ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IX, Issue 822, 18 June 1853, Page 3

ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

A proposition is under consideration to take measures tor getting into cultivation.the lands of Brittany. If all these barren tracts in France were put in cultivation, 7,000,000 of acres would be reclaimed. M. Auber has been appointed musical director and chapel master to the Emperor, thus uniting in himself the functions which were divided between Lesueur and Pae*. The Belgian journals contain accounts of dis strous inundatious from the overflowings of the rivers. At Hal and yivor.de, and in the vaUey of the Senne, considerable lois has I een sustained. The King of Prussia has conferred the Order of Merit for Arts.and Sciences on the Right Hon. T. B. Maeaulay, and on Colonel Rawlinson. Some of the /riends of M. de Lamartine have proposed to raise a national subset iption, for the purpose of relieving him from his pecuniary embarrassments ; but the poet and historian has nobly refused to accept anything in the shape of a gift. He thinks that, in time and by labour, he can earn sufficient to pay off every demand on him, and to prevent his family mansion and estate from passing into the hands of strangers ; and, like Walter Scott in similar circumstances, up cries proudly,- " My own right hand shall do it !" Whatever may be the opinion of this gentleman's political career, it is impossible, we thin*--, to withhold admiration from the mauliness and the purity of his private character — they arc equal, in every respect, to his genius. . The following extraordinary revelation appears in the Morning Advertiser. "We understand, from good authority, that very great consternation has been produced within the last fortnight in the Tuileries, in consequence of a large bundle of letters, of great Stale importance, having been abstracted from one of the private apartments of the Emperor. Among these letters are no fewer than 80 which, we are assured, very seriously compromise the characters of some of (be most distinguished public men in France, and de clop political and private intrigues on tbe part of persons never suspected of anything at variance with the strictest honour, which will astonish France and Europe, should letters so stolen ever see the light. In the mpantiroe, so great is the anxiety of the Emperor to recover them, than an offer of a reward of 200,000 franco has been made for their restoration, in quarters where it is likely a knowledge of their locality exists. An English lady, who was long ou intimate terms with' the Emperor, but who has heen obliged to quit France in consequence of the marriage, has been suspected of being concerned, directly or indirectly, in the abstraction of these important letters ; but we have reason to believe that tbe person in question has had nothing whatever to do with the matter. We may add, that we have good grounds for stating that tbe letters are in this country, and what is more, are in the hands of members of the Orleans family, who, we may state, are oot only deeply interested in their contents, but must be appalled at the revelations they make of the unparalleled perfidy t)f those who had hitherto made the most flaming professions of friendship for the family of th« ex-King." The ship Arrow, from Para, has brought to Liverpool a large serpent of the boa kind, with an extensive family. On the day tbe ship left Para the snake produced no fewer than 36 young. They were about 2 ft. in length ; and ha'.e not grewn more than an inch in 6 weeks. The mother and young have been sold to the keeper of a menagerie ; but 33 of the little ones were not delivered forthwith, as they were roaming about the hold, and could not be caught till the cargo was discharged. The unprecedented sum of £100 has been paid by Mr. Stainton, veterinary-surgeon, of Ho loway, to Mr. Fletcher, of Kensington, for his celebrated Cochin China cock. This fowl obtained tbe first prize and extra medal at the Birmingham Poultry Show in 1851, and a cockerel and pu'let bred from him took a first prize at tbe Great Metropolitan Show, and sold at the auction for £49 7s. It is not generally known that the bride of the Emperor Napoleon 111 received her education in j England. When a girl, Mddle. Montijo, with [ her sister, the present Duchess of Alba, were pupils at a highly respectable establishment at Bristol. The following anecdotes of the Great Duke, from recently published -works, are extracted from a review of them in th'e Athencsum. " When any officer, of^rank joined the Duke in the Peninsula, on bis England, he was asked to dine at head-quarters, and sat at the Duke's right hand. / On such occasions, military subjects were dispensed with ; but the Duke often sifted at the same time the qualities of the new comer through the common topics of the day. On one occasion an unhappy wight, a nnjor-general, launched into military matters with the Duke, in preference to continuing the chit-chat about England. The Duke parried (bis for some, time ; but as he persevered, the F.M, so far gratified him as to ask his opinion. The Major-General expressed himself as deeply anxious at the critical position in which his Grace then was. The Duke allowed him to proceed. ' If,' said the enlightened Major-geu-eral (the Dul c requesting him to make his movements on the table-cloth) 'the French moved there, and then did this, and then did that, which they would inevitably, then what would your Grace do V — ' Give them the most ' infernal thrashing they have had for some time,' said the most uoble Arthur. The electrified comraenta'lor oh hypothecated disasters said — nothing !" V On. one occasion, the Duke was giving his directions to his'officers, among whom was Sir Thomas Picton, when that gallant general ventured to differ from him as to the judiciousness of some of his intended movements : ' Sir Thomas Picton,' said tbe Duke, in a tone not to he mistaken, ' I sent for you ta hear my orders, not to receive yours.' Some entertaining instances are related, during the progress of the

i Peninsular war, of the Commander-in-chief's strict attention to subsidies, and of his sharpness • to peccant officers in the commissariat depart, ment. On one occasion, Goneral Picton, enraged at a want of punctuality on the part of a deputy-eonimmissary-gencral, threatened to hang that officer if the provisions were cot brought up on the morrow. The Commissary, putting on his best uniform, repaired to the Commander-in-chief, and laid his grievous complaint before him. * Did General Picton really threaten to hang you V said Wellesley. 'He did,' replied the Commissary. * Then,' said the Commantler-in- Chief, 'I would advise you to go and exert yourself and get up these stores, for General Picton is just the man to do what he threatens. The Commissary went h's way, and tlje provisions were up in time." A few years ago — say, even this day five years — M. Louis Napoleon Bonaparte was three year* in arrear of rent in the parish of St. James. He could not pay his tailor's, or his upholsterer's, or his wine- merchant's bill, or meet one-half of bis engagements in the City or in the West-end. — Fraser's Magazine for December. The use of iron casks had been introduced at Liverpool for the palm-oil trade and other purposes. The advantages are, economy of space and prevention of leakage. An iron cask, it U said, occupying the space of a wooden one of 160 gallons, will hold 214 gallons. GalignanVs Gazette says that several of thp fashionables of St. Ptter&burg lately conceived the idea of smoking green tea instead of tnbacco ; and at all the toboccc-shops in that capital cigarettes made of it may now be purchased. The following are some details of the manner in which the day is filled up by the children of Queen Victoria : — they rise early, breakfast at eight and dine at two o'clock. Their various orcupations are allotted out with almost military exactness. One hour finds them engaged in the study of the ancient, another of the modern authors — their acquaintanceship with languages being first founded on a thorough knowledge of their grammatical construction, and afterwards familiarised and perfected by construction. Next they are trained in those military eyercises which give dignity and bearing. Another hour is agreeably filled up with the lighter accomplishments of music and dancing. Again the little parly assemble in the riding school, where they may be seen deeply interested in the various evolutions of the manege. Thence, while drawing and the further exercise of music and the lighter accomplishments call the attention of their sisters — th^ young princes proceed to busily engage themselves in a carpenter's shop, fitted up expressly for them, with tools essential to a perfect knowledge of the creft. They thus early brcomp, not only theoreiically hut practically acquainted with the useful arts of life, a small laboratory is occasionally brought into requisition, at the instance | of their father. This done, the young carpenters and students throx down their saW9 and axes, unbuckle their philosophy, and shoulder their miniature percussion guns — which they handle with the dexterity of practical sportsmen, for a shooting stroll through the royal gardens. The evening meal, the preparation for the rooming's lessons, and brief religious instruction, close the day. * A curious instance ofthe fascination of a public horror lately occurred in the lunatic ward of of the Sheffield Union Workhouse. After the execution of the man Barbour, several of the patients conversed together on the subject of hanging, when one of them, who had been a lunatic for thirty years, slipped out of the ward, and having attached his neckerchief to a beam in the privy, placed his neck withii the sling, and throwing himself off a slight elevation upon which he was standing, bung suspended with his feet just clear of the floor until life was extinct. Rebeccaites, or forcible removers of toll-gates, have appeared in Somersetshire. A certain trust called the Black Dog Trust had got into difficulties, and unable to compel the parishes to repair the roads had continued to exact heavy tolls for roads unfit to travel over. The mob assembled last week and carried off the gates. Sledge Driving in New York.. — The New York Herald gives a lively account of the first snow storm, and the subsequent "carnival" of sledging which took place in New York on the 12th January : — The storm continued with unabated vigour during Wednesday nighr, and yesterday morning the snow lay from eight to nine inches deep upon the the ground, taking the eniire of the level- surface of the city. In undisturbed places rtie drifts were very heavy. The wind blew a strong gale from the northeast, and remained in that point, with very slight variation, from early morning up to a late hour last night. The advancing day was exceedingly cold. At half-past seven o'clock the thermometer stood at 30 degrees. The merry tinkle of the first sleigh bells aroused the people at daybreak, and afforded a joyous impulse towards fun and frolic to each. The mammoth stages, belonging to the different city lines, drawn by sprightly teams of four, six, and eight horses, were in early requisition, and before noon an omnibus running upon ! wheels was looked upon as an antiquated mode of conveyance. The entire town was in motion, and every person, young and old, male and female, prepared for sledge riding and sport. Iv Broadway the fun soon grew 'fast and furious,' and the great thoroughfare presented an exciting and varied scene, not excelled, and perhaps unequalled, by the merriest carnival display seen either iv Rome or upon the Rialto. The centre of the street was occupied by one unbroken line of stage sleighs, running up and down, whilst the entire way was crowded with those of private families, dashing along with a rapidity which would have been dangerous but for the grace with which they were driven. A person standing at one point, and glancing >o the right or left, became almost bewildered with the variety of robes, winterdresses, blooming faces, cheers, and merry greetings, which saluted his eyes and ears. The large public stages were crowded to overflowing, and the cry of ' plenty of room,' wiihringing laughter and inviting smiles, welcomed each new passenger. Some drove up the avenues with as many as eighty persons, and none enjoyed the fun more than the ladies. Every hair-breadth escape from a sudden capsize occasioned a fresh burst of laughter on their part, whilst ibe gentlemen in passing vehicles saluted each other with hearty and repeated cheers. The well matched hprses, decorated with strings of burnished bells and polished harness, looked very fine. In private sleighs they were driven singly, and in double and tandem style, whilst the majority of those of the

i stage Hoes were drawn by six horses. Noon, ; evening, and at mMnight, the scene was still tbe same. The vpry sHe rai's of the s'aqes were filled wiib people, an.l every jolt, jam, incident , pioduced a fresh burs 1 of hughter and fun. All , were in good humour, and accommodating. Ladies were provi led w.tli seatd in every available angle, and looked at tbe temporary inconveniences under which they laboured as adding zest to the sleighing amusements of our first snow storm. The boys had a day suited to their most ardent wishes, and they kept a constant fire of snowballs from stage to stag?, which, falling at random in the crowd, afforded much fun and merriment."

The Statues for the House of Lords. — Considerable progress has been made by Messrs. Elkington towards tbe completion of the bronze statues, 18 in number, which are to decorate tbe interior of the House of Lords. Those of the Earl of Gloucester, from a drawing by J. S. Westmacott, and of Lord de Warren, by M'Dowell, have for some time past occupied their niches in ihe Peers' Chamber, and it was expected that four more would have been ready by the re-assembling of Parliament in February. Some unavoidable delay in the moulding and casting departments have, however, rendered it impossible to complete them by that time. The four statues, the castings of which, together with the electro deposits, have just been completed by Messrs. Elkington, are those of Eustace de Vetci, by Ritchie; the Earl of Winchester, by Westmacott; Archbishop Langton, by Thomi; and Almeiic, by D. M'Dowell. As works of art they are deserving of the highest praise, and reflect considerable credit upon the artists from whose drawings they have been made. The modelling of the figures have been confi led to Mr. Charles Grant and M. Jeauneste, and the manner in which the mechanical difficulties, which the character and style of the work necessarily present, have been overcome, shows the greatest skill on their parts, combined with a perfect appreciation of the requirements of arr. It is to be regretted for various. reasons, that considerations of economy should have induced the Royal Commissioners to decide upon having the figures cast in zinc, with a deposit of bronze upon the surface, rather than having been formed entirely of the latter metal. Woiks of art of so high a character, and destined to exhibit to posterity the presrnt position of this comparatively new and interesting branch of our industrial arts, might fairly be expected to possess the genuine character which they represent on the surface, rather than that attribute of " veneer" which, so widely spread as it is, cannot fail to be a matter of regret to lovers of art. We are happy to bear that the exertions which for several years past have been made, and which are continued to be made by Messrs. Elkington to produce works by tbe electro process of a high character, have been eminently successful. Few manufacturers have done more to induce in the public mind a love of tbe fine arts than this firm, and their numerous reproductions of the antique in bronze aud other metals, to be met with in almost every direction, wi 1 not fail to create a more extended love of the beautiful, with, we trust, at the same time, advantages to tbe producers.

Frightful Catastrophe on the NorihWestern Railway. — One of the most frightful collisions that ever occurred on the line of the London And North- Western Railway, or any of its tributaries, took place on Monday evening, at a place termed the High-budge, about a mile on the London side of the Oxford station. It appears that, on Monday evening, the 5.30 passenger train to Eletchley was preparing for its departure from Oxford, when a coal-train was telegraphed to have left Islip at five o'clock, and was coming. The Oxford statbn-inaster, on receipt of the message, told the guard of the passenger-train that he must not start until the coal-traia bad arrived. But it seems that a ballast drain, with a white light, arriving, it was mistaken for the coal train ; and the passeogcrtrain left, and soon darted onwards at a rate of about thirty miles &n hour, till it met the coaltrain proceeding onwards towards Oxford, at a rate of .about 12 miles an hour, bui having a great impetus upon it, from the circumstance that it was drawn ly two heavy engines, and having between fifty and sixty coal truck* attached. The shock is described as frightful, and the crash was beard in all parts of the city of Oxford. The engines reared up, the fire flew about in all directions, and, in a few seconds after the crash, the line and it* vicinity was strewed with the shattered fragments of the en* gine' and tenders, the carriages and human bodies all mixed.together in an almost undistinguisHable mass. As fast as the bodies af the dead and the mutilated could be recovered from among the debris, or from the water in which some of them were found immersed, they were c nvsyed either to the Infirmary, or. to other places for medical aid. The passengertrain consisted of four carriages, besides the engine and tender. Twenty-one passengers were {aid for at the Oxford booking-office by this train, chiefly third-class, and the remainder se-cond-class. The third and second-class carriages were smashed 10 atoms. The entire of the three engines and their tenders are a perfect wreck. The sensation created by the sad calamity in Oxford and its vicinity, is truly frightful, and throughout the day, the " High • Bridge," lW scene of the occurrence, wns . crowded by hundreds of people, making most painful inquiries after relatives and friends. Captain Bruyeres, and other officials, were on the spot instituting a minute investigation into the sad affair. An inquest was held on Wednesday ; when the fact was- brought cut still stronger, that the driver seeing the 1 ballast engine enter the station, mistook it for the expected coal train, put on his steam, and moved off without wai'ing for any signal to start. It appears that the melancholy list of victims amounts to eight killed, two mortally wounded, ond about twenty oshers more or less seriously injured. Of the six men in charge of the engines which came into collision, only one has escaped with life. The inquest has been adjourned from day today. _ w _ mL _ , s .

Vancouver's Island.— The dispatches re* ceived from Vancouver* JMand contioae to give favourable accounts of its capabilities. The climate is found to be agreeable, and, even in the northernpart, considerably milder than that of England.* For setilcrt tbe facilities, both as regards the raising of produce and_jhe erection of works and dwellings, appear to be greater than had been anticipated. Game is everywhere abun-

daut, and is calculated to prove an important item iv economising domestic expenditure, while, in addition to wild fowl on tbe watert, there are many valuable fisheries, besides a great frequency of oyster beds. Deer are often met, and there are also black bears, which, however, are considered harmless. One oi the most remarkable peculiarities of the island is the great number of inlets, or arms of the sea, which being deep and narrow, and penetrating a considerable distance inland, furnish in many instances, from the great rush of water in and out, an important and permanent motive power. The natural features of the country are described as being very beautiful, owing to its lakes, hills, woodlands, and occasional patches of prairie. The oak is abundant, frequency growing in glades, with park-like regularity. There is a cypress which grows to a Jjrge size, and is particularly valuable for building purposes. The pines are of three sorts, are found 160 feet in height and from 12 to 16 feet in circumference. One description is extremely^ p'entiful, and possesses superior qualities for shipbuilding purposes. Varieties of maples and other trees are likewise common, and the valuable hemp known as the urtica carnabina grows wild and luxuriantly in the woods. Artificial grasses it is believed, might be cultivated with great advantage, and seeds of several descriptions have been sent out. The soil generally is a dark vegetable mould, averaging 18 inches in depth, and unusually fertile. Contrary to what is seen in England, the best lands are mostly those vriiere pine trees grow. The flora of the island is much the same as that of Great Britain. With regard to its mineral resources, the principal rocks are stated to be all of an excellent kind for building materials, both as respects appearance and durability. It is also considered that the geological features of the districts thus far surveyed are all such as strongly to favour the anticipation that gold may be found throughout an extensive range. There is an abundance of felspar and quartz, specimens of which have been transmitted to London for examination. Ironstone is likewise found in several places, but its value has not' yet been determined. The quantity of iron is sufficient to affect tbe compass considerably, and captains of vessels who havo visited the island are of opinion that this disturbance is unusually great along its shores. The native Indians behave well, and a small party of settlers penetrating into the interior with a canoe mtt a number of them, by whom they were wa:mly welcomed. They described ajarge lake, wh eh no white man had ever yet seen, ~but which the explorers now visited, and iound to be between 20 and 80 miles in length, and from 2 to 3 miles in breadth. — Bell's Messenger.