MISCELLANEOUS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, 23 October 1850, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

The late Sir Hercules Pakenham.— This distinguished officer whose death we announced a short time since, entered the army

as an ensign in the 40ib regiment of infanlry " 1803, became « lieutenant in 1804, and captain in 1805. He served at the seige and capture of Copenhagen in 1807, and became major in 1810. He served also in the Peninsular campaigns of 1808, 1809, 1810, 1811, 1812. He was, during great part of that time, Assistant. Adjutant-General of the Third Division, and was present at the siege and storm of Ciudad Rodrigo, two sieges and storms of Badajoz (wounded), mentioned in despatches, and the battles of Elhodon, Rolisa (wounded), Vimiera, Pombal, Foz d'Oronce (mentioned in despatches), Sabujal, Fuentes d'Onore, Busaco, Obidos (wounded), and others. In 1812, after the'takingof Badajoz, his severe wounds received there, having been shot through the body, obliged him to return home; be became a Lieutenant-Colonel in 1812, and in 1814 was appointed to the Coldstream Guards. He was nominated a Companion of the Bath in 1815, and became a full Colonel in 1825. He was appointed Aid-de-Camp to his Majesty George the Fourth in 1825, became a Major-General in 1837, and was nominated a Knight-Com-mander of the Bath the following year. In 1839, he was appointed to the command of the South- West District, which he held for eight years, with the highest approbation of those under whom he served. On giving up his command in 1847, in consideration of his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant-General in the previous year, he received a valuable testimonial from the inhabitants of Portsmouth and its neighbourhood, showing the universal estimation in which he was held there. He had in 1844 been appointed to the colonelcy of the 43rd Light Infantry. This distinguished General Officer had received the gold cross for Busaco, Badajoz, Fuentes d'Onore, and Ciudad Rodrigo, and the silver war medal and clasps for Rolica and Vimiera. Sir Hercules represented the county of Westmeath in Parliament for eighteen years, and gave up the representation in 1826. The pitched battle was fought on Sunday, the 28th April, between the Government of France and the Socialists. After every manomvre and all the tactical acumen in electioneering matters which the Cabinet could bring to bear in the emergency, M. Leclerc has been vanquished by Eugene Sue. The hard fighter for order, says our authority, has been put hors de combat by the fabricator of improbable and sensual novels. The friends of order have done everything in their power, and their candidate is beat by a majority of 8445 votes. On Monday, at four o'clock, the polling places closed, after a hard fought struggle between the parties, and the result was, that there appeared for Eugene Sue, 128,071 votes, and for M. Leclerc 119,626. Though Paris, throughout the whole of Sunday and Monday, was not disturbed by any infi actions of the public tranquillity, and although no attempts were made to have recourse to violent measures on either side, many a heart throbbed anxiously, eagerly anticipating yet dreading the result. And, it is not to be wondered at, because this election was regarded as the culminating point of the future. The question to be decided was not the triumph of a man, but the triumphs of a party, in which not alone Paris, but all France is interested. And each party, alike reckless of consequences, fought for the destruction of his opponent. The harsh and reactionary policy lately adopted by the Cabinet, it is much to be feared, threw not a few votes into the urn in favour of Eugene Sue ; and though the Government was zealous and unwearied in striving to suppress a great evil, it has beyond a doubt hastened the crisis which was sought to be averted.

MuHDER. OF THE CoUNTESS GoRLITZ. Most of our readers must remember the circumstances connected with the death at Darmstadt of the Countess of Gorlitz, and the suspicion which was attached for some time to the count her husband, who holds the post of chamberlain to the Grand Duke. If any suspicion had continued to attach itself to the count, it has been fully removed by a trial of the murderer at Darmstadt, which, after lasting more than * fortnight, has just terminated. The countess, who was in possession of a handsome fortune, independently of that of her husband, was a woman of unbounded charity, but of an eccentric character. She had for some years-resided in apartments of the house separated from those of her husband, with whom, however, she was on the best terms, visiting him from time to time, and receiving his visits. She had always a considerable sum of money in her secretaire, and had also a rich collection of jewels. She bad caused extra locks to be placed on her secretaire, her drawers, and the doors other rooms, and opened the outer door of her apartment to her husband and the confidential servants. One evening, on the return of the count from the palace of the Grand Duke, where he had been dining, he went as usual to see the countess before retiring to rest, but could not obtain admittance, and soon afterwards an

alarm was raised tbat a fire had broken out in the apartment of the countess. A locksmith was sent for, the outer door was broken open, the secretaire in the sitting-room of the countess was on fire, «nd she was found lying dead on the floor, with her body partly consumed. At this time no suspicion was entertained of her having been murdered. It was at first supposed that the secretaire had taken fire from the bougie ; but subsequently, as this alone could not account for the carbonisation of a part of the head and body of the countess, ft was imagined that she had perished from spontaneous combustion. Some time had elapsed and this horrible affair was still involved in mystery, when circumstances occurred to throw suspicion upon the valet of the count, John Stauff. It was proved that, on the evening of the calamity, and whilst the count was at the palace of the Grand Duke, he had on various pretexts induced the other servants of the household to go out, and had remained alone in the house for nearly two hours. It was supposed that money and jewellery belonging to the countess had been removed, but of this there was no positive proof in the early part of the investigation. A considerable quantity of jewellery remained, and the count was not able to say what was missing. When Stauff had been arrested, new circumstances came to light. It was proved that he had sent articles of jewellery to his father, Henry Stauff, and that be had charged his brother James to bury some jewellery at the foot of a tree. Many of the articles found there were proved to have been the property of the countess. It was proved that, after the murder of the countess, John Stauff had purchased some verdigris, and mixed it with some sauce which was being prepared in the kitchen for the count, with the intention of poisoning him. The medical evidence at this trial was curious and interesting. Some of the most eminent physicians of Germany, and Baron Liebig, the celebrated chemist, were examined. On the queii tion of spontaneous combustion, Baron Liebig, and the other scientific men who joined in the report, declared not only tbat it was impossible in the countess, but that spontaneous combustion of the human body in any case was impossible. They declared tbat the ordinary belief on this subject was a delusion ; that they had carefully examined the evidence in all cases of spontaneous combustion tbat had been reported, and found it all so defeci tive as not to weigh ior an instant against their conviction of the physical impossibility of such an occurrence. John Stauff was found guilty of the murder, and sentenced to imprisonment for life. His father and brother were found guilty in a minor degree, and only sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment. — Atlas, April 20.

Grand Suspension Bridge in Russia. — Considerable interest has been excited in St. Petersburgh by a remarkable model of a proposed suspension bridge across the river Dnieper, at Kieff, one of the principal cities in Russia. This model was made in London, where it was exhibited to most of the principal engineers and architects. It has since arrived in St. Petersburgh, and has been put up in one of the grand saloons of the Winter Palace, where it was formally presented to his Imperial Majesty on his f/te day, the Bth of December, by Mr. Vignoles, the English engineer, from whose designs, and under whose immediate directions, this bridge is now constructing. The Dnieper is one of the largest rivers in the Russian empire, rising in the vicinity of Smolensko, and flowing in a southerly direction it enters the Black Sea, to the eastward of Odessa. The principal city en • tered by the Dnieper in this long course is Kieff, celebrated in history as the first spot whereon Christianity was planted among the barbarous hordes then leading a nomadic life over the steppes of Russia, and well known as an important military frontier post, alternately possessed by the Poles and by the Muscovites, and at present rising into great ' importance as the capital of the south of Russia. Kieff is most picturesquely situated on the right or southern shore of the Dnieper ; it covers a great extent of space, with numerous public buildings crowning the many heights of the undulating ground on which the city is built. The river, which, for several leagues above, has spread through numerous lateral channels, here unites into one deep bed, and presents the narrowest passage. This passage is, however, still half an English mile in breadth, the depth of water in a dry autumn, being upwards of 30 feet in the streamway, and sometimes more than 50 feet after the melting of the snows in spring. Over this chasm, which once formed the barrier for Poland against the invasions of the Muscovites, the necessity of internal communication and the general march of improvement has called for the erection of a permanent bridge, which is now in process of construction, under the orders of the Emperor. The cost of the suspension-bridge, exclusive of the approaches, will be upwards of £420,000, I or about two millions and a-half of silver rou- '

bles of Russia, and nearly 11,000,000f., which though large in amount, may be considered a very low price for so large a work. Mr. Vigooles has already prepared, by command of the Emperor, designs for several other larger bridges in various parts of Russia. Some of them have been approved, and others are still under consideration, and designs are in various stages of progress for still more bridges, besides other works ; for all of which the iron must be furnished from the English manufactories. — Atlas.