LATEST ENGLISH NEWS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 760, 13 November 1852, Page 3

LATEST ENGLISH NEWS.

By the Formosa we (Melbourne Argus) have received English papers to the 7th August, but the regular mails had been forwarded by the Sydney, the second of the Australian Mail Company's steamers, which had sailed on the 4th instant, with £280,000 in specie, a full catgo of merchandise, and an enormous quantity of letters and papers. The Sydney bad sustained some damage, however, and was compelled to put back. The elections were over, and the different papers thus give the result.

It may be inferred from this, we think, that parties are nearly balanced. The accounts from Jamaica give a very gloomy description of the state of trade ; there is no employment for the working classes; every one that can get away is leaving the the island. Many of the families are preparing to emigrate to Australia, so that you will have people from all quarters added to your population. Your yachting men may be interested to hear that the America was beaten last week at Cowes, by the cutter yacht Arrow, belonging to Mr, Chamberlayne. She was built 20 years ago by Nild, had been lengthened since last season, and now measures 100 tons. The schooner had the advantage on a reach close hauled, but the cutter showed superiority in running dead to leeward. It was a very close race. The Chester Cup. — It is stated, upon good authority, that no less than £50,000 were lost on the above race in the port of Hull — the resident locality of the mare "Nancy" — Sell's Messenger. A correspondent of the Times relates the particulars of two ruffianly attacks which were made on Sir Robert Peel (who proposed one of the Liberal candidates for North Warwickshire) on the nomination day. While traversing a passage in the upper story of the Swan Hotel, he was attacked by two bvavos in Protectionist colours, each armed with, a bludgeon. The landlord, however, came to the rescue. When leaving the house he was attacked a second time, but promptly rescued by a farmer. The latter was assailed with cries of " Why did you not let him do for the beggar !" Sir R. Peel, we learn, lost a valuable watch. The EXTRBatK op Politeness. — Among the jokes in circulation in Paris is the following ; which is attributed to an eminent diplomatist : — When Louis Napoleon appeared at the review at the head of his staff, including the Arab chiefs, the personage in question remarked that " it was impossible to be more polite than Louis Napoleon, as was evident in his conduct to the Arab chiefs, whom he had gratified with a sight of the whole army of France, with the exception of the generals who had conquered them." Bell's Messenger.

Characteristic. — When the Duke of Wellington took office, he wanted the aid of his veteran friend, then Sir Henry Hardinge, and, sending for him, he expressed his wishes on the subject. " Bat," interposed the practical soldier, " I shall never be fit for official work in the House of Commons." " Pooh, pooh," was the Duke's reply, " you will manage the parliamentary work very well. The only rule you must follow is this : — Never speak about anything you do not understand, and never quote Latin." — Ibid. The Great Britain was to leave on the 21st of August ; she vras to have 1000 passengers, and had engaged 650 2nd class and 250 Ist class passeDgers, and wanted -100 Ist class passengers to perfect her complement. The electric cable just laid down by the Irish Telegraph Company, to which we alluded a fortnight ago, bas been cut by a stnpid Captain ; irho catching it on his keJge anchor, and inodcently taking it for a four-inch hempen hawser, made prize of what he deemed to be some five or six hundred yards of new rope-cable, but which, on his arrival at Lam, turned out, to his no small consternation, to be a portion of the cable used to encase the electric telegraph wire, laid down only a few days before between Portpatrick and Donaghadee. On the stb of August the first column of ths New Crystal Palace was erected on its new site, i in the presence of several thousand persons; it is to be called the " Palace of the People," and would be open for exhibition and inspection on the Ist of May, 1853. The elections for the Council- General were being proceeded with in France, and as might be expected from the gross intimidation practised, in favour of the Government. Sloane, the Special Pleader. — This unfortunate man, who, with his wife, was convicted in February, 1852, at the Central Criminal

Court, of cruelty to Jane Wilbred, his servant, died lately after a lengthened illness. The Board of Trade have been prosecuting an inquiry relative to a fearful csse of mortality, involving no less than the frightful number of 274 deaths, on board the British t>hip Lady MonUigue> recently returned to the port of London, after a. voyage of four year*' duration. The circumstances connected with this deplorable affair have excited considerable attention in the city. Letters from Rome state that the Popeift threatened with dropsy, and that the state of his health gives great uneasiness to his physicians. Hitherto every effort has been made to conceal bis danger from the public. The clearances for the gold colonies of Australia from the port of London last week consisted of seven ships to Port Phillip of an average capacity of 4,336, and three to Sydney of 1,877 tons, making a total tonnage of 6,243. Thereis also one to Portland Bay, of 707 tons. The number of emigrants from the port is supposed to have bpen about a thousand.- -Liverpool Mail, July 10. The petition to Government by the weavers, and flaxdressers of Dundee, for aid to emigrate, baa been signed by upwards of 300 beads of families, which, on a moderate calculation, will represent about 1500 persons. A negotiation has beeu concluded between the Australian Agricultural Company and the Highland Emigration Committee for the despatch of 400 Highland emigrants of all ages to the settlement of the Company at Port Stephens. It is stated that Government intends to send 2000 of the Irish constabulary to Australia, to aid the civil power in that colony in performing, the arduous duties now requisite for the protection of life and property, owing to the discovery, of the gold fields.

The Gold Fields. — The results of the discovery of the Australian gold fields are thus described in the Times:— / The " Further papers relative to-ihe recent discovery of gold in Australia," presented To Parliament by command of her Majesty just before the close of the session, are by far the most valuable and authentic collection of facts we have yet obtained on this important subject, and the Blue Book which contains them is further provided with an excellent map of the south-eastern pottion of the Australian continent, indicating by appropriate dabs of gamboge which appear to speckle the whole of that territory. We have here, therefore, a tolerably complete history of the first six months of this singular revolution in the condition of a colony which seems destined to form in all things an exception and a contrast to the ordinary laws of nature. The despatches of Mr. L» Trobe, Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria, convey the most vivid picture of the extent and value of these discoveries of gold, and their effect on the population. (After giving some facts, the writer concludes.) " When it is remembered that all these effects have been produced in little more than six months from the first discovery of the gold down to the date of the latest despatches, and that the scene of action is in an almost unexplored region of that portion of the globe most remote from Europe, and from civilization, they will certainly be ranked among the most curious and surprising phenomena in the history of mankind. We shall shortly revert to the subject, in order to take into consideration the measures taken, or to be taken, by the home autbotitiss on the receipt of this intelligence. Those measures consist chiefly in an immediate increase of the military and naval forces in the coloDy, fo^, as mauers now stand, a wellarmed pirate who should anchor in Hobson's Bay would have no difficulty in laying the capital of Victoria under contribution to any amount; and even the maintenance of peace and order in the town depends mainly on the good will of the respectable inhabitants. The second object is the promotion of emigration in the form most calculated to provide for the general vra.pt* of the community; and the last is the question of establishing a local mint and assay office, in order to legalise the transaction! in gold by introducing a regular standard of fineness. Those subjects have been attentively considered by her Majesty's Government, and in part provided for by Sir John Pakington, whose last despatches to Sir Charles Fitzroy and Mr. La Trobe are also before us; but whatever may be the measures taken it is impossible not to apprehend that the influx of loose emigration from all countries, the sudden overthow of the ordinary stanbard of value in the colony, and the consequent suspension of the usual and necessary occupations of many classes of society, will for some time to come be attended with very serious inconvenience. Very nearly 600 members had been returned to Parliament, and the remaining 54 would be returned in a few days. A large portion, probably two-thirds, of those not yet elected were Irish county members. Mr. Robert Lowe had been returned for Kidderminster. The following are the estimates of the politics of the members returned op to that time, made by the different journals. The Times gives the liberals 271 members, the Liberal Conservatives 63, and the Ministerials 252 : total, 586. The Morning Chronicle gives the non-Ministerialists 326, and the Ministerialists 249 ; total, 575. The Daily News gives the Liberals 298, and the Derbyites 286 ; total, 554. The Morning Herald givet the Opposition 270, and claims for the Ministry 316 ; total, 586. Id 37 places Protectionists have unseated Liberals, and in 13 places Liberal Conservatives ; while in 21 places Liberals have unseated Protectionists, and in 16 places Liberal Conservatives ; and in six places Liberal Conservatives have unseated Protectionists, and iv thirteen places Liberals. The following remarks are from a late number of the Liverpool Mercury : — The elecions still continue to present much the same general results as they did last week, that is to say, there is a large majority against Protection in any - form, but no certain majority either for the Derby or for any oth-r Ministry. If Lord Derby should be so rash as to propose any sort of a corn-law, be. wili be beaten in the New Parliament by it majority of 150. votes ; and if he should attempt, under the plea of a financial adjustment, to change the incident of taxation, by- throwing an unfair share of taxation on trade, commerce, and labour, be will also be beaten by a large majority. He will, moreover, be met, on the meeting of Parliament, by a declaration in favour of Free-trarfe and against protection, which declaration w ] be carried by a considerable majority. If, after i hat, he should think fit to try his hand as a Free-'rsie Minister, he will probably be allowed to do so ; but always subject to the certainty of being over-

thrown, if be should attempt Co use bis position for the purpose of giving exclusive advantages to one class, at the expense of the others. The sixteen Scottish peers chosen to sit in the house of Lords in the new Parliament are — the Marquis of Twe'edale, and Earls of Morton, Home, Siraibmvtß, Airlie, Leven and Melville, Selkirk, Orkney, and SeafieU ; and Lords, Saltoun, Grey, Sinclair, Elphinston, Blantyre, Colville of Culross, and Polwarth. Last night one of Mrs. Chishoim's interesting -meetings, for the promotion of emigration in families or grotips, took place at the .Royal British Institution, City-road. The admission was free, and intending emigrants were earnestly rnvited to attend and to seek information, which Mrs. Chisholra kindly volunteered to afford. — Times, July 23.

Mm. Times .... 284 Daily Newt 313 Chronicle.. 290 Herald.... 341 Post 335 Globe .... 289 Lib. 309 33d 310 307 316 329 Lib. Con. 58 50 Total. 651 651 65f) 658 651 618