending the sth of April last was 6,025,771 cwt., of which 5,052,506 were entered for home consumption, and the net receipt of duty on sugar unrefined in the year wa5£3,480,158. The health of *' the three consuls" having been proposed at the dinner given by the Lord Mayor of London, to the trench Ambassador, the loastmaster bawled out, " The health of the Three per Cent. Consuls. Hip, hip, hip, hurrah," The Gazette Medicate de Paris states that Morison expended, between the years 1830 and 1844, the enormous sum of £108,000 sterling in advertising his pills. The total amount of money run for in Great Britain and Ireland, over one hundred and fifty-three different race courses, in year the 1839 exceeded in value the enormous sum of £143,204. The cost of stationery and printing for the two Houses of Parliament amounts to nearly £250,000 a-year. The coronation of Oscar I, and his consort Eugenia, daughter of Prince Eugene de Beauharnois, as King and Queen of Norway, is fixed to be held on the 15th of October next, on which occasion the Storthing will be convoked.

The Moon in Lord Rosse's Telescope. — With respect to the moon, every object on its surface of the height of one hundred feet was now distinctly to be seen ; and he had no doubt that, under very favorable circumstances, it would be so with objects sixty feet in height- On its surface were craters of extinct volcanoes, rocks, and masses of stones almost innumerable. He had no doubt whatever that if such a building as he was then in were upon the surface of the moon, it would be rendered distinctly visible by these instruments. But there were no signs of habitations such as onrs — no vestiges of architectural remains to show that the moon is or ever was inhabited by a race of mortals similar to ourselves. It presented no appearance which could lead to the supposition that it contained anything like the green fields and lovely verdure of this beautiful world of ours. There was no water visible — not a sea, or a river, or even the measure of a reservoir for supplying town or factory ; all seemed desolate. Hence would arise the reflection in the mind of the Christian — Why had this devastation been? It might be further inquired — Was it a lost world ? Had it suffered for its trangression 1 Analogy might suggest the question — Had it met the fate which Scripture told us was reserved for our world ? It was obvious that all this was mysterious conjecture. — Dr. Scoresby's Lecture on Astronomy.

The Parliamentary Printers. — After the labours of a piotracted session, the printers in the employ of Mr. Hansard, about 250 in number, went down to Brighton on Monday morning, and dined at the King and Queen, where an excellent dinner was provided for them. Mr. Hansard, who was staying at Brighton, occupied the chair. After the removal of the cloth the usual loyal and patriotic toasts were proposed ; after which the health of Mr. Hansard was given by the senior compositor, and it is perhaps needless to add, responded to with the utmost enthusiasm. We understand Mr. Hansard behaved most liberally to his men. They return to London this (Wednesday) evening. — Mor. Chron., Sept. 2. " It is confidently stated," says the Constitutionnel, " that the Bey of Tunis has informed the European representatives of his intention to proceed to new reforms in his states, and that amongst the measures which he proposes to introduce is the creation of a council of state to advise in all civil, commercial, and criminal matters. This institution is to resemble those of a similar character existing in Europe." Within the last two years Demerara has received 9,500 emigrants from Madeira.

A singular fraud was committed upon Mess. Coutts & Co. A person having a check for £5, increased the amount to £5,000, hy an obvious alteration, and succeeded in getting bank notes. This operation having been accomplished, he lost no time in going to the Bank of England, and changing a part at least of tfis newly acquired notes for gold. Changes in the Names of Streets. — The following streets have lately received different names from those they have generally been known by, causing a great deal of confusion to strangers, as well as the miscarriage of parcels, letters, &c. We therefore subjoin the more recent of the alterations for the information of our readers :—Charlottestreet, Bedlord-square, and Plumtree-street, Holborn, are now called Bloomsbury-street ; Hanover-street (Long Acre), Belton-street, and the Bowl- yard, are united, and called 'JSndell-street; Petticoat-lane, Whitechapel, now bears the name of Middlesex-street; Water-lane* Fleet-Street, is now called Whitefriars-street-; Monmouth-street, Sf Giles's, is now Dudley-street ; Leg-alley, •Long-acre, 'is now Langley-court ; and Phoe-nix-alley is Hanover-court ; Charles-street, Covent-garden, is now called Wellington-street North.

Nitrate of Potash. — It appears that arrangements on a large scale have been made on the west coast of Africa for obtaining nitrate of potash, of which, ere long, cargoes will be received here. The precise locality is still a secret, but we hear that a two-mile railway has been sent out to facilitate the transport of this valuable deposit to the coast. Some parties, who were the first to obtain the secret, sent out vessels on their own account, and others, who also fortunately discovered the locality, imparted their knowledge to those inclined for the venture upon certain terms, the remuneration being contingent on the return of the ship with a cargo of the material. There is at present no means of estimating the pro- : table importance of the speculation, or whether the nitrate will prove as good as expected, al- j though some of the samples shown in the City are decidedly approved of. The first Guano ship left England, we believe, on the 12th September, 1843, and it was then little thought that the result wouhl Le so important as #t once to find employmei.t for whole fleets of merchantmen which wera pi eviously unable to obtain freights, and by rendering shipping scarce, to have a material effect in raising its value. The present discovery may prove scarcely less important, and independent of its own immediate results, the stimulus which successful enterprise gives to renewed exertion and discoveries will doubtless be felt in a most remarkable degree. No doubt the coast of Africa and other unfrequented parts of the world offer many valuable chemical products to the research of the bold and scientific man. — London Paper. A revolting misdeed was lately brought to | light. A young man, said to be respectably; dressed, left a large pie to be baked at a shop, No. 1, Nassau-street, Middlesex Hospital ; but as it was not called for up to Thursday and a strong effluvium began to be felt, the' crust was raised : the contents were found to be the remains of a newly born child. A woman at Chatham is strongly suspected of having thrown an infant into a coke-oven ! She was seen to thrust something into the flames during the night ; in the morning the form of a child's skeleton was seen on the coke, but the remains crumbled to ashes when touched. Orimaldi — the Grimaldi — told me of his acting one night at Saddler's Wells, when a singer who was not very note rious for paying his debts, or overstocked with modesty, was accosted by a man in the pit, who stood up on one of the benches whilst he was singing " Poor Jack," and loudly bellowed forth — " Sir, you owe me fifteen shillings !" "I know it," replied the singer, stepping forward, and bending over the footlights, " and if you will lend me five more, I shall owe you a pound." The audience applauded the wit of the singer, and compelled the impudent creditor to retreat, accompanied by a shower of hisses and orange peel. — Ainsworth's Mag.