ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume V, Issue 376, 10 March 1849, Page 4

ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

The Honble. and Key. Gerard Wellesly, younger brother of the Duke of Wellington, and Kector of Bishop's Wearmouth, and •Canon of Durham, died at Bishop's Wearmouth, on the 21st October, in his 72nd year. Present to Her Majesty. — A very beautiful specimen of an exceedingly rare breed of dogs has recently arrived at the Queen's private kennel at Windsor, being a present from Lord Hardinge to her Majesty. The dog is of a black and tan colour, of amazing strength, and weighs upwards of 12Olbs. It was presented by Gholab Singh to Mr. Lawrence, the resident political agent of the English Government of Lahore. Two of these peculiar dogs were transmitted by Gholab Singh to Mr. Lawrence; but this largest and by far the more handsome of the two, was selected for transmission to the Queen. — Observer, Sept. 25. The New 2s. Piece. — This new coin, the two- shilling piece, or "florin," is now, no doubt, in general circulation in England. The obverse is the Queen's head, and is the same (the lettering excepted) as that of the new five-shilling piece, of winch so much has been said of its beauty, but of which the public has seen little. The reverse is different : ■less mediaeval in character, and hardly, to our thinking, as good. The woikmanship, however, is excellent. We have now in our possession of the new coins^ a piece tach of the following — the silver l|d. and Id. ; and the ■copper §, '|, f , and l-16th of a farthing. Cholera. — Still its presence can scarcely be said to excite apprehension. Cases -have occurred in various parts of England, and in the metropolis itself, which are certified by medical men to be true instances of Asiatic cholera. The disease jumps from place to place in a manner strongly supporting the ■*•• non-contagious" theory ; and a further argument in' the same direction is supplied by th'e fact that almost invariably, where the disease has appeared, it has been precisely in those foul localities where it might have been expected. These cases, isolated, and comparatively few, may be only the precursors of

more fatal ravages hereafter. But as the matter stands at present, so little alarm is felt about the disease, that were it not for the industry of the Registrar-General, and of the newspaper writers, and the ingenuity with which the latter impart the indigo tint to the simplest faot, we might be in utter ignorance that the disease was amongst us at all. The deaths are below the usual average, and other diseases carry off victims to a much larger extent than the cholera. The newspapers have, been making merriment of the awful subject. The obscure and even unintelligible directions circulated by authority, in which you are ordered to buy this, that, or the other, though often unattainable, have come in for their share of quizzing ; and the Quarantine Board has been a standing joke. In truth, there was ground enough for surprise. A conflict of jurisdiction took place between that board and the "parvenu" Board of Health. The Quarantine Board had the disease duly ticketed, " contagious," and put under quarantine all vessels coming from suspected ports. The Board of Health favour the non-contagious theory, and base all their recommendations upon it. Of course the Quarantine Board could not be expected to take any notice of the upstart, and so the country beheld the absurd anomaly of vessels from Hamburg being kept in quarantine in a part of the river unhealthy enough to have generated the disease, while vessels from Hull, where the disease had broken out, found no impediment but London-bridge. The absurdity was soon apparent, and the order of the Quarantine Board reversed by the Privy Council. Meanwhile we may be thankful that we can think of such trivial adjuncts. Nay, we would almost be ready to deify this dreadful scourge, if the end be that he shall have only come, like another Hercules, to cleanse another Augean stable. — Atlas, Oct. 21.

The Vintage of 3 848 in France. — The vintage in France was expected to commence rather generally yesterday in the Cote dOr, but the cold days recently have retarded the ripening of the grape, and it is feared, that there may be too much haste. The wines of 1848 are described as being likely to prove of good quality, fine in colour, and of an alcoholic richness superior to the 1847 vintage. There will be less acidity than was expected, and if anything the character will be rather too hard, although this is known to be more favourable to its keeping. From the canton ofPoissywe are advised the growers were generally satisfied with the quality .and the yield, although the latter does not exceed two-thirds of that of 1847, which was complained of as being too large to ensure remunerating prices. — London Correspondent of Leeds Mercury, Sept. 30.

Sir J. Frankxin*& the Arctic Voyagers. — It is a week only since we afforded our readers the last probable glimpse of the exploring party who have gone out in search of a solution of the mystery that hangs over the fate of Sir John Franklin, previously to their issuing again from the mysterious ground on which that solution is to be sought ; and now, for the first time since the missing adventurers were lost sight of, at the threshold of that same ground, an indication of their whereabouts has suddenly turned up. A letter, just received by the Admiralty, from Chief Factor Macpherson, dated March 1, 1848, says : " There is a report from Peel's River that the Esquimaux saw two large boats (query ships ?) to the east of the Mackenzie River, full of white men ; and they (the Esquimaux) showed knives, files, &c, to the Peel's Rirer Indians, which they had received from these white men. Could these have been Franklin or Rae ?" Mr. Hargrave, of York Factory, to whom Mr. Macpherson's letter is addressed, says, in communicating this intelligence to the Admiralty : " It could not have been Rae in his last expedition, as his boats did not go beyond Committee Bay." Mr. Hargrave adds, that "But little credence can be given to Esquimaux reports." We do not see, however, any good reason for rejecting a rumour so welcome, and we gladly give it publicity. Presuming that the boats or ships seen were those of Franklin's expedition, their position, even east of the Mackenzie, is good as regards success, and better still as respects safety, since they must have been very near the coast. It has been ascertained that open water exists, during the summer season, from the Mackenzie River to Behring's Straits ; and we therefore dare venture to hope that the expedition may have effected the long desired, north-west passage fhis summer, and that the gallant party may be even at this moment approaching our shores. The anxiety respecting the lost party had grown finally to be very great, and the public will cling eagerly to the hope so suddenly presented. A very short time must test its value. — Menaum, Oct. 14.

Pitcairns Island. — In publishing the following extract of a letter from Captain Worth, of her Majesty's ship Calypso, at Pitcairns Island, we need scarcely remind

our readers that it was the spot to which the mutineers of the Bounty, under Fletchei Christian, the mate, steered that ship, in the year 1789, when Captain Bligh. on the 28tt April, was turned adrift with 18 hands, in an open boat on the wide ocean, soraewherejieai the Friendly Islands: — "We arrived neve on the 9th March (1848), from Callao, bul the weather being very bad, stormy, and squally, and, as you know, there is no landing, except in a small nook, called Bounty Bay, and very frequently not even there — in- ! deed never in ships' boats, from the violence of the surf — I did not communicate with the , shore till the next day, when, having landed ' safely all the presents I brought for the inhabitants from Valparaiso, I landed myself with half the officers and youngsters, the ship standing off and on, there being no anchorage. I made the officers divide the day between them, one half on shore, the other on board ; so they were gratified with visiting these interesting people. I never was so gratified by such a visit, and would rather have gone there than to any part of the world. I would write you a long letter, but time presses, * * and I will only now say they are the most interesting, contented, moral, and happy people that can be conceived. Their delight at our arrival was beyond anything; the comfort, peace, strict morality, industry, and excessive cleanliness and neatness that was apparent about everything around them, was really such as I was not prepared to witness ; their learning and attainments in general education and information was really astonishing ; all dressed in English style ; the men a fine race, and the women and children very pretty, and their manner really of a superior order, ever smiling and joyous ; but one mind and one wish seems to actuate them all. Crime appears to be unknown, and if there is really true happiness on earth it surely is theirs ; the island is romantic and beautiful ; the soil of the richest description, yielding almost every tropical fruit and vegetable ; in short, it is a little paradise. I examined their laws, added a few to them, assembled them all in the church, and addressed them, saying, how gratified I was to find them in the happy state they were, advising them to follow in the steps of virtue and rectitude they had hitherto done, and they would never want the the sympathies of their countrymen (». c. English), who were most interested about them. I added such advice as I thought useful, and such suggestions as would of course be to their advantage. It was really affecting to see these primitive and excellent people both old and young, 140 in the whole, looking up to me, and almost devouring all I said, with eager attention, and with scarcely a dry eye amongst them ; and, " albeit unused to the melting mood," I found a moisture collecting in my own which I could scarcely restrain, they were so. grateful, so truly thankful, for all kindnesses that had from time to time been shown them, and the interest in their welfare shown by us and our countrymen. I had all the men and most of the women on board ; but there was such a sea on that the poor girls were dreadfully sea-sick. I fired some guns and let off rockets on the night of our departure, and they returned the compliment by firing an old ho-ney-combed gun belonging to the Bounty. I set them completely up — gave them lOOlbs. of powder, an ensign and union-jack, casks of salt beef and pork, implements of agriculture of all kinds, clothes, books, &c. ; and sailed, on the evening of the 11th, for Tahiti." — Bell's Messenoer.

Origin of Letters of Marque. — In the year 1295 a very remarkable circumstance occurred, which is particularly deserving of attention, as it is supposed to be the first instance of the grant of what are called " Letters of Marque and Reprisal." Bernard D'Ongressill, a merchant of Bayonne, then part of the dominions of the King of England, was the owner of a ship belonging to that place, called the St. Mary, laden with almonds, raisins, and figs, which vessel, while on her passage from Barbary to England, was driven by stress of weather into Lagos, in Portugal. When at anchor, some armed Portuguese — "sons of perdition" — came from Lisbon, boarded the vessel, robbed D'Ongres- | sill and the crew, and took the ship and cargo to that city. The King of Portugal having received one-tenth part of the spoil, the remainder was divided among tho rohbers. , By this proceeding D'Ongressill said he had I lost £700, and he prayed Sir John of Brittany, then lieutenant of Gascony, to grant him letters of marque ; literally ," license of marking men and subjects of the kingdom of Portugal, and especially those of Lisbon, and their goods, by land and sea," until he had obtained compensation. The king's lieute-, nant accordingly, in June, 1295, granted D'Ongressill, his heirs, successors, and descendants, authority for five years " to mark, retain, and appropriate" the people of Portugal, and especially those of Lisbon, and their goods, wheresoever they might be found, an-

til he bad obtained satisfaction. This licenn was confirmed by the king on the 3rd Octo< ber ; but with the condition that it sboulc cease as soon as restitution had been m>de and that, if D'Ongressill took more than hi had lost, he should answer for the surplus.— Sir Harris JSicholas's History of the Royat Navy.

Cro3se's Patent for Turning Sali Water into Fresh by Electricity, — We have just had the pleasure of drinking a goblet of water, taken from the sea at Margate, as sparkling and aqueable as if drawn from the best pump in London ; indeed it was impossible to tell the difference. The water had been previously distilled in the usual way, and then treated by the- simple galvanic process, as patented by Mr. Crosse. This invention of the great galvanist is hardly to be surpassed in usefulness by any of the important discoveries of this wonderful age, and for emigrant ships, and others on long voyages, it will be invaluable. — The Emigrant.

Ignorance is the most Formidable Obstacle to Improvement. — Of all the obstacles to improvement ignorance is the most formidable, because the only true secret of assisting the poor is by making them agents in bettering their own condition, and to supply them, not with a temporary stimulus, but with a permanent energy. As fast as the standard of intelligence is raised, the poor become more and more able to co-operate in any plan proposed for their advantage, and more likely to listen to any reasonable suggestion, and more able to understand, and therefore more willing to pursue it. Hence it follows, that when gross ignorance is once removed, and right principles are introduced, a great advantage has been already gained against poverty. Many avenues to an improved condition are opened to one whose faculties are enlarged and exercised ; he sees his own interest more clearly, he pursues it more steadily, and he does not study immediate gratification at the expense of bitter and late repentance, or mortgage the labour of his future life without an adequate return. Indigence, therefore, will rarely be found in. company with good education. — Archbishop's Sumner's "Records of Creation."

-An Artful Thief. — Marie Antoinette, of France, was passionately fond of the opera. She once played Suzanna in -the Marriage of Figaro, in the private theatre at the palace. Opposite the Queen's box at the opera house, one evening, sat the wife of a rich banker, bedizened with jewels, and sporting a pair of magnificent diamond bracelets ; and so anxious was she to attract the notice of the Queen, that she leaned her hand upon the velvet cushion of the box that the jewels might be fully seen. Her movements did not escape the notice of the Queen. She cast several significant glances at the lady," who was delighted with the homage paid to her brilliants. In the course of the evening a servant, wearing the Queen's livery, knocked at the door of the box, and with_ many compliments to the lady, and apologies from the Queen, begged that the latter might have a closer view of one of her bracelets, which had so much occupied the public attention and admiration. In a moment it was unclasped and delivered to the Queen's messenger. The banker's wife soon discovered that it was an ingenious thief, who had observed her movements and efforts to attract the attention of the Queen, and had thus obtained the bracelet. The police were soon apprised of the loss, and next morning, while at breakfast, she was made happy by receiving a note from the Commissioner of Police, stating that the thief and the bracelet had both been captured, and requiring her either to send the other bracelet by the sub-lieutenant of police and attendants, to identify the one recovered, or to come herself with it to the bureau. She was en negligee, and psgferred giving the other bracelet to the officer, with many cautions of care ; but she found in an hour or two that both her bracelets had gone! The rogue who had obtained one at the theatre had managed to possess himself of the other. ' "

A Rebel Gridiron. — A man who went to Coolnamuck Wtfod a day or two ago for timber, describes a scene which he witnessed, as follows : — There was a. body of men lying in the wood, who had plenty of provisions — among the rest, some sheep, one of v/hich they killed and cut into two parts ; then taking an iron gate from its hinges, they placed it on ah immense fire of wood, and laid on the mutton to broil.