MISCELLANEOUS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume v, Issue 417, 1 August 1849, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS.

Admiral Napier's Expedition to the Rife Coast.— The Madrid papers of the 18th ultimo, contain a letter from Gibraltar, of the 21st, which states that Sir C. Napier and the squadron had returned there on the previous day from an expedition to the coast of Rife, which they had reached on the 18th. It states that they were received hostilely, all the shore being covered with savage hordes, who crowned the heights and sheltered themselves behind rocks, firing cannon shot on the steamer Polyphemus, which was withdrawn. This hostile appearance of the population is said to have been occasioned by the preparations they were making for an attack on the Spanish possession of Melilla, which place Admiral Napier visited, and, according to this letter, received from the Governor the promise of his decided co-operation ; though he considered the position and numbers of the Bedouins too powerful to be attacked by their small force, and that other measures should be taken. Sir C. Napier is said to have been of the same opinion, and for that reason returned to Gibraltar. — Liverpool Albion, March 12.

Monster Visit to Paris. — It is said that an association of gentlemen is in the course of formation, and will be speedily formed, for the purpose of returning the visit of the French National Guards to London. In less than a month several thousand Englishmen will proceed to Paris and remain there a week. In order to secure the necessary accommodation and regularity, whole hotels will be hired at Paris, special trains on the railwiys in both countries engaged, and steam boats chartered for the occasion. — Daily News. The war between Austria and Sardinia had actually recommenced. The mediation of France and England between the King of Naples and the Sicilian insurgents was understood to have failed, and the English and French fleets had left for Palermo, where a large Neapolitan force was hourly expected. Professor Jackson is the new Lord Rector of the University of St. Audrews.

Border Marriages. — We announced a few days ago, that Mr. Henry Collins, the celebrator of border marriages at Lambertonhall, had died suddenly, after having officiated for upwards of 20 years in that capacity. The Kelso Chronicle, in noticing the same fact, says that, taking as an average 300 marriages per annum, he had united the goodly number of 6000 couplei. It then adds :— "if the following questions could be answered, what a curious piece of statistical information would they furnish.! How many of these 6000 were married without their parents' consent ? How many of these had never seen each other pievious to the day of marriage ? How many of -hese,, lived happily afterwards,? To these mgpy might be added. For instance, how

often was the ' priest 1 drunk at the performance of the ceremony ? and many others, if properly answered, which would equally interest and startle. The fees paid tor his services were generally left to the happy couple's own discretion. For a navvie the gpneral charge is 7s. 6d , while some runaway heiresses give £5, but taking as an average 10s. per couple (below the usual average) the fees realized would amount to £150 per annum. During the year 1848 the marriages celebrated were 330." There are several candidates in the field for the situation.

Serious Charge against Mr. Hudson. — a very strange statement with regard to Mr. George HucUon appears in a report of a meeting of the York, Newcastle, and Berwick Railway, which was held at York on Monday last. The charge publicly made against Mr. Hudson is — that he, being chairman of the York, Newcastle, and Berwick Railway, had sold to that company 2800 shares in the Great North of England line at prices averaging £5 per share above what they might have been bought at in the market. If this accusation be true, Mr. Hudson coolly pocketed at oue swoop £14,000 at the cost of those whose interests he was bound to protect. A committee has been appointed to investigate the affair. Mr. Hudson is — or was, until a day or two back — chairman, we believe, of the Eastern Counties, the Midland, and ihe York, Newcastle, and Berwick railways, representing a capital of between 30 and 40 millions. Following the example of the York, Newcastle, and Berwick, the Eastern Counties shareholders have also appointed a committee to inquire into all the affairs and accounts of the company. The meeting at which this resolu'ion was arrived at, was held on Wednesday at the London Tavern. Mi. Hudson, who should, as chairman, have presided, was absent. A letter was read to the meeting, announcing his intention to resign the post of chairman, in which he informs the shareholders " that they were in a ruined condition as to stock and credit when he joined them." — Bell's Messenger, March 5.

State of Canada. — Our readers will not easily forget the song of triumph which Mr. Hawes sang upon Canadian affairs, in the debate upon Mr. Baillie's motion. "1 have this day received," said he, "a letter from Canada, announcing the existence of perfect tranquillity and contentment with the Government" — as though he had said, "look at Canada, and be thankful that you have got a Colonialoffice," It is no wonder that be made much of that letter; if Canada were really in a stat*of "perfect tranquillity and contentment," she would form the one green spot in a wide waste of colonial anarchy and discontent. But, alas! Canada is not in that state. It is very far from being that oasis in the desert which Mr. Hawes, or his correspondent, describes so invitingly. On the contrary, not only is the province, according to the accounts last received, on the verge of a war of laces, but there is too much reason to fear that the Colonial-office is virtually committed to take that side in the contest, by supporting which it will inflict the mo^t deadly blow on the authority of the British Government, and on the integrity of the Empire. The facts which have taken place and which are, at this moment, producing an excitement of international animosity that has never been paralleled since the Rebellion, are simply these — Mr. Lafontaine, Prime Minister of the colony, had introduced, before the departure of the mail — and the Provincial Parliament was rapidly passing — a bill for appropriating £200,000 of public money as compensation for damage done to the persons and properties of rebels, during the years 1837-8 ; and thero is every reason to apprehend that the English part of the population are about to resist, in arms, the collection of a tax for that purpose. We will not weary our readers with a list of the items into, which this preposterous charge is divided. Some, no doubt, may be made on behalf of perfectly innocent individuals, who suffered during the anarchy.of those times, and who have a bona fide claim for redress; butamong them we find, also, incredible as it may appear, a charge " for loss of time, and inconvenience incuired by a voyage to Van Diemen's Land and back," on the partof men condemned to transportation by the courts of law, and recently brought back by an act ot royal clemency ; and there is another (to the amount of £23,000) for damage done to ihe house and propeay of WolJred Nelson — the house having been fortified and defended against the Queen's troops, acting in her name, aud the damage having been inflicted by order of her officers, in consequence of that defence. We can hardly trust ourselves to comment on such an outrage against propriety as this proposal involves ; certainly a more direct blow was never struck at, the fundamental principles of government, nor was a more flagrant insult ever offered to the name and authority of the Queen. — Mqrn. Chronicle, March 19. Suspension Bridge at Pesth. — The Pesth Suspension Bridge, which is erected

over the Danube at Pesth, was commenced in 1840, according to the designs and under the direction of William Tiern^y Clark, civil engineer, and has just been completed at a cost of £650,000. This bridge, which for magnitude of design and beauty of proportions stands first among suspension bridges, has a clear waterway of 1250 feet, the centre span or opening being 670 feet. The height of the suspension towers from the foundation is 200 feet, being founded in 50 feet of water. The bridge was opened for the first -time, not to an ordinary public, but to a retreating army, on the sth of January, 1848, by which the stability of the structure was put to the most severe test, which cannot be better described than by referring to the letter of a correspondent, who writes — " First came the Hungaiians in full retreat and in the greatest disorder, hotly pursued by the victorious Imperialists ; squadrons of cavalry aod artillery in full gallop, backed by thousands of infantry — in fact, the whole platform one mass of mo ing soldiers; and during the first two days, 60,000 Imperial troops, with 270 pieces of cannon, passed over the bridge." This fact cannot but be of importance to the scientific world, since it proves that suspension bridges, when properly constructed and trussed according to the t'esign of Mr. Clark, may be erected in the most exposed places, while their cost in comparison with stone bridges iscorapatatively insignificant. The Chairman and Court of Directors of the ho». East India Company gave a grand complimentary dinner to General Sir Charles Napier, on the eve of his departure to assume the (unctions of Commander-in-Chief of the army in India. The Great Britain, steam ship, has been sold for £20,000. The late owners have compromised with the insurers to save law expenses, and are to receive £10111 :16s. or about 55 per cent, on the sum insured. In the obituary of the 3rd March, we observe that the eminent mercantile ship builder, Mr. Green, had died in the 82nd year of his age. He is stated to have expended upwards of £100,000 in founding charitable institutions in the neighbourhood in which he resided, and in acts of benevolence to the poor, by whom his memory will long be cherished. At Upleathan Hall, the Ea;l of Zetland's seat in Yorkshire, there have been laid down nine hundred feet of glass water pipes, forming the longest line of glass tubes that has yet been placed in England. The Emperor of Russia has lately presented to Sir W. S. Harris, F.R.S., a magnificent ring, richly set in diamonds, and iurther embellished with the Imperial cipher, as a mark of his Majesty's high sense of the value of Sir W. Snow Harris's scientific labours. An Albany journal states that splendid imitations of California gold were being manufactured in that city, out of brass filings and sand, for the purpose of cheating " the greenhorns frnm the States on their first arrival in those diggius." The Rev. Joseph Shaw, 8.D., senior fellow, and formerly tutor of Christ's College, has been elected Master, in the room of the Bishop of Chester, resigned. The proceeds of the Lind concert, in Manchester, in aid of the Royal Infirmary, were £2772 7s. 6d., to which should be added c donation of £105, by Mr. Glendenning, making £2877 7s. 6d. The expenses will not exceed £400. The Good Service Pension, vacated by the promotion of Rear-Adrairal W. F. Carroll, C.8., has been bestowed upon Commodore Sir J. Gordon Breraer, X.C.8., K.C.H., late Superintendent of Woolwich Dockyard, lie is only the eighth in seniority from the top of the list. Mr. Dickens' new Christmas work " The Haunted Man," has just been published in New York, price, six cents f A writer in the Medical Times statesthat in nearly every mounted regiment in India, these are members of the medical profession who have been compelled to enter the army, as private soldiers. The new French postage stamps closely, resemble the English, as the Republic is, symbolized by a lemale head, and they ajre of similar size and colour. The Irish Hue and ,Cry maintains its- character. Mr. Creig has lost a horse with,, " a white s.tar on forehead which is very badly j shod;" Patrick Quinn "has brown eyeS| which lost the toes off the right foflt ; " and John White has "greyeyts which wor,e a { fustian jacket !" ;

Curious Erratum. — The editor of aj country paper, speaking of the people of | France, says, in a beautiful fulminating lead-i er, '* When the Provisional Government pro-] raised the labouring classes that they should never again want either work or high wage?,, them asses actually believed it." We, thought; this rather strong* and a little ungrammaticaj,, when the.ne.*t week's jpaper contaiued thefol-, lowingj — {* JBrmttumt-rVoT * thj^m in

our last, read ' the masses.' " However there is a deal of coarse truth wrapped up in a bit of bad grammar sometimes. For ours Ires, we decidedly prefer " them asses." — Punch. The Golden Age come at Last. — It seems that the people at California are digging up gold a( such a rate that we may expect to have the precious metal so precious cheap, that gold, instead of being a mere mineral, will become a drug in the market. This really golden opportunity that has thus presented itself to the peop'e of California has embarrassed the goverumeut to an awful extent, for everybody is running away to dig gold, except the Governor himself, who, at the date of our last despatch, was blacking his own boots, cooking his own dinner, and making his own bed, becaue all his servants had taken it into their head to "run for gold" leaving him to enjoy his oiium cum dig., while they were engaged on a dig of a more profitable character. It is horribly tantalising to his unfortunate Excellency, who would gladly turn excavator on his own account, in a soil of such unprecedented richness ; but a feeling of what is due to his position prevents him from abdicating bis post of trust and honour for the purpose of securing what may be due to his pocket. Everybody is clearing his hundreds a-day, except the Governor, who finds himself " alone in his glory," and is compelled to do all the official work by himself, as well as the domestic woik of government house ! for there is not a functionary, from his highest secretary to his lowest stable boy, that will stop with him on the government pay, when the gold mines present a scale of remuneration so very much above what the public coffers can furnish. We are daily expecting to hear that the Governor can stand it no longer, but that he is gone in with the rest of them for a share of the golden harvest that is being reaped in California. — Punch. Mr. Punch yesterday honoured the Home Secretary with an audience. Sir George Grey came to consult Mr. Punch as to the most eligible method of disposing of rogues ami thieves. He said he was completely puzzled to know what to do with them. To maintain them at home was oat ot the question. You could net, consistently with humanity, treat them worse than paupers. Mr. Punch agreed that you could not. On the other hand, it was iniquitous to put the poojr on a level with felons. In this opinion also Mr. Punch coincided. Our colonies objected to the reception of convicts ; and there was no knowing where to send them. You could not hang them off now-a-days, as you did formerly ; besides, that plan was found not to answer. What was to be done? Hereupon Mr. Punch scratched his head ; but the Minister desiring him not to do tbat, but to speak out if he had any thing to say, Mr, Punch at once declared that if he were in the place of Government, he should send the rascals to California — he meant, of course, those only who were utterly incorrigible. Punch explained to Sir George Grey, that confirmed villains are a sort of human rubbish, which no respectable colony w,ould like to have shot upon its territories. California, lie said, was a sort of Nomans Land, and such rubbish might lawfully be shot there. It might seem strange to send criminals to the gold diggings by way of punishment. But they would be obliged to work like slaves lor every morsel of food. Not a bite or sup was to be had for love, and could only be got for a great deal of money. The life would be as hard as that of Norfolk Island, and the company not much better. The gold-seekers lived in hourly fear of each other. The hand of every man was against his neighbour's throat. Here was starvation, hard labour, and constant terror. Added to this, there was the pangs of frequent disappointment; for all was not gold that glittered : and iron pyrites was often mistaken for the precious metal. Furthermore, there was the chances of being scalped, and the great probability of being destroyed by fever. Send a convicfto California, and he would not be likely ever to return and .trouble yo,u. '1 be Sovereign of Tartarus had not a , more wretched place in his dominions, nor even, perhaps, had the Potentate w,ho owns Siberia. Yes, Punch would certainly transport all desperate offenders — none others — to the Mormon Diggings. The Home Secretary thought there w,as ,a great Jeal in the suggestion of Mr. P c unch t and would not say that be had no intentipn, at some period which ,might be more or less distant, of founding thereon a certain proposal, which he might not impossibly submit, to the House of Commons. — Punch.