ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Issue 532, 7 September 1850, Page 2

ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

From a notice issued by the Postmaster- , General, it appears thai a contract has been - entered into for a regular monthly steam com* munication between this country and Syduey r New South Wales, Australia, 1 Van Diemen's Land, and New Zealand. — New Zealand Journal, March 23. Her Majesty has given her presentation to Christ's Hospital to a son of the brave and lamented Brigadier Pennycuick, who fell, with another of his sons, at the head of his legiment, on the fatal field of Chillianwallah. Prince Albert has given his presentation to a son of the Rev. Mr. Ward, of Tenterden, who married the daughter of Lord Nelson. , Mr. Slaney has obtained the appointment of a Committee of the House of Commons to inquire into the various modes of investment resorted to by the middle and lower classes, with a view, we imagine, of pointing out the risks attendant upon those commonly aiopted, and of suggesting some safer and better ones. Lord John Russell had acquainted the House of Commons that it was his intention 10 introduce a measure, during the session* with reference to the oaths now administered to members on taking their seats in that house. Sir George Grey had also stated that it was the intention of her Majesty's Government to bring in a Bill themselves for the regulation of the factory system. Mr. Hutchins, the Free. Trade candidate* for Lymington, was duly elected by a majority of 18. , . ' . . The Herod's Foot Powder' Mills at,t>ulae,, near Liskeard, East Cornwall, occupied by the Kiskeard Powder Company, were blown up on the' 3rd May. Two lives were lost, and the manager severely injured. ; A portion of the Rugby and Stamford Railway, extending about 18 miles from RugI by to Market Harborougb, was to be opened | on the 6th May. i The new infantry cap is announced for the. \ soldiers in India. It is in shape like an helI met, and gives equality of pressure upon the ; head. This change is made at the desire of Sir Charles Napier. i It has been determined to take down the : present bridge at Westminster, and a new one is to be erected some 400 yards further from the bouses of parliament, in order to heighten the effect of those elaborate specimens of British architecture.

The King or Hanover's Whimsical Compliment to Jenny Lind, — The farfamed and incomparable Jenny has recently given several most successful concerts in Hanover, one of which was for. the benefit of the poor of the city. His majesty King Ernest, who was present at one. of the concerts, has sent to the Swedish Nightingale the appropriate gift of a golden goblet filled with ants'eggs, the food of nightingales. The Duke op Wellington in Court. — Marlborough Street Police Office on Thursday was crowded, in consequence of the anticipated appearance of his Grace the Duke of Wellington to give evidence in person against two individuals, a man and woman, in custody on a charge of hav'ng obtained various sums of money from him, and from other noblemen and gentlemen, by fraudulent pretences* At three o'clock punctually, his Grace entered the court, and was received with marked respect by the numerous visitors who, filled the avenues. His Grace looked bale and hearty, and gave his evidence in a clear and firm tone. The prisoners were remanded for a week. The Duke was loudly cheered when be reached the street. Mazzini was reported to be still in Switzerland. The Commissioners for promoting the Grand Industrial Exhibition of 1851, have given notice of their intention to give bronze medals as rewards in the forthcoming exhibition, and have offered three prizes of j£IOO each for the three best designs for the reverses of medals illustrative of the objects of the exhibition, or appropriate as the rewards of successful competition ; and three prizes of £50 each for the three best designs which are not accepted. The competition is to b e

open to the artists of all countries. The obverse of the medals will contain portraits of her Majesty and the Prince Albert. It appears that the inhabitants of the Shetland Isles are again on the brink of famine. The crops of last year are the worst produced since 1838. The corn did not yield above half the average quantity of meal, and that of very inferior quality. There is a failure of the potatoe crop to a large extent, and the quality unprecedentedly bad. The small fish which used to swarm around the shores, have this season almost wholly deserted the coast, and the people have had nothing to subsist upon but the meal which their crops produced, and the few bad potatoes which some of them saved. The Man op the Movement. — Who has not seen in any of the great boroughs, the smart self-approving Man of the Movement ? With his sharpened visage, slightly dirty, always disagreeable, he comes in our way ; and in whatever direction we move, there he starts up to trouble and obstruct us. It is seldom he; engages id any effort of social ataelioration which requires a sacrifice : but be is always present at " Demonstrations" whose object is criical and not constructive. He is so absorbed by the abuses of institutions that he has no leisure to consider their uses ; he dwells so much upon rights withheld that he takes no heed of duties unperformed ; and, in facr, if we consider his case attentively he is always- labouring under some disability , or engaged in some engrossing struggle, or looking through his telescope for some good time cominy, which precludes his employment of the good time passing for the advantage either of himself or society. He is easily taken to pieces and looked at ; and thus we find him as vague as ephemeral ; a man of cheap trips and cheap publications ; of cheaper motives, sentiments, and opinions. He gets his moral discipline from the platform, and his information from the People's Journal ; he furthers education as a member of an Athenaeum ; or patronises art by subscribing to an art-union ; or fancies himself a natural philosopher;' because he is the owner of an electric apparatus. He is constantly calling his class the people — has a certain misty notion of progress — is a violent champion of perpetual peace, and a bitter advocate of universal philanthropy. He is, moreover, given to platitudes about liberty, which he understands in a limited sense; has special relations with a- local newspaper ; writes letters which he signs Fym or Publico for- the benefit of a class ; i? despised and degraded, but always aspiring.' He is vulgar, at distinguished from the classes beneath, and virulent as distinguished from the classes above him ; the latter he reproaches with class distinctions, which he invariably insists on' as regards the former ; and he emphatically denounces as bigoted and intolerant those whose conclusions dissent from his own. This gentleman, for so he terms himself, whose characteristics we have truly given ; or rather to designate him 'by his right name, this ignorant, clamorous, conceited prig, is the man whom at present ministers humour, members propitiate, and parliaments dread. He is like.Sinbad's Old Man of the Sea, sordid and insignificant at first — but if once he is fairly seated on our necks, actum est, he will ride as to the D — .

Allowance of Spirits In the Wavy.— » The Committee — of which the Admiral of the Fleet was chairman — to inquire into the effects of the present issue of spirits to the seamen of the navy, and to suggest what alterations they might deem it requisite to propose, in order to diminish the numerous cases of drunkenness in the navy, have at length brought their proceedings to a close, have delivered their report, and have separated, having made- the following recommendations — *1 . That the present allowance of spirits or wine be .reduced to one half the quantity now issued. 2. That one bait of a gill, or oneeighth -of a pint, or two ounces of spirits, being the regulated allowance in future, be issued at dinner time ; and that, in order to prevent the exchanging or selling one man's allowance to another, and with the view of preventing the accumulation of many days' issue for the purposes of inordinate indulgence, the committee recommend that the mixed spirits and water be drunk by the men at the tub at the moment of issue. 3. That as a compensation fur the reduction of half the present allowance of spirits, the Committee have recommended an addition to be made to the pay of able seamen, warrant and petty officers, of 3s. 6d. per calendar month, ami to second class ordinary seamen and landsmen ao addition of 2s. 6d. a calendar month. 4. That in order to assimilate the system of payment of the seamen of the Royal Navy with that of the other navies, both mercantile and foreign, the Committee recommend that in future the monthly pay of the Royal Navy shall be so much per calendar month, instead of so much per lunar month, as heretofore.' — Admirals, captains, lieutenants, and wardroom officers, to receive half thefr present allowance, tod no compen-

sation ; mates, assistant-surgeons, second mates, and clerks, half their present allowance, and a compensation at the present savings price for the half allowance of spirits to be reduced. Longfellow, the American poet, talking of the strange motley way in which Carlyle has lately disguised himself, says, "we still recoguise the monarch in his masquerade." Let us hope the monarch will soon throw off the clown's dress, and once more take his seat upon the throne — a far higher one than any occupied by King-— the throne of reason. — Punch.