ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 744, 18 September 1852, Page 3

ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

■ The Collins Link of Steamers. — Speaking of the Collins' line of steamers, the New York ■Herald says, " our special Washington correspondent" intimates "that there is little hope of the passage of a clause in the deficient hill, giving increased compensation to Collins' steamers. The already large- amount of the deficiency appropriations, upwards of three millions, it .is thought*, will render it expedient to devise some other and more effectual, method of raising the means necessary^for the continuance of .fhat-unequalled line of steamers. That the •r^mecly will be forthcoming, and that before' thetadjournment of Congress, there is no doubt whatever.. The people of the whole country are

fully aroused to the importance of this line, and are flooding the Senatf #ith" petitions to*feome to tKe rescue}' they feel that "if would he a burning disgrace to the American nation "to allow the Withdrawal of these vessels for the want of sufficient compensation j they are unwilling that the Cunarders should remain masters of the field, and monopolize, as they certainly would, the steam commerce between the Old and the New Worlds. ■ Such event would be as disastrous to the commerce as it would be disgraceful to the enterprise of jour country. It would, in reality, he forfeiting alhclainvwe may have earned to the title of successful competitors, and our translantic rivals would most assuredly take advantage of their triumph to place it wholly beyond the power of, the American people to recover, within at least half-a-century the field they had, in a moment of thoughtlessness, unwisely surrendered, It is the height of folly to suppose that our line of steamers can, unaided, compete with the Cunarders, which are not only backed by the .most substantial houses in Europe, but also by the British Government itself. The contest between the two lines is not a mere matter of dollars and cents, it is a struggle for maritime and commercial supremacy between the two most enterprising nations on the face of the earth ; and, well knowing this, it is irrelevant to feopuose that CongresXip the epd*will refuse, to t gjrant/ihe in--ereaaed compensation -requisite^ t'e bring the •contest to a succesful i^sue." s , " Explosion at Hbbbdkn Colliery. — Twen-* iTy-two Lives Loot.— » We regret to record [ this.- week one of those sudden explosions which are so disastrous to the lives of the miners v df this district. , The Colliery in question is, called the Hepburn A. Pit, the property of Messrs. Thomas Easton and Co., and the explosion occurred between nine and ten o'clock yesterday morning, about which time upwards of 200 men were at work. The mournful intelligence soon reached the dwellings of the miners' families, and, as usual, the shaft was speedily surrounded by them, i Anxiety and suspense, with an unbroken sitlence, pervaded every countenance, until at length tidings reached the banksmen that the catastrophe was not so disastrous as anticipated, and that it had been ■ confined in its ravages to one flat, named the Monckton or Chapter-flat, where twenty men and two boys were at work; all of whom, it was stated, had perished. Of course, after the explosion, the men working at the various districts of the mine made their way to the shaft, and were brought to bank ; but in the meantime Mr. Scott, the overman, and others, were actively employed in putting up the air courses, &c, in order to reach the sufferers. This happily was soon accomplished, when the bodies were safely brought out and conveyed to their respective homes — the scenes at which may be imagined, but cannot be described. The lifeless corpses of fathers received by their wives and weeping children, and that too, in the very place which a few hours before they left in joy and health to repair to their daily toil, are, alas, circumstances which our reporter has become painfully familiar with. The last of the sufferers was brought up at two o'clock in the afternoqn, so it is evident that no time had been lost to rescue them, if possible. Generally/ the bodies were "burnt and much disfigured, and few of them had died from the effects of the after-damp ; but as every soul is lost within the district of the accident, nothing has been ascertained to account for it, while the mine, it was reported, was in its wonted state up the the time the explosion took place. It must, however, be remembered, that this is the second explosion that has taken place at this pit in the course of a few years, the first occurring on the 15th of June. 1849, when 33 persors ware killed. — Newcastle Courant, 7th May. Holyhead Harbour. — The galvanic battery is still used with great effect in the quarries now working for material for the breakwater and pier of the new harbour. Upwards of 7,000 lbs. of powder were recently lodged in three chambers, in a shaft of 55 feet deep, with 66 feet of heading ; and this heavy charge was fired by means of wires attached to a galvanic battery. The explosion was eminently successful, throwing down and dislodging upwards of 30,000 tons of stone, many of these masses being upwards of 20 tons in weight. — News of the World, May 2. Death of Mr. A. Mackat. — Death has removed at an early age a spirit of great promise, in Mr. Alexander Mackay, who was sent to India in the autumn of 1850, by the Manchester Chamber of Commerce, to investigate the feasibility cf extending the growth of the cotton plant in our eastern possessions. Mr. Mackay was the son of a banker in * Inverness, and was educated chiefly at Aberdeen. He adopted the law as a profession, and practised for a short time in the bar in Canada. Having a strong predilection for the press, he became editor of a newspaper at Toronto • and removing to England, he was engaged in respdhsible connexion with the Morning Chronicle. The proprietors of that journal^sent him to the United States to examine and -report on the diplomatic ..bearings of the^ Maine boundary question, and its relation to public feeling in America ; and the results of the inquiry appeared in the correspondence of the Morning Chronicle. A subsidiaty, but valuable result of this journey was his production of "The Western World," one of our very best books on the United States. Mr. Mackay was subsequently one of the most efficient labourers in carrying out the inquisition set on foot by the Morning Chronicle into the condition of the English rural population. Later still, he allied himself with the political party of which the Financial and Parliamentary Reform AssociationVas the organised expression, and wrote an effective pamphlet on the state of the representation. The mission to India was undertaken by him, no doubt, as a parenthesis in his life ; but it proved his last work. The climate of India overcame a delicate constitution, and forced him homewards; not,, however, before he had almost completed hisrnission. He died on his return journey, at sea, on the 15th of last month. — Spectator, Bth May. We learn from Panama, under date of the 3rd instant, that passenger tiains now run on the Panama railroad., regularly, as far as Buena Vista, to which point it was opened on the 2nd instant. Colonel George M. Trotten, the chief engineer, expects fto have the road opened to Freola on the 18th- instant, leaving only 2

miles of%fter navigation. The regular trains leave Asfcrowall at 6 a.m. daily. Mail trains are run on the arrival of the^mailiships, immediately on their arrival. Passengers* leaving Aspinwall in the morning, , arrive at Gorgona j the same day. Fare on cars,- 5 dollars ; from the end of railroad to Gorgona,. in boats, from 1 dollar and 50 cents to 3 dollars*; while by the old river, routefronx two to four days were consumed at an expensejpeeunifirily of from 10 dollars to 15 dollars. The road is in excellent order, and the^ars are equal in, comfort to any on our northern roads. The El Dorado was the first ship %q discharge her passengers and cargo directly from the ship to the wharf. She'Jay^t the wharf while there, and received the treasure and passengers on board in the same way, with as much ease and security as could be s done at the wharf in New York, thus avoiding the" danger and inconvenience attending the landing in small boats at Chagres. All the mail steamers land at Aspinwall, and Chagres was being deserted very fast. Many houses were being removed from there to Aspinwall, and the latter place was begiuning to assume the appearance of a busy and thriving city. — Times, Anril 28.

GoitaßT. — Gorgey has published his "work on the Hungarian Revolution, but it^ is so strictly prohibited at Vienna that some of the first men in the empire have applied, for it to the Govtfrpqr of the city in vain. ! It is evidently Wntion ttf Government that the work should disappear without leaving any trace behind it ! iTt is said that the principal reason why the book is so strictly prohibited is, that the author asserts that the -Hungarians were on legal ground up to " the declaration' of independence " at Debreczin, on the 14th of April, 1849. It is said that Gorgey does not attempt to conceal the fact? of his having completely broken with the patriotic party from that time. — Weekly Chronicle, /-May 15.

The Empebor ov Russia, at Vienna. — The Emperor of Russia is at present in Vienna. On entering the city|rby way of compliment to his host, he donned 'the uniform of an Austrian cavalry general. The Emperor Francis Joseph, who drove with his guest in an open carriage to the Bfirg, was dressed as a general of the Russian Guard. The St. Stephens-place, the Graben, and Kohlmart, were densely crowded as the long train of court equipages, preceded by mounted gensdarmes, passed at a rapid pace, but it was remarked that the measures formerly taken against those who neglected to bow to the monarch had not produced any good effect, for the great majority of hats on the Stephen'splace remained fixtures on the heads of their owners. — Ibid, May 15.

Australian Wool. — On Wednesday afternoon, a meeting of merchants, manufacturers, and other persona' engaged in the woollen and worsted trades of the West Riding oi Yorkshire, was held in the rotunda of the Coloured'Clothhal), Leeds, for the purpose of taking steps with respect to the supply of wool from the Australian colonies. Sir George Goodman, of -Leeds, was called in the chair ; and among the persons present were some of the principals in the chief firms engaged in textile manufactures in Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, and oilier towns. The feeling of the meeting was unanimously and very decidedly in favour <*£- -the -Government- fcakieg- immediate^steps ta send out a large number of emigrants, who would meet with remunerative employment in the Australian colonies as agricultural labourers, shepherds, &c, in consequence >of many formerly engaged in. such employments having gone to the gold diggings ; and a deputation was appointed to wail upon the Government; with a view to laying their cases before them. The local association for promoting emigration was agreed to, and Sir G. Goodman was unanimously elected its president.

The Wool Market. — There has been an improved demand for domestic wool*, particularly combing descriptions, liish wools are very scarce and difficult to secure on reasonable terms. The sales of Scotch have been to a fair extent, chiefly laid Cheviot, and for most descriptions prices have assumed a firmer tone. The public sales in London have not yet been fixed, but will be announced in a few days, about 17,000 bales of fine colonial having arrived there. Prices Current — Port Phillip— Good to fine Is. Bd. to 25., middling Is. s<l. to Is. 6d., inferior Is. 3^d. to Is. 4-jd., lambs Is. 6d. to 2s. 2d., skin Is. 3J. to Is. 5d., piects and locks Is. to Is. 3^., grease lOd. to lid. — Liverpool Gazette, May 15. Tallow. — There has been, a good businpss concluded and prices are higher on the spot, fine yellow Russia realising 365. Bd. to 375. A large demand exists for delivery, and 375. 9d. to 38. is now the value for last three months of the year. Home melted is dearer, and sales are to a fair extent made at 365. 6d. vet cash. For other sorts there is also an advance. Of Australian at auction, beef brought 335. to 355., mutton 335. 6d., to 365. 9d., South American 335. 6d. to 355.' 6 J., grease 275. to 325., and Italian tallow 365. to 375. per cwt. — Liverpool Gazette, 15th May.

Accidents. — A terrific coal-pit accident has occurred in the Aberdare Valley Glamorganshire," by which no fewer than eighty lives have been sacrificed. The colliery is known as the Duffryn Pitt, Cwm Bach, and is the property of Mr. Thomas Powell, of the Gaer, one of the largest coal owneis in the United Kingdom. The cause was fire damp. A tremendous conflagration spread over Holm Fen, Hants. The flames — which arose" from several labourers of William Wells, Esq., of Holme Woodhouse, setting fire to some rough sedge for the purpose of clearing the land — spread for six miles, and the loss to the growing crops alone is estimated at more than £20,000. A melancholy accident, by which twenty-seven colliers were drowned, happened at Pembury, South Wales. It appears that the stock waters of some ancient workings broke into Mr. Watney's great anthracite colliery, in the vale of Gweridraetb, from which only one man escaped. Being near the bottom of the pit sit the time, he was carried upon the surface of the water to the top of the pit,- a distance of upwards cf 500 feet. The water rapidly rose to the surface of the pit, and overflowed into the valley below. Had the acciiieut happened in the daytime, more than five times the number now lost would have perished. [The following extract from the Times will be read with interest. — Ed. W. &.]

To the Editor, of -the Tiwes. Sir, — In your paper of Thursday a paragraph was inserted, extracted from a Savanna (Uuited

States) journal, stating that an American captain tidd picked up on the African coast, near Mouot Abylus'j a" singular reifo- it being no Itss than a ceilafkeg, containing a. parchment, upon w! ich was found to be a short but concise account of the discovery tf Cathay, or further India, irriiten and signed by Christopher Columbus, and addressed to-Ferdiuand and Isabella. In an old volume of voyages in my possession I find the following passage, «rbich distinctly alludes to the fact of the .great^geographical discoverer having prepared such a document, and, after depositing it in a cask, throwing it overboard, with a view of an account of his success reaching the kuowledge of his Sovereign, had his vessels, as he anticipated, failed to survive the tempest they then encountered. Appended is an extract detailing the circumstances, which, if 7011 think it worthy of a niche io yoii'r-columns, is quite at your service. I am sir, your obedient servant, D. Morier Evans. Lombard-street, Saturday evening. "■The admiral, being more -skilful in reckoning, found their run* 150 leagues less than the others. Tuesday, the 12th February, 1493, the tea began to swell with greatand dangerous storms, and he drove most of the night wififour any sail ; afterwards he set^'Tlitdesail. wtfves -broke dfed the ship laboured... , morning the wind slackened, but on Wednesday^night^it rosfe with dreadful waves, which hindered the ship's way so that herould.not work them. The Admiral kept under a main topsail reefed, only to keep the ship to the waves ; but, perceiving how great the danger was, he let it run before the wjad, there being no other remedy. Then the caraval Pinta began to run, and disappeared, though the admiral kept bis light aboard the whole night, and the Pinta answered. On the 14th February, after sun rising the wind blew fiercer, and they were more fearful of perishing, with the trouble of believing that the caraval Pinta was already lost. The admiral finding himself near death, to the end that some' knowledge might come to their catholic Majesties of what we had done in their service, he wrote as much as he could of what he had d : scovered on a skin of parchment, and having wrapped it up in a piece of cerecloth he put it into a wooden cask and cast it into the sea, all the men imagining it had been some piece of devotion, and presently the wind slackened. Friday, the 15th of February, they saw land ahead, bearing from them east nortb-wes>t. Some said it was the island Madeira, others that it was the rock of Cintra, near Lisbon ; but the Admiral always said they were the islands Azores, They plied to and Iro with much labour, bui could not come up with the island of St. Mary. The admiral's legs being very uneasy because he had been exposed to all the rain and cold, he slept a little, and on the 18th came to an anchor on the north side of the island, which they found to be St. Mary."

Life and Death in Lokdon. — Few know that in every seven minutes of the day a child is born in London, and that in every nine minutes one of its inhabitants dies ! The population of London is, roundly, 2,362,000. If (he averages of the last 'fifty years coDtmue, in about thirty-nine years from this time, if the present rate of progress continue, the metropolis will contain twice as many persons as it 'does now. It is truly marvellous ! Where it will stop, and how food and shelter are provided for these masses, are subjects for speculation. — Builder.

The Queen & the Shepherd's Boy. — It is said, on tbe authority of the Northern Warder, that, one day last summer, as her Majesty was sketching on a public road, a flock of sheep came up, driven by a boy, who, seeing some one in the way, shouted, with a stentorian voice," Stan' out o' the road,'oman, an' lal the sheep gae by;" and no heed being paid to h'm, he exclaimed, still more rudely, "Fat are ye stan'in' there for? Gang out o' that, an' lat the sheep pass." In answer to one of her Majesty's attendants, who asked him if he knew whom be was addressing, be said " Na, I neither ken nor care, but be fa she likes, she sudna be i' the sheep's road." "That's the Queen," said the official. The boy looked astonished. •* The Queen ! Od, fat way disna she pit on claes that fouk can ken her than?"