ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VI, Issue 492, 20 April 1850, Page 2

ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

The Domiciliary Visitation of thb City, — A valuable report from the Chitf

Commissioner of Police, read at the last meeting of the City Commissioners of Sewers, shows that the Police Insjectors have visited no less than 14,000 out of tlie 16,000 houses situate wiihin the precincts of the city. The first thing tS-at strikes us in reading the Police Coramissionei's report on the results of the late domiciliary inspection, is the total number of the nuisances discovered. Of these we count no less than 12,432, distributed among the 14,000 houses visited, and exclusive of 366 outdoor abominations. This total, it is to be observed, includes only the most crying grivances, and such as offend even the dulled senses of the sufferers themselves, inured as they are to stench and squalor. Thus, cesspools only count as nuisances, when burst, as in 30 instances, or when crammed to the very brim, as in 223 other cases. Privies within the houses are not accounted nuisances except when situated in cellars, as they were found to be in no less 4,608 cases. Pools of stagnant water on the premises; drains absolutely choked up and useless; polluted water supplies ; cellars filled with putrifying rubbish —such are a few samples of the nuisances admitted to figure in Mr. Harvey's black list. The conclusion we think must force itself on every unbiassed mind, that the sanitary affairs of the City require au administration more active and with more time at its command than that by which they have hitherto been managed.

Iron Hotel foe California. —M. -Pauwels, the machine maker of Brussels, has just sent from Antwerp to San Francisco, in California, a complete hotel, consisting of 40 rooms, with beds, chairs, tables, &c, all in cast iron. The whole takes to pieces when de- | sired. —BdVs Messenger.

Railway Collision. — A fearful ■ ail way collision occurred on the Blackwall railway on the 14th Novemher. On the evening in question, a train, consisting of seven carriages left the terminus for London, and, on arriving at Stepney, where a branch line runs off, halted as usual to allow the passengers to change carriages. A delay of some minutes occurred, waiting for the arrival of an expected train from Bow, when the beating of an engine was heard on_the same line of rails as that on which the train was starting. It was seen that a collision must ensue. A red signal light, which could be seen two or three hundred yards down the line, atood at the end of the platform, behind the passengers' train, and thus ample time was afforded to have brought the approaching engine to a halt. It came on, however, like a thunderbolt, and with the roar of a piece of ordnance, smashing the last, second, and first carriages, and forcing the debris some forty or fifty yards along the rails. No fewer than eight persons were seriously injured. The directors of the railway, with their secretary, promptly instituted an inquiry into the cause of the disaster, which is attributed to incompetency in the driver.

The Proposed Exposition of Arts of all Nations. —The German journals are quite captivated by the idea of the great exhibition of tbe arts and manufactures of all nations proposed to be held in London, under the auspices of Prince Albert. They regard it as a great step in the progress of different countries toward cosmopolitism, and treat it as a natural result of the development of railways, steam communications, the electric telegraph, literature, and the mutual knowledge of languages possessed by populations once so completely divided. They touch, in reference to it, on another subject which perhaps deserves more consideration than it has yet received among ourselves —the rapidity with which the metropolis of England is becoming' the actual centre of the civilised world. With a rapid communication with the great western continent by the lines of Atlantic steamers on one side, with a still more rapid means of intercourse eastward over the continent of Europe to the frontiers of Asia, over which space the electric telegraph is daily spreading its "thought-executing fire," every movement of modern civilisation proceeds from it, or is sent through it. Thus it is the centre of the great missionary societies, of the bible societies, of tbe free trade movement, of the Peace Congress, commendable as an idea, if not influential as a fact; it is also the ark of refuge of the political fugitives of all nations; the representatives of the crushed Republic of Rome, of the defeated nationalities of Hungary tnd Poland, even the Republicans of France, have all fixed, as by natural law, the seat of their respective " emigrations " in London. It is therefore jnst that it should be made the centre of an expoiition that shall illustrate the industrial progress of Europe and America. —Leeds Mercury.

Fire at Cliefden House. —The celebrated and beautiful mansion, Cliefden House, the property of ihe Duke of Sutherland, and late the seat of Sir George Warrenden, was almost entirely destroyed by fire on the 16th November. Several of the more choice paint-

ing, of which Cliefden contained an immense nuntbei, were savpil. The otiginal mansion un ill is charming demesne was erected by George Villiers, second Duke of Buckingham, in the reign of Charles 11. From the first noble owner it passed into the possession of Frederick, Prince of Wales, (father of George III.) who resided many years there, and greatly improved the place. The mansion now destroyed was built on the ruins of that which was burnt in 1795.

The Martin Estates. — The sale of the vast Connemara Estates of the late Thomas Barnewall Martin commenced on Thursday, at the London Auction Mart. The auction attracted more than usual attention. The estates, situated in County Galway, lie between the south margin of Lough Corrib, and the town of Galway, and from thence stretch along the coast of Galway Bay, almost uninterruptedly to Cliffden and Cleggan Bay, a distance of at least fifty miles. In the 200,000 acres, or nearly so, which are now brought to the hammer, is to be found great variety of situation, and also of soil, bog, and fine arable land, with sea and lake margins, and towards the Atlantic many of those features which form the picturesque in scenery. It is pretty generally known that these extensive estates are sold at the instance of the Law Life Assurance Company, Fleet-street, who .are reported to be the hollers of mortgages on the property to the extent of £1,600,000. If a sufficient sum can be realised without selling the whole, it is probable that the present owners will retain the family mansion, together with some 5,000 acres, situate in the barony of Ballynahinch. The whole of the property is freehold, and the sale will extend over five successive days. Duting the first days of this sale the room has been well attended, but in only few instances were biddings offered, and, with the exception of some of the smaller lots, the whole of the property was bought in by the solicitor to the Law Life Assurance Company, who are the mortgagees. — Atlas.

Canada. — Our Montreal dates are to the 3rd ot November. The Canadian ministers have again taken up their ground strongly and unequivocally against annexation. All holders of government offices who have declared themselves annexatiomsts are being displaced. Messrs. Lone aud Johnson, members of the Lower Canada bar, and Queen's counsel, have been deprived of iheir silk gowns. A circular has been addressed by the Adjutant General of Militia to all officers commanding the varous military corps in Montreal, desiring t them to teport the names of such of their officers (if any) who have signed the annexation address, and to state whether they signed it of their own free will, or under intimidation. The piovincial Secretary has instituted a similar inquiry respecting justices of the peace. The Governor General has come to an open collision with Mr. Gowan, Pasi Grand Master of the Orange Association in Canada, and the real head of ihe order alike when in and out of office. Lord Elgin has erased Mr. Gowau's name from the list of justices of the peace, and has dismissed him from the militia, in which he was a lieutenant colonel. The reason for this step is understood to have been Mr. Gowan's participation in a meeting, at which Lord Elgin was burnt in effigy. Mr. Gowan denies the right of Lord Elgin to dismiss him from his command in the militia without a court martial, and demands to be tried by one. Lord Elgin, it is said, proceeded upon a petition for Mr. Gowau's dismissal from the militia ; Mr. Govan avers that of 36 officers in hisbatiallion (the 2nd of Leeds militia) only three signed the petition, of 60 non-commissioned officers only two, and of privates only 179. M. Papineau has come out as an annexationist. There are increasing rumours of a dissolution of the House of Assemby. If they^ should prove true it is expected theelections will turn upon "annexation" and "British connection." The transportation of the government officials has commenced. The change of the seat of government has excited a very bitter feeling among the people of Montreal. -Bell's [ Messenger.