ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 743, 15 September 1852, Page 3

ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

Mesmeribm. — Professor Gregory gives an account, in the Edinburgh News, of some extraordinary performances which he witnessed lately at a meeting of a mesmeric society in Paris :—": — " I saw," he ' says, " Baron Dupotet at the distance of sixty feet, by mere volition and fixed gaze, attract a strong man in spite of all his. efforts to resist ; and at last , he overcame, by the most stupendous ,-exertions, the opposition of four stout young men, and forced his way to Baron Dupotet, when lie instantly became calm, but panted with his previous exertion. I saw the same man, an intelligent gentleman, repelled by the Baron, so .that, in spite of his tfiorts to approach, he was compelled to move away from him. Various operators, did the same with their subjects', , but none with the power of Baron Dupotet. The subjects during these _trials were^'absirbed i n the tendency to., approach >him (or recede from him) and on en-, quiry they all declared that they only felt theymust go with him, or otherwise, although no word was spoken or gesture made."

The Pacific Ship Canal. — By the advices this week from New York it appears that commissioners from the American Atlantic and Pacific Ship Canal Company were expected to leave almost immediately for England, together with Colonel Childs (formerly the chief engineer of the State of New York,) to submit, according to the London agreement of October, 1850, the completed surveys and estimates of the work. It will be remembered that the negotiations at that period resulted in a pledge on the part of some of our leading firms, that if the undei taking wer€ found practicable at a cost that should promise a fair revenue, it should be introduced with all their influence to the English public, the company, in return, pledging themselves to allow, under those circumstances, a participation, upon equitable terras, to the extent of one-half, so that the interests of Great Britain and America might be identical. It is now understood that after a thorough exploration by himself and his surveying corps, the report of Colonel Childs will demonstrate that both as regards cost and difficulty the enterprise will ; not only be less serious than many of the ordinary undertakings carried out in the United States, but such as to cause surprise that it should ever have been neglected. Instead of the elevation of 487 feet, supposed to exist .on the strip of land which separates Lake Nicaragua from the Pacific, it seems that the highest rise is 48 feet, while with regard to the river San Juan it has been found that the greater part is perfectly available, and that in the portion where the river cannot be used the excavation will be through land entirely level and without rock. Under these circumstances the company, it is said, are prepared immediately to proceed, either alone or in concurrence with England, as may be decided upon. The temporary transit which was opened in July, 1851, has yielded a return which is proportionately without example, and inspired by this experience and the ardour which is now manifesting itself on the subject throughout the entire Union, the leaders of the undertaking, while they express an undiminished desire for a mutual arrangement, state themselves at the same time to be indisposed to any further delay. A prompt and final adjustment of the question is, therefore, to be anticipated. In the eighteen months which have elapsed since the commissioners originally visited England, the Australian discoveries have doubled the urgency as well as the temptations of the work, and the intentions of the United States to seek a direct intercourse with Japan, and to establish forthwith a steam route to China, have also developed new motives of a momentous character. The impulses towards an immediate settlement are, therefore, of the strongest kind, and there can also be no doubt that in case the company should require it, their own Government will be prepared to aid them to the full extent of its constitutional powers. — Times, May 14.

Property found in the Great Exhibi-TioN.-^-There is still a considerable quantity of lost property in. the station house adjacent to the Crystal Palace, although' it has been publicly advertised at various times. Now that the fate of the building is known, the whole of the property will be re-arranged, and unless speedily identified by the owners, sold. There are various speculations relative to the value of property concealed under the flooring ; and one gentleman recently offered £200 for the "diggings." The offer, however, has not been accepted by the contractors. — Bell's Messenger.

Kossuth. — Kossuth has had public receptions at Newhaven, Springfield, Northampton, and other towns in New England ; and he is now at Boston. A Prague journal states that on the 3rd instant Kossutb's mother, and sixteen of his relatives, passed through that city on their way to England. — Weekly Chronicle, May 15.

Famine in Germany. — The condition of the peasantry in many parts of Germany has, chiefly through the failure of the potato-crop last year, at length become one of such fearful and indescribable distress, that a few particulars respecting it will prove a subject of painful interest. Southern and Central Germany, still suffering from the effects of the late political convulsions, have now, in addition, been visited by dearth, disease, and famine. Truly heartrending accounts continue to arrive from many parts well known to and much frequented by English tourists for the beauty of their scenery ; so from Wutteraberg, Bavaria, the Grand Duchy of Baden, Nassau, and more especially from the Vogelsberg, and the Odenwald, rough mountainous districts, the one situated in the north-eastern part of the Grand Duchy of Hesse, the other to the north, and forming part of the " Bergfetrasse," a road extending from Darmstadt to Heidelberg, within 38 hours reach of London, and traversed generally by excursionists on their way to Switzerland. In these localities whole villages are being deserted for want of food ; their unfortunate inhabitants, who, in times of comparative prosperity eke out but a scanty and miserable existence, have been wanting their staple food — potatoes. In other parts trade is standing still ; of 18,000 looms in a single province of Bavaria, almost exclusively inhabited by weavers, not half are at full work. The people are deprived alike of the productions of nature and the fruits of industry ; and, to consummate wretchedness and despair, and an extreme dearth of provisions, whole herds of cattle and sheep are killed by a rapidly spreading disease. All feelings of human nature begin to be more and more perverted and convulsed. The most loathsome food, meat infested by murrain, is eagerly sought after. Wholesome meat is out of the question ■ — a luxury rarely obtained. Bread made of bran must supply its place, and bran soaked with water, in which salt has been dissolved to give it a taste, and the skin of potatoes, and coffee boiled over and over again to extract the least remaining particle' of nourishment. Unfortunately, there is little or no prospect of an immediate or even of an approximate alleviation of such harrowing misery. The most abundant harvest will but slowly counteract its destructive effects, and although vigorous humane exertions" have been made in various quarters by Government and private individuals, their; result' is wholly inadequate to meet in any degree this, fearful amount of .distress. Germans,c- in yet unheard-of numbers, aie. literally ■ besieging every port available for emigration. — Leeds Mercury, May 8.

A Great Borer. — The sbipworm or teredo, is a lii-valve ahell-fiah, which, as if in revenge for tiie unceasing war wiged by mankind against its> near relative the oysur, seems to have legisiered a vow to extinguish the vitality of as many human beings as live within its power. That power, though exercised by an insignificant shellfish, is a prodigious'one, for ever since mankind turned attention to nautical affairs, and went to sea in ships, the teredo has unceasingly endeavoured, unfortunately with too much success, to sink their marine conveyances. Nor have vessels alone been the object of its attacks, for many a goodly landing pier has it riddled into shreds, not to speak of bolder attempts such as the endeavour to swamp Holland by destroying the piles of her embankments, Thesbipworm is the only raollusk that has ever succeeded in frightening politicians; and more than once it has alarmed them effectually. A century and a quarter ago, indeed, all Europe believed that tbe United Provinces were doomed to destruction, aud that the teredo was sent by the Deity to pull dowu tbe growing arrogance of the Hollanders. In our own country, although we undergo no danger of being suddenly submerged, as our Dutch neighbours might be, we have suffered seriously in our dockyards and harbours by the operations of the shipworm, to which the soundest and hardest oak offered no impediment. As a defence against it, the under water portion of the woodwork in dockyards has been studded witJ broad-headed iron nails.— Westminster and Foreign Quarterly Review. The Courier de Saone et Loire mentions the passing through Chalons of tbe eight superb Arabian horses, sent as a present from the Sultan Abdul Medjid to Prince Louis Napoleon. These animals were the admiration of every one who saw them. They arrived at Chalons in charge of some hussars, aud were sent on to Paris by railway.

A Reporting Machine. — Many and strange are now the uses to which machinery is being adapted now-a-days ; we question if it ever entered into the head of any man to adapt it to such a description of work as reporting for the press. Yet this has actually been accomplished by our ingenious townsman, Dr. Dewar, who has invented a machine, at one end of which the reporter's short-band notes are placed, and at the other end of which — a few yards off — they are produced at the ordinary rate of speaking, in clear bold long hand, ready for being put into the bands of the printer. An experiment, made on Thursday night (including the speech of Mr Arthur, slightly condensed in our report of the Free Presbytery's meeting), was quite successful. To give an idea of the advantages that may be secured by this machine, we may mention that four columns of the type used for reports by the Times may be produced comfortably iv a couple of hours by one reporter, whereas, under the present laborious and cumbrous plan, nearly eight houis would be consumed in the task by an ordinary reporter. — Aberdeen Herald. The value of foreign clocks imported in the month ended the sth ultimo was £4,631, and of watches £13,049. The duty paid in the month on clocks was £4,365, and on watches £13,019. —Ibid.

Immense Line of Battle Ship. — The Lords of the Adm'raliy have directed the stupendous line-of-batlle ship, the Windsor Castle, the largest man-of-war in the world, building in the Royal Dockyard, at Pembroke, to be launched early in the ensuing summer. She will mount 140 guns, and be fitted with a screw-propeller. She is upwards of 3000 tons. — Leeds Mercury, May 8.

A Sailor's Feat. — At Malta, on tbe 13ih, a marine of the Bellerophon went up to the topmast head. On this, one of the sailors, simply not to be outdone, ran up the rigging to the main topmast head, and thence mounted to the main truck where, standing, be coolly waved his hands and arms about, as fearlessly as if he had been on terra firma. He then undressed, and dressed himself again, finishing his daring exploit by crawling down the backstays, head-foremost, amid the prolonged and boisterous cheers, not only of bis own messmates, but of the crews of the neighbouring ships. The teat was a most daring one (the main truck of the Bellerophon not being more than a foot,) and one perhaps that not ten men in the fleet could perform. — Daily New 9, May 10.

Louis Napoleon & the Civil Tribunals of Paris — A most important decision has been given by the Tribunal of the Seine, the effect of which is to condemn Louis Napoleon's decree confiscating the properly of the Orleans family, by proclaiming the principle that " the ordinary civil tribunals are exclusively competent to decide on questions of property, of validity of contracts, and of prescription." This judgment, given on action brought by the Orleans family, is the severest blow the present Government of France has received ; and it has met with universal approval. But, all-powerful as Louis Napoleon yet is, he will in all probability not suffer bis designs to be baulked by unlooked-for independence on the judicial bench. He is expected to remove the case at once for decision by the Coudcil of State, a body wholly nominated by himself, and on whose subservience he may pretty surely calculate. Still, the moral effect of the judgment already given will not cease to be felt. — Leeds Mercury, May 8.

Spain. — The Opposition journals have resolved to suspend their publication for three months from the 4th May, the eve of the day on which the new law of the press comes into operation. The editors intend to appoint a standing committee, who will prosecute ex-officio the Ministerial journals that should not have complied with all the rigorous conditions of the new law. Th» r e resolutions were adopted at a meeting of the directors on the 27th of April. Private letters from Madrid, of the 30ih, state that it is generally believed in that city that the "press having been completely sacrificed, the next encroachment on the constitution attempted by the Govenment will be the suspension of the electoral franchise. They venture to say that the subject had "more than once occupied the attention of Ministers." — Spectator, May 8.