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ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

The Queen gave the first state ball of (he season, at Buckingham Palace, June 26. Upwards of two thousand invitations were issued, and the attendance was unusually large and brilliant. At ten o'clock, the Queen and Prince Albert, accompanied by the Prince of Prussia, entered the ball-room, in which Adams's band was stationed. Her Majesty opened the ball with the Prince .of Prussia, ths vis-a-vis being Prince Albert and the* Duchess of Sutherland. The Queen wore a blue silk dress trimmed with silver blonde, and with wild roses (pink and white), and ornamented with diamonds. Her Majesty's-head-dress was formed of a wreath of pink and white wild roses, richly ornamented with diamonds, to correspond with the dressPiince Albert, the Prince of Prussia, and the Duke of Wellington, all wore the sam ft Prussian Order of Knighthood (the Black

Eagle); and Prince Albert and the illustrious Duke wore the Ensigus of the Golden Fleece. His Royal Highness also wore the stars of the four British Orders of Knighthood. The Prince of Prussia was habited in a Prussiau General's uniform. After the quadrille by which the ball was opened, waltzes, quadrilles, and polkas, were danced, including a polka composed expressly for the occasion, and called 'Prince Patrick's Polka.' A State supper was served in the principal dining-room, the table of which was decorated in the accustomed style of regal splendour and magnificence, and, together with a bouffet of gold plate, was lit by numerous candelabra and sconces of silver filled with wax lights. Prince Albert has accepted an invitation to be present at the laying of the foundationstone of a new National Gallery at Edinburgh, upon condition he is not invited to attend any public banquet. The ceremony will be fixed according to the time of departure of the Court for Balmoral. Lord Langdale is to be the speaker of the House of Lords on the resignation of Lord Cottenbam. Being a Peer, as well as one of the Commissioners of the Great Seal, the appointment of Lord Langdale to the speakership of the House of Lords is the most obvious and natural arrangement pending the time that must intervene in the new settlement of the several duties of Lord Chancellor. Lords Langdale, Denman, and Campbell, were deputy speakers of the Lords, and either of the other noble and learned lords is still competent to sit as speaker in the absenct of Lord Langdale. — Observer. The Duke of Wellington gave his usual banquet to the heroes of Waterloo, at Aps-ley-house, June 18th, bis Royal Highness Prince Albert being present. It was generally remarked that his Grace had not appeared in more vigorous health and spirits for a long series of years past, one of the noble duke's friends saying, " Since he threw off the cares of the Cabinet." On Saturday ninety members of the House of Commons, admirers of Lord Palraerston's statesmanship, waited on the Viscountess, at her residence in Carlton Gardens, and presented a full-length portrait of her husband, in evening dress, and wearing the ribbon of the order of the Bath, to her ladyship, with an appropriate address. The painting is by Partridge, cost five hundred guineas, and is described as a characteristic and vigorous representation of his lordship.-' — Guardian, June 26. The anuiversary of Waterloo was grandly celebrated at Portsmouth, Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence presented the inhabitants, through the mayor and corporation, with statues of Nelson and Wellington to ornament the esplanade on Southsea beach, where they have been erected. Lord Gougb, a visitor in the town, was presented with an address by the corporation; and new colours were presented to the Twenty-eighth Foot by Lady Augusta Fitzclarence. About three thousand troops were reviewed on Southsea Common, Lord Gongh brigading them through some field manoeuvres. In the afternoon, the Queen's yacht approached the shore, on her Majesty's return from Osborne to London, the whole force was marched ciraulianeously to the beach, in picturesque unity of action, and fired afeu-de-joi&s the vessel was rapidly guided through a channel marked out specially for the occasion. In the evening athletic spoils of all sorts closed the anniversary. On Monday, as the celebrated charger belonging to Lord Gough, and which bore his lordship throughout all his Indian campaigns, and in the recent victories obtained by the British arms in India, was being landed in .the East India Docks, from the Marlborough, when the box 'broke from the slings, and the animal was killed. Lord Gough, who highly prized tho animal, had him conveyed from India at agreatexpense. — Guardian, June 26. Jenny Lind, writing to Barnum, in America, entreats him to "save her from her friends ;" in other words, to protect her from the many well-meaning people who always crowd to make her acquaintance, and rob her of the time essential to practice or repose. She writes that while not performing she would like to be located in some quiet secluded village, where she could have " a few poor .families to visit," and be spared fashionable intrusions. Tbe chetah, or hunting-leopard, in the collection of the Zoological Society, recently got his hind leg between the bars of his cage, and in his efforts to disengage it, fractured the limb in two places. A veterinary surgeon decided that amputation must be performed. The animal was made, very unwillingly, to inhale chloroform from a sponge fastened to a stick ; the limb was cut off, the stump bound up, and the chetah placed in its den be/ore it recovered consciousness. The patient is going on well. The Durham Chronicle relates that a man who persisted, in spite of repeated refusals, in wooing the widowed landlady of an inn near

Barnard Castle, was seized a few evenings since by the widow and her son, who thoroughly tarred and feathered the unhappy suitor from top to toe.

Deficient Supply of Cotton.—Great altrm was expressed at the short supply of cotton, which it was feared would materially embarrass the Manchester manufacturers. It is said that M. Thiers received £24,000 for the History of the Consulate and the Empire, several volumes of which are yet unwritten. The publishers, afraid in these stirring times that he might be cut off, wish to ensure his life, and tried the London offices for the purpose, but they declined the risk. The University of Jena has granted to Meyerbeer, the composer, the title ot doctor, or, as the German phrase runs, the dignity of the doctor's hat. The Glasgow Mail, in connexion with the loss of the Orion, narrates an astonishing feat of heroic gallantry and noblest selfdenial. It was that of a gentleman who was observed struggling and swimming freighted with a lady under each arm, and his own child held in bis mouth, supporting himself on a board, which he held under his chin. Some less scrupulous swimmer came across him and drew away the plank which enabled 'him to support his head, and he was forced to let go his unfortunate child, which, in consequence, met a watery grave ; the ladies, however, he safely brought to land. Another instance was that of a gentleman who, having got possession of a small piece of floating wood, when a young lady was passing, extended his band to her, and saying, ' this may save us both', was enabled to keep himself and her up till they were picked up by a boat. Accounts from Paris state that a young lad, seventeen years of age, named George Alfred Walker, a Frenchman, was taken into custody close to the door of the Elysee, for having declared his intention of assassinating the President of the Republic, who, he alleged, prevented the good Republic from being established. Walker had been long watching an opportunity of effecting his putpose, but by some chance always failed. He had never seen th<? President, and on Friday, after having waited at the door of the Elysee for a long while, though the President had passed close to him, it was not allotted that by bis hand Louis Napoleon should fall, He gave himself up to the police, and fully avowed his design. On searching him a pistol loaded and primed was found on him. He belongs to a respectable family long residing in the same quarter in Pa:is. His own conduct had been dissolute, having long frequented Socialist clubs and read Socialist writings of the worst description. Scutari, in Albania, is to become a free port. This will be of immense importance to England in a commercial point of view, as it will open a direct communication with the interior of European Turkey. The measure is considered as the result of Sir Stratford Canning's diplomacy. The Pope has sent, as a present to the President of the Republic, a superb missal enriched with paintings. In the cover is a gold cross which belonged to Charlemagne. On the first page of the missal is the following inscription in the handwriting of the Pope: — Dilectissimo filio Ludovico Bonaparte. Horace Vernet is painting, at Versailles, a most singular picture. The guillotine occupies a prominent space. A heap of headless bodies are lying abuut, but the axe is at rest, for the executioner is supposed to have beheaded himself. Several Socialist agents have been sentenced by the Court of Assize of the Loire Inferieure to various terms of imprisonment, for having uttered cries in the streets of the most horrible blasphemy—such as, " A bas le bon Dieu!" "Vive l'Enfer!" "A bas le Religion !" " A bas Dieu !" " Vive le Pillage !" " Vive la Guillotine !"

Prussia.—The King appeared in public for the first time on the anniversary of the battle of Waterloo, to lay the first stone of the monument to be erected in the grounds of the Military Hospital (the Prussian Invalides), to the memory of the soldiers and officers of the army of Prussia who were killed in the various revolutionary conflicts of 1848 and 1849. "The monument consists of a very simple pillar, surmounted by a large Prussian eagle; it is surrounded by a wall or inclosure, on the inside face of which are inscribed the names of the soldiers and officers who fell in the conflict of the 18th and 19th of March, 1848, in Berlin, and during that and the following year in Posen, Schleswig-Holstein, Breslau, Iserlohn, Elberfeld, Dussjldorf, Rhenish Bavaria, Dresden, and Baden."

The Duke of Wellington. — A short time since, says the Court Journal, the rector of.a parish situate in one of the midland counties, having by dint of much personal exertion obtained subscriptions towards the restoration and repair of his beautiful church, still found himself unable to meet all the claims which the outlay had occasioned. To supply the deficiency, he wrote to many persons of wealth

and eminence in the country, politely apologising for the intrusion and soliciting their aid. The subjoined is a copy of the reply which the Worthy rector received to the application which he made to his grace : " F.M. the Duke of Wellington present his compliments to Mr. — . As Mr* — feels that his letter requires apology the duke will say no more on that subject, but he must add that as there is not a church, chape], glebe-house, school, nor even a pagoda, built from the north to the south pole, or within the utmost limits of the earth, to which he (the Duke of Wellington) is not called upon to contribute, the duke is not surprised that Mr. •, having already £7,500 towards the restoration of his church, should make application to the duke, who has nothing to say, either to ,or to — '—shire." Immediately upon the receipt of the epistle, the reverend gentleman was offered five guineas for the autograph, which he readily accepted, entering the amount in his subscription list as the Duke of Wellington's contribution to the fund.

The Mayor of Bath s Official Collar. — A correspondent says — "The Mayor of Bath having been to some extent eclipsed at the banquet of Mayors in London, in consequence of his deficiency of an official collar, and the splendour of those badges of distinction worn by other civic dignitaries, the citizens of 'the Queen City' determined that such an occurrence should not take place again, and at once commenced a very liberal subscription for the purpose of presenting his worship a collar worthy of the municipal importance of their town. The badge has just been issued from the hands of the goldsmith. It is four feet in length, and weighs fifteen troy ounces of standard gold. The centre of the collar is formed of the Tudor rose, enamelled red and white, on either side of which is a portcullis emblamatic of rail- j nicipal authority and of the ancient gates of the city. Tbese are connected with a very beautifully formed knot of gold, which "is again attached to the Tudor rose, and each alternately continuing, terminating with two portcullis. The badge is of central form, and it bears appropriate mottoes in Latin." The Ne*o York Herald, speaking of the death of Matthew L. Davis, a celebrated American, says " He was the father of all those nice modes of manufacturing public opinion. On one occasion, meetings were held on different nights in. every ward in this city. The most exciting and spirited resolutions and addresses were passed and published — not only the city, but tbe whole country was aroused. The secret was not known for some time ; but at all these meetings, that caused so great an uproar, only three persons were present, viz. : Mr. Davis and two friends.

An Ambiguity. — An Irish attorney, not proverbial for his probity, was robbed one night, in going from Wirklow to Dublin. His father next day, meeting Baron O'Grady, said " My lord, have you heard of my son's robbery?" "No," replied the baron; "whom did he rob ?" The Dumfries Courier reports that the "most forcible" preacher in Scotland — a young clergyman of Herculean ability — has been rather too forcible ; for half an hour be expended his energy on the pulpit; at last the front gave way, and the preacher pitched into the area of the kirk, severely hurting the precentor in his descent. The Chester Courant relates the tale of a dog belonging to a gentleman in that city, suddenly leaving his master's house, which he was not in the habit of doing, alone on Saturday week, and marching straight to the shop of Mr. Flatt, a chemist, attracted attention by holding out his fore-paw, which, on examination, was found to have a pin deeply imbedded in it. It was extracted, and bowwow wagged his thanks, and returned home. The correspondent of the Chronicle, referring to the attempted assassination of the King of Prussia, says — " There is a popular superstition in Prussia, that when anything of grave importance is about to occur to the royal family, a spectie stalks solemnly through the palace at night, in the foiro of a lady clothed in white ; and it is further believed that when the White Lady (so she is called) wears black gloves, she brings news of some serious visitation, such as death or worse. Some weeks ago the White Lady was, it is alleged, distinctly seen by a sentinel on duty, in one of the principal apartments, but he could not tell whether she had on or not the terrible black gloves. She did not, it seems, deign to speak to the man, but she p&ased close to him, and looked, he says, very sorrowful. The newspapers recorded the apparition at the time, and this gave rise to considerable speculation. As, however, day after day passed by without anything occurring, people ceased to think of the matter. But lo ! a little later the King is fired at and wounded by an assassin I Judge of the sensation which this has caused among all the good gossips of Berlin in particular, and of

i Prussia in general ; judge of the immense increase it has given 10 the already great teputation of the White Lady! The ducked monk of Walter Scott had not a greater fear of the White Lady of Avenel than have the good Prussian peasantry and workmen — ay, and the middle classes, too* — of the White Lady of the palace of Berlin !" Galignani's Messenger says it may be remembered that Goethe, in 1827, had delivered over to the keeping of the Government of Weimar a quantity of his papers, contained in a sealed casket, with an injunction not to open it until 1850. The 17th of May being fixed for breaking the seals, the authorities gave formal notice to the family of Goethe that they would on that day deliver up the papers, as directed by the deceased poet. The descendants of the poet Schiller also received an intimation that, as the papers concerned their ancestor, they had a right to be present. The casket was opened with all due form, and was found to contain the whole of the correspondence between Goethe and Schiller. The letters are immediately to be published, according to directions found in the casket. The last nine day's wonder of Paris is the new hotel of Mdle. Rachel, which has just been completed in the sumptuous style of Louis XV., and has attracted a throng of visitors. The entrance hall is adorned with bat reliefs of war, the chase, fishing, and such like masculine subjects ; the softer arts no where appear, not eveu the guitar so famed tfl the gagne-pain of Rachel's wandering childhood. A large smoking-room fitted up with divans of Persian stuff will form no small at* traction to the male visitors of the French Melpomene." A splendid library of carved oak is filled with volumes in gorgeous bindings, amongst which, of course, are conspicuous the French dramatists. But the most curious part of the hotel is the spiral staircase, devised something on the principal of the Giralda of Seville, under a domed roof, with a huge hell in the centre to announce visitors. The ingenuity of the artist so pleased the artiste that, holding out her hand, she exclaimed "Give me your hand tir ; you are a true genius, for you have built me a large house in a small corner." "I was employed upon a diamond, " gallantly replied M. Charles Du* val, "and 1 could not do less than set it handsomely." — Guardian.

Civilization in New York. — A. Nevr York paper gives an account of " white* notions in that city regarding nigger pedestrians. " Frederick Douglass, the impudent negro who has of late taken upon himself the privilege of abusing our country, its patriots and constitution, without having that chastisement be ao richly merited at the hands of our republicans, who Would not condescend to notice his blasphemy and negroisms, had the audacity yesterday morning to walk down broad-* way, the principal promenade in our city, with two white women resting on his arms. Several citizens who witnessed this disgraceful scene followed the impudent scamp to the bat" tery. On observing that he was watched, the negro commenced laughing and sneering at the gentlemen who were behind him. One of them could not withstand the provoked and justifiable temptation to award to the negro that punishment which his daring rascality had subjected him to. The gentleman stepped up to him, and politely requested the women to leave their ebony companion and place themselves under the protection of a gentleman near by. The women very quietly did as they were desired to do, and then the indignant and insulted gentleman administed to the back of the negro a ' dressing' that he will have occji* sion to remember some time hence. Mad* deued justice forgets the dictates of law in a case of this kind ; and, personally, we see no reason why it should not." This is the Frederick Douglass who was in England in 1848.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZSCSG18501120.2.4

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 553, 20 November 1850, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
3,304

ENGLISH EXTRACTS. New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 553, 20 November 1850, Page 2

ENGLISH EXTRACTS. New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 553, 20 November 1850, Page 2

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