MISCELLANEOUS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VI, Issue 448, 17 November 1849, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

The Queen was making a series of visits to the high nobility. She had been to the Duke of Norfolk's and the Marquis of Westminster's, and was next to honour the Duke of Sutherland. A serai-official announcement appears in the Times, that her Majesty was to leave Osborne House for Dublin on the 3rd of August, to remain there four days, then visit Cork and Belfast, and thence proceed to Scotland. The late Rear-Admiral Sir Nesbit Willoughby, K. C. 8., was a singular instance ofintrepidity in an individual escaping the most imminent dangers. Thrice shipwrecked, he was once upset in a boat, and with an oar kept himself afloat for 19 hours. After two years slavery at Tripoli, he escaped by killing two Moora, and swimming to a French ship, lying in the Bay, two miles from the shore. Entering with a single frigate, the harbour of the Isle of France, he cut out two rich ships, though 60 pieces of cannon opposed him. Eleven times wounded with balls, three times with splinters, he was slashed wilh sabres and tomahawks in every part of his body ; while his face, having been blown up with gunpowder, was disfigured by the loss of an eye, and a portion of his neck and jaw being shot away. Not content with those scars, he when unemployed joined the Russian army under Kutozoff, and rose to the rank of Colonel. In this service he was thrice wounded ; and at Leipsic his right arm was shattered by a cannon-shot. He received pensions from the Russian Government. Seeming, with all the courage of a lion to possess more than the nine lives of a cat, he was called by sailors " The Immortal."

The Scottish Fete in Holland-park. — The Scottish society, which has lately been established in London for the purpose of affording aid to the uatianal charitable institutions of Scotland, gave a grand fete on Wednesday and Thursday in Holland-park, Kensington. The arraugements were on an extensive scale, and a grand stand served to accommodate several hundred persons, and a large portion of the park was railed in for the sports. They consisted of archery, running, leaping, throwing the hammer, putting the stone, tossing the caber, swo'd dancing, reels, strathspeys, &c. There were also exercises at single-stick. All of these different games were played with more or less success during the day, but always with that earnestness which characterizes the sport of our northern neighbours. Her Majesty and Piince Albert and the Duke of Wellington honoured the fete with their presence on Thursday. — Britannia. June 23.

Entry of British Seamen in the German Navt. — Upwards of 370 seamen, lateIp paid off from the St. Vincent, Rodney, and Vanguard', have Been entered by 'agents at Portsmouth for service in the German navy. Seventy of these were entered at the Bedford-in-Chase public-house and rendezvous, on the Common-bard, on Wednesday, by an agent sent from London. Their wages respectively are to be £5, £3, and £2 per month ; they are not entered to serve for any specified period, but are at liberty to leave the service when they may desire to do so. They are to proceed to Bremen ; and, en route thither, they have left this port for London. Some warrant officers discharged from the service have also entered the German navy. — Britannia.

The proceedings of the French at Rome Bad caused so much dissatisfaction among the " Red Republicans," that an attempt was made to upset the government of Louis Napoleon. The French Ministry had early information, and immediately declaring Paris iv a state of siege, they arrested the ringleaders, and contrived to put down the incipient rebellion without bloodshed. In the provinces they were not so fortunate, for in Lyons one hundred and fifty were killed, and in Rheims sixty, before order was restored. The point raised by Mr. S. OBrien and others, that the sentence of death passed upon them for high treason could not be commuted to a minor punishment, appears to have some weight, for a bill giving the power to substitute transportation was brought into the House of Commons by the Government. It was opposed, on the ground that it was an ex post facto bill, and that as the law stood the prisoners were entitled to be discharged, or to be hanged. The bill was passed by large majorities, the opposition not mustering more than twenty-five members: The prisoners were to leave Ireland for Van Diemen's Land on the Ist July, in the man-of-war schooner btcift, 6 guns.

Ireland. — Harvest Prospects. — The reports of the progress of the cereal crops, are, without any exception, entirely satisfactory, and the long continuance of fine weather holds out every prospect of an unusually early, and, for its extent, abundant harvest. Not so decisive are the accounts of the potato, with respect to which there seems to be great diversity of opinion, no two authorities agreeing as to the extent, if any, in which the crop is likely to suffer from the unquestionable symptoms of blight which have already shown themselves in some districts where a large breadth has been planted. From a number of reports in the country papers, we take the following from the C ork Examiner : — " As we observed in our last, it is somewhat premature to hazard an opinion wiih respect to the potato crop. There is little dout t that in some localities indications of blight exhibit themselves, but as yet, they are uot numerous, neither are they characterised by the decree of malignity manifested in former years. As, therefore, even should the disease become developed and general, much will depend on the virulence of the attack, we are not disposed to look gloomily at the prospects of the crop ; but rather, seeing th* the disease in other countries appears to be wearing itself out, ro hope for a happier result than the forbodings of some would lead them to expect." — Weekly Dispatch, June 25.

Royal Visit to Norfolk-House. — Her Majesty and the Prince Consort, on Tuesday night, dined with the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk, at their residence in St. James's-sqnare, the birth-place of George 111. The banquet wi.s succeeded by a grand ball, for which invitations were issued to about 200 leading members of the aristocracy. The ball was opened with a quadrille, her Majesty leading off with Lord Edward Fitzalan Howard, and the Prince Consort dancing with the Lady Mary Fitzalan Howard. Her Majesty subsequently danced in the Stradella quadrille with the Marquis of Kildare, the Prince Consort taking the hand of the Hereditary Grand Duchess of Mechlenburg Strelitz, and Prince Richard Metternich that of Madlle. Olga de Lecbner. We regret exceedingly to be obliged to state that Lord John Russell was seized with a fainting fit in the ball-room about 11 o'clock, and carried out insensible. His Lordship speedily revived when brought into the open air, and shortly afterwards left, in company with Lady John Russell, for his mansion in Chesham-place. His Lordship, at the moment he was seized, was engaged in an animated conversation with the Countess of Wilton. — Ibid.

Arrival of Ledru Rollin. — This warm leader of the Socialist or Red Republican party, who made his escape so abruptly from Paris during the la-t outbreak, has arrived safe in London. It appears be had the greatest difficulty in eluding the vigilance of the police authorities, notice having been sent off in every direction by the electric telegraph lor his apprehension, to Calais, Boulogne, Dieppe, Havre, and the frontiers to Belgium and Switzerland, where it was expected he would attempt to set off. — Ibid.

Young Stanley and Yottng Peel. — Two young men have lately taken their seats, about whom public curiosity can hardly fail to be excited — the son of Lord Stanley, and the son of Sir R. Peel. The resemblance of young Stanley to his father is perfectly wonderful. We saw, them together, and could hardly tell "which was which." Never could a parent with greater safety of conscience swear to a son or a son to a father, than could the two Stanleys respectively. The same marked features, the same massive brows, the same strong crisped hair, indicative of stubborn purpose and determined will, characterise father and son. In form, too, in

port, in gesture — nay, in style of dress, in the mode of using the eye-glass, of holding the .hands, of doing any trifling thing, of looking, of listening, — the one is the complete similitude of the other. It is dangerous 10 prophesy, but there is In young Stanley which promises that he will not be unworthy of his sire. Although only 23 years of age, he has the appearance of one much older; his costume is the reverse of beauish, and he pays constant and seemingly deep attention to the debates. Young Peel bears no very striking likeness of Sir Robert, and has nothing in his lineaments to raise Expectations of future eminence. His features are like hi« mother's, delicate and regular, and he looks neither more nor less thau any other sprig of fashion we may see at the opera or elsewhere. He sometimes drops in during a debate, and has the air and manner of one who esteems legislation a great bore. Whether he will support the paternal fame, time aloue can determine. — Weekly Paper*

The United States. — Liverpool, Monday morning. — The royal mail steamer Niagara, Captain Ryrie, arrived here at thiee o'clock this morning. The cholera is just now the great subject of universal concern in the States. It has now made its appearance in all quarters, though nowhere with much violence. In the city of New York there have been 257 cases and 122 deaths during the week. Ex-President Polk is reported to be on the point of death with the epidemic. He is at his residence near Nashville. The veteran General Gains died of it at New Orleans on the 6th instant. The Indian depredations in Southern Texas are continued. The flood at New Orleans remains unchecked ; the water continues to rise* and all attempts to arrest its inroads are abandoned. There is no later news from California. The United States ship Lexington reached New York from San Francisco on the 10th inst., bringing 1218 lbs. of gold. The Republic of St. Domingo, having beaten the Haytians, had been engaged in a domestic war ; the military force revolted against the President Jimines, and insisted on putting another, named Santa Anna (not a Mexican) in his place ; Jimines has burned the city of Don Carlos to keep it out of the hands of his antagonists ; the possession of the city of St. Domingo will decide the contest ; it is vow in the hands of the legal President. If Santa Anna, who is now marching for the pur- | pose, gets it, he will at once be proclaimed ;as chief of the ..executive power. No intelligence of importance has reached us from [ Mexico or the South American Republics. The effect in Canada of the decisive and unanimous support which Lord Elgin's administration finds from the Sovereign, public opinion, and the press at home, cannot be otherwise than conducive to the restoration of order and authority. The Canadian Parliament having adjourned before this information was received in Canada, the only mode in i which expression can be given to the feelings of the colonists on this occasion will be i throngb public meetings and the newspapers. There is no doubt that the majority will be found on the side of the Governor- General. ! — Morning Post's Correspondent, June 25.

A French Mungo Park. — La Presse says, " One of those great enterprises which raise a riame to the rank of those of the Cooks and the La Perouses is on the eve of accomplishment, with the aid and under the protection of the government of France. A traveli ler who has already traversed Egypt, Syria, Abyssina, Darfour, and Cordovan — who has ascended the Nile as far as the first chain of the Mountains of the Moon — wha has visited Tranquebar, the five provinces of Arabia, and Irak Arabia — who, as interpreter, has been attached to the mission which explored the ruins of Nineveh, and has also travelled in Persia, from Maicata to Ispahan, and visited the Cape of Good Hope and the island of St. Helena — now proposes, in a first voyage, to traverse the whole portion of the African continent extending from Algiers to Senegal, passing through Timbuctoo ; to gain from Senegal the Cape of Good Hope, and finally to return by cutiinj the great African Peninsula from north to south, that is to say, from the Cape of Good Hope to Algiers. The 1 Wandering Jew' who has conceived the idea of undertaking this fabulous journey, and to whom a residence of sixteen years amongst, the Arabs (whose religion, customs, costume, and manners he has adopted) offers a prospect of success not possessed by Clapperton, Mungo Park, Denhara, or the biothers Lander, is a Colonel Ducouret. known in the East by the name of Hadji- Abd-el-Hamid Bey, which he assumed at the time of his pilgrimage to Mccca — a pilgrimage never before accomplished by any Frenchman. Impressed with the importance of a journey which may yield such great results — political, scientific, and commercial — the government has hastened to lend its support to the enterprise of M. Ducouret, and the three Ministers of Public Instruction, Foreign Affairs, and Commerce, haye just concurred in its execution in a most

efficacious manner. Whether it succeed of. whether it fail, her* is one of those mUsioos which we shall always rejoice to see a government encouraging a»nl supporting. Hadji Abd-el-Hamid Bey estimates the duration of his perilous expedition at fronr five to si* veafs."

EarlY His-foßtf op an M. P. — At the seventh annual meeting of the London Early Closing Association, at which the Marquis of Blandford presided, Mr. Williams, M. P. for Macclesfield, pithily pleaded the cause of early shop- shutting by a reference to his early life. He said, "No man in England had felt the disadvantages of the late shop-shutting more than himself. He came to London at the age of 14, and the first situation he obtained was in a draper's shop, where he served twelve months for £6. At the end of twelve months, his first ambition was — leaving Wales as a poor boj — to be enabled to do something for his mother. He saved just enough to buy bef i pound of tea, for which he paid Bs. He used to sleep under the counter ; and he hid no douht that many whom be addressed slept under the counter, i! they 'were not too proud to own it. He then moved from that situation to one at the West-end, where he had a salary. There was a difference between wages and a salary. His prayer and aim was to do his duty to his employers and to assist h'3 poor relations in Wales. He used to get up at six o'clock in the morning, and go to bed at two o'clock the next morning. Many a time he had sat down on his bed to rest himself for a moment before he undressed, and many a time had he found himself at six o'clock in the morning with his clothes on. Was there any slate of slavery so bad as that? He haJ to bear with it, for he had no one that would have given him twenty shillings to support him while he got another situation. The only time he had to read was between two and six o'clock in the morning ; and he sometimes did so by the light of the gas in the window, until he was discovered and censured for so doing." — Bell's Messenger.

The Advantage of having a Vote.«*An honest John Bull, travelling through Germany, on arriving at the gate of a city, was requested to describe himself. Not knowing exactly what, designation to apply to himself, he answered that he was " an elector of Middlesex." As an elector in Germany is rather a more important personage than those who bear the honourable title in England, the Germans immediately threw open their gates, and the guard turned ou,t~, and did military honours, to the English elector. — Observer.

Jonathan Outwitted. — The Gateshead Observer states that a skipper of a vessel lately adopted the following method of evading the heavy import duty on lead into the United States. He had the metal cast into so many statues of Lord Brougham, and thenpassed them duty free. The custom-house officers were lost in wonder at the sight of so many giants turning up their noses at Brother Jonathan, and inquired what this monster importation meant. " Statues of Lord Brougham (replied ihe skipper), one lor every city in the Union, being the gift of his lordship's English admirers to the American Republic." This the officer could not gainsay, and, once passed the customs, Lord Brougham's representatives were soon returned into pigs — of lead. \