ENGLISH NEWS. [From the Australian.]

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume III, Issue 167, 6 March 1847, Page 4

ENGLISH NEWS. [From the Australian.]

The Spectator, of October 3, says — Tl c tumuli in Ireland increases. Some pans are in a state of permanent liot, anl the first blood has -been shed. Notwithstanding the laudable spirit that lias been observed, the difficulties presented by the peuple themselves appear to grow with the emergency. This is not said in the way of blame, which would he quite idle; but it is very necessary distinctly to note the fact. The pet pie, no doubt, are driven to the verge of starvation, and much may be pardoned to tl*e struggles of desperation., to the del rium of physical suffering: but it is painful to sec the manner in which the whole nation receives the aid extend d to it. In Belgium and the north of France the potatoe crop is reported to be not only good, but abundant ; the uusound crop of last year being succeeded by one perfectly healthy. Tlu great subject of discussion in Paris has been a communication maJe by Loid Normanby, the British Ambassador, to M. Guizot. The correspondent of the 'limes, who professes to be well-informed, gives this description of it. It expressed in the most energetic terms the hostility oi the British Government to the Montpensier marriage as being in direct contraventu n of the treaty of Utrecht; meanwhile the preparations for the marriage continued without interruption. The Pope's dispensation had been received in Madrid. Thirty thousand dollars had been expended in unpjving and barricading the Plaza Mayor for a bull-fight, as part of tie festival; the performers in the circus weie to he grandees of Spain, ailed and protected by professional buil-fighters. The Scientific Congress, lately assembled I at Geuoj, appointed Rome for us next place of meeting, subject to the appioval of the Papal Govtrnment. Ou the resolution being submitted to Pius IX., lie immediately gave it his fu 1 sanction 1 Captain Warner's " long range" has been submitted to the test of a hi^h artillery o ficer, by consent, the Treasury having appropriated .£1,500 to defray the expenses ol the experiments. The new Pope has revived the old claim to 4he Patrimony of St. Peter, which includes Ravenna and a large territory of Italy. The bequest to the saint was made by King Pepin, father of Charlemagne, by which the ri s ht to a temporal sceptre was added to the possession of the celestial keys. His Holiness (the French papers say) does not insist upon actual tenitorial possession, but only of the admission of his right, as the successor of St. Peter, to his predecessor's property. The 37th Regiment is under orders to proceed to Van Diemeu*s Land, ta relieve the 96th, expected to relieve the 18J) in China. The Lords Curamissioners of the Admiralty, ha\e gazetted a scheme of retirement intended to extend to all Captains of the Royal Navy, of seniority prior to 1b.27, who had reached 55 years (or in seme cases 50 years, "} and communicated the same to each officer by letter, dated the 7th of Septemb.-r, had extended the time for officers sending in their names until the Ist November, the retired pay commencing from Ist of October, as originally intended. The Times Commissioner is exploring the Highlands of Scotland, and enquiring into the ■condition of the people. He attributes the reason of their poverty, amongst other causes, to their want of industry , and the effects oi the absurd law of heritage. Accounts from Berlin state that the price of food in Prussia is extremely high, the rye crop having failed. Mr. Seigeant Adams, as Judge at the Middlesex Sessions,, characteiised the criminal law of England affecting children, as being in such a state as was disgraceful even to the aborigines of New Zealand ; observing, that it was most extraordinary that a nation which now boasted of its free trade, the spiead ol knowledge, and its public charity, should allow it to remain, iv such a condition. It has been calculated, that when all the railways now ended and begun, and including these not begun but which have received the sanction of Pailiament, are finished, and supposing them to cross Englan I in straight lines latitudinally and longitudinally, at equal distances (like the lines »f a dice board), the greatest distances the railways would be from each other would be about forty miles ; that i^ to say, that na person coukl then reside any where more than 20 miles distance from* railroad ; while the great bulk of the people would reside at distances varying from a few rods to 19 miles.

A company lias just lieen formed for the nn\igaiion of tbe Volga by steam. A Dutch engineer, named Roiitgen, constructed an iron steamer of 250 hors-e power, o:.ly drawing two-and-a-half feet water, and hail it conveyed i i pieces to Ryhinsk, where it was joined ingeil er and launched. It has been called the V<>lg.: t and is employed in towing vessels of a peculiar construction to suit the river. The distance from R\bin«k to Samora was done on the first trip in l(i£ days, which formerly took between three and Sour mouths. The French inhabitants of Cairo have just placed on the terrace oi the bouse where Kleher was assassinated a grat.ite column., supporting a bust of the General, with thr following inscription: — "Jean Haptisie Kb her, General-in-Chief of the army in Egypt, born at Strashur^ in 1754, died in ilii> house, June 1 1, 1800." Below ihe inscription is a medallion bearing the names of the various victories which be had gained. It is openly stated that the Duke of Wellington made known to Lord John Russell that he miW look out lor a new Commauderin- Chief if the MiuiMiy agri ed to the dcm«ii).l of the whole nat'ou for the aholiiir.n of flogging in the army ; and such was the terror of the threat ot Hie great Captain, that Loid John succumbed. Tbe noble high spirit oi tl.e Queen h said to have been routed at this, and to have loudly declared In r wis.li '* that tbe Hou>e of Commons would agree to Dr. Bowling's motion, for there was no want of Cummaiiders-in-Cl ief." B:t Lord John quailed; yet he acceded to the Duk-e but shabbily, fur in ihe course of h s speech it esc.ped him that he di I not quite like the Horse Guards retaining the power of torture. He tiid not attempt to answer Capuin LuyardV remaik, "what is to prevent ihe dull of farrteis- at flogging a stuffl'd sack from giving each lu&h an interval of one minute! so that the torture ot fifty laches will be of near an hour's duiat on ?" Tie Committee of the testimonial to Mr. Cohden, having decided upon preset* ting him with one bank not*, for the Mini of £100,000, the Directors of ' the Bank of Englard have caused a New Plate to be engraved, in whit h the circumstance is recited : they have also caused auoiher o oue thousand pounds to be tngraved, bearing the same words, with the addition that it was engraved I'jr the purpose of striking off one bundled notes in payment of the one bank note presented by bis grateful country to Richard Cobden. The .surplus, which is called at about £20,000, is to he expended in the erection of oleli.^ks in London, Dublin, Edinburgh, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, and Birmingham, commemorating Mr. Cob.den's services. Thestatueol O'Coiniel, l>y Hogan, eight feet higl 1 , had ar.ived iti Dublin from Home. The Duke de Montpeu.Mer ;tnd his brother the Duke de'Aumale have received a very cordial reception in all the Spani>h towns on their way to Madr'd. where th«-y t ere expected to arrive on Tue.«.day. The marriag-s will lake place on .Saturday.. — The prot< st of the British Government a^ains the m image of the Duke de Montpen.-ier and the lufan a of Spain embraced these ohjectl us — the marriage of the Infanta before the Queen, her sister, liad issue; the treaty of Utrecht, and the right of England to itueifere in a question which was not merely a domestic one, but of general and Euiopean interest.

The Alpaca.. — Flora a Lima letter we learn that by a late decree of the government, the exportation of Alpacas ha* been prohibited. A commercial firm requested thei" agent in South Ara.'iica, to invest £'200 in Alpaca sheep, and send them ly the first opportunity to tl is c-lony ; but the reply is that the* can only be purchased at Aiica, and that permission could only be obtained ior the exportation tf about half-a-dozen. The price of Alpacas at Arica is from G to 8 dollais per head. We shall be gratified to learn that the enterprise of this local firm has procured even six of this kind of bliee p, which in a climate so congenial, and with a great abundance of suitable food, would increase rapid!}. — Launceston Examiner.