ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 672, 10 January 1852, Page 4

ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

An intimation had been given to the Mayor of Liverpool, that her Majesty intended to visit the Docks and some of the principal Buildings of that Town, on her way to Worsley.

The Duke of Norfolk has left the communion of the Church of Rome and become a member of the Church of England. The Times appears disposed to consider the agitation in Ireland recently commenced by the Roman Catholic clergy since the passing of the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill, as having in some degree influenced England’s Premier’s Duke in his change of religion. Other conversions are also spoken of as probable. The Duchess de Montpensier was safely delivered of a daughter at Seville, on the 28th August. A Ball room of Iron has been erected for his Royal Highness Prince Albert at Balmoral by Messrs. Bellhouse & Co., engineers of Manchester. The room is sixty feet long, by twenty four feet wide, and 17 feet high to the centre of roof, and is ornamented by cast iron pilasters, with panelled shafts and foliated capitals, about eight feet apart. It is lighted by four windows at the front and four at the back all of which open as French casements, and has two entrance doors, one in the centre of the front, the other at the end of the edifice.

According to the latest accounts from Jamaica, cholera still lingered in the Island : the small pox had broken out in several parts, and the extreme heat had led to the prevalence of an epidemic resembling influenza attended with fever in consequence of which, the anniversary of the freedom of the slaves was celebrated by them with much less spirit than usual.

A lamentable railway accident occurred on the Buckinghamshire Railway on the 6tb September, near Bicester, owing to the engine, in passing the points, taking the wrong line and, becoming detached from the train, it ran off the rails. Six persons were killed and several were wounded. There were two hundred passengers by the train.

Mr. Hobbs, an ingenious American Locksmith had succceeded in picking Messrs. Bramah’s challenge lock before Arbitrators appointed by both parties, and also one of Messrs. Chubb’s patent locks before a number of respectable witnesses. Messrs. Bramah had offered by way of challenge a reward of 200 guineas to any Artist who could pick their lock, and under the award of the arbitrators have paid this amount to Mr. Hobbs, who has exhibited a lock which he calls the “ Parantoptic,” and which is described as a wonderful piece of mechanism, as a challenge to English artists.

Pension to Christopher North.— Lord John Russell, while in attendance on the Queen at Holyrood, on Thursday last, intimated by letter to Professor Wilson, Her Majesty’s intention to bestow a pension of £3OO peryearupon him, in consideration of his eminent literary services. This act towards so distinguished and consistent an opposer of the Whig Government comes with a peculiar grace from Lord J. Russell.— Perth Courier.

New Discovery.—We have to add to the list of cbymical contributions to our national industry developed in the Exhibition another striking and important discovery, made by Mr. James Young, of Manchester ; but in order to understand its character it is necessary to give some explanation. It may be recollected that some time ago a spring of mineral oil, like those in Persia and other countries, was found in a mine in Derbyshire. On distillation it was ascertained to be an oil of great value for the lubrication of machinery, and was much used for that purpose in Manchester, but the supply ceased. Mr. Young’s attention was then directed to the subject. From its connexion with the coal district he believed that it might be produced therefrom by chymical means. The naptha produced by the distillation of coal differs entirely from that found in the natural spring referred to, Mr. Young, however, has discovered a process by which he entirely converts the volatile principle of coal into a liquid oil, and into a substance called paraffine. This substance had never previously been produced from coal, though it had from the distillation of wood. If paraffine be heated, it is converted into olefiant gas —the illuminating principle of the ordinary gas which lights our streets and houses. It may, therefore, be appropriately termed “ solid gas.” The oil produced is also paraffine in a different condition, and thus Mr. Young, by distilling coal at a low heat, has succeeded in producing solid and liquid gas. The importance of this discovery was pointed out by

Baron Liebig in a recent work, wherein h describes the solidification of gas as one 'f the greatest wants of the age. Mr. You has produced the desired result by a preliminary in its stage to that hinted at h* the great chymist, and in weight the resul/ obtained by him tally exactly with what the* would be in the manufacture of common In practice nothing can be more simple that this discovery. The coal introduced at one end of a retort is screwed out in the form of coke at the other, while the liquid and solid products of distillation come away from a ». arate opening. If succesfully carried out on a large scale, Mr. Young’s process will ‘ yield very important results, and amour these may be specified the economical pr u l duction of coke for our railways, in the uhi. ufacture of which vast quantities ofgas; ire now entirely wasted. — Times, Sept. 6. Volcanic Eruptions in the West Indies. —The last West h as brought detailed accounts of the recent vol. canic eruptions in the island of Martinique whose violence has caused so much alarm to to the inhabitants of St. Pierre and peasant population of the neighbouring parishes. It appears that the Montagne Pelee, the seat of the new volcano, has long been conspicuous for its formation, which marus it as an ex. tinct crater, and for its springs of hot sulphuretted water. In July last these springs were observed to emit a powerful smell of an], pbur. Large quantities of hot water and mud were ejected by some internal convulsion until, on the 6th of Aug., about midnight, a violent eruption took place. A rutnblioo noise, similar to the rapid approach of large masses of cavalry, alarmed the inhabitants of the villages round the Montagne Pelee; and on their rushing into the open air to save I themselves from the effects of what they be- I lieved to be an earthquake, they saw three I columns of a whitish vapour rising from the I top of the mountain. It appears that the I mountain movements and subterraneous ex- I plosions did no mischief whatever beyond I forcing up the coatings of the old crater of I the Montagne Pelee, when the soil was | thrown up, burnt, and impregnated with sul- I phur, very much in the way in which it would I have been defaced by the springing of a min?, I When the mail left, the crater was still open, I and continued to exhale poisonous (i.e., sul- I phuretted) gases. — Times, Sept. 8.

Notwithstanding the increase of temperance societies, and the improved hab;ts (uvx»gj/d to drinking) of the working classes of Great Britain, still fourteen millions of pounds are annually spent in gin alone ! Now this istlie precise sum which Mr. Asa Whitney requires for the construction of his Atlantic and Pacific Ocean Junction Railway. If the working men of England would abstain from gin drinking for seven years, they might become the proprietors of that or a similar railroad. Yes, sir, half a million of men connected with building and its subsidiary trades, by saving a penny s day for seven years, could form more tbanhalf this great work, and each contributor might have, at the end of that time, fifty acres of land. A penny-raised capital great enough to complete so gigantic an undertaking, might atfirst seem a dream of the imagination of a Bedlamite; but so would have been deemed, atone lime, our penny post, our Parliamentary railway trains, penny steamboats, penny savings' banks, penny cyclopaedias, and other penny matters. We live in a penny era; anl rely on it, sir, that it is possible to carry out this penny suggestion.— Correspondent of tk Builder.

New Orleans.—There has been a tremendous riot in this city, growing out of the Cuba revolution. For the past two or three days business, to a great extent, has been sinpended, and the affairs of Cuba have been discussed more thoroughly. Out city never before known to be so much agitated. The excitement of the people knows no bounds. Hundreds of men are pouring in, ready take part in the patriot cause in Cubs. A large body of the Cuba Liberators, compost mostly of western men, having become M' asperated by the tone of the Spanish paper Union, this afternoon attacked the office, broke the windows and doors, and rushed into the office. They threw the press, cases of type s i ; and furniture into the streets. The totally destroyed everything belonging to WI office, . The crowd outside was so dense, the excitement so great, that the policecooq not interfere to check the riot. After ity office wasdemolished the Liberators their legions, and proceeded to the cigar stor e | (kept by a Spaniard, who has made obnoxious to the patriots) at the corner of&| Chaples and Gravier-streets, broke the dort>| and windows, and destroyed all the stock‘"l furniture, which was very valuable. By^ ! ! lime the crowd had swelled to an imnt-’l number, and the cry was raised— ‘ Let'iP J l| a visit to the Spanish Consul.’ This *"[ responded to by a tremendous shout. Supple^ 1 ' I